THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 | VOL. 129, ISSUE 1
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS THE CORE
GOWN
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Getting You Up-To-Date p. 3
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Campus Dining & Campus Cafes
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The University in the Age of Trump p. 5
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Campus Arts
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Moments in University History p. 6
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Intramural Sports
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Who’s Who: Student Government and Administration p. 7
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Varsity Athletics & Athletics History
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Recreational Activities & Spiritual Life
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Non-Academic Institutions p. 27
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Greek Life & Activism p. 29
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Resources
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Tips from Fourth-Years
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The Maroon: A User’s Guide
TOWN ■ ■ ■ ■
The University and the South Side p. 9 Hyde Park: A Walking Tour p. 10 Getting Around Chicago & Arts in the City p. 14 Chicago Sports & City To-Do List p. 15
p. 17 p. 19 p. 23 p. 24 p. 25
p. 30 p. 31 p. 32
Editors’ Note Class of 2021, Welcome to the beginning. To pinching yourself, still. To the first glimpse of Chicago’s skyscrapers, impossibly huge, burrowing up defiantly from the flat earth. To driving by street signs reading “University of Chicago” with an arrow, and, despite yourself, feeling chills all over again. To the campus streets teeming with cars, moving bins, and families’ fretful hums. To the feeling of a million “what-ifs” running through your mind—What if I’m the dumb kid now? What if I don’t like my house? What if my roommate silently judges my dorm-room decor? Silently judges ME? Welcome to Orientation Week. To widened eyes meeting widened eyes, then darting away. To sharing a 12x12 room with a stranger. To teary goodbyes at Hull Gate, and empty promises to call often. To an interminable Aims of Education address you’ll probably never remember. To new friends—met emerging from Rockefeller into the crisp autumn air—that you will. Welcome to class. To wandering the quad trying to find Gates-Blake. To being assigned more reading in one day than you ever thought possible. To being intimidated into shy silence in your first Hum class. To attending office hours with your professor that balloon from half an hour to 75 minutes. To not being so shy in Hum anymore. Welcome to the next four years. To late-night conversations in the house lounge, pajamas on but no one sleeping soon. To even later nights in the Reg, working hard with friends but laughing harder. To the disorienting realization that, without even noticing, you’ve begun to use the word “home” to describe two different places. But that neither are incorrect. Welcome to the University of Chicago. Welcome home. Sincerely, Hannah Edgar Deputy Editor-in-Chief Cover by Amelia Frank, Class of 2020
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
THE CORE
Grace Hauck
Getting You Up-to-Date: Ongoing Campus News Unionization Student unionization movements and organizers pushed for what they claimed would give working students a stronger voice in negotiation with the University. In response, the administration argued unions would impede relations between faculty or administration and the students. Part-time library workers voted this June to be represented by the Student Library Employee Union (SLEU). The University has requested a review of the vote, arguing that the 41 percent turnout rate was too low for it to be representative. Graduate Students United (GSU), which has organized on behalf of University graduate students since 2007, also filed to represent graduate students working as teaching or research assistants as a union. The request for a vote was delayed after the University contested graduate students’ eligibility for unionization in protracted hearings this May, arguing their relationship with the University is primarily as students, rather than as workers with a right to form a union. The regional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) director ruled in favor of GSU and although the University has requested a review of the decision, an in-person vote is currently scheduled for October 17–18. The delay until fall has drawn accusations from student organizers that the administration is stalling until President Donald Trump appoints new, less union-friendly members to the NLRB. Obama Library In 2016, the Barack Obama Foundation selected Jackson Park as the site of the future Obama Presidential Center, which includes the presidential library. The Center, envisioned as a “presidential center for citizenship,” has sparked concern from the surrounding community. According to the Obama Foundation, the Center could add over $200 million to the local economy and create 2,200 jobs in the area, as well as acting as a community center. Community organizations have been pushing for a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA)
to limit potential consequences of gentrification, including the University-based Prayer and Action Collective. So far the Foundation has declined to sign a CBA, which would legally require the Center to take certain actions, including after-school programs and partnerships with local businesses, to ensure community members see the benefit of the Center. Campus Climate
The University took steps to address campus climate issues last year, continuing its response to a 2014 petition calling on the University to address racial intolerance on campus. Its Diversity Advisory Council issued a report with a series of recommendations, proposing to double the number of underrepresented faculty members by 2026 and creating senior faculty diversity leaders in each department. In November 2016, the University also released the findings of the newest Campus Climate survey. Those results, further updated in April 2017 to include findings on religious diversity, showed a gap in perceptions of racism and other identity issues. Twenty percent of respondents reported finding the overall campus climate racist, 21 percent sexist, 6 percent homophobic, 10 percent religiously intolerant, and 14 percent found the campus unwilling to accommodate people with disabilities. For each category, individuals more at risk reported more negative perceptions of campus climate. This summer, THE MAROON received a recovered administration document outlining early ideas for a plan to increase diversity and inclusion on campus. Possibilities include the creation of an “Ivy-Plus program” with other elite universities to prepare more members of underrepresented groups for faculty programs at these schools, and adding more diversity to options for Core classes. Free Speech Dean of Students in the College John “Jay” Ellison made national news last year when he sent a letter to incoming first-years informing them that the University does not support
“trigger warnings” or “safe spaces.” The letter was one of several free expression–related controversies in recent years. The University has taken a different stance on these issues than its peer institutions. Administrators have repeatedly emphasized that the University will defend the rights of anyone invited to speak on campus, and have created a disciplinary system to respond to disruptive conduct, often citing a 2016 protest at which then–Cook County State Attorney Anita Alvarez left the Institute of Politics after 20 minutes due to protesters. The 2015 Stone Report, written by law school professor Geoffrey Stone, reaffirmed the University’s commitment to free speech as one of its fundamental principles, and has been cited in several state laws. The University plans to invite the presidents and provosts of every U.S. college and university to an October conference that it will host on free expression. In March, the Committee on University Discipline for Disruptive Conduct (CUDDC) released its initial recommendations to change UChicago’s policies on protests and other acts that the University holds to impede the free speech of others. Commonly known as the Picker Report, after CUDDC Chair and Law School professor Randy Picker, the document recommends that the University create a central disciplinary system dedicated to handling actions that disrupt classes, speaking events, or other University functions involving controversial speech. The report also recommends that the new disciplinary system consider any of an accused individual’s past disruptive actions in making its decisions, and that the University take steps to expand its definitions of and penalties for disruptive action to properly handle individuals unaffiliated with the school. A revised version of the report was published on the website of the Office of the Provost on June 2, adding more specific recommendations for educational programming regarding free speech at UChicago, including “Dedicated time during new student orientation programs for introducing and discussing free expression and the concept of the free speech commons at UChicago.” The report
also suggests that all RSOs “may be required to identify a free expression point-of-contact in their organization” who would undergo extra training, review the RSO’s events for potential free speech issues, and consult with University staff. Housing
In April 2015, the administration announced the closure of five dorms after the 2015–16 school year. These dorms, known as satellite dorms, were mostly older, located further from campus, and smaller than those that have been built in recent years. Students from the houses in these dorms moved into the new Campus North Residential Commons at the start of the 2016–17 school year, and the names of the houses were changed. The decision led to protests from residents and alumni of the houses, who feared the move would weaken house culture and house traditions. The University, which aims to significantly increase the number of students in on-campus housing, argued that proximity to campus and the resident dean model (which some of the smaller dorms lacked) were central to the decision. In July, the University announced that some students will be housed in the Vue53 apartment building on 53rd Street this year, where each student apartment will feature two bedrooms and two private bathrooms at the same rate of other apartments in the University housing system. The University has plans for the construction of a dorm south of the Midway as well. In May, Vice President for Civic Engagement and External Affairs Derek Douglas announced the tentative location for a residence hall at 61st Street and Dorchester Avenue. This may be part of a larger trend of University development south of the Midway—in an interview with THE MAROON earlier this year, Zimmer said that he expects to see “a lot” of development between 61st Street and the Midway. —Michael Lynch and Sonia Schlesinger
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
The University in the Age of Trump In the early hours of November 9, 2016, nearly 300 students gathered on the quad. There they let forth a collective “primal scream,” then lit a Trump banner on fire to the tune of rapper YG’s song “Fuck Donald Trump.” It was, according to one of the event’s participants, a “cathartic” response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States. Eventually the flames died down, but in the days and months that followed, campus responses to the election multiplied quickly. Students planned walkouts and protests, while professors published op-eds and statements. A professor left his sabbatical early to teach a winter quarter course on the American presidency. Sean Spicer spoke at Ida Noyes two weeks before the inauguration, but not before a student was called into the dean of students’s office for vowing to “projectile vomit” on Trump’s incoming press secretary. In the eight months since the election, Trump-era policies and politics have had significant effects on campus, eliciting responses from the administration and other campus groups. January Executive Order on Immigration Two days after Trump issued an executive order banning entry to the U.S. from seven Muslim majority countries for 90 days, University president Robert J. Zimmer sent out a campus-wide response in support of international students, faculty and staff. Such restrictions, he argued, “damage the University’s capacity to fulfill its highest aspirations in research, education, and impact.” On February 13, after the ban was temporarily blocked in court, the University jointly fi led an amicus brief with 16 other universities, claiming that the executive order impeded universities’ abilities to “educate future leaders from nearly every continent.” Zimmer and Provost Daniel Diermeier also sent Trump a letter emphasizing the importance of allowing immigrants into the country. The University fi led an updated brief with 30 other schools in early April. The ban elicited responses from students and professors as well. More than 120 faculty members, including four Nobel laureates, signed a petition deeming the executive order “inhumane” and “un-American.” College Council (CC), the undergraduate Student Government body, passed a resolution before Trump’s term began, recommending the creation of a sanctuary campus—that is, one that would prohibit immigration enforcement officials from entering campus without a warrant. (The University is avoiding the term “sanctuary.”) In March, CC passed an “emergency fund” resolution, prioritizing immigration-related applications for receipt of the fund. The executive order proved particularly consequential for the University’s Oriental Institute, which carries out projects across the Middle East, and hosts archaeologists from around the world. Director Gil Stein told T HE M AROON in February that the order was “a disaster for [the Oriental Institute’s] research” and that “we have to think of ways around it.” Paris Agreement In contrast to the University’s joint response to the travel ban, UChicago took an independent route when Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement in June. Two hundred colleges signed a petition protesting the president’s withdrawal,
Feng Ye
but the University of Chicago did not join. It also did not take part in a statement by twelve “Ivy-Plus” schools reaffi rming a 2015 climate pledge. Instead, UChicago released its own statement, alluding to the Paris agreement but refraining from actively endorsing it. Climate-related questions “are fundamentally global in nature with specific local inputs and implications,” the statement read. “This awareness is instantiated in widespread participation in the Paris accords.”
In February, Zimmer said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that all speakers invited to campus would be allowed to speak. When asked about Spencer specifically, he responded that “It would be fine if he came to speak, just like if anyone else came to speak.” After the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia made headlines
in August, Spencer wrote to Law School professor Geoffrey Stone asking for an invitation to speak on campus. Stone, who has spoken extensively about campus free speech issues and defended Spencer’s right to speak at Auburn University in April, declined. “My strong support for the right of students and faculty to invite Continued on page 5
Federal Budget Zimmer spoke out against proposed cuts to science by the Trump administration, saying in an April interview that a budget proposed by the White House would have “a very significant negative effect on science research in the country, and it would have a significant negative impact on every major research university, including us.” T HE M A ROON obtained an internal University budgetary memo this summer that stated that there is an “existential concern on federal grants” if the Trump administration is able to implement a substantially lower cap on federal government reimbursement rates for Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs. The document raised concern that such a cap would be financially disastrous for the University, likely due to the fact that its F&A rate for on-campus research hovers around 60 percent, and the Trump administration proposed a 10 percent cap. Alum Richard Spencer Richard Spencer (A.M. ’03) has risen to prominence as a white supremacist leader in the months since Trump’s campaign, and has landed at the heart of the University’s ongoing free speech debates. T HE M AROON fi rst asked whether the University would disavow Spencer in late November 2016—after his Dallas high school condemned his views—to which University spokesperson Jeremy Manier responded only that “The views of individuals among 160,000 alumni do not speak for the University.” Manier did not refer directly to Spencer or his white nationalist views at the time.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Zimmer says Trump’s travel bans “damage the University’s capacity to fulfill its highest aspirations in research, education, and impact.” Continued from page 4 speakers to campus…does not mean that I personally think all views are worth discussing…. Thus, although I would defend the right of others to invite you to speak, I don’t see any reason for me to encourage or to endorse such an event,” he told Spencer. Zimmer addressed the events in Charlottesville in an August 22 e-mail to campus, distancing the University’s relationship with the “freedom of expression” defense espoused at the rally. “It is a travesty to label as free speech the combination of brandished weapons, the killing of an innocent person, threats, and the symbols that represent destruction to so many,” he said in the e-mail. Manier elaborated in an e-mail to T HE M AROON: “Invited speakers who do not engage in threats or violence can speak regardless of the content of their views,” he wrote. Adjudication of Campus Sexual Assault Cases Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced on September 7 that the Trump administration will roll back Obama-era guidance on Title IX which required universities receiving federal funding to use a low standard of proof in their handling of campus sexual assault cases. The University of Chicago has been using the Obama-mandated “preponderance of evidence” (more likely than not) standard of proof in adjudicating these cases
since 2011. University spokesperson Marielle Sainvilus, told T HE M AROON that the University of Chicago is not considering changing its disciplinary policies in light of DeVos’s announcement. Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen suggested in an April interview that this would be the case, stating that “It’s the standard we’ve been using now for several years. I don’t really see any compelling reason not to use it.” In the recent statement, Sainvilus explained that state law mandates similar policies to what the University currently follows. “We will continue to ensure compliance with Title IX and relevant federal regulations,” she wrote. “Another important consideration is the need to work with state offices to ensure compliances with state-level requirements, specifically the Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act of 2015, which requires specific processes and standards that are very similar to the guidance supplied previously by the U.S. Department of Education.” Support for DACA Students In a campus-wide e-mail, Executive Vice Provost David Nirenberg and Rasmussen explained that Zimmer and Diermeier have “argued strongly” against ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which Trump announced on September 5 that he would terminate. They also sent a letter to the Illinois congressional delegation in support
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of legislation that would protect the rights of DACA-eligible students and staff. They have written to the White House in support of the program as well. In November, Zimmer wrote to Trump with 300 other college presidents in support of DACA. In July, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a bill with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that would revive the DREAM Act, which grants legal status and, unlike DACA, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The University declined to support the DREAM Act in 2010, citing the 1967 Kalven Report which recommends that the University avoid taking political stances. Manier maintained this position in an e-mail to T HE M AROON. “The DREAM Act encompasses issues that do not directly affect the University,” he said. Kalven in the Age of Trump In 1967, Harry Kalven Jr. recommended that the University remain politically neutral, arguing that the “university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain its independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures.” The University has repeatedly cited what has come to be known as the Kalven Report in its response to political issues ranging from protests to divestment controversies over the last five decades. A February op-ed in T HE M AROON argued that Zimmer’s response to Trump’s
immigration ban effectively rendered the report null, as, by writing a letter and fi ling a brief, the University had waded directly into an active political issue. However, the University’s responses to certain Trump policies suggest that it continues to actively consider the Kalven Report. A Law School professor suggested on Twitter that the Kalven Report is what prohibited the University from joining the coalition of schools explicitly opposing Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement. Graduate Student Unionization Trump’s appointments to two vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will swing the board from a Democratic majority to a Republican majority and may reverse Obama-era rulings on student unionization. This includes an August 2016 decision that ruled that graduate students working as teaching and research assistants at Columbia University are employees and therefore able to unionize. UChicago graduate students may vote on unionization in October. The University has announced its intent to request that the NLRB review the decision, which could stall the election. Graduate Students United (GSU) organizers have argued that delays in the unionization process will increase the likelihood that Trump’s NLRB appointees will reverse the Columbia decision. —Sonia Schlesinger
Speakers include: • Dr. Selwyn Rogers, Founding Director of U of C Trauma Center; “Intentional Violence as a Disease” – Wednesday, October 4 • Dr. Julie Morita, Commissioner of Chicago Dept. of Public Health; “Violence Prevention Initiatives Coordinated by the Chicago Department of Public Health” - Wednesday, October 11 • Pastor Chris Harris, Bright Star Church, Chicago; “The Urban Resilience Network” – Wednesday, November 1, 2017 • Dr. Anne Mosenthal, Chair, Dept. of Surgery, Rutgers University; “Palliative Care in Trauma” – Wednesday, November 15, 2017 • Arne Duncan, Former Secretary of Education; “Reducing Violence in the City of Chicago” – Wednesday, February 7, 2018 • Lori Lightfoot, President of the Chicago Police Board – Wednesday, April 4, 2018
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Moments in University History
A sketch by Metallurgical Laboratory draftsman Melvin Miller of the reactor built under bleachers. Prehistory: 1857 The fi rst University of Chicago rose about 20 blocks north of its present campus in 1857, founded on the generosity of local Baptist congregants and land donated by Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln’s famous opponent in arguments over slavery. It lasted three decades before being done in by fi nancial mismanagement and internal squabbling. A piece of the Old University’s long-destroyed Gothic edifice sits in the wall between Wieboldt and Classics Hall. The New University of Chicago: 1892 Class began at the University of Chicago’s new campus in Hyde Park. Under the presidency of William Rainey Harper, it was one of the country’s fi rst research universities, drawing from German precedents and focused on graduate education. The school was founded with support from the American Baptist Education Society, Chicago businessmen, and the oil baron John D. Rockefeller, who would continue to be a generous and instrumental contributor throughout the school’s next several decades. This combination of heady ambitions and fi nancial windfalls established a pattern of periodic University-building projects followed by fi nancial retrenchment. The Hutchins College: 1942–1953 For a little more than a decade, the University of Chicago pursued a dramatic
education experiment at the prompting of President Robert Maynard Hutchins. His tenure saw a rejection of traditional elements of college life seen as distractions from academic pursuits—most famously, football, along with undergraduate fraternities. He built the undergraduate experience around a prescribed, general education B.A., with specialized departmental work shifted into advanced degrees. In order to accelerate the process, the University recruited students it judged ready to take on undergraduate work as early as the end of their sophomore year of high school. For more than a decade, education at the College diverged sharply from the mainstream of American higher education. Many of the innovations introduced by Hutchins were overturned or eroded; football and fraternities both eventually returned to campus. The curricular reform, opposed from the start in some quarters, was abandoned as too radical a break. Nuclear Reaction: 1942 Seventy-five years ago on December 2, 1942, scientists working at the University of Chicago began the fi rst artificial and self-sustaining nuclear reaction in a squash court beneath the bleachers at the now-demolished Stagg Field. (The actual reaction at Chicago Pile-1 had been meant for a rural site, away from Chicago’s population centers, but a labor dispute at the site intervened.) During the war, the University housed the Manhattan Project’s Metallurgi-
cal Laboratory as well as some of the world’s leading physicists, a key part of the United States’s effort to produce an atomic bomb. Laboratory personnel and projects sprawled across campus during the war; at one point, copies of the The Maroon containing a seemingly innocent profi le of a University physicist were interdicted to avoid revealing the purpose of the project. Some members of University leadership and scientists working on the project expressed regret at the use of the destructive weapons they knew would result from their research. Years of Rage: 1966–1969 The University of Chicago encountered the same concerted panic that faced other universities in the period. Students confronted administrators over campus housing, racism, and Vietnam. Demands for University action on the pressing public issues of the day elicited the Kalven Report in 1967, which laid out the University’s position: Its proud tradition of academic freedom could be maintained only by studied institutional neutrality. The counter-cultural agitation culminated in the huge sit-in of 1969, which began when around 400 students seized the campus’s main administrative building 15 days earlier in protest of the decision not to rehire a popular and radical sociology professor. Disciplinary measures following the sit-in became a whole new source of agitation: At one point, a sitting of the disciplinary panel was shuffled out a side door while a phalanx of law
students and security guards confronted 200 student protesters. In the end, 40 students were expelled and 82 were suspended. A New Focus on College Life: To Present The College’s oddness—its bookishness, its quirks of history, its monkish abstention from some traditional amenities of collegiate life—made it an odd beast. A surprising portion of alumni, one poll found, valued their education at the University but would not send their children to follow them. Admission rates, considering the University’s apparent academic rigor, were high, with correspondingly disappointing results on University rankings. The past few decades have seen a concerted effort to present a cleaner-looking university to the world. New dorms started rising around campus, and are still rising today, consolidating the old mélange of University housing into new gleaming towers and brick-orange slabs. A polished presentation of the University’s virtues has driven down acceptance rates, and the University has simultaneously risen in U.S. News & World Report rankings. The whole process has produced no small amount of anxiety, with one graduating class after another convinced that the more recently matriculated represent an unprecedented break with the University’s history and mission. —Adam Thorp
THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
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Student Government With a budget of over $2 million and the power to beckon the attention of the administration to undergraduate and graduate student concerns, Student Government (SG) is one of the most powerful and controversial student-led groups on campus. Last year, SG focused especially on the protection of students affected by President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. In January, it passed a resolution calling for the creation of an advisory council to advance the interests of undocumented students living in the U.S. through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, as well as a resolution recommending that the University to designate itself as a sanctuary campus—a place where cooperation with federal immigration authorities is limited in order to protect students from deportation. Then, in March, following the Trump administration’s travel ban directed at seven Muslim-majority countries, SG’s College Council passed a resolution to provide an emergency fund to help students dealing with immigration- or citizenship-related crises. To understand how SG operates, it helps to understand its structure. At the
top of SG is the Executive Slate, colloquially known as Slate. The 2017–18 SG will be led by the Rise Slate, which ran unopposed in the spring election. The Slate is composed of the president (fourth-year Calvin Cottrell), the vice president for administration (third-year Sabine Nau), and the vice president for student affairs (fourth-year Chase Harrison). The undergraduate and graduate liaisons to the Board of Trustees serve as conduits between their respective student bodies and the Board. The objective for these two representatives is to establish voting power for students on the Board. This year, the roles will be filled by Christina Uzzo, a fourth-year in the College, and Erica Watkins, a student at the Booth School of Business, respectively. The Community and Government Liaison (fourth-year Emily Harwell) is responsible for increasing student engagement with the South Side community. These three liaisons, Slate, and a cabinet appointed by the president constitute the Executive Committee. Executive Committee publishes regular reports and policy proposals for Graduate Council (GC), College Council (CC), and Gen-
Brooke Nagler
eral Assembly (GA). GC is a representative body of 17 students from all 12 graduate divisions, with divisional representation dependent on enrollment. GC serves two chief purposes. First, GC fosters an interdivisional community through the planning and funding of sponsored events. Second, it serves as a conduit for communication between graduate students and the administration.
