FEBRUARY 23, 2018
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
SCOTUS SIDES WITH UNIVERSITY IN TERRORISM DAMAGES CASE BY KATHERINE VEGA NEWS EDITOR
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the University’s Oriental Institute in an 8–0 ruling today, according to the Associated Press. The University was a respondent in the case Rubin et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran et al. The ruling prevents U.S. survivors of a 1997 terrorist attack from using artifacts housed at the Oriental Institute as a means to get compensation from Iran after the country refused to pay them $71.5 million in damages. Eight Americans were injured in the attack, which was carried out by Hamas in Jerusalem. The victims of the terrorist attack sued Iran for their involvement in providing the bombers financial backing, and were awarded the $71.5 million. When the Iranian government did not pay the money, the victims of the attack and their relatives hoped to claim the artifacts as compensation from the Iranian government. “The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is committed to preserving and protecting a collection of Persian artifacts
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Ambassador Haley Criticizes U.N. General Assembly BY LUCIA GENG NEWS REPORTER
on loan from the Iranian government, which are among the region’s most important historical documents,” University spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus wrote in an e-mail to T he M a roon . “These ancient artifacts, along with the Oriental Institute’s own Persian collection, have unique historical and cultural value. Today’s ruling reaffirms the University’s continuing efforts to preserve and protect this cultural heritage.” The artifacts in question, 30,000 Persian clay tablets known as the Persepolis Collection, were loaned by Iran to the Oriental Institute more than 80 years ago. The artifacts were discovered by University archaeologists during an excavation and have been on loan ever since. The Oriental Institute announced in its digital newsletter on Thursday, February 22, that Institute members have begun talks with Iranian colleagues to return the Collection to Iran. The Supreme Court decision affirms the ruling of a Chicago federal appeals court. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the majority opinion for the Court, and said that the
Nikki Haley, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.), delivered remarks and participated in a Q&A session during an Institute of Politics (IOP) event at International House Thursday night. Haley began by giving an overview of the U.S.’s involvement with the U.N., saying that “the history of the United States and the United Nations is a mixture of idealism and realism.” She expressed determination to show the U.N.’s value to the American people and discussed using her role as ambassador to advance American foreign policy interests. “The United States is by far the largest financial contributor to the United Nations,” Haley said. “That doesn’t mean we should always get our way, but it does mean we should get something in return for our investment.” She discussed instances where the U.S. was not afraid to assume a leadership position in the U.N., such as when the U.S. headed efforts to impose economic sanctions on North Korea. Haley ended her remarks by sharing advice she received from former Secretary of State Henry
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Yao Xen Tan
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at International House.
Trans Activist Janet Mock Gives Annual Kent Lecture BY KATHERINE VEGA NEWS EDITOR
Giovanna DeCastro
Janet Mock speaks at the Kent Lecture.
New York Times–bestselling author and transgender rights activist Janet Mock spoke in Mandel Hall as the George E. Kent Lecture guest for the Organization of Black Students (OBS). The evening began with introductions by third-year OBS Political Chair Simeon Daferede. The event was moderated by fourth-year Darien Dey, who is the chair of the Leaders of Color program at the Institute of Politics. Dey wrote in an e-mail to The Maroon that she prepared for the event by reading her two books and watching past interviews with Mock. During her talk, Mock, who is
Disturbed Fabric Contemporary artist Alia Ali discussed her work in textile and other media in a talk on campus.
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A Lesson in Free Speech
also a television producer and former editor for People magazine, discussed her experiences as a black trans woman, her writing, and her future projects. She also spoke about how the intersections of her various identities have affected her outlook on life. Dey started the conversation by noting that Mock was the first openly trans speaker the Kent Lecture series has ever hosted and asking her how she felt about that. “It speaks to the expansiveness of blackness in how it includes so many of us, and it’s a great step forward in terms of insuring that we create more space for black trans girls in conversations about being black,” Mock said.
As it looks forward to the NCAA tournament, the team has an opportunity to secure a perfect record in conference.
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Events 2/23–2/26 Today A Talk on Sexual Violence Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, 5:30–7 p.m. University of Chicago UAID, in partnership with Phoenix Survivors Alliance, hosts a discussion on the ways sexual violence disparately affects women from marginalized groups. Dinner will be provided. Tomorrow Pet Love Library, Ida Noyes Hall, 12:30–1:30 p.m. Pet Love brings therapy dogs and snacks to campus to help students destress. Sunday
T heodore Richa rd: T he Great Re-imagining Seminary Co-Op, 3–4:30 p.m. The author and director of the Chicago Wisdom Project discusses “Spirituality in an Age of Apocalypse.” Monday
Logan Center Cabaret Logan Center for the Arts 7:00 p.m. Featuring a range of performances— from singing to slam poetry—this student-driven event showcases a range of talented solo and group performers. Register online.
