101813 Chicago Maroon

FRIDAY • OCTOBER 18, 2013

CHICAGOMAROON.COM

ISSUE 5 • VOLUME 125

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892

Parker reflects on role as LGBT pioneer Student experiences spark Pune reevaluation Sindhu Gnanasambandan News Staff

Annise Parker, mayor of Houston, Texas, shares her trials and tribulations about becoming the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city.

KWAMBATA NGATIA | MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

William Rhee Maroon Contributor The first openly gay person elected mayor of a major American city called for LGBT individuals to first make peace within themselves in order to connect with their opponents during a lecture on

diversity in Ida Noyes Hall last night.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker spoke about her experiences in becoming the openly gay mayor of the fourth largest city in the United States as the keynote speaker for the University’s diversity awareness campaign, RISE: Reflect.

Intervene. Speak. Engage. She is running

for a third term this fall.

“People are still astounded that you can be a successful politician and live in a way that addresses the world with honesty and integrity in terms of who you are as a human being,” Parker said.

Parker empathized with the current PARKER continued on page 2

First-years elect SG reps Stephanie Xiao Associate News Editor Katherine Shen literally jumped for joy when she heard she had been elected to College Council (CC) as a Class of 2017 representative last night.

“I’m super stoked,” Shen said.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it, so it’s really nice.”

In addition to Shen, who led the race with 178 votes, the three other winning first-year candidates were Bruce Chi with 164 votes, Saachi Gupta, with 157 votes, and Leeho Lim with

130 votes. Twelve candidates ran this year, one fewer than last year and eight fewer than the recordhigh 20 candidates of two years ago.

Despite the smaller candidate pool, however, this year’s CC race was much more competitive than last year’s election, considering how close the vote totals were, according to second-year CC representative Mike Viola.

The other candidates, listed in order of vote count, were Michael Weller, Kelton Anderson, Blaine Crawford,

Joe Witt, Sebastian Perez, Ala Tineh, Gautam Kaul, and Luke Morell. Only eight votes separated Weller, the fifth-place candidate, from Lim, while the margin between Perez and Weller was only 10 votes.

“The vote distribution was pretty even in this election, which to me hopefully reflects more active efforts on the parts of the candidates than it did last year,” Viola said.

All four representatives intend to remain just as active over the course of the year, stepping into

After a summer article went viral detailing a UChicago student’s traumatic study abroad experience, administrators have faced mounting pressure to modify aspects of the program.

On August 18, fourth-year Michaela Cross recounted the sexual harassment she experienced in the South Asian Civilization study abroad program held in Pune, India, last fall, in an article on CNN iReport that received over a million views and a hundred thousand shares.

In light of this publicity, the Study Abroad Office said that they have made several changes to the 13-year-old program.

“The feedback we received was wide-ranging, representing diverse and sometimes divergent experiences,” Sarah Walter, study abroad director and associate dean for international education, wrote in an e-mail. “All of these perspectives have been given consideration, and in this case and all others, specific suggestions have directly impacted

our program planning.”

Walter pointed to more intensive cultural sessions as one concrete change that has been instituted.

“A request for more dialogue about issues of cultural navigation and sexual harassment in India was the most consistent piece of feedback we received from last autumn’s Pune students, which is why we prioritized implementing a larger and more robust training session last spring,” Walter wrote.

The sessions included information on how to dress appropriately and to respect customs of modesty, according to third-year Chelsea Hanlock, who is currently studying abroad in Pune.

“We spoke about the attention that I would receive as a white woman and the ways to respond to deter more unwanted attention. We talked about how to respond in the event of unwanted touching or an assault and action to take after the fact. The information was relatively helpful,” she said.

Nonetheless, Hanlock has encountered rumors of a reluctance to change the program.

PUNE continued on page 2

Graphic designer clicks for peace Preston Thomas Maroon Contributor “Iranians, we will never bomb your country. We ♥ you.”

Iranian nationals were undoubtedly perplexed when a digital poster,

containing these words superimposed on a photo of a smiling Israeli man holding his daughter, suddenly appeared on the Internet in March 2012.

The creator of this provocative image, Israeli graphic designer Ronny

Edry, discussed how his creation spawned a global revolution in social media— and what that revolution portends for the future of the Middle East—in a talk at International House on Tuesday.

PEACE continued on page 4

SG continued on page 2

IOP lights up Chicago Ideas Week Celia Jia & Jeevna Sheth Maroon Contributors Mayor Rahm Emanuel admitted to gerrymandering and an Institute of Politics fellow compared his own party to stubborn children at this year’s Institute of Politics (IOP) event at Chicago Ideas Week (CIW).

Tuesday night, IOP fellows Amy Walter and Ramesh Ponnuru joined Emanuel, Meet the Press’s David Gregory, and other political insiders on a stage at the Cadillac Palace Theater in the Loop to talk politics and discuss the “State of the Union.” Part of CIW, the city’s own annual gathering

of famous minds, the talk turned up an audience 600 strong, a third of whom were UChicago students.

Themes of the night included the recent bipartisan fiscal compromise, confidence in the government, the role of data in politics, and the dysfunctional GOP. IOP continued on page 2

Ronny Edry, a graphic designer based in Tel Aviv, speaks at International House about the political relationship between Israel and Iran that prompted him to design his iconic “Israel Loves Iran” image.

VARSHA SUNDAR | MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

IN VIEWPOINTS

IN ARTS

IN SPORTS

The march and the race » Page 5

Can poetry matter? Gioia’s work offers absolute “yes” » Page 8

Football: Maroons poised for homecoming game against Macalester » Back Page

Platonic Love: A Japanese diamond in the rough » Page 9

Men’s soccer: South Siders to face conference’s best, worst in home slate » Page 11

A place to call home » Page 6

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 18, 2013

2

“Gays & lesbians first must recognize our own worth” IOP, CIW collaboration draws 200 students

PhiNix, was also elected to the Logan Center Advisory Board last night. Through both of his new roles, he hopes to broaden the presence of arts programs on campus.

“Dancing is a huge passion of mine, and I really want to see a lot of UChicago’s arts programs take flight over my time as a student rep, so I’ll be doing what I can to support them,” Lim said.

As for Chi, he hopes to increase the variety of social offerings and activities aimed toward the inter-house community. Beyond that, he plans to wait and see what possibilities will present themselves as the year progresses.

“I’m really optimistic about this year because we have four really good candidates,” Chi said.

