110612 Chicago Maroon

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TUESDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2012

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

ISSUE 10 • VOLUME 124

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

ELECTION 2012

UC Dems campaign in WI, participate in local efforts Janey Lee News Contributor

Loud and proud Sleigh Bells lead singer Alexis Krauss belts out songs during a concert on Saturday hosted by MAB in Mandel Hall. Jump to the Arts section on page six for a full review of the show. JAMIE MANLEY | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Trash audit tallies wasted recyclables Linda Qiu News Editor The Office of Sustainability, along with Waste Management (WM), completed the University’s first waste audit last Friday, assessing the contents of more than 7,000 pounds of trash from 35 areas across campus. From Monday to Friday last week, 200 to 300 pounds of trash were collected and evaluated daily to gauge the amount of recyclable materials tossed away as regular waste. The results of the audit, which will be released along with WM’s recommendations for improvements by the end of the year, will provide launching points for recycling campaigns in 2013, said Sony Rane, the program coordinator at the Office of Sustainability, who’s leading the audit. About 40 buildings were assessed all over campus, including Harper, the

Regenstein, South Campus, Max Palevsky, Pierce Tower, Stony Island, and I-House, with prior notice given to building managers. Currently, campus buildings offer single-stream recycling and composting in dining halls. The audit was conceived shortly after the University expanded its singlestream recycling program to include residential halls in 2011. The project had been stalled, however, for about a year and a half due to issues over privacy and confidentiality laws. “The biggest issue was getting legal finalized to make sure all our bases were covered,” Rane said. “We didn’t really want people to know. We wanted to see what an average trash can looks like. If we gave them advance notice, maybe people would have tried hard to recycle. But we didn’t want that to happen; we wanted a typical day,” Rane said.

Even so, the ongoing audit was publicized regularly on the Office’s Facebook page, featuring unusual waste and inviting students to watch the process. After administering the audit along with a team of four contracted auditors called sustainability specialists, WM regional manager Sean Daley said that the contents and proportions of the trash were fairly “typical.” Neither Rane nor Daley could comment on the percentage of improperly discarded trash, pointing out it would be hard to interpret just by sight. The published results will include these percentages. Measurements were taken according to weight, after WM sustainability specialists sorted trash into recyclable categories (plastics 1-2, plastics 3-7, paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, etc.) and organic waste that can be composted. “We’ll have really good baseline data. WASTE continued on page 2

Historian tells of exiled German scholars Celia Bever News Editor Former University President Hanna Gray spoke about the mass immigration of German scholars to America during the 1930s from the perspective of both a historian and the daughter of one such scholar last night at Crerar Library.

Approximately 2,000 Germanspeaking academics came to America during this time, according to Gray. They faced obstacles including institutional anti-Semitism, cultural barriers, and an economic depression. Many were only able to find temporary teaching positions and flitted from post to post throughout the decade.

Many of the scholar-immigrants were pleased with American universities, which contrasted with the hierarchical, conservative German universities that tended to marginalize Jews and scholars with more liberal political leanings. Gray quoted her father as saying in a speech prior to Hitler’s reign, “There EMIGRE continued on page 2

In the waning days of the campaign, students of all political persuasions have been actively trying to turn out the vote. For the two Democratic RSOs, this meant sending University students and alumni to canvas in Wisconsin this past Saturday for the first time as a part of Get Out the Vote (GOTV). Students in UC Democrats and Students for Barack Obama (SFBO), had the opportunity to campaign door to door in Milwaukee and Madison as part of a last push to “get out the vote” as well as to make sure citizens were aware of voting procedures. They notified Wisconsin residents of polling locations, times, and even information for free taxi services to and from the polls. “I was very interested in meeting the people I had had on the phone,” said trip participant and SFBO board member Eve Zuckerman in an e-mail. “It is one thing to try to convince someone at the other end of the line; it is quite another to wait in the cold on their doorstep, hoping they’re not actually playing dead to avoid answering the door.” The trips were requested and coordinated by the Obama for America of-

fices in Wisconsin and were officially recognized by the Obama campaign’s student division. Zuckerman, along with a couple of other participants, felt that these trips were effective, given the imminence of the election. “I do think that the moment someone answers the door, our presence serves a purpose,” Zuckerman said. “This is a very close election, and it is tremendous to think we could be making the difference. It sounds like a slogan we’ve all heard before, but look at [2000]: 537 votes is all it took.” First-year participant Sasha Chhabra agreed, saying that he felt like he was actually making a difference because Wisconsin is a swing state, where each voter’s decision actually mattered. The main perk, however, was a free ticket to the Obama rally in McCormick Place on election night. Apart from the two canvassing trips, SFBO and UC Democrats have been heavily involved in campaigning via triweekly phone banks. Participants have called both supporters as well as undecided voters, encouraging them to vote for the Democratic ticket. While Obama supporters have been campaigning out-of-state and in the CAMPAIGNERS continued on page 2

Students to spend election day aiding voters Thomas Choi News Contributor Nineteen U of C students trekked north to the polls at the crack of dawn this morning, not as hyper-eager voters but as election judges. With 10 serving as Democratic judges and nine as Republican judges, the group will have a long day ahead of them, working at polls in the 32nd Ward from as early as 5 a.m. until after the polls close at 7 p.m. But the more than 14-hour work day will not be without reward: In addition to the experience of actively participating in the democratic process, the students will end the day with $170 in their pockets upon completion of their service. But for first-year and first-time election judge Cristina Schaver, the money is only an added bonus. “A lot of people will ask, ‘Is it worth it for [$170] to spend more than 13 hours at the polls on top of the three-hour training?’ But I’m excited about it. It’ll be rewarding in itself. It’s going to be in-

tense but I’m excited,” Schaver said. Schaver, a dual citizen of Spain and the U.S., considers the opportunity to be especially momentous for her personally, as it is her first election as a voter and as a citizen. In preparation for the event, the students attended a training session held by the Chicago Board of Elections. Scott Waguespack, the alderman of the 32nd Ward, also came to the University in order to speak as part of their orientation. Waguespack spoke about his career as an outsider running against established aldermen and the infamous cronyism of Chicago politics, especially in the polls when allies of the local politicians would play dirty. His speech impressed upon Schaver the importance of fair elections. “I really respected that. I’m excited to participate in the process and have a greater understanding from a nonpartisan, fair point of view,” she said. Schaver and the other 18 judges, ELECTION continued on page 2

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

Bottom of the ballot, top priorities » Page 3

Sleigh Bells ring, Mandel’s listening » Page 6

Election 2012 » Page 5

RZA’a martial arts homage, beaten to a pulp fiction » Page 6

Former state treasurer—and shooting guard—talks of U of C, basketball, and Obama » Back Page Athletes of the Week » Page 9


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