Support Our Advertisers Page Three: Historians and civil rights activists gather for a panel on “ Dr. King’s Philosophy of Nonviolent Direct Action.” Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m., 930 E. 50th Street. Page Five: Concert—The Sacred Power of A nimals, featuring Vox Balaenae and A Medieval Bestiary. Friday, February 23, 7:30 p.m. at Rockefeller Chapel. Page 7: 10 percent off food and beverages with your UCID at The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Avenue. Author Peter O’Leary discusses Thick and Dazzling Darkness, which argues for the relevance of religious poetry in 20th- and 21st-century A merica. Thursday, March 1, 4:30 p.m., Room 106, Swift Hall. Online: Off-campus roomate matching for fall 2018, through Hyde Park Property Management. If you want to place an ad in T he M ar o on , please e-mail ads@ chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/ pages/advertise. In this week’s Citizen Bulletin: Rauner juggles pensions; Rahm conjures Google; Currie backs Madigan. Find more at chicagomaroon.com/contributor/citizen-bulletin.
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In this week’s Artscast podcast: interviews with the leaders of the University’s cheerleading team and an enterprising cosplayer. Subscribe on iTunes.
“Read a book. If you don’t know something, educate yourself.” Continued from front
She also discussed her two memoirs, 2014’s Redefining Realness and 2017’s Surpassing Certainty. “As a writer, I love words.... I truly live by Audre Lorde’s mission statement of transforming silence into language and action,” Mock said. Quoting Lorde, she said that “words are things.” “I had never read a book that fully reflected me. So I wanted to sit down with myself at my desk and tell myself that story and hopefully blend and create the mirror that I didn’t have access to growing up.” Mock was not afraid of turning the tables on Dey, frequently asking Dey’s own questions back to her. At one point, Dey mentioned that some phrases related to social justice and identity are products of “the academy” and asked Mock how she felt about phrases like toxic masculinity. Mock said that she didn’t often think about it, then asked Dey how she felt about it. “It definitely was unexpected,” Dey wrote of Mock’s cross-examination. “But because
students attend the Kent Lecture with the purpose of engaging in this type of enriched dialogue, I felt prepared enough to engage in an authentic way that leaves enough room for learning and for mistakes,” she wrote in an e-mail to The Maroon. Dey then asked Mock how she thought those who lack the language to discuss issues of social justice and identity should join the conversation. “Read a book. If you don’t know something, educate yourself. I don’t think there’s an excuse to not engage in conversation [unless you don’t have access to resources]... Listen, take notes, and take things in if someone is speaking about their experience or about their thoughts.” After Dey and Mock finished their conversation, Mock took questions from the audience. One audience member asked whether or not there were any terms or ideas that Mock had once identified with but later changed her mind about. “I used to always [say things about] gender being on a spectrum. Having met so many
more people, I feel like that feels so basic. I feel we need to expand that so much more. Because even the ‘spectrum,’ even just visually, I think linear. And I don’t think any of us exists on a line…. I look at it now through a prism or a kaleidoscope,” Mock said. Mock concluded by talking about her status as a “celebrity” due to her work in trans visibility. “In terms of my own self, I don’t see myself [as a celebrity]. Maybe certain people would see me that way in a very small circle of transness—maybe I’m a celebrity in transness, but I’m not on the cover of magazines,” Mock said. Then, she conceded: “Well, I was in a video with Beyonce.” In an e-mail to The Maroon, Dey wrote that she spent a few moments with Mock before the conversation. “She had a strong, commanding presence but still exuded a personal warmth that made it easy to talk to her. On stage, she actively engaged with the questions and with me, in ways that I did not expect,” Dey wrote.
Haley said Trump’s tweets make her job “interesting.” Continued from front
Kissinger: “Put yourself in your adversary’s shoes. Understand what he or she wants and use that to guide your negotiations…. This is a skill I am afraid is being lost in America today.” IOP Executive Director David Axelrod opened the Q&A session by asking Haley student-submitted questions about the U.S.’s decision to veto the U.N. resolution which condemned the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Haley said she “didn’t appreciate” the General Assembly’s decision to hold a vote on the resolution, saying, “That was a resolution that did nothing but humiliate us.” She added, “All we were doing was following what Congress passes over and over again, where the American people say Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and we were putting our embassy in the capital, like we do so many other embassies.” Haley continued, saying, “Now what we have is a time that negotiations can start between Israelis and Palestinians.” She expects that the outcome of the final negotiations will not be what the U.S. wants, but rather what the Israelis and Palestinians
want and decide for themselves. Haley mentioned that Trump administration officials Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt are working on a peace plan for the Israel-Palestine conflict. Haley also answered questions regarding the Syrian refugee crisis and defended the U.S.’s decision not to receive more refugees. “You can’t take a chance of your people not being safe,” she said. “At this time in the world, safety and security for the American people is the President’s top priority.” When Axelrod asked about the possibility of war with North Korea, Haley responded that it is dependent on North Korea’s decisions. “All options have always been on the table,” she said. “[But] nobody wants war. That’s always the last option.” She explained that in order for tensions to de-escalate, North Korea must “surrender anything tied to” its nuclear program. Axelrod later noted, “You have consistently made a very strong statement about what the Russians did [meddling in the last presidential election and annexing Crimea] and why we can’t tolerate it. Why can’t the President do that?”
