111111 Chicago Maroon

FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 11, 2011

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

Students apprehend thief in Regenstein arrest

University compromises over Woodlawn Avenue Giovanni Wrobel Associate News Editor

Fourth-year Ricky Zacharias (far left), second-years Terrell White (middle) and Dickson Li (far right), and other students apprehend a man who was attempting to leave the Reg after stealing a student’s bag Tuesday afternoon.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Amy Myers Senior Editor & Rebecca Guterman Associate News Editor A contracted library employee was arrested on felony theft charges on Tuesday afternoon

on the first floor of the Regenstein Library.

Third-year Shantanu Jha returned from grabbing a book on the third floor to see a man holding a black briefcase. As the man took off toward the staircase, Jha realized the bag was

his, with his laptop inside.

“I saw him run down the stairs carrying my bag, and I decided to chase after,” Jha said.

He followed the thief from the third floor down to the A-Level, where he was joined by third-year and Maroon

UCMC sounds off in open forum with trauma center activists

Photo Editor Darren Leow.

First-year Jon Catlin watched as the chase broke into the ALevel, but said that few people reacted as the man sprinted toward a corridor located around the corner of the A-Level in an REG continued on page 2

Alexandra McInnis News Contributor Students, staff, and administrators had their first official dialogue regarding the lack of a trauma center at the University of Chicago Medical Center

(UCMC) last night at an open forum hosted by SG. Organized as a question-andanswer session between activists, members of the community, and two UCMC staff, the forum focused on the need versus practicality of a trauma center as well as

FRI

SAT

48° 39°

57° 51°

SUN

MON

57° 49°

53° 41°

Temperatures in Fahrenheit - Courtesy of The Weather Channel

a perceived disparity between the community and the UCMC. “There is a distinction between what the hospital has identified as best for the community and what the community has identified as best for itself,” said third-year and TRAUMA continued on page 2

In an effort to address community concerns, the University announced a preservation measure of five University-owned buildings in a public meeting on Wednesday organized by Fifth Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston.

The measure involves creating easements—property rights for the buildings’ facades—that allow for their preservation by giving alteration rights to non-profits, who then have control over all subsequent changes to those facades.

The plan will include five buildings on the 5600 and 5700 blocks of Woodlawn: The Alumni House, Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the Office of Human Development, and the University’s Concert Office.

University Architect Steve Wiesenthal said at the meeting that the University is aware of community concerns to keep the historic

feeling of Hyde Park, which is part of the purpose of the easements.

“Along Woodlawn Avenue and along University Avenue there is very much a sense of transition from the institutional scale to the residential scale of the neighborhood. This is something that the University appreciates and is working to preserve,” Wiesenthal said.

The University also said that it is working to extinguish five existing facade easements around the hospital, which would allow them to proceed with demolition and further development of those buildings.

Though the five Woodlawn facade easements preserve historic buildings, Hyde Park Historical Society board member Jack Spicer plans to fight the five easements that the University wants extinguished. He said he will continue to solicit the support of Woodlawn and University Avenue homeowners through the Woodlawn Homeowners Association.

“By not putting easements PD43 continued on page 3

Two businesses hurt by Harper Court construction, owners say Celia Bever News Contributor

Dr. Donald Liu (left), Surgeon-in-Chief of the Comer Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Stephen Weber (second from left), Chief Medical Officer at the UCMC, respond to questions from the audience at an open forum hosted by Student Government.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON

ISSUE 13 • VOLUME 123

Two local small business owners claim that University-sponsored construction projects on 53rd Street have hurt their sales.

Ras Sekou, owner of Frontline Books on South Harper Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets, said he was not aware of how much the Harper Court-related construction would impact his business. He was informed of the impending projects last June by Scott Mosak of HSA Commercial Real Estate, the company that is working with the University on the development, but Sekou said he was told the construction would not influence business.

However, when construction began August 8, a fence along the north side of 53rd street cut off traffic that previously brought customers to Frontline.

Sekou said that his sales have decreased by an average of 85 to 90 percent since the construction began. As a result, Sekou

said, he has had trouble paying rent, cut back hours for his employees, and no longer has money to advertise.

Frontline will not survive the next few years if sales don’t pick up as construction continues, according to Sekou. “Every day becomes more depressing,” he said.

With four years left on its lease, Frontline faces two more years of neighboring construction. Last year, Sekou also leased the space next to the store with plans to open a juice bar. Those plans have been halted due to the current financial hardship.

Up the street, Checker Board Lounge has experienced similar problems, but was not aware of the construction beforehand.

“I can’t get any customers to come,” Lounge owner LC Thurman said. “I wouldn’t have signed the lease if I’d known about it.”

The University held several public meetings with business leaders and community members to involve them in the development process, according to

University spokesperson Wendy Parks.

Sekou said he went to one of the meetings about a week before construction began but was again told—this time by one of the developers—that his store would not be affected.

“We always had an open dialogue with the community,” Parks said. “We’re certainly willing to talk to Frontline.”

Sekou is seeking assistance to keep the store open, but said that attempts to discuss options with the University have been unsuccessful. “Nobody showed any concern,” he said.

Thurman also said he contacted the University but was told there was nothing they could do for him. He is in the process of looking for a lawyer, he said, and figuring out what to do next.

Sekou has already hired a lawyer to look into the possibility of being compensated for the loss of income, but said he hopes things will not HARPER continued on page 3

IN ARTS

IN VIEWPOINTS

Cloudy, with a chance of waking nightmare

An irresponsible compromise » Page 4

School’s in session for Cambridge poetry » Page 7

Shunning an academic endorser of antiSemitism » Page 4

» Page 7

2

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 11, 2011

Thief was working for University contractor Students hold quad protest in Occupy solidarity REG continued from front

attempt to escape through a loading dock that exits onto 56th Street.

“I didn’t even realize what was going on. No one reacted. I wasn’t sure if it was a game,” Catlin said. “I definitely did not think it was a crime.”

After finding the door locked, the man threw the bag at Jha and pushed his way back toward the staircase by the bookstacks, where he attempted to escape through the first floor. There, the man was stopped by a group of students outside the glass gates.

Fourth-year Ricky Zacharias said he was prompted to help when he heard someone shouting, “Stop him.”

“I immediately turned and looked and by the time I looked, a guy was running across the first level toward the exit. Immediately, someone just stood in front of the two glass panels,” Zacharias said. “I ran over very quickly. It appeared that he was being confined by two guys. However, after that moment, he tried to escape. I ran through to the other side and joined them.”

The UCPD Pro-Active Crime Team (PACT) responded to a student call and arrested the cornered 23-year-old male. PACT has been used to give extra attention to high-crime areas on campus for a little over a year, according to UCPD Chief Marlon Lynch.

The suspect was hired by a University contractor, moving firm William B. Meyer, Inc., that has been transferring books to the Mansueto Library since July 1, according to University spokesperson Steve Kloehn. The man had undergone a requisite background

check before beginning work at the library, Kloehn said, and is now no longer working for the University.

“Any time there’s an incident like this it causes the University to look again at how it structures work with outside vendors in order to make sure that we’re making this as safe a community as possible,” Kloehn said.

The Reg is one of the high-crime areas on campus, according to Lynch, and has been for a number of years. There have been three laptop thefts from the Reg so far this year, though there were none during the same time frame last year, according to UCPD Incident Reports.

Lynch said that the suspect may also be implicated in previous thefts, but UCPD spokesperson Bob Mason noted that there is a chance they will not be able to find the stolen property from other crimes.

“They’ll look at all thefts and see if he has the property,” Mason said. “As you can imagine, undoubtedly, [the suspects are] selling them someplace.”

Lynch added that there are now security officers, similar to those that patrol the Midway and the Booth School, stationed in the Reg. These security workers report to UCPD but are not police officers.

Zacharias said the crime took him by surprise, since he usually feels safe in the library. “[It’s] really surprising because I definitely leave my things out all day long because you don’t expect anyone to be there who isn’t studious,” he said. “It’s frustrating to be worried.”

UCMC noncomittal on feasibility study TRAUMA continued from front

member of Student Health Equity Akshaya Kannan, drawing applause from the audience.

The UCMC was represented

by Chief Medical Officer Stephen Weber and Surgeon-in-Chief of the UCMC’s Comer Children’s Hospital Dr. Donald Liu. As Surgeon-inChief, Liu also serves as director of the pediatric trauma center.

Weber and Liu explained the UCMC’s stance on subjects such as the age limit for pediatric care for trauma wounds, the funding required for a potential trauma center, and the statistics regarding the accessibility of other trauma centers to South Side victims.

Veronica Morris-Moore, a member of the activist group Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY), voiced her desire for an unbiased feasibility study performed by a third party that would examine the significance of such statistics as well as the community’s specific need for an adult

trauma center.

The UCMC made no promises to support such a study, but Weber and Liu indicated that the hospital was willing to continue the dialogue.

SG President and fourth-year Youssef Kalad said he thought the forum was a success.

“I thought we did exactly what we set out to do, which was to bring two different sides together to present a lot of their facts and findings on trauma care on the South Side,” Kalad said. “I felt like people understood the secondlevel goal of the forum. The first is to educate, the second is to bring together activist groups and the UCMC to figure out how they can work together in the future on obviously the trauma center but a whole host of other things that contribute to it.”

Both student speakers and members of the hospital stated that they hoped the forum would be the starting point for continued civil conversation on the topic.

Fighting the flu Free flu shots will be offered to students Monday in the Regenstein Library from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

SYDNEY COMBS | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Linda Qiu Associate News Editor A handful of students weathered a brief flurry of snow yesterday during a four-hour Occupy the Quad demonstration. The demonstration was an attempt to gain momentum for the Occupy movement on campus, even after the group was denied RSO status by ORCSA. The event, organized by U of C students involved with the Occupy Chicago movement, preludes Occupy Hyde Park, an upcoming mass protest of the University’s Condoleezza Rice and Henry Paulson talk next Monday night.

The event was meant to raise awareness of student involvement in the Occupy movement, organizers said. Demonstrators chanted popular protest slogans, exhibited the use of the “human microphone,” and held a mock General Assembly meeting— mainstays of the Occupy protests around the country.

“The thing is, it’s a long trip from here to downtown. I make it because I know what it is, but I understand people who don’t know what’s going on might not make the entire trip. So we wanted to make our presence known and try to get people involved who might not be otherwise confronted by it,” social sciences graduate student and Occupy the Quad organizer Kyla Bourne said.

UChicago Occupy listhost administrator and Social Service Administration graduate student Doug Stalnos said he was pleased with the turnout, despite the weather.

“Even if it seems slow, events like this really foster momentum.

It’s only going to speed up again.

We’re focusing our attention to Monday,” Stalnos said.

While the goal was to reach out to those who were curious to learn more about Occupy, students traversing the quad had a wide range of responses, social sciences graduate student and event organizer Zeshan Aleem said, with some speaking out supportively and others downright hostile.

“The hostility manifests only as

About 20 people gathered on the main quad for an Occupy the Quad event Thursday afternoon.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON

people smirking or laughing. I’d be like, ‘Are you interested in Occupy Chicago?’ and they’d say, ‘Interested in shutting it down’—snide stuff, but nothing more,” Alean said.

Currently, UChicago Occupy meets weekly to discuss campus activity with varying attendance.

The group’s attempt at becoming an official RSO was denied by ORSCA, history Ph.D. student Guy Mount said, on “the grounds that they believe that the Occupy movement was a ‘temporary po-

litical movement and that was not sustainable.’”

ORSCA recommended that UChicago Occupy piggyback with other activist organizations instead.

“Well, you didn’t tell the karate club that they should work with the aikido club because it’s basically the same kind of thing,” Mount, who handled the group’s RSO application, said. “So the Zombie Task Awareness Force has RSO status and we don’t qualify?”