Students feel excluded from the decision-making PUNE continued from front page

CORRECTIONS » The October 15 article “New hub to dish out $20 million for startups” misstated the location of one of the Chicago Business Exchange’s buildings. The building is on the Southwest corner of East 53rd Street and South Harper Avenue. » The October 15 article “Academic teams frustrated with funding” incorrectly stated the financial status of Debate last year. The team ran a surplus. The article also did not clarify which Model UN organization takes part in CAT. It is the Model UN Team.

Here are this week’s notables: » October 11, East 60th Street and South Ingleside Avenue, 5 p.m.—An unknown male snatched a cell phone from the hand of a University student walking on the sidewalk. He fled with a companion. The companion was detained by the UCPD. The suspect was taken into custody by UCPD and CPD officers the next day.

Since Sept. 23

Oct. 10 Oct. 16

3

1

Robbery

0

0

Attempted robbery

2

1

Battery

0

0

Burglary

0

0

Criminal trespass to vehicle

5

0

Damage to property

46

11

Other report

0

0

Assault

22

5

Theft

0

0

Trespass to property

5

2

Arrest

0

0

Traffic Violation

» October 11, 1174 East 55th Street, 10:30 p.m.—UCPD officers detained a suspect after he struck the victim with a blunt object during the course of an argument. The case has been turned over to the CPD for investigation. » October 11-14, Ida Noyes Hall, unknown time—Between 5 p.m. on October 11 and 8:40 a.m. on October 14, two cash boxes were taken from a filing cabinet in a secured second floor office. »October 15, 5815 South Maryland Avenue (Mitchell Hospital), 11:20 p.m.—As a result of an argument in a patient’s room, a woman’s boyfriend choked her and smashed her cell phone against a wall, before fleeing the hospital. » October 16, 5200 South Hyde Park Avenue, 11:38 p.m.—UCPD officers, responding to a call over CPD radio, detained a male who had broken into and removed property from a parked vehicle. The suspect was turned over to the CPD and charged with burglary.

Source: UCPD Incident Reports

Type of Crime

47th

51st 53rd

Blackstone

section to the training that would acknowledge the role males might have to play in warding off sexual harassment.

“Because of the feedback from last year’s students, we were mindful about addressing the role of the male students in these situations. The men were given specific examples of responses that are helpful, and what reactions can be seen as legitimizing negative attention,” Walter said.

According to Hanlock, this year’s program also includes a weekly informal meeting to discuss culture shock, level of comfort, and other issues students may have.

Reflecting on her experience thus far, she said: “Local people here, men and women, tend to stare, but I don’t get the feeling it is of a sexual nature. A lot of it seems to be because my whiteness is a novelty here…. I myself have taken pictures of locals, so a lot of the curiosity and staring is reciprocal.”

Grey said she specifically asked for more mental health resources for the Pune program, such as an on-site therapist. While, according to Walter, the University does provide access to a network of English-speaking health experts, Grey felt that the lack of an R.A. trained in sexual harassment response shows the lack of planning that went into the program.

“I don’t think this is the people on the trip’s fault. I really think this is the administration’s fault and the fault of the study abroad office, if not to initially have a program that acknowledges these things but to follow-up and listen to the concerns of students and… respond to that in a way that at least makes us feel like we are being listened to,” she said.

This is a series the Maroon publishes summarizing instances of campus crime. Each week details a few notable crimes, in addition to keeping a running count from September 23. The focus is on crimes within the UCPD patrol area, which runs from East 37th to 65th Streets and South Cottage Grove to Lake Shore Drive.

University

“Our program assistant mentioned that the program heads were hesitant to change the program because in the years since the program has been in Pune, there haven’t really been reactions and situations that were experienced by the students last year,” she said.

Cross and other 2012 participants feel that their efforts to engage with the administration in affecting change have largely been rebuffed and that the University is leaving them out of the decision making process.

“This is the pattern: I reach out, I make meetings with people and people just never follow up on them. They seem sympathetic in person but no follow up so I don’t know if people are intending to make these changes. It’s also backdoor. It’s also informal. So if someone doesn’t email me back, they are allowed to do that,” Cross said.

Fourth-year Caitlin Grey said she asked Elana Kranz, assistant dean of international education, to inform her of any student committees forming to modify the Pune program and never received a reply.

“I can literally think of the exact logistical things they could do to form that, but she just never got back to me. She just took my comments and really just put them under the rug,” Grey said.

According to Walter, Study Abroad gives out comprehensive program evaluations, and students are free to meet with staff for more indepth debriefings.

Walter noted that the study abroad office has taken some suggestions into account, such as Grey’s recommendation of adding a 10-minute

Weekly Crime Report

By Marina Fang

55th

57th

59th 60th

S. Lake Shore

their new roles with diverse hopes and goals.

“I’m really excited to represent the Class of 2017,” Gupta said. “I feel like it’s going to be a great year because my class seems really dynamic and enthusiastic about this school.”

“You should go into a position with a recognition of your own limitations, but I think I’m perfectly open to anything that might come up later in the year,” Shen said.

In particular, she said she hopes to push for reducing dormitory laundry costs and implementing mentorship programs between first-years and upperclassmen.

Lim, who is a member of the dance group

government that represents those 20 percent,” she said.

As for maneuvering in elections themselves, Emanuel admitted to personal wrongdoing.

“We have become so good at redistricting.

I’ve practiced this craft,” he said. “The system is set up for the voters to choose their representatives, but because of technology and politics, the representatives are now picking their voters.”

Republican strategist Steve Schmidt and conservative commentator and IOP fellow Ramesh Ponnuru spoke extensively of the woes facing their own party. Schmidt, referencing the debt ceiling debate, argued that true conservatives pay their bills—and that pure radicals, like Senator Ted Cruz, have caused anxiety in the markets. Ponnuru agreed, claiming that Republicans might have to screw up to recognize their own folly.

“Some kids just got to touch the hot stove,” he joked.

The collaboration between the IOP and CIW drew upon the strengths and goals of both, according to IOP Director Darren Reisberg.

“They [CIW] wanted to utilize our fellows and feature them in panels,” he said. “In return, we were able to bring more students. Instead of the 10 students last year, this year there were over 200. They were a very vocal and visible presence.”

S. Hyde Park

SG continued from front

To kick off the talk, Emanuel, a former congressman and chief of staff to President Obama, sat down with host David Gregory for a 30-minute interview and emphasized the need for compromise.

“There’s more consensus on government spending, tax reform, and even in some areas of entitlement. I think it requires two things.

One, neither party can accept either extreme; and two, you’ve got to go for what I call a single or a double but not right through to the grand bargain,” Emanuel said, referring to efforts to solve the debt problem in one piece of legislation often dubbed a “grand bargain.”

In the panel discussion, former Obama senior advisor David Plouffe agreed. “It’s not about winning the battle, it’s about getting something done,” he said.

