012524 by Chicago Maroon

NEWS: IOP Speakers Talk Biden Reelection Campaign and Struggles

JANUARY 25, 2024 FOURTH WEEK VOL. 136, ISSUE 8

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Nurses’ Union Rally on MLK Day Draws Hundreds As Contract Negotiations With UCMed Continue By NICK ROMMEL | News Reporter More than 200 UChicago Medicine (UCM) nurses and their allies took part in a rally organized by National Nurses United (NNU) the morning of January 15 amid a months-long contract negotiation between the labor union and UCM. Despite 15 meetings and 15 tentative agreements across nearly four months of negotiations, NNU says that UCM “refuses to take our patient concerns seriously.” These concerns include staffing issues like high patient-to-nurse ratios and low retention of recent hires, as well as the proposed

inclusion of a trigger clause that would allow the union to bargain for certain guarantees in case of events such as a pandemic. Braving subzero temperatures, nurses held picket signs and chanted at the intersection of East 58th Street and South Maryland Avenue in sight of all major UCM facilities in Hyde Park. They came bundled in puffer coats, huge blankets, and hunting jackets, and they cited a variety of reasons for attending. One recently hired surgical nurse took CONTINUED ON PG. 2

Nurses rally outside of UChicago Medicine in Hyde Park. nick rommel.

University Purchases Historic S. Woodlawn Avenue Mansion

courtesy of google street view.

By OLIVER BUNTIN | Senior News Reporter The University of Chicago acquired a mansion at 5725 South Woodlawn Avenue

for $3.4 million on October 31. The property is located adjacent to the Hillel Center

NEWS: UChicago Debaters Make University History at World Universities Debating Championships

NEWS: 19 UChicago Students Form University’s Delegation to COP28

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and near the Institute of Politics. In recent years, the University has built up a significant commercial real estate portfolio throughout Hyde Park and Woodlawn, backing and acquiring hotel and development projects ranging from the Woodlawn Jewel-Osco to Harper Theater. This acquisition comes on the heels of the University’s recent purchase of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and McCormick Theological Seminary campuses. According to The Real Deal Real Estate News, the first occupants of the property, which was built in 1900, were Cora Howland, daughter of former Chicago mayor John Roche, and her husband, George Howland, one of the University’s first teaching professors. Later, in the 1970s, the home was owned by Antonin Scalia, who taught at the Law School before his appointment to the Supreme Court.

The University’s $3.4 million payment for the mansion is significantly above the property’s $1.07 million tax valuation by the Cook County Assessor’s Office. The mansion is located on a stretch of Woodlawn Avenue where many historic properties have been converted into University facilities. In a written statement to The Maroon, the University did not specify how exactly it plans to use the building. “The University owns and maintains multiple properties in that vicinity for University offices and programs, including the nearby Institute of Politics, the Department of Comparative Human Development, and the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society. The future use of the building at 5725 S. Woodlawn will likewise be…in support of the University’s educational mission.”

ARTS: Lovejoy, the Twisted New British Boy Band

SPORTS: LGBTQ+ Identity and Sports Come Together in New RSO Out for Business

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“To these nurses, justice may require a strike.” CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

issue with regularly being switched from one unit to another mid-shift, requiring difficult adjustments. An ICU nurse explained that she often handled up to three patients in life-threatening conditions at once and that UCM denied nurses the opportunity to take overtime shifts as a cost-cutting measure. A cardiac arrest nurse who began in March 2020 said that staffing issues had only worsened since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Julie Kostynick, a Mitchell Hospital nurse who spoke at the rally, connected staffing issues to patient care. Mitchell is one of two main UChicago hospitals in Hyde Park along with the Center for Care and Discovery (CCD). According to Kostynick, Medicare and Medicaid patients, whose government insurance pays hospitals less per treatment than private insurers do, are disproportionately sent to Mitchell. “Management would rather pull nurses to staff the hospital with fewer Medicare and Medicaid patients,” Kostynick said, adding that Mitchell patients regularly complain about cleanliness even as UCM

management denies any disparities between the two hospitals. “Patients over profits,” Kostynick said to cheers as she ended her speech. Scott Mechanic, a CCD and Comer Children’s Hospital emergency room nurse participating in contract negotiations on behalf of NNU, explained that the rally was meant to pressure UCM during negotiations, particularly around insufficient staffing. Improving staff retention is a key aspect of nurses’ demands. “Half of our nurses are new since the last contract was signed four years ago. Turnover’s been extreme,” Mechanic said. He cited burnout as a factor preventing nurses from remaining in their jobs for more than a few years and pointed to lower patient-to-staff ratios as a potential remedy. It’s a larger issue: according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, “insufficient staffing is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction, and driving many nurses to leave the profession.” This national shortage is set to intensify as the U.S. population ages. Despite hardships on the job, nurses

at the rally expressed pride in their work. One Mitchell nurse said that her unit was on the “front line” of mental health and violence issues on the South Side—identified as important concerns in UCM’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment— and that she regularly deals with threats and verbal abuse, often from psychiatric patients. Though the nurse said these situations can be “frightening,” she added that “nurses put themselves last and patients first.” Many nurses wore their badges to the rally, either because they had just finished work or because they were simply “proud,” as one nurse said. NNU’s choice of Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the rally reflected nurses’ pride and desire for fairness. U.S. Representative and 2023 Chicago mayoral candidate Jesús “Chuy” García (D–Ill.), barely visible in a gray hoodie through the sidewalk crowd, said he was “proud to stand with those who have chosen to care and improve the lives of other people.” He praised their “selflessness” in working through the pandemic and for “keeping the legacy of Dr. King alive by standing up for justice.”

