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MARCH 31, 2017

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

Community Forum Responds to Hate Incidents

BY CAMILLE KIRSCH SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

A community forum on recent hate incidents on campus was held at the Center for Identity and Inclusion Wednesday evening.

The forum was primarily a response to the March 9 incident when Matthew Urbanik, 21, of Schaumburg, IL, was caught putting up racist and anti-Semitic posters around campus. Urbanik is also allegedly responsible for similar posters that appeared on campus in December, and appears to be affiliated with a militant neo-Nazi group.

Representatives of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD), the Provost’s Office, the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, and the Organization of Black Students presented their takes on what the poster incidents meant for the campus environment.

Representatives from the Diversity Advisory Council, the Graduate Student Union, and Student Counseling Services were also present to respond to audience questions.

Moderating the event was Michael Dawson of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture.

No members of the University Jewish community presented, although Dawson said some had spoken at an earlier forum following the December incident.

The forum got off to a rocky start when an audience member, who declined to give his name,

stood up after the representative of the Organization of Black Students’ opening speech and said it was unacceptable that a UCPD officer was present.

“We’re here to speak out against racist terrorism. We have to organize against that stuff, but we also have to understand who our enemies are,” he said, pointing at UCPD representative Joanne Nee. Dawson attempted several times to get the man to sit back down and wait until the audience question portion of the event to speak, but he refused. Eventually, the man walked out of the meeting.

As he left, he shouted, “I can’t meet with a goddamn cop. Remember Tamir Rice!” The man declined to comment further when approached by a MAROON representative.

The forum resumed with speeches from the remaining campus representatives. Nee, the UCPD officer, explained the judicial proceedings against Urbanik.

The Cook County State’s Attorney charged Urbanik with felony property damage because the poster adhesive he used damaged University property. Nee said that the State’s Attorney’s office declined to prosecute Urbanik on hate crime charges due to a lack of evidence.

“Although the subject matter of these posters was very intolerable, very hate-based, very intimidating, we did not get a hate crime charge on the evidence that we had com-

SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

A College Council (CC) resolution passed on March 28 has catalyzed a quarter-long plan to make emergency funds available to undocumented students and marginalized groups on campus.

The resolution, drafted by firstyear representative Jahne Brown, establishes a committee that will create documents allowing students to apply for funding. Then, later this quarter, the committee will ask the Council to allocate money for distribution.

“This is another way, if you’ve exhausted the University funds or

New Deans at Humanities Divison,Harris and Divinity Schools

UChicago News Office Incoming Deans Anne Walters Robertson, Katherine Baiker, and Laurie Zoloth will assume their positions this summer. For the full story visit chicagomaroon.com.

THE STATE OF U OF C’S GRAD STUDENT UNIONIZATION DEBATE

BY TYRONE LOMAX AND RACHANA MUPPA

filing grievances. The GSU website cites that while current institutions such as the Office of the Student Ombudsperson and the Bias Response Team exist, they hope to see improvements due to mixed reports of their effectiveness.

Tamara Kamatovic, a sixthyear in the German department and a former GSU member, emphasized the importance of open communication between graduate students and the administration. Graduates are in a unique position because they produce “intellectual labor” in the form of teaching, Kamatovic said.

“I think it is important that if outstanding issues come up in my workplace that I have something like a union as an arbiter about decisions that maybe I, or my boss, or even the University can’t manage,” Kamatovic said.

According to Kamatovic, the administration needs both acknowledge that what the teaching graduates do is work, and provide appropriate pay and protections for that work. Thomas Newbold, a Ph.D. student in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, agreed.

“I think unionization mainly deals with the administration, not our relationships, as graduate students, with the faculty. And it’s a way of making sure questions like health insurance, questions like the salary that we receive, and the working conditions under which we are employed when we work as teaching assistants are solved,” Newbold said.

Newbold stressed a delineation between the administration and

faculty. He argued that graduate students’ relationships with departmental faculty are of a different nature than with administration. As a result, they concern different aspects of graduate life.

He emphasized that the relationship between graduates and faculty would remain unaffected by the formation of a union, contrary to what is propagated by the administration. Instead, the dynamic between graduate students and faculty is “manage[d] autonomously,” separate from what is overseen by union policies, Newbold argued.

According to a second-year GSU member in the English department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to safeguard grant funding, there is a lot of communication between the English department’s faculty and graduate students. This encouraged a feeling of security, diminishing his cohort’s support for unionization. However, he argued that this was one of the integral aspects of unionization: making graduates aware of problems they may not necessarily be experiencing, but can still advocate against.

Eric Powell, a GSU member and a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the English department, had the same opinion regarding the relationship between graduate students and the administration. “We don’t really have a voice right now outside of the union. The administration makes a big show of taking the concerns of graduate employees...but...we have no real influence this way,” Powell said.

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CC to Provide Funds to Undocumented Students

BY LAUREN PANKIN

emergency loans, that you can find a small amount of money, because Student Government is standing with you in solidarity,” Brown said.

The resolution to form the committee passed with 14 yeas and two abstentions.

The committee resolution claims its purpose is to “support” and “defend” marginalized groups on campus. Brown said the definition of marginalized groups will be clarified as the committee drafts materials, but it will most likely extend to students who are undocumented, under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, impacted by Trump’s immigration bans, internaContinued on page 3

STAFF REPORTERS

A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling last September that graduate students at private universities can collectively bargain prompted unionization campaigns on campuses across the country.

The University of Chicago has been no exception. The question remains whether graduate students should unionize.

While grad students at several universities have already voted to unionize, the pro-union group at the University of Chicago, Graduate Students United (GSU), is still in the campaigning phase of the process, and an exact date for the upcoming vote has yet to be publicized.

Last fall, President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Daniel Diermeier sent an e-mail outlining the negative effects of unionization. The e-mail argued that unions could impede individual student experiences and that improvements to graduate life can be made without a bargaining party.

THE MAROON interviewed University of Chicago students in a number of graduate divisions for this story. Many indicated their support for organizing a union; however, others acknowledged that they were not very informed about the campaign.