IOP fellow Amy Walter, national editor of The Cook Political Report, claimed that the voting public also shares the blame and the problem.

“We wonder why no one is talking to each other [in Washington], but we aren’t talking to each other either. Not even in our own communities,” she said.

Walter also argued that abysmal voter turnout in primary elections has added to the crisis.

“We get the government we vote for, and when 20 percent of people vote, you get a

Cornell

New reps bring variety of interests, agendas

IOP continued from front page

Stony Island

“We can’t connect to those who for whatever reason believe that we are wrong, or incomplete, or evil…if we do not believe that we are whole and right,” she said. “Gays and lesbians first must recognize our own worth and our own strength. We are going to have to make peace with ourselves and the fact of our sexual orientation. We have to know that we are good and worthy, and we have to know it in our core.”

Though she has received national attention for being a political leader for LGBT rights, Parker said she wants to be recognized not just for her status as a high-ranking gay politician but also for her political acumen.

“I am the mayor of Houston because I am good at what I do,” Parker said. “I try very hard to be the mayor of Houston who happens to be gay rather than the gay mayor of Houston.”

Ellis

generation of gays and lesbians, sharing her own trials regarding life as a lesbian.

“I have been constantly dealing with being gay since I was 15 years old,” she said. “That’s 42 years of times when I struggled or hurt, was afraid, or hurt myself. And I did all of these things.”

While Parker acknowledged that the world has changed greatly since her adolescence, she pointed out that LGBT youth suicide continues and questioned why this epidemic still persists, despite so much positive change.

Parker proposed that firm opposition to LGBT rights is the reason why the message of acceptance fails to resonate. She said that to be able to convince opponents to change their thinking, members must first find strength in their own identities.

Cottage Grove

PARKER continued from front

62nd *Locations of reports approximate

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 18, 2013

3

Q&A: Political journalist Amy Walter Jamba Juice out, these outside groups that are spending millions and millions of dollars—certainly, that’s a big change from twenty years ago when it really was the candidates and the parties that were funding campaigns…. So, that’s what the seminars are looking at, which again, is not whether or not it’s good or bad that there have been changes to the campaigns, but trying to appreciate the changes that occurred and where that’s going to take us, certainly in 2014.

CM: You mentioned there have been changes in campaign financing. How do you think the emergence of Super PACs has affected the electoral process?

LUKE WHITE

| MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

Amy Walter is the national editor of The Cook Political Report and former political director of ABC News. Currently a fellow at the Institute of Politics, Walter sat down with the Maroon to discuss her experience as a journalist and the evolution of political campaigns. Read the full interview at chicagomaroon. com.

Chicago Maroon: In your Speaker Series, you discuss

the nature of modern political campaigns. What major changes in elections have occurred in recent years?

AmyWalter:So,mydefinition of recent and your definition of recent are probably different….

[W]e’ve had an explosion in technology—the ways in which we communicate with each other are different. So that has been one very big change—that technology piece…. The rise of

AW: Well, they have affected it in that they are now a voice that is, in some cases, bigger than that of even the candidate.

So, they’ve come to be another player in the campaign. It’s no longer just candidate versus candidate; it’s now candidate and their affiliated Super PAC versus candidate and their Super PACs who support them…. Now, a not so well funded candidate can beat a better funded candidate because outside groups can come in and spend for them.

CM: The government shutdown has preoccupied the media for the past two weeks.

Do you think this crisis will affect the way Americans vote

in the upcoming congressional elections?

AW: Well, you would think it would, right? I mean, we now have the lowest approval ratings ever of Congress—the lowest approval ratings ever of Republicans. I think right now, serial killers may be better thought of than politicians.

So, we are really now talking about the bottom of the barrel; however, we also know that voters still don’t have much of a choice. When it comes right down to it in November of next year, their choice will still be between a Democrat and a Republican…. The other question is how long will this be remembered…? Who knows what we’re going to be talking about next November, whether it’s domestic or international?

CM: What do you think the high rate of incumbency in Congress says about the nation’s election process?

AW: Well, it says two things.

One, at the end of the day, people don’t like Congress, but they may like their own member of Congress. [Two,] they don’t feel like they have much choice. So, you vote for your incumbent because you think either the alternative is that much worse, or there’s no one really serious challenging that person…. It also WALTER continued on page 4

Phoenix Mart in Christine Schmidt Maroon Contributor A new refreshment option has emerged from the ashes of the now-closed Jamba Juice in Ratner Athletic Center.

Phoenix Mart, a new health food convenience store, opened to visitors during first week, three months after Jamba Juice sold its last blended beverage on June 14.

Dining Services Director Richard Mason said the decision to close the smoothie shop came during the summer, after continued poor sales and what he saw as a failure to meet the needs of the University of Chicago community.

“There were less than 100 people a day [visiting it]. Given the hours of service—10:30 [a.m.] to 9:00 [p.m.]—that’s less than ten people an hour.

That’s really very few people,” he said.

The optimal number would have been two, three, or even five times that many customers, Mason said. After a number of meetings, focus groups, and observational studies,

Dining Services concluded that Jamba Juice was not satisfying consumer needs.

“The feedback that we got was that the Jamba Juice was fairly high at a caloric standpoint and a price standpoint,” Mason said.

The convenience store instead offers fresh fruit, raw juice, trail mix, Gatorade, and other pre- or post-workout snacks.

Phoenix Mart worker Maribel Guivo acknowledged that business has been slow, although it has only been open for two weeks.

Mason believes the food component of the new store makes it a better fit for the University than Jamba Juice. While Jamba Juice stores do sell food as well, he explained that because of franchise limitations, the location in Ratner had to prove its viability to the corporation before it could sell items besides smoothies. “[With Jamba,] we couldn’t actually sell bananas,” he said. “Maybe you don’t want the whole banana smoothie. Jamba was too restrictive. We knew that going in.”

With move to Crerar, new computer lab encourages interactive environment Molly Becker Maroon Contributor Previously known as the MacLab in the basement of the Regenstein Library, the newly renovated and renamed Computer Science Instructional Laboratory (CSIL) has set up shop in the first floor of Crerar Library.

CSIL officially opened September 30, just 18 months after the idea for a new space was first broached in May 2012. It features four separate labs, each equipped with 20 new computers, whiteboards, and projectors, with a layout designed to allow instructors to easily interact with their students. According to Director of CSIL William Sterner, the size of each computer science class that uses the lab would ideally be 20 students for better instructor-student interactions, but the walls can retract to combine two lab spaces for larger classes. Two workgroups of six computers are also located outside of the main labs so students can use them while classes are taking place.