Subway to bring healthy options to Midway Mart Kelsey Reid News Contributor Students on the south side of campus will no longer have to cross the Midway for a late night snack.

A Subway will open in Midway Market by the beginning of January, according to Director of Campus Dining Richard Mason.

“We were looking for a brand that could be successful and offer something different in dining to an area,” Mason said. “I think this will be very well-received if you compare it to what is around it and what is currently available.”

Mason said the idea for another food option on the south side of campus was inspired by feedback from focus groups, surveys, and interviews conducted as part of the

Global Dining Initiative last spring, as well as Subway’s popularity in Hutchinson Commons.

Second-year Juliana Peebles, a Burton-Judson resident and an InterHouse Council executive committee member, said Subway would provide a healthy alternative to the options currently available to students.

“When it comes to fast food, Subway is relatively healthy. Plus you can get what you want,” Peebles said.

“The grab-and-go sandwiches in the convenience store are $5 but they’re not as good of a value as Subway.”

However, Peebles disagreed with Mason that lack of food options was a sore spot for students.

“I think we have a decent variety of food,” Peebles said. “It comes up, but it’s not a big complaint.”

Supervisor of Midway Market

Priscilla Evans said that the new Subway would also provide a positive change for employees.

“It will mean better opportunities for our team members because it’s something different than just the store,” Evans said. “It will be more fast-paced and will increase their customer service experience.”

The new Midway Market will be a combination of Subway and a convenience store similar to the current store.

The store will accept cash, credit cards, and Maroon dollars as payment. While Midway Market and Subway will share the same hours of operation, there is a possibility that Midway Market will now open earlier because of Subway’s breakfast menu, though Mason said a final decision has not yet been reached.

FOR MORE COVERAGE, VISIT WWW.CHICAGOMAROON.COM

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | November 11, 2011

Citing safety, UCPD shuts down rooftop UT performance Jennifer Standish News Contributor An unsupervised performance on the roof of Ryerson Physical Laboratory with University Theater (UT) members was shut down by the UCPD last Wednesday night.

The performance, called “Shakespeare Under The Stars,” began at 10 p.m. and was interrupted about an hour later by UCPD officers who observed the students on the roof of the building during a routine building check, according to UCPD Chief Marlon Lynch.

The officers asked students to leave because there was no faculty member present, the building was closed, and the scaffolding on the roof posed a safety hazard, Lynch said.

No students were arrested during the incident and Lynch said that the incident was classified as an event, and no full police report was written.

Several students who attended the performance said that alcohol was present, but Lynch said that the officer who shut down the event did not report alco-

hol as a factor in his request that students leave the roof.

First-year Anna Meredith said that event attendees were confused when the UCPD arrived.

“None of [us] really knew what was going on,” she said.

Fourth-year Amanda Fink said in an e-mail message that the Dean’s Men has held the event once before, jointly with the Ryerson Astronomical Society (RAS). RAS members operated the telescope on top of Ryerson, while actors read aloud passages from Shakespeare that allude to the heavens aloud. Fink added that no alcohol was provided by the Dean’s Men and that the group did not talk to the UCPD. “It was confusing and incredulous,” Meridith said in the e-mail, “that the University of Chicago would shut down a bunch of students reading Shakespearean sonnets. But it wasn’t a negative encounter or aggressive. [People were] just mostly laughing. Some took it more serious than others.”

—Additional reporting by Rebecca Guterman

Hairston opposes creation of historic district PD43 continued from front

on certain buildings it’s as if they drew a red arrow at them and said, ‘These are the ones we’re going to mess with,’” Spicer said.

The meeting also discussed an amendment to Institutional Planned Development (PD) 43, a zoning agreement between the University and the city which lays out a plan to make space for the William Eckhardt Research Center, the Becker Friedman Institute, Child Care West, and for the relocation of the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore to McGiffert House.

The additional paragraph to the amendment acknowledges the historical significance of the University-owned properties on Woodlawn, after Hyde Park residents expressed concerns about the fate of University-owned properties last month.

Hairston, whose approval is influential in the passage of PD 43, said she does not currently support creating a historic district because of unanticipated costs it could impose on homeowners and institutions in the affected areas. However, she said she would reconsider her position if homeowners voiced their support.

“It is not about one particular block or developer—it is about the whole neighborhood,” Hairston said.

Spicer said he supports a landmark district as a safeguard for the community’s buildings.

“There are very few things like a landmark district that can manage such changes and guarantee the preservation of the historic character of the neighborhood,” he said.

U of C Director of Civic Engagement Ellen Sahli promised to form an e-mail discussion group with concerned members of the community and plans to reconvene with the community in early January about the PD amendment and Seminary Co-Op building renovation.

Members of the community and from various concerned institutions packed the Laboratory School’s Judd Hall for the meeting, which was also attended by Executive Director of Planning and Design for Facilities Services Alicia Murasaki and VP for Community and Governmental Affairs Sonya Malunda.

3

Social media shape Manual of Style celebration

Moderator Alison Cuddy interviews Carol Fisher Saller, Anita Samen, Ben Zimmer (A.M. ’98), and Jason Riggle in Tuesday’s Off-Air event “The Chicago Manual: More than a Century of Style.”

SYDNEY COMBS | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Patrick Fitz News Contributor The Chicago Manual of Style celebrated 105 years in print with a lively discussion Tuesday night in I-House’s Assembly Hall.

The discussion, titled “The Chicago Manual: More than a Century of Style,” treated an audience of nearly 250 students and community members to a spirited investigation of the Manual, now in its 16th edition.

Moderated by host of public radio station WBEZ’s Eight Forty-Eight news magazine Alison Cuddy, the discussion went beyond the four panelists to involve audience members.

The four panelists—University of Chicago Press Editors Carol Fisher Saller and Anita Samen, Assistant Professor of Linguistics Jason Riggle, and former writer of The New York Times Magazine’s “On Language” column Ben Zimmer

(A.M. ’98)—fielded Twitter questions from the audience alongside those from Cuddy.

The event was broadcast live via Facebook, and a live Twitter feed for the “#CenturyOfStyle” hashtag projected onto screens on both sides of the stage.

As the dialogue progressed, tweets popped up commenting on the conversation and posing questions to the panel, which fueled contentious issues, including the use of emoticons in formal text, the heavily debated Oxford comma, and citations for social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

“I look at social media a fair bit, and I do sometimes try to figure out how to cite things. It would be nice to know how to cite a tweet—if I’m writing about the term ‘refudiate,’ for instance, and I wanted to cite Sarah Palin’s famous tweet on it—to know how to do that,” Zimmer said.

The panel also addressed more seri-

ous concerns, such as the crafting of the Manual’s guidelines, a process which Saller and Samen said is geared more toward using reader feedback to gauge literary trends than setting them.

“We are not trying to shock them,” Saller said, eliciting laughs from the audience.

Ari Epstein (A.B. ’11) said that after “struggling” with the technicalities of the Manual, he found the discussion enlightening in light of writing his B.A. paper last spring. “It was nice to finally see [the Manual] abstracted,” he said.

In an age where new media push the Manual’s style, Samen said, it still serves an important function. “We give you an idea of the kinds of things you need to think about...when preparing your publication, in any media,” she said.

The discussion was part of Chicago Public Media’s Off-Air Event Series in partnership with the University of Chicago Press, which publishes the Manual.

University helps businesses affected by construction, Parks says

Frontline Books, at Harper Avenue and 52nd Street, is open for business despite construction next door.

NICHOLAS SHATAN | THE CHICAGO MAROON HARPER continued from front

University architect Steve Wiesenthal, Fifth Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston (left), and Senior Associate Vice President of Community and Civic Engagement Sonya Malunda respond to questions from community members at a Planned Development community meeting Wednesday evening at Judd Hall.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON

go that far. “We really don’t want to sue,” he said. Sekou also said he recognizes the University’s right to build on the property.

“This is not about hostility,” Sekou said. “This is about business and survival.”

Across the street from Frontline, the restaurant Park 52 has not been having such troubles, according to business manager Alex Brauvermann. He attributes the restaurant’s relative success in weathering the effects of the development to good advertising using social media.

“It hasn’t been too bad,” Brauvermann said. “We stay proactive in letting the customers know we’re still open.”

Sekou alleges that Park 52, locat-

ed in a University-owned building, receives help from the University.

Though Brauvermann would not comment, Parks confirmed that the University has aided local businesses affected by the construction, both those located on University property and those that aren’t.

Big Girl Cosmetics, which is in a building not owned by the University, was given help to build a more prominent sign, Parks said.

The construction projects along 53rd Street are part of a broad effort to revitalize Harper Court.

The new Five Guys Burgers and Fries was part of this, and the project will include a movie theater, a sports club, a 24-hour restaurant,

and a hotel. Development is slated to continue into 2013.

Peter Cassel, spokesperson for major Hyde Park landowner MAC Property Management, said the company is “cheering on” the projects. “I think the development is good for the neighborhood,” he said. MAC owns the buildings that house stores like Z Berry, Hyde Park Gyros, and Futons-N-More on 53rd Street, in addition to many student apartment buildings.

Sekou expressed similar recognition of the potential upsides to the development. “I have no problem with the construction... If we survive, it will be beneficial to us,” Sekou said. “In the meantime, how do we survive?”

VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed NOVEMBER 11, 2011

An irresponsible compromise Despite merit, new proposals betray original intent of socially responsible investment initiative The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 ADAM JANOFSKY Editor-in-Chief CAMILLE VAN HORNE Managing Editor AMY MYERS Senior Editor JONATHAN LAI News Editor HARUNOBU CORYNE News Editor SAM LEVINE News Editor PETER IANAKIEV Viewpoints Editor SHARAN SHETTY Viewpoints Editor JORDAN LARSON Arts Editor HANNAH GOLD Arts Editor MAHMOUD BAHRANI Sports Editor JESSICA SHEFT-ASON Sports Editor DOUGLAS EVERSON, JR Head Designer KEVIN WANG Web Editor ALICE BLACKWOOD Head Copy Editor GABE VALLEY Head Copy Editor LILY YE Head Copy Editor DARREN LEOW Photo Editor JAMIE MANLEY Photo Editor REBECCA GUTERMAN Assoc. News Editor LINDA QIU Assoc. News Editor CRYSTAL TSOI Assoc. News Editor GIOVANNI WROBEL Assoc. News Editor COLIN BRADLEY Assoc. Viewpoints Editor EMILY WANG Assoc. Viewpoints Editor DANIEL LEWIS Assoc. Sports Editor

Last spring, the Maroon endorsed the creation of a Socially Responsible Investment Committee (SRIC). The proposed organization would have had the authority to examine the University’s investments, most of which are currently hidden from public scrutiny, and evaluate them based on a set of social and ethical standards established by committee members. The committee as it was proposed wouldn’t have had any power to actually change University investment policy; instead, it would only have written a yearly report to bring attention to the most ethically problematic businesses and organizations receiving University funds. Fortunately, the Maroon was not alone in supporting this moderate approach to a question that has historically divided students and administrators: Almost 80 percent of voters approved the creation of the committee in the Spring 2011 Student Government elections.

It is to the credit of President Robert Zimmer that he saw it fit to meet with the architects of the

committee this Wednesday. Usually, one would expect administrators to simply mention the Kalven Report and go on ignoring the mounting student concerns over how their University’s endowment is spent. Nevertheless, the final outcome has largely been the same. The original (quite moderate) committee proposal is basically dead, and some of its main supporters have moved on to compromise proposals, as the Maroon reported Tuesday (“New path sought for socially responsible investments”).

