ChicagoMaroon050316

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

MAY 3, 2016

Three Weeks After Divestment Resolution Passes, Voting Record Still Unclear YES

How CC’s Votes Changed

ABSTAIN NO

Eliminate BDS references?

-1

+1

NEW VOTE CHANGE +1

-1

-1

+1

Affirm Israel’s right to exist?

Adam Thorp

BY EMILY FEIGENBAUM SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Three weeks later, it is unclear how members of College Council (CC) voted on crucial issues in last month’s divestment vote.

Representatives’ votes on amendments disassociating the resolution from the international BDS movement and asserting Israel’s right to exist were not captured on the record during the April 12 debate. Two attempts to

BY SONIA SCHLESINGER DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Last Sunday, the President and First Lady reviewed design proposals for the Obama Presidential Center, which the Obama Foundation decided to place in Chicago last year. The Center is set for completion by 2020 or 2021. The Foundation is now deciding whether to build it in Jackson Park (just east of the University) or Washington Park (just west of the University). Michael Strautmanis is a Chicago native and Vice President of Civic Engagement for the Barack Obama Foundation. He worked for President Obama when he was a Senator and served as an aide to the president during his first term.

CHICAGO M AROON (CM): What role do you see the library playing in its neighborhood specifically and on the South Side more generally?

Michael Strautmanis (MS): The Obama Foundation really isn’t just about building a presidential center. It’s about inspiring and empowering our

community to come together and take on big challenges together. So we hope and expect in our planning to really hit the ground running in our community by listening to citizens, listening to our neighbors, learning about the challenges that they want to take on and finding ways that the President and his foundation will be able to inspire them to take on these challenges. We’re just getting started and our fi rst few steps is to do what I’ve been a part of, doing with and for the Obamas for several decades through their early days in Chicago and then in the White House, and now back in Chicago again and that’s to listen through the community and share. That does several things; that helps people understand that this is going to be consistent with the President and First Lady’s lifelong approach to change and to working in communities.

It will also have us really build authentic relationships, that’s always the fi rst step to creating a bottom-up approach, so rather than come in and decide what needs to happen, we are going to listen and we’re going to try to Continued on page 3

Down With the King

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The University announced in an e-mail on Friday that it will switch food service providers from Aramark to Bon Appétit for the 2016–17 school year. While many students welcomed the announce-

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 4

ment, several campus groups have raised concerns about employee retention and food quality.

In her e-mail, Vice President for Campus and Student Life Karen Warren Coleman said that Bon Appétit was chosen after the company’s officials demonstratContinued on page 2

E&R Clears CC Representative of Excessive Spending Charge on Snapchat Geofilter

BY SONIA SCHLESINGER DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Confusion over the geographical range of a candidate’s promotional Snapchat filter prompted a complaint to the Elections and Rules (E&R) Committee that was resolved yesterday night.

The E&R Committee met Monday night to discuss accusations against Michael Sitver, a Class of 2019 College Council candidate,

All Trains Lead to Second City e.t.c’s 40th Revue

Contributing to THE MA ROON

Page 9

If you want to get involved in THE M AROON in any way, please email apply@chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/apply.

Page 11 The Moose Party’s satirical campaign is more dangerous than it is funny.

BY PETE GRIEVE DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

for spending more than the limit of $100. Voting in this year’s SG election began today.

The anonymous complainant estimated that Sitver spent $1,820.70 on a Snapchat geofilter reading “I’m Voting Sitver to Fix Student Gov.” To estimate this price, the complainant calculated on Snapchat’s website that the geofilter would be active from 2 a.m. on May 2 to midnight on May 4 covering most

Continued on page 4

Bon Appétit to Replace Aramark as Dining Provider

BY CAIRO LEWIS

High Demand for Summer Breeze Tickets Crashes Server

Tickets for the Major Activities Board’s ( M AB) Summer Breeze concert went for sale online for the first time on Sunday at 5 p.m. By 5:05 p.m., the Logan Box Office server was down.

In a Facebook post at 5:05 p.m., MAB announced that the server crashed due to “high demand,” and promised to follow with an update. At 5:42 p.m., M A B sa id in another post that the Logan Box Office was closed through Monday, but that it would provide another update after it reopened. MAB Chair Ryder Scott attributed the problem to the Logan Box Office in an e-mail to T HE M AROON .

“Given our status as an RSO, we are bound by University policy to solely use the Logan Box Office for online sales.

As a professional full-service box office, the Logan Center should have been fully prepared for the sales. Leading up to the sale on May 1st, we made sure to check with the staff of the box office if the high volume of students looking to buy tickets would be an issue. The staff did not anticipate any complications or errors, and expected sales to run smoothly, with MAB members receiving sales updates every hour once sales began,” he said. “ T his was not the case.

Many students received an error message when they attempted to purchase tickets,” he added. “Since the box office is closed Sunday and Monday, we had no way of reaching out to the staff to address the error. The updates that were supposed to be sent did not come.

M A B did its best to address student concerns and tried to collect information from everyone who experienced an error.”

For several key votes during last month’s divestment debate, vote totals were recorded but the votes of individual representatives were not. THE MAROON’S attempt to poll representatives yielded different totals than what were reported the night of the vote, indicating that at least two representatives misreported their votes. At the top of the graphic above, an amendment eliminating references to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement was originally passed 8–7; if representatives voted as they reported to THE MAROON, it would have failed 7–8. For the vote below, which would have amended the resolution to affirm the right to self-determination of the Jewish people and the existence of the state of Israel, THE MAROON’S poll registered two fewer abstentions and one more vote for and against than on the night of the event.

Uncommon Interview: Michael Strautmanis

VOL. 127, ISSUE 44

No other theater could get away with stealing a Divvy bike for a single joke.

Lecturer Gets Fingers Sticky With Lemonade

Shorthanded Squad Supplies Strong Showing

Page 10

Page 12

“Beyoncé whitened herself in an attempt to be ‘palatable’... she critiques that in ‘Pretty Hurts’...”

The Maroons cruised into the Valparaiso Crusader Open... and marched out with a strong showing.

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 - MAY 3, 2016

UChicago Anonymous Complainant Estimated That George Sitver Spent $1,820.70 on Snapchat Geofilter, but Sitver Shared Receipts With E&R Showing Students That He Spent Only $56.98 Win National Consulting Competition Continued from front page

BY MAX MILLER MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

On April 15, at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s headquarters in Washington D.C., a team of four UChicago students won the Accenture Innovation Challenge, a national consulting competition. In the competition, student teams from more than 50 colleges brainstormed solutions to corporations’ real-world problems. This is the second time in the past four years that UChicago has won the competition.

Second-years Michal Dzitko, Patrick Su, and Carol Lee and first-year Laura Hu formed the winning team. They worked to create a strategy to assist one of Accenture’s partners, the WWF, in its attempt to cut back on food waste.

The team proposed a plan for grocery retailers and businesses to contribute their extra resources to a coalition dedicated to feeding the homeless. Retailers could serve a social good and substantially cut costs, the team argued, by using the communication and database platform they created, called Bullseye.

“Our idea of Bullseye was a website that included a data analytics platform to track and measure food waste that could also be used for grocery retailers to connect to nonprofit partners,” Lee said.

The team originally planned to propose a food truck to feed the homeless, but their adviser Ethel Yang advised against the idea. “She was extremely nice and helpful, though…. We were definitely lucky to have such a great adviser throughout the process,” Su said.

The team also struggled to balance academic responsibilities with their work for the competition. “The worst was probably during the second round, when we had to make substantial edits to our initial submission, and then address two more new requirements all during the weekend before winter fi nals,” Su said. “We were all exhausted, but powered through.”

The winners were offered summer internship positions at Accenture in 2017, as well as a networking dinner with Accenture employees. The team had received an automatic interview with Accenture for winning one round, and a donation made to WWF in their name for winning another round.

“I was defi nitely nervous about the outcome; each e-mail telling us that we had made it to the next round came as a surprise to me and my team. The final round consisted of other teams that were just as prepared and intelligent, and when they said that UChicago had won, I felt a sense of pride and astonishment,” Lee said.

of campus.

Sitver, who was present at the meeting, sent his receipts for the geofilter to the E&R Committee in response to the allegation. He had purchased filters to run from midnight on May 1 to 1 a.m. on May 4 to cover about half of Regenstein Library, one-third of Mansueto Library, Arley D. Cathey Dining Commons and Granville-Grossman Residential Commons. The price for coverage of these lo-

cations totaled $56.98. The committee voted unanimously that Sitver’s expenditures do not constitute overspending.

