APRIL 21, 2017
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
South Siders Talk Community Benefits Agreement BY ALEX WARD SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
South Side community members gathered at a town hall meeting Tuesday to discuss plans for a set of Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) for the construction of the Obama Presidential Library. South Side residents and legal advocates have been working towards three CBAs for just under a year, since the announcement that the library would be built on a strip of land in Jackson Park. The selected site is across South Stony Island Avenue from Hyde Park Academy High School, where the meeting took place. A CBA is an agreement between residents and a developer, under
which the developer is obligated to take specific actions to improve or preserve the residents’ wellbeing in exchange for their support of the developer’s project. Meeting attendees are seeking three separate CBAs with the Obama Presidential Library, the city of Chicago, and the University of Chicago, respectively. According to the UChicago News website, “The University will support the Foundation and the City’s efforts in community engagement, planning and development, individual and institutional collaborations, and programming.” At the meeting, coalition representative Naomi Davis highlighted the different areas the group hopes to prioritize in the CBAs, including job development, protection of
current residents’ ability to stay in the neighborhoods surrounding the library, partnership between the library and local schools, and environmental sustainability goals, including replacement of the 21 acres of park land that the library will eliminate. Davis led the audience in reciting several phrases, including “Community benefits are negotiated, not declared” and “We’re not going”. The meeting was hosted by the Obama Library South Side Community Benefits Agreement Coalition, which is made up of four South Side organizations: Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP), Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO), Continued on page 3
Shortfall & Budget Increases + $2,800 (+.5%) PCC* + $7,042 (+3%) Academic Teams
VOL. 128, ISSUE 40
Eliminated Programs –$31,214 (–100%) Uncommon Fund
+ $7,272 (+1%) Annual Allocations + $20,000 (+9%) Grad Council
–$33,000 (–100%) New York Times Readership + $195,000 shortfall
NOTE: Shortfall & budget increases are not meant to
–$8,400 (–100%) CRSO Admin Support (UCSC)
be equivalent to the scale of
–$160,000 (–100%) Student
budget savings from eliminated
Organization Support (CLI)
programs.
53rd Street Apartment Building Approved BY GREG ROSS NEWS STAFF
The Chicago Plan Commission approved a new residential building proposed for 1600 E. 53rd Street yesterday. The project will consist of a 295-foot-tall, 250-unit apartment tower atop a podium with ground-floor retail and 173 parking spaces. Designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by Mac Properties, the glassy tower will rise 28
stories above the northwest corner of East 53rd and S. Cornell Avenue. The site is currently a parking lot. The project was given the green light despite opposition from community members. On April 13, about 40 community members attended a meeting to voice concerns about parking, density, and rising rents, according to the Hyde Park Herald. “It’s a major change for the community,” said Robin Kaufman (A.B.’65), a Hyde Park resident of 56 years. She added that city offi-
cials and Mac did not seek enough community input on the project. “There were no hearings to find out what the community wanted. The [April 13] meeting was only to present their plan, not to listen to community members.” In addition to populating the area with more residents, the development will add 10,000 square feet of retail space to 53rd Street. “It will stretch the 53rd Street retail corridor from Woodlawn Avenue all the way to Hyde Park BouContinued on page 3
Program Coordinating Council (PCC) funds WHPK, Fire Escape,
SG’s BUDGET SHUFFLE
MAB, UT, and COUP. The Coalition of Academic Teams funds College Bowl, Debate Society, Mock Trial Team, Model UN, Chess Team, and, beginning this year, Moot Court. SG’s Finance Committee funds a variety of other RSOs through its Annual Allocations process.
Left: Use of one-time only roll-over funding in the 2016-2017 budget allowed SG leadership to increase funding for almost every line item. This year, those funds were not available, and the University administration did not step in to make up the difference. Right: The proposed budget, which will be voted on by General Assembly Monday, eliminates funding for print and online subscriptions to The New York Times and the Uncommon Fund, as well as for support for two administrative offices that support student organizations. Continue to check THE
#TALKING
TRUMP t100 Days xt for the #firs Finding Conte
MAROON’s website for further reporting on the issue. (ADAM THORP)
Pre-Registration Uncovered: Registrar Talks Course Selection BY CAMILLE KIRSCH SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 5:30pm Join faculty experts from @UChicagoSocialScience for a panel discussion exploring the #first100 days of the @realDonaldTrump presidency. Social Sciences Research Building, Room 122 1126 E. 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637 PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION
#TalkingTrump #100days socialsciences.uchicago.edu/talkingtrump100
Student Fights Nazism Through Anonymous Art Page 2 Undergraduate street artist ZØ uses Hyde Park as their canvas.
In just over a month, it will be decision time again: pre-registration week. During the eighth week of each quarter, students in the College use an online system to bid for courses they hope to take the following quarter. Many students say they find the process frustrating and unclear. “It’s not awful, but it’s a little confusing,” said Rose Pierce, a
Taking the Next Step...or Else
Underdog Bulls Look to Upset
Page 5
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CPS’s new graduation requirements reflect an outof-touch administration.
The Chicago Bulls have a 2-0 series lead over the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics. Two more Chicago wins would cause one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.
Dragons, Roses, and Books on 57th Street Page 7 Translators gather in 57th Street Books to commemorate Saint Jordi’s Day.
first-year in the College. Confused students often turn to their advisers and to each other for pre-registration tips. As a result, strategies to game the system abound, but it’s often unclear what does and doesn’t work. To clear up the myths surrounding pre-registration, T HE MAROON reached out to University Registrar Scott Campbell. Myth: Upperclassmen always have first priority for classes. Continued on page 3
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