MARCH 4, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
HOUSING SPOTS
University Faces New Federal Title IX Investigations BY KATHERINE VEGA SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
In February, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) opened two new investigations at the University for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints. A l l the open cases ca n be fou nd a reg u la rly updated list of the postsecondary institutions with open Title IX sexual violence investigations, which is obtainable by request on the OCR website. T it le I X of t he E duc ation Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded educationa l institutions. T he two cases, opened February 3, bring the total number of ongoing investigations at the University up to three. The
first investigation was opened on June 28, 2013. Information about the nature of the specific investigations is not available to the publ ic. “ B ecause these a re open investigations, we cannot provide any further details or case-specific information,” a Depar tment of Education spokesman said. “ The University has taken numerous steps over the last year to enhance its compliance with Title IX and to prevent and address instances of sexual misconduct. The ongoing OCR reviews are in response to complaints that predate the action the university has taken in the past year,” Univer sit y sp okesma n Jer emy Manier said in an e-mail to T HE M A ROON . “Multiple University offices collaborate in cases involving the OCR, including the Office Continued on page 4
Washington Park in the Lead For Obama Library, Advisor Says BY PETE GRIEVE NEWS STAFF
Washington Park has the edge over Jackson Park as the site for the Obama Presidential Library, an adviser to the Obama Foundation, Paul Goldberger, said in an interview with architecture website Common Edge published on February 3. “Just about everybody close to the project is more interested in the Washington Park site than the Jackson Park site,” Goldberger said in the interview. “Washington Park is much more in the nitty-gritty of the city. There’s an elevated transit station, adjacent to it. It’s got all kinds of interesting stuff going on, all kinds of urban potential.” “The Washington Park site
Break Away From the Herd
IN CAMPUS NORTH ANNOUNCED BY PEYTON ALIE NEWS STAFF
The letter goes on to request that faculty members stop holding departmental meetings with graduate students to discuss unionization. “Even when such meetings are cast as informational, the inherent power differential between faculty and graduate students can easily result in a coercive and silencing atmosphere, especially when those with official positions such as department chairs and directors of graduate studies are present.” Peter Malonis, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Biological Sciences Division and organizing committee member for Graduate Students United (GSU), said faculty members have held multiple meetings with graduate students
On Tuesday morning, College Housing and Residential Services announced the new locations of the nine house communities from dorms that will be closing at the end of this school year. The announced locations keep houses from the same dorm near one another in Campus North Residential Commons. Campus North consists of three buildings. One building will be home to four houses, while another w ill contain three houses and the third building will h old only one house. According to the announcement, the four-house building will include the former Tufts House, Henderson House, and Midway House, all of which are currently in New Graduate Residence Hall, as well as Maclean House, the only house in Maclean Hall. The threehouse building will include Wick House, Talbot House, and Palmer House, all of which are currently in Broadview Hall. Blackstone House, the only house in Blackstone Hall, will be in the single-house building. Breckinridge House, currently the sole house in Breckinridge Hall, will move to International House ( I-House) and keep its name. “Breckinridge is excited for this opportunity to preserve our house name and the legacy of Sophonisba Breckinridge. We placed our request to move to I-House based on a house-wide vote in January, in which the majority of the house preferred moving to I-House over Campus Nor th. A few students are still considering the option to move to Campus North (which is guaranteed to all Breckinridge residents). I am glad that the outcome of the house placements is satisfactory to the other houses,” second-year Rachel Taub, a
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Zoe Kaiser
Harris School graduate student Osita Nwanevu opened up the debate speaking against the role fraternities play on campus.
Debate Looks at the Value of Fraternities BY EMILY KRAMER NEWS STAFF
Undergraduate students gathered in the Saieh Hall lecture room on Tuesday evening for the Chicago Debate Society (CDS) and University of Chicago Political Union (UCPU) debate: “Do fraternities on the University of Chicago campus produce more harm than good?” The event was moderated by Eric Greenberg, a second-year stu-
dent and CDS member, and David Abraham, a third-year student and UCPU member. First-year Liya Kahn and fourth-year Michelle Jiang, both CDS members, defended the presence of fraternities on campus. Third-year CDS member Paul Drexler and Harris School graduate student Osita Nwanevu, previously of the CDS, argued against their presence. Kahn was the only debater affiliContinued on page 5
Professors Write in Support of Graduate Student Unionization
is the more exciting possibility, because it is the less conventionally ‘presidential’ site. BY LORENTZ HANSEN Most of the people close to him DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR feel the same way. But not all, so we’ll see,” he added. Last weekend, the American Goldberger also said that Association of University ProfesJackson Park would be a more sors at the University of Chicago conventional site because of its released a statement in support “traditional, formal, civic wa- of the right of graduate students terfront site” and its proximity to unionize. The statement to the Museum of Science and comes as the National Labor ReIndustry. lations Board (NLRB) reviews a “ T he Obama Foundation, petition that could re-open the which is responsible for the de- possibility of graduate student sign, construction, and fund- unionization at private colleges. raising of the library, will meet The letter, posted on the with seven architecture firms chapter’s website, cited the competing to design the library AAUP Resolution on Graduate in mid-March. The President Employee Rights, published in and First Lady will meet with 2004. The Resolution states, the firms shortly thereafter, “graduate assistants, like other before the decision on an archi- campus employees, should have tect is finalized,” he said. the right to organize to bargain collectively.” Continued on page 3
MODA Successfully Struts Student Designs, Despite Coat Check Stumble
South Siders Take to St. Louis in Season Opener
Page 10 It was MODA’s first show in which all 25 designers were students.
Page 16 It marks the beginning of the season with fourteen new faces added to the Maroon roster.
Thank Your Lucky Stars for Beach House
Page 7 Let the victims, not Yik Yak, take the lead on discussing sexual assault on campus.
VOL. 127, ISSUE 33
Page 13 The duo is known for its swirling textures and meloncholic melodies.
Contributing to the Maroon If you want to get involved in THE M AROON in any way, please email apply@chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/apply.
Excerpts from articles and comments published in T he Chicago Maroon may be duplicated and redistributed in other media and non-commercial publications without the prior consent of The Chicago Maroon so long as the redistributed article is not altered from the original without the consent of the Editorial Team. Commercial republication of material in The Chicago Maroon is prohibited without the consent of the Editorial Team or, in the case of reader comments, the author. All rights reserved. © The Chicago Maroon 2016
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
HUMANS VS. ZOMBIES IN PICTURES BY ZOE KAISER PHOTO EDITOR
Humans vs. Zombies moderator and treasurer Elliot Mertz got involved with the game on a friend’s recommendation. At first he didn’t think it was anything special. “I would have continued playing the game because it’s a game,” he said. A Thursday night mission changed everything for him. “There was a charge and the humans went crazy and the zombies went crazy and everyone was fighting and no one knew what was going on,” Mertz said. “It was fantastic.” Afterward, he heard four versions of the same story. They all agreed that someone had run away during the fight, but no one had the same answer as to who that person was. “I’m a history major,” Mertz said. “Specifically, I’m a history major who focuses on the classics and battle narratives. And I was looking at it, like, this is the exact thing I’m super interested in. It’s the way people tell these stories and way they circulate and it becomes almost a mythos.” See THE MAROON website for more coverage of this quarter’s round of Humans vs. Zombies: chicagomaroon.com/tag/humans-vs-zombies/
Top: Competitors pour out their drinks for the fallen. Clockwise from top left: Alumna Holly Kassner faces an impossible situation, wearing a cloak that reads “Victory or Death” in Greek. This year’s competition was Wild West-themed. Humans leave the bookstore, looking for zombies. Moderators work to coordinate the game. Zombies rally outside Cobb. Matthew Riggle, son of Linguistics Department Assistant Professor Jason Riggle, celebrates after surviving the end of the game.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
Proxy Pick, Resignation Announced for College Council as Quarter Ends BY WENDY LEE SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
On March 1, Student Government (SG) announced two new changes in its membership. Class of 2017 representative Leeho Lim will be stepping down from his position, and first-year George Kitsios will be replacing Class of 2019 representative Paulina Torres. Lim stepped down after he exceeded his three-absence limit. According to SG bylaws, College Council (CC) members are mandated to step down following three total absences from CC meetings. Lim declined to comment for this article. Second-year Eric Holmberg, chair of College Council, said that Lim’s vacancy has been offered to Blaine Crawford, who was the fifth-place candidate in the spring elections. “ L eeho chose to step down from College Council after ref lecting and recognizing that he has not been able to commit as much time to Student Government as he would have liked.... Blaine has yet to accept or turn down the seat.” Kitsios took over Torres’s position after she announced her resignation on February 16. The SG bylaws dictate
FBI’s “Pinball Bandit” Commits Third Hyde Park Bank Robbery BY GABE BENNETT-BRANDT MAROON CONTRIBUTOR
A suspect the FBI has named the Pinball Bandit, who allegedly committed five bank robberies between January 13 and February 5, struck again last Wednesday, committing his third robbery in Hyde Park. As reported by the FBI, the Pinball Bandit walked into a Hyde Park branch of Fifth Third bank at 4:50 p.m. and was seen f leeing from the same bank later that day. Having entered and fled from banks on East 53rd Street, North Broadway Street, West Taylor Street, and West Division Street in a similar manner, the suspect pulled off yet another non-takeover robbery as a bank was about to close. The FBI linked the suspect to two robberies of the Chase Bank on East
53rd Street in Hyde Park on January 13 and February 2. The identity of the Bandit remains unknown. At around six feet tall and between 25 and 35 years of age, he appears in dark and concealing clothing — often g ray or black—with tan boots and a hat. More information about the Bandit’s physical appearance and his criminal history can be found on the FBI’s bandit tracker report. T he F BI continues to reach out to the Chicago public for assistance in tracking down the Pinball Bandit. Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts is advised to contact the FBI at (312) 421-6700 or refer to the local police department. The name “Pinball Bandit” refers to the proximity and frequency of his robberies, according to the FBI.
that the vacant spot be offered to the student who was the next highest vote earner during last October’s elections. Torres said she resigned because she wanted to focus on other RSOs. “George has expressed interest in Student Government all year, from running for CC in the fall to being on the Uncommon Fund, so I’m excited for him to bring his enthusiasm and experience to College Council,” Holmberg said. SG also announced that third-year Stephanie Greene, president of the Organization of Black Students (OBS), will be the Class of 2017 proxy for third-year Louisa Richardson-Deppe, who will be studying abroad in Barcelona in spr ing qua r ter. Richa rdson-Deppe hopes to return to College Council in the fall, and will be campaigning for her seat while abroad. C ol lege C ounci l is the pr ima r y governing body for the undergraduate segment of Student Government. It is composed of 16 representatives: four from each class in the College, in addition to a Chair. CC meets every Tuesday throughout the entire school year. It plans projects, approves budget requests, oversees appeals, and plans Surveilance photos released by the FBI. events for the College. Two stills from surveillance photos showing the man the FBI calls the “Pinball Bandit” and suspect in six bank robberies, including three in Hyde Park.
