ChicagoMaroon022616

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

UCMC TAKES

UChicago Has Highest Freshman Retention Rate, Says U.S. News

BY FENG YE NEWS STAFF

The University of Chicago, along with Columbia University, has the highest fi rst year retention rate among ranked U.S. universities and liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News.

A total of 1,354 schools were included in the “Freshmen Retention Rate” college ranking. The retention rate of the University of Chicago far exceeds the average for most colleges. For students who entered in the fall between 2010 and 2013, the average freshmen retention rate at the University of Chicago was 99 percent.

The ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire, an annual online survey of information collected from two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions, found that an average of 64.2 percent of full-time, first-time students who started school in fall of 2013 returned in the fall of 2014 to pub-

lic institutions and 70.2 percent returned to private universities and colleges.

The reasons for not returning to college, according to U.S. News, include family problems, loneliness, academic struggles, and a lack of money. For the University of Chicago, transfer does not appear to be one of the reasons. Zero percent of students transferred to other universities or colleges for cohort 2008, according to data in the University Registrar’s Graduation Rate Survey 2014–15.

Graduation rate for students at the University, however, is lower than the freshmen retention rate by more than 10 percent. The four-year graduation rate for students who started in fall 2008 is 87% at the University of Chicago, compared to 90% at Columbia University. In “Highest 4-Year Graduation Rates” of U.S. News, the University of Chicago ranks sixth.

SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Standard & Poor’s, a financial services company that rates the financial outlook for businesses and other institutions, downgraded the University’s credit rating one grade to AA- due to elevated debt and operating deficits.

Moody’s and Fitch, two other financial rating services, affirmed the University’s Aa2 and AA+ bond ratings, respectively. All three credit ratings are classified as “stable” by the rating services, and despite the downgrade from Standard & Poor’s, are used to describe high-quality and low-risk outlooks.

A bond is a type of security that essentially functions as an IOU. Investors loan money to corporate entities, and then collect the money back with interest. According to the report by Standard & Poor’s, the University has persistent op-

The Country Doth Protest Too Much Page 6 As India’s youth rises up in protest, the government abandons its ideals in response.

STEPS TOWARD TRAUMA CENTER

BY PETE GRIEVE NEWS STAFF

year.

The teach-in was held in two parts. It began with an overview of the competing contracts by Michael Meng and the Campus Dining Advisory Board (CDAB). Although Meng could not reveal any specifics about each company’s contract due to their proprietary nature, he emphasized that regardless of which caterer the University chose, the dining system would undergo massive changes in the upcoming year.

“Aramark’s [contract] will be about $2 million more expensive [than it is currently], Sodexo’s will be the cheapest, and Bon Appétit will be about $1 million more expensive,” Meng said. He then went on to say that although those numbers are large, all the options are still feasible and speak directly to

Last week, University of Chicago Medicine announced that it has submitted for state approval a $269 million proposal to build a Level I adult trauma center on campus, to expand and relocate its emergency room, and to convert Mitchell Hospital into a cancer hospital. UChicago Medicine expects the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board (IHFSRB) to hold a hearing on the plan in May. In September, UChicago Medicine announced a $40 million investment in a joint plan with Sinai Health System to bring a Level I adult trauma center to Holy Cross Hospital, located at West 68th Street and South California Avenue. The announcement followed years of protests from the Trauma Center Coalition (TCC), which had urged the University to bring a Level I trauma center to the South Side since 2010.

In December, UChicago Medicine abandoned that plan, announcing a new proposal to bring an adult trauma center to its Hyde Park campus and to expand its emergency room.

UChicago Medicine’s most recent press release regarding its application to the IHFSRB indicates that the plan has since expanded even further to include a redesign of Mitchell Hospital, currently an adult inpatient care facility at 5841 South Maryland Avenue, into a dedicated cancer center. The press release pitches the three components of the expanded plan, dubbed “Get CARE,” as essential to giving South Side residents access to “integrated” specialty care.

“This Project has three related and interdependent components, each of which is necessary for the success of the other two,” reads UChicago Medicine’s certificate of need application to the IHFSRB. Some critics are concerned that combining the trauma center proposal with the hospital’s broader plans for expansion will complicate the state approval process.

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 4

Van Gogh Under the Covers at the Art Institute of Chicago

Squad Will Make Case for Playoff Bid Against Rival Wash U

Contributing to the Maroon

Page 9

Back page

Van Gogh’s greatest skill was shining beauty and interest on the ordinary.

The game against the Bears will be the culmination of a memorable season.

Continued on page 3

Standard & Poor’s Downgrades University’s Credit Rating to AABY KATHERINE VEGA

VOL. 127, ISSUE 31

erating deficits and will most likely accumulate more debt in 2017.

According to Fitch, “UChicago’s ‘AA+’ rating primarily reflects its international reputation for academics, research and patient care; strong demand characteristics and exceptional student quality, as well as substantial balance sheet resources and demonstrated fundraising prowess.” However, the report also noted that increased debt is keeping the credit rating from being as high as it could be.

In an effort to boost its academic ratings, the University has increased its debt in the years since the recession, unlike most peer institutions that downsized or postponed projects.

Joseph Neubauer, chairman of the University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement that the University’s balance sheet is strong and that it has reduced risk in its endowment. He also Continued on page 3

MSNBC

Senator Bernie Sanders (left) responds to a question by Hardball host Chris Matthews.

The Bern Returns

BY ANNIE NAZZARO DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (A.B. ‘64) was interviewed by Chris Matthews for MSNBC’s Hardball College Tour on Thursday night at the Quadrangle Club. About 150 students attended the event, which was hosted by the Institute of Politics (IOP).

Matthews’s questions focused on the sticking points of Bernie Sanders’s campaign, including

his strength in foreign policy, how the government would pay for the social programs that Sanders has suggested, and how he would reach minorities.

“Damn right I can do what I say,” Sanders said, when Matthews questioned his ability to follow through on campaign promises.

“One of the reasons I’m running for president…is to transform American society, to take on a corrupt campaign fi nance Continued on page 4

RSOs Host Ethical Dining Teach-In

BY ISAAC EASTON NEWS STAFF

On Tuesday night, students gathered in Cobb Hall to discuss the University’s upcoming dining contract referendum and the ethical dining practices surrounding it. The four student organizations involved with the teach-in were UChicago Climate Action Network (UCAN), the Fight for Just Food (FfJF), Phoenix Sustainability Initiative (PSI), and University of Chicago Animal Welfare Society (UCAWS).

Aramark is undergoing a periodic review as the University’s sole food provider on campus. As part of this process, the University has invited two new catering firms, Sodexo and Bon Appétit, to submit contract proposals for the upcoming

Sem Co-Op Gets to the Heart of de Kerangal’s Newest Novel Page 8 “Manipulating language is manipulating time...”

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

LAW, LETTERS, AND SOCIETY MAJOR UNDER REVIEW

BY ANJALI DHILLON NEWS STAFF

The Law, Letters, and Society (LLSO) major is under review for the 2016–17 academic year, Program Chairman Dennis Hutchinson announced in an email to LLSO majors on Tuesday.

No applications from the class of 2019 will be accepted this year while the program is under review. Current LLSO majors in the classes of 2016, 2017, and 2018 will continue with the current structure of the major. No program requirements for those students will be affected during the review.

A committee of faculty members will review the LLSO program, specifically looking at its structure, continuity, and staffing.

“We will update the website with any changes and developments as the review is completed,” Hutchinson said in his statement.

Established at the College in 1992, LLSO is a program of study that focuses on understanding civilian and traditional law in the context of both historic and contemporary legal systems. Hutchinson has run the LLSO program and Politics, Economics, Rhetoric, and Law, LLSO’s predecessor program, since 1987.

According to its website, the program aims to “develop the student’s analytical skills to enable informed and critical examination of law broadly construed.”

Solstice on the Park Apartment Complex Back on Track

BY ANNIE GUO NEWS STAFF

The development of Solstice on the Park, a high rise building with 250 apartment units designed by Jeanne Gang, recommenced last week. The new proposal for the building, which will be on the northwest corner of East 56th Street and South Cornell Avenue, was approved last week on February 18 at the City of Chicago Planning Commission hearing.

Solstice on the Park was designed in 2006 by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects and is being developed by Mac Properties. Gang, a MacA rthur Fellow and Founding Principal of Studio Gang, is also the architect of many other works such as the W MS Boathouse at Clark Park and the Nature Boardwalk at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The design of Solstice on the Park was influenced by the angles of sunlight on June 21, the summer solstice. The façade is made up of windows with certain sections tilting inward at 71 degrees, creating their own shading system.

Rendering courtesy of Studio Gang Originally, the building was planned The Solstice is an apartment project of Studio Gang architects. to be a 26-story high-rise containing 145 condominiums and an underground and the plans for a potential hotel.

In preparation for constr uction, The proposal presented last week precautions were taken to assure the parking garage. After being postponed due to the 2008 economic recession, the addressed those concerns. It proposed safety and to minimally impact regular proposal was revived in 2015 with new a reduced height, a new façade to the neighborhood activity in the surroundalterations. The new design, presented parking structure, and no hotel. There ing areas. Accommodations made in the in 2015, replaced the larger condomini- were no changes to the underlying summer of 2014 included renovation of ums with 250 smaller apartment units zoning of the structure from the 2015 Bret Harte’s playground, parking lot, plan, and no subsequent objections or and drive aisle to re-route drop-off and and certain floors for a hotel.

Peter Cassel, Director of Community adjustments made to the proposed plan pick-up traffic. “Our general contractor Development at Mac Properties, said after the hearing. As of now, Solstice in will utilize industry best practices for that discussions with the community the Park will be a 26-story apartment safety in a dense urban environment and neighbors in 2015 centered on con- complex with 250 units and an under- throughout construction,” Cassel said. cerns about the height of the parking ground parking garage located next to Cassel said that they hope to begin structure on the north end of the site Bret Harte Elementary School. construction later this year.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

A Conversation With Professor Austan D. Goolsbee

BY ALLIE BLANKENHORN NEWS STAFF

Austan D. Goolsbee is the Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business and previously served as the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) and as a member of President Obama’s cabinet. The Chicago Maroon reached out to Goolsbee to ask him about Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and the 2016 primaries.