Unfortunately, these two proposed compromises are lacking in substance. As the Maroon put it, one of the proposals “recommends that the University send forms to its 200 investment managers asking them how they evaluate assets based on social, environmental, and governmental factors in addition to those of profitability.”

Of course, it’s hard to see how an idea like this could do any harm; realistically, the likeliest outcome is that most who get the form will simply refuse to fill it out, while

those who decide to answer its questions will simply say that the only criterion that matters when evaluating an asset is profitability. This proposal is so weak that administrators may actually agree with it, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to accomplish very much.

It’s not a bad idea—the Maroon supports it over doing nothing at all, but it pales in comparison with previously discussed solutions.

The second proposal, at first glance, has more substance. It “would invest a small portion of the University’s endowment into a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), which would focus on traditionally underserved populations.”

But this, too, won’t do very much.

If this investment failed, it would undermine any efforts on behalf of SRIC and its supporters. Part of what made the original committee proposal so compelling was that its primary function was advisory: It would not, by itself, tell those who manage the University’s money what to invest in.

A proposal like this goes against

that principle and risks hurting the cause of socially responsible investment on campus. Again, this is not a bad idea, but it’s hard to see how it would help achieve SRIC’s original goals.

The future prospects for socially responsible investing on campus look quite bleak. Nevertheless, the Maroon encourages those who truly believe in SRIC’s goals not to settle for compromise solutions unlikely to accomplish very much.

Nobody expected administrators to give in to student demands easily, but that doesn’t mean those demands should be forgotten.

Regardless of the next step SRIC supporters take, one thing will always remain clear: Students have a right to know if the endowment to which they contribute every year is being used to fund the socially and ethically reprehensible.

The Editorial Board consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Viewpoints Editors, and an additional Editorial Board member. Colin Bradley recused himself from the writing of this editorial.

TERENCE LEE Assoc. Photo Editor TYRONALD JORDAN Business Manager VIVIAN HUA Undergraduate Business Executive VINCENT MCGILL Delivery Coordinator HAYLEY LAMBERSON Ed. Board Member

Shunning an academic endorser of anti-Semitism Harvard Law professor criticizes John Mearsheimer’s praise of controversial text on Jewish identity

HYEONG-SUN CHO Designer SONIA DHAWAN Designer ALYSSA LAWTHER Designer

Alan Dershowitz Viewpoints Contributor

SARAH LI Designer AUTUMN NI Designer AMITA PRABHU Designer BELLA WU Designer CATIE ARBONA Copy Editor AMISHI BAJAJ Copy Editor JANE BARTMAN Copy Editor MARTIA BRADLEY Copy Editor ELIZABETH BYNUM Copy Editor DON HO Copy Editor JANE HUANG Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE Copy Editor KATIE MOCK Copy Editor LANE SMITH Copy Editor JEN XIA Copy Editor ESTHER YU Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Copy Editor

Imagine your son or daughter is admitted to the University of Chicago, one of the world’s most elite institutions of learning, and tells you that he has been lucky enough to have a course with one of the university’s most prominent professors, John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Then imagine your child tells you that his favorite professor has just recommended that everyone should read a “fascinating and provocative” book that makes the following assertions of fact:

While the Holocaust “was not at all an historical narrative,” the “accusations of Jews making matzo out of young Goyim’s blood,” may be true (page 175, 185).

Jews caused the recent credit crunch, which the author calls “the Zio-punch” (page 22).

The American media “failed to warn the American people of the enemy within” because of money (page 27). “[M]ore and more Jews are being pulled into an obscure, dangerous and unethical fellowship” (page 21).

If Iran and Israel fight a nuclear

war that kills millions of people, “some may be bold enough to argue that ‘Hitler might have been right after all’” (page 179).

The “new Jewish religion…could well be the most sinister religion known to man…” (page 149).

The author of the book containing these statements has told students that he cannot “say whether it’s right or not to burn down a synagogue. I can say that it is a rational act.” He has also apologized to the Nazis for having earlier compared them to Israel: “Many of us including me tend to equate Israel to Nazi Germany. Rather often I myself join

others and argue that Israelis are the Nazis of our time. I want to take this opportunity to amend my statement. Israelis are not the Nazis of our time and the Nazis were not the Israelis of their time. Israel is in fact far worse than Nazi Germany and the above equation is simply meaningless and misleading.”

He has written that we “must begin to take the accusation that the Jewish people are trying to control the world very seriously,” and that “with Fagin and Shylock in mind, Israeli barbarism and organ trafficking seem to be just other events in an endless hellish continuum.”

The scenario described above—a BIGOTRY continued on page 5

Don’t burn down Pierce Housing should do a better job of maintaining a beloved staple of campus culture The Chicago Maroon is published twice weekly during autumn, winter, and spring quarters Circulation: 5,500.

The opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are not necessarily those of the Maroon. © 2011 The Chicago Maroon, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 Editor-in-Chief Phone: 773.834.1611 Newsroom Phone: 773.702.1403 Business Phone: 773.702.9555 Fax: 773.702.3032

By Ajay Batra Viewpoints Columnist

CONTACT News: News@ChicagoMaroon.com Viewpoints: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon.com Arts: Arts@ChicagoMaroon.com Sports: Sports@ChicagoMaroon.com Photography: Photo@ChicagoMaroon.com Design: Douglas@ChicagoMaroon.com Copy: CopyEditors@ChicagoMaroon.com Advertising: Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com

It was just one of those Wednesdays. Having been up late working the night before, I hit the snooze button one too many times and got up just in time to run to my early class without a second to spare.

Hungry and half-asleep, I did my best to stay alert through two lectures, but it was rough.

No matter, I thought. I’ll head back to Pierce, have myself a nice shower, and start this day over. It was to my great dismay and confusion, then, to find that the elevators’ desires that morning were not in line with mine and, later, that the bathroom faucets appeared to be spraying out flecks of a yellowish water-like substance that would bring even the most formidable of Brita filters to its knees.

As I sat in my room, nodding off, annoyed at the six flights of stairs I had just been made to walk

up, and unable to shower for an as yet undetermined amount of time, I sincerely wondered what my life was coming to. It is impossible to fully grasp the existential crisis that can be triggered by reading on Facebook for the second time in a month that the bathrooms in your dorm are “exploding on people” until you have experienced it firsthand. I briefly considered hanging a heavy coat from the fire sprinkler on my ceiling, in part because maybe then I could have washed my hair, but mostly because at that point, why the hell not.

Exploding toilets, elevators that cop an attitude, and fire sprinklers

that are more landmine than safety implement are just a few of the things you are missing out on if you don’t live in Pierce Tower. It is hard to imagine Max Palevsky or South Campus—those sleekly designed and built-in-the-last-fifty-years behemoths—inflicting such inconveniences upon their residents.

Instead, they are almost relentlessly lavish and accommodating.

On the surface, there appear to be no tradeoffs involved with living in one of the newer residence halls. They have superb locations on campus, steps away from dining halls; they are massive enough PIERCE continued on page 5

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 11, 2011

Quarter-life crisis

! ! ! " !

"

!

Social Minesweeper

You’re at a concert. A bro and his brodette are attached at the hip. His arm is slung around her shoulder, and they’re bobbing up and down in unison. The elbow jerks back wildly at your face.

“Hey, could you move your arm? You keep elbowing me in the face.”

No response. Okay, you think. Stay calm.

Maybe he didn’t hear me. I don’t want to seem whiny. Maybe I should just deal with— SHIT! The elbow makes contact, almost taking your nose off. You tap his shoulder again. He turns around to look at you.

“Seriously, could you move your arm?

You’re hurting me, dude!”

His eyes glaze over. His head snaps back around, arm firmly glued around his girlfriend’s neck. No hint of adjustment, just more jerking and pulsating from the twoheaded ogre. What the hell, man! You don’t need to have your arm around your girlfriend the entire concert. You’re fuming. There’s plenty of time for that after the concert.

Another swing. You fall down. That’s it.

You seize his arm and try to force it down yourself. Several people nearby say, “Man, you’re elbowing us in the face! Could you please just move your arm?”

He finally acquiesces. The arm goes down…to her ass. The song continues. His elbow is now dangerously close to annihilating your manhood. Miraculously, a tiny bit of room opens up to the left of you, and you finally escape.

You run through the possibilities in your head. Why wouldn’t he just take the arm down the first time? Was it that they were blissfully in love and thus could not possibly be in the wrong ? That you were the dick for disturbing their awesome, can’tbe-physically-separated-even-for-a-mo ment sphere of inviolable passion? Well,

7th week brings ramblings about plastic bags and loneliness

Social Minesweeper is a recurring feature exploring the student body’s continuing struggles with mastering social etiquette at the University of Chicago. shit. Your bad.

My point: There’s a certain amount of common courtesy you have to exercise when you’re going to a concert, especially one in which there’s really not an iota of room to spare. We get it. You’re in love. You want the world to know: She’s hot, you’re hot, blah blah. Maybe she just has the world’s best shoulders and you need to touch them all the time. Sure. But when you’re in an asses-to-elbows space, writhing and jumping around to a band that only plays upbeat music, please, for god’s sake, just allow yourselves to be separate human beings for a couple of hours and you can spoon the night away later.

The same issues of common courtesy go for people who turn around to talk to each other while the concert is in full swing.

Why are you having a long conversation in the middle of this really loud song? Why is it that my nether regions are in full contact with four different bodies, while you’re standing half a foot away from your friend, chatting it up?

You really just have to remember one thing about concerts: Everyone’s sense of personal space is inevitably compromised, but that doesn’t mean you have to physically injure the people around you. It requires a little sacrifice of individual comfort, but the greatest concerts—the transcendent ones— happen when everyone (read: not just you and your lady friend) is feeling it.

—Emily Wang

Academic community should condemn Mearsheimer’s support of Atzmon book BIGOTRY continued from page 4 prominent professor endorsing the content of a blatantly anti-Semitic book—is not imaginary. John Mearsheimer has in fact written a glowing endorsement (this “fascinating and provocative” book “should be widely read.”) of a virulently anti-Semitic book by an infamously bigoted author.

The book is titled The Wandering Who? and has just been published by Gilad Atzmon, a British saxophonist and well-known bigot, who acknowledges that many of the “insights” in his book come from a man who “was an anti-Semite” and a hater of “almost everything that fails to be Aryan masculinity” (page 89-90). He declares himself a “proud self-hating Jew” and writes of his “contempt” of “the Jew in me” (page 94).

Mearsheimer’s endorsement appears prominently on the first page of the book. He is not merely defending Atzmon’s right to publish this anti-Semitic book; he is endorsing the book’s content.

Mearsheimer was joined in his endorsement of this anti-Semitic book by Richard Falk, the Milibank Professor of International Law Emeritus at Princeton University. Falk’s endorsement, which appears on the cover of The Wandering Who?, calls the book “absorbing,” “moving,” and “transformative.” He says the book has “integrity” and should not only “be read but reflect[ed] upon and discuss[ed] widely.”

One wonders precisely which part of the book Falk wants his students to discuss widely: that the Holocaust is “not an historical narrative”? That Jews may be guilty of “making matzo out of young Goyim’s blood”? or the possibility that “Hitler may

5

have been right after all”?

I have certainly seen strong academic endorsements of books that are extreme in their hatred of Israel, but never in my long professional life have I encountered prominent American academics endorsing blatant anti-Semitism. A red line has been crossed for the first time, and this dangerous and unprecedented crossing must be noted and responded to.

Professor Mearsheimer should neither be fired nor censured for his endorsement of the world’s oldest bigotry, because his academic freedom gives him the right to endorse anti-Semitic views and to endorse any book he chooses.