“The Washington Park site is the more exciting possibility” Continued from front page
The President and First Lady are leaning toward a modern design plan for the library, he said, adding that they prefer what he called “tailored modernism.” The list of possible architects includes Adjaye Associates of London, Diller Scofidio + Renfro of New York, John Ronan A rchitects of Chicago, Renzo Piano Building Workshop of Genova, SHoP Architects of New York, Snøhetta of New York, and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects of New York. Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects designed the Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago. The University has commissioned Diller Scofidio + Renfro to design the David M. Rubenstein Forum, a new collaborative facility for conferences, workshops, and lectures to be completed in 2018 at the southeast corner of Woodlawn Avenue and 60th Street. According to Goldberger, the White House and the Obama Foundation will wait to make a decision on the site for the library until they have settled on an architect. “A decision was made recently— something I was part of and very much supported—to slow that whole process down, let the architect selection process get completed, and let whichever architect is chosen be part of the process of finalizing the site choice. So the whole
site issue, for now, is kind of on the back burner,” he said. He added that the foundation is also conducting studies on “environment conditions” as well as other factors that could complicate the debate over the library’s future home. The Washington Park site would include 22 acres of parkland and 11 acres of land owned by the University of Chicago and the City of Chicago, whereas the Jackson Park site would be smaller at 21 acres of parkland, according to a University News Office overview of the library. Investors are moving to buy real estate in Washington Park, hoping that the library would boost the real estate market if built in the neighborhood. Icarus Investment Group has bought about 100 condominiums in Washington Park over the past four years, its chief operating officer said in an article in Chicago Real Estate Daily. A 55,000-square-foot building, located at 5120 South King Drive, across the street from Washington Park, is attracting interest from hotels hoping to move in next to the library, the building’s realtor, Ebonie Caldwell, told the Hyde Park Herald. The property is listed for $13.5 million. “ There are a couple big hotels that are interested,” Caldwell said in the article. “But the calls are not coming from Chicago, they’re coming from out of state.”
RSO Chiefs Attend Conflict Resolution Workshop
Alexandra Davis
Pari Karim of the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago hosted a workshop at the Reynolds Club to help RSO leaders and interested students improve conflict resolution skills in everyday life.
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Breckinridge House Will Keep Its Name as It Moves Into International House
Authors Talk Danger of “Big Money” in Politics BY JAEHOON AHN MAROON CONTRIBUTOR
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representative on the Special College Housing Advisory Committee (SCHAC) for Breckinridge, wrote in an e-mail. “Maclean was not hoping to be placed into I-House. We like our northern location! We’re happy for Breck. They were the best fit for I-House out of all the satellites that are being relocated,” second-year Harper Graf, the SCHAC representative for Maclean, wrote in an e-mail. The placements were finalized after residents of each house submitted forms ranking their preferences between I-House and the different locations within Campus North, as well as a 250-word essay. The forms were then reviewed by College Housing & Resi-
dential Services, who then made recommendations regarding placement to Dean of the College John Boyer. “I think the announcements on housing have made me more excited for the move. I’m so ecstatic for the rest of the houses on their placements. That said, every time I pass by North on the way to Maclean, I always feel a twinge in my chest. Yes, we’re moving to a brand new building with all the amenities and that’s neat. But Maclean will always feel like home…. So in conclusion, yes, while I am excited and ready for the move to North, I am still saddened by the loss of the hall that currently houses my home here at UChicago,” Graf said.
University Claims Complaints Predate Stepped-Up Compliance Continued from front page
of Legal Counsel, Campus and Student Life, and the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of the Provost,” he concluded. Manier also referenced an e-mail sent by Provost Isaacs to students, faculty, and staff in mid-February outlining the actions the University has taken since the 2015 sexual misconduct campus climate survey. In the e-mail, Isaacs wrote that the University had instated sexual misconduct prevention training for g raduate students, revamped training for first-years in the College, launched UMatter, a website with a comprehensive list of resources for survivors of sexual misconduct, and increased educational initiatives about consent. T he ema i l a lso outl i ned f utu re initiatives, including training for all members of the University community, the reallocation of resources in order to increase the amount of personnel re-
Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman, the authors of Nation on the Take, a book about how big money corrupts democracy in the United States, discussed their thesis at the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore on Wednesday. The talk was co-sponsored by the Institute of Politics. “The central case we are making in the book is that everyone knows that money in politics is a problem and has been in different periods in history,” Penniman said. “But the case we are making is that we are really at a tipping point right now. That the cancer is a stage four cancer.” Potter is a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization, and Penniman is the executive director of Issue One, a nonprofit organization whose mission, according to its website, is reducing the inf luence of money in American policy and policymaking. According to Potter and Penniman, the aggregate spending in the 2000
election cycle was $3 billion, while the spending in this election cycle is expected to be $10 billion. The number of lobbyists has exploded, from 250 lobbyists in Washington during John F. Kennedy’s presidency, to 12,000 registered lobbyists today. Potter and Penniman laid out four main methods through which the country could wrest political power back from big money: new ways of financing, ethics and lobbying reforms, stronger transparency, and disclosure measures. When asked how college students could contribute to solving the problem of campaign reform, Penniman mentioned that they could start creating more noise about the issue that the political operatives will pick up on. “Constant, low-level, but really important pressure needs to be provided on the system. I’d love to say that there is a big legislative target that we need to get behind right now, unfortunately, that doesn’t exist,” Penniman said. The talk drew a small crowd of around 20, mostly non-UChicago affiliated, residents from the greater Chicago area.
porting to the University’s Title IX coordinator, additional training for those who receive complaints, and increased t r a n spa r enc y t h r oug h a n a n nu a l statistical report of sexual misconduct. The OCR list, which was created in 2014, is the only regularly updated, comprehensive col lection of wh ich campuses are under investigation. As of February 17, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education reported that there are 205 cases under investigation for issues of sexual violence at 165 postsecondary institutions. A 2014 press release announcing the creation of the list states that just because a University is listed does not necessarily mean that it violated the law, only that it is under investigation for a Title IX violation.
Zoe Kaiser
Wendell Potter and Nick Penman speak at the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore introducing their new book Nation on the Take on Tuesday, March 1.
Ongoing Federal Case Might Re-Open Prospect of Unionization at Private Universities Continued from front page
in recent months to discuss unionization. According to Malonis, these meetings have become more frequent since the nontenure-track faculty members formed a union in December. “While it is premature for the University to take a position on this topic, it is imperative that the campus fosters robust dialogue around these issues, especially among graduate students. The decision of whether or not to be represented by a union will ultimately be up to the students, and the University wants to ensure that they can make an informed decision. This is why administrators have attended meetings to discuss unionization at the request of the students who organized the meetings,” University spokesperson Jeremy Manier wrote in an e-mail. “The University has had positive and productive relationships with nine staff unions on campus that have represented skilled trades, clerical employees, and police among others,” Manier added. The letter concludes with a request
that the University administration remain neutral and refrain from using University resources to fight the unionization effort. The letter asks the administration to make clear that they will not tolerate intimidation of or retaliation against any graduate student who wishes to unionize. As of Wednesday, the letter had 88 signatures from UChicago professors. The letter resembles a previous letter that the University’s A AUP Advocacy Chapter wrote in support of nontenure-track faculty’s right to unionize, which was published in T HE M AROON in November. Harper-Schmidt Fellows and a group of 169 non-tenure track faculty members voted to unionize in December. Last week, the University’s AAUP Advocacy Chapter hosted a panel with representatives from GSU, Teamsters Local 743, Fair Budget UChicago, Trauma Care Coalition, and Faculty Forward to discuss organizing efforts on campus and ways of negotiating with the University. Currently, graduate students at private universities do not have the right
to collectively bargain, so there is currently no recognized union representing graduate students at UChicago. In 2007 a cohort of graduate students formed GSU, and the group has since grown to hundreds of members. The organization describes itself as “a movement of graduate students organizing to improve work and study conditions at the University of Chicago.” GSU counts among its victories raises for lecturers and TAs, a promise for need-based childcare for Ph.D. students, and a freeze in Advanced Residency tuition hikes along its victories, according to its Facebook page. According to Manier, the University has worked and continues to work with graduate students to enhance student life on campus. “Students and faculty have successfully advocated for positive change working directly with the administration, as is the case with the Graduate Student Parent Policy and childcare grants. With a newly revitalized Graduate Council, we look forward to continuing these types of conversations—an open dialogue between
students and administration. While students involved in GSU have been in some of these conversations with the administration, they have been there as students (not as GSU representatives) along with many other students, faculty, and staff whose perspectives have influenced decisions,” Manier wrote in an email. A case, brought before the NLRB by graduate students at Columbia University and United Auto Workers (GWC-UAW), will either reaffi rm or overturn the NLRB’s 2004 Brown University decision, which ruled that graduate students at private universities who perform services in connection with their studies are students, not employees, and therefore do not have collective bargaining rights. If the NLRB overturns the Brown decision, graduate students at private institutions could once again unionize. Interested parties now have until March 14 to submit responses to the submitted amicus briefs. The NLRB has not yet said when it will make a ruling on the case.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
“Most Fraternities Are Garbage,” Argues Debate Participant Continued from front page
ated with Greek life. Abraham presented both teams, first introducing the affirmative side, which debated against fraternities, and then the negative, which argued in support of their presence; the negative team received a round of applause from the audience, which was predominantly composed of Greek-affiliated students. “Most fraternities are garbage,” Nwanevu said, and with that the debate began. Nwanevu, the first of the four debaters to speak, introduced his argument by stating that he believes that UChicago fraternities do more harm than good, and gave four reasons why this is the case. First, according to Nwanevu, fraternities both at UChicago and at other universities concentrate privilege and practice exclusion. Nwanevu’s second point was that “fraternities here and everywhere are criminal organizations that encourage dangerous, illegal behavior and shield their members from responsibilities.” Nwanevu went on to argue that fraternities are far too influential and are morally bankrupt in the use of their influence, and that fraternities, even here, have a history of bigotry and misogyny. To support his claims, Nwanevu drew on instances of racism, sexual assault and general misconduct from various fraternities on campus, such as the leaked AEPi emails. He concluded his argument by asserting that the benefits that fraternities offer the UChicago campus do not outweigh the various issues that they cause. “We are trying to point out the structural reasons behind why fraternities contribute to these problems on our campus,” he concluded. In her argument supporting fraternities, Jiang emphasized the need to separate the negative impact of fraternity mentality on our campus from the negative impact of the general UChicago community mentality when debating whether or not fraternities do more harm than good. “It would be an absolute lie to say that the only place where racism and misogyny exist, the only place where there is fear among minorities, is within fraternities,” Jiang said. She explained that these issues are not endemic to Greek life but to the UChicago community as a whole, and said that eliminating fraternities would by no means eliminate the issues that pervade the UChicago community. Additionally, Jiang presented the possible consequences of using fraternities as
scapegoats, and argued that banning fraternities would simply encourage students to move these accusations to other places, specifically house parties, where they would be harder to address. Jiang proceeded to question whether the blame should be placed on the University and its refusal to accept accountability—as was made visible through the various sexual assault cases at fraternities this year— rather than on the fraternities. “Recall that when someone in DU was accused of sexual assault this past fall, the rest of the DU brothers decided to remove the individual from the fraternity,” Jiang said. “A lot of people in fraternities are talking about stuff like this, are dealing with the issues of racism, misogyny, et cetera.” Jiang concluded by saying that while fraternities may have had problems in the past, they are moving in a positive direction. She reiterated her main point: that these issues, such as racism and misogyny, are not unique to Greek life but are issues that face UChicago as a whole. Drexler’s rebuttal focused on the centralization of power among fraternities on campus and on identifying the reasons why these issues would not simply be expressed in other areas upon the removal of Greek life. “The centralization of power among fraternities on campus means, first, that fraternities have significantly more power than other organizations on campus,” Drexler stated. “If something were to happen at one of these fraternities, there is no way for people to address that issue due to the large presence fraternities have on campus.” Drexler also stated that, because of how powerful these fraternities are, they are able to rely on greater, more powerful organizations such as Congress and philanthropies to support and defend them when problems arise. Drexler proceeded to address the need for Greek life to introduce new members into fraternities, specifically members who are willing to make the necessary changes to move the fraternities in the right direction. He also discussed the issues he finds with fraternities’ charities and philanthropic events. “Frats try and show that the philanthropic things they do massively outweigh the misogyny and xenophobia that occur on campus,” Drexler said. “But really, the condition upon which fraternity members may participate in these philanthropies is typically whether or not they have money to donate, and to donate specifically to organizations that hold large galas and allow for privileged persons to participate.”