Chicago Maroon (CM): On January 17, 2016, you, along with former Chairs of the Council of Economic advisers Alan Krueger, Christina Romer, and Laura D’Andrea Tyson, wrote an open letter to Senator Sanders and Professor Gerald Friedman expressing concern regarding Sanders’ economic plan. What research and events lead you to writing this?

Austan D. Goolsbee (AG): Last November, I wrote up a description of the Sanders plan that basically said his program is similar to the social welfare democracies in Europe, so would likely imply taxes on the middle class like they have in those European countries but praising him for being honest about the costs and benefits unlike the Republican tax plans, which were resorting to absurd assumptions to try to make the numbers add up.

Soon after that, unfortunately, the Sanders campaign began to do exactly what I had praised them for not doing— understating the costs and overstating the benefits of their programs. When they began pointing to a study that claimed the plan could raise short run growth to 9.7 percent and long-term growth above four, record-setting productivity, recordsetting labor force participation despite the aging population, more pharmaceutical cost savings than the country even spends on pharmaceuticals, and so on, the four CEA chairs decided to write something. It wasn’t meant as a critique of specific policies. It was more of a plea to play by the rules of reality and not resort to the land of make-believe.

CM: In the letter you state that you are concerned that the Sanders campaign is citing extreme unfounded claims. What makes these claims dangerous?

AG: I think two things: One, it unleashes the group of Republicans that consistently want to make fantastical assumptions about growth from their tax cuts. Two, when you promise people the moon, criticize the President for not giving them the moon, but you know, in reality, they cannot have the moon, it makes people even more cynical and angry about politics. The same dynamic

has driven Republican primary voters to Trump this cycle.

CM: In an inter view on The O’Reilly Factor, you said Donald Trump can’t get the nomination with the only 34 percent of the Republican electorate’s support. Given the continued success of Trump in the last two weeks, what do you think his chances of getting the nomination are?

AG: I said that he had 34 percent of the Republican primary electorate which is about 15 million people but he needs about 65 million votes to become the President so the question wasn’t whether his people will stick with him no matter what he says, it’s whether he can attract 50 million voters that are currently not for him that he will need. I think his nomination chances at this point are well above 50 percent.

CM: Overall, what do you think of the 2016 election so far? What do you hope will happen in the fall?

AG: Weird. Really weird. And probably the least policy-focused primary of my adult life. We know very little about what the candidates actually want to do beyond a couple of big broad headlines like ‘build a wall.’ I hope we get back to a serious campaign about ideas.

MUSIC FESTIVAL MOVED TO JACKSON PARK FOR 2016

BY LAILA ABDELMONEM NEWS STAFF

Jackson Park will host this year’s Spring Awakening Music Festival, which has been held on Soldier Field for the past four years. The festival will be taking place from June 10–12 and has been relocated to Jackson Park due to a scheduling confl ict at Soldier Field. Jackson Park is near the University’s campus, located behind the Museum of Science and Industry.

The football stadium will now host the 100th anniversary of the Copa America, an international soccer tournament that could bring teams from Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico to Chicago this summer.

Grammy-nominated headliners such as Diplo and Skrillex have previously performed at the EDM festival, and this year’s lineup will be announced later this spring.

The founder of the festival, Jeff Callahan, issued a press release about the change in location. “Over the past year we’ve explored potential venues that have bigger footprints, and with 500+ acres of lakefront greenery, Jackson Park turned out to be a prime location,” Callahan said.

Some Hyde Park locals are worried about the relocation of the event, citing traffic, noise pollution, and its effect on nature, as well as a lack of proper space and facilities to host the music groups attending the concert.

The Jackson Park Advisory Council Neubauer said in an email statement to Uniis anticipating the impact of the concert’s versity spokesman Jeremy Manier. relocation. President of the Council, Lou“Our strategic investments have greatly ise McCurry, says that the concert might enhanced the University’s ability to attract increase funds going towards the park’s and retain outstanding faculty and students, facilities and repairs. She also mensupport path breaking research, enhance tioned the idea of a generational impact the quality of the educational experience, on the park. With the festival relocation, and extend the University’s impact around younger generations may be inclined to the world,” he concluded. visit Jackson Park.

DECREASED RATING DUE TO DEBT, OPERATING DEFICITS Continued from front page

noted that the University is in the midst of cutting costs and increasing efficiency. that the University’s balance sheet is strong and that it has reduced risk in its endowment.

He also noted that the University is in the midst of cutting costs and increasing efficiency.

“The Board of Trustees sees the Universi-

ty’s investment in academic eminence as one of our chief priorities and responsibilities. In recent years, we have continued to make investments in the ambitious academic objectives articulated by our faculty, deans, provost and president. Our equally ambitious fundraising efforts are being realized, with Fiscal Year 2015 being the most successful fundraising year in the University’s history,”

First-Year Dining Teach-in Focused on New TWO PEOPLE Retention Rate Is Contract Options and Ethical Concerns RESCUED FROM FIRE AT HIGH 99 Percent Continued from front page

As recently as 2001, the University’s graduation and retention rate were a subject of concern, according to a University of Chicago Magazine article titled “News you can abuse.” “Two other schools consistently stand out as bad performers in the graduation and retention and value-added categories: MIT and the University of Chicago,” the article said. Chicago ranked 13th overall, but only 28th in graduation and retention rankings.

Since the 1990s, however, the first-year retention rate in the College has been rising steadily.

“The College works closely with students through the Core curriculum starting from their first year, providing advising and mentoring resources to keep them academically engaged. The College and College Admissions have worked to attract a diverse and talented set of students who deeply value the College’s intellectual community and are highly motivated to succeed here,” Marielle Sainvilus, Director of Public Affairs of University of Chicago Communications, said.

lot more money, to offset the costs of the dinContinued from front page the vast changes that will happen to Uni- ing hall, so that the dining hall could have better food as a result,” Meng said. versity dining.

After Meng finished speaking, the repreAs a result of the forthcoming change, students have become interested in the pos- sented groups outlined their collective goals sibility of a fully self-operated dining halls. in influencing the upcoming decision. FirstHowever, to Meng and other CDAB members, year and UCAN member Claudia Fernandez explained that because they had similar becoming self-operational is impractical.

“Self-operation is something that we as goals, the student movements realized that a [CDAB] have decided simply can’t happen they could act together to achieve their deas quickly as of this next dining cycle. This sired ends.

Each student group then presented is because as soon as our current Aramark contract ends, somebody needs to take over different issues that they would like to see operations. It is something that there is def- addressed. Representatives of UCAN coninitely space to talk about as we go into the sidered the environmental effects of large-scale and industrial farming and the steps next ten-year contract.”

Meng went on to describe how a change that can be taken by dining contractors to in dining operators would affect third party mitigate them. Those of FfJF discussed the vendors in places like Hutchinson Commons. fact that Aramark provides food for prisons, “[Qdoba] has a contract with Aramark, and called to have a dining provider who but they are not contracted by Bon Appétit… wasn’t involved in what they considered to If Bon Appétit were to come in, then a mas- be the mass incarceration movement going sive amount of those restaurants would have on in the United States. PSI showed how to change, and same with Sodexo. [In addi- dining contractors could dispose of food tion] Hutch loses a massive amount of money waste in an environmentally friendly way every year because [students] are not forced that was also in accordance with the health to eat there, so there are a lot of proposed and safety guidelines of Chicago. Lastly, changes to that system. For example, one UCAWS reflected on the unethical practices proposal floating around was to create more of the meat industry and showed how a din‘Bart Marts’ or [contractor operated] grocery ing contractor could do more to respond to store-type solutions, which actually make a these practices.

RISE APARTMENT BUILDING

BY SONIA SCHLESINGER SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

A 64-year-old woman and a 67-yearold man were rescued from a fire in a 17-story apartment building at 5421 S outh Cor nell Avenue on T uesday night.

Both were sent to Stroger Hospital, though only one was injured. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

The fire occurred in the bedroom unit of a 10th-f loor apartment at approx imately 10:3 0 p.m. It d id not spread to the rest of the apartment, and was extinguished in less than an hour. The building was not evacuated and no residents have been displaced as a result. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Proposal Includes New Trauma and Cancer Centers

“I’m a very tough guy…I take on everybody. ” system, a rigged economy and a broken criminal justice system,” Sanders said.

Matthews questioned Sanders about the responsibilities he would face as president. “Sitting in a situation room, calling in a lethal drone strike, can you see yourself in that position now?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Sanders said. “I am proud of my achievement in terms of foreign policy.” He went on to discuss how he had voted against the Iraq war, and said he believes that was the correct decision.

Matthews also questioned Sanders on how he would show the world that he and the country were not to be “messed with.”

“I’m a very tough guy…I take on everybody. I am prepared to take on Putin and everybody else,” Sanders said. “You let them know that we have the strongest military in the world…and we are prepared to use that when necessary.”

However, Sanders pushed against the United States’ past actions in foreign countries. “I think that the kind of regime change that the United States has brought forth over many, many years… has been counterproductive,” Sanders said.

Matthews challenged Sanders on how he would fund his plans for increased Social Security benefits and free public universities. Sanders stated that to do so, he would tax Wall Street speculation.

Matthews then asked how Sanders would get the Senate to support such a tax or a plan. The candidate stated that if the people were mobilized on this issue, the Senate would have to pass the laws they wanted. “[Senators] are going to vote the right way when millions of people demand that they vote the right away,” he said.

Students from the audience also had the opportunity to ask questions of Sanders, including third-year Igolo Obi. Questions were screened beforehand by Hardball producers.

Obi asked Sanders about Hillary

Clinton’s claim that she can break down barriers, especially for minorities, since many barriers for low-income individuals and people of color were instituted during Bill Clinton’s administration. “Do you feel that this claim about breaking down barriers is at least a little ironic, and how are you in a better position to do so?” she asked.

Sanders agreed that Bill Clinton’s administration had increased poverty.

Fourth-year Chelsea Fine asked the fi nal question on the show. “One thing that you haven’t discussed as much on the campaign trail was the fact that you’re Jewish. As a Jewish student, I would like to know, what is your relationship with your faith, and what would it mean to you to become the first Jewish president?” she asked.

“What comes to my mind so strongly is as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, and seeing people with numbers on their wrists… those were the people who came out of the concentration camps,” Sanders said. “That lesson I learned as a very young person was that politics is serious business. And when you have a lunatic like Hitler gaining power, 50 million people died in World War II. So I am very proud to be Jewish and I’m proud of my heritage.”