But unless Mearsheimer publicly withdraws his endorsement, he should be shunned by his colleagues and his students for collaborating with evil. Mearsheimer may not be an anti-Semite himself, but he has given aid and comfort to anti-Semitism by urging his students to take seriously the content of The Wandering Who? The sad reality is that Mearsheimer is not being shunned. He is being supported by his colleague, Brian Leiter, the Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School, who says that the criticism of Mearsheimer is “hysterical” because Atzmon’s “positions [do not mark him] as an anti-Semite [but rather as] cosmopolitan.”

Mearsheimer is also being supported by my Harvard colleague, Professor Stephen Walt and several other American academics.

Therein lies the shame—and the danger.

Alan Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.

By Colin Bradley Associate Viewpoints Editor So 7th Week is over—that’s cool, right?

Whether 7th Week was just 7th Week or 7th Week was your midterm week or whatever the case may be, it can only be a good thing that it’s over. I assume. It snowed yesterday—that’s kind of cool. So there’s that. I can say, “Congrats on surviving midterms. You deserve a breath of fresh air,” and at least mean half of it honestly.

But what kind of way is this to talk to a reader? Ignore the fact that we’re obviously not talking and that I have the clear monological advantage in this relationship (See? I can even make up words). Honestly, this is how I communicate with everyone these days: through disaffected small talk.

Maybe it has something to do with moving off campus. I mean, moving into an apartment is great: I can walk naked to the bathroom in the middle of the night (the neighbors keep their blinds closed); I can enter my building without the shriek of “SOUTH CAMPUS ID!”; I can toss whatever I want out of the windows. Buying groceries is annoying, but I feel more like a “real person” when I unpack a loaf

of sourdough bread, enough rice to last a month, and a whole goat’s capacity for cheese production.

The one thing lacking, as I guess I predicted, is the minimum level of semi-frequent social interactions to maintain my connection with the rest of the student body. I feel like I’m starting to forget how to interact with others. I’ll see that random third-year from my old house walking into the bathroom in Harper before me, and despite all my telecommunicated entreaties, he ends up at the urinal next to me, and we’ll stand there peeing next to each other for 18 seconds or so, and then when he finishes before me (because I’m thinking way too much about this sort of thing to actually pee right away) we make eye contact for a moment. And the weird part about it isn’t that we made eye contact with our

Honestly, this is how I communicate with everyone these days: through disaffected small talk. man-junk exposed. The weird part is that he knew I was trying to avoid acknowledging him. And what’s even weirder: I was.

I’m obviously just having a long day, right? I know these are “first-world” problems that don’t really amount to anything of substance (“My warm, safe apartment and my plentiful food leave me jaded,” DESPAIR continued on page 6

Pierce should be saved, not replaced with another South Campus PIERCE continued from page 4 to be nuclei of student life, and are blessed with rooms of such bountiful floor space that their beauty can bring tears to the eyes of Pierce residents.

If Pierce Tower is allowed to die a slow death...quintessential college experiences will be lost.

Meanwhile, we in Pierce are admittedly blessed to have both a dining hall literally in our building (not just any dining hall, mind; Mongolian grill or Fourth Meal, anyone?), a great location in reference not only to campus, but also to getting away from it, and house lounges and traditions that foster a sense of community unparalleled by any other residence hall.

Yet tradeoffs abound. And while one or two of them, like the, shall we say, coziness of the rooms, are outwardly evident, these are not real problems and only add to the dorm life experience. After all, every residence hall that isn’t Max Palevsky or South Campus has similar gripes. For instance, I pity the far-flung few in Breckenridge, Blackstone, and Stony Island, who daren’t leave a problem set behind.

Such foibles are inherent in each residence hall and should not be objects of complaint.

What I view as fair game for criticism, particularly with regard to Pierce, are the maintenance issues that interfere with student life far more often than they should.

It is worth noting that the above anecdote, which took place during fifth week, is true.

The incidence of toilet explosion and subsequent half-day loss of running water was the second such occurrence of fall quarter.

While in hindsight it makes for a comical

story, at the time it was quite inconvenient.

There were myriad others who were troubled by it, and the elevators malfunction regularly enough that I’ve gotten used to it by now. So I don’t feel too bad for myself.

Rather, I feel bad about what has been allowed to happen to Pierce Tower. The frequency of plumbing and elevator malfunctions, along with other issues like the hypersensitivity of the antiquated fire sprinklers, point to an overwhelming state of decrepitude that threatens to cast Pierce Tower into Mugatu’s Derelicte line. It is actually the case that fiddling with one of the sprinklers will activate it and lead to flooding and thousands of dollars in damage for which the offending resident will be responsible. It is one thing to consider things like distance from campus and room size as inevitable but acceptable examples of unfairness in the housing system, but these problems go beyond that.

Clearly, the maintenance staff at Pierce is not to blame for these problems. They are the ones who are left to fix the cascade of problems that plague the building and, frankly, the fact that they do so is enough to warrant their worship. Instead, the University must take action to remedy Pierce’s underlying decrepitude to keep it a serviceable home for students. While rumored plans for another massive, flawless residence hall on the north end of campus would likely make Pierce redundant, this should not grant the University carte blanche to ignore it in the meantime.

If Pierce Tower is allowed to die the slow death the University seems to have fated for it, a lot of history, traditions, and future quintessential college experiences derived from its character will be lost. And for what?

Another glass-walled building from the future? No thanks.

Ajay Batra is a first-year in the College.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | November 11, 2011

6

Asian, not alien Media portrayal of Asian students reinforces negative, unjustified stereotypes

By Jane Huang Viewpoints Columnist Much as I love The New York Times, there is one type of story that consistently induces immediate face-palming. I’ve recently noticed articles that are similar enough that I am convinced that multiple writers are using the same template. Pick an East Asian country (China, Japan, South Korea). Pick a grade level (high school, college, graduate school).

Find a few Asian students to interview. Mention their prowess in taking tests (choose from GRE, TOEFL, or SAT), and add balance by citing their supposed deficiencies (poor English skills, insularity, lack of creativity). Write a story about how hordes of Asian students are flooding American schools, and how they detract from the other students’ educational experience. Bonus points if you mention a university ranked in U.S. News’s Top 10. Even more bonus points if you mention the phrase “Ivy League.” I guarantee you that the article will be one of the paper’s top 10 and will probably have a few hundred comments within hours of publication.

The latest incarnation of this type of article is “The China Conundrum,” jointly published

by The Chronicle of Higher Education and The New York Times. It’s actually an interesting article about how U.S. colleges that recruit students from mainland China are adapting to

their changing student demographics. While I think the topic is important to learn about, neither universities nor Chinese students come out looking very good in the article. Remarks like “American concepts of intellectual property don’t translate readily to students from a country where individualism is anathema” and “students have proudly told [an Iowa State assistant admissions director] about memorizing thousands of vocabulary words” are entirely consistent with stereotypes about Asian students. The article also emphasizes that colleges are driven to recruit Chinese students who can pay full tuition. The implication seems to be that your worst fears about universities and international students are, in fact, true.

The unfortunate aspect of stereotypes is that I can’t singlehandedly shatter them, but I can singlehandedly reinforce them.

Oh, boy. Unlike pieces such as Amy Chua’s infamous “Tiger Mom” Wall Street Journal excerpt, this article hasn’t become an Internet sensation. Nevertheless, it’s part of a trend that concerns me. I am not an international student, but plenty of people have mistaken me for a foreigner (interestingly enough, no international student has ever done so). Therefore, people’s perceptions of international students are personally relevant to me. I feel as though the media’s reaction to Asian students is split between “My goodness, look at that freak show!” and “My goodness, we need to figure out how to become more like that freak show!”

Naturally, I have to assert that the Asian students I know (both international and Ameri-

As midterms end, battle your anxieties and disappointments with alcohol DESPAIR continued from page 5 etc.). And I have some questions for myself that I’m sure a good weekend’s party lineup and sleep recuperation will go a long way toward answering.

I guess the real question is for you: Why the hell are you still reading this column? I can think of two reasons. First, you’re one of those assholes who are responsible for onlooker traffic delays—you’re drawn in by a sense of morbid curiosity and fascination. The second possibility is that, in addition to the occasional schadenfreudian slip, you actually feel a bit like me. Maybe you have a slightly better grip on yourself, but nonetheless you feel some of my anxiety.

You’re stressed. We all are (I think). You are tired and frustrated with your professor for asking a question about that topic she totally said would not ever in a million years ever be on a midterm. You can’t focus on maintaining friendships because you have to find a job or an internship for the summer or beyond. That girl you had a crush on just “got out of a long-term re-

lationship and isn’t really looking for that sort of thing right now.” That guy you had as your back-up plan because you knew he had a crush on you and would at least make for a good night after the Psi U party—well, you saw him in Reynolds today holding some girl’s hand. Shit sucks.

So what’s the prognosis, Doctor? Well, it’s not so bad. Like I said before, 7th Week is over—that’s cool, right? Hopefully your midterms are over (please don’t mention that six-letter “F” word).

The prescription? Get drunk. Just get really, really (safely) drunk. Or, if you’re feeling a little more American Beauty, you can just pull out an outdated camcorder and shoot a video of a plastic bag dancing in the updraft of the wind outside Kimbark Liquors—but even this possibility might soon fade since Alderman Moreno introduced an ordinance to ban plastic bags. I mean, I guess that’s a good thing.

But what the fuck, you know ?

can) bear no resemblance to common stereotypes. Just as naturally, someone else will assert that the Asian students they know fit the stereotypes to a T. We’re probably both right.

Playing a game of “my anecdotal evidence is better than your anecdotal evidence” is not going to be fruitful. Journalists who write about Asian students are smart enough not to make reckless generalizations. They’ll present one case for Asian students being test-taking machines and another case for Asian students livening up class discussion. Honestly, though, which anecdote are you going to remember: the one about the student taking dozens of practice SATs, or the one about the student who raises her hand in class an average number of times?

Whenever I encounter media coverage of Asian students, the same thought crosses my horror-stricken mind: Is this how my professors/classmates/TAs secretly view me? The correct answer is probably no—but nevertheless, I often have lingering doubts. Am I participating enough in class? Am I asking the TA too many questions? The really unfortunate aspect of stereotypes is that I can’t singlehandedly shatter them, but I can certainly single-

handedly reinforce them. At any rate, if you end up working for the Times, the Post, or the Journal (and I’m certain that some of my classmates will), please be kind and remind your readers that we’re really not that alien.

Jane Huang is a second-year in the College majoring in physics.

SUBMISSIONS The Chicago Maroon welcomes opinions and responses from its readers. Send op-ed submissions and letters to: The Chicago Maroon attn: Viewpoints 1212 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 E-mail: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon.com The editors reserve the right to edit materials for clarity and space. Letters to the editor should be limited to 400 words.

Op-ed submissions, 800 words.

TRAFFICKING, PROSTITUTION, and INEQUALITY A Public Lecture by Catharine MacKinnon, the Elizabeth A. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School.

Professor MacKinnon’s work specializes in sex (in)equality issues under international and constitutional law. Her lecture will address issues raised in her book Are Women Human?: And Other International Dialogues.

When:

Monday, November 14, 4:30 pm

Where:

Weymouth Kirkland Courtroom, 1111 E 60th St

This talk is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but space may be limited. A reception will follow.

Colin Bradley is a second-year in the College majoring in Law, Letters, and Society.

THIS COULD BE YOUR WORK. Join the MAROON Photography staff.

ARTS

Trivial Pursuits NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Cloudy, with a chance of waking nightmare

Court collects on summer success Stephanie Xiao Arts Contributor

Curtis (Michael Shannon) and his daughter take shelter from a hallucinated apocalypse.