Drexler concluded his argument by stating that the presence of such organizations has had negative effects in the past and that, because they do not have the tools necessary to make changes for the future, they are very likely to continue making the same mistakes. When Drexler finished speaking, Kahn began her argument by reestablishing the need to delineate the impacts of Greek life and of the student body as a whole. “Misogyny, racism, sexual assault—all of these things will exist in alternate spaces. Bad people will be bad people anywhere,” Kahn said, thus establishing that the elimination of fraternities will not solve the problem. Kahn proceeded to argue that there are problems with placing the blame on fraternities as a whole, rather than on the individuals responsible. “If there is a sexual assault incident and the response is that he or she shouldn’t have gone to this particular frat, because this particular frat is creepy, then that is in itself victim blaming,” Kahn said. “It undermines the devastating incident and takes away blame from the person actually responsible. This creates a more harmful mindset than solving the endemic problem of assault and misogyny on campus as a whole.” Kahn concluded her argument by stating that we should use fraternities as tools for improvement, rather than banning them and consequently allowing the issues they institutionalize to simply relocate themselves to even less easily regulated spaces. After Kahn had finished speaking, Jiang and Nwanevu returned to the podium to recapitulate their respective team’s arguments. Jiang addressed the need to confront these issues not solely within Greek life but rather among the UChicago campus as a whole. She also stated that fraternities and their constituent members are not inherently bad just because problems such as sexism and racism manifest within Greek life. Nwanevu clarified that the debate question was not asking whether or not fraternities can evolve to a point where they can do more good than harm; it asked whether or not they do more harm than good as they exist today. Nwanevu also clarified that his argument was not to blame fraternities for these problems or to say that they are endemic to Greek life, but rather to say that there are institutional factors that allow fraternities to ignore the issues at hand more than other organizations do. When Nwanevu finished speaking, the Q&A began. Second-year Harry Kioko, a brother of Delta Upsilon (DU), was first to
speak. He questioned the affirmative team’s points about fraternity dues, namely the fact that brothers are paying for the connections and benefits that come from being affiliated, and compared them to the fees of other RSOs. Nathan Decety, a fourth-year DU brother, contributed to Kioko’s argument, questioning whether or not we would find fees from an organization such as the ceramics club problematic. In response, an unidentified student clarified the affirmative team’s point, saying that what is important is the fact that the fraternities are using these dues to insulate themselves against the harm they are doing. “To say that sexual assault only happens at fraternities is an utter mistake,” Jiang said. “It happens in a variety of other settings, and the way we deal with that is to recognize that the University is [terrible] at handling sexual assault and being there for survivors. The solution is not shutting down the fraternities.” Nwanevu responded by stating that fraternities should be more transparent about what they are doing. “I think that, oftentimes, fraternities adopt this attitude of, ‘Oh, people are going to hate us either way, so let’s just keep doing our thing,’ and that kind of mentality is not going to solve any issues.” In an interview with THE M AROON following the debate, Kahn said that the point of these types of debates is to prove to the community that, in order to reach a solution, we must consider all possible solutions and all perspectives. Drexler pointed out that the large crowd generated by the debate is indicative of how pertinent these issues are on our campus. “The debate allowed members of the campus community to voice their concerns and talk about the issue,” Drexler said. “Most of these debates often occur on Overheard, or Facebook, or Yik Yak, and although those are important means of communication as well, there is a certain level of seriousness that is achieved through debates such as this one.” Before starting her concluding statement, Jiang asked that the students in the audience involved in Greek life raise their hands; the majority of the audience’s hands went up. “A lot of people are here today, and they are here because they care,” Jiang said. “That, right there, is what matters. People in Greek life are committed to making a change, to looking at the past and seeing their mistakes. We can use Greek life to springboard forward to a place where fraternities do more good than harm.”
On and Around Campus, March 4–March 11 BY THE NEWS TEAM
Friday 3/4: The Effect of Climate Change on Human Rights 2:30–3:30 p.m, Institute of Politics, 5707 South Woodlawn Avenue Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian-Inuit activist, will speak on how climate change affects the Arctic and violates human rights. According to Watt-Cloutier, the loss of sea-ice threatens the continuation of Inuit hunting culture. Watt-Cloutier has also published a book on the subject, titled The Right to Be Cold. Pre-Screening of Race for the White House, 1992: Clinton vs. Bush 5:30 p.m., Institute of Politics, 5707 South Woodlawn Avenue The Institute of Politics (IOP) presents an advance screening of the sixth episode of Race for the White House, a six-part CNN series capturing interesting campaigns for
the presidency. This episode highlights the 1992 Clinton vs. Bush election. Concert and Lecture on Irish and Scottish Music 6:30 p.m. lecture, 7:30 p.m. concert, 1131 East 57th Street Jordi Savall and Frank McGuire will perform Irish folk songs that were rehabilitated for upscale audiences in the 18th century. Savall, a Spanish conductor and musician, will play the viol, and McGuire will play the bodrhán. Robert Kendrick, professor of music and co-director of Graduate Admissions, will give a lecture before the performance. Almost There with Dan Rybicky 7 p.m., Cobb Theater (third floor,) Film Studies Center, 5811 South Ellis Avenue Filmmaker Dan Rybicky presents his 2014 film, Almost There, co-directed with Aaron Wickenden. The film follows Dave Anton, an aging, gifted artist, as he navigates mental illness, aging in America, and the redemptive power of art late in his life. Dan Rybicky is an artist and teacher whose photographs,
installations, and plays have been seen in venues in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Rybicky is an Associate Professor in Cinema Art and Science at Columbia College Chicago. Staged Reading of Trifles by Susan Glaspell 8 p.m., Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 South Woodlawn Avenue, $5 admission. The Hyde Park Community Players will present a one-act performance of Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, directed by Georgia Geis. The organization hosts a monthly staged-reading series of one-hour performances. This one-act is loosely based on the mysterious murder of John Hossack, which Glaspell covered as a journalist for the Des Moines Daily.
a series of ritzy apartment buildings to the neighborhood has only escalated concerns. This event, with Northwestern professor Jesse Mumm, assumes that gentrification is a foregone conclusion, and considers its consequences. Writing Suspense with Libby Hellmann 10 a.m. at 57th Street Books, 1301 East 57th Street. Free with the purchase of a Libby Hellmann book. Libby Hellmann, a Chicago-based mystery writer and the author of a new thriller entitled Jump Start, is holding a book signing and suspense-writing workshop at 57th Street Books. Although the workshop is centered around the use of suspense in crime writing, the event is open to writers of all genres.
Saturday 3/5: Gentrification. It’s Here. What’s Next? 10 a.m.–12 p.m., Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 South Woodlawn Avenue Gentrification has long been a source of anxiety for Hyde Parkers, and the introduction of
One Earth Film Festival 12 p.m., International House, 1414 East 59th Street; 3 p.m., Experimental Station, 6100 South Blackstone Avenue; 7 p.m.,Logan Center, 915 East 60th Street Continued on page 6
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On and Around Campus, March 4–March 11 Continued from page 5
This fifth annual event, which aims to inform and inspire dialogue and action about environmental issues, will feature 35 movies on a range of environmental topics across the Chicago area. My Stuff will be shown at International House, This Changes Everything at the Experimental Station, and Racing Extinction at the Logan Center. University Symphony Orchestra: Brahms and Stravinsky 8 p.m., Mandel Hall, reception in Hutch Commons afterwards. Free, donations requested: $10 general admission, $5 student admission The University Orchestra will be playing Stravinsky’s “Petrushka” and Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 in F major. “The Brahms is just beautiful. It’s just straight-up beautiful,” first-year orchestra member Simone Browne said. Sunday 3/6: University Brass Ensemble 2–3 p.m., Fulton Hall, 5801 South Ellis Avenue The University of Chicago Brass Ensemble will perform a program of opera favorites, including selections of Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Turandot. The performance is sponsored by the University’s Music Department. King Lear Screening and Discussion 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Logan Center Screening Room, 915 East 60th Street Peter Brook and Grigori Kozintsev made their film adaptations of Shakespeare’s King Lear simultaneously and exchanged letters throughout the process. This screening of the two movies, and the subsequent discussion led by Richard Strier, Professor Emeritus in English, will try to suss out the differences in their interpretations. There will be free pizza between screenings. University Choir and Women’s Ensemble 3–4:30 p.m., Logan Center Performance Hall, 915 East 60th Street Directed by Mollie Stone, assistant director of Choral Activities, the University Choir and Women’s Ensemble will perform classical repertoire from various time periods, folk songs from around the world, and a range of American musical styles. The performance is sponsored by the University’s Music Department. Monday 3/7: A Nation in the Cloud: Apple Takes a Stand for Privacy 12:15–1:15 p.m,, Institute of Politics, 5707 South Woodlawn Avenue In light of the FBI’s request that Apple unlock an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernadino attackers, the IOP’s News and Views Committee, Professor Aziz Huq, and Professor Edward Lee will discuss the legal questions of the case. They will also discuss the future of technology and privacy and the role corporations take in U.S. security. Yoko Tawada: 2016 Najita Distinguished Lecture 4:30–6:30 p.m., International House Assembly Hall, 1414 East 59th Street Yoko Tawada, an acclaimed writer who writes in Japanese and German, will present the 2016 Najita Distinguished Lecture as the keynote of the day-long “Where Literature Begins: The Practice and Poetics of Multilingual Address” symposium. Tawada’s address, like her writing, will explore themes of multilingual address, translation, and the crevasses and gaps between languages. She is known for works including The Bridegroom Was a Dog (2002), Where Europe Begins (2002), and The Naked Eye (2009).
The Seven Pillars of Statistical Wisdom 6 p.m., Seminary Co-Op, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue Stephen M. Stigler, Ernest DeWitt Burton Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Statistics, will discuss his new book, The Seven Pillars of Statistical Wisdom. The talk will explore the seven ideas— aggregation, information measurement, likelihood, intercomparison, regression, experimental design, and residual—that distinguish statistics as a discipline from mathematics and computer science. The Pursuit of Happiness: Transgender Equality in 2016 6–7:15 p.m., Institute of Politics, 5707 South Woodlawn Avenue Mara Keisling, the founding Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, will speak about discrimination and violence toward transgender people, as well as the role of political activism in creating change. Keisling is a prominent advocate for transgender equality in Washington, DC and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. RSVP on Eventbrite.