To these nurses, justice may require a strike. “We really hope we can avoid a strike. We’re going to need to see a lot of movement from the hospital, from where they’re at right now,” said Mechanic. “It’s been a really hard four years for them,” Mechanic said of NNU’s nurses. “They are willing to strike for a better contract.” In a statement to The Maroon, UCM said it was “continuing to work collaboratively with National Nurses United to reach a comprehensive contract agreement that meets the needs of our nurses, our growing healthcare organization and the community of patients who rely on us for care.” According to UCM’s statement, NNU and UCM are meeting five times this month, including two sessions scheduled for later this week. “We remain committed to working collaboratively and respectfully for a fair and equitable contract that allows us to continue to attract exceptional nurses who meaningfully contribute to our institution and its reputation for excellence,” the statement concluded.

Uncommon Interview: Democracy Fellow Dan Tangherlini By AUSTIN ZEGLIS | Senior News Reporter Dan Tangherlini, a member of the 2023 cohort of Democracy Fellows at the Center for Effective Government (CEG) within the Harris School of Public Policy, sat down with The Maroon to discuss his career, the virtues of a career in public service, and the idea of effective government. Tangherlini is a two-time alum of the University of Chicago, having received both a bachelor of arts and master of public policy. He was confirmed to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service on May 12, 2022. Tangherlini currently sits on the board of the Partnership of Public Service, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, along with serving as a managing director of the Emerson Collective. Previously, Tangherlini held positions at the Office of Management and Budget, the Departments of Transportation and Treasury, and the General Services Administration. Note: this interview has been abridged

and edited for clarity. The conversation took place on Tuesday, January 16, before Tangherlini’s scheduled appearance at the CEG’s Breakfast and Benchmarks event. Chicago Maroon: How did you come to be a part of the Center for Effective Government, and what does it mean for you to be able to come back where you went to school? Dan Tangherlini: Wow. I didn’t know I was doing this [laughs]. No, I’m kidding. I was working with a variety of these different programs that are exploring ways to improve government effectiveness through research and data collection. I’m on the board of the Partnership for Public Service, and my organization, the Emerson Collective, actually brought together a group of these different organizations to connect with each other to try to build some connective tissue between the various different entities across schools that are exploring different aspects of how you

determine effectiveness in government, how you improve effectiveness of government, and how you build trust in government. [The CEG] was an exciting opportunity to continue to explore my own personal project of trying to understand how to make government more effective, as well as learn from other practitioners and reconnect with my alma mater. I’m really interested in helping to build enthusiasm for people to explore careers in this important activity. CM: So you’re a double-alum of UChicago. Was your desire to work in the public sector obvious to you when you were here? Or was it something that you developed as you were starting your career? DT: I guess “yes” isn’t an answer, but it kind of is. Yes, I was. I was super interested in public service through a series of jobs, but I have to say it was a work study job I had when I was at the Harris School that really kind of sealed the deal for me. I worked for the Chicago Park District for

two years, and the breadth of the services that were done within an organization of that scale, and then just the beauty of that service we’re delivering—I mean, it’s kind of hard to be mad at a park, right? But you’d be surprised. I got to work on a program specifically around the reconstruction of the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan, doing the necessary economic analysis to support the expenditure of federal funds. It was a study we had to present to the Army Corps of Engineers. After I graduated, I did something called the Presidential Management Internship where I got to work at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). My second year at OMB, I worked in the Army Corps of Engineers, and my own report landed on my desk [laughs]. I had to hand it to some other person to do the review of it, but it was fascinating to see something come all the way around the horn like that. CM: You mentioned the OMB. I know you’ve filled many different roles in the CONTINUED ON PG. 3

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public sector. The Transportation Department, the Treasury Department— DT: I do have difficulty keeping a job [laughs]. CM: Well, I was going to ask what it’s been like to be able to see such a wide variety of processes happening. What stayed constant for you? DT: That’s a really great question. Part of the excitement about public service is that there is so much interesting work to be done. There are many opportunities to move around within it, to come to places where there were problems, and to try to be part of the solution. It’s fun. You can work with great teams and smart people. There’s this impression about the soul of people who work in government that I would say is mainly developed by people who haven’t worked in government and don’t actually have those experiences. There’s a reason that people devote whole careers to public service: because it is incredibly satisfying. That was something I learned pretty early on, that there were so many different interesting areas of inquiry. It was fun to be able to take a common set of tools from one [job] to the next, some of which I learned in programs like the Harris School, some through experience, and some through having really brilliant mentors and people who I held in high regard and attempted to emulate. My boss at the Chicago Park District was a brilliant man by the name of Ed Uhlir, who we lost a few years ago. He was the brains, the passion, and the motivation behind Millennium Park. This idea that you could be part of something that we leave behind, a legacy that for many generations people would benefit from, was super appealing, right? How do you have an impact in the short amount of time you have? CM: And because of how many roles you filled in the time that you’ve spent in government, one might call you a DC veteran, or maybe an insider— DT: Are you calling me a swamp dweller? [laughs] CM: Well, in an age where the general public hears a lot about “draining the swamp” and bringing outsiders in, what can you say about the virtues of someone