CC is the representative governing body for the undergraduate community, composed of four students from each class and a chair. As stated on the SG website, “CC plans projects, approves budget requests, oversees appeals, and plans events for the College.” GC and CC collectively constitute GA, which is chaired by the president. —Emily Feigenbaum, updated by Katie Akin
University Administration Study and Resolution of Global Confl icts. Diermeier has faced some criticism from students for his book on reputation management, with one former Student Government president accusing Diermeier of being “anti-activist.” Michele Rasmussen Dean of Students in the University Rasmussen is directly responsible for all departments and service areas that focus on student life and support, including student health, athletics and recreation, residential and dining services, and disciplinary affairs. She oversees campus-wide services and programs, such as the University Registrar, International House, and Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Emily Lo
Robert J. Zimmer President At the top of the University’s administrative pyramid sits current president and former math professor, Robert J. Zimmer. Zimmer, who stepped into the position in 2006, has overseen a period of remarkable growth at the University, including the openings of the Institute of Molecular Engineering, the Becker Friedman Institute, and centers in Beijing, Delhi, and Hong Kong. Fundraising has also been a major focus of Zimmer’s tenure—the University of Chicago Impact and Inquiry Campaign hopes to raise $4.5 billion by 2019. In May, Zimmer agreed to serve as president of the University until at least 2022. Daniel Diermeier Provost Daniel Diermeier, former Dean of the Harris School of Public Policy, was named the University’s provost in March 2016. As provost, Diermeier oversees all the academic and research programs at the University and is also responsible for the academic appointment process, the University budget, and space allocation. While at the Harris School, Diermeier led the planning for the Harris School’s new building, the Keller Center, and the creation of the Pearson Institute for the
John W. Boyer Dean of the College A student favorite, Dean Boyer is often sighted while cycling around campus. Boyer has been involved in initiatives from establishing the UChicago Center in Paris to providing strong career advising and internship programs in the College. A proponent of expanding on-campus residential facilities for undergraduate students, Boyer is the namesake of the new Boyer House in Campus North. In addition to his administrative duties, Boyer is also the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of History. John “Jay” Ellison Dean of Students in the College Ellison came to the University of Chicago in July 2014 from Harvard. Ellison oversees career advising, curriculum, and discipline. Last summer, he became a subject of national controversy when he penned a letter to incoming students stating that the University does not support intellectual safe spaces or trigger warnings. This year, a similar letter to the Class of 2021 confi rmed the University’s commitment to “academic freedom,” but without directly addressing “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings.” James “Jim” Nondorf Vice President for Enrollment and
Student Advancement and Dean of College Admissions and Financial Aid Nondorf fi rst took over this role in 2009 and, since then, the number of applications to the University has soared while its admissions rate has plummeted. Nondorf has also overseen a host of new financial aid programs and funds, including the No Barriers program, which replaced loans with grants in all needbased fi nancial aid packages.
Sydney Combs
Bridget Collier Title IX Coordinator for the University, Associate Provost and Director of the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs Collier is responsible for ensuring compliance with the University’s Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct for all relevant investigations. Appointed in January 2017, Collier had served as dean of students and senior director of student engagement at the Graham School for Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Currently, she also serves as Affi rmative Action Officer and Section 504/ADA Coordinator. In 2016, the University also added a Deputy Title IX coordinator, Shea Wolfe. Theaster Gates Director, Arts + Public Life Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates
is the Director of Arts + Public Life and a professor in the Department of Visual Arts. Gates works with staff at both the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and the Arts Incubator in Washington Park. He is also the director of the Place Lab, a collaboration between Arts + Public Life and the Harris School that examines culture-led neighborhood transformation. Derek Douglas Vice President for Civic Engagement and External Affairs Douglas leads many of the University’s efforts to engage with surrounding communities on the South Side. His office is also in charge of civic partnerships and federal, state, and local government relations. Before coming to the University in 2012, Douglas served on the White House Domestic Policy Council as a Special Assistant to former president Obama. Jeremy Inabinet Associate Dean of Students in the University for Disciplinary Affairs Inabinet is responsible for upholding the University-wide disciplinary system, including receiving and investigating sexual assault complaints. On campus, he meets with individuals and student groups to discuss the University’s sexual assault policies and has overseen the launch of UMatter at UChicago, a website with resources and information for dealing with gender-based misconduct. Eric Heath Associate Vice President for Safety & Security Heath took over the job from former Safety & Security chief Marlon Lynch last year. He has been responsible for overseeing several changes to campus security announced last summer, including a 28 percent increase in the number of officers on patrol. —Eileen Li, updated by Alex Ward and Feng Ye
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
TOWN
Courtesy of Rebecca Cho
The University and the South Side In just the past five years, the University of Chicago has expanded at dizzying speed. It broke ground in 2016 on the long-awaited and hard-won University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) trauma center and expanded emergency facilities, and announced the same year that it had successfully brought the Obama Presidential Center to the South Side. It opened Campus North and began plans for another major residence hall, and announced in March that it would provide full scholarships to the children of Chicago Public Schools employees. These projects complement the University’s portrayal of its role as a “community anchor” for economic development, as the largest employer and a major landowner on the South Side. But while developments like the trauma center are laudable, community members are on alert to ensure that new projects make good on their promises. The mistrust stems from a long history of secretive and exclusionary housing and urban development practices by the University. Th e South Side Through the 20th Century At some point while exploring the South Side’s rich offerings—catching live music or art window-shopping or trying Harold’s fried chicken—fi rst-years inevitably notice the abundance of dead ends, one-way streets, and otherwise odd instances of urban planning at the edges of Hyde Park. The awkward layout is not an accident. Over a century of intentional restructuring built Hyde Park into an affluent haven and accounts for why so few streets run continuously through Hyde Park and into neighboring Woodlawn today. Woodlawn sprung up as an offshoot of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair as a predominantly white middle-class neighborhood, home to many University of Chicago professors. In the early 20th century, racist housing policies kept black families confi ned to the so-called South Side “Black Belt,” a crowded neighborhood of low-income housing. The Black Belt was
reinforced by Congress’s 1934 creation of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which insured private mortgages for middle-class families and became an engine for the growth of the white middle class, while it forced black families, even those better equipped to pay off a mortgage, into segregated neighborhoods. Although redlining and housing discrimination were nationwide practices, they were by no means the only factors restricting black economic mobility around Hyde Park. Through a number of intermediary community organizations and property owners’ groups, and through its own land buying practices, the University played no small part in shaping “the white island” it occupied. In the ’30s a nd ’40s, the University indirectly funded racially restrictive covenants, legally enforceable contracts to prevent selling property to non-white people, through various “community interests” projects. While the University attempted to be discreet about its real estate holdings and funding of “revitalization” projects, its influence was wellknown. The Chicago Defender, Chicago’s preeminent black newspaper, reported that “many of the real estate owners in that area refer to restrictive covenants as ‘the University of Chicago Agreement to get rid of Negroes.’” Even while the Universit y backed racist housing practices, they led national universities in the effort to integrate and diversify academia. Unlike many of its peers, the University was founded as a coeducational school, and welcomed Julian H. Lewis, the fi rst African-American professor at a major American research university, in 1917. This hypocrisy extended to University president Robert Maynard Hutchins, who championed diversity within the student body while simultaneously defending racial covenants. Hutchins advocated “absolutely indiscriminate selection [admission] of students,” because “a university is supposed to do what is right, and damn the consequences.” Yet, as Arnold Hirsch reports in Making the Second Ghetto, Hutchins could not recon-
cile his push for diversity and inclusion with the University’s real estate policies. Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer held in 1948 that racial covenants violated the protections of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the expansion of black communities on the South Side began in earnest, although redlining and discrimination prevented them from attaining homeownership at the same rates as white families. In 1954, professor Julian Levi, father of Hyde Park urban renewal policies, articulated his vision of University self-interest. “We’re not a public improvement association. We’re not supposed to be a developer. We’re not interested as a good government association. The only standard you ought to apply to this is whether the University of Chicago as an academic entity requires a compatible community,” he argued to University president Lawrence Kimpton. As the population grew after World War II, Woodlawn began to diversify, although the process was still diffi cult for middle-class black families. Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play, A Raisin in the Sun, documents one black family’s move to then–all-white Woodlawn, and the racial and socioeconomic tensions that result. By the 1960s, shortly after A Raisin in the Sun was published, white fl ight turned the neighborhood into an almost entirely black area, centered around bustling East 63rd Street, which was known for its jazz clubs. With lack of investment in the ’70s and ’80s, Woodlawn’s population plummeted from a peak of almost 81,000 in 1960 to under 25,000 in 2010. However, in the years since 2010, Woodlawn has fi nally seen a reversal, with population slowly creeping back up and business investment returning to the area. In the 1960s, Woodlawn community representatives organized increasingly for bargaining power, and negotiated an agreement that the University would not build south of 61st Street. That understanding held for over five decades, but in 2016 the University presented plans for
a new charter school on East63rd Street between South Greenwood Avenue and South University Avenue. However, that announcement has generated less backlash than the more conspicuous dormitory plans that have followed the closing of satellite dorms. Less than a year after the opening of Campus North, the University is planning a new residence and dining complex at 61st Street and Dorchester Avenue and announced over the summer that it would make housing available in Vue53, a luxury apartment building on 53rd street. Cosette Hampton (A.B. ’17) current Har ris School M.P.P. candidate, authored a petition arguing that University housing developments are complicit in neighborhood gentrification, and that black-owned businesses should be protected by rent stabilization. “As University students move into Vue53 this Fall Quarter 2017 and the University makes plans to move further south to 61st & Dorchester Ave…it needs to make sure that its ‘civic engagement’ isn’t merely benefitting incoming students and professionals, but also the populations that have roots in Hyde Park and call it home,” the petition reads. Cultural Centers: The Arts Block and Obama Presidential Library A better-received University investment initiative is the Arts Block, which will repurpose a cluster of properties on Garfield Boulevard, west of Washington Park. The project, led by University professor and installation artist Theaster Gates, has already opened a number of arts-themed enterprises including the Currency Exchange Café and BING Art Books, and the next phase of development will develop vacant land into community green space. By far the most widely publicized development has been the Obama Presidential Center, which has been promoted as a new kind of presidential memorial: It is intended to serve as an active Continued on page 12
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Hyde Park: a Walking Tour Industry. Unlike the other pavilions built for the 1893 World’s Fair, the Pavilion of the Fine Arts was built to survive the fair itself. In the 1930s it reopened as the Museum of Science and Industry. The fair drove development in what was then a southern extreme of the Chicago area. Along with the opening of the University a year earlier, the fair was a central part of the birth of Hyde Park—the coincidence between the fair’s “White City” and the rise of the University of Chicago’s more forbidding architecture is remembered in the University’s alma mater: “The City White hath fled the earth,/ But where the azure waters lie,/ A nobler city hath its birth,/ The City Gray that ne'er shall die.” En-Route: Continue on the path to the north as it lowers into a tunnel beneath 57th Street, and then turn west into the tunnel beneath Lake Shore Drive. As you enter into the lakefront’s Burnham Park take a left to the north and then follow that path to west. You should be moving onto a spit of land jutting into Lake Michigan called Promontory Point. Follow the path that leads around the edge of the Point. The limestone rocks that line the edge of the shore were installed to protect the lakefront, which is mostly landfill.
ADAM THORP
There are many different rewarding routes to take while exploring Hyde Park, an exceptionally beautiful neighborhood with a layered history. This particular plan is a suggestion, built on one man’s experience. The whole thing was getting long, so I broke off a couple of diversions for the odd Laredo Taft completionist. Scene–Campus: Begin on the bi-sected circular path in the center of the quad. This is the oldest parts of campus, and the distillation of the almost over-the-top neo-gothic architecture that the University built in for more than half a century. To the north, you can see Hull Gate and, beyond it, the brutalist heap that is Regenstein Library. To the south, you can see Harper Library, a center of undergraduate academic life on campus. The western path out of the quad goes through Levi Hall, the central administrative building on campus. En Route: Move southwest, keeping north of Swift Hall. Turn south, passing by Cobb Hall and out through the covered walkway between Wieboldt and Classics halls. To your left, you will see the stained glass western exposure of Bond Chapel; to your right, as you pass between Wieboldt and Classics, you’ll see the only remaining stone from the Old University of Chicago’s Douglas Hall. Cross 59th Street and continue along the path to heading southwest till you reach the intersection of Ellis Ave. and Midway Plaisance. Detour: Fountain of Time.
