OCTOBER 4, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
PLEDGE ‘PHI NUKED’ ON INDUCTION NIGHT Brother Paints Different Picture of March 7, 2015 than Pledge Suit; Denies Assault, Provides Documents Phi Delt Served ‘Copious’ Amounts of Everclear; Held Pledges in Basement Room Before Surprise Party BY PETE GRIEVE NEWS EDITOR
A University of Chicago student named in a hazing lawsuit against Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt) says that pledges were given alcohol to the point of vomiting and then held in a basement room as part of an initiation ceremony in 2015—but that the plaintiff in the lawsuit suffered injuries from a fall and not because he was assaulted by fraternity members. The events of that night led to a University disciplinary investiCourtesy of Dakota Ford gation, a three year suspension of Brothers pass around green ‘Phi Nukes’ on induction night. Pledges drank the University’s Phi Delt chapter, from the Everclear-concentrated “Φ”; brothers drank from the dilute “Θ.” and an ongoing $250,000 lawsuit
UChicago Dining and Humanities Division Close Classics Café BY JAMIE EHRLICH SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Classics Café has been permanently closed following a joint decision made by UChicago Dining and the Humanities Division. In 2015, the University created and released a Request for Proposal (RFP) which included a thorough review of all campus dining options. The review showed that the Classics Café did not average as many transactions as other cafés on campus, according to Marielle Sainvilus of the UChicago News Office.
The Classics Café averaged only 80 transactions per day, while other cafés averaged about 150 to 250 transactions, according to the RFP. T here are no immediate plans to bring retail operations back to the unoccupied space. “UChicago Dining is working with colleagues in Classics to envision how this space may be best used to meet the needs of the campus community in the future,” Sainvilus said in a statement to T HE M A ROON. The café staff was given the opportunity to work at other
against the fraternity and some of its members. Documents and interviews recently given to THE MAROON allow new insights into what happened that night. Some elements of the case are still disputed. Dylan Kanaan, the injured student, alleges in his lawsuit that he was singled out and beaten by fraternity members. Members of the fraternity, in interviews with THE MAROON and statements to University investigators, say Kanaan slipped and fell on a patch of ice. Accounts generally agree, however, that an enormous quantity of alcohol was consumed that night. And though members of the
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
T HE M AROON sat down with newly elected President Eric Holmberg yesterday to discuss his plans for Student Government (SG). Holmberg, a third-year geography major from Nebraska, began his SG career by running as a Class of 2018 representative in the spring election of his first year. He was selected by fellow College Council (CC) representatives to chair the council last year. Alongside current second-year Salma
Courtesy of the University of Chicago
A coalition of South Side community groups and students convened in Reynolds Club this Monday to promote a community benefits agreement (CBA) they hope to push the City of Chicago and the Obama Foundation to sign. With the CBA, community leaders are hoping to foster closer community ties with the Obama
NEWS EDITOR
Continued on page 7
Continued on page 3
Elkhaoudi and graduate student Cody Jones, Holmberg led the United Progress Slate to victory last May. CM: Thank you for coming. Let’s just jump into it. What inspired you to become involved with SG? EH: Well, I wasn’t involved in SG my first year actually. It wasn’t until spring of first year that I decided to run for CC. Much of my first year I was involved with [the University Community Service Center], Seeds of Justice Cohort Continued on page 8
Students Promote Community Benefits Agreement BY JAEHOON AHN
BY PETE GRIEVE
Presidential Center set to be built in Jackson Park. The agreement would legally bind the presidential center to provide surrounding communities with specific benefits. While the presidential center has been touted by the University, City, and Obama Foundation as a major cultural and economic boon for the South Side, Monday’s forum revealed that questions remain among community members
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 2
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Financial Aid Still Delayed More than a week into fall quarter, some students are still waiting to receive their financial aid packages. “It’s kind of a disaster,” thirdyear Bella Levy said. Despite submitting her materials on time, Levy said that she did not receive her package until a week before her first payment was due on September 23. Due to late changes to her application materials that weren’t considered by College Aid, Levy said that the award that she received was insufficient. The short notice to get it fixed made that week very stressful, she said. “I received my package when I was about to fly back to Chicago and I was a little worried that I would not be able to pay for this upcoming quarter, and it was a week and a half away, so there wasn’t much I could do at that point. I already had my living situation sorted out, I already had my plane ticket bought, I was already enrolled in classes, but I didn’t know if I was going to be able to afford all that, which is really scary. I had friends who were worried about paying rent because they hadn’t gotten their packages yet.” Third-year Averi Ayala said that she was told by College Aid over the summer that she was supposed to receive her package by September 23. On September 28, she still had not received her package and decided to post on Overheard at UChicago. “I feel like the needs of low income students weren’t really being taken into consideration,” she told THE MAROON. On September 29, she went to College Aid’s office. They expedited her package and she received her award on Saturday. Ayala said that she wishes College Aid had been more transparent with her about the delays. According to Ayala, she received only one email and it was so unhelpful that she deleted it. She said that she would have understood if the issues were due to the new electronic system, launched on August 1, and if College Aid had conveyed that there was nothing that could have been done to speed up the process.
Uncommon Interview: SG President Eric Holmberg BY EMILY FEIGENBAUM
VOL. 128, ISSUE 2
A Winter’s Tale of Warmth, Intimacy, and Music
Maroons Win Southern Shootout
Contributing to THE MA ROON
Page 11
Page 16
The intimacy of the setting promised what any good Shakespeare production should.
In a thrilling win, the football team imroved to 2-2 this weekend, to Birmingham-Southern.
If you want to get involved in THE M AROON in any way, please email apply@chicagomaroon.com or visit chicagomaroon.com/apply.
Make Political Discourse Great Again
Smart Exhibits Snapshot of History and Humanity
Page 9
Page 12
Overblown attacks from the Democratic Party over the years have allowed for Trump’s rise.
The exhibition captures the spirit of photography: its ability to capture moments.
Excerpts from articles and comments published in T he Chicago Maroon may be duplicated and redistributed in other media and non-commercial publications without the prior consent of The Chicago Maroon so long as the redistributed article is not altered from the original without the consent of the Editorial Team. Commercial republication of material in The Chicago Maroon is prohibited without the consent of the Editorial Team or, in the case of reader comments, the author. All rights reserved. © The Chicago Maroon 2016