The idea for a new lab space was born out of a collaboration between the College, the Computer Science Department, and Crerar Library to better accommodate a growing computer science program. Enrollment in the program has increased by 20 percent this year after nearly tripling between 2009 and 2013, Sterner said.

CSIL, like the old MacLab, is open to all University members and is staffed during Crerar’s normal hours of operation by undergraduate student tutors, who are available to help students and faculty use the four labs.

“It is part of our mission to be available and able to help anybody with any need they have,” Sterner said. “We are dedicated

The Computer Science Instructional Laboratory (formerly known as the Maclab), previously on the A-Level of the Regenstein Library, was relocated to the first floor of Crerar Library.

STEPHANIE KOCH | MAROON CONTRIBUTOR

to making sure people can get help.”

In addition to providing assistance to lab users, the tutors will teach “mini courses” about various computing topics, like using a UNIX operating system or programming with MATLAB. These courses are usually held four or five times each quarter for members of the University community.

Heavy construction was minimized during the move to Crerar, thanks to

walls that could easily pop into place, according to Barbara Kern, co-director for science libraries. This allowed the library to remain completely functional and open during construction this past summer.

“It started, it happened, it opened on time. It was just one of those projects that was the perfect project,” she said. “We were very lucky.”

Students accustomed to the quietness

of Crerar may be worried that the addition of CSIL to the first floor and the interactive nature of the space may be too disruptive. However, Kern reassured students that Crerar’s famously quiet environment will still be maintained on the second and third floors.

“The first floor is more of an action area, a conversation area,” she said.

“That’s a change for us, but it’s a good change and we welcome it.”

THE CHICAGO MAROON | NEWS | October 18, 2013

4

NEWS IN BRIEF SG delays E&R vote The Student Government Assembly voted on Thursday night to postpone consideration of significant changes to the bylaws of the Elections and Rules Committee (E&R) in order to give representatives of the class of 2017 more time to study the proposed changes. Because the winners of the first-year election were announced just hours before the Thursday meeting, the class of 2017 representatives had not had an opportunity to read over the changes under consideration.

The changes to the bylaws of the E&R Committee would clearly define penalties for rule infractions and would change the size and composition of E&R. Reforms to the bylaws were proposed after a contentious spring election cycle when the E&R Committee disqualified one candidate and awarded significant vote penalties to two slates. SG Assembly will consider reforms to the bylaws at the next SG Assembly on November 7.

—Anastasia Kaiser

Graham offers analytics degree The University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies is now offering a Master’s Degree in Analytics, a hybrid of statistics, business, and data collection and analysis.

The inaugural class will enter the program in January of 2014 as part-time students, with a full-time option beginning in the fall of 2014. Students can earn their degree in anywhere from 16 months to five years.

Aimed at attracting recent graduates as well as career professionals and leaders, the new analytics program stresses applied learning, management, and leadership, thus veering from a traditional statistics curriculum.

“It is rare that a statistics program will venture beyond the classroom setting to integrate industry data sets or case studies in the curriculum or provide students with opportunities to interact with colleagues or potential employers outside

of academia,” Kim Kieras, associate director of recruitment and enrollment management at the Graham School, said in an e-mail.

To earn a Master’s Degree in Analytics, students are required to take 11 courses and complete a capstone project. Classes take place downtown at the Gleacher Center on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings, allowing for flexibility in scheduling as the majority of Graham students are working adults seeking to further their education.

—Joy Cho

Mini Mart stocks up for student needs More than just coals and bowls, the 53rd Street Mini Mart, located at East 53rd Street and South Dorchester Avenue, is now open for business.

The mini-mart, which began welcoming customers September 26, carries traditional convenience items as well as a wide selection of tobacco-related and hookah-related products. Open seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., the store’s hours and eclectic item selection reflect what manager Freddy Allam sees as the needs of the local community, including those of UChicago students.

“I keep longer hours than most [competing stores], because it isn’t unreasonable for students to want food at 11 p.m.,” Allam said.

Citing the CVS a block to the west, Allam believes that his store distinguishes itself from major chains through a combination of competitive pricing and quality customer service.

“We can’t carry the same number of brands [as CVS or Walgreens], but we carry all the same types of items, and for a lower price,” he said. “We stock the main and necessary items that students and families need.”

According to Allam, the store aims to honor customer requests for new products.

“Acting on every customer request is just the way I do business. Regardless of whether it’s a specific type of soap, food, or medicine, we get it in. If we don’t carry it, what’s the point of having the door open?” he added.

—Isaac Stein

Social media key to “Israel-Loves-Iran” campaign aggressive posturing and warlike rhetoric of national leaders in the region, he believes that the vast majority of citizens in the area do not want war.

The current state of tension and fractious relations in the region can be attributed primarily to “bad leadership,” Edry said.

After all, the “game [of politics] in the Middle East is about being strong.”

As a graphic designer, Edry appreciates the power of perception. He seeks to use powerful imagery to “change perceptions” among Israel and its neighbors. “That’s really how you make change,” he said.

University of Chicago Friends of Israel (CFI) organized the event. CFI president and third-year Blake Fleisher said that, given the prospect of reform in Iran under recently elected president Hassan Rouhani, “this was the perfect time to have a speaker who started a movement that fosters dialogue [between Israel and Iran].

Hopefully, we’ll start seeing this [dialogue] between politicians too in the future.”

PEACE continued from front page

It all began as a casual experiment, Edry said: “just a message in a bottle” that he sent out into cyberspace on a whim. It soon resulted in the creation of a Facebook page, “Israel-Loves-Iran,” which attracted thousands of participants, millions of viewers, and the attention of the world press.

The page allowed Israelis and Iranians to exchange digital posters modeled on Edry’s original and to express mutual goodwill and a desire for peaceful coexistence.

Before long, similar posters began appearing from other nations, like Japan, Colombia, and the United States. The page has since evolved into an expansive online project known as the Peace Factory and the related Peace Innovation Lab at Stanford University.

According to Edry, the Israeli-Iranian dialogue fostered by this project exposes the changing nature of public opinion throughout the Middle East. In spite of the

Walter: Election night is “like Christmas” for me…. What’s fun on Election Night too is… watching results come in. So as you see these things start to happen, the pattern starts to become clearer and clearer. In 2006, when the results started coming in, it was like, “Wow, this is going to be a great night for Democrats.” In 2010, you could say, “Wow, what was going to be a bad night for Democrats turned out to be a super, really awful night for Democrats.”

You can watch that sweep across as you go from time zone to time zone. So, I would highly recommend it.

You don’t sleep for two days, but you get to be sitting there while you’re watching all you worked for for two years come to fruition.