who’s well-established and has experience in government? DT: So is DC a swamp? Well, most of our major urban areas are built adjacent to a water body, so there’s going to be some natural tendency for the soil to be a little damp. The swamp references are really designed to create a negative impression of the people working there, so let’s put that aside and realize that that’s politics, if I’m being generous, or [an] ad hominem [attack] if I’m being less so. Are there values of people who haven’t had a lot of experience coming in and bringing different experiences into things? Absolutely. That’s why Teddy Roosevelt was so passionate about creating the civil service. I think we have to realize that our whole democracy is kind of like a maglev train, you know? Attraction and repulsion are pushing this thing down the track. It only begins to fall apart if we over-rotate towards one of the poles. What I’m really troubled by is the weaponization of the term “bureaucrat” or the weaponization of experience to diminish the skills and abilities of those people who really have devoted themselves to the largest and most complex organization that human beings have ever created: the U.S. Federal Government. So, I do think that there’s an actual skill set that you develop over time. Now, can people become ossified or paralyzed in doing that work? I’ve observed that behavior a lot. There’s a lot of disincentives around innovation, in part because if you’re a public servant, the closest thing to the Oscars is something called the Service to America medals. I’m guessing that almost everyone who reads this will never have heard of them. I encourage them to Google it. So, there’s very, very little in the way of reward. And then there’s all kinds of interesting risks associated with failure for the government, from Inspector General reports to congressional hearings. In some cases, the activity could even cross the line into criminal prosecution. We have criminalized certain mistakes because sometimes those mistakes were intentional and therefore were criminal. But it scares people, and then you’re like, well, what’s in it for

me to take that [risk]? I think one of the things we need to do is find out ways to more safely allow innovation to happen in this space. I think we need to incorporate more ideas from different places, and we should do it all with a sense of respect for those people who have devoted their careers, or portions of or their careers, to serving the public. CM: You’re speaking at a Center for Effective Government event tomorrow where you and a few colleagues are going to be talking about the state of the American bureaucracy. At least in some of the promotional stuff I’ve seen, you all will be talking about proposed federal workforce cuts that have been made by a few high-profile presidential candidates. DT: Well, that won’t exactly be the thrust of the conversation. The conversation is a little bit more technical, but it should still be very appealing to your average University of Chicago student. Which is, how do you apply data and research to better deliver services? And does improving service increase trust in government and therefore increase people’s engagement in democracy? There’s the notion that we just have to clear the decks and the shallow swamp dwellers, and that kind of broad-brush description of what’s happening is frankly lazy. It’s not deeply aware of the complexity of the systems and it’s not completely aware of the law, regulation, and policy in which these systems operate. If people really, really, really wanted to make a difference and change the way government service was delivered, they would actually spend some time learning about how the systems work. CM: I wanted to talk a little bit more about the idea of effective government with you. You sit on the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, which is normally made up of 11 governors, but there’s currently two vacant seats. What kind of government, effective or ineffective, would you say this is an example of given how important of an institution the Postal Service is? DT: Yeah, I think that’s a really great question. It’s a matter, for the administration, of priority. And also the ability to get

things through the Senate. But right now, I would say that the work of the Board of Governors has not been hampered yet. We still have seven presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed members, and then the two ex officio members, the postmaster and the deputy postmaster. I do think that if we start slipping below that seven, it gets problematic. We’d start having trouble getting committee chairs. I’m now the chairman of the audit and finance committee, but I think it’s because they ran out of other people to choose. It’s all about, what is the cost to deliver effective government when there are these drags on the ability of an administration to fill those positions? That’s probably a great question for the people in the political science or history departments. CM: Right, especially when you’re talking about the Postal Service. I know they were surrounded with some controversy back in 2020. There’s been more eyes on it since then than I would say have been on it for years and years before. DT: Yeah. Now I’m on the board and no one cares [laughs]. We were just having a conversation about those big services that the federal government provides. People are rightfully asking the question, “well, what is the future of the Postal Service? You know, when was the last time you mailed a letter?” You don’t have to answer that, I’m not interviewing you [laughs]. But at the same time, you know, that’s a 200 plus-year investment in infrastructure that we have to be really careful with before we just throw it in the dustbin. I think the big questions are, how do we not waste the legacy of those who came before us, and are there ways that we can reposition it and reuse it? CM: Let’s touch on the Emerson Collective and your role as managing director. What does that entail, and how does that fit in with the trajectory of your career at this point? DT: I’m one of several managing directors at the Emerson Collective, and my work is tied in part to this work here on effective government and being on the board of the Partnership for Public Service. My primary work is place-based, where we’re CONTINUED ON PG. 4

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exploring ideas of equitable community development. And in many ways, I see it as an extension of all this different work— both the work I did within government and the work I did outside of government with a real estate private equity firm. There have been experiences I’ve had around real estate and economic devel-

opment where we ask questions about whether there are ways to allow people to participate in economic development that aligns the interests of the community with the interest of the developer. You see it with the Obama Library here, right? There are reasonable questions being asked in the community like, “wait a minute, what happens to our rent if this thing really takes

off?” It’s about creating value so people can afford to stay, but also valuing what they offer so that we aren’t just erasing the culture. And then for style points, to make it even more complicated, doing it in a way that is planetarily regenerative. Can you use regenerative building materials? Can you create job opportunities with sustain-

able or economic ecologically regenerative approaches? And are there ways that this becomes a self-supporting cycle of benefit? Everything I’ve done so far, I’m trying to put it to the test here. But most importantly, I’m doing it with really brilliant people in the community, being patient and humble and actively engaging with and listening to great team members, great community