Hall, 1414 East 59th Street Following last month’s incident with Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and a group of protesters who shut down the event, the Institute of Politics has organized a panel discussion on the future of First Amendment rights amid the drive to create safe spaces on campuses across the nation. Panelists include The Atlantic fellow Adrienne Green, Salon and New Republic contributor and Colby College English professor Aaron Hanlon, president and CEO of Freedom for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) Greg Lukianoff, and Geoffrey Stone, UChicago Law professor and chair of UChicago’s committee on freedom of expression. John D’Agata: The Making of the American Essay 6 p.m., 57th Street Books, 1301 East 57th Street John D’Agata has been building up to his new book, The Making of the American Essay, for nearly 20 years. His previous two books looked at the ancient predecessors and contemporary interpretations of the form. At this event, he will discuss his new book and the essay in general.
Tuesday 3/8: Intercollegiate Finance Journal Launch 5:30–6:30 p.m., McCormick Tribune Lounge, Reynolds Club, 5706 South University Avenue The Intercollegiate Finance Journal will be celebrating the release of their Winter 2016 issue with a Christmas-themed party and free food. The cover story for the Winter Issue is entitled: “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Christmas’s Impact on the Economy.” Shaka Senghor: Writing My Wrongs 6 p.m., Seminary Co-Op, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue Shaka Senghor, a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform, will speak about his book, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison, which discusses the time he served in prison for second-degree murder. Senghor is now a lecturer at the University of Michigan and the Director of Strategy and Innovation at #cut50, a bipartisan effort to reduce the U.S. prison population by half by 2025. How Can the Fed Help Fix the Economy? 6–7:30 p.m., Room 2014 of the Charles M. Harper Center (Booth School of Business), 5807 S. Woodlawn Ave. Narayana Kocherlakota, Ph.D. ’87 (Economics), will discuss how his experience as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minnesota from 2009 to 2015 led him to revise his views on best use of monetary policy in the recovery from the recession. In a conversation with Becker Friedman Institute Director Lars Peter Hansen, Kocherlakota will also explore the Fed’s new and changing role in an uncertain economy. Doors will open at 6 for registration and a reception and the speaking program will begin at 6:30. Hyde Park Village Annual Meeting 7–8:30 p.m., Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 South Woodlawn Avenue The national village movement tries to pool resources to keep people in their homes as they age. Hyde Park’s community of active (and often activist) seniors started providing services to the Chicago Hyde Park Village in 2014. This meeting will report on the organization’s first full year of operation. Wednesday 3/9: Geoffrey Stone: The Battle Over Free Speech on College Campuses 6–7:15 p.m., International House Assembly
Body Project Workshop 6–7:30 p.m., Cobb Hall Room 430 As part of the International Women’s Day Celebration, join the UChicago Body Project group for an inclusive and productive conversation about how to confront and challenge the ideal standards of beauty. Dinner from the Nile will be served. Hollaback Night 10 p.m.–12 a.m., Reynolds Club, 5706 South University Avenue Come dressed for the nineties or the aughts and enjoy a costume contest, snacks and a care package drawing. With this nineties-themed pre-finals event, Uncommon Nights presents the unsettling thesis that the childhood of the typical undergraduate is now a discrete and identifiable part of the past. Thursday 3/10: Diplom atic Encounters: Consul General of Israel to the Midwest 3–4:15 p.m, Institute of Politics, 5707 South Woodlawn Avenue Roey Gilad, the consul general of Israel to the Midwest, will be at the IOP discussing Israel, the Middle East, and American foreign policy in the presidential election season. In his 26-year tenure with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gilad has served as Second Secretary in Kenya, Media Counsellor in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and head of the Political Affairs Department in the United Kingdom. Amina Gautier: The Loss of All Lost Things 6 p.m., Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue Amina Gautier will speak about her short story collection, The Loss of All Lost Things, which won the Elixir Press 2014 Fiction Award. Gautier, who teaches in the MFA program at the University of Miami, has written two other award-winning short story collections. Gautier will be in conversation with Eric May, author of the novel Bedrock Faith and an associate professor of fi ction at Columbia College Chicago. Fire Escape Winter Premiere 7 p.m., Max Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street Fire Escape Films is ready to present its exceptionally large winter quarter batch of nine student-created fi lms. Come to see what they have wrought, and enjoy
light refreshments. CNN GOP Debate Watch Party 7:30 p.m., Harris Student Lounge at the Chicago Harris School, 1155 East 60th Street The Institute of Politics, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Center for Policy Entrepreneurship are hosting the fi nal debate watch party of the quarter. The CNN Republican debate will be broadcasted live and will be accompanied by refreshments. UT/TAPS present: The Seagull 7:30 p.m., Logan Center, Theater West, 915 East 60th Street. $6 at tickets.uchicago.edu, $8 at the door. Additional performances are on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 12 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. University Theater (UT) presents The Seagull, an 1895 play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Considered one of the greatest theatrical works in all of Russia, The Seagull is the story of an extended peasant family living in Russia, and their struggles with themselves and with each other in their everyday lives. Please note: this UT/TAPS production contains a staged suicide. Comfort Food for Finals 9–10 p.m., McCormick-Tribune Lounge, Reynolds Club, 5706 South University Avenue The Lutheran Campus Ministry of UChicago, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is hosting a pre-finals study break with mac ’n’ cheese and assorted cookies. Friday 3/11: A Night with Filmmaker Tom Palazzo 7 p.m., Logan Center Screening Room, 915 East 60th Street John Palazzo makes fi lms that are unsettling and otherworldly while remaining rooted in the experience of Chicago neighborhoods. Attendees will watch Palazzo’s fi lms and then discuss them with the fi lmmaker. Hollywood Comes to the Du 7 p.m.,DuSable Museum, 740 East 56th Place. $25; $20 for students. Not two weeks after the Oscars briefly turned America’s attention to diversity in Hollywood, the DuSable is hosting a panel of black Hollywood figures to get their take on the situation. This event is the fi rst in a series of events titled “Race and the Media.” Gilbert and Sullivan’s Princess Ida 7:30 p.m., Mandel Hall, 5706 South University Avenue. $25; $5 for students. This well-regarded Gilbert and Sullivan adaptation tells the story of a princess who rejects a diplomatic marriage for her career, and a prince’s attempt to bring her around. This adaptation adjusts the story to preserve Ida’s independence and conform to modern gender roles. Hyde Park Community Players: Jar the Floor 8 p.m., University Church, 5655 South University Avenue. $12 at the door; $10 in advance at hydeparkcommunityplayers.org. Plays through Sunday. This play explores family confl ict among four generations of black mothers and daughters as they gather for the ninetieth birthday of the family’s matriarch. Show up to watch the Hyde Park Community Players’ interpretation of playwright Cheryl L. West’s wrenching family drama.
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VIEWPOINTS
Break Away From the Herd Let the Victims, not Yik Yak, Take the Lead in Discussing Sexual Assault on Campus This past week, Yik Yak has been the forum for much-needed dialogue regarding sexual assault on this campus. The conversation largely focused on one event in particular: the sexual assault of a student last summer at Psi Upsilon fraternity. As the discussion became increasingly popular on Yik Yak, the victim identified herself on the community Facebook page Overheard at UChicago and appeared thankful for the support and solidarity of her fellow students. While the M AROON Editorial Board is proud of the UChicago student body for taking a stand against sexual assault, we have to ask: why did this specific case prompt this conversation, especially considering that the victim did not consent to having her story resurface on such a public forum? Sexual assault is a disturbing reality on this campus. Yet we have not demonstrated the same amount of rage and frustration on behalf of victims who have publicly come forward with their stories, such as members of the Phoenix Survivors Alliance. It’s imperative that we realize that the event last summer is not an isolated incident, nor is it solely representative of the ways in which sexual assault occurs on college campuses. The narrative perpetuated on this campus is that sexual assault commonly or solely takes place at fraternities, and accounts that don’t fit the typical narrative risk being left out of the public discussion. By narrowing our discussion of this issue to one event, we are ignoring and possibly even invalidating the variety of experiences of other sexual assault survivors.
Not only that, but we as a student body chose to rally around this one case without regard for the wishes of the victim. The possibility that she may have been OK with the online discussion does not discount the fact that she did not give her initial permission to discuss the details of her case. It is not fair to victims—whether specifically named or vaguely referenced— to discuss their personal and traumatic experiences on an anonymous forum without their consent. This in no way means that we should discourage victims and others from discussing sexual assault on public forums if they so choose. But even if we are sympathetic and want to further an important discussion concerning the reality of sexual assault in Greek life and at this university in general, large-scale anonymous discussions without the victim’s approval disregard their privacy, and their right to move past the trauma. We must carefully consider why we chose to focus on the summer incident at Psi Upsilon and not on those who are willing to tell their stories and are asking to be heard. Yes, we should be discussing sexual assault on campus, but with sensitivity and respect, two things utterly lacking in the initial conversation on Yik Yak. Furthermore, we should let the victims who want to tell their stories take the lead in discussing sexual assault, and we should be considerate enough not to reopen old wounds for victims who might not want to be part of the conversation. —The MAROON Editorial Board
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In the Middle of Controversy Over Racism, the Oscars Promote Tone-Deaf Asian Stereotypes
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Sophia Chen Sophi
PhiloSophia P During my last year of high school, the cum laude induction ceremony for seniors fell on a particularly chilly October day. As a currently washed-up college student barely surviving classes, I don’t mean to dredge up silly past accomplishments that don’t matter. But this past Sunday, when Oscars host Chris Rock dragged three Asian-American kids onto the stage to be mocked on national television, I was un-
willingly taken back to that particular moment in my own experience as an Asian American. I remember bursting out of physics class that morning and heading to the school buses that would take us to the auditorium for the assembly to induct the seniors with the highest grades. The autumn wind swirled menacingly around my dress as I struggled toward the bus stop. It also carried to me the voices of two
boys walking a few steps ahead. “Time to go watch the Asians get all the awards,” one guy snorted. “Fuck them.” Somehow the air grew even chillier. His bitterness toward my race stung more than the wind did. I felt a surge of shame. Everything that I had worked hard for during the past four years suddenly seemed undeserved and invalidated. I spent the bus ride over to the auditorium in silence, hoping they wouldn’t notice me just a few seats from them. During the actual ceremony, I looked in the crowd for the boy who had said those things, watching him Continued on page 8
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On a Racially Charged Night, Jokes About Asians Somehow Seemed Harmless Continued from page 7
sneer at me and the several other Asians and Asian Americans that stood on stage with our fl imsy certificates. I felt small and despised, yet I couldn’t look away. That boy couldn’t have known that morning who would be inducted, yet he had assumed that many of them would be his Asian and Asian-American classmates. He hated us because the success of some of us seemed to have something to do with our intrinsic Asian-ness rather than any real merit—as if being born Asian naturally made us good at school and thus undeserving of this recognition. This past Sunday during the Academy Awards, when Chris Rock called to the stage three Asian-American children who were supposedly the Academy’s accountants from the prestigious firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, he was attacking my race in a similar manner as that kid from my high school who should have known
better. Rock, a grown man, really should have known better. There were numerous problematic ways that the Oscars marginalized Asians that night, including Rock giving two of these kids meaningless ethnic names which perpetuated a sense of foreignness, to Sacha Baron Cohen’s comparison of Asians to “little yellow” Minions with poor physical endowments. These kids’ ages were another troubling factor. Whether intentional or not, their youthfulness was a statement about the supposed intrinsic abilities of Asians. Apparently, even at a young age, we can be accountants at a Big Four auditor fi rm without trying. Maybe the morons who approved all of these Asian jokes for the Oscars thought this would be a cute reprieve from their more obvious attacks on my race, but in reality, they just invalidated any Asian’s success in an extremely competitive job like working at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Oh, you man-
aged to slog through years of schooling and pass the Certified Public Accountant exam? Well, it’s naturally easy for you since you’re Asian. Such sentiments are not uncommon, and, thanks to the Oscars, will continue to be perpetuated far beyond high school racism on a windy October day. After chuckling at the grim faces of these three kids, Chris Rock told America to lighten up if we couldn’t take some harmless humor: “If anybody’s upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids.” By mocking those who would be offended, he asserts that we aren’t supposed to be, even though a tasteless joke on black stereotypes would have been unacceptable during this hosting gig in which he hypocritically defended diversity and inclusion. Not only are we as Asian Americans supposed to be content with only academic awards rather than Academy Awards,
but we now also have to laugh along with stereotypes that dismiss the weight of our achievements. Otherwise we’re viewed as humorless, antisocial immigrants who can’t take a joke—the way this country wants to see us anyway. I refused to watch the Academy Awards live this year because I wanted to protest—in solidarity with a fellow minority—its snubbing of black actors. Except, I forgot that nobody really cares about my opinions as an Asian. Scratch that. Nobody really cares about my opinions unless I’m giving them a tax break as their prepubescent accountant. Maybe one day someone will award me a tiny yellow Oscar statuette for great auditing work as a tiny yellow—apparently Minion-like— Asian. But I doubt it. They won’t believe that I’ve earned it. Sophia Chen is a second-year in the College double majoring in political science and economics.