Before the show aired live at 7 p.m., Kate Grossman, the director of the IOP Fellows Program, interviewed IOP Fellow Joe Trippi about the state of the election and the road ahead.

When Sanders entered the room, members of UChicago’s Dirt Red Brass Band played a jazz rendition of “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, a song Sanders has used before on the campaign trail. The band continued to play around commercial breaks and at the end of the show.

During a commercial break, Matthews asked the audience where people usually go if they don’t get into UChicago. “The second choice is Yale or Harvard,” Sanders said with a grin, to laughter.

waves ripple in space time and travel at the speed of light, carrying the force and inforNEWS STAFF mation of objects accelerating in spacetime.

According to Holz, a major advantage of A team of University of Chicago researchers contributed to the groundbreak- detecting gravitational waves is the ability to

BY ALEX WARD ing detection of gravitational waves earlier indirectly observe massive objects that may NEWS STAFF be transparent, such as dark matter. He bethis month.

Dr. Daniel Holz, a senior member of the lieves that these waves will open a new parLast month, a team of students from Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, adigm in physics research. various universities nationwide collaborat“These waves offer us an entirely new way ing as part of the Open Syllabus Project Ben Farr, a McCormick Fellow with the Enrico Fermi Institute, graduate students Hsin- to learn about the universe. For example, (OSP), released a beta version of the SylYu Chen and Zoheyr Doctor, and more than they have already given us an unprecedented labus Explorer. The Syllabus Explorer a 1,000 authors from other universities and probe of the surface of black holes… These tool that allows users to browse and search observations confirm that gravitational assigned texts from the syllabi of over a milorganizations contributed to the discovery.

The group of scientists had various roles waves exist and behave exactly as Einstein’s lion college courses. in the project, from constructing the detec- theory predicts they should,” Holz said.

The OSP, whose overall goal has been The UChicago team contributed to the to create a database of texts assigned for tors to dissecting their output. According to Dr. Holz, the gravity of this discovery is discovery by acting as mediator between the college courses, has been collecting infordetectors and the world of physics research- mation since 2013, but their findings were immense.

“This is our first time listening to the uni- ers. They translated the raw output of the previously unavailable to the public. The verse, and it truly opens up a new chapter in detectors into statements about the universe. OSP team is primarily made up of profesphysics. You don’t get to do that very often,” One piece of information they passed, accord- sors from Columbia University and Staning to Holz, was the magnitude of the astro- ford University as well as independent rehe said.

They found the gravitational waves to physical event. “We helped figure out that searchers. be caused by a collision of two black holes the gravitational waves were produced from The Syllabus Explorer allows the datathat released a high level of energy in a very the collision of two black holes, each 30 times base to be navigated easily and features a short time. University of Chicago physicist the mass of the Sun, at a distance of over one map to help users visualize the data repreand Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chan- billion light years away from us.” sented. The project collects data primarily Holz said that the significance of this dis- from publicly accessible university webdrasekhar initially theorized in the 1930s that certain types of collapsing stars could covery is exhilarating, opening up new possi- sites, as well as the now-defunct “Syllabus form black holes. This detection has added bilities for research in the field. “We have a Finder”, a similar project by former George to the concrete data that already supported whole new way to explore the Universe. This Mason University professor Dan Cohen. is a truly new window, and we have no idea some of his theories about black holes.

According to a 2013 post on the project’s For Holz, gravitational waves have been what is out there.” website, “The OSP’s mission is to build a As leader of the UChicago team, Holz is large-scale online collection of syllabi and to a career-long pursuit. “I’ve been working on gravitational waves for many years, since I excited for LIGO’s outlook. “I’m reasonably build foundational tools for analyzing it in was an undergraduate. I officially joined the confident that we’ll continue to detect all order to advance scholarly inquiry, promote Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave sorts of interesting things with LIGO. And institutional cooperation, and foster pedaObservatory (LIGO) collaboration about two I’ll be very surprised if I’m not surprised by gogical diversity.” what we discover,” he said. “Our first detecyears ago,” he said.

To this end, the project’s syllabus exAll waves are ripples in a medium, which tion was the collision of two big black holes; plorer ranks texts by the frequency with propagate from a source. In this case, the who knows what will be next?” which they are assigned by professors,

overall and by individual university. The project also assigns books a “teaching score” between 1 and 100 based on how often they appear on syllabi, with separate numbers for frequency overall and within the book’s relevant field.

UChicago’s most frequently assigned texts in the Syllabus Explorer heavily reflect the influence of the Core curriculum, with Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics taking up both of the top two spots under different titles. Other than Core texts, the top 50 books consist mainly of works on economics, statistics, and computer science.

Compared to other high-ranking colleges, UChicago syllabi show a greater focus on philosophical texts by the likes of Aristotle and Plato over works of literature.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which is the fifth most commonly assigned text among the 933,635 currently listed in the project’s database, ranks at 440 among UChicago courses.

The project is still relatively recent, and plans for the future to involve improving the database’s system for identifying texts in order to minimize such errors. The team also hopes to triple the number of syllabi involved and add various other search options, including gender of authors or university size.

“Open syllabus policies could give students more ability to understand the educational paths they are on, and give faculty and administrators better understanding about how the curriculum serves (or could better serve) student needs,” Columbia University professor and project director Joe Karaganis said in an e-mail.

Continued from front page

“I know we need more health care services on the South Side,” said Maria Schaps, executive director of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group in Chicago, in a February 18 Tribune article. “But every time you add a layer of complexity, you’re adding the potential for more questions.”

The new plan would add 188 inpatient beds, reduce wait times and the number of patients sent to other area hospitals, and create 1000 permanent positions and 400 temporary construction jobs, according to the most recent press release from the University.

The proposed expansion would bring the number of inpatient beds maintained by UChicago Medicine up to 805, restoring the medical center to the size it was in the late 1970s, and bringing it closer to that of other area academic medical centers. Northwestern Medicine has 894 inpatient beds; Rush University Medical Center has 731.

In a recent press release, President of the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) Sharon O’Keefe said that the new plan will address the medical center’s high rate of occupancy.

“Get CARE is a plan to reduce the disparities that exist in access to critical care on the South Side and address the severe capacity constraints our medical center faces,” O’Keefe said. “For 310 days last year, our hospital was so full that we were forced to turn some patients away, while others endured longer-than-acceptable wait times.

We must address these capacity constraints to provide the care our community and patients need.”

The medical center plans to shorten wait times by moving the ER closer to its Center for Care and Discovery, the 10-story hospital that opened in February 2013. The ER is currently located in Mitchell Hospital, an

older building.

To pay for the proposals, the medical center would borrow $200 million in the form of bonds, and pay for the other $68.8 million with operating funds. According to a DNAinfo article, the new trauma services are expected to run up annual losses of $20 million. UChicago Medicine hopes to offset some of those losses by expanding its cancer care, a potentially lucrative venture.

“Clearly we’re not getting into the trauma business or expanding emergency medicine to make money,” O’Keefe told *DNAinfo*.

UChicago Medicine views the transformation of Mitchell Hospital into a dedicated cancer facility as a move to cater to the specific medical needs of patients on the South Side.

“Patients on the South Side have unique health care needs. African-Americans suffer a higher incidence of certain types of cancer and higher mortality rates from cancer.

The American Cancer Society attributes the higher mortality rates, in part, to a lack of access to quality, timely care,” UChicago Medicine said in an overview of its certificate of need application.

Currently, South Side residents—who disproportionately suffer from injuries related to gun violence—in need of trauma care are typically either transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center’s trauma center in Oak Lawn or to Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s trauma center in Streeterville.

According to a 2011 WBEZ report, it takes 17–19 minutes for an ambulance to take a patient from Hyde Park to an adult level I trauma center. If approved, South Side residents will have access to specialized trauma care at the UCMC. If the IHFSRB approves the medical center’s certificate of need application, the project would be completed in early 2018.

Researchers Contribute to Gravity Wave Finding

BY EMILY FEIGENBAUM

Continued from front page

Open Syllabus Project Releases Syllabus Explorer

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

VIEWPOINTS

Don’t Shirk the Shrine Archdiocese Should Work With Woodlawn Residents to Restore Community Landmark

Kaitlyn Akin

In October, a fire ravaged the 92-year-old Shrine of Christ the King Church on the corner of South Woodlawn Avenue and East 64th Street. The fi re left

the church heavily damaged, but still standing. The Shrine’s congregants and neighbors have stepped up to fight for this community institution, and it is

time for the Archdiocese of Chicago to follow their lead.

The Archdiocese, citing the high cost of repairs, filed for a demolition permit the first

week of January. Preservation Chicago, along with the neighborhood group Coalition to Save the Shrine, is resisting demolition and has raised $650,000 in donations so far. Though the Coalition is advocating for repairs, which could cost millions of dollars, the city granted the Archdiocese a demolition permit for the church last week.

The Archdiocese now has legal authority to move forward with the demolition at any time, though a spokesperson for the Archdiocese said on Monday that it is open to an “alternative arrangement” for the church.

In light of recent trends in the community and church, the potential closing of the Shrine of Christ the King is not necessarily surprising. Woodlawn’s population has dropped by over two-thirds since its 1960s high of 81,000 people. Furthermore, the archdiocese has said that it plans to shut down up to 100 churches by 2030. In a recent letter in Catholic New World, Archbishop Blase Cupich wrote that the Archdiocese of Chicago faces three main challenges: changing demographics, build-

ings in disrepair, and a lack of priests. Though serious, these challenges do not justify the closing of Christ the King.

We strongly encourage urge the Archdiocese to avoid demolition at all costs and to work with the Coalition to restore the Shrine to its original state.

The University adds character and value to the South Side in a number of ways, but as its presence becomes more and more dominant it is important that the community retain its own unique heritage. The Shrine anchors the local community in a way that the ever-expanding University and soon-to-be presidential library cannot, by representing the history and culture of its people.

Preservation Chicago’s raising of $650,000 in just a matter of months speaks to the Shrine’s value and demonstrates the community’s commitment to keeping this important institution alive. The Archdiocese would do well to listen to its people.