By forming a union, proponents say, graduates would have a stronger ability to voice concerns regarding living standards, working conditions, and the process of

In back-to-back matches in California, the weather proved sunnier than the fortunes of the women’s tennis team.

Righting Away Democracy Page 4 Talking about policy as a matter of “rights” hurts the democratic process, writes Natalie Denby.

VOL. 128, ISSUE 34

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

Events

STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON PROS AND CONS

3/31 — 4/3

Ramzi Nimr, a master’s student at the Divinity School, commented,“I don’t know all too much because...I don’t know if this really affects me and I’ll be getting out of here next year.” However, due to his friends’ strong feelings on the matter, Nimr felt confident in supporting unionization.

As for the entirety of Divinity School, Nimr sensed broad support.

“Generally everybody is for [unionizing], except for maybe some faculty members... But all the students are very active. The Divinity School is very active,” Nimr said.

Heather Siegel, an M.B.A. student at the Booth School of Business, was also not familiar with the upcoming vote. “I personally would lean against [unionization],” she said. “I think a lot of people at Booth [are] more free market and more generally opposed to unionization.” Siegel acknowledged that Booth has largely stayed out of the debate because unionization would not directly affect students in professional schools who are not teaching assistants.

A reluctance to pick a side of the debate can be seen across the graduate population. A GSU member and fourth-year in the psychology department expressed his frustration that the debate surrounding unionization makes it seem like there are two distinct sides. The student claimed that there are opinions on a spectrum within the administration, the graduate population, and GSU. “It’s frustrating to be pushed into either direction because neither direction is the best answer for me, [or] I think for a lot of people,” he

Today Mobilizing Gender: Secularism, Nation, and Remaking Europe Wilder House, 8:30 a.m.

This conference will discuss the role of religion and gender in modern-day Europe. Speakers from the University of Paris, University of Warsaw, and University of Helsinki will be featured.

April 1 SASA Show 2017 Mandel Hall, 5 p.m.

The South Asian Students Association (SASA) will host this annual celebration. The event will begin at 5 p.m. in Bartlett, where food from Udupi Palace will be provided. Then, the show in Mandel Hall will showcase singing and dancing groups. With a UCID, tickets are $15 for dinner and the show, and $10 for just the show. SASA representatives will be tabling in Reynolds Club from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. fi rst week of spring quarter.

Theater [24] Reynolds Club, F rancis X .

Kinahan Third Floor Theater, 8 p.m.

Actors, writers, and directors will present six short plays written and rehearsed over a 24-hour period. The plays will center around a common theme.

Tickets are $4 and can be purchased online.

April 3 Pirating Poetry, Prose, and Drama Cobb Hall, Room 107, 6 p.m.

Professor Alexander Samson of University College London will lecture on the effects that piracy of literature from Spain had on English culture in the late 1500s.

Online Articles Harris, Divinity, Humanities appoint new deans. Tampons placed in buildings across campus.

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BY MARJORIE ANTOHIE STAFF REPORTER

The University of Chicago has created a new scholarship program for children of employees of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The scholarship, called the “Chicago Public Schools Educators Award Scholarship,” will provide full tuition to undergraduate students who are accepted to the University and whose parents are employed by CPS. Students do not have to attend a Chicago Public School in order to be eligible for the scholarship, which will go into effect for students accepted for the 2018 –19 school year.

T he children of all CPS employees are eligible for the scholarship. In addition to rewarding teachers at Chicago Public Schools, the scholarship also recognizes the employees who fulfill other roles necessary to the running of public schools, including counselors, custodial workers, and school clerks.

A mong the scholarship’s proponents a re Dean John Boyer, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Derek Douglas, UChicago’s Vice President for Civic Engagement. “This new scholarship recognizes the vital role that Chicago Public Schools educators play in the lives of our city’s students, while

building on the University’s long time partnerships with local schools,” Douglas said to UChicago News.

The CPS Educators Award Scholarship is an extension of UChicago Promise, the University’s multifaceted approach to providing academic aid to Chicagoans. UChicago Promise offers services ranging from assistance with the college admissions process to tutoring for CPS students of all ages. Additionally, according to the College Admissions website, the University of Chicago already offers full-tuition scholarships to graduates of CPS who are admitted to the College and who demonstrate the greatest promise of having a positive impact on the University.

UChicago also offers full-tuition scholarships to children of active Chicago firefighters and police officers.

UChicago Promise has already had a far-reaching effect on students, which will be expanded by the CPS Educators Award Scholarship. As fourthyear and anthropology major Rita Jefferson, who currently benefits from the scholarship for CPS graduates, has said, “It has quite literally changed my life.”

Former University Professor to Run for Governor of Illinois

BY MAX FENNELL-CHAMETZKY ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

A former assistant professor of mathematics at the University, and current Illinois State Senator, is running for Governor of Illinois in the 2018 election.

Daniel Biss, who gave a talk at the University on his path from professor to politician last fall, announced his candidacy as a Democrat in the gubernatorial election last week. He will first have to face other Democratic candidates in a primary, before being able to run against incumbent Republican Governor Bruce Rauner in a gener-

al election.

“Everywhere in Illinois, people are hungry to be a part of taking our state back, taking it back from the money and the machine that have gotten us in this situation.... I felt like I had to run for governor to be a part of that movement,” Biss said to WGN-TV. Biss taught mathematics at the University for almost six years, before arriving at politics as a more fulfilling career path.

Biss is not the first University faculty member to turn to the political life: others include former political science professor Charles Merriam, former economics professor

Paul Douglas, and former president Barack Obama.

Initially, Biss ran for, and lost, the 2008 Illinois House 17th District election. However, he ran again in 2010, this time winning the seat. Not long after, Biss ran for the Ninth District Illinois State Senate in 2012, winning with over 66 percent of the vote.

Biss’s campaign website describes his purpose as “making a movement more powerful than money and the machine” and making politics and the election “about us.” The site refers to his time as assistant professor as a testament to his ability to find solutions to “com-

plex problems.” It also notes that he brings the “pragmatism of a math professor” to “everything he does.”