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You should be able to see the statue of Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist and nomenclaturist, to your left. Scene–Midway: Halfway down Ellis. The series of parks cradling Hyde Park were laid out, in large part, by Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of Central Park. In Olmstead’s original vision, the Midway would have hosted a canal connecting the lagoons in Jackson Park and Washington Park, though recurring financial problems always prevented the plan’s full implementation, leaving only the depression through the center of the Midway. During the 1893 World’s Fair, the Midway hosted the fair’s most sensational and least reputable exhibitions, including the first Ferris Wheel. The Park forms the border between Hyde Park and Woodlawn. En-Route: Continue south down Ellis until you cross 60th. On the southwest side of the intersection sits Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s 1965 building for the School of Social Service Administration. Turn and walk east along the southern side of 60th. On your right is Burton-Judson residence hall, the only part of an expansive plan for an undergraduate campus south of 60th Street to be completed before the 1929 crash. Scene–South Campus: In front of the tall, glass-plated Law School building. The Law School building by Eero Saarinen is the jewel of the university’s South Campus expan-
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sion during the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. The expansion a source of friction with Woodlawn, whose residents feared that the University would pursue the same aggressive urban renewal strategies that displaced so many people from parts of Hyde Park. Concerted protests and political organizing elicited a commitment from the University not to build south of 62nd Street which held until quite recently. You should also be able to see the Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons to the west of the law school. En-Route: Continue along Ellis until Woodlawn Avenue and turn north. Go north along Woodlawn until you are north of the west-bound lane of Midway Plaisance drive. You’ll see the imposing Rockefeller Chapel ahead of you at 59th and Woodlawn. Turn east to travel along the tree lined path between Midway Plaisance Drive and 59th Street. To your left, you will pass the Laboratory School. Turn north at Dorchester Avenue. International House, a dorm building with Gothic and art deco influences. Continue along Dorchester until you reach 57th Street, then turn and walk west. Once you pass under the Metra tracks, you have entered East Hyde Park. Stay on the path on the south side of 57th as it passes through the northern part of Jackson Park and curves around the Museum of Science and Industry. Scene–Museum of Science and Industry: Across from the Museum of Science and
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Scene: The extremity of the Point. Looking south, the lake front stretches out before you: the skyscrapers of East Hyde Park due west (1), then the Museum of Science and Industry (2), then the lake-front proper: 57th Street Beach (3),and Rainbow Beach (4). A few more skyscrapers mark the north-eastern edge of South Shore’s Jackson Park Highlands (5). In the extreme distance you may be able to see the Indiana Harbor Works, the largest steel mill in the United States, in East Chicago, IN (6). Looking north, you can see Indian Village, the northern extremity of East Hyde Park, and Chicago’s skyline in the distance. En-Route: Complete the circuit of the point and stay right so that you take another tunnel under Lakeshore drive and back into East Hyde Park. You should find yourself along 55th Street. Detour: East Hyde park and Indian Village Continue along 55th Street as it passes beneath the Metra Tracks. To your left, after you’ve passed on to the western side of the Metra tracks, you’ll see a three story retail building. The building, which was built as a car dealership, has art-deco automobile related motifs. Scene–Urban Renewal: Along 55th between the Metra Tracks and Dorchester Ave. In the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, the University channeled millions of state and federal urban renewal dollars into projects trying to keep Hyde Park attractive for academics and prospective students. The project was, by the University’s estimation, successful, turning Hyde Park into a well-off but racially diverse neighborhood. The area around this section of 55th Street, which had once been home to a shopping district replete liquor stores and jazz joints, was an epicenter Continued on page 11
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Continued from page 10 of this activity, including the construction of the white, ten-story I.M. Pei—designed University Apartments buildings that split 55th Street, and the concrete townhomes that line each side of the street and the creation of the automobile-oriented shopping center at 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue En-Route: Turn north onto Dorchester Avenue and continue to 53rd Street. Scene–53rd Street: At the northwest corner of Dorchester Avenue and 53rd Street. Since roughly the 1990s the University has pursued a new community development strategy, focusing on attracting people to Hyde Park instead of keeping them away. 53rd Street, Hyde Park’s central shopping district, is the center of that effort. The green glass tower down 53rd Street to the west is a University-owned office building atop a University-backed shopping center; it will soon be joined by another tower to the north, housing an expansion of the University Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. To the east you can see a Tetris-like glass building, a University-backed luxury apartment building that will, starting this year, house the overflow from campus housing. Development continues up and down the street—caddy-corner from you you’ll see a new hotel under con-
struction. En-Route: Walk west along 53rd Street until you reach Woodlawn Avenue and then turn south. You will pass several distinguished looking churches, including St. Thomas the Apostle just north of 55th Street , Hyde Park Union Church just south of 55th Street, and First Unitarian Church just north of 57th Street. Stop at 58th and Dorchester Avenue. Scene–East of Campus: Northeast corner of 58th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. You are standing at the feet of the Robie House, an important work of Frank Lloyd Wright (the Booth School’s Harper Center, just south of you, is meant to mimic the building cantilevers). The red-brick building complex to the west of you differs so dramatically from its contemporaries on the rest of campus because it was not built for the University— the Chicago Theological Seminary handed over its old campus to the University in return for a new location south of the Midway; the building now house the economics department. Just north of Robie House is a survival of the Seminary—the much loved Seminary Co-Op bookstore. En-Route: Head due west to return to your starting point at the center of campus.
DETOURS ADAM THORP
ADAM THORP
| CHICAGO MAROON
The Fountain of Time. Detour–Fountain of Time: Cross Ellis Ave and continue down the tree-lined path north of Midway Plaisance until you reach Cottage Grove Avenue. To your right, you will pass the southern edge of the University’s medical campus. Cross Cottage Grove Avenue and the Plaisance until you are at the south-western edge of the intersection. Proceed to the recessed circle to the southwest. This is the Allison Davis Garden, named after the first tenured African-American professor at the University. Sitting along the path that Davis walked from his home in then-and-now mostly black Woodlawn to the University, the garden was envisioned as a point of connection between those two usually separate universes. From within the garden, you can see the Fountain of Time to the west, created by the sculptor Lorado Taft and dedicated in 1922. Beyond the fountain sits the rest of Washington Park, which forms the eastern border of Hyde Park. Continue south and cross back over Cottage Grove Avenue to find the tree-lined path south of Midway Plaisance. Move west along that path until you return to Ellis Avenue. The tower of limestone and glass to your left is Logan Arts Center.
| CHICAGO MAROON
The Shoreland. Detour–East Hyde Park and Indian Village: Turn north off 55th Street at the first opportunity onto South Shore Drive. You will pass the Shoreland, a once-legendary hotel, on your right. It was an undergraduate dorm into the 2000s. Continue along the path cutting northwest through Harold Washington Park and rejoin Lake Shore Drive heading north. Turn west at 50th Street. You will see the Powhattan and the Narragansett, a pair of elegant art-deco apartment buildings that give the area its name. Turn south at Cornell Avenue and follow it south to 55th Street.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The Heller House. Detour–Kenwood Mansions: Continue north on Dorchester Avenue. At Hyde Park Avenue, Hyde Park cedes into Kenwood, the family home of the Obamas famous for its mansions. Continue to 49th Street and then turn left. Head west for a block and then turn north onto Kenwood Avenue. The house at the northwest corner of Kenwood and 49th is the Blossom House, an early Frank Lloyd Wright building. Continue north for a block and then turn left at 48th Street. Go west on 48th Street for two blocks and then turn left onto Woodlawn Avenue. Continue south on Woodlawn until you return to the main route at 53rd Street. You can find another Wright house, the Heller House, at 5132 South Woodlawn Avenue.
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The University played no small part in shaping “the white island� it occupies. Continued from page 9 community center and economic engine, bringing tourism, jobs, and extracurricular activities. Foundation chief Martin Nesbitt has spoken frankly about violence reduction as a chief priority of the community center. But community leaders are concerned that despite its lofty intentions, the new development, with early cost estimates exceeding $600 million, could contribute to gentrification and push out longtime residents with higher prices. To prevent this disruption and guarantee that the foundation will make good on its promise to deliver jobs that pay a living wage and contract black- and female-owned businesses, numerous organizations have demanded the Foundation sign a Community Benefits Agreement. The Foundation has pushed back, insisting that the agreement is unnecessary. The Trauma Center In 2015, while the University was lobbying heavily for the Obama library, it announced that it would build a trauma center at the medical school. Several community leaders who have long advocated for the center tied their support for the Obama library to the new emergency facilities, which have long been a source of confl ict between the University and surrounding neighborhoods. The center addresses a major discrepancy: The South Side has gone nearly 20 years without a trauma center, and as a result, victims of gun violence or blunt trauma have died in ambulance rides to distant hospitals on the west or north sides of the city. UCM’s original unsuccessful venture into trauma care closed after only two years in 1988 because of insurance issues and fi nancial insolvency. Trauma care is notoriously hard for hospitals to fi nance, as trauma patients tend to be uninsured and less able to pay. Construction on the UCM’s new $43 million trauma c enter and emergency room began in fall 2016. The project is
tied to a wider expansion of the University’s existing medical facilities, including the addition of a cancer hospital and 188 beds, partially to accommodate an increase in trauma patients. The new emergency room is scheduled to open January 8, 2018, and is projected to serve 2,700 patients in its fi rst full year of operation, but that’s just the beginning; once the expansion is fully in place, UCM is expected to accommodate an additional 25,000 patient visits every year. Housing and Community Engagement A less publicized but highly successful development effort by the University is the Employer-Assisted Housing Program (EAHP), an initiative that provides down-payment funds to employees purchasing South Side homes. In 2014, the program pivoted from general fund support to make Woodlawn its “focus area,� and now explicitly structures loan eligibility according to its development goals: $10,000 towards Woodlawn purchases, $5,000 for other surrounding neighborhoods, and only $2,500 towards residence in Hyde Park or South Kenwood. The University’s relationship with the South Side has a lso been colored by the University Community Service Center (UCSC), the network of programs founded by students and directed by Michelle Obama from 1996 to 2001. UCSC is the parent organization of numerous initiatives for community engagement, including Seeds of Justice leadership development program, the Chicago Studies program, and the Summer Links internship program. UCSC faced backlash in 2013, when its high turnover rates and lack of transparency culminated in the unexplained dismissal of Assistant Director Trudi Langendorf. Students and program alumni argued that, under new leadership and closer University supervision,
Courtesy of UChicago Photo Archive
the UCSC was changing from a grassroots service network to a rĂŠsumĂŠ-builder. It drew still more criticism when it added for-profit organizations to Summer Links, a social impact internship that has historically partnered students with Chicago nonprofits. “I see this as an attempt to make this more of a pre-professional, personal growth program, which to me is antithetical to the original mission of Summer Links, which is grassroots community building,â€? Ione Barrows, (A.B. ’15) a former Summer Links participant and College Council representative, told The Maroon at the time. Further Reading For further reading on the history of the University, Dean John W. B oyer’s extensive history of the University of Chicago is a great starting place. It grew out of a series of 17 monographs
delivered to faculty, one of which, entitled “A Hell of a Job Getting It Squared Around,� describes the challenges faced by University administrators Burton, Kimpton, and Levi, and their respective visions for urban renewal. For a full account of the policies that shaped the South Side a nd communities surrounding your new home, see Making the Second Ghetto: Race and Housing in Chicago, 1940–1960 by Arnold Hirsch, especially the chapter “A Neighborhood on a Hill: Hyde Park and the University of Chicago.� Additionally, Building the South Side: Urban Space and Civic Culture in Chicago, 1890–1919 by Robin Faith Bachin chronicles the earlier history of discriminatory policies at the turn of the century. Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “The Case for Reparations� is an excellent reference on the history of redlining. —Lee Harris
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Boystown
Wicker Park
Home of Chicago’s hipsters, Wicker Park is a great place to grab an artisanal drink while wandering through bustling streets. This neighborhood was once the epicenter of Chicago’s thriving Polish community and inspired the novels of Nelson Algren. These days, the neighborhood has diversified, and young professionals of all ethnicities drive the neighborhood’s thriving restaurant and art scenes. Things to Do: Grab brunch with your friends, stroll down The 606 trail, picnic in Wicker Park, shop the neighborhood’s many vintage boutiques and thrift stores, crawl through record stores, and cap it off with a cocktail (or coffee!).
Welcome to Chicago’s most LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood. Boystown, which hosts the Chicago Pride Parade every year, is home to one of the nation’s largest gay communities. The neighborhood is known for its thriving nightlife and boutique shops, as well as for the Center on Halsted, which gets over a thousand visitors daily. Things to Do: Attend an event at the Center on Halsted, go thrifting in local boutiques, catch a Blue Man Group performance at the Strawdog Theatre Company, enjoy a drag show at one of the neighborhood’s nightclubs, or indulge your sweet tooth at Windy City Sweets.
Lincoln Park
This tree-lined neighborhood nestles itself among some of the city’s most beautiful parks. Stroll through 1,208 acres of green space in Lincoln Park itself or stretch out on the beach, where sand meets skyscrapers. When you’re done with nature for the day, there are plenty of shops and restaurants to be found. Things to Do: Take a walk on the wild side at the Lincoln Park Zoo, go to the Steppenwolf Theatre, take in the sights of the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, learn about your city at the Chicago History Museum, catch the pennant-winning Cubs in nearby Wrigleyville.
The Loop
Essentially Chicago’s “downtown,” the Loop gets its name from the elevated (El) CTA lines which circumscribe it. But the Loop is more than just a transfer point. It’s also a major (and therefore touristy) sightseeing destination, boasting plenty of museums, concert halls, and parks. But beware—just about everything in this nine-to-five business hub closes early. Things to Do: Get into the Art Institute for free with UChicago’s Arts Pass, take a selfie at Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate at Millennium Park (a.k.a. “The Bean”), get sprayed by Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, take a man-powered elevator up the historic Fine Arts Building, peek inside the Chicago Athletic Association (and, if possible, enjoy a drink).
Pilsen
This predominantly Latino neighborhood is a hub for Chicago’s thriving art scene. Walk through the neighborhood’s streets and you’ll spot the bright, bold murals that have made Pilsen a destination and pass by galleries fi lled with some of the city’s most original work. Things to Do: Take pictures at the murals on 16th Street, grab a bite at one of Pilsen’s acclaimed Mexican restaurants, stroll through the Chicago Arts District, tour the neighborhood’s historic churches, visit the National Museum of Mexican Art.
(you live here)
Chinatown
An easy CTA ride away, Chinatown is a popular student haunt, with restaurants and bars that stay open until the wee hours of the morning. Though Chinese restaurants and businesses reign supreme here, the neighborhood has become a mecca for restaurateurs of other nationalities, serving up everything from Mongolian hot pot to bibimbap. Things to Do: Get dim sum, stroll the grounds of Ping Tom Memorial Park, root for the White Sox at nearby Guaranteed Rate Field (one Red Line stop away), study at the new Chicago Public Library branch, binge on bubble tea, belt it out at a karaoke bar with friends.
Bronzeville
The seminal works of poet Gwendolyn Brooks—whose centenary is being celebrated in the city through next summer—took Bronzeville as their muse, and it’s easy to see why. This historically African-American neighborhood has long been one of the city’s cultural hotbeds and a nucleus of grassroots activism, music, food, and art. Things to Do: Marvel at the towering monuments on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, visit the historic South Side Community Art Center, check out performances and events at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, admire contemporary art at Blanc Gallery and Gallery Guichard.
South Shore
The University likes to talk up its affiliation with Michelle Obama, who founded our Community Service Center in 1996. But Obama isn’t a Hyde Park native—she was raised in a tiny one-bedroom in South Shore. Other famous former South Shore residents include Kanye West and Larry Ellison. When you visit, be sure to check out the historic South Shore Cultural Center, which boasts a nine-hole golf course, art galleries, and a gorgeous, expansive beach. Things to Do: Tan on Rainbow Beach, golf a round at the South Shore Golf Course, catch an opera performance at the Paul Robeson Theatre, stroll through the historic homes of the Jackson Park Highlands (which border the South Shore and Jackson Park neighborhoods).