Following the decision, the Committee briefly discussed complaints from some fourthyear students who are not allowed to vote. The rule allowing only full-time students to vote affects students on extended status who are not taking classes. The registrar provides the list of eligible students to the Committee and these students do not appear on the list

because they are not registered for classes.

Chairman of the Committee, second-year Max Freedman, explained that it will not be possible to include these students in this year’s election but that the Committee hopes to work with students on the issue in the future.

Another E&R hearing is scheduled tomorrow to investigate an alleged violation of Article II Section 8 of the Election Code which pertains to compliance with local, state, and federal law.

While Many Students Welcomed the Announcement, Several Campus Groups Have Raised Concerns About Employee Retention and Food Quality Continued from front page

ed a commitment to creating a variety of healthy, high quality meals.

Aramark Vice President for Corporate Communications Karen Cutler responded to the change, saying that the company is proud of the services its employees have provided.

“Aramark very much values the contributions of our employees, and we are particularly proud of the service they have provided at UChicago throughout our successful partnership,” Cutler said.

“For almost three decades, Aramark has developed, implemented and continuously enhanced UChicago Dining’s residential, retail, and catering programs, resulting in increased customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and operational improvements.”

The Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 743, a union that represents clerical, maintenance, and dining workers on campus, also responded to the change. Since almost all on-site dining workers will be retained, Director of Field Services Cath-

arine Schutzius stated that the Teamsters’ first priority is to protect union members who currently work for Aramark.

“This [protection] requires that we see to it that the new contractor offers jobs to all of the members working for Aramark, honors the employees’ seniority with the prior employers, and accepts the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, which covers their wages and benefits,” she wrote in an e-mail to the Maroon.

Schutzius added that the local hopes to establish a good relationship with Bon Appétit, because the food service’s parent company, Compass Group, already has a contract with the Quadrangle Club. The contract is managed by Restaurant Associates, a large food service company that handles written agreements between corporations and dining institutions.

She said that the Local 743 represents the hourly employees who work at the Quadrangle Club and maintains a good relationship with Restaurant Associates.

“Our Local has a cordial working rela-

tionship with Restaurant Associates and expects that this will be the case with Bon Appétit,” she wrote.

Other groups, like the University’s Fight for Just Food Coalition, stated their dissatisfaction with the final decision.

Third-year member Natalie Naculich said that the group will continue its efforts to move towards self-operation and aiding South Side businesses.

“Bon Appétit is a subsidiary of Compass Group, which profits from serving food in prisons, so for us, this decision demonstrates the university’s continued complicity in mass incarceration,” Naculich said. “We’re continuing to push for UChicago Dining to transition to self-operation within three years, and to give 40 percent of the dining contract to local South Side businesses.”

Bon Appétit’s transition to the University begins on July 1.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of an article that was first published online on April 29.

Arianna Huffington’s Sleep Tour Comes to UChicago

BY HAOJIA LI MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

On April 28, Arianna Huffington spoke with Institute of Politics (IOP) director David Axelrod about her new book The Sleep Revolution at the Quadrangle Club to a crowd of about 70 students.

The co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post used to run a tight schedule on only four hours of sleep a night, but received a wake-up call nine years ago when she collapsed in her home and broke her cheekbone due to sleep deprivation.

Huffington wants to promote a culture shift around sleep. She believes that since the Industrial Revolution, people have focused less on getting enough sleep.

“The mythology of our culture is that we believe someone out there, most likely the Wall Street people, can get the job done on three or four hours’ sleep,” she said. “So they naturally think that it is okay to sleep less and feel tired.”

Apart from addressing misconceptions society holds about sleeping, Huffi ngton said she also included scientific data in the second half of her book to bolster her claim that our society has inaccurate perceptions about sleeping. Huffington clarified that, in contrast to what is popularly believed, our brains are not dormant when we are asleep. “Sleep is a time of frenetic activity in the brain,” Huffington said. “It is cleaning out the ‘garbage,’ so to speak.”

She said that the importance of sleep

Photo courtesy of University of Chicago Institute of Politics

Arianna Huffington discusses her new book The Sleep Revolution with IOP Director David Axelrod at the Quadrangle Club.

is now especially relevant. According to Huffington, more than 2,500 scientific sleep centers in the world have been built since the fi rst one was established in Stanford in 1970. These centers comprise research, clinical, and educational programs geared to advance the field of sleep research and medicine.

According to Huffi ngton, big companies are also noticing the issue of sleep deprivation and urging their employees to sleep more. Huffi ngton noted that Mark Bertolini, CEO of health care company Aetna, has given each of his employees a Fitbit wristband to track their sleep.

Employees receive a $25 bonus for every night they get seven or more hours of sleep. Making a similar effort, McKinsey & Co. has hired a sleep specialist who ensures that the executives do not overwork.

“The sleep revolution is happening,” Huffington said.

At the end of the discussion, Huffington gave the audience some advice on sleeping. She reiterated the importance of sleep rituals, a series of actions such as bathing, getting into pajamas, and reading a (paper) book, before going to bed. Huffi ngton especially stressed the importance of putting away technological devices when it is time to sleep. “It is crucial to not let your day life intrude [on] your sleep.”

Huffi ngton urged students to realize as soon as possible that sleep is more important than achievement. “No one says at a funeral ‘George was a great man; he increased the market share by onethird,’” she said. “Your eulogy is not your résumé.”

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

NEWS IN BRIEF Five Professors Elected To American Academy of Arts and Sciences F ive UChicago faculty members were recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The five professors— Joshua Frieman, Theaster Gates, A li Hortaçsu, David Nirenberg, and Michael Sells— are among 213 scholars, artists, philanthropists, and business leaders elected to the American Academy this year.

The American Academy, founded in 1780, is one of the nation’s oldest academic associations and independent policy research centers. The Academy runs studies, publications, and programs on many subjects while providing advice on policy to leaders in government and academia.

Frieman is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics in the College and a member of the theoretical astrophysics g roup at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Gates is the director of A rts + Public Life at the

Arts Incubator for UChicago, as well as a professor of visual arts. Hortaçscu is the Ralph and Mary Otis Isham Professor of Economics. Nirenberg is the Dean of the Division of the Social Sciences in the College and a professor of Medieval history and Middle East studies. Sells is a professor of Islamic History and Literature in the Divinity School and the Department of Comparative Literature.

In 2015, 12 new inductees to the American Academy came from UChicago, either as professors or alumni.

In 2014, there were 26 inductees with ties t o UC h icago, i nclud i ng th ree trustees.

The new class of American Academy members will be inducted on October 8 in a ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

University Plans To Sell 13 Properties, Funds Will Go to Teaching and Research The University plans to put 13 of its properties on the market in May, according to a News Office article. The list of properties includes 10 residential buildings, two vacant lots, and a retail property. The University said it will use money from the sales to fund teaching and research.

James Hennessy, associate vice president for commercial real estate operations, told the News Office that the University purchased these properties years ago to provide a sufficient quantity of housing for students, faculty, and staff near campus.

The University affirms that the real estate market in areas near campus is healthy enough that other investors will fi ll the University’s role.

“The real estate market in the areas surrounding campus is now strong enough to attract a number of potential investors and support a range of residential options,” Hennessy told the News Office.

The University said that residents’ leases in the affected buildings will be honored. The University added that it is working with residents and potential buyers to “ensure a smooth transition,” and that over the next few weeks, it will host town hall meetings, where residents can ask questions about the transition process.

The properties to be sold are at 1401 East Hyde Park Boulevard, 5107 South Blackstone Avenue, 5110 South Kenwood Avenue, 5345 South Harper Avenue, 5330 South Blackstone Avenue, 5455 South Blackstone Avenue, 5706–10 South Blackstone Avenue, 1321 East 57th Street, 1323 East 57th Street, 1327–33 East 57th Street, 1413 –15 East 57th Street, 1027–29 East 48th Street, and 5117 South Kenwood Avenue.

- Pete Grieve

- Annie Nazarro

New Creative Writing Fellowship Honors Blacklisted Screenwriter The Les River Fellowship for Young Novelists will award $5,500 to a graduating student in the creative writing program to fund the development of a published work of fiction, according to the grand-nephew of Hollywood screenwriter W. Leslie River, Ph.B. ’25.

River’s wife, Dorothy River, created the fellowship in order to continue the legacy of her husband, who was accused of association with Communism by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Leslie River persevered under the haze of Hollywood blacklisting, continuing to write under a false name.

The recipient of the award will be selected by faculty in the department on an annual basis, starting in 2017. Only UChicago students who are set to receive honors in the creative writing department will be considered.