Currently, Biss is fighting to pass Senate Bill 982, which would block President Donald Trump from appearing on the 2020 presidential ballot in Illinois unless he releases his tax returns.

Other declared candidates for the 2018 Democratic race include Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools Bob Daiber, former Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees Chris Kennedy, civil engineer and business owner Alex Paterakis, and Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar.

Representatives From UCPD, Provost’s Office, and Other Organizations Were Present Continued from front

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said.

Taylor Docking from the Harris School of Public Policy said that it was his first time even hearing of any push to unionize. Drawing from his experience as a teacher, he said that he associated unions with stalling, not enabling reform. While he acknowledged that the function and need for unions differs in each industry, Docking’s education background made him a skeptic.

A fifth-year student in the neurobiology department echoed this sentiment. The student, although generally supportive of unionization, clarified, “I don’t think unions are the solution.... But when I look at what we have right now and what I would want—protections for graduate students in place, and representations for graduate students in place—a union is a lot more compatible with that idea than the current status, which is not [being] unionized.”

She went on to say that even if GSU does not successfully unionize, the process will have served as a valuable experience, one that asks graduate students to consider: “‘What is our quality of life? What aspects of our personhood are addressed or are not by our advisors, departments, this university, [or] the protections set in place?’ I guess for me, I really value that that has been asked of all of us.”

According to the GSU website, “Those who do academic work for the University are eligible to sign an authorization card to call for a union election. Titles include: TA’s, RA’s, CA’s, BA’s Preceptor, Ministry Assistant, Lecturer, Instructor and Workshop Coordinators.”

University Announces Scholarship for Children of CPS Employees

piled,” Nee said. “The element of targeting an individual group was missing from that requirement in order to get a hate crime.”

Susan Gzesh, the executive director of the Pozen Center for Human Rights, questioned the State’s Attorney’s decision and said that in her legal opinion there were grounds for a hate crime charge.

“Illinois does have a hate crime statute, and I’m not sure why they turned [the UCPD] down on it, because it’s not like you have to pick one group,” Gzesh said. She then held up photocopies of two posters found on campus. One of the posters showed the text “Follow your fellow faggots” over a photo of a man on

a gallows, and another read, “Black lives don’t matter.”

“In my reading of the Illinois hate crimes legislation, those [posters] target groups based on race and sexual orientation at least, and I don’t understand why they wouldn’t be enough for a hate crime,” Gzesh said.

“We need to think, as residents of Cook County, about how our State’s Attorney is and is not responsive towards things that may be happening on our campus,” Gzesh said.

According to a tentative program for the event obtained by THE M AROON, a representative from State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office was invited to the forum. However,

no one from the office attended.

Following the presentations, several audience members said they felt the University had failed to adequately inform the community about recent hate incidents. Others linked the incidents to a long history of discrimination against marginalized members of the University community.

Free speech also became a flashpoint in the discussion. Anton Ford, an assistant professor of philosophy, said that the appearance of anti-Semitic posters cast a negative light on the University administration’s free speech rhetoric.

“I, as a faculty member, was extremely disturbed to hear our president say that he would welcome

Richard Spencer to speak on campus,” Ford said. “And he said this on the same day that the Jewish Community Center was evacuated in our neighborhood.”

Other audience members agreed. “Free speech is not an excuse to spew hatred at other people,” said Kathy Scott, an administrator at the Pozen Center.

Michelle Emerick, a representative from Student Counseling Services, closed the meeting by encouraging people to seek help if they were troubled by the aftermath of these incidents.

“The idea of sustained threat is very fatiguing.… That takes a toll,” Emerick said. “We’re available if you want someone to talk to.”

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

MAC Parent Company Sells East Hyde Park Building

BY FENG YE SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Antheus Capital, the parent company of Mac Properties, sold the East Park tower to a New Jersey investor for $23.5 million in February, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The East Park Tower is a hotel apartment building located on the corner of South Hyde Park Boulevard and East 53rd Street.

Antheus Capital is a private real estate company that works on acquiring and redeveloping apartment buildings across the United States, specializing in historic renovation of such properties. It is one of the biggest landlords in Hyde Park, owning a 43-property, 951-unit apartment portfolio.

According to the same Crain’s Business article, Antheus bought the property of East Park Tower for $11.4 million in 2008.

Antheus founder and executive Eli Ungar is a New Jersey investor who started purchasing properties in Hyde Park around 15 years ago. Antheus’s huge portfolio in Hyde Park was acquired with a mortgage of around $112 million that will be due on April 1.

Morningstar Credit Ratings estimates that Antheus could at most acquire a loan of about $70 million on the buildings cur-

rently, with an over $40 million gap from the total amount needed for loan refinancing. Crain’s Business says that Ungar dismissed the estimate, calling it “much ado about nothing” and claiming that he would acquire an even larger new mortgage to refinance the current debt.

Crain’s Business says that Ungar did not respond to an inquiry regarding whether the recent sell of East Park Tower is related to the larger $112 million mortgage of other properties. The East Park Tower was purchased with a $10 million mortgage that was paid off when it was sold recently.

The investor that bought the East Park Tower is Blumberg & Freilich Equities, a firm usually active in the New York City market. The East Park Tower is the first piece of property that the firm purchased in Chicago. A partner at Blumberg & Freilich Equities, Ted Silverman, told Crain’s that “many investors are bidding things up into the stratosphere” in New York, making the prices in Chicago much more attractive.

Crain’s reports that Silverman expects to make more purchases in Chicago, especially Hyde Park, because the University of Chicago and its medical center increase the neighborhood’s demand for apartments. “It’s a great formula,” Silverman told Crain’s.

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Transition From Chalk to Canvas Will Begin Summer Quarter Call Chad Johnson at 312-720-3136 or email at cjohnson@hallmark-johnson.com.

BY MELANIE WANG CO NTRI BUTING REPORTER

Starting this summer quarter, the University will switch its learning management system from Chalk to Canvas. Currently, the University offers the option for professors to run their classes on Canvas as a practice option before it becomes required.