His question was greeted by a brief silence from Haley and audience applause. “David, I think through [his] actions, the President has acted. That’s a question that you’ll have to ask him,” she answered. Haley later said that the President’s tweets makes her job “interesting.” “When I wake up, I don’t know what he’s going to tweet about,” Haley said. She recalled when the President asked her if it was alright to use “Little Rocket Man” to refer to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a speech, and she responded, “It would be different.” Haley ended the night by sharing her opinion on the recent shooting in Florida, prompted by a question from Axelrod. “When a tragedy happens, the first reaction is political,” Haley said. She encouraged people to see gun violence as a part of a larger problem. “It’s not just about guns; there needs to be a full level conversation from the start to the end, on every aspect that affects a child in a school when it comes to safety,” Haley said. “Every one of us has an obligation. Only then will we get to the heart of these shootings.”
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“It’s a bizarre, almost surreal kind of thing.” Continued from front
Shahzad Ahsan
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which establishes procedures for suing sovereign governments and international debt recovery, does not allow the victims to recover these artifacts. The act generally protects foreign property from seizure in the U.S. but makes exceptions for countries that have funded terrorist groups. However, the Court did not find these exceptions applicable. The case has been ascending through the courts for over a decade. In 2006, the Washington Post covered the court case when it was still at the federal district level. Speaking to The Washington Post, then-director of the Oriental Institute Gil Stein said that there was no justification for the case. “It’s a bizarre, almost surreal kind of thing.... The Iranians are understandably furious about this. You’d have to imagine how we would feel if we loaned the Liberty Bell to Russia and a Russian court put it up for auction,” Stein said.
Some of the artifacts contested in the case were shown to The Maroon in 2009.
Alumnus Charged With Chicago’s First Cryptocurrency Crime BY OREN OPPENHEIM NEWS REPORTER
A UChicago alumnus was charged last week with stealing over $2 million in Bitcoin from a trading firm, in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) calls “the first criminal prosecution in Chicago involving the cryptocurrency trading industry.” According to ABC7Chicago, Joseph Kim (A.B. ’16) appeared in court last Friday to be charged with wire fraud. While he did not enter a plea deal, he surrendered his passport and had both his travel and trading activities restricted as a part of his bond deal. Kim worked at Consolidated Trading LLC, a West Loop–based trading
firm focused on a plethora of fields, including currency and energy. Consolidated Trading did not respond to a request for comment. K im majored in economics and worked for UChicago as a computer support assistant from 2013 –14, and as an exchange assistant for UChicago Medicine from 2012–13. He interned in 2015 for CGN Global, a business group that focuses, among other areas, on blockchain, the technology underlying bitcoin. According to the criminal complaint, from September to November of last year “there [was] probable cause to believe that [Kim] engaged in a scheme to defraud Consolidated Trading…. [Kim] misappropriated at least $2 million of
the company’s cryptocurrencies, namely Bitcoin and Litecoin, for his own personal benefit and made false statements and representations to the company’s management in order to conceal his misappropriation.” The company managed to recover 144 bitcoins (valued at $1,457,000)— but suffered a net loss of $603,000. The complaint cites an e-mail Kim sent to his superiors at Consolidated Trading, explaining that he sent over 50 bitcoins from the company’s account to his own in order to make up for trading losses. In his e-mail, Kim said he did not intend “to steal for myself from [Consolidated] and until the end I was perversely trying to fix what I had already
done. I can’t believe I did not stop myself when I had the money to give back…. I am sorry to betray you all like this.” The DOJ’s news release states that Kim has been charged with one count of wire fraud, which can be punished with up to 20 years in prison. Kim is being represented by William Ziegelmueller of Schiff Harden LLP. When contacted by T he M a roon Ziegelmueller declined to comment. The federal government is being represented by DOJ attorneys Sunil Harjani and Sheri Mecklenburg. A DOJ spokesperson told T he M aroon via e-mail that “we do not have a comment beyond the news release.” Pete Grieve contributed reporting.