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURE CLASSICS

Marina Fang Arts Contributor From its opening shot, Take Shelter, the second feature film from director Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories), blurs the line between the real and the imagined.

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is standing in his backyard in rural Ohio when, all of a sudden, dark clouds gather and a mysterious brown rain begins to fall from the skies. But before we can even make sense of this scene, the film reveals that this is just part of Curtis’s nightmare.

On the surface, Curtis lives a stable life. He is a well-paid construction worker who happily supports his loving wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and his precocious daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). But an inner storm is brewing, one that involves, well, a storm— Curtis has vivid hallucinations of howling winds and torrential rain. In Curtis’ mind mundane, common scenes melt into nightmarish scenarios. He thinks

School’s in session for Cambridge poetry Derek Tsang Arts Contributor Monday night, University Professor of Practice in the Arts John Wilkinson presented a lecture on the Cambridge School of poetry in front of a rapt, intimate audience for this fall’s Wirszup lecture, continuing a decades-long tradition.

In the Max East Commons, speaking with a poet’s density of meaning, Wilkinson examined the topic from every direction, often mirroring the tone of language poetry with his lyrical turns of phrases as he explained the movement—defining it, tracing its history, and reading from a handful of telling poems.

Wilkinson, a Cambridge poet himself, posited that a discussion of Cambridge poetry, also known as language poetry, would be useful for its general insight into the formation of schools of artistic thought, as well as its championing of the “power of obscurity.”

He discussed at length the influence of J. H. Prynne, describing his influential lectures where notes were not allowed WILKINSON continued on page 9

a dog has attacked him, but it turns out that Hannah is merely playing with the family dog. He hears booming thunder when, in reality, the loud noise originates from machinery at his work site. Nichols frames these shots by seamlessly shifting between the delusions and real life. From the audience’s perspective, the hallucinations drop in out of the blue, just as they do for Curtis.

TAKE SHELTER Jeff Nichols AMC RIver East

After a series of troubling nightmares, Curtis seeks medical attention to combat his addled mental state, but the visions become even more severe and personal, involving scenes where harm is inflicted on his family. These hallucinations also start to seriously distract him from his daily responsibilities. He obsessively

builds a storm shelter to shield his family from an imagined, impending doomsday. He skips work, throws away money to buy materials for the shelter instead of saving up for his daughter’s surgery or the annual family vacation, and spends entire nights holed up inside the shelter.

Samantha patiently accepts that this might just be a phase, but as Curtis’s hallucinations become increasingly fantastical, she grows increasingly concerned.

Curtis never explains his bizarre behavior, so it’s up to her to maintain the semblance of tranquility. Even though she senses that something is awry, she keeps her bearings, hoping that she can help Curtis regain stability. Chastain, adding to her repertoire of consistently strong performances this year (in The Tree of Life, The Debt, and Texas Killing Fields) gives Samantha tenderness and depth, making her believable as the anchor of the family while Curtis struggles with his painful visions.

The talented Shannon has made a name for himself as a character actor in

a wide range of films, including 8 Mile, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, and Revolutionary Road, even receiving an Academy Award nomination for the latter. He portrays Curtis with such silent fervor that when he finally reaches the pinnacle of his madness and loses his grasp on reality, it seems abrupt. It’s hard to believe that there has been a slow and steady progression to the state of sheer mania he eventually reaches.

Adding to the jarring nature of the film are the scenes of tranquility. The idyllic fields of the Midwestern countryside and the LaForches’ lively breakfast table chatter are juxtaposed with ominous swarms of birds and blinding lightning. Nichols frequently makes good use of close-ups on ordinary objects—the back of Curtis’s truck, rainwater tapping a windowpane, the grass blowing in the wind—to convey the speed at which Curtis’s visions consume his otherwise calm and relatively normal life.

However, it is quite frustrating that SHELTER continued on page 9

Livin’ sure wasn’t easy this summertime when Court Theatre had to add 16 extra performances to its summer production of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, which premiered on May 31, to accommodate the production’s unprecedented popularity.

But the show’s sold-out success culminated in something even greater on Monday as Court picked up two Jeff Awards, Chicago’s most prestigious theater honor, at the 43rd Annual Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards in Oak Brook, IL. Court’s artistic director and director of the show Charles Newell won for Best Director of a Musical, and the show’s musical director Doug Peck won Musical Direction. Porgy and Bess was also nominated for three other awards, including Best Large Musical Production and Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

“It was especially affirming to have such a success, and I am just so proud of our production,” Newell said.

The Gershwin opera, set in the fictional Catfish Row, South Carolina, tells the story of the black beggar Porgy and his attempts to rescue Bess from a possessive lover and drug dealer. The entire production process spanned four years and extended far beyond the Court stage, as Newell and Peck utilized resources from as close as the University to as far as the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina. Court also collaborated with many South Side Chicago institutions such as the DuSable Museum, which presented an exhibit about the history COURT continued on page 9

No laugh off-limits for Steve Hofstetter Lindsay Warren Arts Contributor If you’ve ever taken a good look at the society around you and thought, “Your stupidity offends me,” then you are not alone— comedian Steve Hofstetter went so far as to put this phrase on a shirt and sell it on his website.

Dubbed by The Queens Tribune as “The Thinking Man’s Comic,” Hofstetter chooses to combat “good idea[s] done wrong” with witty commentary on everything from Larry the Cable Guy to abortion to Twilight.

STEVE HOFSTETTER Illinois Institute of Technology November 15

A native New Yorker, Hofstetter went to college at Columbia University (but don’t hold it against him). It was near Columbia that Hofstetter had his first onstage opportunity. You may have seen Hofstetter on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson or a Barbara Walters special, or you may

be more familiar with his work in sports broadcasting. In addition to his live shows, Hofstetter was the original writer of collegehumor. com.

The Chicago Maroon caught up with Hofstetter, who discussed the counterculture of comedy, Chicago’s stand-up comedy scene (or lack thereof ), and the strength of its tradition in improv.

So if you’re intrigued by what you see below (and can pry yourself away from the Reg/Harper/ alternative study space), check out Steve Hofstetter’s performance at the Illinois Institute of Technology this Tuesday.

Chicago Maroon: Young children dream of being doctors and firefighters. College students dream of finding a job. What made you want to get started in the comedy business, and how did you make it happen?

Steve Hofstetter: Part of it was a lack of marketable job skills…. It was something I kind of stumbled into. [After trying stand-up,] I kind of became hooked very quickly….

The first place I ever performed was this little weekend club right near Columbia. I helped pass out

flyers to get on stage.

CM: Why do you think comedy is important in today’s society?

Where is it going, and how will it remain relevant in the future?

SH: There are two responses to tragedy: You can laugh at it, or you can let it break you, so I think laughing is the healthier decision. Comedy is counterculture, so, right now, because there is this anti-intellectualism out there, comedy has become fairly intellectual. I don’t know what the future will hold. Comedy is a response. I think that, hopefully, comedy as an industry and an art will always be allowed to thrive.

CM: Some people often find themselves bringing their work home, so to speak. How does being a comedian affect your non-work life?

SH: I guess I’m probably funnier than the average person. Being a comedian, years of being on stage have given me two things: one, self-confidence that I did not have before, and two, patience. I’m a very impatient person…. Being on stage, you have to be patient with how the situation is unfolding.

Steve Hofstetter is a stand-up guy with killer comedic instincts and a license to laugh at you.

COURTESY OF NEXT ROUND INC.

CM: You are in the process of opening a comedy club in Queens, and you attended Columbia University.

As someone so entrenched in New York, and as someone who travels quite a bit, what do you think of the Chicago comedy scene? How do you fit into it?

SH: The Chicago comedy scene….

It’s a decent scene. The Chicago improv scene is the best in the country. It’s hard to really launch the stand-up scene when improv is so much better. [With regard to fitting in,] you’re not really in the scene if you’re just coming in for a HOFSTETTER continued on page 8

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | November 11, 2011

8

Taking Notes

A FA S H I O N C O LU M N

We know what we’re aiming for: a column about both the sartorial and satirical sides of our college community.

But how do we get there? In beginning our first column, we thought, who better to interview than Ryan O’Connell, founder, editor, and contributor to our well-loved website Thought Catalog.

Lifestyle is as much about communication as it is about clothing, so why not start with talking to the man who provides cutting comments on the runway, relationships, and reality as he knows it?

If you don’t read Thought Catalog, we don’t know what you’re doing on your computer in class. The online journal—a digital homage to democracy, given that they publish pieces from anybody, so long as they’re interesting—is our go-to website for finding readable, humorous writing on just about any subject. We,

BY E M M A M O R R I S O N & J U L I A PAY N E

at least, are fine with admitting we’ve spent what may be countless hours browsing Thought Catalog in class when feeling a little tired of, say, listening to a lecture on how to analyze texts “deploying” a postmodern critical technique while baking like potatoes under those harsh fluorescent classroom lights.

Anyway, as we sat down and put our heads together, wondering what to address for our first installment, we quickly came to the conclusion that there’s no better (slash other) way to get answers than by asking questions.

Actually, to think of a subject worthy of Maroon readers— given U of C students’ intellect and tendency toward unsympathetic dismissal of others’ ideas— was a harder fish to fry than we had anticipated, given our obvious tendencies toward perfectionism and self-discipline. Then it dawned on us: If we were having

Thought Catalog makes sartorial sense

issues thinking of what to say, why not ask our favorite columnist, our best-loved, most insightful Thought Catalog stalkee whose words had given us hours of entertainment, for advice? Here, for your benefit and appreciation, are the results of what may be 2011’s most important interview thus far. Are you in need of some fabulous?

Take note—because we’re taking names.

Julia & Emma: Why Thought Catalog? What appeals to you about the forum?

Ryan O’Connell: TC is amazing because it’s so democratic. We give unknown writers a voice and don’t abide by a concrete editorial guideline. We publish anything so long as it’s interesting, which I find refreshing, especially in today’s blogosphere.

J & E: What do you think was your

finest Thought Catalog article?

RO: Everyone ignores my “think” pieces, which kind of bums me out. I wrote a post called “Here’s To Getting Older,” and I like to think that’s one of my best pieces of writing. Most people read the ones about dating and getting drunk, but there’s some substantive pieces sandwiched in there.

You just gotta look.

J & E: For the sartorial part of today’s column: What’s your biggest sartorial turnoff ? Or, if you’re feeling extra vocal today, what are your top three?

RO: I hate open-toed sandals and ill-fitting jeans on men. On women, I hate the super trendy girls who think they’re really into fashion. They wear brown slouchy boots, a knitted cap and like a MILLION accessories and think that’s fashion. No, honey. That’s called Lauren Conrad from season one of The Hills.

Seaside drama doesn’t swim in the mainstream

Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) explains it all; Laika, the golden retriever, understands nothing in Aki Kaurismäki’s Le Havre.

COURTESY OF PANDORA FILMPRODUKTION

Sarah Miller Arts Contributor Le Havre is a feel-good movie that deals with serious issues, including illegal immigration and national xenophobia in France. Le Havre is the second French-language film of Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki who hopes that it will be the first movie in a trilogy that focuses more broadly on life in seaside cities.

LE HAVRE

Aki Kaurismaki Music Box Theatre

Le Havre first premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in France, where it won the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI) Award. Since its premiere in the United States, Le Havre has been shown in select theaters across the country. Most recently, it won the Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago

International Film Festival in October.

The film opens with smooth-talking bohemian shoe shiner Marcel Marx (André Wilms) trying to find business in the train station of the coastal town of Le Havre.

Since moving to Le Havre, Marx lives in a humble cottage with his wife Arletty (Kati Outinen) and dog Laika. Together they live off of Marx’s modest income and struggle to make ends meet. Every night, Arletty makes dinner for Marx while he drinks his troubles away at the bar. That goes on until she is hospitalized with a fatal illness.