Meera Joshi
Life Atop the Pedestal Hero Worship Leads to Broken-Hearted Fans, But We Never Seem to Learn our Lesson
Natalie Denby
Ink by the Barrel Growing up, my family didn’t really follow sports. We didn’t watch football. Until about a year ago, I couldn’t have even told you what sport the Chicago Bulls play. Our only exception was cycling. My dad is hopelessly obsessed, so we all followed it avidly. Lance Armstrong was our family hero until 2012. In retrospect, it’s painful to think of how long we insisted that he was clean. The rest of the country had abandoned its former champion, but we remained among his fiercest supporters. Alleging that he’d doped was blasphemy; whenever someone accused him of cheating, we invariably turned back to our favorite refrain: Where’s the proof? And we con-
tinued to demand proof up until the day he confessed. It was inconceivable; we were more outraged and horrified than if we’d been betrayed by a close friend. From that day on, we never talked about Armstrong again. Of course, what he did was scandalous. And in that sense, we were right to be angry. But our anger was disproportionate. We reacted to Armstrong’s admission as though we’d been told the world was ending. Our admiration for him was rooted purely in his ability to bike fast; he was just a great cyclist that we enjoyed watching. It was easy to say that a good athlete ought to be appreciated for their athletic ability,
and that judging personal merit is an entirely separate consideration. But as we watched Armstrong’s downfall, it became apparent to me that we’d conflated athletic ability with character. It hadn’t been enough for us to declare that Armstrong was the greatest cyclist of all time; we considered him heroic for winning the Tour de France seven times in a row. It was as if only a truly principled and honest person could don that yellow jersey. Our baseless hero worship became painfully apparent the second Armstrong admitted to being a cheat. As far as athlete-worship goes, being part of the Armstrong cult was unique in that we stuck with Armstrong for way longer than most. But that’s the only unique thing about it. People are constantly finding heroes in odd places— especially in athletes and entertainers. We have a strange impulse to put celebrities on a pedestal, to regard them as being more virtuous than the rest of us
mere mortals, to give them the benefit of the doubt in even the most damning of situations. We believe that our favorite celebrities are not only good people, but are also authorities on just about everything: this is why we took financial advice from 50 Cent (who declared bankruptcy), followed the presidential endorsements of football players, and flocked to restaurants owned by musicians. It’s not that a great singer can’t also be a great cook, or that a professional football player can’t be well versed in politics; the problem is that we seem to believe that wealth and fame are likely to be accompanied by expertise in just about everything. And that’s patently false. To be fair, our celebrity hero worship isn’t an entirely senseless impulse. There’s a lot to admire in a good athlete or entertainer—you only have to look at public figures like Jesse Owens or Continued on page 9
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“We should know better than to regard athletes and entertainers as gods...” Continued from page 8
Jackie Robinson to understand how an athlete can leave the world substantially better. The social activism of other non -athlete celebrities, like Beyoncé, can be extraordinarily powerful. But not all of our heroes are like Jesse Owens. A fair number are actually much closer in character to Lance Armstrong: even if they aren’t cheats, liars, or criminals, they certainly aren’t deserving of the godlike praise we heap onto them. After being betrayed by scores of athletes and entertainers we adored too much (think Bill Cosby, Manny Pacquiao, O.J. Simpson, and Joe Paterno), you’d think we’d learn to regard celebrities as ordinary people who are not exempt from the character flaws—both trivial and enormous—that plague their fellow man. Professional abilities tell you nothing about their characters. Yet we continue to forgive and defend public figures. People still adore Bill Cosby, who was immensely popular for years after Andrea Constand and 13 other women came forward with allegations of sexual assault in 2004. Even the anger we direct at disgraced celebrities is revealing—once we can no longer deny that they’ve done something wrong, our fury reveals how unreasonably high our expectations were. This is why we often regard people like Armstrong as irredeemable, not simply as athletes but as human beings. I, for one, am not convinced by the argument that Armstrong’s doping makes him a completely vile person, especially when his charity, Livestrong, has done a great deal of good for the world. Perhaps that sort of condemnation of character
Anne Wang
is just as unfair as worshipping Armstrong in the first place: Armstrong’s crime, after all, didn’t cause grievous injury. Our reactions to celebrities whose offenses are far more heinous, like Oscar Pistorius and Bill Cosby, are likewise revealing. Our outrage isn’t simply on behalf of the immediate victims. We behave as if we, too, are victims. And we
are, in the sense that we’ve been duped. In that arena, though, we are as much the offenders as the people who’ve disappointed us. We should know better than to regard athletes and entertainers as gods, and even after it seems we should’ve learned our lesson, we choose somebody else to cling stubbornly to with unwarranted adoration. After we dropped Armstrong, it took my family
all of a week to fixate on a new cyclist: Jens Voigt. Maybe our experience with Armstrong should’ve been a cautionary tale, but we couldn’t care less. As far as we’re concerned, Jens Voigt is the greatest human being on the face of the planet. Natalie Denby is a first-year in the College majoring in public policy.
MODEL CALL
We need both male and female models to showcase our latest hair coloring and barbering techniques to thousands of hairdressers at next weekends America's Beauty Show at McCormick Place. Models will receive a $100.00 package of REF Hair Care products and of course an incredible hair color or hair cut. We have two great artists at both our Color booth and our Men's Barbering booth. We need models for March 11th, 12th and 13th. If you are “New Hair Color used for two days you will be paid $100.00. Please email a very recent selfie showing hair Trend ECAILLE and of course face to styleandfinish@yahoo.com for 2016” Please visit www.refhair.com also known as “tortoiseshell technique” to view our products.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
ARTS
MODA Successfully Struts Student Designs, Despite Coat Check Stumble BY KENNETH TALBOTT LA VEGA & ALDEN HERRERA MAROON CONTRIBUTORS
A full twenty minutes before Morgan MFG’s doors opened on Friday night, the building’s atmosphere was completely charged. After weaving through the spacious brick wall venue, we found the MODA Winter 2016 fashion show stage, lined on three sides with hundreds of chairs—the ones in the front reserved with charming black gift bags. Backstage, models and designers alike scattered the scene, installing last-minute changes to hair and hems, some taking photos in front of the few step and repeats. During this time, we were able to interview several key players in the night’s event, including those who work behind the scenes for MODA. Second-year Shayla Harris, who worked as the assistant backstage coordinator last year, served as this year’s head backstage coordinator, responsible for overseeing designs and coordinating model calls and practices. “Things go wrong all of the time,” Harris said. “Even today, for example, some hairstyles were too long for the outfits, so a few lastminute changes were made.” Harris also noted that
designers often forget to keep her updated, making the process even more hectic. However, Harris ultimately acknowledged that work backstage is still a lot of fun, and her experience was definitely worthwhile. The work of MODA design director second-year Christopher Kloves was the first to hit the runway. Kloves, who has worked as a fashion intern since his freshman year of high school, freelances during the school year. “I really like menswear for women,” Kloves said. “I feel like my inner hippie surfer vibe really comes out in my designs.” For Kloves, this was a particularly exciting show for him: it was MODA’s first show in which all 25 designers were students, and it set the record for the highest gross ticket sales. An ambitious director and designer, Kloves elaborated on his future aspirations. “I’m hoping to develop my own brand. I’ve worked Carolina Herrera and several other brands, and I’d love to be able to build my own… eventually.” Another designer, firstyear Emily Ehret, explained that, like most of the collections that night, hers was based on a specific cohesive theme. In her case, it was space: she used primarily
black and white jersey knit and hologram lamé to create three futuristic looks. Other designers’ themes included wild animals and “cats, but elegant.” Ehret and other designers participated in the Designer Boot Camp (DBC) that began this past fall. Exactly what it sounds like, this consolidated process gave designers the necessary skills to begin planning their collections. Ehret did not come in with the same level of experience as Kloves. “In the summer, I just knew how to sew,” Ehret humbly admitted. She said that for many, a lot of the final construction took place in January and February. Despite this condensed schedule and amid the clamorous backstage atmosphere, Ehret dispelled any notions of anxiety. When asked if she was worried about anything, she said that she was very comfortable with what she had made and was confident in her models. One of them, third-year Roux Nemaei, gave us an exclusive look at Ehret’s arguably coolest piece: a black and white reversible coat with accents of shimmering silvery hologram lamé. “I’m definitely going to buy this coat,” Nemaei said. Nemaei, along with Margaret Lazarovits, Tobi Gbile,
Chris D’Angelo
Fourth-year Kelly Keough shows off a student design at MODA’s 2016 fashion show.
and Laila Abdelmonem— rookie models for MODA who were among the last to walk the runway that night— spoke about the logistics of their day. “We’ve been here since four. We got to the hotel at two to get hair and makeup,” one of them excitedly told us. The models explained their particularly eccentric outfits to us. “Our designer is very different in how she doesn’t like to sew,” another added. “So we’re a little glued into our outfits. No fabric.” Nabila Lotayef, the designer responsible and the director of DBC, said she wanted to try her hand at pieces that were “unconven-
tional, but not something borderlining on crafty.” Indeed, her designs looked anything but DIY—they struck the stage at the end of the night with ultramodern geometric bodices and arresting streaks of red. At last, we took our seats. The show opened up with an electrifying performance from Maya, a fusion dance group on campus. Kloves’s works emerged first on the runway, asserting their designer’s signature look with tapestry-esque menswear-inspired pieces. The night unfolded with consistently high energy; a memorable roar of applause came from the audience when a model,
sporting a cat-eared raincoat constructed of a transparent plastic fabric, threw her hood up onto her head with the confidence and manner of a seasoned runway model. By the final lap, when designers joined their models in one last strut down the ramp, the enthusiasm of the crowd reached an all-time high. Front-row spectators proudly jumped out of their seats to high-five their model and designer friends. Even an unfortunate experience with a mismanaged coat check could not spoil our appreciation of the spectacular achievements in student fashion design put on display at MODA.