Chalk, which has been used for the past 18 years, has been difficult to work with for some teachers and is getting old, which prompted the University to consider moving to a new platform. This change has been in progress since spring 2015, when the University first began contemplating alternative platforms to replace Chalk. As of this past winter, more teachers have transferred over to Canvas as the University holds workshops and resources regarding the new system.

“The Blackboard platform, Chalk, has been showing its age,” senior biology lecturer Alison Hunter said. Hunter is on the com-

mittee that reviewed replacement options for course management systems.

“I like that there is a lot more flexibility in page layout, and it is easier to link different parts of the course so students can find things,” Hunter said.

However, Hunter said, some potential difficulties for faculty may be in the behindthe-scenes interface. Canvas has a less interactive interface for professors, though this won’t have any impact on the students.

As teachers begin moving their classes to Canvas, some students have had classes on both systems, forcing them to switch back and forth between the two sites. The complete switch over to Canvas over the summer will solve these issues.

“Chalk has looked the same for the past six years, and I think Canvas’s interface is much more user-friendly and better designed,” second-year George Saieed said. “I think it’s a good thing that the University is moving from Blackboard to Canvas.”

Fundamentals: Issues and Texts announces a public colloquium:

THE POWER OF BOOKS with

Students Will be Able to Apply for Funding Later This Quarter Continued from front

tional students, or first-generation Americans.

Committee members will review and select from applications, Brown said. The means of determining how much money is given to each individual has not yet been established.

Last quarter, Brown proposed an allocations resolution that would give $1,000 to the emergency fund, but after further consideration she decided to create the committee resolution and allow its members to decide how much funding to request.

Council Chair and third-year Peggy Xu wrote in an e-mail to THE MAROON that the Council has approximately $1,400 in available funds, and that the representatives can choose to allocate all or some of that money to the emergency fund.

“The avenues for acquiring funding from Student Government more generally are complicated, and it’s especially difficult to set up an emergency fund like this one if you’re not an RSO or otherwise recognized student group,” Xu wrote in the e-mail. “I believe this

is one of the reasons why Brown is focusing on Council funds specifically.”

Though Brown did not establish a concrete timeline, she said the committee should be able to request funding by sixth week.

“If the process ends up being slow, that could end up being a disappointment, but it’s not the end of the world because we’re establishing the foundations for next year,” said second-year representative Qudsiyyah Shariyf in the meeting.

Brown said that she is “pretty sure” the emergency fund will be extended to next year, especially if Trump implements more stringent and far-reaching executive orders.

“I want people to know that there are students here who care about the situations that other students are in, like immigrants and refugees,” Brown said. “I want people to know that Student Government is and should be political, and that it’s in alliance with groups who are under attack and are having a hard time being in America.”

Elizabeth Asmis Classics and

Andrei Pop Committee on Social Thought

Monday, April 3rd, 4:30-6:30 pm — Foster 103 — Reception to follow his event is recommended for students considering a major in Fundamentals. ersons who may need assistance should contact fundamentals@uchicago.edu.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

VIEWPOINTS Righting Away Democracy Talking About Policy as a Matter of “Rights” Hurts the Democratic Process

Natalie Denby Listen carefully as you walk around campus and you’ll be staggered by the number of rights you’ve never heard of, but to which you are apparently entitled. The standard fodder of campus liberalism is entirely rights-based: the right to universal health care, the right to free college, the right to a feeling of intellectual safety, the right to a $15 minimum wage, the right to lower rates on student loan debt, the right to no student loan debt, the right to certain amenities (Internet access and Wi-Fi among them), the right to a stable climate, the right to healthy and affordable food, and so on. A modern Bill of Rights would be a pedantic, thousand-page tome.

This is not to demean a single one of these supposed “rights.” Each is important (though some more than others). But hastily shoving every plank of the Democratic platform under the umbrella of the inalienable is profoundly anti-democratic. It’s never enough for us to claim that universal health care or a living wage should be enacted because they’re sound policy. Liberal policies have got to be non-negotiable on top of smart; they’ve got to be obligations in addition to sensible choices. Although the difference sounds like one of semantics, it has the potential to further weaken our already eroded trust in democracy.

Ask why a given liberal policy is a “right” and your standard right-itarian will revert to the lan-

guage of decency. A $15 minimum wage is a right because it would allow minimum-wage workers to reduce their financial hardships.

Improved subsistence is itself a right because it would help the impoverished, and helping the impoverished is a good thing, which many among us believe we are obliged to do. Yet such a line of reasoning, if true, only proves the morality of the policy at hand—that it is something we ought to do, not something we must do. The jump from decency to duty is often treacherous and devoid of rigor. A great mistake of campus liberalism is forgetting that final step, and instead supposing that something is a right because it has all the trappings of being right.

It’s not much of an argument, and it doesn’t work: On the contrary, designating policies as rights tends to revitalize their opposition.

Arguing that safe spaces are rights for students, for instance, hasn’t exactly convinced incendiary speakers to shut up; on the contrary, it’s led to an outpouring of rage from conservatives and older folks who charge that students are “delicate snowflakes” unable to brook criticism. Quibbling over whether workers have a right to $13 an hour or $15 doesn’t make Trumpers experience a sudden change of heart on labor laws—it makes them revert to a rights-based language of their own: that they have a right to participate in a free market, that small businesses have a right to hone a

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competitive edge, that states have a right to be “right to work” states, and so forth.

Rights-based policy proposals tend to fail because they invite either derisive laughter or counterattacks rooted in the same language.

In squabbling over whether a policy is a right, the merits of the actual proposal are left in the dust, as its opposition changes the conversation to something else entirely, often the topic of liberal fragility. Good policy proposals with noble intentions often fall victim to the arrogance of their own proponents, who might have done better to discard the preaching in favor of more compelling and level-headed research.

(Though of course, in this climate, even indisputable facts carry little weight, and a bipartisan consensus on nearly any issue seems a little far-fetched.)

The more serious issue with haphazardly extending the implied sanctity of righthood over policy proposals is its incompatibility with the democratic process.