After introducing the protagonist Marx, the film switches focus to Investigator Monet and the French police force at the harbor.

After opening a storage crate, they make the shocking discovery that several refugees from Gabon have been living in the crate for a number of weeks. The French Red Cross quickly goes in to help, but not before one refugee, whose name is later revealed to be Idrissa (Blondin Miguel), escapes.

While at the bar, Marx learns of Idrissa’s escape. The French press is quick to label the innocent, wideeyed adolescent as “armed and dangerous” with potential ties to Al-Qaeda. The embellished tabloid reports strike a nerve with Marx, and he returns to the harbor in an attempt to find the boy.

Upon discovering Idrissa wading in the bay, Marx is amused when the boy asks if he is in London. He immediately bonds with Idrissa and decides to help him. First, he leaves a sandwich and a small amount of money for the refugee. Then, after a long day of unsuccessful attempts to find work, Marx finds the boy sleeping in his shed. Idrissa tells Marx that he came with his father in an attempt to find his mother and that his grandfather is living in a refugee camp in Alsace.

Later, when Marx visits Idrissa’s grandfather in a detention center, he reveals that Idrissa’s father is dead and that his mother works for a dry cleaner in London. He gives Marx the address and asks him to help Idrissa make it to London safely.

Marx agrees, and he enlists the help of his friend Chang (Quoc Dung Nguyen) and good-hearted neighbor Yvette (Evelyne Didi) to hide the boy and provide for his needs.

All the while, Inspector Monet is on his tail, highly suspicious that Marx is hiding Idrissa.

As the movie progresses, Arletty’s health becomes worse and worse, but she insists that Marx does not learn of her condition because he is so childish. Facing piling bills and medical expenses, Marx must overcome significant odds in raising the money to fund Idrissa’s journey to London. After finding a smuggler willing to help Idrissa, Marx focuses on raising funds. He decides to throw a benefit concert at which real-life French rock star Little Bob performs.

However, the police decide to lead a raid the next day, when Idrissa is set to leave. They search Marx’s house, his neighbors’ houses, and the local pub before finding Idrissa below the hatch of the boat.

In a surprise turn of events, Inspector Monet closes the hatch and sits on it, refusing to let the other officers find Idrissa. Marx and Inspector Monet share lunch and a drink together. Afterwards, Marx returns to the hospital to find his wife missing from her room. A doctor leads him to his wife, claiming that they have never seen such a miraculous recovery in someone as sick as Arletty. The two take a taxi home, and the movie ends with a heartwarming scene between the two.

While it borders on being unrealistic, Le Havre is a simple, yet endearing tale about a man who is incredibly charitable, despite his modest means and own personal challenges. He faces significant odds and powerful fo=es, but he is triumphant in the end. Fans of foreign films and happy endings alike will enjoy Le Havre and see it as a welcome change from mainstream movies that are saturated with dark plotlines and tragic intrigue.

Hofstetter inspires laughter at the dark HOFSTETTER continued from page 7 few days. It’s only if you’re really a regular…. You really have to be there at least a month or two.

CM: Doing 300 shows a year seems very intense. Can you do a quick run-through of a typical day, if you have one?

SH: It seems intense, but, when you think about it, most people work 300 days a year. My day, usually, it really depends on if I’m on the road or at home…. [I] usually spend most of the day answering e-mails, [working as part-owner of other comedy clubs]… go to the club at night. Do it all over again.

If I’m doing a couple colleges in a row, [there’s time on the road].

There is no typical day.

CM: There are countless things to poke fun at and find humor in.

What inspires your new material?

Is anything off-limits?

SH: Bad ideas and poor execution.

You can find that everywhere right now. I’m talking about everything from airport security to [shows like “House Hunters”]…. I think the victim in real life should never be the victim of a joke. There are no subjects that should be offlimits…. It’s your perspective that’s offensive.

CM: You were the original writer of collegehumor.com, and many of your shows are at college campuses.

What do you consider your target audience?

SH: I think anyone with a willingness to hear an opinion that differs from his or her own is my target audience. College students tend to [be] a more willing crowd.

CM: One of your online merchandise items is a t-shirt that reads “Your stupidity offends me.” How does this speak to your particular brand of comedy?

SH: That is my brand of comedy. One of the things that I’m discussing now…has been good ideas that are screwed up, and how frustrated I get when I see a good idea done wrong. It’s because of stupidity; people don’t think things through.

CM: Being published at 15, cofounding a website at 18, and working in web content for the New York Yankees at 20 all sound impressive. Any words of wisdom for precocious U of C students?

SH: You make your own luck.

There is no such thing as the word “no”; when someone tells you no, they mean not now or not this way.

So either be patient or find a way to get around it.

CM: We are in the midst of our very long midterm season at the U of C. What are the top three reasons every student should forget about studying and head to your show ?

SH: I don’t think people should forget about studying. I just think they should get their work done in a timely fashion and then go….

Take a break, see a show, have a meal…. You’ve still got to be a human being.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | November 11, 2011

Court hopes to continue winning streak COURT continued from page 7 and controversy behind Porgy and Bess, and Doc Films, which screened a series focusing on AfricanAmericans in Hollywood. The production also visited numerous churches in Morgan Park to explore the exuberance of spiritual worship. According to Newell, “It was an extraordinary combination of partnerships with the community.�

The Jeff Awards, sometimes referred to as Chicago’s version of the Tonys, are presented annu-

ally in recognition of local Chicago theater talent. “To be recognized along with such major artists in the musical theater world was great, but‌ to have my name announced to win an award was a topper to an already amazing spiritual journey,â€? said Newell.

Along with the two wins received by Newell and Peck, Court garnered 10 other nominations. As for future seasons, Newell said, “We just hope that we’ll continue to be worthy of this kind of acclaim.�

Wilkinson embraces challenging poetry WILKINSON continued from page 7 and how, before a poetry reading, Prynne, leader of the cultish group of “original� Cambridge poets, locked the young poet Veronica Forrest-Thomson in a cabinet—an action that was the rule, rather than an exception. Taking the cabinet as a symbol of their group, Wilkinson mused, “maybe the cabinet needed recharging.�

Wilkinson spoke just fast enough that his phrases felt like water slipping through cupped hands, but his language gave immediacy and meaning to an admittedly obscure topic. He emphasized the importance of poetry in general and to its practitioners. The Cambridge School, he said, views poetry as “for the highest possible stakes.�

In Wilkinson’s view, poetry is not “useful in its uselessness�—instead, he said, it is all-encompassing.

He traced that nature of Cambridge poetry back to the early 1900s, to the obscure student magazine Experiment, which introduced distinctly non-poetic language into poetry.

Looking at his own involvement in the movement, Wilkinson described how the academic concept of “schools of thought� involves “involuntary

enrollment,� where distinctions of geography and time define an artist more than the content of his or her work. He also argued that a school can only become legitimate after lasting more than one generation. Therefore, he appropriately concluded his speech with a video of Keston Sutherland reading his recent poem “Hot White Andy.� Sutherland’s poetry, Wilkinson said, is an example of Cambridge poetry’s attempt to synthesize separate currents into poetry that can have a political effect.

Throughout the body of his lecture, Wilkinson identified the political affiliations of Cambridge poets and their detractors. He also drew parallels between the Cambridge and New York Schools, and pointed out the divergence between French theory and language poetry, returning time and time again to Emily Witt’s account of the Cambridge school in the magazine n+1.

Wilkinson recognized and embraced the fact that Cambridge poetry can be difficult—this gives it, he said, the “magic of a find‌of an acquisition.â€? His lecture, too, was difficult, but stunning, and left his audience almost breathless, with few questions.

The uncertain is uncovered in Take Shelter SHELTER continued from page 7 Curtis slowly becomes powerless when faced with his maddening hallucinations. Why does he keep adding to his storm shelter even though he knows his visions are imagined? Does he know that they’re imagined? Why does he allow them to worsen instead of getting treatment immediately?

And then there’s the question of whether Nichols

is alluding to a greater metaphor. The film’s ending suggests that the storm represents a basic human fear—that everything we know will disappear in an instant, that there’s a catastrophe waiting to catch us off guard. Perhaps, then, it’s all right to harbor irrational fears because, in a world like ours, nothing is ever certain. However, you can only shelter yourself from the uncertain for so long.

Classifieds Classified advertising in The Chicago Maroon is $3 for each line. Lines are 45 characters long including spaces and punctuation. Special headings are 20-character lines at $4 per line. Submit all ads in person, by e-mail, or by mail to The Chicago Maroon, Ida Noyes Hall, Lower Level Rm 026, 1212 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637. The Chicago Maroon accepts Mastercard & Visa. Call (773) 702-9555.

LSAT INSTRUCTORS WANTED Great part-time job (up to $100/hr) w/fun company

Advertise in THE CHICAGO MAROON

for candidates w/170+ LSAT. Send resume, cover letter,

ads@chicagomaroon.com

score report to info@blueprintprep.com.

Life is calling.

How far will you go?

Be part of the next Peace Corps generation.

Info Event & Panel Discussion: Tuesday, Nov. 15th at 7:00 pm West Lounge of Ida Noyes Hall Attend to learn about international opportunities available with Peace Corps and other service organizations. Hear how you can help make a difference while living & working abroad! t QFBDFDPSQT HPW t GBDFCPPL DPN QFBDFDPSQT

9

CROSSWORD

with Jamie Mermelstein

IT’S THE END OF THE WOR LD (A S WE KNOW IT) Across 1 Springsteen and others 7 ___ Balls (Hostess treats) 10 Happy hour shout 14 Broadway’s Patti 15 British bathroom 16 Skye of Say Anything 17 Nuclear Fallout (1959) 19 Gym rats 20 “___ is me!�

21 Cigarette waste 22 The original Gold finger?

23 Zombies (1978 and 2004) 27 Antonym’s antonym abbr.

28 College sweater letters 29 Rowing machine, slangily 30 Volkswagon model 33 Witty bit 34 Buckeyes’ home 35 Soda server 36 Aliens (1996) 41 Quail Man’s alter ego 42 P.O. category 43 Dorothy Gale’s state abbr.

44 Part of BYOB 45 Bud 46 Spirit 47 Chat IDs 50 Infertility (2006) 54 _____ Foxes 56 Kanye’s genre 57 Harry Potter’s mum 58 She loved Shroeder 59 Global warming (1995) 62 ___ of sunshine 63 “____ Had a Million Dollars�

64 Toy pup 65 Hip-hop duo Salt N’ ___ 66 ‘Vette alternative 67 Pencil cap Down 1 Crips’ rivals 2 Model path 3 Subway platform word 4 Songsmith Leonard 5 Storm dir.

6 Egyptian god 7 “November Rain� soloist 8 Restaurant request made by this puzzle writer 9 Aah’s partner 10 Knee neighbor

11 12 13 22 24

Labor of love “___ Club� 50 Cent song ___ up FESS 18 Dines Hollywood’s Ryan The Jeffersons’ theme “Movin’ ___�

25 Final rite 26 Tipsy 31 60 minutes, in Sicily 32 It’s the limit 33 Pirate’s leg?

34 A bit off 35 Brad’s ex 36 Wedding words 37 ERA proponent 38 Fool’s hat 39 Seven round sports event 40 Guitar chord changer 45 Peach center 46 ___ Le Pew 47 Smug looks 48 “Woah ____�!