Exploring Chicago Boasting countless vibrant neighborhoods, Chicago is a city of just-as-innumerable personalities. You’ll find that each of Chicago’s neighborhoods has a distinct character, often dramatically different from that adjacent to it. To make things more overwhelming, the city’s 77 formally-defined community areas are not always synonymous with its neighborhoods, which are fluid and ever-shifting. Given that Chicago encompasses some 230 miles, naturally some destinations are more accessible than others. Don’t let distance dissuade you from exploring a new part of the city; thanks to U-Pass, anything accessible via the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)’s network of buses and trains is within your reach. Here, we’ve spotlighted just a few patches in the sprawling quilt that is Chicago. This list shouldn’t be viewed as restrictive. Rather, think of it as a launching pad. Happy exploring! —Camille Kirsch and Hannah Edgar
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Getting Around Chicago Congratulations! You’ve decided to go to school in Chicago —Hog Butcher for the World, Freight Handler to the Nation, the City of Big Shoulders. World-class arts institutions, lovable (albeit mostly heartbreaking) sports teams, fine dining, concerts of every genre, side-splitting improv comedy, and much, much more are all within your reach in Chicago—you just might have to leave Hyde Park to get there. Though Hyde Park sometimes feels far removed from the rest of Chicago, don’t be fooled: it’s easy to explore other neighborhoods so long as you’re willing to break out of the Hyde Park bubble. Don’t graduate without taking advantage of everything the nation’s third-largest city has to offer—after all, you didn’t apply to the University of Hyde Park, did you? The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the most extensive transportation system in Chicago. Just about any destination in the city is accessible via the CTA’s countless buses and trains. Plus, thanks to the recent implementation of U-Pass, unlimited rides on the CTA are paid for by your tuition during the school year. It’s rare that you’ll wait any longer than 20 minutes for a bus or train, but because the CTA can be notoriously late (especially the buses), it’s a good idea to get the CTA app, Transit Stop, which provides the most updated bus and train schedules. The CTA Trip Planner at TransitChicago.com is a handy site to have bookmarked, as it can assist you with directions to any destination accessible by CTA. The #6 bus is probably the most reliable way to and from the Loop. The ride from Hyde Park to downtown only
takes about 20 to 30 minutes sans traffic. On weekdays at rush hour, try the #2, which runs from Hyde Park to Navy Pier. Plus, there’s also the #4, which picks up on Cottage Grove Avenue and runs alongside the west edge of campus. For the closest transfer point to a train, you can ride the #55 (picks up on 55th Street) or the #59 (picks up on 61st Street, behind Renee Granville-Grossman Commons). Both will take you to the Green and Red Lines, the closest “El” lines to campus. Plenty of exciting destinations await you on these lines: the Green Line is a straight shot to historic Bronzeville, just northwest of Hyde Park, as well as the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory; the Red Line provides service to many a North Side neighborhood as well as both Guaranteed Rate and Wrigley Fields. Both lines stop near Chinatown and South Loop, which are both popular student haunts. A lternatively, you can ride these lines as far as the Loop, then transfer to another line. The Orange Line is your ticket to Bridgeport, a burgeoning arts and entertainment destination, and Midway International Airport (select #55 buses take you here too, if you ride them long enough); the Blue Line goes to hipster havens Wicker Park and Logan Square, as well as O’Hare International Airport; the Brown Line to a number of North Side neighborhoods, including Old Town, which houses Second City; and the Pink Line to Pilsen, Chicago’s largest predominantly Latino neighborhood. (The Purple and Yellow Lines run exclusively to the northern suburbs—Wilmette and Evanston on Purple, Skokie on Yellow.) If you’re trying to travel long dis-
Courtesy of Rebecca Cho
tances in a pinch or go to the surrounding suburbs and beyond, the Metra is your friend. Metra Electric, the line serving UChicago and Hyde Park, runs along South Lake Park Avenue with stops at 51st/53rd Streets, 55th /5 6th /57th Streets, a nd 59 th Street. For $3.50, it will drop you off at a handful of stops between Hyde Park and its endpoint in the Loop, Millennium Station. From there, you can transfer to other trains—that’s where the RTA Regional Trip Planner, a website similar to the CTA trip planner but for the many Metra lines, may come in
handy. Plus, with increased service to Hyde Park starting this year, riding the Metra has never been so easy. One last pro-tip: a bike goes a long way, even in sprawling Chicago. With enough time (and breathable clothing), you can pedal all the way into the city via the ever-scenic Lake Shore path. Don’t feel like investing in a bike? No problem—you can rent one at the ever-proliferating Divvy stations around the neighborhood and city. —Hannah Edgar
Arts in Your City Music & Dance Ask any afi cionado, and they’ll tell you that Chicago’s music scene is one of the most vibrant in the nation. From jazz clubs to concert halls to DIY venues, Chicago has something to offer for all music tastes. Hyde Park was once a crucible of Chicago jazz, drawing greats like Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk. (Charlie Parker played his last Chicago gig here, near where Treasure Island Foods stands today.) While many of the legendary holein-the-wall jazz clubs of yesteryear are long gone, Hyde Park keeps their spirit alive with its own thriving music scene. 53rd Street boasts plenty of local venues: record store by day, music venue by night, Hyde Park Records (1377 East 53rd Street) offers students a sample of Chicago’s rich musical history; The Silver Room (1506 East 53rd Street) combines community-driven music and art events with a locavore commercial space; and restaurant-venue The Promontory (5311 South Lake Park Avenue) has one of the most well-curated and popping concert series around, albeit usually for patrons 21+. On September 23 and 24, get off the O-Week grid by checking out the annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival, a free, two-day, world-class festival that hosts a rich assortment of local and national jazz artists at venues throughout the neighborhood. Plus, the Hyde Park Jazz Society performs year-round on Sundays at Room 43, on the border of Bronzeville and Kenwood.
For jazz beyond Hyde Park, check out the Jazz Showcase in South Loop, and, if you can, the timeless Prohibition-era Green Mill in Uptown (21+), where you can sit in Al Capone’s old booth. For those with a taste for the cutting edge, you can catch some of the city’s best new music at Roscoe Village’s Constellation, a laidback venue specializing in the avant-garde. There is no shortage of chances to watch some of your favorite bands perform live in Chicago, a hotspot for most nationwide tours. This quarter, swing by the United Center for larger stadium acts like Imagine Dragons, Jay-Z, and Shakira, the Riviera Theatre for bands like Grizzly Bear and The Script, and the Vic Theatre for smaller acts like Oh Wonder and Boyce Avenue. If you’re looking for dinner and a show, check out Pilsen’s Thalia Hall, complete with restaurant, bar, and concert space, and Wicker Park’s Chop Shop. Lincoln Hall (Lincoln Park) and its twin Schubas Tavern (Lakeview) similarly have drinks and grub on hand to accompany their indie-oriented programming. Also, keep your eyes peeled for UChicago Arts Pass perks and student tic ket prices for concerts—especially at expensive venues. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has one of the best student ticket programs in the country, offering $15 tickets for a respectable number of subscription concerts. Lyric Opera of Chicago is up there in terms of affordability as well, with an asking price of
just $20 for select performances. At the nor thern edge of Millennium Park, behind the Frank Gehry–designed mane which frames Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Lyric Opera of Chicago is an avant-garde music and dance venue whose programming is not to be missed: It offers $10 student tickets for select performances through Arts Pass. It’s home to Hubbard Street Dance, a contemporary dance troupe whose performances need to be seen to be believed. And of course, Chicago’s dance community wouldn’t be complete without Joffrey Ballet, one of the country’s most renowned ballet companies. Catch them at the Auditorium Theatre (also—surprise!—an Arts Pass partner). —Hannah Edgar, May Huang, and Emily Ehret
Film
Courtesy of Todd Rosenberg
Harper Theat er, located at East 53rd Street and South Harper Avenue, is the closest off-campus option for your movie and popcorn consumption needs. For seven dollars, students can check out new releases on one of five screens in a historic early-20th-century building. If you’re looking for a more extensive movie outing, Navy Pier boasts an impressive IMAX theater. In Lincoln Park, Facets Cinémathèque screens obscure indie fi lms. And if you just can’t get enough alternative fi lm, Lakeview’s Landmark Theatres screens studio-backed indie films and hosts midnight screenings of lesser-known fi lms. Chicago is also a hotbed for eclectic fi lm festivals. The Chicago InternaContinued on page 14
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Continued from page 14 tional Film Festival, North America’s longest-running international competitive fi lm festival, offers an amazing fi lm selection. Other festivals worth checking out include the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, the Chicago Latino Film Festival, and the Chicago Underground Film Festival at the Logan Theatre in Logan Square. —Emily Wang, updated by Rebecca Julie and Kenneth Talbott La Vega Theater Some of the best professional theater in the country is in Chicago. The Goodman Theatre is the city’s oldest active nonprofit theater organization, and the Steppenwolf Theatre has produced alums like Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry (both founding members of the company), Laurie Metcalf, and John Malkovich. Not to be missed are Chicago’s excellent smaller companies. Check out the Lookingglass Theatre, based in Chicago’s historic Water Tower; Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park, for its commitment to local and world pre-
iO Chicago is another local improv juggernaut and big-time SNL feeder—a can’t-miss is their hilarious, jaw-dropping Improvised Shakespeare troupe. If you’re looking for something closer to home, The Revival opened its doors just two years ago on 55th Street, bringing improv comedy back to its birthplace in Hyde Park. (We don’t mean that figuratively: The Compass Players, considered the fi rst improv troupe, performed at the back of a bar on the same street corner back in 1955.) All three offer improv classes and programs for those looking to cut their comedic teeth in a supportive environment. —Hannah Edgar, May Huang, and Natalie Pasquinelli Art Museums Guarded by two bronze lions at its S outh Michigan Avenue entrance, the Art Institute is a world-famous art museum renowned for both its gorgeous Beaux-Arts interior and carefully curated collections. Between rooms devoted to the masters—Monet, Renoir, and Caillebotte are among those featured in
Sydney Combs
mieres; the experimental Neo-Futurists in Andersonville; and First Floor Theater in Wicker Park, which was founded by UChicago alums in 2012. Prefer to see something you can belt along to? Don’t throw away your shot to attend Lin-Manuel Miranda’s runaway hit Hamilton, still running at the PrivateBank Theatre. The Oriental and Cadillac Palace Theatres are also consistent hosts of fresh-off-Broadway musicals. In the spring, even the stately Civic Opera House trades in Rossini for Rodgers & Hammerstein. Lyric Opera of Chicago caps off its season every year
Courtesy of Michael Courier
with a musical. This upcoming year, the guest of honor is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar (running from April 27 to May 20). Live comedy reigns supreme in Chicago. The Second City is the most laureled comedy troupe in Chicago and possibly the country, producing more Saturday Night Live stars than you can count.
the galleries—rich catalogs of Japanese woodblock prints, African-American art, and many others can be found. Required visiting is the Modern Wing, a 2009 renovation dedicated to the works of 20thand 21st-century artists. Admission is free with UCID. Located about mile and a half north of the Art Institute is the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago, which offers several fl oors of post-war art. Here you can find artwork that pushes the bounds of the conventional. The MCA Stage program brings to the city cutting-edge performance art that blurs the lines between traditional disciplines. Admission is free with UCID. Located in Pilsen, Chicago’s own Mexic an-American heritage neighborhood and one of the city’s cultural hubs, the National Museum of Mexican Art boasts a colorful collection of art that doubles as an educational resource for Mexican history and culture. The permanent collection is organized chronologically, from pre-Columbian times to Chicano resistance art. Rotational exhibitions— including one that features the works of Frida Kahlo—round out the space; the annual Día de los Muertos exhibit runs from mid-September to mid-December. Admission is free. Doors fly open along the blocks in the Chicago Arts District (Pilsen) from 6 to 10 p.m. on the second Friday of each month, ushering in a night of gallery-hopping and an eyeful of diverse contemporary art. The Fine Arts Building (South Loop) also opens artist studios to the public from 5 to 10 p.m. those dates. Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundat i on, Open House Chicago provides incredible access to more than
200 Chicago gems on October 14 and 15. Highlights include Prairie-style private homes (Frank Lloyd Wright ring a bell?) as well as Fourth Presbyterian Church, where Julia Roberts tried to thwart My Best Friend’s Wedding—to a fictional UChicago third-year, no less! Admission is free. Want to see great art but don’t have it in you for a trip uptown? Closer to home is the Arts Block, the brainchild of the University’s Arts + Public Life initiative, which encourages students and faculty to engage with their community and experience art off campus. This block includes the Arts Incubator (301 East Garfield Boulevard), a community space for exhibitions, performances, lectures, and artist residencies; the gorgeously graffitied Muffler Shop (359 East Garfield Boulevard), a space for artistic collaboration which hosts outdoor screenings in partnership with Black Cinema House; and the soonto-be Green Line Arts Center (317 East Garfield Boulevard), still in preliminary development. Just take the #55 bus west toward the Garfield Green Line. Just a five-minute walk from Regenstein Library at the intersection of 57th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, the DuSable Museum of African American History is committed to the conservation of African-American history, culture, and art. The museum boasts several permanent and temporary exhibitions, and, this fall, the museum’s historic Roundhouse will even play host to a satellite show from Expo Chicago, an international art showcase open September 13–17 at Navy Pier. Admission is free for students. North of campus, the Hyde Park Arts Center (5020 South Cornell Avenue, along the East Shuttle route) also promotes local artists and offers both
Mimansa Dogra
classes and workshops, allowing student members free access to the ceramics facilities. Also, save the date: On November 18 through 20, a plethora of pop-up galleries and events will appear all over 53rd Street for Connect+, a weekend-long art festival. —Grace Hauck and Hannah Edgar Literature The Point is a biannual literary magazine founded by UChicago alums that publishes essays on politics, literary criticism, and culture. Every issue features a section called “Symposium” that is devoted to questions exploring the purpose of oft-challenged traditions, disciplines, or institutions pertinent to today’s society. For the poetry lovers out there, Chicago is also home to the Poetry Foundation, the publisher of Poetry magazine and one of the world’s largest literary foundations. Its downtown glass building houses a vast collection of poetry and regularly holds free events such as the Open Door Readings, quarterly launch parties, and workshops. The Poetry Foundation regularly collaborates with UChicago by working with poets on campus and partnering with the Smart Museum for special exhibitions. —May Huang
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Bears, Bulls, and More So you’ve explored the campus for a little while and you’re already raring to get off into the city? Probably not, but if you are, and you love sports, you’re in the right place! The Cubs are wrapping up their season, with one more home series against the Reds before playoffs. They entered this season as the reigning World Series champions, which is a sentence most fans thought they would never read in their lifetime. (To put that into perspective: The last time the Cubs won the World Series, the Ottoman Empire was still around.) History facts aside, the Cubbies currently lead their division. Thanks to stars like Kris Bryant and Jake Arrieta, all signs point to them advancing to the playoffs to defend their title. Wrigley Field (take the Red Line to Addison). Cheapest tickets: $13. The Chicago W hite Sox are a great local alternative. The Sox aren’t as celebrated as their North Side rivals, but crosstown matchups are still intense. It’s important to know what team you’re picking beforehand, lest you get slandered by natives. Guaranteed Rate Field (take the Red Line to Sox-35th). Cheapest tickets: <$10. The leaves are falling again, which means it’s time for football. The Bears are also easy to get to, but opt for an earlier game in the season while you can: standing outside for three hours in the winter takes commitment. The years-long tradition of blaming Jay Cutler for all the Bears’ shortcomings is over, as he now plays for Miami. His
Courtesy of The Chicago Tribune
replacement, quarterback Mike Glennon, looks to get the city back on his side and aim for gradual improvement, so that the Bears can do better than their pitiful 3 –13 record last season. Soldier Field (take the 6 bus to 11th/ Columbus, near Museum Campus, and walk). Prices vary depending on opponent. Back on the North Side, the NBA season starts next month. The Bulls had a particularly tumultuous offsea-
son, shipping out Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota T imberwolves. A lthough the Bulls are not projected to win a lot of games, it’s worth watching their young players, like Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. If you can stand to watch them lose, it may be worth paying attention to just how badly, as they can potentially get a new star in the NBA draft next year, like Marvin Bagley III or Michael Porter Jr., if they’re bad enough. United Center (Green Line
to Ashland). Cheapest tickets: $42. The Blackhawks are one of Chicago’s more consistently successful teams: They’ve won three championships this decade alone. With Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews leading the way, there’s always something to look forward to in their games. You can’t go wrong catching a game at the United Center all year long! United Center (Green Line to Ashland). Cheapest tickets: <$50. —Cavell Means
Don’t Leave Chicago Without... 1.