Obama Center Symposium to Be Hosted at the University BY EMMA DYER NEWS REPORTER
National and local experts will discuss the Obama Presidential Center’s impact on Chicago’s South Side at a symposium on March 7 at the University. The symposium will be in Kent Hall, from 6–8 p.m., and will be free and open to the public. The symposium was organized as a follow-up to a UChicago faculty letter, which expressed concerns regarding the possible community effects of the current Center plans. The event’s website proposes the symposium as an opportunity for experts and community members to discuss the logistical challenges put forth by the current Center plans, such as the allocation of tax dollars, infrastructure changes, environmental impacts, and gentrification concerns. The event will consist of a moderated discussion with four panelists followed by a Q&A period open to the public. Featured panelists will include president and CEO of the Cultural Landscape
Foundation Charles Birnbaum, founder of Blacks in Green and Bronzeville Regional Collective Naomi Davis, founder and principal architect of Michael Sorkin Studio Michael Sorkin, and professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago Jacqueline Stewart. The panel will be moderated by distinguished professor of African-American studies and gender and women’s studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago Barbara Ransby. Panelists will apply their expertise to discuss the historical considerations of park planning and the current environment surrounding South Side parks. Birnbaum has 15 years of experience at the National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative (HLI) and currently holds a private practice in New York City, with a focus on landscape preservation and urban design. Davis has served on many Chicago area organizations including the Great Lakes Advisory Board, the Obama Library South Side CBA Coalition, the Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce, and the Woodlawn, Washington Park, South Shore Economic Development Organiza-
tion. Organized as a response to the faculty letter—which has over 200 signatures— the symposium will allow experts to offer criticism and advice to further develop Center plans as practical and beneficial for the South Side economy, community, and environment. “ There are very serious problems with the [Center] plans as they exist. As long as there is still time for change to be considered, we will continue to press for them,” co-author of the faculty letter professor W.J.T. Mitchell said. Event organizers say the symposium is not meant to act only as a medium for criticism but also to bring transparency and clarity on the Center plans to community members. “We want the event to deal with both sides of the coin, to educate the public, raise the level of civil discourse, and produce real world change,” Mitchell said. Faculty members have emphasized that their current apprehensions about the Center’s plans have not lessened their regard for Barack Obama as a community member, however.
“[The symposium] will also be a tribute to the historic legacy of our colleague and neighbor, President Obama,” Mitchell said. “Everyone involved with the symposium agrees on one thing: The Center belongs on the South Side, and we are united in respect for President Obama’s historic achievements.” Symposium organizers have extended an invitation to the Obama Foundation to attend the event, but according to media representatives from the symposium, Foundation representatives have yet to communicate an intent to accept. As the Foundation moves to finalize plans for the Center in the spring, it has scheduled a public meeting on February 27 at McCormick Place to “continue its ongoing community discussion about the design and development of the OPC,” according to a press release. The symposium is sponsored by UChicago Urban, the Mellon Sawyer Seminar on Urban Art and Urban Form, the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, the Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory, Preservation Chicago, and the scholarly journal Critical Inquiry.
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VIEWPOINTS
A Lesson in Free Speech Backlash to a Professor’s Immigration Plan Shows That Free Speech Is a Thornier Issue Than the University Will Admit
Ted Davis
Alexa Perlmutter Like many, I have a complicated relationship with our university’s free speech policy. I acknowledge the importance of meaningful intellectual debate on our campus, though I have serious problems with the direction UChicago has gone in promoting this ideal. But, amid the frequent (and necessary) controversies over the University’s free speech policy, the free exchange of ideas, especially in academia and politics, is important. Last week, Politico published a now-infamous piece by former UChicago economics professor Glen Weyl and current UChicago law professor Eric Posner. Originally (and unfortunately) titled “What If You Could Get Your Own Immigrant?” the title has since been changed to the less of-
fensive “Sponsor An Immigrant Yourself.” The article and the backlash it prompted unexpectedly serve as an example of free speech working in the way it should. Despite the troubling implications of the article itself, I believe it can help us think critically about the difference between free speech and hate speech. To be clear, I am completely opposed to the policy proposed in this article. To summarize, Posner and Weyl advocate for a program they call “Visas Between Individuals.” They tell us to imagine a woman named Mary Turner who submits an online application to sponsor an immigrant and ultimately chooses to sponsor a woman named Sofia who lives in Paraguay. Sofia comes to America, and, after “taking
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a one-week training course on American ways,” lives in Mary’s basement and earns five dollars an hour doing work for her. They go on to explain the financial benefits for families who choose to sponsor an immigrant in this way and then try assuage any fears of exploitation. They write, “Many people will worry that the Sofias of the world would be exploited by their sponsors. But all health and safety laws would apply to them.” Sure, because these laws are always followed. Not. To me, and many others, this program sounds like modern indentured servitude. But it definitely isn’t hate speech. And, actually, it’s articles like these that can help us accurately define hate speech, perhaps giving clarity to what I see as misdirection in UChicago’s current policies. According to the American Bar Association, hate speech is “speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.” While this article was certainly misguided and probably triggering for some, the intent was not to dehumanize. It was a detailed, researched, and intellectually argued policy proposal, albeit an especially misguided one. It is along these lines that we can differentiate professors like Weyl and Posner from someone like Steve Bannon, who has unfortunately been invited to speak here on campus. Under Bannon’s leadership, Breitbart published articles with these headlines: “Gay Rights Have Made Us Dumber, It’s Time to Get Back in The Closet,” “Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage,” and “Political Correctness Protects Muslim Rape Culture,” among many, many other incredibly offensive and factually dubious stories. Compare the original research and deep knowledge of immigration law in the Politico piece to the evidence cited in a Breitbart piece, which is predominantly sourced from a WordPress blog “from Sweden.” Continued on page 6