49 Watchmen director Zack 51 Outkast hit

52yRelative magnitude 53 Fauna’s partner 54 Dust jacket part 55 Drawing card 59 Costume component 60 Salinger’s grain 61 NYC radio station

Tuesday 11/08/11

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 11, 2011

10 FOOTBALL UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4

School Case Western Washington (Mo.) Chicago Carnegie

Record 8–1 (2–0) 5–4 (1–1) 5–4 (1–1) 5–4 (0–2)

Win % .889 .556 .556 .556

MEN’S SOCCER UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

School Washington (Mo.)* Case Western* Emory Brandeis Rochester Carnegie Chicago New York

Record 14–3–1 (5–2–0) 14–4–0 (5–2–0) 10–8–0 (4–3–0) 13–5–1 (3–3–1) 9–5–2 (3–3–1) 7–8–1 (3–4–0) 9–7–2 (2–5–0) 7–9–1 (2–5–0)

Win % .806 .778 .556 .711 .625 .469 .556 .441

*UAA Champions

WOMEN’S SOCCER UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

School Emory* Washington (Mo.) Case Western New York Carnegie Chicago Rochester Brandeis

Record 15–0–2(6–0–1) 15–4–0(5–2–0) 12–3–3(4–2–1) 12–6–0 (3–4–0) 9–7–0 (3–4–0) 9–6–2 (2–3–2) 8–7–1 (2–4–1) 6–11–2 (0–6–1)

Win % .941 .789 .750 .667 .562 .588 .531 .368

*UAA Champions

VOLLEYBALL UAA Standings Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

School Washington (Mo.)* Emory Chicago Case Western Rochester New York Carnegie Brandeis

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Lauren Budde Tricia McCutchan Amelia McCall Breanah Borque Drew Hargave

Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Marilee Fisher Natalie Schonefeld Nikki DelZenero Breana Freeman Hope Bogle

Conference 32–1 (9–1) 34–4 (9–1) 29–5 (7–3) 22–10 (5–5) 21–15 (4–6) 21–16(3–7) 15–15 (3–7) 9–21 (0–10)

Last Week .970 .895 .853 .688 .583 .568 .500 .300

Kills School Emory Case Western Washington (Mo.) Emory New York

Per Set 3.95 3.87 3.87 3.34 3.29

Assists School Washington (Mo.) Emory Chicago Case Western New York

Per Set 11.09 10.91 10.42 9.70 8.83

Blocks Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Player Katie Trela Tricia McCutchan Natalie Southard Caroline Brander Alex Duhl

Per Set 1.06 .98 .98 .92 .91

School Chicago Case Western Case Western Chicago Emory

*UAA Champion

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY USTFCCCA Midwest Region Rankings* Conference Rank School CCIW North Central 1 Washington (Mo.) UAA 2 Wheaton CCIW 3 UW-Oshkosh WIAC 4 UW-La Crosse WIAC 5 Chicago UAA 6 UW-Platteville WIAC 7 Augustana CCIW 8 UW-Stevens Point WIAC 9 WIAC UW-Eau Claire 10 *Repeat of last week’s rankings

Last Week 1 2 3 4 6 5 7 8 9 10

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY USTFCCCA Midwest Region Rankings* Conference Rank School Washington (Mo.) UAA 1 UW-Eau Claire WIAC 2 North Central CCIW 3 UW-Stevens Point WIAC 4 Illinois Weslyan CCIW 5 UW-La Crosse WIAC 6 UW-Oshkosh WIAC 7 Chicago UAA 8 Midwest Monmouth (Ill.) 9 St. Norbert Midwest 10 *Repeat of last week’s rankings

Last Week 1 2 3 6 10 5 8 4 NR 9

Transition away from collegiate athletics serves as an important lesson in dealing with loss COLUMN continued from back

of an individual’s identity is vested in the organization he or she associate themselves with.

When you’re introducing yourself to someone, probably one of the first things that comes out of your mouth is that you’re a student at the University of Chicago. When you graduate here, that will no longer be the case.

With sports, however, the transition takes on a whole new meaning. You lose a little piece of yourself when you leave behind a sport. Memorable and joyful experiences, which you had always thought of in the present tense, become memories. I will always run just because of the enjoyment I get out of it, but, next year, running will be something I did while I was in college, instead of something I actively do.

Running for a team always seemed like a good rationalization for the immense amount of time and the hundreds of miles that I put into this sport. When you’re done with college, your athletic career is supposed to be over, beyond doing what is necessary to stay in shape. You’re an adult, and adults, by definition, aren’t supposed to spend time playing. College is really the last opportunity for individuals to engage actively in a sport without the stigma of it being time spent exclusively on personal pleasure. The priorities are rearranged: While now I feel it’s perfectly fine to miss a class for a weekend meet, it will be a lot harder to convince my boss, and more importantly, myself, that I need Friday off to travel to a race. In college, it almost feels like a duty to compete for your school; beyond college, it’s just playing a game.

These experiences are pretty much the same

across all sports. Even after next week, my athletic career isn’t over—I still have track and field to look forward to. But, there are soccer players whose amateur athletic careers are just done (and football and volleyball will be done next week), and these experiences are the same for them too. Hell, it might actually be harder for them. Whenever I want, I can lace my shoes and be out the door on a run, and it won’t be too different from a practice I had in college. It’s a lot harder to find 21 other people with whom to play soccer or football on a perfectly manicured field.

Playing for and representing a school is an altogether different feel from when you’re playing around with some friends in the park. Sports take up so much of the identity that we give ourselves that losing that part of our lives is a heartwrenching experience. I know I’m going to continue running after my athletic career here is over, but the thrill of competing with, and for, a team, is not something that is easily replaceable.

Part of it, I think, has to do with the idea of ascension. When you graduate high school, you’re moving on to something greater. Similarly, when you graduate college, there is real life out there to be had. The place you’re going to isn’t necessarily better than the place you were, but you’re still going somewhere different. There is always something else, something to which to transition. With sports, this isn’t the case. When you graduate high school, you still have a collegiate athletic career to look forward. But when you’re graduating college, unless you’re planning on going pro (which very few of us in DIII do), you’re pretty much just stone-cold done. There

is nothing higher toward which to strive, no accepted and logical next step.

The end of the road brings with it all sorts of painful memories. The first memories that come to mind are not the pleasant ones; rather, they’re of the times I could have done better, of the races I wish I had back, of the carefree practices that I didn’t savor because I didn’t value the precious time I had left. I still talk and laugh about the pleasant memories, but the happiness they bring is always tinged by a feeling of remorse, because they have to be talked about in the past tense. All of us, including non-athletes, hit this roadblock at some point with regards to some sort of carefree activity.

If nothing else can serve as a bridge between athletes and non-athletes, it’s this: the irrevocable feeling of loss that we experience when we leave behind something we love. It’s not just athletes whose play-careers unceremoniously end after college. It’s everyone who has ever been committed to an exploit that he viewed as seminally important, an activity that was important to him on a personal level that you could never quite explain.

My athletic career here hasn’t gone exactly as planned. There have been numerous bumps and bruises along the way and some bad races, the memory of which will still send a twinge of pain and guilt through me for as long as I live. I’ll be honest and say that I openly hate the fact that it’s ending, because once it ends I can’t cover up those scars with better performances. But, at the very least, this transition will be a chance to experience the very important process of loss.

Walby to take on alma mater, former team in NCAA tournament today VOLLEYBALL continued from back

prize that both Chicago and UW-Whitewater will be eyeing in the distance during their match Friday.

“We’re pretty pumped,” third-year Samantha Brown said. “It’s set up really well for us [against] Whitewater. We have a long history with them because Coach [Vanessa Walby] used to be there before she came here, so she has some personal ties we want to take care of.”

Chicago has only been to the NCAA tourney once before, last year in 2010, under the guidance of Walby. She earned her 100th win this season and, in four seasons, has turned the team around. They were nationally ranked in the AVCA coaches’ poll for the first time last season and were ranked for the entirety of this season, ending the campaign at #16. Now in her second straight national championship bid with the Maroons, she looks to improve upon last year’s finish and possibly win glory for an institution known more for its books than for dancing at the national championship.

But for anything to happen, Chicago has to beat its first opponent, UW-Whitewater. The Maroons vow to clean their plates before going for seconds at the tournament, not looking past their first-round match, even with high expectations.

“We’re taking it game by game, while we want to move as far forward as we possibly can, and we know we can do it,” Brown said.

“We have to do it one game at a time, focusing on Whitewater right now. They’re a beatable team, but we have to show up.”

For that, the Maroons will have to shore up some issues on the court, especially consistency on offense. Their stifling defense has been their fallback all season long, with Brown leading the conference in defensive digs. She heads a squad that is ranked above conference rivals Wash U and Emory in several defensive categories.

However, their performance at the tour-

MIRROR IMAGES UChicago

Whitewater

11.8

Kills/Set

12.9

11.2

Assists/Set

11.9

1.4

Aces/Set

18.6

18.6

Digs/Set

19.8

29-5

Record

26-7

Although UW-Whitewater and Chicago have different styles of play, the numbers they have put up this year are suprisingly similar.

ney will depend on the ability of their offensive game to put away the cream of the crop that they will encounter on the national stage.

“We have been watching film on Whitewater [and what they’ve been] lacking on defense,” Brown said. “We’ve been working really hard on our offense to hit balls that aren’t just hard-driven balls, [but] chip and roll shots—smarter shots on offense against Whitewater.”

If the Maroons get past UW-Whitewater, they will likely have their biggest rivals waiting in the wings, Wash U. Wash U has beaten the Maroons twice this season already and won the UAA championship against top-ranked Emory.

“In the second round, we have a chance

to get back at Wash U and we pretty much have nothing to lose,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a matter of if we’re on, and if we’re on [our game] no one can beat us.”

It is noteworthy that the Maroons are winless in five chances against nationally ranked opponents this year. They will face one in Whitewater.

“We’re just taking it as a challenge,” Brown said. “There’d be no point to [this tournament] if everything went as it was supposed to and if the higher - ranked teams always won.”

Brown was particularly apt in mentioning a George Eliot quote that fourth-year captain, Isis Small has conveyed to the team: “It’s never too late to be who you could have been.”

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | November 11, 2011

11

Chicago struggles in opening match against Thunder

Second-year Jake Schramm pins his opponent during a match against Wheaton College Tuesday night at the Ratner Athletics Center.

COURTESY OF DAVE HILBERT

Wrestling Kelsey Reid Sports Contributor The Maroons struggled and lost three matches in the final seconds, leading to a 15–22 defeat to Wheaton College on Tuesday.

The match was the first of the season for both teams. The Maroons’ next competition is duals against Concordia University Wisconsin, UW- Eau Claire, and UW-Platteville Saturday.

The duals will offer numerous opportunities for more of the team to compete than a typical match. This experience and practice is exactly what the team needs to improve, said Head Coach Leo Kocher.

“We’ll be able to wrestle a lot of people and rotate the lineup,� Kocher said. “I just want to see us be competitive against these teams now that we have a little more experience and our first match under our belt.�

Kocher said the team is dominated by first and second-years. More firstyears will be in the lineup on Saturday, according to Kocher. Kocher said he tries to work with younger wrestlers to reform their techniques from their past experiences. “Sometimes they get out there and revert back to what they did in high school,� Kocher said. “We need to focus on changing some of the techniques we go to and use the techniques most effective against other collegiate wrestlers.�

Second-year Ryan Hoyt believes more experience will help young wrestlers. “I remember how nervous I was for my first meet last year, especially because it’s at home. But then you feel a lot more comfortable. We’ll get more first-years out wrestling this weekend and they’ll get those first matches out of the way,�

Hoyt said.

Team members also hope to learn from some of the mistakes made during Tuesday’s match.

