NOVEMBER 10, 2017
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
ACTIVISTS MARCH FOR LIBRARY CBA
Alexandra Nisenoff
Protesters from the South Side CBA Coalition hold signs on the walk to Jackson Park.
BY ALEX WARD ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Members of the Obama Library South Side Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) Coalition marched to the site of the Obama Presidential Center and temporarily blocked Cornell Drive Tuesday afternoon. More than 100 marchers walked from Hyde Park Academy High School to the center’s planned site in Jackson Park, at 63rd Street and Cornell Drive. The group briefly blocked the intersection, chanting and holding signs. The coalition is pushing for a set of three CBAs with the Obama Foundation, the City of Chicago, and the University, respectively. At a press conference before the march, coalition leaders spoke about the need for a CBA to prevent area residents from being pushed out of
their neighborhoods. A CBA could also require that residents receive benefits from the development, including support for local schools, job training, and replacement of the public park land the center will replace. The current plan for the center involves closing a stretch of Cornell Drive between 60th and 67th Streets, which coalition members fear will worsen traffic in the area. Robert Hayes, a fourth-year and member of student activist group UChicago for a CBA, said in a phone interview with The Maroon that holding the march and blocking Cornell Drive were valuable ways to show that the City, the center, and the University need to take South Side residents into consideration. “Last night, South Side communities came together to say enough is enough. Neighborhood resident members put out a powerful message:
They refuse to be displaced from their homes, and they refuse to be silent until the Obama Foundation, City of Chicago, and U of Chicago sign a legally-binding CBA for the Obama library,” Hayes said. Hayes said that one of the coalition’s current aims is to finalize language for a proposed city ordinance compelling the City and the Obama Foundation to engage in CBA negotiations. In a statement to The Maroon, Michael Strautmanis, the Obama Foundation’s vice president of civic engagement, said that the foundation believes continued dialogue will benefit residents more than will a CBA. “We do not believe a community benefits agreement is the right tool because it’s not inclusive enough,” Strautmanis said. “Instead, we’re focused on the work that can be done rather than the administrative tool.”
VOL. 129, ISSUE 14
Court Theatre Director to Step Down
Harper-Schmidt Fellows Ratify Union Contract
BY KATHERINE VEGA
BY SPENCER DEMBNER
DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
NEWS REPORTER
Stephen J. A lber t, executive director of Court Theatre, will be stepping down from his post at the start of the 2018 –2019 theater season, according to an announcement on the Court Theatre website. Albert became executive director in 2010. “I am grateful for the trust that Charlie [Newell, the artistic director,] placed in me, to the Court’s Board of Trustees who accepted my leadership, and finally, to the University of Chicago for their support,” Albert said in a statement to the Court Theatre blog. During his time as executive director, Albert grew the annual budget by 50 percent and increased the theater’s par ticipation in community engagement, according to the C ou r t T heatre website. He also oversaw the launch of the University’s Center for Classic Theatre, which merged academic and artistic pursuits for the University. Albert will be returning to his company AlbertHall&Associates. The company, launched in 1999, provides consulting services to nonprofit organizations and arts and entertainment companies.
On Thursday, Harper-Schmidt Fellows voted overwhelmingly to ratify their union contract, according to a statement from the union. The contract promises a 9.5 percent increase in compensation. The Harper-Schmidt Fellows are recent Ph.D. recipients who are hired for four years to teach humanities, social sciences, and civilization courses in the core. In January 2016, the fellows joined the Local 73 branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU, a national union, has made unionizing nontenure-track faculty a goal through its Faculty Forward Campaign, which has also succeeded at Loyola University Chicago and Northwestern. Non-tenure track faculty who are not Harper-Schmidt Fellows are also represented by Local 73. Their contract negotiations with the University are ongoing. “Negotiations were far from easy to say the least, but we ended up with a contract that we believe is fair and beneficial to both sides,” Mark Berger, a third-year fellow teaching the humanities course Human Being and Citizen, said in the union’s statement. In addition to higher pay, the contract secures the fellows’ ability to take time off for research, as well as allowances to support childcare and publishing costs.
Sen. Sanders Urges Zimmer to Let Grad Union Vote Stand BY KATHERINE VEGA DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
U.S. Senator and University alum Bernie Sanders (D-VT) (A.B. ‘64) has written a letter to University president Robert Zimmer urging him to respect the result of last month’s graduate student unionization election, according to a tweet from Graduate Students United. In October, graduate students voted to
unionize, but the administration has stated that it intends to pursue legal action. “As an internationally prestigious institution of higher learning, I hope very much that you will set an example throughout the world by supporting a democratic decision made by graduate students and teaching assistants....” Sanders wrote. “To appeal this decision to an anti-worker, Trump-appointed Na-
tional Labor Relations Board is not something that a world class institution of higher learning should do.” Sanders sent a letter of support to graduate students and listed some of the benefits of unionizing before the vote last month. He listed some benefits for the University, writing that in his experience, unionized students are more invested because they have greater say in the workplace.
Brooke Nagler
Indie pop artists Tegan and Sara performed in Rockefeller Saturday on a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their hit record The Con.
Tegan and Sara Consecrate The Con at Rockefeller Chapel
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Musical duo and queer icons Tegan and Sara drew a packed crowd to Rockefeller Chapel on Saturday.
Back to the Drawing Board Page 4 UChicago’s homogeneous Board of Trustees cannot serve the needs of our diverse student body.
Maroons Head to Playoffs for Fifth Straight Year Page 8 Down only one loss, the No. 3 women’s soccer team enters postseason.
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