WALTER continued from page 3

tells you that we should be shifting our focus as a country civically from just talking about November to talking about primaries…. At the end of the day, I think you’re going to see that some of these folks who have been at the center of this debate of the government and government funding may find themselves with primary challenges, but the only way that they will be successful is if they get people to come out and vote.

CM: You were a member of CNN’s Election Night Team in 2006. What is it like to call an election?

AW: I love election night; it’s like Christmas

—Mike Gaffey

Welcome all Students and Faculty

First Impressions are everything....

? e l i m s r u o

y s i How CLASSIFIEDS

• Free examinations • Special discounts for students & faculty • Convenient office hours • Quick appointments between classes • Affordable monthly payment options

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.

1525 E. 53rd St., Ste. 734 Chicago, IL 60615

FOR RENT OR SALE 4 bedroom/2 bath near 55th and Hyde Park Blvd.

Eat in kitchen. Washer/dryer. Pets OK. One parking space. Call 773-955-5035

www.chicagodentistry.com

CALL TODAY: (773) 643-6006

DANCE

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

773-643-6006

YOUR AD HERE advertise in the MAROON ADS@CHICAGOMAROON.COM

773-643-6006

Can YOU tell the Dancer from the Dance?

Info: The DeVere Society at www.SalonSonja.com

VIEWPOINTS

Editorial & Op-Ed OCTOBER 18, 2013

Review session CAT inefficiencies call for increased oversight and more regular meetings The student newspaper of the University of Chicago since 1892 REBECCA GUTERMAN Editor-in-Chief SAM LEVINE Editor-in-Chief EMILY WANG Managing Editor

CELIA BEVER Senior Editor VICENTE FERNANDEZ Senior Editor MATTHEW SCHAEFER Senior Editor MADHU SRIKANTHA Senior Editor MARINA FANG News Editor ANKIT JAIN News Editor LINDA QIU News Editor KRISTIN LIN Viewpoints Editor EMMA BRODER Arts Editor WILL DART Arts Editor LAUREN GURLEY Arts Editor SARAH LANGS Sports Editor JAKE WALERIUS Sports Editor SONIA DHAWAN Head Designer KEVIN WANG Online Editor MARA MCCOLLOM Social Media Editor CONNOR CUNNINGHAM Head Copy Editor CECILIA JIANG Head Copy Editor JEN XIA Head Copy Editor BEN ZIGTERMAN Head Copy Editor JAMIE MANLEY Photo Editor TIFFANY TAN Photo Editor COLIN BRADLEY Grey City Editor

Last spring, the Coalition of Academic Teams (CAT)—comprising one representative each from Debate, Mock Trial, the Model U.N. Team, College Bowl, Chess Club, Student Government (SG), and the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities (ORCSA)—held its annual meeting to divide funding among the academic teams. Some of the coalition’s members expressed displeasure with the overall deficit of funds, as well as with what they see as disproportionately allocated funds. Mock Trial unsuccessfully appealed the coalition’s decision to the SG Assembly. While giving the coalition significantly more funding does not seem to be feasible, the process of allocating that funding is flawed. CAT members have not allocated the funds efficiently in the past, and something must change in order to ensure that finances are distributed as fairly as possible. Given recent complaints, SG should work with CAT to make the process more equitable by providing increased

oversight, not only at the annual meeting, but also leading up to it.

This year CAT will receive $190,000—about 10 percent of the total money generated by the Student Activities Fee. Whatever its allocation issues, all its teams could receive the proper funding they feel they deserve if CAT were given more money.

However, this is not a plausible solution. After the Student Government Finance Committee, which funds the vast majority of RSOs, and the Program Coordinating Council, which funds RSOs responsible for large campus-wide events, CAT receives the largest portion of the Student Activities Fee. While this does not automatically disqualify CAT from deserving more funds, it is simply difficult to see from where the additional funds could come. All of this year’s funds finance organizations that provide events and opportunities for large sects of our student body.

More money for CAT entails either reducing funds for another committee, or raising the already high cost

of a UChicago education. Neither of these solutions would benefit our student body as a whole and therefore should not be pursued.

CAT’s current allocation process has resulted in a worryingly unbalanced distribution. Last year, Debate and the Model U.N. Team received far more funding per person than did Mock Trial; more significantly, Debate ran a budget surplus while College Bowl, Chess Club, and the Model U.N. ran deficits. The blame for this does not lie on any one of CAT’s members but rather on the committee’s process and its overseers.

The configuration of the coalition as it stands allows committee members to pursue as much funding for their RSOs as possible, with only one voting member of SG to keep the process in check. While this should work in theory, with groups competing for funds and therefore keeping the other teams as accountable as possible, there is the potential for the loudest representative’s RSO—rather than the one that needs the money the most—to

get the largest chunk of funding.

A stronger arbiter is needed to ensure that CAT money is distributed fairly, and SG is in the best position to fill that role. While already present in the committee, SG’s impartial position needs to be given more weight in negotiations to prevent some RSOs from dominating the proceedings and the funding. CAT members already took the step last year of meeting once before their allocations meeting, and SG requiring CAT to convene on a more regular basis would be even more effective.

In that way, large changes in programming for the following year by any one group, as well as general problems with the past year’s budget, can be worked out gradually, without the immediate pressure of determining the following year’s allotment. CAT needs to be saved from itself, and SG is the group to do it.

The Editorial Board consists of the Editors-in-Chief and the Viewpoints Editors.

JOY CRANE Grey City Editor THOMAS CHOI Assoc. News Editor ALEX HAYS Assoc. News Editor HARINI JAGANATHAN Assoc. News Editor STEPHANIE XIAO Assoc. News Editor ELEANOR HYUN Assoc. Viewpoints Editor LIAM LEDDY Assoc. Viewpoints Editor ANNA HILL Assoc. Arts Editor

The march and the race Experiencing déjà blue Selective focus of the civil rights movement often excludes the humanitarian aspect of race

In the age of innovation, Web site design remains surprisingly stagnant

TATIANA FIELDS Assoc. Sports Editor SAM ZACHER Assoc. Sports Editor PETER TANG Assoc. Photo Editor FRANK YAN Assoc. Photo Editor

TYRONALD JORDAN Business Manager TAMER BARSBAY Undergraduate Business Executive VINCENT MCGILL Delivery Coordinator SNEHA KASUGANTI Designer JONAH RABB Designer NICHOLAS ROUSE Designer KRYSTEN BRAY Copy Editor SOPHIE DOWNES Copy Editor LISA FAN Copy Editor SHERRY HE Copy Editor NISHANTH IYENGAR Copy Editor MICHELLE LEE Copy Editor CHELSEA LEU Copy Editor KATIE LEU Copy Editor CARYSSA LIM Copy Editor JOHN LOTUS Copy Editor KATARINA MENTZELOPOULOS Copy Editor LINDSEY SIMON Copy Editor RUNNAN YANG Copy Editor

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. © 2013 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 CONTACT News: News@ChicagoMaroon.com Viewpoints: Viewpoints@ChicagoMaroon.com Arts: Arts@ChicagoMaroon.com Sports: Sports@ChicagoMaroon.com Photography: Photo@ChicagoMaroon.com Design: Design@ChicagoMaroon.com Copy: CopyEditors@ChicagoMaroon.com Advertising: Ads@ChicagoMaroon.com

By Ken Jung Viewpoints Columnist This year marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, prompting a largerthan-usual explosion of racial commentary from all directions.