Vulnerability Takes Center Stage in CHRONICles BY AYLING DOMINGUEZ MAROON CONTRIBUTOR
This past Thursday, fourth-year Anthropology major and Theater and Performance Studies minor Ariella Kasmer-Jacobs debuted her TAPS B.A. project, CHRONICles: An Illness Narrative. This 35-minute performance aimed to capture and portray the essence of autoimmune diseases. Intrigued, I trekked up to the fifth floor of Logan. As the lights dimmed, anticipation built, and I sat up straighter. A spotlight broke through the darkness and out came first-year Christina Cano, doe-eyed and disoriented. The audience was only granted a second to take in her tattered tights and perplexed manner before something struck a chord within her. She began to twist and turn, violently lurch and writhe, all while a sweet yet heart-rending melody played in the background. Other dancers soon joined Cano. Some twitched, some trembled, others snapped, and others still,
heaved. The audience themselves began to shift in their seats, trying to fit every dancer in their field of vision. Just as we thought we could see everyone, there was another blur of movement in the corner and we had to readjust again. Just as I began to settle and acclimate to the whirlwind of a performance, I was yanked from my false sense of comfort as the lights went out and innocent laughter filled my ears. I was pulled back from my P-set-riddled college days, and thrust into middle school playground memories: Hopscotch, hand games, and a simple question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” to which the answer was, “A ballerina!” It was a welcome setting after the fraught opening scene. However, with a title that prominently highlights the word “CHRONIC,” I knew this wouldn’t last for long. And it didn’t. In the following scene, ballet practice resulted in aggravated and defeated dancers. Small muscle
spasms and painful leg clutching gave hints of what was to come. Soon, it was off with the lights again. But this time, a hurried change of scenery brought us into the doctor’s office. Something was wrong. This was the major turning point: Kasmer-Jacobs began to work in her epistemological questions about health, revealing the emotional toll of illness. In a musical-inspired piece, fourth-year Emily Benjamin belted out the frustrating ambiguity of the diagnostic process. Meanwhile, Cano found herself pushing away her closest friends, listening to someone—or something— she probably shouldn’t have. Alanna De Pinto, a second-year, embodied taxing illnesses, and became the antagonistic voice in our head that pokes and prods and incites. Diagnosis prompted a violent and desperate response from Cano, who fought valiantly against her illness, only to find herself out of breath and sprawled out on the ground after many
attempts at self-defense jabs. illness was comically por- movements were more gradUp next, a scene straight trayed as the hero’s journey. ual and weighed down. Cano out of a horror movie. This Cano found herself battling still clutched at her insides, piece was heavily influenced Prednisone and succeeding and tried with all her might by some of the readings Kas- (the first time around, at to keep dancing. When the mer-Jacobs came upon dur- least). Upon several rewinds audience was brought back ing her research for the proj- and repetitions of the scene to a different beginning, the ect. Personal accounts from with small, sentient cutbacks performance concluded. A those diagnosed with auto- each time, Cano’s ability to distinct applause filled the immune disease recounted fight back was greatly re- room—one stirred by the often feeling inhuman, like a duced, causing the audience evocative and vivid nature werewolf even. Sinister mu- to laugh less and understand of the devised piece. W hen asked about sic played in the background, the severity more. and bass notes built up the Throughout the remain- what inspired such a raw suspense as the performers der of the performance, Cano and expressive piece, Kastread heavily through the tried hard to continue danc- mer- Jacobs opened up forest. As friends often do in ing as she had before the about how she was diaghorror movies, Delane Bour- diagnosis, but the constant nosed with Lupus after her get, Sarah Saltiel, and Cano barrage of so-called words senior year of high school, agreed to stick together, of encouragement—“You’re and how it exposed her to fearful of what lay lurking lucky, people go easy on you!,” the world of medicine. And in the shadows. “Everyone is going through yet, she did not want the Until, of course, Cano something. Everyone has piece to focus on her perherself became one of the problems,” “Mind over mat- sonal story; she wanted to beasties. De Pinto and Cano ter,” “Walk it off,” “It’s all wrestle with the notion of spun and alternated their in your head,” —along with illness as a metaphor and faces to the audience, cre- constant manhandling from explore the broader issues ating an entrancing visual- the illness made life exasper- involved. “The question I wanted ization of the transformative ating. With nowhere else to power of illness. turn, Cano found herself to focus on in the piece,” The following segment hand-in-hand with De Pinto Kasmer-Jacobs said, “was, ‘How does illness impact an lay in stark contrast, per- by the end. haps to balance the weight One last dimming of the individual’s relationship to of the former. In The Ad- lights marked the beginning herself?’ I don’t think we ventures of Prima Ballerina: of the end. The motion-filled answered it, but I think we The Return of Prednisone, opening was re-enacted, but started a conversation.”
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
9 Book Recommendations for the Ninth-Week Free Time You Don’t Have BY MAY HUANG ARTS STAFF
“What is one book all students should read in their lifetime?” T H E M A R O O N int erviewed nine professors across a range of departments to see how they would take on this difficult question. Here are their responses: A ut obi og r aphy of Red by Anne Carson Anne Carson’s inimitable Autobiography of Red has shaped and reshaped my imagination over the last decade. It continues to change and widen the ways my students and I read and write. I will always teach it, because it’s so many things at once: a novel; a poem; a series of brilliant, strange essays on mythology and parts of speech; and, in a deep sense, an autobiography not only of its author but also of artists and art. Anne Carson asks questions about truth, about work, and about how we record and make meaning of our lives. Her ways of asking are uniquely lyrical and daring enough that they offer up liberating answers for readers and writers. —Rachel DeWoskin, Committee on Creative Writing Ta o Te Ching by Laozi
We live in a curious time when it has been suddenly realized that our world is (very) fi nite and the pyramid scheme of modern civilization is hitting its limits. The power of science greatly accelerated the rush to disaster. One might suspect that knowledge devoid of wisdom is not that adequate for understanding reality. Laozi’s book offers a refreshing perspective deliciously complementary to the scientific one. It is a medicine to recover the ability to see the world with one’s own eyes. —Alexander A. Beilinson, Department of Mathematics The Man Without Qualities by Rober t Musil Robert Musil’s A Man Without Qualities took over 20 years to write. Set in Vienna in 1913, the industrial revolution was catching on and commodification was everywhere. There are over 20 characters in the novel, but one of the protagonists, Ulrich, has a kind of analytical passivity. He falls into a hole around which many academics hover— where knowing something consists only in analyzing it. Do we think that experience should be reduced to abstract knowledge alone? Doesn’t the life of the mind need to be embodied? This work is as
relevant today as it was when it fi rst appeared. —Diane Brentari, Department of Linguistics Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Tolst oy ’s Anna Karenina, published in book form in 1878, is as mysteriously lifelike as life itself. Narrated in hyperrealistic detail, it keeps expanding horizons, keeping foreground and deep background in view. Superf icially, it seems a romance, the story of Anna and Vronsky’s adulterous love in the unforgiving social setting of aristocratic 19th century Russia. But in the story of Levin and Kitty, it unfolds into a story about agriculture, economy, the fertility of human beings and the land, the relation of labor to wealth, and the search for a spiritually honest life. The characters’ inner lives change as we turn the pages. — R osann a Warren, The Committee on Social Thought Journey into Fear by Eric Ambler How often I re-read a book measures its importance to me. Eric Ambler, a writer of spy thrillers and one of his books, Journey into Fear, meets this test. The locale is Fascist Italy around 1936. Because the leading Republican candidate Donald
Trump is an ignorant but very dangerous version of Benito Mussolini, Ambler’s book is a painless and accurate way to learn about the dangers of this candidate to a republic. I hope University of Chicago students have heard of Il Duce. Benjamin Franklin said at the end of the constitutional convention, “It is a Republic, Madam, if you can keep it.” —Lester Telser, Department of Economics Here Comes Everybo dy: T h e Power of O r gani z in g W ith out Organizations by Clay Shirky Though we are often awed by the power of large formal organizations such as companies or governments, the 21st century reality is that individuals or informal organizations can be much more powerful forces for change when information and social networking technolog y are used to understand, inspire, and organize. As Shirky writes, “ Revolution doesn’t happen when society adopts new technology, it happens when society adopts new behaviors.” I hope that this book will inspire and empower students to see how they can be even more effective drivers for societal change—all for the good, of course! —Andrew A. Chien, Department of Computer
Science Hamlet by William Shakespeare I ’d encourage every student to read Hamlet several times in their lifetime. W hat Shakespeare embodies in the character of Hamlet, so intensely and tragically, is that most human of all dilemmas: how can one act on anything—morally, emotionally, philosophically—when nothing is certain? Ambiguity pervades the play, whether it’s Hamlet’s sanity, or his love for Ophelia, or his constant confrontations with death. In his fear and indecision, manifested in nearly every aspect of the play, we see how our mortality shapes our humanity. It’s frightening to witness, and yet also exhilarating to have someone articulate and d ra mati ze —w ith such beauty—the complex psychology behind our deepest fears. —Vu Tran, Committee on Creative Writing History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides I came to this text late. A fter the start of the second Iraq War (the one we’re in now), an author I admire said it was time to re-read Thucydides... Hmm, ‘re-read?’ I thought. So I got to work. It is heart-breaking, fi rst
and foremost, but also amazing for the logistics, ruthlessness, and relentlessness, both military and political—especially in the context of the stunning sculpture surviving from then, which have reached across millennia. Thucydides reminds us that Homo sapiens, whether in the Bronze Age or now, are never to be underestimated. —Susan Kidwell, Department of Geophysical Sciences Mythologies by Roland Barthes Barthes is both one of the greatest critics and one of the most beautiful writers of the 20th century. In this book, he focuses his critical eye on aspects and events of daily life that often go unexamined, even though they may express and sustain powerful ideological messages and values. Among the many topics add ressed a re box ing, Italian “peplum” films, the face of Garbo, the Tour de France, striptease, stock photos, Einstein’s brain, and best of all, Martians. Barthes’s writing remains one of the most wonderful examples of how a brilliant critical mind can still appeal to a broad readership. —D. N. Rodowick, Department of Cinema and Media Studies, and Visual Arts
Medea in the Moors: UT Presents By the Bog of Cats BY CAITLIN HUBBARD ARTS STAFF
T his past weekend, University Theater (UT) performed By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, one of Ireland’s most distinguished modern-day playwrights. From the set to the acting, the entire production was wonderfully executed, and the play was an outstanding tribute to UT’s professionalism. Representing the moors of Ireland, the set was vital to establishing the eerie, mystical feeling of the play. Second-year scenic designer Sydney Purdue did an expert job recreating the bog on stage: the setup featured a massive gnarled tree, ghostly glowing lights, and billows of fog that would roll across the stage and nestle in with the audience. The director, fourthyear Julia Santha, and the designers captured the right atmosphere by surrounding the set with dim lighting and quiet background noises. Entering the theater was like enter-
ing another world, which sparked my curiosity before the play even began. I would only change the Irish music played before the actors came on stage in the second act. While it both placed the audience in the appropriate wider setting and prepared them for the Irish accents, it was a little too upbeat. The plot is a re-imagining of Euripides’s Medea, which tells of a woman who, after giving up everything to make the man she loves great, seeks revenge when he pursues a younger woman. Carr complicates this theme by giving her heroine, Hester Swane, psychological issues stemming from her childhood abandonment. It is this fear of abandonment that pushes Hester to fight for the man who no longer loves her, and it is this fear of abandonment that pushes her to take her daughter with her into the afterlife. The town at the edge of the Bog of Cats is small, and all of the characters
have secrets. The 11 actors had great chemistry, which showed as they interacted as a disjointed bramble of people who have only each other. Second-year Grace Bolander, playing Hester Swane, was a strong backbone, capturing the her oi ne’s compl icat ed emotional turmoil while remaining real and relatable. Furthermore, her Irish accent stayed completely on point. Credit should go to third-year costume designer Itzel Blancas, as her designs allowed the actors to fall completely into character and come alive onstage. She showed great understanding of how the social positions and personalities of the characters would translate to their clothing. Furthermore, the costuming and makeup of the character of the Catwoman was a masterpiece by itself. There was not a weak actor in the performance— Santha and third-year stage manager Natalie Wagner cultivated the tal-
ent needed to build relationships onstage. Fourthyears Joey Whitaker and Elisabeth del Toro as Carthage Kilbride and his mother created a convincing mother-son relationship. Fourth-year Maxine Frendel in her role of the Catwoman was the perfect balance of eccentricity and wisdom, and thirdyear Patrick McCarthy
as Xavier Cassidy was so proud and twisted that it was difficult to imagine the role going to anyone else. By the Bog of Cats admirably captured the psychological intrigues of a place where everyone is dealing with guilt and sin and no one is coming back to save them. In killing her daughter, Hester
Swane takes the life of an innocent—the only innocent in the play—so that she would not feel the pain of having someone taken from her. She wanted to be her daughter’s savior from the world that had destroyed her. Now Hester and Josie forever wander the afterlife, the whimsies of Ghost Fanciers, and we wonder: does she regret it?