- Max Miller

The Vice President of Civic Engagement for the Barack Obama Foundation Discusses Plans for the Presidential Library Continued from front page

make sure that as many voices as possible are around the table.

CM: Some have speculated that Washington Park is ahead of Jackson Park in the running for the library site. Can you confi rm this? Do you have any thoughts on what the location should be?

MS: We’ve had people who have offered the foundation advice based upon different areas of expertise that we’ve had and we’ve talked to a lot of people and we’re going to continue to talk some more. We want University of Chicago students and faculty to collaborate and work with us on programming and other areas. The foundation does not have any comment on either site except that that they’re vibrant sites in vibrant neighborhoods and have played a big role in the work of the President and First Lady and will be integral to future of their work. We look forward to being here and whichever site is chosen, it’s going to be just as great as the choice to build this center in Chicago and to build it on the South Side. Another point that is important is that whether we’re in Jackson Park or Washington Park, the other side will only be a few miles away and we know that it will be impacted by the work of the foundation and the creation of a presidential center so we know that both neighborhoods and the communities, both on the South Side and throughout Chicago, will be a part of this work no matter where it’s located.

CM: What is the foundation’s official relationship with the University and, specifically, how does the University fit into its plans for the Presidential Center?

MS: The University of Chicago is a very

important partner. They put together a fantastic bid, a successful bid. There are other critical partners both throughout the South Side of Chicago and throughout the city including other universities. We anticipate that there will be opportunities for students and faculty to work with us to collaborate so if there are students who have ideas about the kinds of things they’d like to see in and around the Presidential center, we encourage them to submit those so we are going to continue to partner with them and coordinate with the University of Chicago well into the future.

I would just want to be clear that the University is a partner; they’ve provided space for us and we’re working with and getting ideas from members of the faculty.

They’ve been a really terrific partner and we’re really grateful for their support, but you know these are early days; we’re just getting started. We moved into our office here in Hyde Park just a few weeks ago so I think the relationship with the University and other partners will continue to evolve, to grow, to develop in the future, though I can’t say specifically how right now.

CM: Critics of the library say that it will bring gentrification to the neighborhood.

Do you agree and, if so, do you think it is necessarily a negative effect?

MS: You know the President and the First Lady and so many members of their current team who have consulted them and worked with him in the past are of the South Side and come out of Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, and so much of what the President and the First Lady have accomplished really began just not far from where the Presidential Center is

going to be located. So we embrace that past, and we look to build on it for the future and it creates for us a tremendous sense of excitement and opportunity. The other thing that we know is that the community that we are working in and our neighbors here on the South Side of Chicago have both a tremendous set of assets but also a daunting set of issues that have been a part of what the President and First Lady have been working on during their time in the White House. We expect to continue that work and we hope to not only continue that work through the Presidential Center itself but to also be a catalyst to bring others in government, outside of government, in the community, in the social impact center, around the table to make real progress on the issues that our community will tell us and has told us they want to focus on.

This center will be built very close to where the First Lady was born and grew up and so close to where the President began his public service. And I know that they are very interested in making sure that young Michelle Obamas and young Barack Obamas, who are just like they were with big dreams and big ambition and lots of talent, but not necessarily any connection to power or influence or big money, have a chance to interact with the Presidential Center and to have the center have an impact on their possibilities or their abilities in their communities. That’s what civic engagement is all about: The President has said that when he leaves office he’s gonna step into the most important office of our democracy—and that’s the office of citizen—so we believe this is going to be more than just a Presidential Center. Their intention is to inspire people to come together to solve problems, solve

challenges, and how that happens is a process. That has to be a community driven, bottom-up process, so that is all to be determined in the future—the Presidential Center isn’t going to be opened at the earliest until 2021, so we’ll have time to work with the community to have a world class Presidential Center with an innovative forward looking foundation.

CM: Has the President himself given any specific input to the role he would like the foundation to play or the process of building the center?

MS: The President is very interested in the work of the foundation, as is the First Lady, so we have direction from him on our mission, and on the work ahead. He is full-time involved in the work of the presidency today; I think that’s obvious considering everything that he’s doing, so as he’s focused on that. It’s our role to do what I’ve always been a part of doing ever since I started working with them. You know, he wants us to be involved with the community, listening to the community, and he wants us to have an approach that prizes different voices and brings different voices into the conversation because that’s how you innovate, that’s how you come up with great ideas, and that’s how you make sure you have a community-based bottom up approach to the decisions that we’re making. So as he does his work in DC, it’s very important for us to do our work out in the streets, out in the community, in small meetings, in big meetings, and in one-on-one meetings, listening to folks about their ideas and what they would want to see both in the Presidential Center itself but also in the programming we’d be doing in the neighborhood.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

Barack Obama Graduate Student Finds Link Between Foundation Names Three Morning Math Classes and Increased New Board Members Performance

BY RYAN FLEISHMAN MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

On April 21, the Barack Obama Foundation announced three new members of the Board of Directors, who will help the foundation plan and build the Obama Presidential Library.

Robert Wolf, Michael Sacks, and John Rogers, Jr. have joined the foundation with the goal to promote opportunity, raise young leaders, and change Chicago for the better.

All three men are Chicago residents who have donated large amounts of money to the Foundation. Sacks leads the pack with a donation of $666,000. Rogers, Jr. is listed as donating between $200,000 and $500,000, and Wolf is listed between $100,000 and $250,000.

Robert Wolf is the former President and COO of UBS Investment Bank and Founder and

current CEO of 32 Advisors, a cross-border consulting company. Wolf served as a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness from 2011 to 2013 and has been on the President’s Export Council since 2013.

Michael Sacks is the Chairman and CEO of the Chicago-based GMC Grosvenor, an investment management firm with over $45 billion in investments. He helped fund the Greater Chatham Initiative, which promotes economic development in five South Side neighborhoods.

John Rogers, Jr. is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Ariel Capital Management, the United States’ largest mutual fi rm run by a minority, since 1983.

He served as a co-chair of the 2009 inauguration committee and board president of the Chicago Park District.

BY RENA SLAVIN NEWS STAFF

A study has found that students who took morning math classes were more likely to have higher math grade point averages (GPA) and standardized test scores compared to their peers who took a fternoon math classes.

Nolan G. Pope, a f i f thyear graduate student in the Department of Economics, analyzed the schedules, grades, and standardized test scores of 2 m i l l ion si x th th r ough 11th graders in the L os A ngeles Unified School District from 2003 to 2009.

T he d at a showe d t h at students who t ook math in the first two periods of their six-period day performed signif icantly better than those who took it in the last two periods. T he former g roup’s

average math GPA was 2.02, while the latter’s was 1.91.

The average California Standards Test (CST) score of the morning math students was a 309.76; the afternoon students’ average was a 304.49.

Pope’s research also found that students who took morning English classes had, on average, higher English GPAs than those who had English in the afternoon. However, the study found no link between morning English classes and improved standardized test scores.

He poses several potential explanations for what he refers to as “the time-of-day effect ”, including decreased student learning ability, declining quality of instruction, and lower student attendance in the afternoon. Pope hopes his findings will lead to future research on some of these

possibilities.

“I’d like to be able to parse out a little bit on whether [the time-of-day effect] is happening because of the students or if it’s happening because of the teachers, and if breaks throughout the day can help,” Pope said.

Pope a lso mentions the implications his findings can have on education policy.

“Students’ schedules can b e r e a r r a n ge d t o i mpr ove overall learning; there’s an ability to move some classes from the afternoon to the mor n i ng a nd s ome cl asses from the morning to the afternoon and have this overall improvement of students’ test scores and GPA and therefore, potentially their underlying learning as well,” Pope said.

Repolls by CC and THE MAROON Yielded Different Responses Than the Totals From the Amendment Votes as Recorded in CC’s Meeting Minutes Continued from front page

re-poll members of CC over the last two weeks yielded different numbers than the totals from that night, indicating that at least one representative misreported votes.

The U of C Divest resolution called upon the University to divest its funds from companies supporters of the resolution said are complicit in Israeli human rights abuses in Palestine. The resolution passed 8–4–3 at the April 12 CC meeting. The votes on the two amendments offered during the debate were counted by hand, instead of the virtual program Poll Everywhere that CC sometimes uses to tally votes. Because of this, the votes of individual members on those amendments were not recorded.

According to CC Chair Eric Holmberg, votes are conducted and recorded using Poll Everywhere when he is able to prepare the vote beforehand. Because the two amendments were proposed during the course of the meeting, a poll had not been prepared on Poll Everywhere ahead of time, and Holmberg chose to conduct a hand vote to save time.