As happens every year, the vast majority of perspectives neglect that this very event was originally poised to become the biggest, most violent race riot in American history. Engineered by the Kennedy administration and civil rights leaders, the turnaround of the March into a peaceful protest caused Malcolm X to denounce it as “the Farce on Washington.” What took place at our nation’s capital on August 28, 1963 managed to affect social reform without resorting to violence—a wonderful thing , to be sure. However, that talking heads routinely discuss such milestones without bothering to contextualize them points out that something big is missing in today’s racial dialogue.

To see what exactly that would be, let’s reexamine a central tenet of the Civil Rights Movement, conveniently encapsulated and oft-quoted within Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech: “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons

of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” The notion put forth here is both more radical and fundamental than the demands of the March itself, e.g., minimum wage, desegregation, etc. Simply put, the March was significant in that it popularized the idea that people of all colors could be brought together by a common cause. Particularly under the influence of Martin Luther King , the Civil Rights Movement did not just have political motivations, but humanitarian ones as well.

However, to this day, it’s chiefly the political part that inspires action. The ideas behind “I Have a Dream” are more often used to motivate political change than to promote multicultural values. (Malcolm X despised the term “Civil” Rights Movement; he saw the plight of the colored American as a human rights issue worthy of international attention.) In a sense, one could say that the balance of the modern racial dialogue tends to lean much more toward the ideas of Booker T. Washington than those of W.E.B. DuBois; the problem here is that no amount of civil activism within political, legal, or even economic spheres will eradicate the simple crosscultural misunderstandings that are so often the source of racial prejudice.

Our forgetfulness has two big impacts. First, racism moves from the systemic and political to the nuanced and MARCH continued on page 7

By Jane Huang Viewpoints Columnist Lately I’ve been having déjà vu experiences whenever I browse the Internet. I recently clicked on an RSO’s Web site and couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen it before, even though I knew it had just launched. There is no real mystery to this feeling, though: So many Web sites created or redesigned within the last few years tend to share the same few characteristics, including friendly-looking sans serif fonts, content enclosed in boxes with rounded corners or circles, and a muted color palette consisting largely of blue, white, and gray. Take a look at, for example, the sites for Instagram, Dropbox, Organizing for Action, and Ventra cards. Their similar looks are essentially the Internet equivalent of a fleece jacket, black leggings, and sheepskin boots. The sites serve diverse purposes. Yet if I were to shut my laptop right now, I would not be able to remember what distinguished one site from another besides the logos.

To be sure, the sites are all crisp and professional looking, and they present a big improvement from the aesthetic prevalent 10 or 15 years ago, when Web site creators seemed to either barely bother with or get a little overexcited about GIFs, clashing colors, and font changes. How-

ever, it’s possible to look modern without looking homogeneous. The layouts of sites such as Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia are instantly recognizable. When television shows or movies show characters browsing the in-universe versions of those Web sites, it’s easy to guess what their real-life counterparts are supposed to be.

Certainly, standardization is useful. It’s good, for instance, that once you see a navigation bar or menu on one Web site, you can easily figure out how to navigate other Web sites. It’s also quite sensible for Web sites of individuals or small organizations to stick to some kind of template, as the opportunity cost of a unique design can be quite high given the options already available for building Web sites.

But I see few reasons for the Web sites of larger organizations to look so similar. It’s possible that the same set of people may have been involved in designing all of the sites I mentioned above, in which case kudos to them for getting so many clients. Otherwise, it almost seems as though all these different sites are deliberately trying to look like one another. Years ago, when journalists were breathlessly reporting on this newfangled thing called “Facebook,” I read a magazine article praising the site for its minimalist blue and white design that set it apart from many other Web sites.

Perhaps today’s Web site designers noted the praise given to Facebook’s design choices and overlooked the bit about the usefulness of distinguishing oneself.

These days, innovation is closely associated with the Internet.

WEB SITE continued on page 7

6

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | October 18, 2013

A place to call home Constant change during college leaves us with more than one home

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

By Noelle Turtur Viewpoints Columnist Home is a difficult concept for those of us in college. We are forced to accept that the next phase of our life will be filled with many homes, which are subsequently filled with cheap, temporary furniture. We expect the scenery and faces to change year-to-year; college morphs with every graduation and every new class.

Returning from Bologna after studying abroad for the past year, I was sick of it: tired of moving, tired of making new starts and finding new friends, tired of adjusting to a new life in my house—I can attest to the fact that any set of roommates brings a whole new way of living—tired of feeling like I don’t know where I am, what is going on, what is next.

Over the past few years, I had fallen in love with the idea of a youth full of change and new experiences. And while I know that moving on to new places is not only necessary, but also good for me, getting on that plane back to the U.S. only made me sick.

I was leaving Bologna, my home, behind; Bologna, a home that would never exist again.

All I wanted to do was stay. I wanted to find a place where I could stay and call my home forever.

But this is college, this is youth, this is America—where we are constantly moving around the country for better opportunities. Our families are spread across the country—if not the world—for jobs, love, and school.

Staying put isn’t really an option anymore.

Youthful ambition pushes us to travel.

Chances are, even those who choose to stay close to home for college will find themselves packing up and leaving behind loved ones.

I am sitting in my apartment in Chicago looking around at my roommates, each snuggled up somewhere on a couch in our living room, each someone I can’t imagine not having in my life. I know right now that after graduation, we must part ways; we will never be here, living together again. Our commonalities will slowly decrease as we go into different careers, move to different cities, and gradually drift in different directions.

And I don’t know what is going to keep us together. Maybe it’s the fact that my roommate knows I cringe when she makes pasta “the wrong way,” or maybe it’s the fact that we know all of the “big things” about each other.

It’s probably all of these things, but the most important one is that just being together, even if it is in the Reg until we get kicked out, makes it all better.