Matthew Gregory Hollis
Anti-heroine Hester Swane (Grace Boulanger) channels the murderous Medea in Irish playwright Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats (1998).
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
Lesbians, Guns, and a Dead Dog in a Handbag: Cocked at Victory Gardens BY HANNAH EDGAR & GRACE HAUCK ARTS EDITORS
“ O ne mu st never place a loaded rif le on the stage if it isn’t going to go off,” Anton Chekhov famously wrote. “It’s wrong to make promises you don’t mean to keep.” I n C o c k e d , a new play at Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, playwright Sarah Gubbins does more than keep her promise: the gun itself becomes the catalyst of the drama. An interracial couple living in trendy Andersonv ille, Taylor ( Kelli Simpkins) and Izzie (Patrese D. McClain) epitomize twenty-first-cen-
tury yuppie life. Through t hei r work , t hey a r e both invested in social justice—Taylor as a righteous lawyer and Izzie as a journalist covering violence on Chicago’s South Side. Izzie has a g ym membersh ip; Taylor a seemingly endless collection of well pressed suits and jackets. Even their apartment is pristine, as if straight out of a Pottery Barn catalogue. A ll goes awry when Taylor’s brother Frank (the scene-stealing Mike T e p e l i ) — t r u c k e r - h at cl ad , w ith a one -way ticket from Iowa City— barrels into their home, a ha ndg u n st owed i n his duffel bag. Over the course of the play, Frank
shatt ers both thei r apartment and their relationship like a rowdy child let loose in a glassworks shop. Ultimately, however, F rank’s intrusion into thei r l ives do esn’t as much breed conf lict as si mply u nbu r y it. We learn that far more pervasive problems brew, repressed, under the women’s veneer of a perfect, North-Side life: Izzie’s persistent fear of their seem i ngly so ciopath ic neighbor, for example, and Taylor’s shameless infidelity. As warranted by its subject matter, Cocked is darkly hilarious. One moment, you laugh at F rank’s ill-fated home
improvement proje cts; the next, a chill r uns down your spine as you grapple with the ethics of owning a firearm in a city practically synonymous with gun violence. A lthough Gubbi ns masterfully manipulates her aud ience, C o ck ed has its weaknesses. The writing isn’t consistently tight; during the f irst scene, characters seem to lazily play catch with a reserve of stock phrases. It also too often relies on tired tropes: the dumbass brother who never grows up, the exasperated older sibling, the compassionate yet impressionable third party who moderates the two. At times, it feels as i f Gubbi ns
bestows her characters w ith just enough substance to ferry along the plot and promote her social critique. A nd i f a ny th i ng, C ock ed is ja m-packed w it h s o c i a l c r it iq ue : everything from homophobia t o the med ia’s impersonal coverage of g un v iolence to police brutality finds a place in Gubbins’s play. As their relationship with their ex -marine neighbor grows i n c r e a s i n g ly f r au g ht , Taylor and Izzie consider calling the police. But, as Izzie must point out, it’s her word against a white male’s — even on the North Side, institutiona lized racism w i ll prevail. They don’t call.
Michael Courier
Dysfunctional siblings Taylor (Kelli Simpkins) and Frank (Mike Tepeli) squabble as Izzie (Patrese D. McClain) pleads for harmony.
G u b b i n s ’s w r i t i n g sh ines most, however, when she showcases her characters sans agenda: in Cocked’s most memorable scene, Taylor delivers a gripping monologue about her a f fa i r w ith a coworker, and Frank tells the story of the unrequited love that drove him to Chicago in the first place. Gubbins’s three-person drama demonstrates how easily fear and prejudice can lead to violent es ca lation , i nexorably building to a Hitchcockian, Rear Window-esque cl ima x. C ock ed forces even “prog ressive,” v iolence -shun n i ng v iewe r s — t h e T ay l o r a n d Izzie in all of us—to ask themselves: what would it take for you to own a gun? Taylor pa r r ot s the sentiments of many an audience member at the play’s climax, when she discovers Izzie with a handgun. “ We don’t believe in guns,” she insists, shaking her head in dumbfounded denial. Izzie sighs. “Guns exist,” she says. “And those people with the g uns? They’ve won.” B+ Cocked, the first installment of Gubbins’s new trilogy, runs until March 13 at Victory Gardens T heater, at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue. M a rc h 3 rd’s sh ow in g (“College Night: Trigger F inger” ) featured f ree pizza and free post-show performances by college students from the Chicago area, including the University of Chicago.
MasterChef Judge Serves Masterclass in Fine Dining at Graham Elliot Bistro BY ALEXIA BACIGALUPI ARTS STAFF
There is no shortage of restaurants along Randolph Street in the West Loop. Whether you are looking for the ideal artisanal beer and burger pairing or an upscale dinner spot with antique mirrors and glimmering chandeliers, the row of restaurants in the old industrial neighborhood runs the gamut. Nestled between a marble façade with overf lowing f lower baskets and an empty windowfront is the Graham Elliot Bistro. The outside is painted a vibrant cherry red and the whole building looks like an old fi re station. Inside, the small but cozy restaurant hums with activity. The hostess immediately offers to take our coats
before leading us past the open kitchen to our table. We try not to elbow the couple sitting next to us as we slide into our seats. The exposed brick walls, shiny white support beams, and exposed light fi xtures are all part of the tasteful atmosphere. The diners range from young professionals out on a Saturday night, to a middle-aged couple having a date night, to an older group catching up with friends from out of town. Graham Elliot is most famous for his role as a judge on MasterChef. In 2008, he opened his eponymous restaurant—one of only 15 in the country to be awarded two Michelin stars. The West Loop Bistro, opened in 2012 and recently renovated, is a more low-key affair, pairing innovative takes on
American classics in an accessible way. The menu is divided into “firsts” (mostly cold appetizers), “seconds” (mostly warm smaller dishes), “thirds” (meat and fish entrees), and “sides.” We decided to skip a heavy entrée and load up on the smaller dishes for more variety. First up was a “deconstructed Caesar salad” and “milk and honey.” The Caesar salad arrived in three neatly aligned hills, scooped out like ice cream and topped with anchovies. Despite the frothy appearance and curious texture, the salad was a bit disappointing, tasting like an ordinary salad passed through a blender and then chilled. The star, however, was the accompanying crouton. A fi ne-dining take on a Twinkie, the soft chewy brioche, lightly
fried and crispy on the outside and stuffed with smooth mascarpone cream, melted in my mouth. It quickly disappeared, and we fought over who would get the last bite. The milk and honey was a quivering egg of fresh burrata mozzarella, buried in a nest of baby arugula, and dotted with raw honeycombs. The soft cheese and crunchy greens provide fresh contrast while the richness of the honey perfectly complements the crisp yet creamy flavors. On the advice of the couple sitting next to us, we went for a steak tartare, cheddar risotto, and Elliot’s famous popcorn. The tartare was chewy and moist, a kick of horseradish giving it a delicious tingle at the end. The risotto, however, was a letdown. Symbolic of Elliot’s
spin on classic dishes, it features Wisconsin cheddar, smoked bacon, PBR soaked onions and shredded apples. Here, the interplay of f lavors and textures was overwhelming and unsatisfying. The risotto itself was runny, with the other ingredients sinking to the bottom. The heavy cheddar and bacon chunks were almost too rich and didn’t play well with the sour undertones of beer and apple crisps. We made a few more stabs at the risotto and then proceeded to munch on the popcorn, dressed up with truffle Parmesan. Slightly chewy and almost nutty tasting, the popcorn was messy (there is a small mountain of fi nely grated cheese doused on top) but perfect for idle nibbling. The staff is particularly friendly and atten-
tive. Upon learning that we were big Graham Elliot fans, our waitress was quick to let us know that he was in the restaurant that evening and discreetly helped us get a photo with the man himself. Dressed in chef ’s whites, he was in and out of the kitchen, peering over the cook’s shoulders and greeting diners. At the end of the meal, we were presented with a card to fill out with feedback. The verdict? The lively crowd, attentive service, and creative food make the Bistro a great spot for a fun date night or birthday dinner outside of Hyde Park. 841 West Randolph Street. Open 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday, 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. $$$.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
Thank Your Lucky Stars for Beach House BY ANNIE CANTARA MANAGING EDITOR
This past Tuesday, I was faced with a difficult choice: spend my night on campus, again trudging through the ice and snow, or head to the Vic Theater in Lakeview to spend the evening listening to the dreamy tunes of the Baltimore-based band, Beach House. Somehow escaping the siren call of the Reg, I chose the concert. Outside the Vic, severa l sig ns read “ S old Out!,” fending off optimistic passersby. At 8 p.m., the opening act, Wume, walked on stage and began playing. An unusual combination of sy nths and drums, its music was relatively well-received. After a quick set change, Beach House emerged. The duo, composed of vocalist/keyboardist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally, walked on silently, covered in shadowy lighting. They were followed by Skyler Skjelset and Graham Hill on the bass and drums respectively, who are accompanying the pair on tour. Unlike most bands who launch into long in-
troductions and banter set design could not have with the audience, Beach suited the mood of the House simply began its music more per fe c tly. set. Hazy lighting bloomed Despite its carefree behind a soft cur tain n a m e , B e a c h H o u s e ador ned w ith delicate doesn’t release upbeat, lights, providing a stunTop 40 songs you might ning backdrop for the blast on the rad io i n show. The colors alterthe summer as you pack nated between deep reds you r tr u n k w ith t ow- and bluish purples as the els and coolers of Bud tone changed from song Light. Characterized as to song. a “dream pop” band, this T he band members duo is better known for swayed to the beat of the its swirling textures and music, creating a wavy mel a nchol ic melo d ie s . motion on stage as they Its songs are dominated played throwbacks like by breathy vocals and a “10 Mile Stereo” and “Gila” blend of organ, slide gui- (my personal favorite). Beach House (Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand) at Los tar, synths, and drums. Legrand stood with her December. Shrouded in darkness hair in her face, distant and visible only from the and un reachable, and built to a loud, almost on their newest albums, bac k l it s t a g e , B e ac h only occasionally spoke to cacophonous crescendo of Depression Cherry and House began playing. A the crowd, giving a quick bass and percussion. The Thank Your Lucky Stars, single chord sounded, and hello and thanking the audience exploded into which enhanced the auLegrand’s haunting voice venue for hosting them. thunderous applause as dience’s appreciation of broke the stillness. In a “Myth” and “Elegy to the band exited the stage. their performance. downtempo fashion, the the Void,” the final songs One of the most strikFor the encore, only band played “Levitation,” of its official set, blended Legrand and Scally re- ing features of the show a song from its new al- into each other, building turned. T hey f inished was the inclusion of a bum, Depression Cherry, to a dramatic end. Le- with “Saltwater,” a song sign language interpreter, as the crowd stood in a grand sang sadly, “What about unrequited love, who stood on the balcony daze. The lyrics fell into a comes after this / Momen- and “ Take Care,” which signing rhythmically to repetition, reflecting the tarily bliss / Consequence Legrand introduced as the beat. S ca l ly menatmosphere of the show: of what you do to me,” as “a not her k i nd- of love tioned that this was the “There’s a place I want to Scally plucked the rhyth- song.” T hey played a first time they’d received take you / Where the un- mic bassline on his guitar. wide selection of songs such a request from an known will surround you.” Skjelset and Hill kicked f r om va r iou s a lbu m s audience member. I then A beautiful balance it up a notch, launching throughout the evening realized that the perforof light and shadow, the into the final song which rather than focusing only mance, with its aesthetics
Mathew Tucciarone / LA Weekly
Angeles’ Fonda Theater in
and acoustic vibrations, would have been a beautiful thing to experience even without sound. T he aud ie n c e l e f t qu ietly, a nd ever yone seemed to be stuck in a sort of dream, calmed by the soft synths and s t e ad y b e at s . A nd I think that’s one of the most unique features of Beach House—their ability to elicit an implacable feeling of nostalgia, one that is somehow not persona l or lo ca l i zed , but capable of capturing a shared experience.