Rights are by their nature non-negotiable. Even when we think we’re

not using the language of righthood literally, we are at some level insinuating that the democratic process bears a stain of illegitimacy for attempting to do its job. If you think that universal health care, a $15 minimum wage, free college, universal Internet access, and a pristine climate are all rights, properly understood, then you can’t simultaneously endorse the right of the people to come to a consensus on these issues, because they may very well disagree. (They mostly have.) We’ve suggested that our entire political platform should lie beyond the power of the people to reject, which is tantamount to denying even the right of the people to review.

Democratic governance itself is a reprobate thing to the modern-day liberal when it yields an adversarial result. Consider how we regard our opponents once they’re in power: We say that conservative legislatures don’t just produce bad policy, but also infringe upon our rights. It’s a charge we’d probably repeat in instances where they’ve also abided by the letter and spirit

of the Constitution, and acted with a mandate from the people. (Obviously, I refer not to the Trump administration, but to some theoretical body.) This suggests a mass squeamishness with democracy— not our democracy as it exists today in the era of Trump, but the idea in the abstract.

For some liberals, democracy is only good while they have control, and the people can only govern themselves so long as they hand liberals the mandate. That’s not even a qualified endorsement of democracy—it’s just anti-democratic. Hence increasingly disturbing behavior from college liberals: attacks and riots over conservative speakers and a growing disenchantment with free speech being foremost among our liberal lapses.

Such a mentality is to be expected in wannabe autocrats, but not in an entire generation in a constitutional republic.

Natalie Denby is a second-year in the College majoring in public policy.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

ARTS Composers Come Out in Full Force in Chicago Sinfonietta’s Concert

EXHIBIT [A]rts [3/31] Friday 6 p.m. Feast your eyes on the work of visual arts majors at their B.A. thesis exhibition “Yummy Yummy.” Logan Center Exhibitions, free, on view through April 23.

[4/1] Saturday

Chris Ocken Sara Davis Buechner performs with the Chicago Sinfonietta.

BY HANNAH EDGAR DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Shortly after marrying Leonard Bernstein, actress Felicia Montealegre wrote him a letter stating the conditions of their marriage.

Included was a startlingly clear-headed concession: “You are a homosexual and may never change—you don’t admit to the possibility of a double life, but if your peace of mind, your health, your whole nervous system depend on a certain sexual pattern, what can you do?”

The year was 1951. Bernstein would eventually become one of the towering musical per-

sonalities of the 20th century, but was at the time still a young conductor-composer. Montealegre knew well, as did he, that his “outing” could spell the end of a promising career.

Now, more than a half-century later, the taboo of queerness in classical music has lessened somewhat. But, as the Chicago Sinfonietta’s Monday-night concert at Symphony Center demonstrated, it’s one thing to merely acknowledge classical music’s once-closeted greats. What would it look like to actively celebrate them?

You can read a complete version of this article on chicagomaroon.com.

7 p.m. It may be April Fools’ Day, but the South Asian Student Association’s “SASA SHOW 2017: The SASA Channel” is no joke. This high-energy song and dance show is UChicago’s largest cultural event and includes performances from more than half a dozen RSOs. 5 p.m. dinner at Bartlett Dining Commons, followed by 7 p.m. show in Mandel Hall. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., $10– 17 depending on tier/$14–21 for non-UCID holders.

7:30–11 p.m. Swing by the Chicago Swing Dance Society’s April Fools’ Day Java Jive to experience a playlist of funny songs that will troll you musically and have you “laughing in rhythm”! Get ready to be pranked, and all that jank. Third Floor Theater, Ida Noyes Hall, free.

7:30 p.m. Whether the current national state of affairs makes you want to laugh or cry (or both), there’s no avoiding the elephant in the room. Check out the Revival’s sketch

revue The Last Circus for a blistering skewering of politics and pop culture. The Revival, $5 for students/$15 general.

8 –10 p.m. UT/TAPS is back with its quarterly Theater [24], presenting six original plays staged by a team of writers, directors, designers, and actors in just 24 hours.

Ever written a paper in a day? Imagine producing a show. Theater, Reynolds Club, $4.

[4/2] Sunday 3 p.m. Grammy-winning group Roomful of Teeth makes its Chicago debut, exploring the intersection of art and racial identity in a program of texts by prominent African-American authors set to the score of a white composer. Logan Center Performance Hall, $5 students/$35 faculty/$28 staff.

3 p.m. Self-described “writer/editor/ speaker/spy” Gerit Quealy discusses her book Botanical Shakespeare: An Illustrated Compendium of All the Flowers, Fruits, Herbs, Trees, Seeds, and Grasses Cited by the World’s Greatest Playwright. Come ready to learn more about your favorite Bard-ener—trowels optional. Seminary Co-op, free.

WE HEAR YOU!

TOWN HALL MEETING Student Health and Counseling Services, with the help of our Student Health Advisory Board, conducted a Perception Survey to better understand students’ perceptions of our services.

Join us for a Town Hall meeting: Wednesday, April 12 12:00pm-1:30pm McCormick Lounge, Reynolds Club **Lunch will be provided.** We will discuss how we are using your feedback to improve our services and share what students accomplished through the work of the Student Health Advisory Board. We invite you to submit questions in advance that we will address in the meeting. Please submit your questions here.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

uchicago MANUAL OF

STYLE

by chris d’angelo, christian hill, & mj chen

K ATHERINE SHEN / FOURTH-YEAR My name is Katherine. I major in economics and political science, and on campus I’m involved with Student Government.

“Finding my identity in fashion [has] been a guessand-check process.”

Katherine is wearing a bodysuit by AQ/AQ, a Supreme bralette customized by Mars, a split-side maxi skirt from Boohoo, laceup pumps from The Mode Collective, and a thrifted pearl and crystal choker.

I find I’m drawn to menswear more than womenswear these days. It’s harder to make menswear interesting and fashionable—women have more options, like prints and silhouettes, to work with. A gown shines with minimal styling because it’s a nice piece by itself. The woman becomes the canvas—a beautiful one, perhaps—but there is less of her and more of the designer in what she’s wearing. Dudes have more things to put together—jacket, shirt, trousers—and it becomes a more involved process in many ways. Social norms tend to dictate men’s silhouettes, which have to be a lot more subtle. To stand out as a man, you have to think about clothes a little more carefully.