After the Maroons won the 141weight class through forfeit, Hoyt and third-year Josh Hotta lost to their opponents. Third-year James Layton won the team’s first match of the night by gaining an early advantage. Layton got a take down and near fall two minutes into

Maloney: “When you play Wash U for the Founder’s Cup, it’s a big game�

FOOTBALL continued from back

for the past two losses, but you want to win your last game,� said Head Coach Dick Maloney. “Obviously when you play Wash U for the Founder’s Cup, it’s a big game and you want to end the season with a smile on your face.�

To keep possession of the Cup, the Maroons will need to improve their running defense and their ability to score in the red zone. Opposing teams have rushed for at least 200-yards in three straight games, including Carnegie’s eye-popping 340-yard performance last weekend at Stagg. Wash U’s running game is not as potent or explosive as Carnegie’s, but Chicago will still need to tighten the screws against the run in order to emerge victorious from the final game.

Chicago’s red zone offense has not helped either. The Maroons have scored only 10 points in five red zone opportunities against Case and Carnegie, leading to 19 total points in the two games. Against a defense of Wash U’s caliber (16.9 opponent scoring average this season), the Maroons will need to capitalize on the scoring

visit visit visit visit visit

chances they get. “The team is really working hard this week,� said third-year kicker Jeff Sauer. “We are motivated to end the season on a positive note by beating our biggest rival in St. Louis and keeping the Founder’s Cup in Chicago.�

The 25th Founder’s Cup also provides the Maroons with an opportunity to finish the season with a winning record. After their losses in the past two weeks, the have one final chance to prove that they are better than they have shown in conference play. “We need to get in the right frame of mind. We can either say, ‘Well, it’s the last game of the season, it’s finally over,’ or we can say, ‘It’s the last game of the season, it’s time to prove ourselves.’ I’m confident that our players will be thinking the latter.� “A lot of players are looking forward to the rivalry game against Wash U and will be playing with a lot of pride to prove we are a good team despite not being so successful in UAA play,� Cortina said.

The Maroons travel to St. Louis for the 25th annual Founder’s Cup game this Saturday at Francis Field.

chicagomaroon.com chicagomaroon.com chicagomaroon.com chicagomaroon.com chicagomaroon.com

the first period, racking up four points.

He kept the lead and finished his match 5–2.

Layton said he tried to use his strengths to hold on to his lead for the next two periods. “I just tried to feel him out and was able to take him down,� Layton said. “I get a lot of near-falls.�

Second-year Jake Schramm and firstyear Joe Ellis also won their matches.

However, the team lost three of its matches by one or two points. Hoyt went into his third period down by one point and was unable to take the lead in time to earn a decision. First-year Ryley Hankenson lost his match when he was taken down with four seconds left.

2011 UAA Rookie of the Year second-year Jeff Tyburski also lost his match in the final seconds. The match was tied 2–2 with 30 seconds left and Tyburski had a tight hold on Wheaton’s Kyle Patton’s right leg.

However, Patton gained control and got a takedown at the center of the mat with 10 seconds left.

Hoyt said the team focused on strength and conditioning and several individuals worked on fixing their own mistakes to try to turn one -point matches in the Maroon’s favor. Kocher hoped to see those victories but was also pleased with how the team did. “On the one hand, it would have been very nice to turn those one-point losses into wins, but we battled hard and for the first meet I’m pleased they battled hard,�

Kocher said.

Ultimately, Kocher said he is optimistic about the rest of the year. “We have a group of talented guys. I think that will show itself throughout the season,� Kocher said.

Midwest region one of the strongest in the country XC continued from back

high, the team will also benefit. Either way, I don’t want to leave any doubts,� Whitmore said. Although there is the possibility of qualifying as an individual, the team still maintained the same attitude they’ve had all year: team first. “We have seven men racing on Saturday, and we have some thirty-odd more who have been with them throughout the season— many of whom could very well be racing, too, and many of whom are making the three-hour drive out early that morning to support us,� Dalke said. “If there is a day to race for something more than myself, it is Saturday. Whatever I accomplish individually, it can only really be in the shadow of the team.�

It will be vital to come ready to perform. A low enough finish for the teams means their seasons are finished. “I think we all need to have good days and stick to the front of the pack,� Sizek said.

It all comes down to Saukie Golf Course: a tough field, cheering fans, a midday starting time, and a fierce battle for postseason survival. For both teams, it’s all on the line. “The entire season has been in preparation for this race,� Dalke said, “and, with any luck, the race after it.�

The women’s 6k is at 11 a.m.

The men’s 8k is at noon.

Hyde Park location 1453 E. Hyde Park Blvd.

(773) 324-3800

Ęźs o in m a Do izz Our Inspired & Specialty Pizzas P

MOUTH-WATERING TASTE AT A JAW-DROPPING VALUE.

$ 13 PIZZAS

2 MEDIUM 2-TOPPING

99

-INIMUM PURCHASE REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY 9OU MUST ASK FOR THIS LIMITED TIME OFFER 0RICES

PARTICIPATION DELIVERY AREA AND CHARGES MAY VARY 2ETURNED CHECKS ALONG WITH THE STATEgS MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE RETURNED CHECK FEE MAY BE ELECTRONICALLY PRESENTED TO YOUR BANK ¼ $OMINOgS )0 (OLDER ,,# $OMINOgSš $OMINOgS 0IZZAš AND THE MODULAR LOGO ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF $OMINOgS )0 (OLDER ,,#

SPORTS

IN QUOTES “At Puss n Boots with my girls. If the lock out ends can somebody text me or something?”

—Sun’s point guard Steve Nash, tweeting about his how he’s filling up his free time during the NBA lockout.

Chicago kicks off NCAA campaign against UW-Whitewater Volleyball Charles Fang Senior Sports Staff It’s that time of year again—the smell of pumpkin pie, yams, and Big Dances remind of us of that fact. Of turkeys or punch, there will be those who fret of the holiday rush, and there will be those who bid adieu to the past and begin anew a journey of revival.

The Maroons, at the NCAA tournament, will have to determine which character they are going to be. They will face off against Wisconsin-Whitewater in the first round.

UW-Whitewater, ranked #21 in the country, won the WIAC conference last week, and is now looking for more glory on the national stage. The field of 64 will be ripe for the ravaging and up for any who has the strength and courage to take it by the horns, a

Chicago vs.

UW-Whitewater Fri. 11/11

Sofia Sanchez heads a balanced Whitewater squad making it’s 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAAs. Sanchez leads the team in kills and has recorded at least 10 of them the Warhawks’ last seven games. She also had 17 double doubles in kills and digs for Chicago Head Coach Vanessa Walby’s alma mater.

Wash U vs.

Webster Fri. 11/11

Chicago vs.

Wash U Sat. 12/11

Wash U boasts three First Team AllUAA players, led by conference MVP Lauren Budde, the UAA leader in kills per set with 3.95. The Maroons have a chance to avenge a late season loss to the conference champs, but history is not on their side: Their all-time record vs. the Bears stands at 0—35.

Next Weekend Sweet Sixteen

Favored team in bold

Second-year Maggie Vaughn returns the ball in a home game against Wisconsin Lutheran.

DARREN LEOW | THE CHICAGO MAROON

VOLLEYBALL continued on page 10

Founder’s Cup up for grabs against Wash U

Season on the line at regional meet in Rock Island

Football Daniel Lewis Associate Sports Editor Following two disappointing conference losses to Case Western and Carnegie, the Maroons will close out their season against Wash U in pursuit of a winning record and the Founder’s Cup trophy. Chicago’s UAA chances and playoff hopes are lost, but a victory in their final game would lift some of the disappointment of the past two weeks.

“The players and coaches feel a win over Wash U could make up for the previous losses,” said secondyear quarterback Vincent Cortina. “Keeping possession of the Founder’s Cup and finishing the season with a winning record of 6—4 compared to 5—5 would make a good end to the season.”

This weekend’s matchup between the longtime UAA rivals marks the 25th game for the Founder’s Cup. The Bears have claimed the Cup in 17 of the 24 meetings, but they will be looking for revenge against the Maroons, who took last year’s contest—which doubled as the UAA title game— by a score of 13—10. Both teams lost last weekend and will be vying for a satisfying end to a season that has not played out like either team had hoped.

“Nothing can make up FOOTBALLcontinuedonpage11

First-year Renat Zalov runs at the 2011 UAA Cross Country Championships at Montrose Harbor.

COURTESY OF DAVE HILBERT

Cross Country Matthew Schaefer Sports Contributor When the men’s and women’s cross country teams compete at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois this Saturday, their season will hang in the balance.

Augustana College hosts the 2011 Midwest Regional

Championship, the Maroons’ penultimate—or, if they falter, their last—race of the postseason.

It will be an uphill battle.

In an event where the top five men’s teams and the top four women’s teams will likely advance, the men are ranked sixth and the women are ranked eighth in a competitive field.

The men are ranked behind North Central (Ill.),

Wash U, Wheaton (Ill.), UW–Oshkosh, and UW– La Crosse, while the women are ranked behind Wash U, UW–Eau Claire, North Central (Ill.), UW–Stevens Point, Illinois Wesleyan, UW–La Crosse, and UW– Oshkosh.

“We simply need five men on our team to have a ‘good’ race—to maintain contact, move up throughout, and finish strong—in order to advance to Nationals,” thirdyear Bill Whitmore said.

Despite the magnitude of this weekend’s meet, the team’s mind-set remains the same.

“We know what a race feels like, we know how we’ve approached races earlier this season and we’ve had success with that approach,” thirdyear Isaac Dalke said. “There is no reason to stray from that now. This might be the race, but it is also a race as any other.”

“We have to trust the results of our training and compete like an elite team,” Whitmore said.

Still, the Maroons understand the implications of Saturday’s race.

“I like to think that I approach all races in the same way, but Regionals is an exceptionally important race, and we do have to perform well in order to continue to the National Meet,” thirdyear Julia Sizek said. “Generally, this meet does have a lot more pressure attached to it than our other races.”

In order to advance to Oshkosh, the site of the DIII National Championship on November 19, the men’s and women’s teams must perform

better than their rankings indicate. The men are now ranked 14th in the country, down from 10th last week, and the women are now out of the national rankings, down from 33rd.

And they have a plan to do it.

“Every one of our seven runners wants that fifth team spot, and we all will show up Saturday and give the utmost effort to get it. I think the key will be the confidence to run within ourselves, to not get overwhelmed or overreach when we line up on race day,” Dalke said. “We know what we want, and we know we can get it; now we just have to get it.”

For the girls’ team, in particular, it will be critical to have a successful start to the race.

“I would say a good start is pretty key for our team, especially mentally. In particular, I think that the long and wide start at Regionals should really help us, and everyone is aware that we need to just put ourselves out there,” Sizek said. “One of our biggest problems at the Conference meet was not getting out to the front of the pack and settling into the race farther back.”

The teams are intent on performing well, exceeding expectations, and making it to the National Meet.

Should the team, as a whole, not qualify, members of the teams could still qualify individually by being one of the first seven individuals not on the top five teams to cross the line.

“I know that if I place XC continued on page 11

Love and loss in collegiate athletics

By Mahmoud Bahrani Sports Editor

Tomorrow’s national qualifying race might very well be the last time I ever run cross country for the University of Chicago. I don’t think it will be my last race—our team is very strong and we have an excellent opportunity to make it out of our region.

But even if we do qualify, next week’s national race will be the definitive end of my cross country career.

It always feels weird when we come to a major transition in our lives, whether it is from high school to college or from college to real life. A large part COLUMN continued on page 10

CA LEN DA R Friday

11/11

- Volleyball @ NCAA Tournament vs. UW-Whitewater, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday

11/12

- Wrestling @ Concordia (Wis.) Open, 9 a.m.

- Cross Country @ Midwest Regional, Women: 11 a.m., Men: noon - Football @ Washington-St. Louis, noon