During the meeting following

the vote, second-year representative Calvin Cottrell argued that the names of representatives should be attached to their votes on the two substantive amendments. First-year representative Qudsiyyah Shariyf proposed a motion during the meeting to create a virtual poll for CC members to recast their votes, in the same way as the week prior, and the numbers would be added to the meeting minutes on the condition that the results matched.

The next morning, Holmberg sent out a poll to the SG-CC listhost for a vote recount. The results of the ex post facto poll did not match the original numbers.

Holmberg confirmed that the poll results will not be released, and said the discrepancy will not undo the passage of the resolution or affect the number of votes the amendments is recorded as having received.

“The vote counts from this poll did not match the vote counts from the April 12 meeting. No matter what, the votes made on the 12th would all remain the same. Nevertheless, transparency is of the utmost importance, so I am working with representatives

on our course of action. We have been following the procedure set out by the entire Council as a whole, and we need to continue to do so moving forward,” Holmberg explained in an e-mail to THE M AROON. “The next step is for individual students to ask each of their representatives how they voted on the substantive amendments and why.

CC members have already misrepresented original votes, so people should be following up with every member to see how they voted,” Cottrell said.

Over the last four days T HE M A ROON reached out to every representative that participated in those amendment votes in an attempt to replicate that unreleased poll. In THE M AROON’s poll each representative’s self-reported vote once again added up to then a different total than the actual vote the night of the divestment debate.

In response to THE M AROON ’s poll, five representatives—Cottrell, Viola, second-year Preethi Raju, fourth-year Mark Sands, and first-year George Kitsios— said they voted for the amendment that would have affirmed

the right of Jewish self-determi- ed that they opposed the second nation and the existence of the amendment; Bhattacharya, Cotstate of Israel—one more vote for trell, Raju, Shen, Viola, Sands, the amendment than during the and Rapp said they supported it.

During the process of voting, debate. Seven representatives— first-years Megha Bhattacharya, several candidates asked to exShariyf, Salma Elkhaoudi; third- plain their votes to THE M AROON. years Stephanie Greene and The reasoning behind their deciPeggy Xu; and fourth-year Clark sion can be found online at chicagHalpern—said they voted against omaroon.com/2016/05/03/votes. the amendment, one more than “I don’t know why the represenactually did so. Five representa- tatives failed to follow the procetives abstained during the actual dure they established as a group. vote, but only three reported that I am not a voting member and am they did so: second-year Cosmo therefore not involved in this sitAlbrecht, third-year Katherine uation,” Holmberg said.

Shen, and fourth-year Holly Rapp.

Article II Section 11 of the The reported votes on the General Assembly Bylaw reads, amendment eliminating referenc- “Any and all minutes must reflect es to the larger BDS movement how each Assembly member voted from the resolution actually re- in any and all votes taken, and all versed the results from the night Assembly members must be listed of the debate. Seven represen- by name.” tatives said they supported the “Since we voted by hand, peoamendment and eight said they ple’s names were not associated opposed it, though the represen- with votes. This brings up huge tatives originally voted eight to transparency issues from a Colseven to apply the amendment lege Council that has already (the resolution did not pass with shown difficulty with being open the amendment, and the un- and accessible,” Cottrell wrote in amended version of the resolution an email. eventually passed). Elkhaoudi, Kitsios, Shariyf, Albrecht, Meng, Additional reporting by Adam Xu, Greene and Halpern report- Thorp.

“While we don’t know the complete circumstances of the crash, it appears that students were charged multiple times because they attempted multiple purchases upon seeing the error message” Continued from front page

In comments on the first Facebook post, students reported that they received error messages and were charged multiple times for tickets. “ While we don’t know the complete circumstances of the crash, it appears that students

were charged multiple times because they attempted multiple purchases upon seeing the error message,” Scott said.

In the second post, M A B provided a link to a Google Form asking students who were charged to report the number of tickets they purchased and

the number of times they were charged. The post stated that M AB will work with the Logan Box Office to ensure that students receive their tickets and are charged the correct amount.

Scott said that anyone who was charged in error will be

reimbursed, but he did not respond to a request for comment on whether all students who were charged will get tickets to the concert. Yesterday at 5:21 p.m., one Facebook commenter shared what he said was a response from MAB: “We should know around 6 p.m. today if

orders placed between 5 and 6 were processed.” MAB did not release a follow-up clarifying this situation.

A c cord i ng t o a n ea rl ier post, more tickets will be available today in-person at noon at the UChicago Arts Box Office in the Logan Center.

THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

STUDENT HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD (SHAB) Do you want an opportunity to influence student health on campus? Are you interested in working on a team that is focused on enhancing mental health, health promotion and wellness and clinic services on campus? This is your opportunity to provide input to members of the senior leadership team at Student Health & Counseling Services about our health and wellness services and the University of Chicago’s Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP)?

Join the Student Health Advisory Board!

We are currently accepting applications for the Student Health Advisory Board for the 2016-2017 academic year. You can apply by going to the SHCS website under the Student Health Advisory Board tab: https://studenthealth.uchicago.edu.

Deadline to apply is May 12, 2016.

The Student Health Advisory Board (SHAB) is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, Deans of Students, campus partners, and SHCS Leadership.

SHAB Members: x Assist in the implementation of SHCS strategic plan. x Play a key role in collecting student feedback. x

Influence the ongoing development of our programs and services.

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

VIEWPOINTS Letter to the Editor: GSU Responds to Arguments Against Graduate Student Unionization We are writing as the organizing committee of the graduate employee union Graduate Students United (AFT/AAUP), which currently has over 700 members across all the divisions of the University. A small but very vocal group of administrators has recently been scheduling closeddoor meetings and town halls and writing emails and op-eds to sow doubts about the benefits of graduate students unionizing.

The reason why the administration is engaged in this coordinated, centralized anti-union campaign is because they are scared. They are scared for two reasons: 1) when graduate students bring our collective power to bear, we effect change; and the National Labor Relations Board may soon overturn the Brown decision from 2004, which would give private university graduate students legal collective bargaining rights; 2) graduate employee unions win better pay, benefits, and working conditions from administrations that would rather not have to fork out for them.

Consider two recently ratified contracts bargained for by graduate students, one from a private university (NYU) and one from a public university (University of Connecticut). The NYU contract, ratified in April 2015, includes a 2.25–2.5 percent yearly increase in stipends until 2019; the UConn contract, also ratified in April of 2015, includes three percent yearly stipend increases, with additional promotional increases of 5.2 percent after achieving Masters status and 11.2 percent after achieving Ph.D. candidacy.

(It is worth noting here that NYU won even bigger gains in compensation with their first contract from 2002, with a 38 percent increase in the stipend minimum.

Gains in first contracts are often

very substantial.) In their most recent contract, NYU also won a $15 an hour minimum wage for other jobs on campus, with yearly increases up to $20 an hour in 2019. All graduate students at NYU will have dental insurance.

At UConn, the childcare fund was doubled; NYU established a childcare fund, which will be increased every year, and a healthcare fund for dependents, to be increased yearly as well. Healthcare has significantly improved for graduate students at both universities. Many previously standard fees at NYU are now being waived, including any fees or tuition for any required training or coursework for appointments, including ESL language training. At UConn, the General University Fee (the equivalent of our Student Life Fee) is being progressively phased out through credits to students, to the tune of nearly $900 per year by Fall 2017.

The takeaway is simple: Just as with any other group of workers in any other sector of the economy, when graduate students organize and build collective power, forcing their institutions to listen to them, they win better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

In doing so, they make their institutions more democratic, which we believe strengthens them. The University of Chicago claims to value democratic governance; they just aren’t willing to grant democratic representation to the graduate students who do so much of the teaching, research, and other work that keeps this university running every day.

The administration’s anti-union case boils down to this: “you don’t need a say in your wages, your benefits, or your working conditions because we already take such good care of you, and we really have your best

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interests at heart. Oh, and don’t forget you’ll have to pay dues!”

They are constantly mentioning what they provide for us in terms of financial support. They fail to mention, however, that the healthcare deductible increased this year from $200 to $500 for innetwork providers and from $500 to $1000 for out-of-network providers. Then there is the Student Life Fee (SLF), which has doubled since 2008, and is currently $363 per quarter, or $1,089 a year; and another $286 if students want access to student health and counseling services over the summer.