Let’s Get Down to Business Last Tuesday, the University’s College Council decided to delay a vote on the prospective addition of a business economics major to the College. While there is a robust debate to be had about the value of a more pre-professional major at UChicago, the M aroon Editorial Board is chiefly concerned with the College Council’s lack of transparency on this secretive vote. Most troublingly, most College students and faculty found out about the potential for a business economics major not from the University itself but from an anonymous poster campaign. When asked for comment by T he M aroon, only then did John List, economics professor and department chair, confirm that they were discussing the possibility. College Council meetings are off-therecord and closed to students. One member of College Council has stated definitively that discussions around the business major are absolutely confidential, and many others have denied T he M aroon ’s request for comment. However, the Constitution of the College does not explicitly forbid discussion of Council matters, and multiple other members of the College Council have spoken about the proposal openly. Dean of Admissions Jim Nondorf mentioned the possibility of a business economics major at an admitted students event last fall, long before the poster campaign even began. Given that the business economics major may constitute a departure from the College’s traditional curriculum, one would imagine that the College Council would want to communicate a clear idea of what is at stake. Instead, along with its unwillingness to clarify events for the community, College Council has only offered a vague sketch of what the business economics major would look like. Based on current speculative accounts of what the major would involve—whether it would rely on existing economics and Booth courses or necessitate the creation of new classes entirely—it is impossible to envision what UChicago’s business economics major would even entail. Because of the confusion within the College Council and varying levels of candor with the student body, those outraged about the possibility do not even know what it is that they are arguing over. The lack of transparency surrounding the potential for a business economics major cannot become the norm for University announcements. We cannot allow relevant campus news to be disseminated by haphazard posters and swirls of competing information from faculty. Announcing that a business economics major had been proposed and was under consideration—and a broad outline of what that major could look like—could have saved a lot of misinformation, confusion, and needless argument. The next time the College Council considers a similarly contentious measure, the University community is owed more transparency, information, and respect. —T he M aroon Editorial Board Michael Perry recused himself from this editorial. Katie Akin recused herself due to her previous coverage on the business economics major.
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“Giving [Bannon] a platform inherently legitimizes what he has to say...” Continued from page 4 In a recent letter from UChicago faculty members to the president and provost of the University, they write, “Bannon traffics in hate speech, promoting white supremacist ideologies meant to demean and dehumanize those marginalized, often people of color.” Indeed, unlike Weyl and Posner, much of what Bannon has said is “hate speech.” He does not argue intellectually, but, in accordance with the American Bar’s definition, offends, threatens, and insults groups based on their race, national origin, and sexual
orientation. His views are ones we should not and cannot engage with. Giving him a platform inherently legitimizes what he has to say. However, articles about programs like “Visas Between Individuals” accord with what free speech should be. While the proposal and its implications are undoubtedly offensive, neither the program nor the language used to describe it was overtly hateful. Indeed, the fact that Politico changed the title of the original article from “What If You Could Get Your Own Immigrant” to “Sponsor an Immigrant
Yourself,” demonstrates a commitment to informing rather than offending. (The authors, however, declined to comment on the title change, interestingly refusing to engage in the exchange of ideas sparked by their proposal.) I do not mean to say that the article’s thoughtfulness means the writers should be immune from criticism. In fact, I believe the opposite. The troubling nature of this proposal—and the fact that it was written by one current and one former UChicago professor—rightfully prompted many of my Facebook friends to share
this article along with their impassioned thoughts. This is free speech working as it should. And while I would hate to see this specific policy implemented, hopefully Posner and Weyl’s suggestion will galvanize lawmakers to come up with actual immigration legislation that recognizes the humanity of all people. Alexa Perlmutter is a first-year in the College.
Letter: The Editorial Board Must Endorse Free Speech To T he M aroon, Amidst the fracas about Steve Bannon’s upcoming talk, the Edmund Burke Society’s now-canceled debate on immigration, and similar controversies, one issue connects them all: free speech. It is arguably the most important philosophical question on American campuses, and certainly at the University of Chicago. And yet The M aroon’s Editorial Board, despite its mission to speak out about issues relevant to campus, has been silent on free speech. That silence is deafening. For one thing, T he M aroon is the newspaper of a campus whose administration has the least restrictive free speech policy in America. And while T he M aroon is editorially independent of the University—that is, it has no obligation to agree with all of the administration’s stances—it is never-
theless a newspaper whose very existence depends on being able to publish whatever it likes. University policy mirrors the free speech provision of the First Amendment as interpreted by the courts, meaning that the government—and in our case the University administration—will not censor any speech unless it is libelous, causes harassment in the workplace, or creates a clear and present danger of violence. The policy is in place for a reason: The ability to say what you want, no matter how odious such speech can seem to others, is vital to democracy and to the college experience. After all, this is a place where students should learn to argue, to think, and to refine their views. To do that, they must be exposed to all manner of views, including those from which they instinctively recoil.
