FRIDAY • APRIL 12, 2013
CHICAGOMAROON.COM
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
ISSUE 36 • VOLUME 124
Students push for University no-loan policy Sarah Morrell News Contributor Student leaders of the Southside Solidarity Network (SSN) are lobbying administrators and rallying student support to enact a no-loan financial aid policy at the University by the 2014–2015 school year. The University’s Odyssey Scholarships replace loans with grants for families who make less than $75,000 a year. For the remainder of students receiving financial aid, a combination of parent contribution, student contribution, work-study funds, grants, and University-guaranteed loans cover their tuition costs. Other universities, like Princeton, Harvard, and Stanford, already have no-loan policies in place for all students. Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, institutions with endowments similar to that of the University’s $6.57 billion also have no-loan policies. “If the University is unable to offer competitive financial aid packages to incoming students, the University may start losing
students whose college choice must take financing into account,” second-year SSN member Brianna Tong said. Third-year Aija Nemer-Aanerud, the former coordinator of SSN, pointed out the dual pitfalls of borrowing loans to pay for college. “Students are taking on mountains of debt with the expectation that [attending college] is their best shot at finding a good job when they graduate,” she said in an e-mail. “Then there are still no jobs in sight.” SSN has met with several University administrators in the past. On April 17, they have a meeting with Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid James Nondorf and Executive Director for College Aid Amanda Fijal, according to Nemer-Aanerud. “We have a few goals for these meetings,” she said. “One, and probably the biggest, is to make it clear to anyone who’s listening that students won’t take a backseat any longer and watch as decisions are made for us. Rather, we want to be involved in shaping the choices that affect us, LOAN continued on page 3
Third-year Newell awarded Truman Scholarship Hamid Bendaas News Staff
Gabrielle Newell is a recipient of the 2013 Truman Scholarship. She is one of two recipients of the scholarship from the District of Columbia area. SYDNEY COMBS | THE CHICAGO MAROON
Third-year Gabrielle Newell is one of 62 college third-years from across the country to be awarded the 2013 Harry S. Truman Scholarship, considered the most prestigious scholarship for undergraduates seeking advanced degrees and careers in public service. Newell, a native of Washington, DC, is an international studies major seeking a minor in human rights. On campus, she is vice president of the Organization for Black Students and has been heavily involved with Students for Health Equity and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. She helped found the UChicago chapter of the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) and is a founder of the Multiracial Student Affinity Group.
Home is where the art is Fourth-year Jasmine Neal looks over her various projects in her studio at the DoVA art showcase in the Logan Center on Tuesday night. See story in Arts on page seven. PETER TANG | THE CHICAGO MAROON
Reg lightens its energy load Raghav Verma News Staff In an effort to increase energy efficiency across campus, the Office of Sustainability and Facilities Services will be installing a new, greener lighting system in the book stacks of the Regenstein Library. The University expects the new system to cut energy usage by approximately 783,000 kilowatt-hours, reducing costs by approximately $66,000. The project, which started on March 25 and will run through May, aims not only to reduce the energy used by the building, but also to make the book stacks easier to navigate. Automated motion sensors, which are currently being installed, will automatically activate the lights for the individual aisles of the second through the fifth floors of the book stacks. Instead of the existing system of manual light switches that turn off automatically after 15 minutes, the new lights will turn off after five min-
utes without motion activity. A study of the length of time people spend in the book stacks conducted by Reg staff during winter quarter of last year determined the time interval. The lighting system on the B-level will be incorporated with the existing floor sensors, which currently control the movement of the shelves to activate and deactivate lighting. The initiative is part of a broader campus-wide energy efficiency program launched in 2009 by a donation from Jim Crown, member of the Board of Trustees, and Paula Crown, member of the University Women’s Board. “We initiated a campus-wide energy audit to identify achievable energy conservation measures within our buildings,” Ilsa Flanagan, director for the Office of Sustainability, said in an e-mail. After completing the energy audits, the Office of Sustainability ranked each facility by energy intensity—or the amount of energy consumption
in dollars—and selected the buildings with the highest ranking. “The lighting upgrades in Regenstein Library is one of over 30 different energy efficiency projects we have or are conducting on campus—in our labs, offices, libraries, and gyms,” Flanagan stated. These projects, according to the Sustainability Web site, include insulating buildings to reduce heat flow out of the building, and retrofitting or refurbishing buildings with energy efficient equipment. As of now, the installation will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in selected aisles. Consequently, patrons will only be permitted to access items from the affected aisles after 3 p.m. Installation of the sensor lights from the second to the fifth floors is expected to take one day per aisle, while integrating the lighting system of each aisle with the current shelving system on the B-level is expected to take two to three days per bay to complete.
INSIDE: SG 2013 ELECTIONS Tuesday marked the beginning of the SG spring elections as well as what is looking to be a competitive year for the SG executive slates. Candidates from the four slates are in the process of perfecting their official platforms, which will be released on Tuesday. Among those running are parties unaffiliated with SG, including the activist-filled Impact and Delta Upsilon’s twodecade-old Moose Party. SG veterans are well represented though with the UChicaGOLD and Ignite parties. See pages 2 and 3 for the CHICAGO MAROON’S profile of this year’s candidates for the executive slate. Look to future issues for further coverage until voting begins on April 23.
TRUMAN continued on page 3
IN VIEWPOINTS
IN ARTS
IN SPORTS
Bachelorette degree » Page 5
Logan, meet DoVA » Page 7
SASA defends spring show » Page 6
In seeking a city, AIC’s latest misses connection » Page 7
After shutting out Stars, Maroons to fight Scots, Knights » Back Page Wash U, round two: South Siders and Bears at it again » Back Page