UChicago Debaters Make University History at World Universities Debating Championships By AMY MA | Senior News Reporter Ten members of the Chicago Debate Society (CDS) made history for the University winter break, securing spots as semifinalists and octo-finalists (top 16) in the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC). Hosted in Vietnam this year, WUDC is the world’s largest collegiate debate tournament in the extemporaneous British Parliamentary format, comprising almost 1000 debaters from more than 90 countries. Over the course of the nine-day tournament, debaters from around the world engaged in rigorous debates on topics ranging from philosophy and culture to finance and international relations. For CDS president Helen Wu, a third-year, one of the highlights of the competition was the opportunity to interact with debaters from countries as close as Canada and as far as Australia and South Africa. During their downtime, CDS members also explored the culture and scenery of

Ho Chi Minh City. The journey to success began early in the summer when CDS hosted in-house tryouts to determine the 10-person roster. These debaters, paired into teams of two, devoted themselves to intensive preparation throughout the remainder of the year. Because the British Parliamentary format only allows debaters 15 minutes to prepare after finding out the topic, debaters fourth-year Ahmad Howard and third-year Alessandro Perri spent a lot of time reading about current events to build their knowledge and acumen. From weekly sparring sessions and strategy analyses to competing in prep tournaments, CDS team members refined their skills as debaters and collaborators. After nine preliminary rounds, the top 50 teams with the best records progressed to elimination. For Perri, the wait to find out the results was nerve-racking. “I remember the hours between the

end of the preliminary rounds and the announcement of who advanced so vividly.… It felt like years,” Perri said. The announcement revealed that two teams— one comprising Wu and third-year Ethan Jiang, the other Perri and Howard—secured spots in the elimination rounds. “That was one of the best moments of my life. Just being there and hearing our names being called out was amazing,” Wu said. Perri and Howard progressed to octo-finals, while Jiang and Wu advanced to semifinals. This achievement marked the first time the University had two teams break into this level of international competition. CDS debaters attribute much of their success to the support of their teammates. “In general, we have a really good team culture. There were also a lot of people who graduated from our team whom I went to for guidance, and that was really great as well,” Wu said. The growing success of CDS on the

world stage also reflects the RSO’s expansion into more international debate formats. “Previously, CDS was very focused on American Parliamentary Debate,” Howard said. “I think that [our success this year] is the culmination of a growing culture of British Parliamentary Debate, which led to all of us putting in a lot of work and practice into the format and seeing the positive results at Worlds.” Witnessing the success of those who came before them motivated CDS members to continue their commitment to debate. “The biggest thing that inspired me to keep doing this activity is watching people above me find success and seeing what the activity meant to them… I want to see what will happen if I give something my all and see how far I can go,” Wu said. The CDS maintains an active presence on campus, holding practices three times a week and competing in tournaments for novices and veterans alike.

IOP Speakers Talk Biden Reelection Campaign and Struggles By TIFFANY LI | Deputy News Editor Policy analyst Amy Walter and political strategists Waleed Shahid and Sarah Longwell spoke on the challenges incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden faces as he seeks reelection this year during an Institute of Politics event on January 9. The event, titled “The Imperiled Incumbent: Biden on the Ropes,” was moderated by

New York Times politics reporter Reid Epstein. The speakers discussed the centrality of Biden’s age to voters’ perception of him. “Republican voters think that Joe Biden is being spoon-fed oatmeal in the White House because he is not sentient,”

said Longwell, who is a publisher of the center-right publication The Bulwark, which opposes Trump’s candidacy. “They are sure that Donald Trump can beat him because Joe Biden is barely functional in their universe.” Shahid, spokesperson for the progressive organization Justice Democrats, said he believed worry around Biden’s age was shared across the aisle. “Even for Demo-

cratic voters, their number one concern is also [Biden’s] age,” he said. Biden is currently 81 years old and the oldest person to serve as president. Former president Trump, who is the clear favorite for the Republican nomination, is 77. Epstein also asked for the panelists’ perspectives on how economic concerns CONTINUED ON PG. 5

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could influence Biden’s reelection efforts. “Joe Biden’s economic message is that things are great, and voters think that things are not just bad but catastrophic,” Longwell said. “That has to ease for Biden to win.” Longwell said she believed Biden’s campaign could benefit from increased messaging around abortion, an issue she found voters had strong opinions on. Some analysts have theorized that opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade was largely responsible for Democratic candidates’ performance in the 2022 midterm elections, which exceeded Democrats’ expectations. “The urgency and depth of feeling about [abortion] was so high, which told me: talk about this all the time,” Longwell

said. Longwell spoke on the looming shadow Trump casts on Biden’s campaign. “You are not building a pro-Biden coalition. You are building an anti-Trump coalition in this election,” Longwell said. “What unites that coalition is that Trump is absolutely unacceptable.” “I’m of the belief that the best thing that Biden has going for him is Trump being in the spotlight more,” Walter, who is editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, said. She theorized that once voters were reminded of Trump and his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, they would turn away from the former president. Shahid said the Biden administration’s public alignment with the far-right Israeli government throughout the war in

Gaza could hurt Biden’s efforts to portray himself as a candidate fighting for democracy against the U.S. far-right. “In states like Michigan, Georgia, and Virginia, there are Muslim and Arab Americans who I don’t think buy President Biden’s story as anything other than self-serving when there are bombs dropping with U.S. financing on Gazans,” Shahid said. In disagreement with Shahid, Longwell said she thought Muslim Americans would not support Trump over Biden. As president, Trump signed executive orders banning travelers from numerous predominantly Muslim countries. Longwell also emphasized her belief in the importance of maintaining an anti-Trump stance despite disagreements on other issues.