Why? John Stuart Mill explained in his classic essay On Liberty. First, you might learn something. That “something” might be constructive—an opinion you might have dismissed without a careful hearing—or you might simply learn what’s wrong with it, and thus become better able to defend your own views. As Mill argued, you can hardly have confidence in your own opinion unless you’ve heard and met the arguments of the other side. If, like most students and faculty, you lean toward liberalism, Bannon’s appearance might fill either of those needs. And if nothing else, letting bigots speak is the best way to “out” them, discovering what they really think. Free speech deserves unreserved support for two other reasons. First, nobody, including T he M aroon, should have the right to determine what speech should be free and what speech should be censored.
Just as your paper wouldn’t trust anyone to determine what you could print, so nobody on this campus should determine what others should be able to hear. Further, censoring speech won’t make it go away. Will Steve Bannon’s views disappear if he doesn’t express them on this campus? Think again. Free speech is the best disinfectant. The University has wisely decided that nobody should be able to censor speech on this campus and has widely publicized that policy. It’s time that The M aroon also weighs in on this issue. The only sensible position is a broad endorsement of free speech and condemnation of those who would ban or de-platform speakers. —Jerry Coyne, professor emeritus, Department of Ecology and Evolution
ROC K E F E LLE R C H A P E L C H O I R Conducted by James Kallembach
SACRED POWERS OF ANIMALS
F R I DAY F E B R UA RY 2 3 | 7 : 3 0 P M ROC K E F E LLE R C H A P E L 5850 S. WOODLAWN AVE ., CHICAGO, IL 60637 | rockefeller.uchicago.edu
Photography by Anne Benvenuti
A concert of music celebrating the wisdom and ways of animals: George Crumb’s Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), with RUSSELL ROLEN cello, TIMOTHY MUNRO flute, and DANIEL PESCA piano, and R. Murray Schafer’s whimsical and rarely heard A Medieval Bestiary, along with music of John Tavener and other music celebrating animals. $20 at the door, free to students.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 23, 2018
ARTS Alia Ali Disturbs the Political Fabric of Borders With Art BY JAD DAHSHAN ARTS STAFF
Last Friday, the Arab Student Association invited New Orleans– and Marrakesh-based contemporary artist Alia Ali to give a talk on her multimedia practice and artistic roots. Ali started out as a documentarist and photographer before traveling extensively, gradually cultivating her interest in textile as a narrative medium. Now, Ali is best known for her work with textiles, through which she examines the politics of identity and boundary. Ali began her presentation with a video she filmed in 2009 in Yemen, capturing the inner alleys and bustling marketplace of the neighborhood where she grew up. The site is now in ruins, razed by warfare. When introducing herself, Ali thus often references her origins in “two countries that no longer exist: Yugoslavia and South Yemen.” Growing up, she lived in a house divided between the European sensibilities of her Bosnian mother and the Yemeni customs of her father, allowing her to cross the cultural boundaries between the two. However, she soon came to realize that such borders were heavily guarded. She saw how people were valued differently when her father announced their family had not been put on the government-issued evacuation list during the violence of an early 1990s Yemeni unification, and she expressed a sense of having her soul stolen following her father’s decree that their family would no longer use Arabic after moving to America post-9/11. As such, Ali was no stranger to the
concepts of exclusion and power imbalance when she was invited to contribute to the exhibit Shades of Inclusion in Boston three years ago. She responded with a photographic series called CAST NO EVIL, framed also as a dialectical investigation. At last Friday’s talk, Ali discussed the ubiquity of the veil as a cultural marker and source of ambiguity. She explained how the garment could be a statement of devotion, sign of oppression, or expression of power. CAST NO EVIL took this uncertainty to its extreme, featuring faceless, fully veiled figures to expose the fabricated nature of social barriers. Ali’s exhibit asks: “[Are the figures] powerful for their anonymity or are we for their confinement?” The pieces are meant to engage viewers in an active dialogue concerning their position with regard to that fabric. Another project of Ali’s from the same year examines her immigrant status. As an adolescent immigrant only faintly acquainted with the idea of extraterrestrial life, Ali had trouble grasping why her parents sought naturalization from a people that labelled them “aliens.” Her 2015 project, I Am [Not], creates otherworldly creatures out of traditional textiles partly supplanted with woven newspaper. The project embodies the tension between stereotype and personal truth by considering traditional and modern approaches to textile. I Am [Not] is part of a touring exhibition of art created by 31 women from North Africa and West Asia, all responding to the title “I Am.” Ali responds by studying what one is not. In her case, she is culturally a Muslim
THICK AND DAZZLING
DARKNESS
and legally an American; she is neither a terrorist nor an alien. As both the photographer and the photographed, Ali questions whether it is the individual or their media representations that hold power over their identity. Ali’s conversation with the audience shifted toward the darker truths of terrorism and imperialism. Two pictures from Election (2015), created after Ali relocated from Marrakesh to New Orleans, featured figures donned in black-and-white bandanas that had been sewn into hoods reminiscent at once of the KKK uniform and the cap that Ali Shallal al-Qaisi wore in a controversial 2004 image of his torture in Abu Ghraib prison. The bandanas underscore a hidden history of American colonialism: While often interpreted as a product of the glorified Wild West, the bandana is a misappropriation of Native American visual culture and Kashmir fabric production. In a 2016 project called People of Pattern, Ali traveled the world to document and try her hand at indigenous textile production, revealing the beauty ingrained in techniques from Southeast Asian floral dyeing to West African wax printing. She wanted to translate her physical border crossings into artistic ones that would encourage viewers to shed their own misconceptions about the racial, cultural, and religious borders; in particular, she wanted to counter the discriminatory attitudes propagated by certain United States presidential candidates. In every location she visited, she collaborated with locals to host free exhibitions, artist talks, and interactive workshops.