–T h e M A R O O N E dit or i al Board

From Gilded to Golden Students of Color in Academia Still Feel Like Outsiders

BY GUSTAVO PACHECO MAROOON CONTRIBUTOR

We are meant to be more than our grades, our majors, our careers, and the “life of the mind” we pursue. However, for many students this sort

of thinking is a luxury. Many students of color—myself included— come from families that society looks down upon because of our incomes and livelihoods. As we leave home, instructions to pursue our own happiness are not forged into

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our consciousness by our parents. Rather, there seems to be an imperative to improve not only our own lives, but also the lives of the families we hold dear and the families we hope to someday bring into this world. A chance to study at an elite institution like the University of Chicago is the gilded gate of opportunity to take on a new identity as an intellectual, an academic, a scholar, a member of the social elite.

These aspirations should be attainable through our work to establish ourselves into these academic communities.

However, while our contributions to the literature of these fields may be substantial and the regard colleagues have for our names may change, our habitual physical interactions with the system do not change.

Students of color continue to be seen as outsiders.

Should submitting myself to the oddly frequent requests for my hospital ID badge, to the suspicious looks from hospital faculty, or to the maintenance requests from scientists in the corridor all be considered slightly “different” initiation rites into the UChicago biomedical science community? Should I tell myself that compromises can be made?

For years, students of color at elite institutions have fought

to push into these unwelcoming spaces and make them homes.

We have made compromises in the hopes that the fears of these institutions toward the outsiders will subside. However, incidents on this campus, along with my own experience of being searched without an explanation by the hospital where I work, have provided substantial proof that we are not simply seen as outsiders.

Outsiders can be brought into communities—they are not inherently dangerous. But criminals are continually pushed out and never accepted.

The recent arrest of Princet on professor Ima n i Per r y during a routine traffic stop have further clarified that no amount of intellectual standing in academia can protect minorities from improper treatment from authorities. It does not matter how actively people of color engage in academia or how “presentable” we make ourselves—our faces will forever be stamped with the insignias of our presumed criminal status.

My usual nerdy aesthetic of collared shirts, sweaters, and khakis are insufficient to rid myself of an “urban” aura—there is simply no way of dressing that can counter the way people look at my skin. Although today people would largely denounce the defunct dogma that Blacks

or Latin@s are more prone to criminal activity, it appears to be especially difficult to shake these notions within our elite academic institutions. From research laboratories to political houses, there is a constant reminder of cultural norms in these spaces that speak beyond problems of quantifiable diversity.

While my work as a student researcher has allowed me to literally enter into spaces with the scientific elite, just as other UChicago students of color have entered into elite realms within their own disciplines, it is clear that I cannot fix the attitudes of an institution as a whole toward me. It is my hope that I can play a role in changing the perception of people of color in science and help to slowly erode preconceived notions of who does not belong in these spaces. These auspicious, golden-gated spaces will eventually open to all students. Slowly but surely, we can make these masquerade-like transitions from criminal to scientist, politician, or lawyer extend from ephemeral experiences into permanent parts of our identities as intellectuals, academics, and scholars.

Gustavo Pacheco is a thirdyear in the College studying biology and Romance Languages and Literatures.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

The Country Doth Protest Too Much As India’s Youth Rises Up in Protest, the Government Abandons its Ideals in Response

Urvi Kumbhat

Alphabet Soup A Over the last week, Delhi was plunged into chaos. Even so far removed from home, the events at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have been impossible to miss. It’s creeped into conversation with other Indians, spread over social media like wildfire, and even appeared in the global consciousness as the world debates the importance of free speech. Anti-nationalism and sedition seem to have become everyday utterances in India, and arrests were made faster than you could say Kashmir.

In the midst of this complex and nuanced issue, India’s government has a lot of explaining to do.

It all began when students of prestigious JNU organized an event to protest the “judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat” and show solidarity with the Kashmiris’ struggle for selfdetermination. Afzal Guru was hanged in 2013 for terrorism and his supposed involvement in a 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, but his case was shrouded in doubt. Many legal experts have cast aspersions on the fairness of his trial. He was executed in secrecy—even his family wasn’t informed, and they did not receive his body. Human rights groups the world over condemned the politically expedient move, protesting capital punishment and the ambiguities surrounding the trial.

The JNU protest was supposed to take place with the help of art, music, and poetry. However, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a youth faction of the extremist right-wing party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), affiliated with India’s governing party, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), demanded the expulsion of the organizers of the event. The university then launched a disciplinary enquiry against the students. Both parties follow a predominantly Hindutva policy that caters to and favors the Hindu majority, despite the fact that India is a secular nation.

The controversy really began when videos showing students chanting anti-national slogans emerged. The purported video apparently has pro-Pakistan slogans; nothing polarizes India like Pakistan and Kashmir. The event-organizing committee denied links to the anti-nationalism, and one of them told The Hindu, a major newspaper: “The programme was a cultural evening organized to question the working of the Supreme Court. It was also meant to bring the grievances of the Kashmiri citizens to light. The struggles of ‘self-determination’ must be openly spoken about. Considering this is a democratic republic, why should dissent be suppressed?”

The answer to that question is not very simple. The BJP seems to keep its flag flying on the strength of its patriotic fervor. Its recent actions have included banning beef in the state of Mahrashtra to protect Hindu sentiments and banning a documentary on the incendiary Delhi rape case. There is a clear trend that is beginning to emerge—the BJP is scared of any challenges to the hyper-nationalistic rhetoric it has adopted to keep the almost 80-percent Hindu majority satisfied.

As the JNU incident progressed, the president of the JNU Student Union, Kanhaiya Kumar, was arrested on charges of sedition. There was no proof of his participation in the anti-national slogan-shouting, and the nation subsequently erupted in rightful outrage against the government, rallying support for JNU. The BJP has come out in condemnation of the JNU student activists, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “If anyone raises anti-India slogans, tries to raise questions on the country’s unity and integrity, they will not be spared.” These are scarily fascist statements, given that Singh is supposed to be a democratic leader. Questions on a country’s integrity have no place in a democracy, according to Singh,

and, if the BJP is to be believed, patriotic fundamentalism is its defining feature.

There was a police crackdown on the campus, and teachers, in revolt, have ironically taken to offering classes on nationalism.

Supporters of Kumar as well as journalists were violently beaten.

On his way to the courtroom, angry nationalists entered the trial court complex and ruthlessly beat him, even throwing stones at him— while the police simply looked on.

There is something deeply disturbing about this; it is illegal to enter the court complex and yet no one was stopped. The police are complicit in their inaction; their brutality, though indirect, is rooted in irresponsibility and corruption.

They have failed in their simplest duty: the provision of impenetrable, permanent protection.

Something is brewing in India.

This January, the suicide of student and political activist Rohith Vemula shook the entire nation.

He was a Dalit, historically the lowest and most abused caste in India—they were once called the “untouchables.” He died wishing that the world would see him as an

individual, and not as a function of his social strata. In his beautiful, poignant suicide note, he said, “My birth is my fatal accident.” How many more people do we have to lose to realize our bigoted, reprehensible ways? Last September, Jadavpur University in Kolkata rallied to the cry of “hok kolorob,” or “make noise,” to protest the administration’s inaction when a woman was molested. In an astounding surge of democratic power, thousands of students showed solidarity. Students were thrashed and women molested by the police and goons (allegedly planted by the government) and yet the protests were relentless, leading to the arrest of the perpetrators. The current climate of anger has been festering for too long, and things have finally reached the tipping point.

The JNU protests have turned into something that is much bigger than simply self-determination for Kashmiris or just the capital punishment debate. It is slowly becoming a movement that is screaming in frustration—give us our voice. Give us the democracy we so proudly claim to have. Give us the equality our constitution

promises us. Give us the growth and progress we display to the rest of the world as though it actually exists. Stop suppressing intellectual growth and critical thinking, productive debate and discussion.

Stop delegitimizing our concerns.

As P. Sainath, an eminent journalist, said, “stop criminalizing our dissent.”

This conversation deeply resonates within the global conscience—police brutality in America is gaining headlines, and free speech continues to be debated all over the world. The Right wants to uphold the current societal structure and suppress attempts to change it—it relies on this for its strength and for its votes. But the youth of India has made it clear that it will not be reduced to numbers. It will not watch in silence as its rights are brazenly and blatantly abused on a daily basis. The political climate in India is boiling over—and things need to change before our democracy evaporates altogether.

Urvi Kumbhat is a first-year double majoring in computer science and English.

Sarah Komanapalli

Take Care Student Culture Discourages Self-Care in the Name of Solidarity

Jane Jun

Intriguing Doorman It ’s ei g ht h we e k . T h i s means that at any time of the night, students are on the first floor of the Reg or splayed over the couches in Harper solving

econ p-sets, typing Sosc papers, and cramming for that test you know no number of hours of study ing for could guarantee an A. Sometimes it

seems like the one thing that we can count on more than the unrelenting weather patterns of Chicago winters is the unrelenting capacity of UChicago students to labor for hours on end, often at the expense of sleep. I’m there too, punctuating the long hours with coffee breaks and laments to friends.

It can seem like a competition to see who can stay up

longer to study. One’s ability to deny basic needs like sleep seems to be a badge of honor that shows we have earned the right to be here, that we are true UChicago students. One’s talk of working grueling hours in the library is met with approving camaraderie and sympathetic laughter, while taking a break or decreasing your course load seems to be asso-

ciated with weakness.

I’m a natural workaholic, and I tend to pile on more commitments than I can handle.

Whether it is getting involved in another activity or perfecting assignments, I always feel like I could be doing more to be a better student and maximize the resources available through this University. ReContinued on page 7

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Going to Pieces Over Problem Sets Solves Nothing Continued from page 6

cently, however, I’ve come to wonder if self-denial and spending all these hours in the library are always laudable virtues. Is it really more responsible to finish that reading, even if it’s way past normal waking hours? Is it really crucial to ace that test, even if it means significant stress and anxiety?

Jeffrey E. Barnett of the American Psychological Association states that self-care—acts that prioritize a healthy mind, body and soul—is an ethical imperative. Self-care is a good thing, and people ought to factor it in when planning their schedules. This does not seem to match popular attitudes at UChicago, where self-care does not seem to be a part of the student body’s vocabulary. Many students feel depressed and overworked, and sometimes feel as if there is no other choice than to continue pushing themselves past their limits. Intentionally making time for exercise, sleep, and play, or taking on an easier workload does not seem to be a popular habit.

On January 27, 2015, Yale University student Luchang Wang booked a one-way f light to San Francisco and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge.