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Watching a Cubs game is probably a Chicago rite of passage. Head to Wrigley Field to experience fans’ unparalleled passion, which (following the beloved Cubbies’ 2016 World Series win) has never been fiercer. Tickets start around $14. The Art Institute of Chicago in the Loop lends itself to nearly infinite exploration. Since the museum is free with your UCID, one approach is to tackle just two exhibits per visit: Impressionist and Islamic art, for example, or Japanese and medieval art. Afterward, stop by the stone lions outside the museum to watch the ever-present drummers nearby. Millennium Park, adjacent to the Art Institute, offers plenty besides photo opportunities at the Bean (real name: Cloud Gate). Catch an outdoor concert in Pritzker Pavilion or wander Lurie Garden. In winter, ice skate below the Bean (free, with skate rentals for $10). Probe centuries of history at the National Museum of Mexican Art. The free collection here ranges from pre-Columbian masks to subversive contemporary installations, with a striking Day of the Dead exhibition on display every fall. Afterward, grab a snack in surrounding Pilsen; we love the widely sold paletas, decadent popsicles. Window-shop in Chicago’s hipster quarter, Wicker Park. Browse Myopic Books, a used book paradise, and explore the row of vintage boutiques alongside Milwaukee Avenue. Finish by sampling the inventive ice cream flavors at Jeni’s. Second City holds mythic status as the training ground for generations of wildly successful comedians. Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Amy Poehler are among the past performers at this Old Town improv theater, launched in 1959
by three University graduates. Tickets to professional performances start at $18, with shows by the theater’s comedy students priced at $12. 7. Improv Shakespeare in Lincoln Park is another offbeat comedy option. A talented troupe of actors crafts a very loose adaptation of one of the Bard’s plays based on audience members’ suggestions at the start of the show. Tickets are $18. 8. Museum Campus in the South Loop has something for a vast slate of interests. Scope out Egyptian tombs and the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus rex fossil at the Field Museum ($19 for basic admission), be spellbound by stars at Adler Planetarium ($12 for general admission), or see stingrays and beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium ($20 for general admission). Free admission days for Chicago residents throughout the year are listed on the museums’ websites. 9. Gobble your way through Chinatown. Bubble tea from Chatime or Joy Yee pairs fabulously with the cheap, tasty custard buns and sesame balls at Saint Anna Bakery. Alternatively, sit for a dim sum dinner at one of the neighborhood’s many excellent restaurants. If your appetite can handle it, try the rolled ice cream at Legend Tasty House for dessert. 10. Walking along the Chicago River is lovely in fall and spring. People-watch, spot friendly dogs, and admire the awe-inspiring skyscrapers. Examine the surface of the Tribune Tower: it features carefully labeled rocks from famous places, from the Forbidden City to the moon. The area is especially vibrant around Saint Patrick’s Day, when the river is dyed green to celebrate. 11. After Thanksgiving, Christkindlmarket transforms Daley Plaza in the
Loop into an antique village inspired by the 16th-century Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany. Vendors sell glass ornaments and whimsical clocks alongside hot chocolate and strudel in a magical setting. Entry is free. 12. Lincoln Park Zoo is free and enormous, with animals from aardvarks to zebras, gorillas to penguins. Seasonal events include ZooLights, a Christmas festival that opens in late November. 13. Plan a beach day during spring quarter. While the Point is gorgeous, Chicago’s lakefront is strewn with bustling beaches. Local favorites include North Avenue Beach in Lincoln Park and Oak Street Beach near the shopping of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. 14. Experience the thrills of a street festi-
val. Summer is packed with concerts and block parties, but a slew of events occur during the year, too—from Chinese New Year around the city to the Columbus Drive artists’ parade in October. 15. Dig into deep-dish pizza, the city’s cheesy and decadent signature dish. Giordano’s, which has several locations around Chicago, is the most convenient place to grab a classic stuffed pie. —Deepti Saliappan
The Select Fleet Ͳ Flat Rate Discounts Taxi Flat Rates to and From Hyde Park and Downtown, and to and from the Airports
To get your Select Fleet driver
Call 312Ͳ881Ͳ3300 Check out these great rates! To / From O’Hare Midway Downtown
To / From
Flat Rate
Hyde Park
$45 *
(Lakefront to Cottage Grove and 61st St to 47th St)
$20 * $18
* plus $4 Airport Tax when leaving the airports.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
GOWN A lthough UChicago students love to gripe about dining halls, eating at them is a special way to bond with your housemates —many a crossword game, debate, and salt shaker–f lipping contest takes place at house tables. Bon Appétit, which caters all three dining halls on campus, includes kosher, halal, vegan, vegetarian, anzd gluten-free stations. At Baker, Bartlett, and Cathey Dining Hall, you’ll also find omelet stations in the morning (pro tip: you can request an egg white omelet), fresh fruit, and the ever-popular fourth meal: From second week through 10th week, one of the dining halls will serve late night staples like mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, and crepes from 9 p.m. to midnight,
Monday through Thursday. While you’re on the unlimited meal plan, enjoy the luxury of swiping yourself into the dining halls as often as you want—if only to grab a raspberry chip ice cream when the weather is warm! The newest and sleekest of the dining halls, the Baker Dining Commons are attached to Campus North and seat all of the eight houses in North. It has the most diverse salad bar and serves up a great Thanksgiving Feast during the holidays in November. It also reputedly has the best tea selection on campus. Along with Cathey, Baker serves you Capannari Ice Cream in a cone or a cup (Bartlett-goers get ice cream sandwiches instead). Remodeled from a gymna-
Courtesy of UChicago Division of Humanities
Campus Dining sium, Bartlett—which caters to Snell-Hitchcock and houses in Max P—was once considered the “worst dining hall” on campus (and the subject of a rather controversial M A ROON article). However, it’s entered a Renaissance period of sorts under the direction of Bon Appétit: It is now home to a reliable taco bar with a sizeable guacamole tub. Bartlett’s packed and high-ceiling hall can be overwhelming, but its window tables are great for those who want more privacy. Its cookies and pizza, which are always kept under warm lights, also rival the other dining halls. If you’ve ever wanted the experience of eating in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the house tables in Cathey Dining Commons (referred to by many as
Zoe Kaiser
“South”) are where you want to go. The go-to dining hall for Granville-Grossman, B-J, and I-House residents, Cathey also has a free-seating area a f fe c tionat ely t ermed “ the Fishbowl” for its see-through
glass exterior. Cathey is also the only dining hall on campus with a pasta station (serving multiple sauces, including pesto). Make sure to get in line early to avoid the wait! —May Huang
them past midnight. With its da rk i nter iors, worn couches, and student art, Hallowed Grounds*, located on the second floor of Reynolds Club, is one of campus’s most homey hangouts. The baristas curate new and exciting music and the café hosts a range of packed meals from local eateries. The billiards tables make it a student hotspot, and its intimate couches are a good place to catch up with friends (or make some new ones). If you stay till 11p.m., you can snag free coffee and baked goods. Located in the basement of the Divinity School, Grounds of Being is where “the Gods d r i n k cof fee.” P ut i n mere mortal terms, this means it
has the best cup of joe available on campus, and is surprisingly cheap! Don’t feel out of place among the grad students and notoriously attractive ba r istas: many undergrads stop by to enjoy its wide va r iety of Hyde Pa rk fa re. Wait for the Purple Haze latte in the spring: it’s the perfect combination of lavender and espresso for a sunny morning of classes and meetings. But be careful: this subterranean study spot is cash-only. Dollop faces North and ref lects its minimalist aesthetic, and is always teeming with North’s preppy, athletic residents. With its f loor-to-ceiling glass windows, Dollop is everyone’s favorite café for peoContinued on page 19
Campus Cafés UChicago’s cafés are perhaps as eclectic and diverse as its student body—each one has its own vibe, and you’d be hard-pressed to find two cafés that are exactly the same. Our campus-wide coffee addiction is probably a result of the fact
that we’re spoiled for choice. There is something for everyone: bougie meeting spots for econ bros, ar tsy spaces for hipsters, and quieter areas for hard-core homework sessions. If you’re looking to escape the oppressive silence of the li-
Giovanna DeCastro
braries or the lonely solitude of your room, cafés are the best way to get some studying done in the company of your classmates. (Editor’s Note: Asterisks indicate locations which accept Maroon Dollars.) Located in a corner of the imposing Regenstein Library, Ex Libris* is hard to miss. People stop by to grab coffee in between classes, wander in in search of a study snack, finish P-sets in large and noisy groups, or discuss papers with TAs and professors. It offers packaged meals and snacks, baked goods, and a variety of drinks. Keep your eyes open for Ex After Dark, a quarterly installment during which the baristas invent creative drinks and desserts and serve
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ROCKEFELLER
CHAPEL
“It looks like a medieval cathedral but it’s actually a place where all kinds of events happen. Within the next two weeks, for example, you can catch the 11 pm show of the Hyde Park Jazz Fest with vibes and piano, a fabulous Bach cantata, Glenn Greenwald and Moustafa Bayoumi in conversation, Dean Boyer talking about the history of the University of Chicago, Hillel’s Yom Kippur services, some Zen meditation, the O-week movie night, the opportunity to run up 271 steps without stopping, even Red Monk sightings.” SUNDAY 9.17 | 3 PM Convocation (welcome!),
and yes, that’s when Dean Boyer invites you to become part of the storied history….
TUESDAY 9.19 | 12 NOON Grad students, this one is for you. TUESDAY 9.19 | 6:30 PM
Opening Convocation!
The Aims of Education. It’s in your O-Week schedule.
WEDNESDAY 9.20 | 5 PM Zen, every Wednesday.
Instruction at 5 pm if you’re new to this, meditation at 5:30 pm.
THURSDAY 9.21 | 7 PM O-Week Movie Night. It’s in your O-Week schedule. SATURDAY 9.23 | 11 PM, YES 11 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest with Joe Locke and Warren Wolf.
SUNDAY 9.24 | 1 PM The one and only Joey Brink playing Bell Jazz on the carillon.
The 271 steps we were talking about? You can actually run up them any
weekday 11:30 am or 4:30 pm, without anyone watching from the rotunda below. Actually, there isn’t a rotunda below.
TUESDAY 9.26 | 4:30 PM Tea & Pipes, the tenth year of 8,565 pipes and a little ecstasy… half an hour of music on the organ, with a cup of tea, played by the amazing Tom Weisflog and organ scholar Bryan McGuiggin, third year in the College. From Week 2 onwards, Tea & Pipes is followed by gentle yoga in the Chapel at 6 pm, savasana looking at the ceiling 79.5 feet above.
TUESDAY 9.26 | 7 PM Glenn Greenwald and Moustafa Bayoumi, brought to you by Haymarket Books, the Lannan Foundation, and the Institute of Politics “Islamophobia and Surveillance in the Trump Era” (tickets free, but reserve at haymarketbooks.org). WEDNESDAY 9.27 | 11:30 AM OR 4:30 PM You haven’t run up the 271 steps yet?
It’s halfway through Week 1, time to see if you’d like to learn to
play those bells. Joey will tell you all about it.
FRIDAY 9.29 | 6:30 PM
Kol Nidre, with Hillel’s Rabbi Anna Levin Rosen.
SATURDAY 9.30 | 8 PM This one is actually at Bond Chapel, where we put on the same range of artistic, spiritual, ceremonial, and academic events… Lea Bertucci (“acoustic phenomena and the way sound moves through a particular space”), brought to you by the RenSoc. sung by the Rockefeller Chapel Choir with SUNDAY 10.1 | 11 AM Finally, that Bach cantata, BWV 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, instrumental accompaniment as part of the first choral Sunday of the year. Audition for the choir! Check the Music Department’s auditions page. The Red Monk sightings
? Well, even if we knew, we couldn’t tell you. Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
Grab a copy of Arts Rock, which will give you details of all the stuff we couldn’t fit on this page. Like Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, Tegan and Sara, the Schütz Musikalische Exequien, Krista Tippett and Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alan Alda and Edward O. Wilson, and 13th century plainchant. AUTUMN/WINTER 2017–18 SPECIAL EVENTS AT
ROCKEFELLER AND BOND
ROCKEFELLER CHAPEL bells, pipes, voices,
Modo the Chapel cat, the nobility of our great human quest for meaning and capacity for awe
rockefeller.uchicago.edu Want to ask about putting on an event of your own at Rockefeller or Bond? Contact Eden Sabala at esabala@uchicago.edu.
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
DID YOU KNOW? UChicago was named the most caffeinated campus by Grubhub. Continued from page 17 ple-watching. It is expensive, but offers freshly made food and desserts—be sure to try the breakfast quiches, brown butter tea cake, and cold brew coffee. Head here during finals week for bottomless coffee! One of the newest ca fés a round campus is Sa nc tuary Café, inside University Chu rch, which has quick ly made a name for itself as a social justice– and art-oriented space. The art featured on its walls changes every month and is focused on uplifting voices from marginalized communities. It also hosts performance events, making it the perfect place to soak in some art and treat yourself to the most dec-
adent selection of desserts on campus. (Pro tip: it doesn’t say so on the menu, but all coffee and tea refills are free!) At Cobb Café*, anything goes. Located in the basement of Cobb, its decor includes tinfoil hanging from the ceiling. It is a truly liminal space, with professors and students rushing in and out—perhaps on their way to class, or perhaps scared off by the eclectic music inevitably being blasted over the speakers. It offers packaged food from Hyde Park restaurants as well, but rumor has it they have the cheapest by-the-slice pizza on campus. You can also take a quiz online to find out which Cobb barista you are!
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Similar to Cobb, Common Knowledge Café — or Harper Café* to most—is located in a building where people are always shuff ling in and out of class. It is an extension of the dreamy Hogwarts-like Harper Library, and many people refer to it as a more chill alternative to Ex Lib. Cozy recliner couches make it the ideal place for an afternoon nap, and the spacious tables are perfect for group studying. Plein A ir is UChicago’s ver sion of T r e at You r sel f , featu r ing a lu xu r ious (and expensive) spread of drinks and food. It is almost always overf lowing with people, especially over the weekend. To avoid the rush, take your order and sit at the Seminary Co-op next door, which has seating nestled inside rows and rows of books. Be sure to try the hazelnut beignets and brunch food, as well as the hot chocolate! Tucked away inside the Logan Center for the Arts, Café Logan* is frequented by artists, writers, and performers. It has a good mix of communal couches and intimate seat-
ing, and leads into a spacious courtyard that doubles as a performance space. It always has a rotating exhibition of art on its walls, and offers drinks, and both packaged and fresh food. I f you ask nicely, the workers at Logan will let you customize the fresh sandwiches on the menu. True to its name, Quantum Café* has science-themed decor—most prominent of which is an illustration of Schrodinger’s Cat. It also offers fresh food, as well as a wide variety of drinks. Inside the swanky new Eckhardt building, it is a large and quiet space that is perfect for exam cramming. Miriam’s Café is located inside the Smart Museum of Art, and it extends into an outdoor area that is lovely during the spring. You can study or relax while surrounded by an astounding collection of art from all over the country, and wander through the galleries for inspi ration. T hey ser ve premium Illy coffee, and also offer happy hours. ( It’s not what you think, but nearly as great: you can buy discounted baked goods every day from
Campus Arts You don’t have to leave campus to see world-renowned, perspective-expanding art. Let’s get you up to date on where to go and what to see. This year, art at UChicago is looking for a reaction—a nuclear reaction, one might say. Seventy-five years ago this December, a team of scientists achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction under the original site of Stagg Field. To tackle this complex anniversary, UChicago Arts has teamed up with various departments to present Arts and the Nuclear Age, a series of lectures, performances, and screenings set to take place across UChicago’s wide array of arts spaces this fall. As for venues, you can’t overlook the freshly-renovated Smart Museum of Art. Tucked away in an unassuming courtyard just north of the intersection of East 56th Street and South Greenwood Avenue, the Smart is the University’s main art museum and harbors a collection of works ranging from 12th-century Korean bowls to 20th-century Warhols, Paschkes, and Matisses. No trip to the Smart is complete without a visit to Miriam’s Café, a quiet and well-lit haven with delicious Italian espresso. Come get acquainted with the museum’s new design and its magnificent collection at its Fall Opening on the evening of September 27, complete with free food, drinks, and live music. If you like your art a bit edgier, check out the Renaissance Society on the fourth floor of Cobb Hall. Founded in 1915, this small, independent museum is known for its “experimental ethos,” featuring contemporary artists from around the world. Catch exhibits this fall by painter Jennifer Packer and art-
ist Alejandro Cesarco. Admission is free. Inevitably, every first-year starts to miss their mummy during first quarter, so take a visit to the Oriental Institute, located just east of the main quad, across from Saieh Hall. This world-renowned archaeology museum boasts a collection of ancient Middle Eastern artifacts—everything from 40-ton sculptures of winged bulls with human heads to weapons from biblical Armageddon. If you’re reading The Epic of Gilgamesh for first-year Hum, put down your tired translation and check out the original: 4,000-year-old Babylonian cuneiform tablets (circa 2,000 B.C.E.) bearing a version of the epic are located just inside the museum. Admission is free with a $10 suggested donation. The Logan Center for the Arts, located at 60th Street and Drexel Avenue, opened in 2012 and is a thriving center of campus art featuring both professional and student work. Brazilian artist Cinthia Marcelle and filmmaker Tiago Mata Machado’s Cinthia Marcelle and Tiago Mata Machado: Divine Violence, a show exploring “the potential for revolution in everyday life,” is currently on display and runs until October 29. To see student work, stroll the ground floor and lower levels, where paintings, drawings, and sculptures flood the halls. Just beyond the Oriental Institute, along South Woodlawn Avenue, you’ll find a reprieve from the pervasive Gothicism of campus in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. This “Prairie style” architectural masterpiece, distinguished by its low-pitched roof and long strips of windows, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Stu-
3 –4:30 pm!) Though not really on campus, don’t miss Build Coffee, which moved into the Experimental Station just south of campus at 61st and Blackstone Avenue this summer. The space is small but mighty: books and zines line an entire wall of the café, and artists and activ ists of all str ipes f lock to collaborate here. Though they lack the personality of other campus cafés, it’s worth noting that campus has two Starbucks* on campus: one in Saieh Hall, and another in the campus bookstore. They’ll provide an easy and convenient caffeine fix. Si nce it wasn’t open by print time, we can only speculate what the new Pret A Manger (in C-Shop, on the west side of Reynolds Club) w i ll look li ke. You can expect typical Pret fare—soups, sandw iches, w raps, sa lads, and of course, coffee. A s a plus, unsold food is donated to the community at the end of the day. *Accepts Maroon dollars —Urvi Kumbhat
VISUAL ARTS
Peter Tang
dents get in free the first Monday of every month. The Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society, just north of the Robie House, hosts a robust array of lectures, workshops, and contemporary art exhibitions. Though not a museum or exhibition space itself, the Booth School of Business exhibits a substantial collection of modern art and is located just across the street from the Robie House, making for a convenient post-tour supplement. For those of you hoping to
create rather than contemplate, there are many student groups dedicated to promoting the visual arts. Each spring, Festival of the Arts (FOTA) orchestrates a campus-wide jubilee of student art and hosts workshops, performances, and gallery openings throughout the year. Outside the Lines, a group geared toward promoting technique in practicing artists, organizes weekly figure-drawing classes in Logan, while members of ArtShould spend their afternoons teaching art classes at nearby Chi-
cago Public Schools. Kitchen Sink, a group dedicated to fostering the student art community, hosts free four-hour painting sessions every Wednesday night in Logan’s Great Hall. Whether you’re a devoted museum-goer, practicing artist, or complete art novice, the depth and diversity of art outlets on campus and in Hyde Park at large has something for everyone. It’s a new and exciting year to join the fun. —Grace Hauck and Rebecca Julie
Arts Pass ArtsPass, a UChicago partnership with over 70 cultural institutions throughout Chicago, organizes hyper-discounted student trips to art events throughout the year. Previous trips have included the Joffrey Ballet, a collaboration with Lyric Opera and Second City, and even the Chicago production of Hamilton. If you want to get involved in planning events yourself, check out the Arts Liaisons program. This small team of students works side-by-side with Logan Center staff to develop the arts event schedule and marketing—application forthcoming on the UChicago Arts website.