“If anybody is going to let their anger over any given policy issue, no matter how frustrated they are by it, put Trump back in the White House, it is both an action against self-interest as well as a deeply selfish thing to do in the face of the threat of Trump,” Longwell said to applause from many attendees of the talk. When Epstein asked the others about their ‘freaking out level’ around Trump’s potentially winning the presidency a second time, Shahid said he was at a nine, while Longwell said she was at a 10. “I think Joe Biden can win,” Longwell said. “I think the level of the threat that Donald Trump poses is such that we should all exist at a 10. Not a 10 like ‘it’s a fait accompli, we should give up,’ but a 10 like ‘we gotta get started, we have to have urgency, we gotta go now.’”

19 UChicago Students Form University’s Delegation to COP28 By NEIVE RODRIGUEZ | Senior News Reporter The University sent a delegation of 19 students to COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. Sponsored by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and Career Advancement, the delegation featured participants from the College, the Harris School of Public Policy, the Law School, and the Booth School of Business. More than 200 parties and 154 heads of states from around the globe attended COP28. As members of the second UChicago-sponsored delegation to attend the conference, students had the opportunity to engage with a variety of climate policy experts and leaders in the public and private sectors. Topics covered at the conference included climate finance, green energy, social justice, and international relations.

“The experience was absolutely fantastic [and] was really energizing in a way,” second-year undergraduate delegate Annie Yang said in an interview with The Maroon. “I think that all of the conversations I had with individuals at COP were absolutely incredible because everyone was so generous with their time and passionate and intelligent. Being in a space with so many other individuals who were really passionate and interested in the same things that I am was just so incredibly inspiring and such a nice change of pace. [COP] really allowed me to take a step back and do what I want to do and what I really care about.” Second-year undergraduate delegate Haley Coleman told The Maroon that while she was “skeptical” at first about COP being in Dubai, she felt that “it was an important environment to be able to CONTINUED ON PG. 6

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THE CHICAGO MAROON — JANUARY 25, 2024

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have that conversation [about climate].” The UAE is the world’s seventh-largest producer of oil, and 60 percent of its revenue is from the export of fossil fuels. 3.2 million barrels of petroleum are produced by the UAE each day, a figure which the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) aims to increase to 5 million barrels by 2030. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon emissions need to be reduced by half by 2030 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. “I think a lot of the time people feel antagonized by the sustainability movement because they either aren’t included or are blamed for their policies and emissions. But I think the important narra-

tive to have, [which] is something I really saw in Dubai, is that not only are they part of the problem, because they represent such a big part of the emissions, they also represent such a big part of the solution,” Coleman said. “To be able to have those conversations was something that the previous COPs hadn’t been able to have because they were in countries with lower carbon footprints and fewer connections to the oil industry.” This isn’t to say that COP28 was without its “ironic moments,” Coleman said. She explained that attendees at the conference were talking about sustainability while “sipping out of plastic water bottles in a 70-degrees-Fahrenheit room.” COP28 came at a crucial time in the climate crisis, as 2023 was declared the

hottest year on record. Despite this, Yang said that COP28 left her feeling generally positive about the future. “Overall, [COP28] left me optimistic because all of the individuals I spoke to were doing really awesome work and making a tangible impact towards more sustainable communities and infrastructure systems. All of the individuals I spoke to were really optimistic about their work and our ability as a collective to deal with climate change.” Coleman described how her experience at UChicago has shaped her hopeful outlook on the future and sees the solutions to climate change as interdisciplinary and collaborative. “Coming to UChicago and being able to have conversations about different aspects of climate change rounded out my

vision of just how urgent it is [for us to] work on climate change,” Coleman said. “But at the same time, I think going to UChicago has made me a lot more hopeful. [The climate crisis] is something that everyone can work on together. It’s something that [has] a lot of different right answers. While I don’t think anyone is advocating that voluntary action alone will make enough of a difference to solve climate change, ultimately, most policies, and other kinds of actions by larger companies, are influenced by social change.” COP29 will be held in Azerbaijan, another nation with a large output of fossil fuels, in November 2024. Students interested in applying to be a part of UChicago’s delegation can find more information on the EPIC website.

Students Explore Study Abroad Opportunities at Fair By GABRIEL KRAEMER | Senior News Reporter Students interested in studying abroad gathered at Ida Noyes the evening of January 10 for the Study Abroad Student Fair, where students who had participated in programs abroad answered questions about their experiences. UChicago offers both faculty-led and direct-enrollment study abroad opportunities around the world. Many of the faculty-led offerings fulfill the civilization studies Core requirement—whose focus on world cultures and history lends itself to international study—in a single quarter. “Since we have to do the civilizations requirement anyway, it’s not as though I’m going out of my way to [study abroad],” second-year Gabriel Jinich said in an interview with The Maroon at the fair. “I just want to take the opportunity to learn more than I would taking civilizations on campus.” Many students at the fair said that opportunities to go abroad easily are rare. “I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience—living in a different area, experiencing different cultures, speak-