The phrase “home is where the heart is” struck my thoughts while I was running toward Lake Michigan this past week. In this phrase is the problem, my problem: I have no idea where my heart is. I can hear it physically beating in my chest, but emotionally it has been scattered about the earth. I see this heart, bloody, hacked into three, and buried under the floorboards of each place I consider my home.

While painful, there really is something beautiful about that: I have been lucky enough in my life to have had my heart in not only one place, but three. I have had enough people in this world that love and care about me that I have not one or two, but three places that feel safe enough that they have become my home.

And even if these are places that will never exist again, they existed at one point. And for me, that’s enough.

Noelle Turtur is a fourth-year in the College majoring in history.

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.

ILLUSTRATION BY TEDDY WATLER

|

CHICAGO MAROON

UN IV E RSIT Y OF CH ICAG O AL UM NI St op over pay in g o n yo u r stu dent loans

TACK L E YOU R ST U DEN T DEB T Re F i w i t h S oF i Why ReF i with SoF i?

I T ’S EASY Quick online application.

Dedicated customer service.

I T SI M PL I FI ES YOUR L I FE Consolidate your federal and private student loans into one loan with one monthly payment.

I T SAVES YOU M ONEY Fixed rates as low as 4.99% APR (with AutoPay)* Variable rates currently as low as 2.94% APR (with AutoPay)*

START SAVI NG NOW

S OFI.C O M/MARO O NS A lu mn i- f u n d ed s t u d en t lo an s

“ W i th SoFi , I l ow e re d my ra t e a nd w ill save thousand s of d ol l a rs ove r t he lif e of my loa n.”

Barry Malinowski Jr., SoFi Borrower

*Fixed rates range from 4.99% APR to 6.99% APR. 4.99% APR includes 0.25% AutoPay discount and assumes a 5-year loan with all timely monthly payments, no grace period, no deferment, and no forbearance. Variable rates currently range from 2.94% APR to 5.19% APR, capped at 8.95% APR. 2.94% APR includes 0.25% AutoPay discount and assumes current 1-month Libor rate of 0.19% plus 2.75% APR. The 1-month Libor index will adjust monthly and loan payment will be re-amortized and changed monthly. Actual fixed or variable interest rate offered within the ranges listed depends on the borrower’s credit history. Loans made by SoFi Lending Corp., CFL #6054612.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | VIEWPOINTS | October 18, 2013

7

Redefining conservatism

Site designers: Use different font colors, please

College Republicans president outlines agenda for party both nationally and on campus Jonathan Godoy Viewpoints Contributor On Wednesday, October 9, the UChicago Democrats and the College Republicans jointly held a debate where members from both RSOs faced off on some of the major issues confronting the country today. As president of College Republicans, I was given the opportunity to open and close the debate by outlining the fundamental principles of conservatism.

The rhetorical and thematic arc that united the College Republicans’ messages at the debate represented a shift of sorts from the traditional conservative approach. It emphasized philosophy and presented a persuasion driven by the resolve to see our society flourish and thrive.

The change was purposeful. It is no secret that we represent a super-minority coalition on campus. Our perspective is one that is held by, according to most Chicago Life meeting polls of the past few years, 7 to 10 percent of the student body. Employing the usual rhetoric would accomplish nothing in the way of gaining the ears of most students here. Our style was unprecedented and inclusive and sought to build wider consensus and appeal.

None of this is to say that our words are disingenuous. In fact, we endorse this as the approach that the party should adopt on the national stage. For the purposes of furthering discussion on campus, I will outline this view below.

In defining the conscience of a conservative, I find it fitting to begin with the most essential and basic social construct: the civil society. It is in this idea that we, connected by the common bonds of humanity and inclusive of our natural rights, find our greatest sources of personal happiness and purpose. Conservatism sees its greatest and simplest purpose as this: the prop-

agation of the civil society.

In this view, the civil society gains its greatest fulfillment. The state becomes not the major means of association for all, but rather an intermediary that addresses the issues of promoting an environment of opportunity for societal prosperity. The state is less interested in the particulars of the behaviors and relationships of individuals, and its power is necessarily and prudently limited. It defers to the judgment and wisdom of those most intimately affected by the political questions at hand.

The civil society is a rich and vibrant community where the institutions of family, church, neighborhoods, townships, and individual associations are at the center of the social fabric. These relations promote the notions of mutual dependence, symbiotic enrichment, political pedagogy, and moral socialization.

From this human-focused perspective flows innumerable policy pronouncements and stances that serve to dictate our approach to governance and prioritize our aims and objectives in order to preserve the ethos of the American Dream. Our concept of the civil society necessitates prudence and broad consensus; its power lies in its egalitarian nature and in the free ability of all to associate and define themselves as they deem fit.

Similarly, our economic principles are hinged on such notions, where the enabling power of opportunity and the impartial hand of free markets reign supreme. We conservatives find the fight against the tyranny of economic and social determinism paramount.

A large bureaucracy allows for special interest groups to gain access and hold significant leverage over the political decision-making process without providing the adequate institutions to check such activity. In this way, big

government is debilitating and unfairly limits the opportunities for the personal success of average Americans. We see the economy not as a zero-sum game, but as a dynamic and organic system that prospers most when all feel selfempowered and motivated to innovate, thrive and succeed.

And in the world—where the lines between good and evil, the virtuous and the malevolent, should remain firmly defined and upheld—conservatism advocates a rich mixture of policies that are grounded in historical experience and sound reality and seeks to balance our penchant for pursuing our interests abroad and defending certain moral imperatives. For us, American leadership in the world has been—and remains—indispensible; it has provided for the liberation of millions, the promulgation of our values abroad, and the security of all at home.

In short, conservatism is rooted in defining the nature of the social person, driven by an unyielding desire to see all prosper and governed by a healthy skepticism of centralized power.

We do not expect that this approach will suddenly inspire a mass of students to change their political allegiance and turn to the right. Our goal is not political proselytizing (though converts are always welcome).

The aims of this message are simply to promote political thought and engagement and to stake our claim in this political dogfight.

We hope that this serves as a catalyst that can change the nature of political discussion on campus—be it through more open dialogue, greater debate, or increased cooperation between opposing factions—and explicate for the better understanding of all our foundational underpinnings.

WEB SITE continued from page 5 However, I sometimes think that our expectations for what new things should look like put constraints on innovation. For example, this summer, a Pinterest board listed 161 start-ups whose names had the suffix “li” or “ly” (as in the end of most adverbs).