And if you’re late paying your SLF? You’re fined $100—a rate of usury that the credit card companies could only dream of. They fail to mention the increasing cost of rent in Hyde Park (and Chicago generally), which has been rising by an average of around 12 percent a year in recent years, a situation that will only be exacerbated by the fact that the University has recently sold a significant percentage of its graduate student housing. This is the equivalent of our compensation decreasing by roughly $3000 annually. In addition to all of this, the University has an arbitrary cap of 19.5 hours for graduate students working other jobs on campus, and they have just recently begun including our teaching hours in this calculation (without telling us why they are doing so). This significantly hinders graduate students in their attempts to supplement an already inadequate income, especially international students who cannot work off campus.

This is why graduate student unions are important, and why collective action (with or without a union) is important. Dean Merchant (he fails to mention his administrative position as deputy dean of the Humanities) writes that “Collective action doesn’t have to happen in the context of a union. Any group of students concerned about an issue can organize an e-mail campaign, hold a teach-in, write editorials, hold a protest, or even go to the dean’s office hours, to advocate for a desired change.” We know—we’ve been doing all of these things for the last nine years, and without formal union recognition. But in the same breath he wants to say that GSU has had no effect at all, that we’re claiming as victories things that were all coming from the beneficence and hard work of administrators. (He even makes the absurd, and offensive, imputation that GSU is being sexist in claiming as victories the work of women administrators like Cathy Cohen, Deborah Nelson, and Sian Beilock. Currently, a significant part of our organizing committee is composed of women and queer-identified people, and around half of us are people of color—we’ll compare those numbers with the administration’s any day. And, unlike the administration, our organizing committee is open to anyone.)

“It does a great disservice,” Merchant writes, contradicting past public statements, “to the hard work of the faculty and staff women and men who actually conceived of and implemented these changes, including making difficult budget choices to pay for them, for the GSU to claim that it was somehow involved. It wasn’t.”

Well, let’s look at the history.

In 2008 the University accepted the recommendations of a Graduate Teaching Committee, raising wages for TAs, lecturers, and other graduate student teachers. The committee was formed as a result of grad student organizing (prompted by the initial exclusion of then-current students from the Graduate Aid Initiative) and included GSU members. The committee’s recommendations followed a series of direct actions by GSU related to inadequate funding and teaching pay.

In 2010 the University instituted a freeze on increases in Advanced Residency (AR) tuition. This came after a year and a half of direct action by GSU on the issue, which has advocated for the abolition of AR tuition altogether, and the recommendations of the Advanced Residency and Time to Degree Committee composed of faculty and students.

In 2013 the University initiated need-based childcare grants for graduate students. This followed a series of direct actions

by GSU in a more than two-year campaign for affordable childcare.

(Note that we acknowledged the work of administrators Lizanne Phalen, Brooke Noonan, Beth Niestat, and Deborah Nelson.)

The University consistently acknowledges their consultation with the Student Parent Group without acknowledging the fact that it is led by GSU members who openly identified themselves as working with GSU throughout their communications with administrators. GSU also worked closely with student parents to get lactation spaces on campus.

In December 2015, the University announced raises in teaching wages and in stipends.

This followed after a series of direct actions by GSU on rising fees, healthcare costs, work hour limitations, and inadequate compensation. Through a year and a half of townhalls, rallies, and at several meetings with various administrators, GSU members consistently emphasized our inadequate wages and the rising costs of graduate life. It also followed after the overwhelming vote by the non-tenure track faculty to unionize with the Service Employees International Union.

Merchant says: “ These claims are not accurate, and in part confuse temporal coincidence with causality and advocacy with agency.” But given the fact that these changes have always followed after the direct action campaigns of GSU, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that there is a causal relationship.

And often, the administration is claiming complete credit for actions that were taken in direct consultation with GSU members and other students.

The administration is putting out boilerplate anti-union rhetoric. We know that the major anti-union law firm Cozen O’Connor (the same firm hired

by Northwestern University to fight the efforts of their football team to form a union) is on the University payroll. How much are they being paid and for what?

Until they prove otherwise by being transparent and disclosing documents, we assume that the anti-union rhetoric being peddled by the administration is coming from this outside, third-party law firm. They claim to be neutral on the issue of unionization and to be committed to “rigorous dialogue” about it. This stance of neutrality and commitment to open dialogue is belied by the fact that they have refused a request to post GSU’s FAQ next to their own on the University website, and also refused a request to inform graduate students whether or not Cozen O’Connor was involved in writing the administration’s FAQ. Their strategy is to pose as the neutral arbiters of information, while sowing doubts.

To be clear, our struggle is with the administration, not with faculty, a great number of which support our right to unionize. The faculty’s advocacy chapter of the American Association of University Professors published a letter in February in support of GSU, which currently has well over 100 signatures. Another piece of the administration’s boilerplate rhetoric is to say that unionizing will hurt relationships with faculty.

But empirical studies have consistently shown this to be false.

The simple truth here is that unless we fight the administration on the issues that concern us, and force them to listen to us, they will try to preserve the status quo. The University is in a budget and credit crisis, and is responding in the standard fashion: a regime of austerity that squeezes employees at the bottom, including graduate employees. The question of unionization is in actuality quite simple: do we want to unite together to force the administration to listen to us and to bargain with us about the issues that concern us as employees of this institution and members of this community? For GSU, the answer is also quite simple: yes. That is why we have been engaged in collective action for the last nine years, and why we will continue to be in the future. *Cui bono? To the benefit of us all, not just the benefit of a few administrators (they’re doing just fine). As Frederick Douglass said: “Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will.”

—The Organizing Committee of Graduate Students United

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

Letter to the Editor: College Council Representative Xu Speaks Out Against China Divestment Proposal During the College Council meeting on April 26, three students presented a resolution that called on College Council to press for University divestment from China, a country that has committed various human rights violations in its decades-long occupation of Tibet.

Taken together with the proposal directly preceding it, which called on Blue Chips to divest from the 10 companies listed in the BDS divestment resolution, these new resolutions can be reasonably interpreted as an attempt by some students to make a point about the purview and consistency of College Council decisions, particularly following our passage of the BDS divestment resolution.

I will begin by saying that I have profound respect for students who take the time to raise important issues in the form of proposals and presentations before College Council. As the representatives of our respective classes, it is our duty and privilege to speak with our peers and classmates about topics that matter to them. It is our obligation to make sure that these topics are brought to bear at College Council meetings, and it is our responsibility to discuss these topics—inside and outside of our weekly meetings—with diligence, seriousness, and our utmost respect.

The resolutions that were brought before us that night, however, were transparent in what they wanted to

achieve. Frequent references were made to the importance of maintaining College Council’s “consistency,� and the presentation advocating for divestment from China, resembling almost exactly in form the presentation that advocated for the BDS divestment resolution a few weeks before, has been framed as a way of “testing� whether our passage of the BDS resolution was indeed a commitment to human rights or in fact an instance of anti-Semitism.

I think it is absolutely important that College Council maintain consistency in its decisions and actively condemn any and all forms of anti-Semitism. I wholeheartedly understand that there is still deep hurt and disagreement over College Council’s passage of the BDS resolution. The proposals that were presented to us last night, however—and in particular the one that called for divestment from China—I found childish, disrespectful, and deeply offensive.

To be clear, I have no illusions about China’s complicity in human rights abuses, historically and in the present day. My grandfather was imprisoned and made to kneel on glass during the Cultural Revolution. Many of my greataunts and great-uncles died of starvation under that regime. It is not, by any means, an easy subject for anyone in my family to talk about. China has committed—and continues to commit— Continued on page 9

Letter to the Editor: College Council Candidate Explains China Divestment Resolution Student Government listens to the student body’s concerns. As declared in its mission statement, it exists “to further the interests and promote the welfare� of the University’s students.

If any student feels deeply about a certain issue that impacts campus, they have the right to be heard and taken seriously. The creators of the China Divestment Proposal are concerned we are not being shared this right. Like the members of U of C Divest, who made their divestment case to College Council two weeks ago, we carefully researched the topic, uncovered prev iously identified human rights abusers, and discerned that the amassed human rights abuses committed by the Chinese government and Chinese Stateowned companies should not go unaddressed. Unfortunately, our concern for the Tibetan people and Chinese political prisoners was undercut by certain doubting representatives.

But let us be clear: our concern is genuine. Above all, we do not appreciate the insinuation that this is a mere political ploy that belittles the suffering of those subject to human rights violations.

When College Council votes to divest from one small subset of the vast range of human rights violators in the world, it only makes sense that it divest from the entire set. Consid-

ering China has been home to some of the most egregious human rights abuses in the world over the past century, it makes sense to begin there.

The occupation of Tibet, spoken so passionately about in the previous meeting by Tamar Gordis, a fellow presenter who lived in Dharamsala (home to many exiled or escaped Tibetans), is only a single piece of the problem.