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MUSIC
Camelia Malkami
It’s a good time to be a musician at UChicago. While Philip Glass (A.B. ’56) has long since ghosted the Burton-Judson courtyard, music remains central to the University’s cultural and physical landscape. The music department hosts over 14 different ensembles and programs, which collectively put on more than 100 concerts each quarter. If you’re classically inclined, the University Symphony Orchestra, University Chamber Orchestra, and University Wind Ensemble are your best bets for on-campus concerts. For those hoping to break into the jazz scene, look no further than the University Jazz X-tet, which often collaborates with Chicago-area professionals. There are also special repertory ensembles like the Early Music, Middle East Music, and South Asian Music Ensembles, all of which you can join by attending an informal open house at the beginning of the year. There’s just as much diversity in choral ensembles: there’s Motet Choir, specializing in a cappella repertoire both seasoned and modern; the University Chorus, the largest and most inclusive choral ensemble; Women’s Ensemble, boasting what is perhaps the most diverse repertoire; and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir, which performs on Sundays at Rockefeller. Auditions for all of the above take place during O-Week, so tune those violins and warm those larynxes! Student-run groups are just as plentiful. Thanks to Pitch Perfect, the collegiate a cappella scene has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. UChicago groups run the gamut from single-sex (Run for Cover, Unaccompanied Women, Men in Drag) to co-ed (Ransom Notes
and the award-winning Voices in Your Head, among others) to the aptly named Rhythm and Jews. Check out this year’s a cappella showcase Monday, September 25, and let the riff-off begin. For “music not commonly heard in the mainstream,” tune into WHPK, the campus radio station and one of the University’s largest RSOs. From rock to public affairs, jazz to classical, University students and community members deejay jams for you to enjoy from the comfort of your dorm room. Find them at 88.5 FM, listen online at whpk.org, or audition as a DJ! The Major Activities Board (MAB) organizes two hotly anticipated concerts each year: the Fall Show and Summer Breeze. Past concerts have featured the Ramones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck, and Eminem. Twenty-dollar tickets are easy on the student budget—if you’re willing to wake up at 5 a.m. to wait in line for them. The on-campus concert series University of Chicago Presents also offers a chance to hear world-famous artists on a student’s budget. It hosts some 25 classical, jazz, early, and contemporary music concerts a year in spaces from the intimate (Mandel Hall) to the awesome (Rockefeller Chapel). This year, five bucks get you in the audience for such luminaries as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Anat Cohen, Brad Mehldau, and the International Contemporary Ensemble, among others. In terms of practice and performance spaces, the Logan Center’s musical facilities stand unrivaled. Logan boasts three music ensemble rehearsal rooms, 20 music practice rooms, one pi-
ano teaching studio, and an avant-garde Performance Hall. The space plays host to Third Tuesday Jazz, a free evening concert series in Logan Café (need we say when?) and the Logan Center Cabaret Series, a biweekly student variety show. And for those whose hearts are beholden to ivied walls, catch some sun outside Goodspeed Hall for an earful of the next Lang Lang rehearsing his Tchaik One in a practice room. And of course, keep your ears open: Your own peers are creating jaw-dropping music all the time, often without RSO funding or so much as a mention on
the official campus events calendar. On any given day, Dirt Red Brass Band, a traveling New Orleans–style student band, may jazz up your quad-crossing scramble with its signature sound and playful performance style. And for those who like the dirt under the nails just where it is, basement shows featuring local student bands are a regular fixture in the Hyde Park night scene. Just be sure to keep your ears to the ground—it’s rumbling. —Joy Crane, updated by Hannah Edgar and Rebecca Julie
MIDNIGHT MADNESS
Saturday, September 23rd—8pm to midnight
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1501 E 57th St 773-955-7780 9-11pm daily Courtesy of Voices in Your Head
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
At UChicago the pictures may move, but you don’t really have to; there are plenty of excellent resources for the collegiate cinephile right on campus. If you’re not looking to stray too far from the Reg, Doc Films is an exceptional choice. Housed in the Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall, Doc began in 1932 as a student-run film club that exclusively screened documentaries (or, as its founders called them, “the realist study of our time via nonfiction film”). Since then, Doc has expanded its repertory and now screens everything from flops to favorites. Esteemed directors and actors from Woody Allen to Alfred Hitchcock and, more recently, Darren Aronofsky, have visited Max Palevsky Cinema to lead discussions about their films. Doc features eight film series per quarter (excluding finals week), one for each night of the week and two on Thursdays. On Fridays, Doc hosts its marquee series, which tends to include popular, recent films (usually the most well-attended screenings) and on Saturday it plays new releases. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert (X ’70) once called Doc Films “cinephile heaven,” and—at five dollars per ticket or $30 for a quarterly pass with discounts for renewing members—it’s
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FILM
hard to disagree. The Max Palevsky Cinema, along with the Logan Center, also plays movies produced by Fire Escape Films, UChicago’s student filmmaking RSO. Along with making films throughout the year, the club holds weekly screenwriting workshops, filmmaking equipment orientation, and short film discussions at general meetings. Fire Escape hosts the legendary 48 Hour Film Festival in the spring, where student teams spend a weekend together writing, filming, and editing a short film. If you’re not feeling up to the brouhaha of a public screening, or would like to watch as many films as your heart desires free of charge, the Film Studies Center is an excellent alternative. Located on the third floor of Cobb Hall, the FSC boasts an impressive collection of films, from the highly decorated to the relatively obscure. You don’t have to be a Cinema and Media Studies major to borrow from their cinematic archives (though you do have to remain on the premises to watch them). The FSC also conducts events and film screenings, including those produced by members of Fire Escape. —Emily Wang, updated by Rebecca Julie and May Huang
Jordan Marton
THEATER
Johnny Hung
From performing Shakespeare to building a set to splitting sides with improv comedy, there are many opportunities to make campus your stage at UChicago. Approximately 500 students take part in campus productions each year. The largest contingent of students participates in University Theater (UT), which produces more than 35 shows a year, reaching an annual audience of more than 10,000 attendees. UT offers a high level of student involvement and an extensive set of resources, including the 11-story Logan Center and the knowledge of well-trained theater profession-
als and academics. UT’s 24-Hour Play Festival—held the first weekend of each quarter—invites all students to create an entire play from scratch, from playwriting to set design to performance, in just one day. This fall alone, UT will put on an eclectic array of productions. The season will kick off with the quarterly A Weekend of Workshops (fifth week), bringing short adapted pieces from Oscar Wilde and Eugene O’Neill as well as devised work to the Francis X. Kinahan (FXK) Theater on the third floor of Reynolds Club. Three more productions will follow: Shakespeare’s As You Like It, present-
ed by The Dean’s Men (seventh week), Next to Normal (eighth week), and Peter and the Starcatcher (10th week). Auditions for all of these shows will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday of first week on the third floor of Cobb. New and curious students should sign up for the UT list host and check the UT website for specific audition information. If you prefer to stay out of the spotlight, positions for production managing, stage managing, house managing, lighting, set design, costume design, and sound design are always available. Students with Shakespearean inclina-
tions may want to check out the aforementioned Dean’s Men. As the University’s resident Shakespeare troupe, it stages one of the Bard’s 39 plays every quarter. The Dean’s Men also holds biweekly play readings and works closely with professor emeritus and Shakespeare expert David Bevington. Because Hyde Park is the birthplace of improvisational comedy, it’s only fitting that the University boasts not one but two excellent improv groups. Formed by Second City co-founder Bernie Sahlins (A.B. ’43) in 1986, Off-Off Campus gives its O-Week show in Continued on page 21
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DID YOU KNOW? What is considered the first improv comedy show was performed at the corner of 55th and University.
Continued from page 21 also holds biweekly play readings and works closely with professor emeritus and Shakespeare expert David Bevington. Because Hyde Park is the birthplace of improvisational comedy, it’s only fitting that the University boasts not one but two excellent improv groups. Formed by Second City co-founder Bernie Sahlins (A.B. ’43) in 1986, Off-Off Campus gives its O-Week show in Mandel Hall and presents a five-week revue each quartfrom fourth to eighth week. Occam’s Razor, an improv troupe open to both undergraduate and graduate
students, puts on three free shows each quarter, performing in the FXK Theater or at The Revival, located on 55th Street. Auditions for both Off-Off and Occam’s Razor are held early fall quarter. Seeking a more unconventional creative outlet? Never fear—unconventional is UChicago’s middle name. Those looking to combine their loves of history and theater may be interested in the Classical Entertainment Society, which produces works based on classical sources, or UChicago Commedia, which specializes in the commedia dell’arte theater style of the Italian Renaissance. High-flying
acrobats of all skill levels are encouraged to join Le Vorris & Vox Circus, which occasionally collaborates with UT to put on shows combining theater and circus arts. If you don’t have time to leave Hyde Park but still want to get your fix of professional theater, Court Theatre puts on high-quality shows on Ellis Avenue, just across from Ratner. Once called “the most consistently excellent theater company in America” by The Wall Street Journal, Court will open this season with Clarke Peters’s Five Guys Named Moe. The musical centers around a blues singer with a broken heart and features saxophonist and
songwriter Louis Jordan’s greatest hits. Don’t forget to check out student pricing online, which may allow you to see this production and more for as little as five dollars. Fresh thespian blood, experienced or not, is what keeps the theater groups alive and improving each year. And with the University’s offerings academic and extracurricular, onand offstage, traditional and comedic, chances are you are missing out if you don’t put yourself out there. —Hannah Edgar, updated by Natalie Pasquinelli
PUBLICATIONS With an alumni network that includes writers like Kurt Vonnegut, Saul Bellow, Roger Ebert, Susan Sontag, Studs Terkel, and Sarah Koenig, UChicago has myriad platforms for anyone to unleash the power of the written word. Whether you are looking to hone your journalism skills or perform spoken word, your writing will find its home at one (or more!) of the many RSOs interested in what you have to say. Through print or podcast, here are the organizations that will get your word out on campus: News T HE C HICAGO M AROON is UChicago’s independent student newspaper. Dating back to 1892, it also happens to be one of the oldest college papers in the U.S. Published every Tuesday and Friday, the paper boasts famous alumni including Obama senior adviser David Axelrod (A.B. ’76), and journalist and former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens (A.B. ’41). The paper is always looking for fresh faces to contribute to its four written sections (News, Viewpoints, Arts, and Sports) or its design, copy, photo, video, and multimedia sections. In-depth articles appear a few times a quarter in Grey City, T HE M AROON ’s long-form supplement. The South Side Weekly is a longform news magazine dedicated to “supporting cultural and civic engagement on the South Side.” Published every Wednesday, the Weekly covers local happenings usually untouched by mainstream media and publishes more extensive narratives and essays. Students with specialized interests can contribute to one of the magazine’s diverse sections, which range from politics and education to food, books, art, and music. Besides hard journalism, it provides plenty of creative outlets for contributors, publishing poetry, fiction, original artwork, and more. The Shady Dealer is UChicago’s satirical newspaper. The paper mostly deals with issues relevant to UChica-
go, producing fake news, features, and quizzes like “Zimmer Wishes His Salary Were Paid in Gum,” “How Subtly Do You Flirt with Your TA?” or “PlayDoh Releases Its Republic.” The University itself offers a number of opportunities for aspiring writers. For those interested in pursuing a career in journalism, UChicago Careers in Journalism, Arts, and Media (UCIJAM) is a Career Advancement program that helps students touch up their résumés and find job opportunities. Throughout the year, UCIJAM coordinates events, visits, guest speakers, and meet-ups for burgeoning UChicago journalists. The University of Chicago Press also provides internship opportunities for those who want to learn more about academic publishing. Students can also submit feature articles to the College website, which publishes information about campus life for students. Literary Journals There are plenty of opportunities for the literarily inclined to publish creative work and read submissions. Sliced Bread is the University’s largest literary magazine, publishing short stories, poetry, nonfiction, and art to “provide a slice of everything being produced on the University of Chicago campus.” Memoryhouse is a quarterly publication that explores personal narrative through creative writing and art. It hosts literary events with its performance ensemble, Memento. Euphony accepts poetry and prose submissions from writers on campus and across the country, printing on a semi-annual basis and posting online pieces year-round. Blacklight Magazine, the literary and arts publication of UChicago’s Organization of Black Students (OBS), has a more specific thematic focus; it publishes one issue each quarter, aiming to provide a platform for the voices of traditionally marginalized communities on and beyond campus. Similarly, Mural Magazine is UChicago’s first bilingual magazine, accepting
work in both Spanish and English. UChicago Majalla, an even newer bilingual magazine, accepts literary and academic work in Arabic. The Midway Review offers a forum for students, faculty, and even alumni to publish long-form essays on current events, arts and culture, and philosophy that will contribute to a larger intellectual discourse.
dialogue. The Triple Helix is a publication run by student editors who work with faculty members. Although the magazine usually publishes work by accomplished academics, students can contribute to its blog, The Triple Helix Online.
Food and Fashion
WHPK 88.5 FM is a non-profit community radio station serving UChicago, Hyde Park, and the South Side at large. You can either apply for your own DJ set or work behind the scenes to help WHPK stay up and running. The two main student podcasts are The Quad, which spotlights diverse members of the UChicago community (from professors to dining hall staff), and The Vein, which features the stories of UChicago students and research happening on campus to link interdisciplinary research with the lives it affects. The Vein also collaborates with Sliced Bread and Blacklight Magazine to produce their respective podcasts, Breadbeat and Blacklight Speaks. Just last year, a small group of students started The Attic, a student-produced podcast that features personal narratives. The Underground Collective is a safe-space performance collective that puts on quarterly showcases featuring slam poems, monologues, scenes, group pieces, comedy, and more. You can get involved onstage as a performer or by joining the publicity and fundraising teams. If you are interested in performing onstage without joining an ensemble, you can also perform as a solo act at events throughout the year, such as the annual Festival of the Arts Soiree during spring quarter.
Bite is a quarterly print culinary magazine for those interested in food writing and photography. It includes features, recipes, and reviews. UChicago Spoon is the UChicago chapter of Spoon University, an online magazine dedicated to encouraging college students to be well-informed about food and find the best eateries on- and off-campus. MODA is a quarterly publication that was recognized as “one of the best college fashion publications in the nation” by Teen Vogue in 2013. The magazine and its associated blog cover the most important fashion news and trends. Politics & Academic Journals The Gate, sponsored by UChicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP), offers plenty of opportunities to write about politics on a local, national, or international level, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum. The Platypus Review is a publication that is a branch of The Platypus Affiliated Society, an international Marxist group that originated at UChicago. The Chicago Journal of Foreign Policy is an annual journal that gives students interested in foreign policy a platform to write about and discuss pressing world issues. The Chicago Journal of History is a biannual journal published by undergraduate students in the Department of History. The journal brings together students from different fields of history to foster interdisciplinary
Voice
—Sarah Zimmerman, updated by Hannah Edgar and May Huang
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DANCE From winter formals to silent raves in Mansueto, something in the nippy Chicago air just inspires fancy footwork. Chalk it up to long hours at the Reg or gusts of wind blowing down the quad, but UChicago students like to bust a move to shake off the stress. With more than half a dozen dance groups on campus and many more free workshops and classes offered year-round, the options to do so are endless. Sanskrit for “celestial nymph,” Apsara is an all-female classical Indian dance RSO on campus. It puts on two performances a year, often collaborating with other performance groups, including UT/TAPS and the South Asian Music Ensemble, for dazzling shows infused with theater and poetry. In addition, the group performs several numbers for the South Asian Student Association (SASA) cultural show every year. Any sort of performance on stage requires a big smile, and Raas takes gameday face to a whole new level. A high-energy, high-intensity Indian folk dance featuring intense facial expressions, colorful costumes, and twirling batons, Raas is not for the timid. The team performs in competitions across the country from California to Miami, and hosts workshops and tryouts in the fall and spring. Fusing contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and various Indian styles of dance, UChicago Maya draws inspiration from around the world. The group’s innovative choreography and eclectic music can be appreciated year round during its annual winter showcase as well as performances at the MODA fashion show and SASA cultural show. Auditions for the winter
show take place in the fall, with separate auditions for later performances. Spring quarter, Maya dancers choreograph open workshops from a variety of genres. A dance crew so fire that only the UChicago emblem was an appropriate name, Phinix is the heart of all things hip-hop on campus. It consists of two main subgroups—Choreography Crew and Freestyle Crew—which perform at a variety of events throughout the year. They also host their own showcase, attracting hip-hop teams from other schools in the area. Phinix offers weekly free workshops and open sessions. Rhy th m ic B odies in Motion (RBIM), meanwhile, offers a little something for everyone. Auditions for the largest dance RSO on campus usually begin in November for the annual performance in the spring. Showcasing styles ranging from tap to musical theater numbers to classical Chinese dance, the show is an opportunity for dancers of all levels to perform in front of an encouraging audience. As energetic as their costumes are embellished, the UChicago Bhangra team brings the color and spirit of this traditional Indian dance form to campus. The co-ed team competes around the country and performs at galas and cultural shows, including the SASA spring showcase. Tryouts and workshops are held every fall and spring quarter for those interested in exploring the genre. If you long for the good ol’ days of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, the Chicago Swing Dance Society (CSDS) organizes weekly “Java Jives” on Saturday nights, free to students and the pub-
Dan Ehrlich
lic, that include both a beginner lesson and open social dancing with a DJ until 11 p.m. CSDS also offers lessons in East Coast Swing, Lindy hop, collegiate shag, and other swing styles throughout the year, and sometimes invites live bands. Shimmy and twirl your way to moves like Shakira’s at Ida Noyes Hall with the UChicago Ballroom and Latin Dance Association (BLDA). Join its competitive team (no experience necessary) to learn foxtrot, waltz, quickstep, and more, as well as participate in competitions throughout the year. For those not quite ready to commit to the team, BLDA also offers social dance classes and teams up with The Promontory on Lake Park
Avenue and 53rd Street for free monthly salsa nights featuring a live DJ. Fulfill your childhood dreams of being in a storybook, if only for a matinee or two, with University Ballet. The University Ballet company embraces dancers of all levels, from those who always just dreamed of chiffon tutus to those with years of pointe experience. The co-ed company puts on two fulllength ballets a year—previous performances have included classics like Giselle, Le Corsaire, and Sleeping Beauty—and hosts free classes for everyone from beginners to vets every week. —Alexia Bacigalupi
Intramural and Club Sports Whether you’re on the lookout for a serious contest or just looking to get some fresh air, UChicago’s diverse set of intramural and club sports has something for everyone. With participants from both the undergraduate and graduate student bodies, intramural sports offer a popular release from academics and a great way to bond with peers, while club sports provide a more intense and competitive sporting environment. Out of the plethora of intramural sports available, broomball is one sport that seems to have ingrained itself as part of UChicago “tradition.” In the brutal Chicago winter, students head to the Midway ice rink to take part in a modified version of ice hockey with sneakers, brooms, and a tiny soccer ball in place of a puck. Another modified sport popular with students yearround is inner-tube water polo, played in Ratner’s indoor pool. Over the last few years, Harry Potter enthusiasts have also popularized Quidditch. Flying brooms become, well, normal brooms straddled by players, and the snitch becomes a rubber ball tucked inside the waistband of a speedy volunteer. Apart from these unique sports, more traditional ones like soccer, flag football, and basketball are also extremely popular. Many intramural athletes were stars on their high school teams, although any level of experience
is welcome and encouraged. The athletics department offers co-ed, men’s, and women’s leagues for various sports. These leagues come with the traditional amenities like referees, playoffs, and trophies. In addition, there are tons of individual leagues in games like chess, backgammon, and pool for students to delve into. Though not quite an intramural sport, another UChicago tradition is midnight soccer, where students form house teams and play other houses on the Midway Plaisance at around 9 or 10 p.m. every week (so not actually at midnight). The results and scores are not official, but it is a great way to build camaraderie while getting in some exercise. Club sports are essentially social circles unto themselves. The University creates a distinction between clubs focused on competition and those that are focused on recreation. The schedules for club sports are more grueling than intramural sports, which can pose a challenge to some. But these are outweighed by benefits like social bonding and, sometimes, the chance to travel and compete. You can sign up for intramural sports through your house’s intramural representative or online through IMLeagues.com. Club sports can normally be reached through Facebook pages or their respective websites. —Siddharth Kapoor
PROUDLY PRESENTS The 2017 Simon M. Shubitz Cancer Lecture “The Application of Integrative Sequencing for Precision Oncology”
Arul M. Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD
Director, Michigan Center for Translational Pathology S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology Professor of Pathology and Urology Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Sponsored by
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center & The University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation
Monday, September 25, 2017 Noon Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery 900 E. 57th Street, Lecture Hall 1103 Lunch will be provided
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Varsity Athletic Teams Ask various people on campus why they came to the University of Chicago and you could probably count the amount of times you hear “for the athletics” on your hands. Nevertheless, student-athletes are among the most dedicated people on campus, balancing their time in the gym or on the field with time in the Reg. The expectation that students are here to study and everything else comes second arguably makes varsity athletes even more special. We don’t have T V cameras panned on the star quarterback or the basketball team’s best scorer; we aren’t home to roaring stadiums of fans with painted faces. There are no official athletic scholarships and no bonus points assigned because a reading was missed due to a game or practice. Yet, joining a varsity sports team at UChicago demonstrates incredible dedication, both to one’s education, and to the sport itself. Playing in the UAA, against schools like N Y U and Brandeis, the Maroons are highly competitive. In this year’s L ea r f ield D i re c t ors’ C up ra n k i ng Chicago came in 15th out of 325 DIII teams. Last year was a success for both male and female varsity teams. The women’s soccer team made the national semifinals and have started out this year 4– 0. The men’s tennis team made the semifinals in both its singles and doubles brackets. The swim and dive team had a whopping 40 All-American
selections en route to an 11th place finish at the NCA A Championships. Individual athletes performed highly as well. Burke Moser set a record for the most passing yards and touchdowns in a season, with 3,766 and 30, respectively. Alexander Scott and Alisha Harris each won UA A Rookie of the Year for their performances on the field. The football team begins this season as part of a new conference, the Midwest Conference, with teams from Iowa and Wisconsin. T he women’s soccer team ended last season in the NCAA semifinals with a crushing overtime loss to Messiah College, with a record of 18 –4–1, tying the record for most wins in a season. As of now, they are 4– 0 and looking to bring trophies back to the South Side. Not to be outdone, the men’s tennis team has reached the NCAA semifinals in both the singles and doubles brackets, and the depth of the team looks to be a weapon for years to come. With an extra year under their belt, duo Erik Kerrigan and Ninan Kumar look to be the most feared doubles players in the game, while Nicolas Chua hopes to retire from his college career as a champion in singles. On an even bigger scale, the swim team’s Naomy Grand’Pierre competed for the Haitian national team at the Rio Olympics last summer. Not only did she place second in her heat for the 50m freestyle, it was the first time a female swimmer had competed for Haiti. She
The University of Chicago Athletics
hopes to swim in Tokyo in 2020, after graduation. Varsity athletes have a lot to live up to, dating back to the college’s Big Ten years. The first Heisman Trophy winner, Jay Berwanger, studied in the same spaces our Maroons do now.