There’s more self in the outfit. I appreciate women as whole works of art; with men, I’m seeing their style.

I’m always searching for a new look. Innovation is very much the spirit of fashion. It’s not a matter of chasing trends for me, but exploring different identities and ideas. I mix and match aesthetics in my looks to play around with—and subvert—what they mean.

For my first look, I paired a Helmut Lang shirt and fishnets with sneakers, which is an athleisure/streetwear staple on Instagram. The shirt itself has a stiff, almost formal aspect to it, but it’s also playful because of the sheer material and the delicate cuffs, like watercolor paper. The sneakers are a bit of a paradox as well—they’re the classic Air Max 97 silhouette but studded with Swarovski crystals. With the Swarovskis, you think excess, high fashion...but it’s a sneaker, it’s sportswear, which is much more utilitarian and lowbrow. Playing with what you’re putting together is important to me, just as I like to pick individual garments with that element of playful mismatch. It’s very much finding pleasure in both looks and pieces that contradict themselves, that take themselves less seriously.

That’s why the idea of a fashion uniform really bothers me. It’s too serious, too self-assured. A uniform says, “I’m cool and self-confident enough to wear the same thing all

the time—this is the look that people identify me with.” I’m attracted to fashion because it has the potential to be revolutionary, to probe at the establishment, and pick out the incongruities within the status quo. As for my own style, I’m not sure if I can ever find some static, finished idea of who I am—I’m even less sure that I will ever be comfortable with being there.

This idea of resistance, of the power of playful defiance is why I’m attracted to streetwear.

A lot of streetwear is considered aesthetically ugly by tradition. Like this shirt with a DHL logo that Vetements sells for $300—I mean, why the fuck would anyone buy this ugly-ass, bus-yellow DHL shirt for $300? It’s really easier to just dismiss this kind of price point and marketing as hype. “Late capitalism” is the buzzword these days. But I think a lot of streetwear (although not necessarily Vetements) boils down to the craftsmanship, that there’s something compelling and enticing about ugly silhouettes when crafted so beautifully. The make of a piece can be so compelling you simply have to incorporate into your wardrobe; the challenge then becomes how you style something “ugly” into a cohesive look. It’s a puzzle, to be sure—and how you solve captures something of your identity.

As for finding my identity in fashion—it’s been a guess-and-check process. I need to be drawn viscerally to what I’m seeing, or creating. Appreciating a look isn’t enough. I would elevate fashion to the artistic for that reason: It has intrinsic value, the same as in good visual art or music. It can be intellectual—form, context, history, whatever— but there’s still an undeniable desire.

Also a shortcut to having good style is dating sylish people. When you break up, you can at least steal their aesthetic... and make off with a grail piece or two as well.

—KATHERINE

“A shortcut to having good style is dating stylish people.”

Katherine is wearing a wool cap by Supreme, a cotton top by Helmut Lang, DIY distressed jeans, fishnet stockings, Air Max 97 LX Swarovski Crystals by Nike, and dagger earrings by Pamela Love.

THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

SPORTS IN-QUOTES... “He’s better than Steph Curry to me.” —Retired football player LaVar Ball, on his college athlete son, Lonzo Ball

All-Americans All Around

Upcoming Events at the Univer sit y of Chicago

SWIMMING & DIVING

BY EMMA GRIFFITHS SPORTS STAFF

The Maroons completed yet another successful season with the four-day 2017 NCA A Division III Championships in Shenandoah, TX, over spring break. The team finished 11th overall in the country in the men’s and the women’s.

The team finished with a remarkable 40 All-American performances and even broke seven school records.

The women had three individual competitors and the men had six individual competitors and one relay team.

Maya Scheidl, a fourth-year captain, fi nished 14th in the 100-yard freestyle while also breaking the school record with a time of 50.92. With that Honorable Mention All-American performance, the fourth-year achieved All-American status 16 times as an athlete of the college.

“It’s such a weird feeling, but it’s something I’ve been anticipating this whole year,” Scheidl said. “Going into senior year, it’s kind of surreal, last-fi rst time.

Even hitting last Monday, when we had our last practice in our pool, every single moment along the way had a moment of reflection. Finishing that last race was so surreal, it was almost like an out-of-body experience.”

Another fourth-year, Alison Wall, finished her very impressive athletic career at UChicago with Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 200-yard backstroke. Wall finished ninth in 2:00.17 to bring her All-American tally to 19 over her four years.

Fourth-year Cara LoPiano was also Honorable Mention All-American in the women’s 1,650-yard freestyle finals with

a 12th-place finish in 17:09.05.

Second-year Alexander Farrell finished seventh in the men’s 100-yard freestyle time, making him an All-American and setting a new school record of 44.58.

The new program record placed him seventh in the finals, clinching All-American honors.

The men’s team had two All-Americans in the 200-yard breaststroke who happened to be first-years. First-year Reona Yamaguchi set a new school record of 1:59.95, which brought him to eighth place overall. Lance Culjat was also an All-American, taking 15th place with a time of 2:02.70, right behind Yamaguchi.

Another first-year, Aaron Guo, became an All-American in the men’s 1,650yard freestyle fi nals with a fi nal time of 15:43.68, placing him 12th. In addition to this accomplishment, he was able to break two school records. He set a new 1,000-yard freestyle record with his split of 9:29.01 and ended up shattering the 1,650-yard record by 20 seconds.

The UChicago men’s 400-yard freestyle relay took 13th in a time of 3:01.31, making them All-Americans, as well.

The relay consisted of fourth-year Jonathan Simoneau, second-year Alexander Farrell, second-year Dalton Mitchell, and first-year Byrne Litschgi.

Litschgi also finished 21st in the 200yard backstroke with a time of 1:49.69.

Overall, the swim and dive teams showed very impressive performances with exciting futures ahead for many of the athletes. There is much anticipation for next season and the success that is to come.