Organ ha r vesting from Falun Gong adherents, as well as suffocating restrictions on freedom of speech and other basic human rights, are a daily reality for the Chinese people.

T he Un i v e r s it y h a s a l r e ady closed down its Confucius Institute due to its becoming, essentially, a propaganda machine for the Chinese government. T he University has recognized the human rights abuses propagated by the Chinese government in the past and should show a willingness to take further action. It is understandable to vote for or against this resolution based on whether or not they believe the University should divest from huma n r ights abusers, but not for petty stances. One College Council representative stated that this was a logical outgrowth of previous votes, and I believe that statement rings true here.

Continued on page 9

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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

Down With the King The Moose Party’s Satirical Campaign Is More Dangerous than it Is Funny On a campus that has recently seen sexual assaults reported at both Delta Upsilon (DU) and Psi Upsilon (Psi U), a racist email scandal at Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), and a professor stepping down amid sexual misconduct allegations (alongside on-going federal Title IX investigations), the Moose Party— the satirical executive slate made entirely of DU brothers—and its platform is more than offensive.

The joke is tired, not just after 21 years of unsuccessful candidacies, but because there is no longer anything funny about a frat brother dressing as a king and claiming the University as his kingdom. Fraternities have enjoyed an imbalanced proportion of power on campuses across the country for as long as they have existed, and they have proven to be hugely dangerous to women, queer, and trans people and exclusionary to non-white men. As the wholesome image of the frat brother has cracked to show that the fraternity is ultimately built on an image, lifestyle, and even an aesthetic that glorifies the worst aspects of white masculinity, the role of the Moose Party is simply grossly inappropriate.

The Moose Party’s Facebook page features pictures of slate members shot-gunning beers on the roof of their house. A video on the same Facebook page shows them playfully tossing someone into Botany Pond—“a visual example of capital punishment,” presumably part of their platform. These are hardly jokes when so many people have been hurt by frats and their abil-

ity to seemingly “live above the law.”

The University distances itself from their wrongdoing by claiming they aren’t on-campus RSOs and thereby assuming no responsibility in governing fraternities. Instead, they are left to police themselves. But we are not convinced they can or will. The glorification of the frat aesthetic is no longer funny because we know where it has gotten us.

Never mind the Moose Party’s derision for the role of student government—perhaps we do take ourselves too seriously here—and its attempts at humorous policies. That the members of a frat would answer “no comment” to questions about sexual assault and diversity on this campus is disrespectful and irresponsible. If DU truly doesn’t care about the campus climate it’s contributing to, then it can continue to drunkenly bluster its way through student government elections, reaffi rming everyone’s suspicion that it couldn’t care less about the damage it does. But if DU has any sense of decency, it will stop its “satirical” campaigns. Frats aren’t solely to blame for sexual assaults or lack of inclusivity on this campus, but they do have a unique ability to help tackle these issues from the inside. The fact that DU and its Moose Party give this up in favor of crass jokes and shirtless, beer-chugging pictures proves how far they (and we) have to go.

Kayleigh Voss is a fourth-year in the College majoring in English and an editor of the Viewpoints section.

Rep Xu: China divestment proposal appropriates the suffering of Tibetans for politcal ends Continued from page 8

human rights violations in its occupation of Tibet, and I have no misgivings about divesting from companies that are complicit in this occupation. What I do find morally reprehensible, however, is the willingness of these students to minimize this issue into a political ploy, presumably designed to “catch” College Council in some form of moral inconsistency. The fact that no proposal concerning China’s human rights violations was ever raised (by these students or others) prior to the BDS resolution, that the students who presented both divestment resolutions are opposed to divestment in the fi rst place, and that the China resolution was explicitly presented as a way for College Council to “show the student body what it’s all about” speaks volumes about the political motivations behind these students’ proposals. The violence and discrimination endured by Tibetans under Chinese occupation—and endured by any oppressed group, for that matter—is not a political instrument that students can use to prove some point about their disagreement with a College Council decision. The occupation of Tibet is an issue that exists separately from the BDS controversy, and one that deserves students who have a real stake in its resolution. Proposing divestment from China as a way of making a point

about College Council or the BDS resolution does nothing but belittle Tibetan suffering. It does nothing but express a deep disrespect for a human rights issue that should be considered on its own. If students would like to air their disagreements with College Council about a particular issue, by all means, they should speak to representatives or come present them to us at our next meeting. But they should not appropriate the suffering of another oppressed group to serve their own political ends.

If I do vote to divest from China at the College Council meeting on May 2, it will be because I condemn the human rights violations that have been committed in Tibet and advocate for a university that invests its money in socially responsible ways. It will not be because I believe these proposals are a good political instrument for demonstrating my “moral consistency” as a College Council representative. That kind of reasoning would be anathema not only to the Tibetans currently living under occupation, but also to marginalized groups across the globe, whose experiences deserve much more than the political cooptation they have thus far received.

—Peggy Xu, third-year student and Class of 2017 College Council Representative

Wei Yi Ow

Soltys: China divestment is not a “test” for College Council Continued from page 8

T he other attacks put forward against this proposal do not hold any merit. The claim that this resolution is merely symbolic confuses us. When I went to College Council office hours the week before the previous divestment vote, several proBDS council members told me that even though they knew the Board of Trustees would veto it, the BDS resolution was worth voting for as a symbolic measure. And since it was clear to anyone on Council that the chances of the Board agreeing to the resolution were near zero, the argument that our resolution is simply a “symbolic” act ignores the BDS resolution’s original intent.

The idea that this is a method of “testing” Council is incorrect on two counts. First, it assumes that our presentation was somehow a “copy” of the BDS resolution as a way to experiment, and second, it assumes that the concerns about anti-Semitism on campus have been in any way assuaged. While the accusations made against both the Israeli and Chinese governments are similar, any resemblance in our presentation to the BDS resolution is an attempt to get our resolution passed. The BDS movement was successful, and we hope to emulate it in that respect. As

for the latter claim, it is important to note that the reason the voting record for the amendment to recognize Israel’s right to exist isn’t public is because certain Council members are concerned their reelection platforms do not match their record. In short, they’re hiding. They’re scared of the backlash of voting against Jew ish sel f-determination ahead of an upcoming election because it would cripple their chances of winning. If you would like to represent others while holding opinions privately, perhaps you should only act on those opinions outside of public office.

If you took a poll at the end of last quarter and asked whether College Council should be deliberating on foreign affairs, there would be little support for such action. However, if we, as a student body, have decided to divest from human rights abusers, then that sentiment must be extended to all transgressors. I believe this is not something Council can pick and choose on. To recognize the suffering of one group and ignore another is inconsistent and morally wrong.

—Paul Soltys, first-year student in the College and candidate for Class of 2019 College Council Representative

10

THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

ARTS Lecturer Gets Fingers Sticky With Lemonade

BY HANNAH EDGAR ARTS EDITOR

In a twist of fate, Dr. Jennifer Richardson, associate professor of gender/women’s studies at Western Michigan University, picked both the best and worst possible date for a lecture.

Her talk, “Beyoncé in Formation: Activism or Exploitation?” was scheduled for April 25 in Ida Noyes, just two days after Beyoncé unexpectedly released her cinematic tour de force, Lemonade, on HBO and Tidal.

So, when Richardson took to the lectern before a small crowd gathered at the Cloister Club, the first thing she asked was: “Has everybody recovered from Lemonade?”

Laughter.

“No? That’s the right answer.”

After all, as Richardson noted, Lemonade is a lot to parse. There’s marital strife, religious invocations, spoken word art, and the same potent, unabashed affirmations of blackness that coursed through “Formation.”

Even the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner make an appearance, faces set like granite sentries and clutching portraits of their slain sons. Two hours of lecture, Q&A, and small round-table discussions only barely managed to scratch the visual album’s surface.

In some ways, Lemonade has convoluted rather than clarified the Beyoncé enigma, offering plenty for Richardson to dissect.

Why release “Formation” in February, a full two and a half months before the rest of the album? If the Super Bowl was a factor, how much of her decision was influenced by activism, and how much by commoditization?

In her talk, co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture (CSRPC), Richardson speculated that Beyoncé’s seemingly sudden “evolution”

InStyle

Dr. Jennifer Richardson lectured on Beyoncé’s tilt toward pop-as-politics, particularly in her latest album, Lemonade.

from pop artist to political clarion call may have to do with intra-industry pressures.

“Beyoncé whitened herself in an attempt to be ‘palatable’ by a culture that needed her to be that [way], and she’s aware of that: she critiques that in ‘Pretty Hurts,’ she critiques that in Lemonade,” Richardson said. “So now she’s that like, ‘Fooled you; I got here!’—now she can be ‘blackity-black.’ But she had to do that first, because there’s no way she could jump right on the screen and be that way.”