ing the language,” first-year Colleen Kim said in an interview with The Maroon. “For me, I’m interested in Paris because I applied for French when I applied here, and I knew [UChicago] had a whole program. I just think the chance to go is super big and you can take so many classes I was interested in for my major. You can get a lot of things done still going.” “I always hear people wanting to travel the world and gaining experience, or learning a whole new connection with humanity or whatever the case is,” firstyear Ealaf Adam said. “I just want to experience that bit of it.” Yinong Wang, a third-year who participated in the Jerusalem in Middle Eastern Civilizations program last quarter, emphasized the difference between watching people’s experiences from afar and seeing them up close. “[Studying abroad] offered me a challenge to learn or to approach the modern conflict, the relevant conflict between Israel and Palestine, from a more nuanced and local perspective,” he said. “You learn the sides of people with different religious

ideas and with different political affiliations who live in the region of Jerusalem and Palestine, how they view history and how they deal with their context, and what their proposals are. It’s much, much better and [more] helpful than the more polarized debate you have outside of that region.” Wang said it wasn’t just the Israel-Palestine conflict that he had witnessed firsthand while studying abroad. “Our study abroad program overlapped with the judicial overhaul they had in Israel, so I got to see how [Israelis] engaged themselves with their national politics,” he said. “All of these kinds of experiences are very enriched and unique.” The University’s Center in Paris, which hosts more than 200 undergraduates every year, houses many faculty-run programs and is a hub for UChicago students abroad. “I definitely really appreciated that we had a center,” said Amelia Cheng, a third-year who participated in the neuroscience program in Paris. “It kind of felt like a home base that you could just come and find comfort in.” She added that because of the number of programs hosted at the center, “you’re in a

cohort of 10 people or 12 people [within your program], but you also are with up to 90 or 100 people at a time, which is an experience pretty unique to Paris.” “I went in definitely getting more nervous the closer it got to the day to fly out,” said Pooja Keerthipati, a fourth-year who studied in Paris. “But I think it’s all worth it once you get there. You end up becoming very close with the people that are there. It’s like a support system.” Students from other programs appreciated opportunities to interact with students from different universities. “I think the cool thing about my program was that I got to love the host family, and I got to take classes with a couple kids from UChicago and then a ton of kids that weren’t from UChicago,” said second-year Liv Moreno, who spent last quarter in the intermediate Spanish program in Toledo. “So it was really unique in that I got to have truly another worldly perspective [with] my classmates from Japan and my classmates from Puerto Rico.” Moreno added that living outside a major city was a plus for her. “I feel like CONTINUED ON PG. 7

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a lot of the study abroad programs are in really big, central cities in Europe, and Toledo was a much smaller city,” she said. “So I loved that I really got to know kind of everything about the city, and it really started to feel like home there.” While most offerings run for a single quarter, there are also three-week September term options and some direct-enrollment opportunities that run for an entire year. Julio Tsimpos, a thirdyear who hasn’t yet studied abroad, said he was interested in some of the British direct-enrollment programs. “I think [direct enrollment] is better, more immersive. I can really see how it is from the inside.” Henry Huschke, a third-year who went to Paris for the Law, Letters, and Society program in the September term, said the short timeline didn’t make for a worse experience. “During the three-

week program, it’s a little bit different; you only take one class,” he said. “Classes will usually be in the mornings, so you can get the rest of the day to explore where you are, so that was a super awesome opportunity. I got to meet all these people in my major and get really close with them and meet people I didn’t know before. It was great.” Moreno encouraged students considering studying abroad to go for it. “I didn’t feel ready at all. When I was getting on the plane, I was like, ‘This is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t believe I’m getting on a plane to another country for three months and I don’t speak Spanish,’” she said. “You will realize when you get there that you didn’t need to be as ready as you wished. You just need to jump into it and go for it because it’ll absolutely turn out in your favor.”

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ARTS Lovejoy, the Twisted New British Boy Band Arts reporters Aidan Jones and Sofia Hrycyszyn cover up-and-coming British boy band Lovejoy. By SOFIA HRYCYSZYN | Senior Arts Reporter and AIDAN JONES | Arts Reporter It was a December night, and as finals’ hush fell across campus, we fled north to the Aragon Ballroom for their Twisted Xmas. Little did we know just how sick and twisted it would be. (Although there was no punk-Christmas music played, thank God.) We went for Lovejoy, an upand-coming band in the pop-punk scene whom we had found by misremembering the name of Grouplove. Under the Ballroom’s eaves, nestled in a crowd of teenage girls and their mothers, we caught sight of a woman’s lock screen next to me: “I’m nothing without you” scrawled in gothic handwriting. We weren’t sure what we had gotten ourselves into. Were we joining some kind of cult? Something that might continue to fill us with stories and motivation long after the concert, long after the holidays, through this winter and into the coming years? Then, lead singer Wilbur Soot, a teenage girl’s dream, stepped on stage with tousled hair. His toothy smile put me at ease, and his mellifluous British accent calmed and enthralled us as the music came on. While Soot was the center of the show, what’s a boy band without its boys? Bassist Ash Kabosu stood to Soot’s left, rocking shoulder-length hair and dark shades, in front of drummer Mark Boardman. Lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith flanked Soot to his right, performing in front of Alan Osmundson, the band’s touring trumpeter and keyboard player (who’s also an MIT aerospace engineering grad). Lovejoy opened with a rolling drum beat, a groovy bass line, and an upbeat guitar melody. “Concrete” displayed all their charms. Soot counted his friends into the jam session before recalling a perhaps-fictional night out at 3 a.m. Someone, barely described, is making quite a commotion over Soot’s late-night