She left a Facebook post saying that she needed time off to heal from deep emotional pain, but was afraid to do so in case she would not be allowed back to school.

This story is saddening but not very shocking. Given the number of students who suffer from depression, seasonal affective disorder, or anxiety, there seems to be a prevailing culture of

Anne Wang

stress in which students here are pressured until they feel they have no way out. It makes me question the mindset of idolizing self-den ial and overworking yourself at the expense of your physical and psychological well-being.

Barnett recommends that people make adequate time for themselves, do things they enjoy, and take care of themselves physically as well as spiritually. He emphasizes the importance of saying no, not isolating oneself, and keeping in mind the fact that self-care is a positive thing. This includes intentionally making time for a hobby you

enjoy, spending time with friends or loved ones, and/or exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet.

He makes a powerful point. If we want to improve our psychological and emotional health, we could perhaps benefit from changing our mindsets and relationships to our work. Taking breaks and letting our minds rest could be an effective strategy for achieving our goals in the long run, because stress or lack of sleep can hinder productivity. Maybe the next time a friend bemoans having to pull an all-nighter for a class, we can think about how our

response may perpetuate a culture that idolizes self-destructive behavior. Perhaps rather than laughing or saying that we understand their struggle, we can gently encourage them to take a break. Or, if it’s you who’s putting in late-night hours at the Reg, maybe go home for sleep rather than Ex Libris for coffee. You deserve it. You matter, and your health matters.

Jane Jun is a third-year in the college majoring in economics.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

ARTS With Great Collective Comes a Second Showcase

BY EMMA PRESTON MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

I walked into Logan Café last Wednesday evening with a dollar bill and the beginnings of a poem.

Having chosen to forego the three-dollar admission for the less expensive improvised haiku-and-dollar coupling, I was greeted warmly by students sitting behind a table covered in red, tinfoil-wrapped chocolates. In response, I stumbled through 17 syllables, handed over my tattered bill, and took my seat amid a sea of chatter.

Despite the biting winds of winter quarter, eager listeners slowly fi lled the dimly-lit chairs, willing to brave the cold in the name of the Underground Collective.

T he evening began with Vincente Perez, a self-deprecating yet dignified emcee, when he stepped behind the mic to deliver a poem of his own.

In keeping with the evening’s theme of alter egos, Perez narrated his experience as a person of mixed race. His cadence flowed effortlessly between conversation and slam as he delineated the complexity

of his identity. At the climax, he asserted his own empowerment over the racially exclusive questionnaires, cleverly juxtaposing “check boxes” with “checkmate.”

After a few more words from Perez about the safe space showcase provision, Act I began with Ben Glover’s heavily charged rhymes. For a piece Glover admits he wrote during a particularly boring Sosc class, the rhymes were both heav i ly cha rged “Momma call me jumpman ’cause she knows I’m up to something ”) and self-aware (“Burnt lips, charred tong ue is my mouth aesthetic”).

B r ya n Wat erhou s e followed Glover’s performance with a subject perhaps lighter but no less intense. In “Superhero Love Poem,” Waterhouse earnestly explored the fi xtures of love, illustrating the longing to protect, to understand, and to heal— all of this chorused, of course, by the palpable swoons of the audience.

Daniele Becker and Lucas Mathieu took the stage next to allow for a comedic break in their commentary on “useless superpowers,”

before Becker and Waterhouse approached the microphones in tandem. Together, they talked about the seriousness of alcoholism in the context of a drinking game, bringing addiction and its impact under the lens of collegiate habits.

In Act II, Hex Bean powerfully examined the intricacies of multiple personality disorder. “Love Notes to my Alter Egos” provided haunting insight into the alternate modes of personhood which grip them during episodes.

In a glaringly ironic and powerfully charged nine-step guide to writing the next great American love novel, Natalie Richardson made a powerful statement about the portrayal of interracial relationships. Perhaps the most politically saturated performance of the evening thus far, she wrote about the dominance of history, crooning: “Always write the female protagonist to be brown-skinned, her face like a frontier, skin like stolen soil; what else is a brown girl if not what she represents?” to a concert of snaps that fade to intermission.

Perez approached the mic, allowing the aud ience t o laugh as he lowered the microphone stand to his own height. After an intermission-turned-dance-party, Act III opened with Payal Kumar, whose “Open Letter to the Real Harvey Dent” eerily addressed a history of persisting wea lth d ispa r ities i n Chicago. Threading the phrase “coin f lip, trigger click” throughout her poem, she captured the tragedy of the accompanying violence.

In the fi nal act, Maddie Anderson, Moore, Kumar, and Richardson approached the microphones as Becker and Waterhouse sat off to the side. Mimicking the proceedings of a courtroom, “Villainized Women vs. The State” was a delightfully satisfying ode to feminism. As the four women, each portraying different fictional female villains, testified to simply wanting more, Becker and Waterhouse criticized, meeting each “if I were a man” with a disruptive “Objection!”

Soon after, Anderson performed the final solo piece of the night, detail-

ing the disturbing sexualization of young heroes in a mock conversation between Michael Jackson and his father. “If you cost me my hits, you know who gets hit,” the father coerced. But Anderson gave young Michael a chance to retaliate, offering the victim a voice that can speak innocently of true tenants of fatherhood.

A fter “ Les A ffaires de la Ville,” performed in French by Mathieu and translated through Moore’s elegant dance, the evening closed with “Power Play,” a group piece bringing Woods, Moore, Bean, and Anderson to the stage for a one last time. Preceded by trigger warnings of abuse, pedophilia, and incest, the collaboration was performed as if it were read from a script, but was prefaced by a statement from Bean: “This is not a movie.” The poem was heavy, speaking to sexual violence committed by older men in positions of power.

Perez, however, brought the audience back to a brighter, more comforting place in a closing poem about the challenges and rewards of fatherhood,

and his commitment to experiencing them both with his own children. He exited the stage, and a Drake song began to play, inviting performers to dance up to the stage and take a bow, applause ricocheting off the dim, hanging light fi xtures above them.

Though it’s incredibly difficult to thread so many perspectives into a single poetic showcase, particularly when so many of them are emotionally investing, the Underground Collective made it look easy. I came into the showcase with just the bones of a poem, but when the doors closed behind me, I felt the weight of all the light and dark things of what seemed like all the world. In two hours of vulnerability, performers shared their beautifully crafted stories. They spoke about historic racism, sexual violence, and the cruelty of addiction. But they also spoke about love, solidarity, and conviction as tools against such oppression. In this, the superpower-tailored theme was both fitting and inspiring, providing a true testament to the complexities and lasting impact of vocal art.

Sem Co-Op Gets to the Heart of de Kerangal’s Newest Novel

BY ALEXIA BACIGALUPI ARTS STAFF

“ Wr iti ng for me is breaking time as we know it. It’s not just a continuum of time, but a sedimentation of experiences,” Maylis de Kerangal said with the warm, rounded lilt of a French accent. Her hands moved animatedly, fluttering like butterfl ies as she paused to translate her thought into English.

When it eluded her grasp, the audience—many francophone, some not— offered up suggestions.

This past Thursday, the Seminary Co-Op partnered with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the F ra nce Chicago Center, and the University of Chicago’s Department of Romance Languages to host French author de Kerangal. As the windows facing the street of the Seminary Co-Op glowed softly with white Christmas lights, rows of red chairs fi lled with 20 or so people, mostly middle-aged, in various states of outerwear undress, re-

flected in the glass. De Kerangal held court in the cozy arrangement to read excerpts of her critically acclaimed novel The Heart, recently printed in the U.S., before engaging in a post-reading discussion with professor Irina Ruvinsky of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who received her Ph.D. here at the University.

Time is a central element of de Kerangal’s latest novel, which has been alternately translated into English as Mend the Living. The original title, Réparer les vivants, derives from a line of Anton Checkhov’s Platonov, which reads to “bury the dead and mend the living.”

A story of grief, loss and the marvels of science, The Heart takes place in the span of 24 hours—the length of time that an organ remains viable for transplant. During that time, a team of nurses and doctors try to salvage the heart of a comatose, brain-dead young man

in order to transplant it to a woman on the brink of death—all against the backdrop of grieving parents coming to terms with unexpected loss.

D e K era nga l r e ad two passages in French while Ruvinsky read the corresponding translations. In its original form, de Kerangal’s prose is tense, disjointed, and melancholic, capturing the slow-motion shattering of lives as a woman grapples with how to tell her husband that their son is dead. However, the English translation, combined with Ruvinsky’s meek voice, blunted the immediate potency of the text.

T he ensu i ng d iscussion centered on the importance of time and language in writing. Language often fails during tragedy, which creates an abyss between the past and present that words cannot articulate. “ M a n ipu l at i ng l a nguage is manipulating time. Break a sentence

and there is a hole of memory,” de Kerangal said.

The tension between de Kerangal’s precise language—she often employs hospital jargon and zeroes in on microscopic moments—and the gaspingfor-breath-sucker-punchto-the-gut emotion creates a time distortion. It is a malleable, multi-layered thing. In the 24 hours between the violent rupture of a life and the start of a new one, de Kerangal plays on the full scope of human emotion—and moment.

As the author of almost a dozen novels, de Kerangal also discussed her writing process. She writes and researches her works simultaneously, describing the process as a bridge: she begins with an endpoint in mind but must write her way across the chasm to reach it. For The Heart, she employs medical language to draw readers into the operating room. To prepare, she met with specialists who determine organ compatibility

and even observed a live transplant—a process that helped her understand the instantaneous impacts of time. Since heart transplants often occur unexpectedly, de Kerangal awaited the call from the hospital only to miss the first operation while on a trip to Russia, and the second operation, when a heart was rejected during surgery, as she rode in a

taxi to the hospital.

As broad in scope as it is precise in language, The Heart looks at the dual nature of the organ as a vital muscle and as, according to de Kerangal, a “blackbox archive of sentimental affects.” The novel is currently being adapted for the stage in two different French productions as well as a film set for release this fall.

French Embassy in the United States

Author Maylis de Kerangel discussed the importance of time and language in writing last Thursday at the Sem Co-Op.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Van Gogh Under the Covers at the Art Institute of Chicago

BY CAITLIN HUBBARD ARTS STAFF

Now through May 10, the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) is featuring a special exhibit entitled Van Gogh’s Bedrooms that explores the artist’s lifelong search for a home—that little yellow house he finally found in Arles, France. The house and the landscape of Arles inspired many of his paintings, and Van Gogh’s time there was the beginning of his most prolific years as an artist. Although he stayed here for only one year (1888–89) before he was committed to an insane asylum, Van Gogh continued to paint scenes of Arles from memory, turning out new works every few weeks. He was at the height of his artistic career when his madness became too much, and he died by his own hand in July 1890.