Our athletes are still juggling it all today, managing their Soscreadings and P-sets while going for gold on the field. The question stands: Will you be out there cheering them on and showing your Maroon spirit? —Cavell Means
The Maroons’ Mighty History T he rich history of UChicago’s sports teams is undeniable, dating back to nearly the first year of the College’s existence. Varsity sports teams now play in Division III, but the Maroons have their roots in more prestigious ranks, having been among the co-founders of the Big Ten Conference in 1896. The Maroons proved they belonged, winning seven championships under Coach A mos Stagg ’s 40 -year reign (1892 – 1932). This greatness paid off for both Stagg and the players: The Big Ten championship trophy bears his name, as does our very own football field. The players, in addition to taking on the awesome “ Monsters of the Midway ” title, excelled both academically and athletically. In 1935, Jay Berwanger won the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy. Never heard of it? The next year, the trophy was renamed the Heisman, making Berwanger the first player to
The University of Chicago Photographic Archive
receive the award, which is still given to the best college football player in the country every year. A tour guide may have pointed it out to you in Ratner Athletic Center, where it is displayed today. It wasn’t only men who def ined
The University of Chicago Athletics
UChicago’s athletic success. Gertrude Dudley served as the director of physical culture for women from 1898 –1935, showing campus that women could compete, too, long before Title IX was implemented. By advocating for female sports teams, she made sure all Maroons were sound in body as well as in mind. Eventually, these early athletic triumphs gave way to a dark age. While president of the University, Robert Maynard Hutchins decided to redouble the University’s commitment to academics, scrapping the varsity football program in 1939. The South Siders left the Big Ten in 1946, Stagg Field was demolished, and, fittingly, replaced by the Regenstein Library. Generations of Maroons would not know what it was like to attend a school with a football team, which did not return until 1969 (although basketball still existed). In 198 6 , Chicago made athletic history again, helping to charter the NCA A Division III University Athletic Association. Since then, the Maroons
have won 56 conference championships and have made 87 NCA A tournaments, finishing in the top four 13 times. The wrestling team has won by far the most conferences, with 15 championships in the last 30 years! UChicago sports remain exciting. Although it may be a long time before any Downtown Athletic Club Awards are given out to Maroon players, there is no debate: UChicago students are student-athletes in every sense of the word. —Cavell Means
THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Recreational Activities In addition to its vast array of sporting opportunities, the University of Chicago also provides students with the chance to engage in other recreational activities and exercise. There are two gymnasiums at the University: Gerald Ratner Athletics Center and Henry Crown Field House. Besides being a fully functional gym, Ratner is stocked with a swimming pool and indoor courts. This is where the swimming and basketball varsity teams play their home games. Popular recreational activities like yoga, zumba, pilates, and kickboxing take place in Ratner, where people of all skill levels are welcomed and encouraged to take part. Ratner offers weekly sessions for all these events. Crown is primarily used as the home base of the indoor track and field teams, but indoor sports like squash and table tennis also play here. Crown also houses some gym equipment. Most outdoor events happen at Stagg Field, where the
football and soccer varsity teams play. However, there are other fields available, such as the Midway, where midnight soccer takes place, and the Campus South Athletic Field, for sports like cricket and lacrosse. Zumba classes happen here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as opposed to at Ratner. The schedule for fall quarter can be viewed on the recreation section of the UChicago Athletics website. Probably the most famous recreational activity and tradition is Kuvia, which takes place during winter quarter. During this weeklong event, daring students wake up early in the morning and walk in the cold to Crown, where they perform sun salutations and engage in various RSO-led workshops. On the last day, everyone walks up to Promontory Point to do sun salutations and receive a long-sleeved tee commemorating the accomplishment. —Siddarth Kapoor
Spiritual Life The University of Chicago provides many opportunities for students of all beliefs and identities to engage with spiritual life on campus. To be exact, the University is home to 64 recognized spiritual groups, and counting, with many more to be explored off-campus. For nondenominational and interdenominational Christian worship, try checking out Rockefeller Chapel, which hosts most ceremonies and worship on Sunday mornings. Smaller services are held at the more intimate Bond Chapel on the Quad. Buddhists can connect with the Buddhist Association to become involved in on-campus meditation groups and retreats. Those interested can join Dharma Stream in Swift Hall for Tibetan meditation, try Soto Zen Buddhist Meditation in Rockefeller Chapel, or get involved with Wake Up UChicago for hour-long mindfulness workshops. The Catholic community is anchored at the Calvert House, located across from the Quad at 5735 South University Avenue. Masses are held daily from Monday to Friday at 12:30 p.m., and Sunday masses are held at 11 a.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m. The Calvert House is additionally a useful resource for students looking to engage in community service, including projects such as the Homeless Food Run or Calvert House Tutoring. Episcopalian students can check out Brent House at 5540 South Woodlawn Avenue. On every Sunday throughout the academic year, Brent House has Eucharist, followed by a home-cooked meal. All are welcome to engage in the Brent House’s programming, even if you belong to another faith or do not subscribe to religion. Followers of Hinduism are encouraged to become involved in Hindu Student Sangam, which meets weekly in the prayer room at Rockefeller Chapel for bhajan recitation and spiritual discussion. Hindu Student Sangam also hosts events for Diwali and Holi, amongst other holy days. Students looking to engage with Judaism may find themselves at Hillel on 5715 South Woodlawn Avenue, or at Chabad at 5700 South Woodlawn Avenue,
but there are other ways to become involved with Jewish life on campus. Other groups, like the Student Alliance for Jewish Enrichment (which organizes Jewish cultural and educational programming in Hyde Park), the fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), and a capella group Rhythm and Jews provide even more ways to explore Judaism at UChicago. Muslim students can connect with each other in the Muslim Students Association, a group dedicated to organizing religious, social, and community service events in the university community. A prayer space is located in the basement of Ida Noyes, and Jumu’ah Prayers are recited in Bond Chapel on Fridays at 1 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. (or noon and 12:45 p.m. following daylight savings). Students can also join Ásatrú, Bahá’í, Confucian, Jain, Pagan and Wiccan, Quaker, Shinto, Sikh, Taoist, and Zoroastrian groups. The Spiritual Life office emphasizes inclusion for all identities, noting on its website that it can also provide members of the LGBTQ+ community with resources to fi nd spiritual groups that embrace them in rituals and leadership roles. Those interested in engaging with a mix of faiths may pursue interfaith leadership roles in the Spiritual Life Council or join the Spiritual Life Collective. The council is a student-led advisory board that meets biweekly to discuss spiritual diversity on campus and how students experience religious or spiritual identity. The Spiritual Life Collective is a group of students that meets weekly to participate in interfaith dialogue and leadership development, and additionally assist with event programming throughout the academic year. Stop by the Spiritual Life office in the basement of Ida Noyes, located at 1212 East 59th Street, to find out how to get involved with spiritual communities on- and off-campus and to meet the staff members who foster them. Regardless of what you believe, or if you believe, you can fi nd a community on campus to discuss and explore your convictions. —Emily Feigenbaum
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Admission is always free. All are welcome.
EXAMINE THE RADICAL POTENTIAL OF THE EVERYDAY AT THE SMART MUSEUM OF ART
Revolution Every Day September 14, 2017–January 14, 2018
Valentina Kulagina, International Working Women’s Day Is the Fighting Day of the Proletariat, 1931, Lithograph on paper, 39 ⅝ x 27 ⅝ in. (1100 x 725 mm), Ne boltai! Collection. Dziga Vertov and Ekaterina Svilova, still from The Three Heroines, 1938, digital transfer from 35mm film, 54 min. Courtesy of the Vertov Collection of the Austrian Film Museum.
Emmanuel Pratt Radical [Re]Constructions September 12, 2017–Spring 2018
Emmanuel Pratt, Concept sketches for Radical [Re]Constructions, 2017. Courtesy of the artist.
Jayna Zweiman Welcome Blanket through December 17, 2017
Handmade blankets created for Welcome Blanket.
smartmuseum.uchicago.edu 5550 S. Greenwood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
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Non-Academic Institutions “Cloisters, ancient libraries…. I was confusing learning with the smell of cold stone,” reminisces the history teacher from playwright Alan Bennett’s acclaimed History Boys. It’s an easy mix-up to make: Amid all the ivory and cobblestones, one tends to forget that the University experience extends far beyond the walls of campus. Do yourself a favor: wander out of the library and get involved with some of the non-academic programs that the University has to offer. Under the umbrella of Campus and Student Life, all three of these organizations seek to apply and create meaning from academia, outside of pure academia itself. Founded in January 2012 by Barack Obama’s former adviser David Axelrod (A.B. ’76), the Institute of Politics (IOP) is the campus gateway to the world of all things politics, public policy, and public services. Located at 5707 South Woodlawn Avenue, the IOP was created as a nonpartisan institute that seeks to broaden student interest in politics through three distinct programs: a speaker series, internship opportunities, and a fellows program. In its speaker series, the IOP brings to campus a wide range of specialists, ranging from political officials to journalists, to discuss current events and issues. Last year, speakers included Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, and former White House deputy chief-of-staff, Karl Rove. This fall, guests include Obama administration alums and Pod Save America hosts Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett, Jon Fa-
vreau, and Tommy Vietor; former Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch; and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. In addition to the speaker series, the IOP also offers students an opportunity to apply for a variety of internships related to politics, including some within the Institute. While some of these internships take place in the summer, there are also opportunities to intern throughout the academic year. In its first year, the IOP offered students 163 internships in various career fields and locations, ranging from CNN to the UChicago Crime Lab. The third central pillar of the IOP is the fellows program. This program brings professionals to the University for a full academic quarter. Throughout their 10week stay in Hyde Park, fellows hold weekly seminars for students, each focused on a certain political theme or issue. Fellows for the fall quarter include Karen Tumulty, Washington Post political correspondent; Jeff Roe, Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign manager; and Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative. The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) is an organization that seeks to foster “intentionally diverse and inclusive communities” through special program emphasis on black, Asian-American, Latina/o, Native-American, and multiracial student experiences at the University. OMSA provides students with various academic and cultural resources, including grants, funding opportunities, and an in-house resource library. In addition, students can participate in a wide variety of programs specifically tailored to the mul-
Zoe Kaiser
ticultural community, including the Heritage Series of lectures, wherein speakers are invited to discuss intersectional issues. OMSA also oversees and helps to fund more than 40 multicultural recognized student organizations (RSOs) for both undergraduate and graduate students to participate in during their time at the University. OMSA is located at 5710 South Woodlawn Avenue and alongside the Office of LGBTQ Student Life, which provides resources, mentoring, and events for students. For students looking to go even further off campus, the University Community Service Center (UCSC) organizes volunteer programs in and outside of Hyde Park. The UCSC, which was launched as a student-run organization in 1992, matches students with a myriad of volunteer and community immersion opportunities. There is a diverse assortment of volunteer options for students, often tailored to one’s specific interests. These options include, but are not limited to, student-run
groups, campus-wide days of service, internships at nonprofit organizations, and community-building programs. The UCSC also promotes a volunteer referral program that seeks to connect students to shortterm and long-term volunteer opportunities throughout Chicago. In addition to fostering individual volunteerism, the UCSC runs many community service–oriented programs. This includes programs such as Summer Links (a 10-week internship program at a host site over the summer quarter) and Chicago Bound (a weeklong pre-orientation program that promotes community building and civic engagement to incoming students). Since its inception, the Center has grown in size and mission. Former UCSC Director and former First Lady Michelle Obama was one of the principal drivers of this growth in the mid-1990s. —Marta Bakula, with additional reporting by Annie Nazarro and Katie Akin
The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics Prize Lecture:
D r. P a u l F a rm e r “ T h e E b o l a S u s p e c t’s D ilem m a ” Dr. Farmer is the co-founder of Partners In Health, University Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University, and served as United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Community-based Medicine.
The event is free and open to the public Priority seating for Dr. Farmer’s talk will be given to those attending the Global Health Panel preceding the lecture.
NOVEMBER 10, 2017 MANDEL HALL – 1131 E. 57TH ST. GLOBAL HEALTH PANEL, 2-4 PM DR. FARMER’S LECTURE 4-5:30 PM REGISTER TODAY! PaulFarmer2017.eventbrite.com Contact Sarah Watanaskul with any questions at swatanaskul@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
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Humanities Day Saturday,October 21, 2017 humanitiesday.uchicago.edu festival hall navy pier september 23, 2017 3pm-6pm
check out polishconvention.com for more info
The Lumen Christi Institute for Catholic Thought
presents the following upcoming events at the University of Chicago
tutorial tables, show specials, raffles, and more!
need a ticket? scan here!
TUESDAYS OCT 3NOV 14
The Gospel According to Matthew a weekly non-credit course for students with Paul Mankowski, S.J.
SAT. OCT 14 6:00PM
THUR. OCT 26 4:30PM
A Consistent Ethic of Solidarity: Transcending Self, Transforming the World
The Power of the Sacred: An Alternative to the Narrative of Disenchantment
with Cardinal Blase Cupich
with Hans Joas (UChicago)
For more information visit WWW.LUMENCHRISTI.ORG
THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
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Greek Life Greek life constitutes a notable and growing presence on UChicago’s campus. There are 19 official Greek organizations currently operating on campus, including 10 fraternities and four sororities within the UChicago Panhellenic Council. While UChicago Greek life is unique in that none of the sororities have houses and many of the fraternities are located off-campus, student participation in Greek life has seen significant growth in the past several years. Currently, the largest UChicago fraternity is Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), which is a mainstay for football players and has over 100 members. The fraternities Psi Upsilon (Psi U) and Alpha Delta Phi (Alpha Delt) have houses located along South University Avenue, just across from the Max Palevsky dormitories. Additionally, the Delta Upsilon (DU) house is located on South Woodlawn Avenue, while Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE), Lambda Phi Epsilon (Lambda), Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep), Sigma Chi, and Zeta Psi (Zeta) have houses that are further from campus. While sororities lack physical houses, they still have an indelible presence on campus. There are four member sororities of the UChicago Panhellenic Council (Panhel): Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), Delta Gamma (DG), Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta), and Pi Beta Phi (Pi Phi).