Friday, March 31, 4:00pm

The Greek East and the Spiritual Franciscan View of History Brian FitzGerald (Harvard University)

Thursday April 6, 4:30pm

Religious Origins of Modern Science?

Peter Harrison (University of Queensland)

Friday, April 7, 12:00pm Lunch discussion for students on

The Cosmos and the Spiritual Quest Peter Harrison (University of Qeensland)

California Cruising MEN’S TENNIS

BY MICHAEL PERRY SPORTS EDITOR

The University of Chicago men’s tennis team had an eventful spring break, traveling to California and playing four different nationally ranked teams. While most students were relaxing or traveling, the No. 5 Maroon tennis team beat No. 37 Colby 9–0, No. 14 Tufts 9–0, No. 13 Williams 6–3, and lost to No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) 7–2.

The Maroons (12–2) won their first 18 matches of the trip by taking down Colby (5–2) on Monday and then Tufts (3–1) on Tuesday. Dominating Tufts is an impressive feat for UChicago and even head coach Jay Tee was impressed.

The next match did not go as well, however, as CMS stayed undefeated at 12–0 by handing the Maroons their second loss of the year.

“We’re taking the loss as a learning experience and hopefully we can use the lessons we learned in the match to help us later down the line,” said first-year Ninan Kumar, the No. 1 single and No. 5 double with first-year Erik Kerrigan.

Kumar and Kerrigan are just two of a number of first-years that serve roles on the team this year. Whenever a team has a number of first-years competing at the college level for the first time, there are

obvious and unavoidable growing pains.

“The biggest change for me at least was the adjustment to college academics combined with school,” Kumar said. “It’s much more difficult to be successful in both but I think I’m finally getting the hang of it.”

The doubles teams of fourth-year Max Hawkins and first-year Tyler Raclin and second-year Charlie Pei and third-year Bobby Bethke were the only Maroons to win their matches against CMS. However, the Maroons were able to bounce back the next day, taking down their third New England Small College Athletic Conference opponent of the trip in Williams (6–1). In handing Williams its first loss of the season, the Maroons won two of the three doubles points and four of the six singles points. Williams was the ninth nationally ranked team that UChicago has beaten already this year.

Kumar commented on using the trip as a learning experience, with the ultimate goal of winning the NCAA tournament: “While we had some pretty good results, we were disappointed by our singles result against CMS. However, it was good to have that experience now rather than during NCAAs. We’re determined to get better and be ready and we have the team to bounce back.”

The Maroons’ next game is April 9 at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Thursday, April 27, 7:00pm

Believing in Order to See Jean-Luc Marion (University of Chicago) Tuesdays, Spring Quarter weekly non-credit course on

Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ: The Priest and The Poet Paul Mankowski, SJ (LCI Scholar-in-Residence) for more information visit

WWW.LUMENCHRISTI.ORG

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MARCH 31, 2017

SPORTS IN-QUOTES... “How far is Altoona Pennsylvania from intercourse?” —Retired all-star outfielder Jose Canseco on Twitter

Bats Break Out Over Break BASEBALL

BY SIMONE STOVER SPORTS STAFF

While the rest of their classmates were off having a restful and relaxing spring break, UChicago’s baseball players were hard at work. The team traveled to Auburndale and Winter Haven, FL, where they participated in eight games over the course of a week. Their strong performances in these games will hopefully provide a solid foundation for the rest of the season as they look to continue their successes in the University of Wisconsin–Superior series this coming Saturday.

The Maroons kicked off the week with a bang on March 18 with a game against St. Olaf. The South Siders smashed the competition, earning a 10–2 victory. The next two games, which took place over the next two days, resulted in wins as well, with the Maroons emerging with 4–2 and 11–3 wins over Union and Carleton, respectively.

The next two games proved to be challenges for the Maroons, ones they did not

emerge from successfully. In their game against Dartmouth on March 21, the Maroons suffered a 19–11 loss. Two days later, they suffered another loss against Fontbonne with an 8–3 showing.

Despite the two rocky games, the Maroons managed to rally toward the end of the week to complete the remainder of their games on a high note. On March 24, the South Siders dominated D’Youville with a final score of 13–1. The following day, they achieved another extremely decisive victory against Keuka with a score of 10–1.

The South Siders finished up the week with a game against Southern Maine, which they won 9–5. While this game did not have as wide of a margin of victory as some of the others from throughout the week, it was indeed a solid win.

Overall, the Maroons seemed very pleased with their performances. “The offense had been rolling before we went on our spring trip, so the real difference for us was pitching and defense,” said second-year outfielder Connor Hickey, who

had standout performances in several of the games throughout the week. “We were able to put together all three parts and it showed in some big victories against quality opponents.”

Hickey’s teammate, Tim Sonnefeldt—a fourth-year infielder—had nothing but praise for his teammates.

“We played some good baseball over break,” he said. “Our guys love to compete and it showed this past week going 6–2 as a team.” With the additional six victories under their belt, the Maroons will look to continue their three-game winning streak this upcoming weekend in a series against UW–Superior. The Maroons will play two games against the Yellowjackets on Saturday before playing a final game on Sunday.

“Coming off the win over Southern Maine, it is important that we stay focused especially now that we are going to be playing in less than ideal weather,” Sonnefeldt said. “Wisconsin teams are always tough, and it would be huge for our team going forward to have sustained success.”

The outcome of the game should prove

to be an interesting one. The two teams have not played each other this season or in recent years, nor have they faced any common opponents this year or last year.

However, their respective records thus far seem to indicate that a win may be in the cards for the Maroons. While UW–Superior currently holds a 2–9 losing record, the Maroons have managed to garner an 8–4 winning record.

Going into the game, the primary emotion that seems to be pervading the team is one of enthusiasm and eagerness to get back out on the field.

“We’re excited to be back in Chicago and to be playing this Saturday.... It should be a cool experience,” said Hickey.

“We’re all ready and willing to get back to playing some games.”

The series against UW–Superior will take place this Saturday and Sunday, April 1 and 2. The two games on Saturday will take place at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. while the game on Sunday will take place at noon. All games will be hosted at the Curtis Granderson Stadium at UIC.