The exhibit opens with

a map of the 24 different places Van Gogh lived during his 37 years. After leaving his family’s home for boarding school at age 11, Van Gogh never lived in one place for more than two-and-a-half years. The exhibit succeeds in portraying Van Gogh’s sporadic jumps across Europe, but, to a greater extent, it stresses Van Gogh’s restless nature before he embraced art.

Van Gogh’s drawing of his family’s barn, completed at age 10, shows obvious inherent talent, yet this talent was sadly suppressed for most of his short life. Only after failing at multiple careers—from art dealer to minister—did Van Gogh finally decide to become an artist in 1880 at the age of 27. And it was not until 1885, five years before his death, that Van Gogh created The Potato Eaters, the first painting in what is now recognized as his distinctive

personal style: thick brush strokes paired with distorted lines and dimensions.

In fact, every painting that comes to mind when you say “Van Gogh” was made within those five years.

To execute this exhibit, the AIC partnered with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, thus gaining access to many of the artist’s personal letters written to his brother Theo about the house in Arles. For a man who long struggled with depression in a world unable to understand him, Van Gogh never sounded happier than when he wrote about his new little yellow house. The inclusion of the letters creates great suspense, as do the paintings of the chairs (one for Van Gogh, thatched and humble, and one for Paul Gauguin, deep walnut and scattered with books). At the time, Gauguin was coming to visit,

Art Institute of Chicago

A replica of Van Gogh’s bedroom, now available for rent on Airbnb for $10 a night.

and Van Gogh was deco- sparse, and smaller than rating the room to his taste. the average dorm-room Turning the corner ex- single. Seemingly munpecting to lay eyes on the dane, this is the room that famous paintings of Van inspired one man who had Gogh’s bedroom, the visitor finally found his home.

Van Gogh’s greatest skill instead greets a great yellow wall. A window peeks was shining beauty and ininto a life-sized bedroom terest on the ordinary. By with two thatched chairs recreating his little bedand a red bed. It is Van room, the AIC lets us see Gogh’s room, brought back this magic at work when, to life. The space is simple, turning one more corner,

we see the room from Van Gogh’s perspective. The colors are brighter, the strokes are thick and confident, and the room appears to move like it has a life of its own.

Va n G ogh pa i nt ed three versions of his little room. After the first suffered water damage, he had his brother send it to him at the asylum, where he painted the second two, fusing his memories of Arles with the fi rst painting as his model. The exhibit presents the three versions—which are almost identical upon first glance—to contrast the outlook of a man living happily at home with that of one reminiscing on a fond memory. With his maddeningly desperate need to make sure that his image of home was not destroyed, Van Gogh ensured it would live on by painting it over and over. And now the AIC has constructed it anew.

Uncommon Interview: Cole Becker of SWMRS

BY MIRIAM BENJAMIN ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR

One day I was casually scrolling through my email, looking at various desperate press releases, when I had a reaction straight out of a publicist’s wet dream: I stopped in my tracks, plugged my ear-buds into my computer, and pressed play.

I didn’t actually read the text of the email; I just saw the picture. Four boys, one wearing an A’s bomber jacket, all holding cups of frozen yogurt in front of my favorite place in the whole world: Yogurt Park. Yogurt Park, for those whose lives have not been blessed, is a frozen yogurt shop in Berkeley, California—their creamy, chocolate fro-yo filled with gummy bears is the main motivator for me to return to the Bay Area during breaks. If this band liked Yogurt Park enough to advertise it in their press release, then I was willing to bet I liked this band.

And I was right. I did like SWMRS. The Yogurt Park press release was deliberate: SWMRS (Cole and Max Becker, Sebastian Mueller, and Joey Armstrong) want to re-establish the Bay Area as a prominent music scene. They’re doing that both individually (they self-released their debut album, Drive North, rather than work with a bigger label) and at a community level: they recently booked the legendary Bay Area DIY punk venue, 924 Gilman, and curated their own festival, Uncool Fest. All of this

emphasis on the Bay Area fits into SWMRS’s broader goal, which is to stress the importance of individuality—just as you don’t need to be from L.A. to be a cool punk band, you don’t need to conform to societal norms to be a (hella) cool person.

I spoke to SWMRS’s Cole Becker over the phone.

CH ICAG O M A ROON: So, you were at Cal [UC Berkeley] for a while, right?

Cole Becker: Yeah, I ’m st i l l en r ol led .

CM: W hat classes were you taking that shaped your worldview?

CB: I took a class on Foucault-ian power systems, and that really shaped the way I look at things, [especially] the way people interact and the way the world and society are structured. I [also] took an African American studies race and film class, and that was really amazing.

CM: Considering all these cool political classes you took, can you talk a little bit more about your decision to write songs that aren’t explicitly political?

CB: There’s a quote from bell hooks that always stuck with me: “All art is deeply political.” Whether or not you write political songs doesn’t mean what you do doesn’t have an immense impact on people, even at the level we operate at…. Our job is to make ourselves happy, and to make other people happy.

If we can do that while making an inclusive and safe space for everyone to express their true identity, then I think we’re pushing the

political goal we’ve always had in mind: to make music accessible for everyone.

CM: For me, Drive North doesn’t really scan as a straightforward punk record musically—there are a lot more studio effects that I expected. Was that [producer and FIDLAR front man] Zac Carper’s idea? Because I noticed that on Too, FIDLAR’s last LP, as well.

CB: It wasn’t his idea so much as we always wanted to do it, but didn’t really have the experience. A lot of the demos for the album I made with a drum machine, and so we had it in mind to incorporate this hip–hop influence.

You’re from the Bay too. You know it’s impossible to avoid growing up with Mac Dre and Hieroglyphics, and so we really wanted to incorporate that into the production of our record. [Hip–hop is] just as much a part of our identity as punk is, and so when Zac told us he could help us get those kind of sounds, we were like, “Please, just, like, do whatever….” We gave him full reign over ProTools to make it happen.

CM: Most of the songs from your old band, Emily’s Army, don’t address feminism, but your Twitter account is very politically aware. When did you become woke to feminism, and was it through any medium in particular?

CB: It was actually because of [a friend]. She started a feminism club at [my] high school, and I was friends with her, so I started going. That was when I got interested in [feminism],

and that kinda opened up [my] world to all of this other social awareness.

CM: Riot grrrl seems like an influence on your work: you name-check it directly in the Drive North song “Harry Dean”; “Uncool,” another song off the LP, is a Riot grrrl concept; and you have your own zine, titled Boyzine. What particular concepts or aspects of Riot grrrl do you apply to your work?

CB: I like the audacity of the Riot grrrl. I like that there was finally a space opened up for women, like Kathleen Hanna, to be unapologetically female and unapologetically true to their identity. I really respect that.

And again, we wanna make the world accessible to people no matter where they come from. It hurts to see people treated different ways based on different attributes of themselves, you know? It’s part of a debt that we feel that we have to the world: we’re all very privileged; we’re all heterosexual white dudes.

We’re very aware of [that].

CM: I was just about to comment on that with regards to Boyzine. I think Boyzine is such a smart idea because you’re using feminism to reform the concept of masculinity, as opposed to trying to support the movement while still having all of the privilege.

CB: Yeah, exactly! Masculinity is such a strange dictatorial part of [how] our society functions.

CM: I know you’re just coming off your first record, but do you have any plans on

how you’re going to evolve as a band? That’s something I’ve always wondered about for bands associated with the [L.A. label] Burger Records especially because they’re usually so teen-oriented.

How do you age gracefully, lyrically, and musically?

CB: I think we’re lucky to have evolved separately from the Burger scene.

We’re a Northern California band, so we don’t have the added pressure of being a niche Southern California band…. With the second album, I’d like to go completely stripped down, just focus on good songwriting and have it be live-recorded to tape....

Do a lot more pre-production and, like, fucking around with Ableton and Logic. Make some hip–hop beats…and feature some people! I’d really like to [collaborate] with Joey Bada$$.

CM: Speaking of hip– hop, how did your collaboration with [Bay Area rapper and director] Kreayshawn come about, and what about her interested you?

CB: We’ve always loved Kreayshawn. When our manager hit us up asking about directors for the music video [for “Figuring It Out”], he suggested a couple of people from LA. And that’s fine, but the whole concept of Drive North is that we’re bringing in our own Bay Area identity to this alternative rock ’n’ roll scene. They were cool, arty directors, but we really wanted to get someone 100 percent Bay Area to film it.

Kreayshawn lives in L.A., but she’s one of the most

Bay Area people I’ve ever met. When we met her it was awesome: we’d been down in L.A. for a week or so, and it was refreshing to hear someone who spoke the way all of our friends speak.... [She] said “hella” a lot. She’s got a very thick Bay Area dialect.

CM: Given that this whole record is about embracing where you’re from, and embracing the Bay Area for you guys specifically, do you see any irony saying you’re from Oakland when you actually grew up in Piedmont?

CB: That’s a really good question, I’m glad you asked that. I don’t see a lot of irony in it, ’cause all of our growing up was in Oakland and the East Bay.… Also, it’s just, like...

Piedmont sucks so much, you know? We don’t represent the Vineyard Vines, Sperry Top-Sider portion of Oakland, and when we tell people we’re from Piedmont, that’s what they think. We tell people Oakland because we’re very much more culturally edified by Oakland than we are by Piedmont.

CM: Can I hear your Morrissey impression?

CB: [laughs] Um, yeah.

“Puuuuuhnctured bicycleee on a hillsiiiiide desoooolateee/ Will nature make a maaan….” Hold on, I got everybody laughing, I can’t go on. How did you find out about my Morrissey impression?

CM : I saw it on T w it t er. I ’m ex pe c t ing a Smiths live cover.

CB: I’ll work on it.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

And the Oscar Goes to . . .