Courtesy of Alia Ali
A work from Ali’s +|- series (2017). Something as perennial as textile is often taken for granted—as are people’s assumptions, biases, and misconceptions. Alia Ali’s work allows viewers to appreciate the intricacy of fabric as well as the complexity of the cultures behind them. Her sartorial aesthetic destabilizes one’s position in relation to the artificial boundaries created between cultures, languages, ethnicities, and, on the most fundamental level, people.
HEARTH, BAR & MUSIC IN THE HEART OF HYDE PARK
a public lecture by PETER O’LEARY Thursday | March 1 | 4:30pm | Swift Hall 106 Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute. Cosponsored by the Program in Poetry and Poetics and the Seminary Coop Bookstore. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
How do poets use language to render the transcendent, often inexpressible nature of the divine? In an age of secularism, does spirituality have a place in modern American poetry? In Thick and Dazzling Darkness, Peter O’Leary reads a diverse set of writers to argue for the existence and importance of religious poetry in 20th and 21st-century American literature.
Peter O’Leary is the author of several books of poetry, most
recently The Sampo (Cultural Society), a book-length fantasy poem. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School and teaches at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago.
For more information and to register, visit www.lumenchristi.org
Show your student ID for 10% off food and beverage — all day, every day.
The Promontory 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West | Chicago 60615 promontorychicago.com
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 23, 2018
SPORTS
Maroons Hope to Sweep UAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BY ALYSSA RUDIN SPORTS STAFF
The No. 10 Maroon women’s basketball team has earned all it could possibly want at this point in the season. Coming off two dominating wins last weekend against Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University, the Maroons have won a shocking 20 straight games, are the sole UAA conference champions, and have earned the first NCAA tournament bid. Considering they began their season unranked, their rise is even more remarkable. If they win their final game against Wash U on Saturday, it will represent the perfect capstone to what has been a picture-perfect season. By defeating Wash U in a rival game on their senior night, the Maroons have an opportunity to become only the seventh team in UAA history to have a perfect conference record. If they win, they also may get to host the first few rounds of the NCAA tournament. After rolling over Case Western and Carnegie Mellon, Chicago must have confidence coming into this weekend’s game. The Maroons, despite a close start, dominated the Carnegie Mellon Tartans 70–51. With eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Tartans were within two points of the Maroons. Chicago, however, stepped on
the gas, thanks to a big effort by second-year Mia Farrell, who led the team with 16 points. By the end of the half, the Maroons were up comfortably by 13 points. With the momentum firmly in their favor, the Maroons did not let up for the rest of the game, forcing Carnegie into 22 turnovers, which turned into 24 points. Second-year Taylor Lake was right behind Farrell with 12 points, and third-year Olariche Obi rounded out the offensive effort with 10 points and six steals. Chicago continued its dominance with a massive 73–35 win over the Case Western Spartans, showcasing its offensive and defensive strength. In the first quarter, both teams struggled offensively, with very low shooting percentages on both sides. However, with three minutes left in the first quarter, the Maroons found their range and began the blowout, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the team was on absolute lockdown, scoring 28 points and not allowing Case a single point in 11 minutes. Coming into the second half up 43–9, Chicago did not even remotely let up, going on a 22–2 run. Obi earned her 13th double-double of the season, and firstyear Marissa Igunbor earned her first double-double of her career with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Reflecting on the seniors’ last confer-
Men Prepare for Rival Wash U
Zoe Kaiser
Third-year Olariche Obi brings the ball into the paint against Case Western ence game, third-year Jamie Kockenmeister got a little sentimental. “It definitely feels strange thinking that I’ll never play another UAA game with [Elizabeth Nye] or [Madison Dunbar]. Our conference games are always high intensity and competitive, and I’ve never played in one without them being there. So there will probably be some emotions on Saturday from both the team
UAA Champs Ready for Regionals
MEN’S BASKETBALL
BY ANDREW BEYTAGH SPORTS STAFF
The Maroons look to wrap up UAA play this weekend with a rivalry game against No. 2 Wash U. The Bears have been on fire this season and have relied on senior leadership from forward Andrew Sanders and guard Jake Knupp, who have steered them to a 22–2 record, a UAA title, and an NCAA tournament berth. Wash U’s only blemishes this season came via No. 9 Augustana University in December and Mount St. Joseph in November, in a game in which Mount St. Joseph shot 70 percent from the field. Since their last loss, the Bears have rattled off 14 straight wins with their closest call coming at the hands of the Maroons earlier in the year. Chicago is looking for revenge this weekend and hopes that a huge upset may squeeze it into the DIII tournament. When asked about playing Wash U again, fourth-year forward Collin Barthel said, “It seems like every year our games with them come down to the wire. They are a great team, but it would be incredible to get an upset.” Chicago must do everything that it can to control pace and tempo against the Bears. So far this season, Wash U has averaged over 87 points per game and gone over the 100-point mark four times. Barthel commented on the game plan for stopping Wash U’s vaunted offense, “We have seen them push the ball and be more aggressive than in the past, so transition defense and rebounding will be huge factors to our suc-