kiss, enough that both our charming British boy and the bar’s bouncer is upset. Is this just a jealous fan? A long-term girlfriend? Someone a little too invested in that lovely accent? Soot recommends they “sleep on the concrete.” This tall, lanky boy, thin enough to be blown over by a small gust of wind, has a naughty streak in him! Soot’s music plays into emo and punk tendencies, writing about the dark sides of relationships and fight-

ing the system, yet nastiness also comes from within him, giving him power and control. And yet, somehow all the twisting only adds to this British boy’s allure. Soot’s songwriting is unconventional. It does not hold individual lines of lyrics like many other artists but instead rambles like prose, in which one line is only understood by the context of the three lines before and after. With every song, the band publishes a short story. These short stories are just as much musical and emotional as they are lyrical.

A trading card from the Lovejoy show. aidan jones.

You would be forgiven for not knowing the names of “Concrete” or “It’s Golden Hour Somewhere” while they played. The refrains are so much less punctuated in his style, and it is hard to hear Soot sing those words over the sound of the entire crowd. Those of us at the concert experienced his stories collectively, uniting in these twisted and tousled emotions. Maybe this is a cult. We chose to join it by buying a hoodie, and they rewarded us with a trading card. What a great souvenir for our night with Wilbur the Hero.

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Where Fun Goes to Thrive The vibes of campus comedians’ groups are on par with the jokes they tell. By HARMONIE RAMSDEN | Senior Arts Reporter Wresting open the doors of the FXK theater, I first notice the bald caps. Twelve students, with 12 corresponding bald caps, stand onstage, rotating through an office scene, an elementary school wedding, and a pre-game pep talk. This is “Occamsween,” a production by Occam’s Razor, one of the University’s improv groups. The University of Chicago offers five comedy RSOs: Commedia dell’Arte, Life of the Mic, Occam’s Razor, Off-Off Campus, and The Chicago Shady Dealer. Their focuses range from improv to stand-up to satire. The comedy groups’ productions and articles at the University of Chicago provide more than a one-off laugh; they infuse joy into a university experience that can often lack it. Artur Procopio Burian Breternitz, a first-year and an “Occamsween” attendee, said, “The show was a good study break where I could spend time laughing with my friends.” This sentiment carries over to the RSO’s members as well. Trayi Ajit, a first-year and new member of Occam’s Razor said, “Your day feels super foggy, but then you go to this two-hour meeting where you’re just messing around. And it’s such a nice feeling; it just always makes my day.” Older members of campus comedy groups remember their troupes as a source of community during the COVID-19 lockdown. Many did not participate in any other RSOs. Jake Schroeder, a fourth-year undergraduate in the improv and sketch group Off-Off Campus, recalled the sense of community that existed in the group. “Every day we would, through the Zoom screens, make hand-hearts with each other on the edge of the screen to connect ourselves digitally with our bodies,” he said. “That is sort of emblematic of my experience. It was meaningful, but it wasn’t ever good comedy.” Upperclassmen fondly remembered comedy as their light in a dark time. From a nine-week production period on a “Starred, Spangled, and Banned” satire album to socially distanced meetups on the Midway, each group found inno-

vative solutions to cultivate humor and community during an age of widespread interpersonal and political discord. While many RSOs were on hiatus, comedy groups forged an elevated sense of belonging. Being the only structured social spaces members could find at this time, the troupes filled a gap that the lockdown exposed. Merrin Seegers, a fourthyear, editor-in-chief for The Shady Dealer and a member of Occam’s Razor, identified a shift in the improv group following lockdown. “Older members are like, ‘We’d show up and we’d leave,’ whereas [for current members] it’s like, ‘I just wanted a place to express myself and do comedy,’” she said. “I joined it to make friends. It’s like Greek life for people that can’t do Greek life.” With such small groups, the dynamic between club members is crucial. Alex Nobert, a fourth-year in Occam’s Razor, adds that “the disruption of the normal flow of things meant that there was a lot more space to restructure a group culture that may not have existed had lockdown not happened.” With new leaders taking the stage during lockdown, it was up to them to determine the energy of each group as activities transitioned back to an in-person format. The theme of enjoying oneself among friends ran through every conversation, intrinsically linked with the dynamic of comedy on campus. With some semblance of normalcy restored at the University and across Chicago, what is the future of these comedy groups? Josh Kindler, a third-year in stand-up groups Life of the Mic and Occam’s Razor, has seen leaders emerge in his years onstage. Upon performing stand-up for the first time as copresident, he said it felt “really heartening to see all these new people that had no reason to be as excited about it as we already were take up that same excitement.” Bonding at a point of stasis over the lockdown and transitioning into dynamic in-person showcases was significant for the members who experienced this shift, but all reflect on their time thus far with an air

Members of Occam’s Razor perform at “Occamsween” on October 27. harmonie ramsden. of overwhelming positivity. The new members share in this anticipation for the future; Abby Langer, a first-year in Off-Off Campus, shared that she sees comedy’s impact on her as “getting to be part of something bigger than myself.” Other first-year students in the troupes laud the instant tight-knit community—something difficult to find upon entering a new campus environment— and the opportunity to pursue a passion amongst friends.