Part 3: Predictions

BY KENNETH TALBOTT LA VEGA MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

Sunday at 5:30 p.m. PST/7:30 p.m. CST, the 88th Academy Awards will be televised across the world, honoring the greatest filmmaking feats of 2015. To prepare for this event, T HE M A ROON posted an online poll where readers voted on some of the most popular categories: Acting, Writing, Directing, Animated Feature Film, and, of course, Best Picture. We had a great turnout—over 200 voters in two weeks —and received some fascinating responses. Here’s a breakdown of the results in each category, along with my own two cents.

The results in the biggest category of the night were the most exciting. Every film on the ballot received considerable votes, with the majority of voters splitting them between, in ascending order, The Big Short, The Revenant, Spotlight, and Mad Max: Fury Road. To put into perspective how close the runoff was: Spotlight only finished with a two-vote lead on The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road squeaked to the top by one vote. These votes are pretty reflective of current Oscars’ predictions, with analysts convinced that all of these four films have strong chances to go home with the trophy.

My Vote: This category was the hardest for me to decide. I eventually narrowed it down to four (The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, and Spotlight) and went from there. The Big Short was the standout black comedy of the year, coupling a whip-smart screenplay from a best-selling novel with thrilling performances from A-list actors. Mad Max: Fury Road was an action film revelation soaring at the intersection of progressive ideology and high-adrenaline direction. Room communicated emotions that no other fi lm in this category managed, crafted with aesthetic finesse and bolstered by phenomenal young leads. But Room ended up as my runner-up. I ultimately went with Spotlight. A film about the Boston Globe’s coverage of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church could not have been more impeccably executed, with every scene propelling the film to new heights of artistic mastery. Spotlight is the kind of film the Oscars were primarily made to recognize.

This category became a head-to-head battle between the recently resurrected George Miller for his revolutionary approach to Mad Max: Fury Road and the reigning champion Alejandro G. Iñárritu for his maddening journey through a winter hell that is The Revenant. Miller took the gold with just above 30 percent of the votes. However, each nominee received plenty of attention in this category.

My Vote: I have a lot of respect for Iñárritu’s deft craftsmanship and was also struck by Adam McKay’s smartly frantic methods in The Big Short. But my vote for directing has to go to Miller. He took a fascinating story, vamped it with a subversively hyper-masculine vision and the technical efforts to match, and directed his whole cast to a tee. Because of all this, Mad Max: Fury Road was undoubtedly one of the best-directed action films I have seen in some time.

There was not much dispute in this category. More than half of you voted Leonardo DiCaprio for his thorough and dedicated performance in The Revenant (and trust me, the Academy will be on the same page Sunday night). There was also a lot of well-deserved love for Matt Damon in The Martian.

My Vote: I very much enjoyed Matt Damon as a wickedly resourceful stranded astronaut, and I was also particularly moved by Michael Fassbender’s take on the titular character of Steve Jobs. However, I have to give it up to DiCaprio. No actor on this entire ballot seemed like they gave as much effort as he did—definitely more than enough to earn my vote.

This category was totally up in the air for voters, with every nominee receiving between 15–25 percent of total votes. The nominees represent a range of roles and personalities, some commandeering like Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight and some much quieter like Rooney Mara in Carol (although to be honest, I still cannot comprehend how Mara is competing in the Supporting Actress category, since she shared virtually an equal amount of screen time as love interest Cate Blanchett). That aside, the voters eventually went with Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs.

My Vote: It came down to two stellar performances: the mature, irresistibly collected Kate Winslet and the complex, soft-edged Rooney Mara. I eventually went with Mara because her feat of acting tapped into something even Blanchett’s character could not achieve: a calculated mix of insecurity and confidence, hesitation and steadfastness. Her reticence spoke volumes in this film— something only a talent like Mara could communicate.

Brie Larson’s heart wrenching all-or-nothing performance in Room has been turning heads all season, and it appears that at least a third of you felt the same way. However, it wasn’t a landslide; Cate Blanchett’s powerful and mature performance in the less popular Carol also garnered a lot of your votes.

My Vote: Without a doubt I have to give it to Brie Larson.

She did a standout memorable job in a role that fit her like a glove, consistently illustrating the subtle transformations of her character from beginning to end.

Let’s be real; this category basically ended in a tie.

You seemed to enjoy in almost equal proportions the ingenious, heartfelt screenplay of Inside Out and the unapologetically frank, convincing screenplay of Straight Outta Compton. But once the final votes were counted, Inside Out managed to edge out. (By just one vote, mind you!)

My Vote: Spotlight’s screenplay was airtight. And Ex Machina’s screenplay was both brilliant and chilling.

However, in my humble opinion nothing surpassed the rawness and ambition of Straight Outta Compton. This screenplay was a sucker punch in the most pleasant and mature way possible and is more than worthy of capturing N.W.A.’s legacy.

Most analysts have predicted Sylvester Stallone will take home an Oscar Sunday night, but you had different opinions: it was a close call between Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight and Christian Bale in The Big Short, with the latter getting the majority.

My Vote: This category featured a lot of competitive quality performances—from Mark Rylance’s nuanced Soviet spy in Bridge of Spies to Tom Hardy’s abrasive frontiersman in The Revenant. But just like the voters, for me it was a toss-up between Mark Ruffalo and Christian Bale, with Bale winning me over just by a hair, his performance reflective of his impressive acting portfolio.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Squad Will Make Case for Playoff Bid Against Rival Wash U MEN’S BASKETBALL

BY EMMETT ROSENBAUM SPORTS STAFF

At this point, the Maroons’ fate may very well be out of their hands. After dropping their game against NYU last week, the UChicago men’s basketball team’s postseason hopes will lie with the NCAA. However, while their tournament fate may hang in the balance, the squad will help their case greatly if they can win their last game of the season this Saturday against the Wash U Bears.

“We have to prepare the same way we have all year,” noted the fourth-year forward Alex Voss. “In one sense it is a huge game but in another way it’s just like every other game. If we put the time and effort in, and we play disciplined and remain focused that will give us the best shot of winning.”

However, it might be more than just another game for Voss on Saturday, as this could be the last time he and his fellow se-

nior teammates don a Maroon jersey. The team will be celebrating Senior Day on the court before the game, making the match a special moment in these athletes’ lives.

“I’m always going to remember my time with these seniors,” said second-year forward Collin Barthel. “I love all six of them and they each bring something a little different to the table. They are a great group of guys that I have enjoyed being able to experience my time with here at UChicago.”

“It really hasn’t set in,” added an emotional Voss. “I’ve been playing basketball as long as I can remember and its surreal to think this is the last of one of the last few games I have left. Makes me want to go out with a win real bad.”

Speaking of winning, the Maroons eked out a 70–69 victory the last time they played the Bears – thanks to a buzzer beater from fourth-year Jordan Smith.

Chicago will be looking for the same result this time, but their success is going to lie in executing on the defensive side of the ball.

“We have to be solid on the defensive end,” noted Barthel. “They have smart guys that capitalize off of your mistakes so, any type of defensive lapse is going to be an easy bucket for them.”

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday or of the Maroon’s postseason bid, the game against the Bears will be the culmination of a memorable season for what has been a special UChicago squad. The team rebounded from a slow start, achieving a No. 11 ranking nationally while ripping off an incredible 13-game winning streak. However, the team doesn’t think they’re done defining their legacy.

“Our team has never had a problem walking into a gym with a chip on our shoulder,” said an excited Barthel. “What this game brings is that slight nervousness that we need to win to keep playing. This team has the ability to overcome adversity.”

The Maroons will tip off against the Bears at the Ratner Athletic Center at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

University of Chicago Athletics Department

Third-year Waller Perez lays in an easy bucket in a game earlier this season.

Chicago to Take on Bears in Season Finale WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BY ALEC MILLER SPORTS STAFF

While it is always sad to see the season come to an end, the Maroons have the opportunity to finish on a great note with a win against long-time rival Wash U. In their return to their home court after a weekend away in New York and Boston, the South Siders will face off against the Bears in their season finale on Saturday afternoon.

The Maroons have had a solid season up to this point, entering their last game with a 15–9 record and a UAA conference record of 7–6. However, the season will not be as sweet if Chicago cannot pull out a victory this weekend. This game is always marked as the most important of the season. Wash

U and Chicago have been rivals ever since the two universities came together to help form the UAA conference in 1986. Every year, the two teams close out their seasons playing each other for bragging rights and usually big conference implications.

Chicago has improved greatly over the season, taking down No. 22 NYU this past weekend in what seems to be their best effort in conference. It is also interesting to note that of Wash U’s two UAA losses, NYU is one of them.

Yet, victory will be no easy task for Chicago as Wash U has proven to be quite the formidable foe this season. The Bears are currently No. 9 in the NCAA Division III rankings. They come to Chicago with a record of 20–4, 11–2 in conference. The

Bears also beat the Maroons when they played in St. Louis earlier this year by a margin of 80–63 to kick off UAA play.

Third-year guard Stephanie Anderson knows how hard it is going to be to win this weekend. “Wash U is a very good team and they got the best of us last time. They are ranked and it will be hard to knock them off,” Anderson said. However, Anderson thinks the team has been practicing hard and playing very well lately, winning three straight games. “We have been playing really great basketball the last three games.

I think if we continue to play hard and execute the game plan our coaches made we have a good chance of winning on Saturday,” said the guard.

In addition to the rivalry game, this

game is important because it also marks the last game for Chicago’s three fourth-years, Caitlin Moore, Paige Womack, and Helen Petersen. A Senior Day ceremony will take place before tip-off on Saturday, and the team knows there is no better way to honor their dedication to the program than a rival victory at home.

“We love our seniors and want to send them out in the right way. Your time goes by fast here and we want them to have the memory of winning their last game,” said Anderson, a third-year who will all too soon be aware of the feeling of Senior Night.

It will be a game to remember at Ratner on Saturday. The game will start at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s game against Wash U at 3 p.m.

Two Divers Head to NCAA Regionals TRACK & FIELD

BY MAX HAWKINS SPORTS STAFF

Both the men’s and women’s teams are coming off of victories at the Margaret Bradley Invitational last weekend and are now looking to finish the season strong by winning the UAA tournament this weekend. As the end of the indoor season approaches, the excitement penetrates the atmosphere as the Maroons prepare for the upcoming weekend in New York City.

“I think that next week the team is going to give it their all at the UAA championship. This is what we have been preparing for all season, and after this past meet I think that the team is ready for the championship meet,” second-year Vivian Barclay said.