There’s also the Multicultural Greek Council, a coalition of identity-centered fraternities and sororities. The aforementioned Lambda is the largest, but there’s also Alpha Phi Alpha (black interest fraternity), Alpha Kappa Alpha (black interest sorority), Delta Sigma Theta (predominantly black sorority), Lambda Pi Chi (Latina interest sorority), and alpha Kappa Delta Phi (aKDPhi, Asian interest sorority). Some fraternities on campus gather students with similar professional goals or interests, rather than shared backgrounds. Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi) is a co-ed fraternity intended for students interested in business, and Phi Alpha Delta is for those interested in law. Both organizations hold events tailored to the academic and professional needs of their members, from LSAT prep sessions to networking seminars. Last but certainly not least is Alpha Phi Omega (APO), UChicago’s only coed service fraternity. And there’s no rushing necessary: according to APO’s website, the only prerequisite to becoming a member is “an earnest desire to help out those that need it.” Across the board, one of the major aspects of Greek life is philanthropy. Some of the events put on by Greek organizations include the Latke-Hamentash debate run by AEPi, Derby Days run by Sigma Chi, Arrowfest run by Pi Phi, and the Mr. University competition run by The-
ta. In 2016, FIJI reported raising over $25,000 for various causes, while Sigma Chi reported raising $20,030, and Panhel sororities raised a combined $131,800. However, UChicago’s Greek life scene has had its share of controversy. In the 2015–16 school year, the Greek life community was rocked by allegations of sexual assault directed at brothers in Psi U and DU. In early 2016, racist and misogynistic e-mails sent by brothers of AEPi within their private listhosts were leaked to the public, prompting AEPi to publish an apology on Facebook. Many students complained to the administration about the fraternities’ behavior, and Student Government issued a resolution advising the University to suspend its relationship with AEPi, but the University has largely maintained a hands-off attitude toward Greek life. In the fall of last year, brothers from a few of UChicago’s fraternities banded together to create the Fraternities Committed to Safety (FCS) policy, which states “a baseline of procedures aimed at preventing and properly responding to incidents of sexual violence,” according to the FCS website. All 10 fraternities signed the document initially, and meet quarterly to vote on re-signing it. However, members of the Phoenix Survivors Alliance (PSA) have reported violations of the FCS policy by several fraternities. Despite the controversy that UChicago Greek life has seen, members cite
long-lasting friendships and a supportive and close-knit community as some of its benefits. Sisters of the UChicago Panhellenic sororities praise the fourday recruitment process as a great way to meet people and make friends. Interestingly, according to a Grey City article written in 2016, the majority of UChicago students currently involved in Greek life had little or no interest in pursuing a role in the Greek community when they were incoming students. However, the overwhelming majority of the Greek collective reports high levels of satisfaction with their involvement. While many students who join Greek life do so in their first year, the opportunity to join remains available for the duration of a student’s time in the College. Students who are unsure about joining can get a taste of the atmosphere by attending fraternity parties such as Alpha Delt’s weekly Bar Night or going to one of the many philanthropic events hosted by Greek organizations throughout the year. And while Greek life comprises a growing fraction of UChicago’s student body— nearly one-fifth at last count—the sense of community it provides to its members can veritably be found within housing, RSOs, or any one of the many other student groups and activities on UChicago’s campus. —Marjorie Antohi
pushing for a set of three Community Benefits Agreements (CBA): with the library itself, the city of Chicago, and the University. The legally-binding CBAs would require that the library’s developers take steps to ensure that residents would benefit from and not be harmed by the project. Current CBA proposals focus on job development, protection against gentrification, educational outreach, and replacement of the 21 acres of parkland that the center will occupy. The fight over graduate student
unionization at UChicago, which began a full decade ago, has recently come to a head. Working with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Graduate Students United (GSU) had pushed for a graduate student body election over unionization to be held during spring quarter of the last academic year. The University has contested that even those graduate students who teach classes or work in Continued on page 30
Activism Activism at UChicago covers a range of fronts, and there’s a strong web of activist organizations that can help you find a cause or start pursuing a new one. Much of the student activism last year involved responding to the election of Donald Trump. The year saw several large-scale protests directed at the current administration, including a large walkout in September that met in front of Levi Hall, which houses the offices of University President Robert J. Zimmer and other University officials. Like in the rest of the United States, freedom of speech was a hotly discussed topic on campus last year. Last August, a letter sent by Dean of Students in the College John “Jay” Ellison to that year’s first-year class expressing the University’s opposition to safe spaces and trigger warnings attracted national attention. The University has seen its share of protests directed at invited speakers, including former Trump campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski in February, and then–Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez last year. The University’s stances on the importance of institutional neutrality and free speech—as presented in the 1967 Kalven Report and the 2015 Stone Report, respectively—have provided inspiration for laws passed or debated in several states aiming to prohibit such protests of speaking events. Since the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) announced in September 2015 that it would build a Level I adult trauma center on the South Side, a goal that had long been the focus of local activist groups, the attention of community activism has
Feng Ye
primarily turned to the Obama presidential library, which will be built on current parkland along Stony Island Avenue. At a meeting in April, area residents expressed worry that the center, once built, would provide little benefit to members of the surrounding community, and could lead to rising rents that would price them out of the neighborhood. A coalition of residents and local organizations, including Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) and the Prayer and Action Collective (PAC), is
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DID YOU KNOW? In 1969, after a massive sit-in in Levi Hall to protest the dismissal of a professor, 86 students were suspended and 22 expelled. The incident was a PR disaster for the University. some union members of improper elecContinued from page 29 research are still students above their tioneering by encouraging affirmative other responsibilities, and, as a result, votes inside several of the libraries should not be considered employees during the voting period. The NLRB eligible to unionize. Legal proceedings has yet to announce whether it will driven by the dispute ran from May choose to review the election result or into early June, rendering a spring let it stand. quarter election impossible. However, on August 8, the National Labor Rela- Activist Groups on Campus tions Board (NLRB) found that UChiUChicago Student Action cago graduate students fit the definition of employees of the University, (UCSA), an affiliate of the broader and set October 17 and 18 as dates for Student Action network, has several ongoing campaigns on and off camthe election. Members of the Student Library pus that members can work on. UCEmployee Union (SLEU) have also SA’s Fair Budget UChicago campaign been seeking union recognition from aims to bring a campus-wide living the University, after voting in favor wage for University staff, as well as of unionization during finals week of greater funding for services including last school year. On July 24, the Uni- disability and counseling. UCSA also versity filed a petition with the NLRB has several environmental campaigns, maintaining that student employees including a push for the University to of the campus library system are not divest from fossil fuel companies and eligible to unionize because their work related investment assets. UofC Divest is an ongoing camis “temporary and/or casual in nature.” The University also takes issue with paign to convince the University to the 41 percent turnout of eligible vot- divest from 10 companies the camers, which it argues was a product paigners argue are complicit in human of the election’s timing, and accuses rights abuses in Palestine, through
their material support for the Israeli government’s presence in the Palestinian territories. In April 2016, College Council voted to endorse UofC Divest’s primary resolution, though Zimmer and the Board of Trustees remain resistant to divestment. The campaign is an initiative of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Chicago, one of 190 SJP chapters around the country. Phoenix Survivors Alliance (PSA) is a group that, since 2013, has worked to promote awareness of and greater accountability from the University on campus sexual violence, including Title IX enforcement and the spreading of information about sexual violence resources. Students Organizing United with Labor (SOUL) organizes for improvements in workers’ rights among graduate students, campus employees, and workers nationally. Among the causes SOUL has campaigned for is a change to the system of compensation for Resident Assistants (R As) who receive financial aid from the University. Until March of last year, all RAs
had the approximately $15,000 annual cost of room and board at UChicago waived. However, RAs on financial aid also had this amount deducted from their aid packages, meaning that, for some RAs, the tuition cost not covered by their aid packages would remain essentially unchanged, while RAs not on financial aid would pay $15,000 less. After activism by groups like SOUL, as well as a petition created by three current fourth-years that gathered over 1,000 signatures, the administration announced in March that RAs will now receive an unlimited meal plan, as well as a salary equal to or greater than the amount they would be charged for their room. UofC Resists, a coalition of members of the University and Hyde Park communities, was formed shortly after the 2016 election to fight the new administration’s policies and the bigotry the group believes Trump encourages. —Alex Ward
When You Need A Hand College can be an amazing time, but it can also be an intimidating one. Increased independence, rigorous academics, and a thriving social scene offer opportunities that many first-years have never experienced before. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by student life, you’re not alone, and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. The University provides many resources to help struggling students of all ages meet the challenges of college life.
or studying for exams, the Academic Skills Assessment Program (ASAP) may help. ASAP sessions are held throughout the quarter, generally at 4 p.m. on Fridays, and each session focuses on a different skill. You can sign up through the Student Health and Counseling Services website. You can also make a one-on-one appointment to meet with an ASAP counselor by calling (773) 702-9800, and the ASAP webpage offers links to helpful resources. Health and Wellness
Academic Assistance Many students find that courses at the University of Chicago will be the most rigorous they’ve ever taken. It’s normal to feel a little intimidated by your first-year coursework, and it’s equally normal to turn to the college’s many academic resources for help. Every incoming student is assigned an academic advisor. Your academic advisor will stay with you for all four years and can offer you advice on class selection, keeping your grades up, and choosing a major. Your advisor can also help with personal difficulties, including finances. Think of them as a first line of defense when you notice you’re struggling with something. If you have questions about specific concepts or assignments in your Core classes, the College Core Tutors are there to help. Starting second week, tutors are available Sunday through Thursday on the third floor of Harper Memorial Library from 7–11 p.m. Tutors are graduate students or well-qualified upperclassmen. They’re a great resource if you want advice on your Hum essay or help with a stubborn calculus problem set. Some students find that their academic habits are not serving them well in their university classes. If you’re struggling with time management, memory, concentration, close reading,
It’s important to stay healthy in college—especially when winter rolls around. Student Health Service (SHS) offers a wide array of health care services, many of which are covered under the Student Life Fee. Routine physicals, acute and chronic care, Pap smears, STI testing, flu vaccination, travel consults, allergy injection visits, sports medicine consults, educational materials, workshops, and health counseling are all free if you’ve paid your Student Life Fee. Student Health can be reached at (773) 702-4156. SHS also offers a nurse helpline which you can call for advice on whether to seek medical treatment. If you are experiencing a serious medical event and need urgent care, you can go to the University Hospital emergency room. Be aware that this may not be fully covered by your insurance, and ambulance transportation is often especially expensive. You can consult your RAs, RHs, or the nurse helpline for advice if you are unsure whether or not you need to go to the emergency room. If you or someone around you needs an ambulance, call 911. Several Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) focus on health topics. Peer Health Exchange trains students to provide sex education workshops in high schools. Sex Education Activists advocates for accurate sexual
health education on campus and across the country. Art of Living teaches stress management techniques. Counseling and Support Staying healthy doesn’t just mean physical health—it includes mental health and emotional wellbeing. If you’re experiencing symptoms of mental illness or you want advice from a counseling professional, Student Counseling Service (SCS) is there for you. SCS offers therapy and counseling to students. Like SHS, many of its services are covered under the Student Life Fee. You can make an appointment with SCS by calling (773) 702-9800 during business hours or, if you need emergency care, by walking in. All appointments with SCS are confidential unless your clinician feels that you are a danger to yourself or others. SCS operates on a short-term therapy model, and after receiving a course of therapy, students may be referred to non-University clinicians if they would benefit from longer-term intervention. The University also offers support services targeted at specific populations of students. Student Support Services offers advising and aid for first-generation, low-income, or undocumented students. The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) supports students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, and offers diversity training and resources. The Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Life serves LGBTQ+ students and hosts queer-focused events for the campus community. If you’re looking for a more student-driven support community, there are several RSOs that may fit the bill. To name just a few: Queers and Associates is the largest queer-oriented RSO on campus; the UChicago LGBT Business Alliance offers networking
opportunities and guidance on how to navigate the professional world while “out”; and Asexuali-tea provides a meeting place for asexual students. Many associations gather students of different ethnicities, including the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS), the South Asian Student Association (SASA), and the Organization of Black Students (OBS). Students Promoting Interracial Networks brings together students of different races and ethnicities to encourage diverse communities. The Student-Parent Group provides support for student parents. Crisis Resources Some situations require an urgent response. The University maintains a 24-hour Dean-on-Call and Sexual Assault Dean-on-Call program. If you are experiencing a crisis, call (773) 834HELP (4357) and you’ll reach a trained University administrator who can help. The Dean-on-Call may offer advice, referrals to other University services, help with reporting crimes to the police, housing assistance, and de-escalation services in critical situations. The Dean-on-Call is a private resource, but not an anonymous one; if you call, your name and identifying information may be given to the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) and other University personnel who are needed to help. In some cases, the Dean-on-Call may inform your Resident Heads, Area Dean of Students, family, and friends of your call. If this is the case, you will be consulted; however, there is no guarantee that the Dean-onCall will keep information confidential. You can also call the UCPD or 911 if you’re experiencing a crime or a health emergency. —Camille Kirsch
THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
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Words From the (Sort-Of) Wise: Tips From Fourth-Years “I have so many, but befriend the dining hall staff and the front desk staff. They are wonderful people who really will come through when you need them!” —Anonymous “Don’t be afraid to pull back when you need to...everyone needs a little bit of space sometimes. A trip to a coffee shop in a different neighborhood and going offline for a few hours can do a world of good.” —Aiden Million, history and political science major “Eat as much fresh vegetables during your time at Bartlett because you will never go out and actually purchase and then actually eat your vegetables.” —Gina Yu, computer science major “Do not be afraid of staying in housing if you don’t have financial concerns. Housing can be *cool* as an upperclassman if you fit in, even if all your friends are moving out and think you should too.” —Fernando De Stefanis, mathematics and economics major “‘Pre-requirements’ are almost never real and you can usually not do them as long as you ask nicely.” —Anonymous “Pro tip: befriend an Ex Lib barista and sometimes they’ll give you the leftover pastries at the end of the night. Also at midnight there is free coffee.” —Corinne Riley, economics major “Try things that fall outside your conception of yourself.” —Sagar Tikoo, economics major “Things will be much easier if you show up, show effort, and show some humility…. What I’ve found is that if you genuinely try, the professors and TAs will take great pains to help you as much as they can…. I’ve found that to generally be true in most areas.” —Rohan Shah, biological chemistry and chemistry major
“In any upper level [math] class there will pretty much always be something the teacher assumes you know, but wasn’t actually covered in the prerequisite classes…. It’s on you to fill the gaps in yourself! Check out books from the library, read them, and do exercises you aren’t assigned.” —Rush Brown, mathematics major “Don’t be intimidated by your professors. I remember feeling a bit afraid of some of my more academically renowned profs early on…. Don’t be afraid to talk to them because they are here to help you!” —Anonymous “Go to every event with free food. You’ll never regret a slice of free pizza. Plus, you’ll meet tons of new friends while snacking on tasty treats.” —Olivia De Keyser, linguistics and East Asian languages and civilization major “I wish I knew about all the special courses and when they would be offered earlier on in college. UChicago has some of the coolest, most interesting classes, but with the Core, two majors, and studying abroad, the best opportunity to take some electives outside your major could be second or third year (if you can snag a spot).” —David Millstein, history and political science major “Don’t be scared of upperclassmen. They don’t have their lives together like you think they do but have learned to fake it and can give good advice on how to fake it.... Also, Hyde Park Produce has a great cheese selection.” —Jackie Feng, economics major “I challenge you to periodically remind yourself of the incredible privilege that you have as a student at this University. The students that you will study with, the professors that you will take classes with, and the opportunities you will take advantage of are truly amongst the best in the world.” —Zach Stepp, political science major
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - ORIENTATION - SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
A USER’S GUIDE READING In Print: We print twice-weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays while school is in session. The paper is available for free at locations on campus and around Hyde Park. Online: Find us at chicagomaroon.com. By Email: A summary of our reporting and other news relevant to campus is sent to more than 4,000 subscribers every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe at chicagomaroon.com/pages/newsletter/. On Facebook: Like us at facebook.com/TheChicagoMaroon. On Twitter: Follow us at @ChicagoMaroon. On Instagram: Check out @chicagomaroon. By Mail: Those living off campus can keep in touch with campus news by receiving each week’s paper by mail with a paid subscription. For more information, see chicagomaroon.com/pages/subscribe.
PITCHING News: Send information about happenings on and around campus that people ought to hear about to news@chicagomaroon.com. Tips can be sent anonymously through a form at chicagomaroon.com/pages/tips. Arts: Let us know about cultural events on and around campus at arts@chicagomaroon.com. Viewpoints: We accept letters and op-ed submissions at viewpoints@chicagomaroon.com. Editor-in-Chief: Email editor@chicagomaroon.com or call 314-239-0993. Events: Submit upcoming events you want the campus to know about at chicagomaroon.com/events.
ADVERTISING THE MAROON runs advertisements in its print issues, online, and in its email newsletters. Student organizations can advertise at reduced rates. Prices are current as of publication. To learn more, email our business team leadership at ads@chicagomaroon.com or call (914) 393-5012. In print: From $90 for an eighth of the page in black and white. Online: From $192 for a sidebar ad. Classifieds: $4.50 per forty-five character line, including spaces and punctuation.
CONTRIBUTING We will hold the first event in our fall recruiting cycle Tuesday, September 26 at 6 p.m. in Stuart 105. Anybody interested in joining THE MAROON’s staff should attend. People interested in working for THE MAROON can also email apply@chicagomaroon.com
WHO WE ARE Student-run: We depend on student volunteers for every element of our operations. Students write and edit nearly every piece that the paper publishes. They determine how the paper will look in print and online, and get it to the reader. They sell the advertising that supports the paper’s operations. The strength of the paper, the depth and breadth of its coverage, depends on the contributions of students like you. Independent: The students running THE MAROON determine its editorial line and approaches to the stories it covers. We sell ads to cover the costs of publication—it does not receive funding from the University or from Student Government for its daily operations, and it is not a registered student organization. Our staff elects our leadership every winter quarter. University-focused: THE MAROON is the only independent news organization dedicated to covering the University of Chicago. More than 20,000 students attend the University, and its role as an institution of higher education only begins to describe its role. It is a landowner and developer. It is an employer—the largest on the South Side. It is an investor, to the tune of $12 billion. An institution that sprawling and powerful demands scrutiny.