WRESTLING
cess on Saturday.” The Maroons will rely heavily on fourth-years Barthel and guard Jake Fenlon for offense and leadership. Both captains have amassed double-digit point totals in their last five contests, of which the team is 4–1. If the Maroons can upset the Bears on Saturday, Barthel and Fenlon will be at the heart of it. Aside from being a massive game for Chicago, Saturday’s matchup will be the culmination of four years of persistence for the four senior Maroons: Barthel, Fenlon, forward Ryan Shearmire, and guard Porter Veach. Barthel commented on the bittersweet final game when he said, “Knowing it is the last game for myself, Jake, Ryan, and Porter, we are going to play with a little chip on our shoulder because it is our last chance to leave a legacy as a class and as individuals. As a group, I think we all have grown up and learned a lot over these four years, and a majority of that came from the people we met, the places we went, and things we got to do as a member of the University of Chicago men’s basketball program.” Barthel finished by saying, “I cannot thank my parents Tim and Julie, my brother Connor, and my little sister Caiti enough for all their support throughout the years. Not only as a basketball player here, but also for their love and support throughout my entire time here at UChicago.” The Maroons will take on Wash U at the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center on Saturday at 3 p.m.
UPCOMING GAMES
and the seniors, knowing that this will be their last UAA game. But our seniors have accomplished a lot in the four years that they’ve been here, so I also think it’s a nice ending to their UAA careers because they’ve left their marks on our program.” The Maroons face off against the Bears Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center.
BY TRENT CARSON SPORTS STAFF
This Friday and Saturday, the University of Chicago wrestling team will continue its march toward victory at the NCA A DIII Upper Midwest Regional. The Maroons will head north to Minneapolis, where they will compete against 16 other teams from around the Midwest region. The top three finishers from each weight class will advance to the 2018 NCAA DIII National Championships for a total of 30 wrestlers representing the Midwest. Chicago will look to build on their strong finish at the UA A Championships on February 10, where they defeated Case Western and dethroned the reigning champions from NYU, snapping their six-year win streak. The Maroons started out by crushing Case Western, winning 90 percent of all weight classes and coming out on top with a final score of 40 –3. The final matchup was much closer, with NYU winning more individual bouts. But Chicago came out on top with bonus points 21–19 to capture their 16th UAA Championship. The Maroons not only brought home the title, but head coach Leo Kocher and the team’s assistant coaches also won Coaching Staff of the Year, first-year Jason Crary won Rookie of the Year, and three wrestlers— fourth-year Devan Richter (125 pounds), second-year Kahlan Lee-Lermer (165 pounds), and fourth-year Nick Ferraro
(174 pounds)—were placed on the AllUAA Team. The victory was a culmination of the hard work the team has done over the season, but the training hasn’t stopped there. With the Upper Midwest Regional up ahead, the team has been pushing themselves in preparation for what will be an intense and competitive meet. “This weekend is regionals. As a team, we have worked hard all year and look forward to this time of the year,” said first-year wrestler Will Britain, who will be competing this weekend. “There are a lot of wrestlers who are capable of placing at regionals and moving on to nationals in two weeks. We have had a great season and are looking to finish strong.” The No. 22 Maroons have shown that they are quite formidable this season, but four other top-25 teams will be competing in Minneapolis, including the host team, No. 2 Augsburg College. Chicago will have a chance at a second victory over Wheaton, which the Maroons beat 21–18 earlier this season, as well as a chance to avenge a 56–0 loss against UW–Whitewater. The Upper Midwest Regional is one of the most competitive of the six taking place around the country. The Maroons compete in the Upper Midwest Regional this Friday and Saturday starting at 11 a.m. on Friday at Si Melby Hall at Augsburg University. Fans can also stream the tournament live online.
M AROON
SPORT
DAY
Opponent
TIME
Wrestling Tennis Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball
Friday Friday Saturday Saturday
NCAA Carnegie Mellon Wash U Wash U
11 a.m. 3:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 3 p.m.
SPORT Swim & Dive Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Women’s Tennis Men’s Tennis
SCORE BOARD W/L Opponent W W W W W
UAA Champs Case Western Case Western Coe College Coe College
Score 4th of 8 98–78 73–35 9–0 9–0