The women boast many individual standouts including fourth-year Mikaela Hammel in the 200-meter, third-year Michelle Dobbs in the 400-meter, second-year Ade Ayoola in the high jump, and lastly the 4x400-meter relay, consisting of third-year Eleanor Kang, first-year Emma Keother, Dobbs, and Hammel. Together, the Maroons look to collect the team’s third UAA title in a row to close the regular season.

“We’ve seen improvement in everyone

each meet, which is very exciting. I think that to finish this season strong, everyone needs to continue to focus during practice and have a positive attitude going into the championship meet,” Barclay said.

On the men’s side, following a second place finish in UAAs last year, the Maroons believe the script will be different this year and the title will be theirs.

“I’m very excited to go to New York for the first time. We have a very complete team again this year and are a big contender for the conference title,” second-year Patrick LeFevre said.

The men also boast individual standouts such as the versatile second-year Nathan Downey in the 200-meter, third-year Temisan Osowa in the 60-meter, secondyear Patrick LeFevre in the 60-meter hurdles, and third-year Gareth Jones in the one mile.

Everything seems to be clicking for the Maroons as they feel relatively healthy and ready for the oncoming competition. Fourthyear pole-vaulter Michael Bennett, for example, made his return from injury last week. Bennett was the UAA champion and set the school record in the pole vault last season, after winning the national championship in the event in his sophomore cam-

paign. His return is coming at a good time for the South Siders.

“Michael Bennett’s return last weekend is huge for us. We’ve had a lot of injuries this season, myself included, but people are getting healthy and performing well at the right time. If we run what we are capable

of, there is no way we are leaving New York without that team title,” LeFevre said.

The Maroons will head to New York where they will compete in the University Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championships at New York University, starting Saturday at 5 p.m.

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12

THE CHICAGO MAROON - FEBRUARY 26, 2016

SPORTS IN-QUOTES...Kanye West in a recent Twitter Spiel: “And yes I’ve talked to Adidas and we gon hook y’all up with free Yeezys and Adidas. All positive vibes”.

Young Talent Looks to Dominate Denison MEN’S & WOMEN’S TENNIS

BY MICHAEL CHEIKEN SPORTS STAFF

This weekend, the University of Chicago men’s and women’s tennis teams travel to Indianapolis, IN for a dual meet with Denison University. The men head into the matchup after a strong performance at the Division III ITA Indoor National Tennis Championship, finishing in second place among a group of eight elite teams. The women’s tennis team is coming off of a convincing 9–0 rout of Kalamazoo College after starting off the season with three losses to Division I opponents.

At the ITA Nationals, the Maroons started off by defeating No. 8 Trinity University (Texas) 6–3 in the first round, giving them their first-ever team win at the event.

They then went on to knock off No. 14 Case Western Reserve University with a solid 7–2 result, before advancing to the finals against UAA rival No. 5 Emory University. In the championship, the Eagles were able to pull out the victory and the trophy, but the young South Siders had solidified their reputation as a national championship contender. The team will surely look to continue building its confidence this weekend and trudge on in its campaign for the Division III Men’s Tennis National Championship.

“We are an extremely young team and it was the first time for any of us playing at the ITA Indoor Nationals. I thought our team did a great job in composing ourselves for every match and not let any outside noise affect us.

I thought we played some great doubles this weekend and that positive energy that we brought continued into singles,” fourth-year Gordon Zhang said.

“We are going to continue to work hard both on and off the court. Every day we are improving as a team and we are extremely close to being the best team in the country.

We have the players to be the best but I think it will take a few more tough matches to get there. Also, we are a better outdoors team and I believe more success will come to our team,” added Zhang.

Heading into the matches with UChicago, No. 35 Denison University (3–2) has three wins over Division III teams with the two losses coming from DI University of Toledo and DII University of Findlay. Denison suffered a 7–2 defeat from the University of Toledo, despite the doubles team of secondyear Jack O’Koniewski and first-year Blake Burstein winning 6–4, and lost by the same score line to the University of Findlay. Firstyear Colin Bahin improved to 6–2 on the year now stands with a record of 3–1 at No.

National Title Dreams will be Tested at Midwest Regional

5 singles.

The No. 15 Maroon women (2–2) will face No. 25 Denison University (3–1) in a matchup of closer ranked teams. Both teams are still struggling to find midseason form but are building momentum with the South Siders sweeping No. 38 Kalamazoo College 9–0 and the Big Red defeating Oberlin College 8–1.

Three different players on the UChicago team recorded straight set wins, including firstyear Rachel Kim, third-year Tiffany Chen, and fourth-year Stephanie Lee. Fourth-year Lucy Tang has also notably won two consecutive matches against DI opponents at No. 5 singles.

Denison University remains undefeated against nationally ranked opponents after beating No. 39 ranked Oberlin College. In that matchup, the team won five of six singles matches, while fourth-year Meg Chiumento, leading the team in singles victories at 8–2, and first-year Lauren Hawley notched their first victory as a doubles duo.

Following her performances, Hawley was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the week.

The University of Chicago Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams will drive down to Indianapolis, IN this Saturday, February 27, where they will both play at 3:30 p.m. EST.

University of Chicago Athletics Department

Fourth-year Lucy Tang prepares to serve in an outdoor match from last year.

Two Divers Head to NCAA Regionals SWIM & DIVE

WRESTLING

BY ZACHARY PIERCE SPORTS STAFF

After four months on the mats, Chicago is gearing up for the NCA A Midwest Regional to kickoff its postseason.

14 teams, including the Maroons, are vying for a trip to NCAA DIII Championships in Cedar Rapids, IA. The Maroons are coming off a 1–1 performance at the UA A Championships, which were hosted by the South Siders at the Gerald Ratner Athletic Center here in Hyde Park. In a field of three teams, Chicago was able to comfortably beat Case Western 35–11, but slipped up against N Y U in a 22 –16 loss, making NYU the 2015–2016 UAA Champions.

Although, they were unable to capture the UA A Championship, the Maroons still placed four wrestlers on the All-UA A team this year. Second-year Devan Richter was named to the team at the 125-pound weight class, joined by first-year Mason Williams in the 141-pound bracket. Second-year Nick Ferraro took the 165-pound UA A spot and lastly, fourth-year Ryan Walsh was the best in the 197-pound weight class.

W hen asked about the upcoming postseason, Richter, who made it to the NCAA Championships in his rookie season, said, “Going into the regional tournament, I feel as though everyone on the team should be confident. Basically every match has been to get ready for regionals. Any losses we’ve taken throughout the year don’t matter anymore.”

Although there are numerous ranked teams in their region, Richter stayed positive when discussing Chicago’s goals. “Our regional tournament is going to be tough. Some people will have to

pull off some upsets, but it is possible for us to qualify a lot of guys for Nationals.

Even if some of our younger guys don’t make it to Nationals, I hope they realize they’ve still got another three years to improve and reach their goals,” he said.

Ferraro echoed his teammate’s sentiments when he said, “We have arguably the toughest regional in the country, it’s not uncommon at all to see one or two people per weight class that make it from our regional to end up placing at nationals.”

This is reflected in the second-year’s own experience. “Personally, my bracket at 165-pounds has six kids ranked ahead of me, and since only the top three wrestlers make it to nationals, I’m going to have to win a few matches that I’m not supposed to win. I know this is the case with a few other weight classes as well, where the top three spots are going to be very competitive in order to qualify,” he said.

First-year, Louis Demarco scored a quick pin 1:05 into his match against Case Western at the UA A Championships in the 133-pound weight class. He said, “I think the team is feeling optimistic about the postseason. Everyone is feeling pretty healthy and we are taking this week to focus on the little things we need to work on as individuals. There is no reason to think we can’t to push multiple guys through to nationals.”

The regional event will be held at Knowling Fieldhouse at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IA on Saturday, February 27 starting at 9 a.m. The top three wrestlers of each weight class head to the NCAA DIII Championships in March, and the Maroons are planning on pulling off some upsets to get there.

BY ZACHARY THEMER & HELEN PETERSON SPORTS EDITORS

While the regular season may have ended for some of the Maroons last weekend at the UA A Championships, the peak of competition has only just begun for several members of both the men’s and women’s squads. This weekend kicks off the postseason, with representatives from the diving teams heading to Granville, OH to participate in the NCA A Diving Regional.

Chicago sends three representatives: one from the men’s side and two from the women’s. Second-year Dean Boures, who finished third in both the one-meter and three-meter dive at the UA A Championships, will face 23 competitors. Boures was named to the AllUA A team this year, and was integral to the success of the team in several meets this year. He finished first in both dives against Lewis University and Olivet Nazarene University, won again against DePauw and Calvin, and once again swept the dives against Olivet Nazarene and Lake Forest.

The second-year also finished in seventh place at both heights at the UIC Diving Invitational, which is certainly a respectable finish in a competition that brought DI divers to the pool. However, despite these impressive accomplishments, B oures w ill not be competing this weekend due to injury; he retains to honor of being a Regional qualifier regardless.

On the women’s side, f irst-year diver Anna Gilrich will represent the Maroons, as will fellow second-year diver Natalie DeMuro. W hile only a rookie, Gilrich has been a sparkplug for the Maroons all year in a season

in which she has captured the title of UA A Diver of the Year. Gilrich also won the UA A Championship in the one-meter dive, and will certainly look to carry her success into Regional play, where she will look to move on to the next round—the NCAA Championships in Greenboro, NC in three weeks.

Meanwhile, DeMuro has defeated the legenda r y “ S ophomore Slump” and has been a key piece of the Maroons’ success this year. In particular, DeMuro will be taking part in the one-meter and three-meter dives this weekend, where she will look to top career best scores of 417.90, and 290.80 respectively.

W hile the Maroons are certainly honored to send three of their finest to the Regional Tournament, there are some unfortunate consequences for those selected. Specifically, these Maroons will not have the support of the whole team, a group whose chemistry was one of the major keys to success for the South Siders this year. “ It’s going to be a very different atmosphere since we will not have as much team support as usual, but we are also used to having a small team which allows us to focus more on these important meets,” Gilrich said.

Despite this loss of support, the Maroons are sure to remain focused, a sentiment Gilrich shared as she said, “We’ve just been trying to clean up all of our dives a little bit and make everything as consistent as possible.”

With that, Gilrich and DeMuro kick off things this afternoon at 2 p.m. in Granville, OH at Denison University.

If they hit the necessary marks, they will advance to the NCA A Championships in North Carolina in three weeks ‘time.