Though the lecture was billed as an analysis of Beyoncé through the lens of “Formation,” Richardson made little mention of the single, instead zeroing in on Lemonade. She apologized for her stream-of-consciousness discourse; she’d had to rush to gather her thoughts. If anything, however, this portion

of Richardson’s lecture was her most compelling, setting notes, slides, and abstractions aside for a moment to probe the symbology of the visual album and acknowledge its emotional wallop.

“All of this is so real and honest and human—so black and so femme. It’s wonderful to see something that represents aspects of my life in ways I never thought possible,” Richardson said.

That being said, she admitted she was still trying to “swallow this lemonade,” especially the idealism of Beyoncé’s forgiveness and calls to “get in formation.”

“From here, I don’t know, exactly, what the analysis is—of healing, of black men and boys murdered, of black women’s common experiences,” she said. “[It says,] ‘We were

oppressed, but now we’re powerful, we can come together and do all these things.’ But then we have to spin gold out of all this hurt and nothingness, and make lemonade from these lemons?…Things are still sticky.”

Of course, given how famously mum Beyoncé tends to be, she probably won’t come out and clarify her position on Lemonade any time soon; her recent Elle interview was characteristically tight-lipped, with about as much emphasis on her new clothing line as on “Formation.”

Richardson isn’t holding her breath, either. “I think we’re seeing Beyoncé as an evolution. Whether she’s branding, marketing, or whether it’s authentic, there has been this evolution. And we’ll never get an answer to that unless we ask Beyoncé.”

54th Annual FOTA Springs Into Art

BY REBECCA JULIE ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR

“Anyone can approach art however they want,” said third-year Sammie Spector, vice president of events for Festival of the A rts ( FOTA). “ That means making it or trying their hand at making it, even if they’ve never done it before.”

T his year’s 54th annual F O TA launch party embodied its mission of making art “very casual and inclusive.”

On Friday night, student bands filled Hutch Courtyard with music as partygoers experimented with speed-painting, dressed up at a costume photo booth, and participated in an interactive poetry station, where students were welcome to take a poem and then leave their own for others to enjoy. The event also featured a fashion show showcasing the work of student designers.

The launch party marked the start of FOTA’s annual week-long SpringFest. Highlights include a cabaret night at Logan (complete with student music and dance performances) as well as a discussion with student artists at Logan Café. The week concludes this Friday at the Promontory, where a celebration of student-made music will give students the opportunity to enjoy art off campus as well.

FOTA’s goal is to expose students to all forms of art regardless of their prior experience with the art world. “We try to get everybody involved in making art

Rebecca Julie

Festival of the Arts’s SpringFest kicked off last Friday night at an event featuring speed painting and an interactive poetry station.

or just appreciate something new. [For example,] whether they like painting or ballet, they also get to see fashion,” Spector said.

FOTA also seeks to help student artists fulfill their goals. This year, more than 60 students are displaying art-

work around campus, from the Harper stairwells to the Reg. Much of their work commemorates the closing of the satellite dorms.

“We give student artists the funding they need, the marketing they need , a nd the suppor t they need ,

whether they’re a visual arts major or just hobbying,” Spector said. “And then they can put their art all over campus wherever it is meaningful. The idea is for campus to get an idea of how much art there is out there, especially by the student body.”

11

THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

From Saved to Savior: Jimmy Santiago Baca Gives Back Through Poetry

BY MAY HUANG ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR

Last Wednesday, poet Jimmy Santiago Baca delivered the Latinx Heritage Series Keynote Lecture, as part of an event organized by El Movimento Estiduantil Chican@ de Aztlan (MEChA) de UChicago and sponsored by the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture.

Illiterate until age 21, Baca spent fi ve years in prison, during which he discovered something that would change the course of his life: poetry. Baca credits poetry for “literally” saving his life, for the books that he had tied around his waist served as his armor when an inmate who attacked him stabbed a thick volume of English poetry instead of flesh.

T he st or y of B ac a a s a c onvict-turned-poet suggests that he has “made it.” However, Baca insisted that he does not understand what “making it” means, saying that he does not take himself seriously, nor does he feel the need for external validation.

“I don’t need to legitimize myself,” he said. “I turned all the tenures down;

I also turned down money from philanthropist organizations.” He was also perplexed by how institutions tried to co-opt him. He chuckled, for example, at the fact that there is a whole room at Stanford University named after him.

Similarly, he found it absurd that the university wanted to buy the letters that he had written to other poets.

“I had my truck fi lled with [these] letters,” Baca said, “and I was going to take them to the dump!”

Many think Baca made a mistake in turning his back on the various institutions that have tried to employ him, but Baca refuses to be part of a system that he says effectively requires him to ignore the community he came from.

“If you walk into a system that excludes half of the men and women in this country,” he said, “your check is going to say, ‘We’re going to pay you this much money if you ignore these people.’” Baca defies these institutions while recognizing his inability to single-handedly take down the inequality they represent.

“The one thing I can do today,” he declared, “is say ‘fuck you’ to the system.”

Such a comment aptly ref lects the way Baca makes his own choices regard-

less of how others judge him. For example, he defended the fact that he does not go to writers’ conferences or prioritize writing above everything else in his life, an attitude that other writers consider heretical.

“I want to be a good parent,” he told the audience. “Is that some big, major surprise?”

Despite not taking himself too seriously, Baca values the consequences of his contributions to the community. He talked about being offered an honorary Ph.D. in his home state and sharing the stage with a man who was honored for discovering a planet. (“I’m on stage with a dude who discovered a planet!” Baca exclaimed, seemingly still in disbelief.)

But his incredulousness was replaced by another kind of shock, he said, the moment his name was announced and all the people he had taught to read and write in the audience gave him a standing ovation, fi lling the whole basketball arena with noise.

“I just started crying,” Baca said.

“I had discovered a planet for them. It was the literary planet; they were able to name their universe. It was a new discovery for them.”

Now, Baca continues to expand this universe for those similar to him by giving ex-convicts a second chance and supporting the Chican@ community. He has built a retreat house exclusively for ex-convicts and founded Cedar Tree, a nonprofit organization that organizes writing workshops for ex-cons and offers them internships. His upcoming projects include memoirs and biographies of Chicanos, a community whose voices are underrepresented in the literary sphere. “ Those are the kind of people we need to teach to read and write,” he said about these communities. “[We need to teach these] wild horses, so they won’t be slaughtered and killed.”

During his talk, Baca described what it means for him to be a successful poet.

“Being a successful poet means you make a lot of enemies, means you say a lot of wrong things, but [at the] end of the day, you go to sleep,” he said.

Yet Baca is more than a good poet or good parent. In his poem, “Immigrants in Our Own Land,” Baca writes, “We are born with dreams in our hearts, / looking for better days ahead.” Through his poetry, he aims to help others make those dreams and better days a reality.

All Trains Lead to Second City e.t.c’s 40th Revue

BY RYAN FLEISHMAN MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

I came into Second City’s e.t.c. Theater with reservations. Where’s the goddamn entrance? Obviously, I figured it out. But I still worried that the show would be pigeonholed, either by the meme-baiting mainstream humor of murderous presidential candidates or overly partisan political drivel. While not unfounded, my doubts quickly disappeared: A Red Line Runs Through It, Second City e.t.c.’s 40th Revue, was a smashing success.

Second City is king, queen, and prime minister when it comes to live sketch comedy, and A Red Line Runs Through It reminds us why. No other theater could get away with stealing a Divvy bike for a single joke. The set was well crafted and the overhead lights of subway trains made for an intriguing idea, but props like the bike took the revue above and beyond. Moreover, performers brought in a poster or sign for each sketch and left them scattered across the stage, stockpiling lessons learned along the way.

What truly convinced me of Second City’s excellence was the cast. Standouts Scott Morehead and Lisa Beasley channeled their experiences from past revues: the differences in expertise between cast members were quickly apparent. Morehead showed a gift for physical comedy and splendid range, effortlessly switching from goofy news reporter to psychologically traumatized quizbowl star. Beasley’s performance was unparalleled on stage, delivering a strikingly sincere song about the struggles of being a new mother.

New cast members were no slouches, either. Despite some rough edges, Peter Kim and Julie Marchiano in particular showed a unique talent that foreshadows continued success on stage.