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14
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
South Siders Take to St. Louis in Season Opener MEN’S BASEBALL
BY EMMETT ROSENBAUM SPORTS STAFF
Despite a fresh blanket of snow layering Chicago this week, the turning of the calendar to March brings with it the arrival of baseball season. The Maroons will be heading south to St.
Louis this weekend in search of greener fields and warmer weather. The team will be opening up its season Saturday with a game against the Illinois Wesleyan Titans, then playing two against Fontbonne on Sunday in a double header. Chicago didn’t play against either school last year, so these
games represent new tests against unfamiliar opponents. The team is returning after a year of transition in 2015, a season that saw it go 18 –20 in its first season under head coach John Fitzgerald. That mark was an improvement from the South Siders’ 10 –27 record in 2014, but they
will surely be looking to build on their success this spring. However, once the games get underway, the players will be employing a much simpler mindset. “We definitely have more of a gameby-game mentality,” remarked thirdyear pitcher and first-baseman Tom Continued on page 15
University of Chicago Athletics Department
Members of the baseball team talk during a game last season.
The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company and the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra present W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s rarely performed
PRINCE SS I DA March 11 & 12 at 8 PM March 13 at 2 PM Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th Street $25 General | $5 Student Tickets and Information 773.702.ARTS (2787) tickets.uchicago.edu
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
“I believe we have an advantage at every spot this weekend.”
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RECRUITMENT FAIR MARCH 9, 2016
SAIEH HALL, LECTURE ROOM 203
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Graduate Session
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will also take on No. 14 DePauw in a highly contested matchup of evenly ranked teams. Against Denison, doubles partners third-year Tiffany Chen and fourth-year Stephanie Lee each won both of their matches, first taking the doubles point before Chen won her No. 5 singles match 6 –1, 6 –0, and Lee won 6 –1 and 6 –2 in the No. 6 slot. Also notable, in four dual meets this season, fourth-year Lucy Tang has impressively gone undefeated in the three, four, and five slots. She is the only Maroon women’s tennis player not to have lost a match in dual competition and will seek her fifth consecutive win this Saturday. The No. 14 DePauw Tigers come into the meeting after taking seventh place at the ITA DIII National Women’s Indoor Championship by a 5 – 4 margin against MIT. Preceding that result, they found themselves in a rut, losing three straight games by six matches or more. The Chicago men’s and women’s teams will drive a few blocks south to XS Tennis to host the DePauw tennis teams this Saturday, March 5. The men will get things started at 2 p.m., with the women slated to follow at 6 p.m.
JOR G
Continued from page 16
M
Prescott. “However, one thing we want to keep in mind throughout the season is having fun. Obviously we start the season expecting to win, but baseball is a game of failure. Finding that balance between keeping things light and serious after games is a priority for us. Everybody knows you play better when you are having fun.” Illinois Wesleyan looks to provide a tough opponent for the Maroons right out of the gate. The team went an impressive 27–16 in 2015, and will be looking to continue its success this
up some early wins. The Griffins have gotten off to a dismal 1– 5 start, and will hopefully give the Maroons the chance to return to Hyde Park with a record above .500. A fast start to the season will be key for this squad, as a 2–8 start in 2015 dragged down the team for the rest of the season. Chicago will face off against Illinois Wesleyan at 3 p.m. Saturday at Shaw Park in St. Louis. Both of Sunday’s games will take place at Fontbonne, with the first pitches scheduled for noon and 3 p.m.
year. It’ll be a rough way to start the season, an issue that will only be compounded as the South Siders look to regain their timing as they play outside for the first time in 2016. “We’ve been practicing indoors this entire quarter. We’ve gone live, had simulated games, and have gotten in shape for the season to begin this weekend,” Prescott recalled. “ Nonetheless,” the southpaw admitted , “it is impossible to get that outside game feel [while playing] indoors.” Fontbonne will hopefully provide Chicago with the opportunity to pick
M OH S EN
Continued from page 14
16
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 4, 2016
SPORTS IN-QUOTES...Former US Open tennis champ Juan Martin del Potro on dealing with injuries before coming out of retirement: “For two years I was at home watching the Simpsons.”
Chicago Competes in Last Chance Meet TRACK & FIELD
BY MAX HAWKINS SPORTS STAFF
The Maroons will head north this weekend to UW–Stevens Point for the annual Last Chance Meet. The meet will provide a final opportunity for athletes who are close to qualifying for nationals to secure a spot. Additional South Siders who are looking to finish the season strong will also compete. “We’ve had a lot of outstanding performances, especially at our Conference meet this past weekend in New York,” second-year Aleksandra Majka said. The women are coming off a secondplace finish at the UA A tournament held at New York University this past weekend. Fourth-year Nkemdilim Nwaokolo finished first in the shot put, and second-year Ade Ayoola finished third. Other highlights include thirdyear Michelle Dobbs’s victory in the 800-meter, second-year Khia Kurtenbach’s win in the 3,0 0 0 -meter, and fourth-year Nelson Trotter’s triumph in the high jump along with her second-place finish in the triple jump. Additionally, fourth-year Brianna Hickey got second in the one-mile, and secondyear Aleksandra Majka placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdle. The 4x400-meter relay, consisting of fourth-year Mikaela Hammel, firstyear Nicole VacaGuzman, third-year Eleanor Kang, and Dobbs, finished second. This weekend’s meet will be critical for this group, as they are still hoping to qualify for Nationals.
“We’ve had a lot of outstanding performances, especially at our Conference meet this past weekend in New York,” Majka said. “I hope my teammates who are going to the last chance meet really focus in on their goals and give it their all.” On the men’s side, Chicago is coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish at the UA A tournament last weekend. Despite the team finish, there were plenty of outstanding individual performances. Fourth-year Michael Bennet won the pole vault and second-year Nathan Downey placed third. Secondyear Patrick LeFevre won the 60-meter hurdles, third-year Joey Gary got third in the triple jump, and third-year Nicolas Nielson placed third in the one-mile. Downey placed fourth in the 200-meter and third-year Gareth Jones placed fifth in the 3,000-meters. The 4x400-meter relay, comprised of fourthyea r B en Cla rk, th i rd-yea r Jata n Anand, fourth-year Ryan Manzuk, and Downey, placed second. Downey and Bennett, who won gold at NCA A DIII Nationals in his second year, look to qualify for Nationals in the pole vault. “ This season has been fun. We’ve lost a lot of time and opportunities to injuries but we’re ready to bounce back and shock the nation in outdoor,” Downey said . The UW–Stevens Point Last Chance Meet will take place this Saturday at 11 a.m.
University of Chicago Athletics Department
Second-year Will Ackerman competes in the Windy City Rumble.
Maroons Take on Top-Ranked DePauw at Home MEN’S & WOMEN’S TENNIS
BY GARY HUANG SPORTS STAFF
University of Chicago Athletics Department
First-year Rachel Kim prepares to serve.
The No. 2 men’s and No. 15 women’s teams will host a dual match against DePauw at their usual indoor tennis facility, XS Tennis, this Saturday. The Maroon men currently stand with a record of 8–1 overall, with DePauw also possessing only one loss at 4 –1. The Maroon and DePauw women have more even records at 3–2 and 3–3 overall, respectively. At their last meetings in the 2015 season, both South Sider teams were able to pull out the victory as the men won 7–2 and the women won 6 –3. Second-year Nicolas Chua said, “The season has started off quite well, the only sad thing is we lost in the finals of nationals. Being ranked No. 2 in the country is something new for us and nothing to be disappointed about, but we have higher aspirations for the end of the season. ” The No. 2 –ranked Chicago men’s team faces off against the Tigers, who are coming off a dominating 8 –1 win over No. 35 Denison. While the men finished as runner-up at the ITA DIII National Men’s Indoor Championship, they were able to collect a trophy just as rewarding in the second Steve Wilkinson Team Sportmanship Award, given out to a participating team “that has
displayed exceptional sportsmanship, character, and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and college tennis.” Second-year David Liu will also be a key player to follow, as he won both his singles and doubles matches against Denison. He now stands with an unbelievable 16–1 record at singles and 17–3 record at doubles with partner Chua. The DePauw Tigers will have their hands full, as the South Siders look to continue their momentum this weekend. The No. 33 Tigers (4–1) are riding a three-game winning streak, sweeping all matches 9 – 0 in that period. Their last loss came from DII University of Indianapolis, also by the score of 9 – 0. A team with experience all across the board, DePauw will look to avenge its 7–2 loss to Chicago last season. Fourthyear Alec Kaczkowski and third-year Dan Rodefeld, each of whom has played at DePauw’s number-one singles spot this season, contributed to the doubles wins in the men’s matches. Chua said, “I think being at home is great because people can go and watch and we also are more comfortable there. We practice there every day so it just adds that little extra edge to our matches.” The No. 15 Chicago women’s team Continued on page 15