Maroons Start Season Strong SOFTBALL

BY NATALIE DEMURO SPORTS STAFF

The University of Chicago softball players opened their 2017 season over spring break, playing 11 games on their annual trip to Florida. The Maroons, who trained and competed in Clermont, FL, closed out the first week of play with a winning 7–4 record.

The squad returned to Chicago last weekend and was quickly back in action, taking on North Park University for a doubleheader on Wednesday. A strong offensive effort gave the Maroons two wins on the day, improving their overall record to 9–4.

In their first three matchups of the year, UChicago rolled past Anderson University, Benedictine University, and St. Olaf College, outscoring opponents 24–8. The squad then dropped two close games against UW–Oshkosh and No. 13 UW–Eau Claire before bouncing back for a four-game winning streak with victories over Fontbonne University, Buffalo State College, Clarkson University, and Hendrix College.

The Maroons came back from a 6–4 deficit in the bottom of the seventh against Fontbonne to force the teams into extra innings. With two outs and the bases loaded, second-year shortstop Colleen Bennett hit a single to center field, allowing first-year teammates Danielle Allen and Christie Ambrose to score. Second-year pitcher Jordyne Prussak threw three outs to hold off Fontbonne in the eighth, and a late single from fourth-year Anna Woolery sent second-year Serena Moss through for the win. UChicago easily knocked off Buffalo State and Clarkson, winning 10–1 and 9–1 respectively. The Maroons then took down Hendrix 3–2.

On its last day of spring-break play, the squad faced two tough tests in Tufts University and No. 24 MIT. In the first matchup, the Maroons and the Jumbos were tied 1–1 after a pair of runs in the second. Tufts came through in the top of the sixth with a double to go ahead 3–1. UChicago’s offense responded with a base hit in the seventh, but was ultimately unable to score.

In the game against undefeated MIT, the

Maroons scored in the first for a 1–0 lead, but the Engineers quickly came back to go up 3–1 before the end of the inning. UChicago then took a 4–3 lead in the third, but surrendered a run later in the inning. With the score tied 4–4 in the bottom of the fourth, MIT plated three runs to take back the lead.

UChicago loaded the based with no outs in the top of the sixth and looked ready to get back on top, but three groundouts ended its hopes. The game ended early, 13–5, after the Engineers scored six more runs in the sixth.

Prussak, who boasts 11 strikeouts and a 1.73 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched this season, said of the team’s trip to Florida, “Our spring break trip went really well. We had a couple of big wins and a few tough losses, but overall we were happy with the results.”

After a few practices back at home, UChicago traveled to North Park for a doubleheader. The Maroons started the day off on a high note with four runs in the top of the first.

The Vikings responded with a run later in the inning, but never gained the lead. UChicago plated six more runs for a 10–1 victory.

North Park took the early lead in the second game, scoring a run in the first inning. UChicago answered in the top of the third with two runs and repeated in the fifth to go up 4–1. The teams exchanged runs in the sixth for a final score of 6–3.

The Maroons return to competition this weekend for back-to-back doubleheaders. The squad first hosts Illinois Wesleyan University (9–4) on Saturday, with the first game set to begin at 1 p.m. Last season, Illinois Wesleyan took home wins in both games, outscoring UChicago 3–1 and 6–3. On Sunday, the Maroons travel to UW–Whitewater (10–4). In the 2016 matchup, UChicago and UW–Whitewater split the games, with UW–Whitewater winning the first, 4–2, and UChicago taking home the second, 6–4.

After 14 games away, the team is excited to compete in front of a home crowd.

“This weekend we are looking forward to having our first home games of the season,” Prussak said. “We can’t wait for the fans.”

Road Trip Troubles WOMEN’S TENNIS

BY MINNIE HORVATH SPORTS STAFF

During spring break, UChicago’s women’s tennis team traveled to Claremont, CA, to catch some rays and take on No. 12 Tufts and No. 2 Williams. The No. 6 Maroons fought hard and showed a lot of strength but ultimately lost both matchups 3–6.

Last Thursday the UChicago women played against Tufts. The undefeated Jumbos earned the edge in the beginning of the match, taking all three doubles points in close matches. In the singles matches, third-year Ariana Iranpour won at No. 1 and fi rst-year Alyssa Rudin won at No. 6 in three-set battles. Iran-

pour went down the fi rst set, won the second set easily, and pulled off the victory in an exciting third-set tiebreaker. Rudin easily won the fi rst and third sets to secure the win at No. 6. Second-year Rachel Kim edged out her opponent at No. 3 in straight sets. Kim showed great composure in a close fi rst-set tiebreaker and carried that momentum through to the second set. Although the Maroons won half of the singles matches, the doubles deficit was the deciding factor and the Jumbos came away with the 6–3 victory.

After a quick turnaround, UChicago played against Williams on Friday morning. Again, the Maroons found themselves behind after the doubles matches, but this time by only one point. The duo

of Kim and fi rst-year Marjorie Antohi snagged an 8–4 victory at No. 1 doubles to earn a point. The singles matches got off to a tough start, as the Ephs won all six fi rst sets. Antohi and Kim battled back to claim victories at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, but the Williams players claimed the other four points resulting in a 6–3 loss for the Maroons. This result is an improvement over the 5–0 loss from the Maroons’ last matchup against Williams that shows the progress that the team has made since the NCAA tournament last spring.

Despite the results of the matches, the Maroons have many positive things to take away from their trip. Rudin notes that the Maroons “really learned about

the importance of loud, positive energy when we are playing, as we played two teams that are both known for being very local and encouraging.” Although singles matches are individual efforts, “in bigger matches cheering for each other all the time and keeping it positive is key.”

The Maroons will undoubtedly bounce back at the Midwest Invitational on April 7–8 in Madison, WI. Although the weather is unlikely to be as nice as it was in California, UChicago is adapted to the harsh Midwest spring. They have been working hard on fitness and doubles since they returned from California, despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions.

They will be fully prepared for the competition they see next weekend.