Oh, Second City and its politics. I like to keep my political and character-driven humor separate, like different food groups on a plate. But the cast executed political comedy better than I expected, leaving me too busy laughing to nitpick ideologies. Jokes and insults hit both parties with equal vitriol, from blustery Bernie impressions to “The Make America American Again America political action committee” Super PAC. Some parts lost themselves to preaching and partisanship, namely when performers literally placed Elizabeth Warren on a pedestal.

Second City

The cast of Second City e.t.c.’s newest show, A Red Line Runs Through It, includes veteran comedians Scott Morehead and Lisa Beasley.

These were exceptions, however, in a show dedicated to unmasking the corruption and flaws of both parties.

My other fear was of obvious humor, by which I mean the easy opinions that every schmuck with a Facebook account recites on the daily. Surprise is essential to comedy.

There is nothing surprising about Zodiac Killer jokes or Hamilton references. When the cast broke into rap about the current political candidates, I feared the worst. “Oh, God,” I thought. “It’s a cop-out. They’ve copied the Facebook meme pages.” Sure enough, the sketch was well done and entertaining but not really funny. There’s no enjoying a joke if you already know the punch line.

But for the most part, A Red Line Runs Through It is a hilarious show, tackling a range of political and social problems without losing its humor. The strong material is backed by a great set and a talented cast. It’s not flawless: a speck of originality, a dash of organization, an extra shake of clever presentation would all help. But only a speck.

AA Red Line Runs Through It runs through November 20. 1616 North Wells Street. $28–48. Check Second City’s website for showtimes and ticket information.

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12

THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 3, 2016

SPORTS IN-QUOTES... “The main reason I’m endorsing him: I have played his golf course and stayed in his hotel.”

-Football coaching legend Lou Holtz endorsing Republican frontrunner Donald Trump on Monday

Pitching Powers Pair of Victories SOFTBALL

BY ALEC MILLER SPORTS STAFF

The UChicago Softball team only managed to score two runs in both games of its double header against Wheaton, but that was all it would need, as the Maroons held the Thunder scoreless in a total of 15 innings. The excitement of the squad regarding the wins is palpable. “We played fantastic defense to keep them off the board and most importantly, took advantage of our chances to score. It was a fantastic sweep for us to get, and we played some of our best softball to get the wins,” fourth-year Jordan Poole said.

Pitching was certainly on display for the Maroons as Poole was able to complete her second no-hitter of the season. Wheaton’s arms were on point as well, however, as the Maroons were held scoreless through seven innings, until the top of the eighth, where first-year outfielder Serena Moss was able to deliver with an RBI single.

Poole was able to secure the win in the bottom of the eighth, which was similar to her win over Hope College this year in which she took down the Flying Dutchmen in eight innings on April 21. Classmate Devan Parkison praised the defense for its recent play: “During our past few outings, and especially our sweep over Wheaton, our pitchers and catchers have been so incredibly strong. Jordan and Mol-

ly’s ability to keep teams to a low number of hits and runs is a solid foundation that is important to our team wins,” she said.

In the second half of the double header, the South Siders faced off against the same pitcher from the first game, fourth-year Katie Thornton. Although Thornton’s success could be relatively intimidating, second-year Molly Moran stepped up to the task of holding the Thunder to zero runs for another seven innings. She improved her record to 8–3 on the year and leads the team in ERA at 1.55.

Parkison noted the significance of the low scoring game. “We really relied on clutch and timely hitting against a good pitcher like Katie Thornton,” she said. “We knew going into the game that it wasn’t going to be a blow out on either end, so pushing a couple runs, or one, in this case, was really important.”

The offense was propelled by firstyears as classmates Colleen Bennett and Carly Schulz teamed up to score the winning run in the fi fth inning. Moran was then able to stay focused and finish the game, sending the Thunder home scoreless.

Coming up this week, the squad faces No. 12 Illinois Wesleyan in its first double-header against a ranked opponent this year. The Spartans are 27–7, but early this year, they split with UW–Whitewater, just as the Maroons did. The games start on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Facing this formidable foe, Chicago

University of Chicago Athletics Department

Third-year Anna Woolery bats in a game against Wheaton College last year.

is staying focused on what it can control.

“Something that Coach Kmak has talked a lot about is everyone on the team staying within themselves and not trying to do too much,” Parkison said. “Each one of us has something big to contribute.“ Poole, on the other hand, emphasizes the squad’s positive mentality going forward. “After sweeping Wheaton, it’s even more clear that we have a really spe-

cial team that can hang with (and beat) any team on any given day,” she said.

Just the next day, the South Siders ta ke on Elmhu rst i n a S en ior D ay dou ble -he ader. T he M a r o on s w i l l honor fou r fou r th-yea r s th at have played an integ ral role in the success of the Chicago softball prog ram: K athleen Kohm, K ristin L op ez , Pa rk i s on a nd Jor d a n Po ole .

Shorthanded Squad Supplies Strong Showing TRACK & FIELD

University of Chicago Athletics Department

Fourth-year Jacob Romeo runs in a race during the UChicago Ted Haydon Invite last season.

BY OLA OBI & MICHAEL CHEIKEN SPORTS STAFF

W hen the M a r o ons traveled t o Valparaiso University in Indiana for the Crusader Open on Saturday, they were not greeted with the sunny skies and warm weather they had desired.

Rather, the downpour was of Biblical proportions, befitting the story of Noah more than any else. Nevertheless, the fearless Chicago squad set forth to the track in Valparaiso and fought

through the rain and wind. Despite not sending the full squad, the Maroon men and women were able to take third and fourth place, respectively.

The women’s trip was highlighted by second-year Megan Verner-Crist’s br i l liant 15 0 0 -meter r un. She f inished the race in a blistering 4:35.43, putting her in 26th position nationally. Not far behind the v ictor was fellow second-year Cassidy McPherson, who posted 4:50.39 on her way t o the th i rd place. T he on ly other

Maroon podium finish came from another second-yea r, Viv ian Ba rclay.

Her long jump of 5.15 meters ga rnered her third place in the event.

The remainder of the Maroons’ 66 points came from a slew of finishes just shy of the podium. Fourth-year Maya Lewinsohn took fourth in the 5K in just one second over 19 minutes, and first-year Anastasia Bernat took the same position in the 40 0m-hurdles.

Likewise, f irst-year Grace Penders took fourth in the triple jump with a 10.3m hop, skip, and jump. Rounding out the slew of fourth-place finishes was Olivia Cattau. The second-year took that placement in both the high jump (1.30m) and the javelin throw (30.60m). Cattau wasn’t done there, and she went on to take fifth place in the 100-meter hurdles. The other scorers for the Maroon women were second-year Angel Fluet (fifth in the pole vault), f irst-year Mer isa M iddlestadt (f ifth place in the discus), and fourth-year Theo Kassebaum (seventh place in the 100-meter hurdles).

Fourth-year runner Alisha Ho summarized the meet: “I’m very proud of all my teammates,” she said. “With the rain and wind there were some very tough conditions out there, and a lot of our runners performed really well.

We are excited to take these finishes and improve upon them in our meet two weeks from now at North Central.”

On the men’s side, the South Siders managed to top the women’s score for the first time in this outdoor and field track season. Three Maroons—fourthyears Michael Bennett and Ryan Manzuk and second-year Cristen Bublitz—

took first in the pole vault, 400-meter hurdles, and javelin, respectively. The results from Bennett shouldn’t be surprising, as the fourth-year’s terrific career includes a National Championship, and three UA A Champion honors.

But Bennett remains focused on the team’s success. “ I feel like the team showed g reat resi l ience th is weekend r un n i ng i n the ra i n ,” he said. “ The higher finish, even against some DI competition, shows our mental toughness at this point in the season.”

T he squad was able to round out its per formance w ith several other t r ips t o t he p o d iu m . S e c ond-ye a r Peter K reuch came in second on the 5,0 0 0 -meter, while classmate Jacob Amiri took third in the 1,50 0 -meter to round out the long distance scores.

S econd-yea r C on nor T u rkatte contributed a third-place f inish in the 10 0 -meter with a time of 11.32 seconds, as well as three points to the team score for his sixth-place finish in the 20 0 -meter dash. F inally, the UA A Outdoor Men’s Most Outstanding F ield Performer, third-year A ndrew Maneval, was able to continue h is suc cess, f i n ish i ng th i rd i n the d i s c u s a nd f i f t h i n t he shot put .

With the Valparaiso Crusader Open wrapped up, the Maroons will have this weekend off before they compete again in two weeks at the North Central College Dr. Keeler Invite, their second to last meet before the NCA A Division III Outdoor Championships that will be held later this month. The Maroons are the team to watch, as the women look to continue their dominant performances and the men start to hit their stride.