Seegers’s last words perfectly portray humor on campus: “If no one came to our shows, we’d still be doing them.” As students and performers, members of campus comedy groups are forging a new path in the field as they adapt to a constantly evolving world. Join them for a show along the way—you’re bound to have a laugh.

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SPORTS LGBTQ+ Identity and Sports Come Together in New RSO Out For Business By BLAIR PENN | Senior Sports Reporter UChicago’s newest LGBTQ+ RSO, Out For Business (OFB), hasn’t just carved out a niche for LGBTQ+ students in business; it is becoming a special home for LGBTQ+ student-athletes. Out of the nine members on the current board, four are student-athletes, including third-year president Cami Cox, a member of the women’s volleyball team. OFB was founded by Erin Ku, a business economics major and data science minor who graduated this past fall and is working at the mergers and acquisitions group in RBC Capital Markets’ investment banking division. Ku is no stranger to the business community at UChicago and has been an active figure within it for a long time. She served as the cofounder and copresident of Paragon National Group, an intercollegiate investment organization, and was an active member of the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. Even though Ku is not an athlete, sports and staying fit are a huge part of her life. She grew up playing lacrosse, weightlifting, and hiking , and she told The Maroon that because most of her friends are people with whom she does some type of outdoor activity with, many of her closest friends at UChicago are student-athletes. She went on to say that she has learned a lot about time management and leadership from

sports and has a deep appreciation for the activities. Cox echoed this sentiment. “I can say that playing sports my whole life has shaped the way I attack problems in my own life and ultimately pushed me to be the best I can be. Having so many athletes on both our executive team and [among our] members means that our club strives to do the same,” she said. Ku’s inspiration for OFB was attending the Out For Undergrad Business Conference, or O4UB, in March 2022, when she first developed connections with other LGBTQ+ students in business and learned that a large number of top universities had pre-professional business organizations for LGBTQ+ students. UChicago formerly had an organization called the LGBT Business Alliance, but it was never revived after the pandemic. Ku wanted to restart the organization while revamping its operations, marketing, and outreach. Thus, Out For Business was formed. To establish OFB’s presence on campus, Ku tapped into the athletic community. “The UChicago athlete community is extremely tight-knit. A lot of them are interested in pursuing a career in business, and a lot of them are queer,” Ku said. “I was friends with a lot of the athletes who are involved now, and they’re all friends with each other. I think that’s why we’ve been able to

Members of Out For Business at their first meeting of autumn quarter. courtesy of out for business.

establish such a tight-knit group for OFB.” Cox added, “I would describe the other athletes as go-getters. It is so impressive being surrounded by individuals that have pushed themselves athletically, academically, and in their careers.” Second-year Lex Clark, a member of the women’s basketball team and the vice president of social affairs in OFB, said she joined the organization because she wanted to connect more with the LGBTQ+ community on campus. “What makes OFB special to me is the supportive community within it. In an industry as isolating and private as business, this organization has guided me through a ton of applications and enhanced my understanding of business. The friendships I have formed within OFB have significantly contributed to my personal growth,” she said. Clark echoed Ku’s sentiment about the tight-knit community of athletes in the club. “There is a strong sense of solidarity among us, driven by a shared goal for the success of OFB and for all the members within it. This sentiment extends beyond athletes to everyone involved in the club. It’s one of my favorite groups, where everyone is genuinely invested in each other’s success. The presence of athletes contributes to a team-like atmosphere, shaping the overall vibe of OFB into a big family and team,” she said. Clark will also be attending the same conference, O4UB, that inspired Ku to create the organization in March, O4UB. Ku will be there too, acting as a sponsor for RBC Capital Markets. “Being around other like-minded individuals who all have a commonality has created an amazing community in my life,” Cox said. “The club as a whole operates as a team. Those who are on [the executive board] who are third- or fourth-years serve as guides for our younger members.” OFB revolves around a board that Ku organized out of many of her queer friends. The RSO hosts biweekly general meetings and events. Examples of past events include résumé workshops, career-specific fireside

chats, and holiday parties. On the club’s balance between career advancement and community building, Ku said, “While we do prioritize our members’ career success and help them find internships, it is our main goal to make this group feel like a friend group, to provide a space for queer students in a professional field where they might not have felt as welcome prior.” Clark cites her newfound friendship with Ku as an instance in which OFB helped build community. “My favorite memory with OFB has been the growth of friendships within the club, particularly my newfound connection with our former copresident, Erin Ku. Her dedication and efforts to enhance OFB have been truly admirable. Spending time with her has been special, and I hold deep respect for her contributions to our club,” Clark added. “Erin deserves a huge shout-out for everything she has done, not only for me but for everyone within the club. She has helped so many of us grow personally and professionally.” Ku thought that when she chose to pursue investment banking, she would have to leave her LGBTQ+ identity at the door, but the communities she has been a part of and the people she has met have changed that perspective. She remains passionate about making the business and finance world a more queer-friendly space. “Whether it be affinity groups within companies or college organizations that can help do so, I think it starts from the ground up in terms of who you’re hiring and the culture you’re facilitating to make sure that business is not a career path that queer people are deterred from anymore,” she said. Upon graduating, Ku passed the club’s torch to Cox, who shares Ku’s passion and has big goals for OFB. “My vision for OFB is to be a resource for every LGBT student on campus, whether that’s choosing the right classes, networking, interview practice, or resume workshops,” she said. “When I was a first-year on volleyball, I was so grateful to my older teammates that helped me through UChicago [and with securing] an

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