Some of the names were actual words or variations thereof (such as Strikingly or admitted.ly), but a lot of the other ones were just confusing (Resultly, Scopely). I imagine that the first few start-ups that chose such names just happened to like the way they sounded, but that subsequent startups registered the level of success that these first start-ups had gained and then decided that having the same suffix in their names would also bring them success. The effect, though, is that figuring out which startup is which becomes rather difficult. How does one remember the difference between Quikly and Fastly?

Pete Seeger sang the song “Little Boxes” about the homogeneity of suburbia. Perhaps an updated song could be written about parts of the Internet. I don’t find anything intrinsically wrong with sans serif fonts or blue-gray color palettes—on the contrary, I make use of both quite frequently in my daily life. Nevertheless, what’s the point of having so many other design options if people choose not to exercise them? Perhaps the striking aesthetic similarities of so many Web sites are due to choices intended to be maximally inoffensive.

I’ve never heard anyone grumble about the color blue.

But if innovation is about taking risks, surely trying out something like orange text is a risk one ought to be able to take.

Jonathan Godoy is a third-year in the College majoring in political science.

Jane Huang is a fourth-year in the College majoring in chemistry.

The LGBTQ community experiences similar struggles as those of racial minorities MARCH continued from page 5 routine. You don’t have to go far to see this. Who can forget the huge backlash following Nina Davuluri’s crowning as Miss America? The fact that an American citizen with Indian parents could win the nation’s most hallowed beauty pageant baffled and outraged viewers, many of whom proceeded to vent their anger and display their ignorance through nowinfamous tweets. A bit closer to home was controversy surrounding Politically Incorrect Maroon Confessions last year, in which anonymous posts referenced racial stereotypes which transcended politically incorrect and reached blatantly racist. Finally, in a less publicized display of racism, a video of KTVU San Francisco incorrectly listing the names of crew onboard Asiana Flight 214 (“Captain Sum Ting Wong ,” “Wi Tu Lo,” etc.) went viral on the internet; the clip was posted with such titles as “Epic Fail” or “LOL,” thus generating the sort of comedic response that the author of the prank no doubt intended. Forget the fact that this was aired in a city whose mayor, Ed Lee, is Asian-American. It is unfortunate that race is so often a source of disparity rather than unity. While one would hope that colorblindness need not follow from equality, it is wrong for anyone’s dignity to be hurt by that which makes us unique and beautiful.

Second, our inability to inclusively incorporate multiculturalism as an everyday philosophy rather than a political policy means that we fail to apply the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement to the cause of any socially disadvantaged group in the U.S. There isn’t very much to

explain here. The catchphrase “gay is the new black,” whether you agree with it or not, captures the notion that members of the LGBTQ community do not enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals, e.g., the right to marry in the majority of states. Further, the homosexual community frequently finds itself the butt of jokes and insults by virtually everybody else; homophobic slurs pervade everything from hip-hop to casual conversation. Other countries are taking notice: Earlier this year, the People’s Republic of China published their inaugural human rights report of the U.S., citing “serious sex, racial, and religious discrimination” as well as our tremendous income gap as evidence of our hypocritical stance as the world’s defender of human rights. Go figure.

To be totally clear: I am by no means saying that civil rights advocacy with regard to race is harmful, or that we should do less of it. By all means, keep at it, and all power to those who put up the fight for their rights. It would also be incorrect to say that things aren’t getting better; the fact that our president is African-American should be indicative of our judgment criteria resting not on the color of his skin, but on the content of his character.

Still, the continued per vasiveness of stereotypes too often remains at odds with the steps we have made toward racial equality. The legacy of the Civil Rights Movement is so much bigger than monuments, the Civil Rights Act, or Black Histor y Month. But if we forget what it is, there won’t be one.

Ken Jung is a first-year in the College.

Large Pizza up to 3 Toppings only

$10!

Carry-out or Delivery Order online! www.papajohns.com

Hyde Park Location 1418 E. 53rd Street (773) 752-7272

Mention this coupon to receive offer

ARTS

Heartlandia OCTOBER 18, 2013

Can poetry matter? Gioia’s work offers absolute “yes” Hamid Bendaas News Staff

Dana Gioia has visited the city of Chicago more than 70 times, but had not set gaze on the University until Wednesday night. “It is an astonishingly handsome and impressive campus,” he noted, after a substantial pause. Even compliments such as this one carry a sense of serious intentionality when spoken by Gioia, who for the past two decades has gained international notoriety for his advocacy of arts in today’s culture.

Gioia was invited by the Lumen Christi Institute and the Program in Poetry and Poetics to read from his latest book of poetry, Pity the Beautiful, which he waited 11 years to publish.

When asked why he waited so long between publications, Gioia borrowed a defense from Wallace Stevens: “Writing a book of poetry is a serious thing.”

This seriousness translates into the content and tone of many of the work’s poems as well, the power of many being in their bare expressions of trauma and spiritual suffering. “There is a great deal more emotional directness in this book,” which Gioia believes distinguishes it from his previous work. Many of the poems portray a haunted narrator—haunted in separate poems by a woman, or a son, or God, or his own memories.

Never is Gioia more direct and vulnerable than in the work’s final poem, “Majority,” where he speaks openly about his son who died at a young age. “When you lose a child…a very odd thing happens. You see a kid the same age and you say, ‘My son would look like that now,’’’ Gioia explained before his reading. The poem itself is a spiritual reconciliation for the work’s haunted narrator, at last able to accept his loss: “Now you are twenty-one./

Dana Gioia was invited to campus Thursday evening to read from his collection Pity the Beautiful, which he waited 11 years to publish.

HAMID BENDAAS | THE CHICAGO MAROON

Finally, it makes sense/ that you have moved away/ into your own afterlife.”

Along with his honest, unaffected expression of deeply personal content, one of Gioia’s greatest skills as a poet and speaker is his ability to translate abstract principles and concepts to relatable and often entertaining images. This skill has allowed him to write books of poetry that sell while expanding on challenging concepts like his own Catholic faith and theology. “One of the great things about Catholicism is that it has numbered lists, and probably my favorite list is the seven deadly sins,” he casually notes. “I see all seven, all huddled together in a second-rate diner

around a prospective sinner.”

In addition to writing poetry, Gioia has spent much of the last two decades advocating for the arts and poetry on the national and international stage, raising awareness to their diminished recognition in modern society.

Despite the obstacles the poetic medium faces to be restored to its once central place in American culture, Gioia sees the opportunity for a new receptiveness to the medium in the new generation. “Your generation is the first in more than a century for whom poetry has had a formative influence. I’m talking about hip-hop.

You have heard, from early adolescence, literary language shaped for expressive effect.” In the rise

of rap and spoken word performance, Gioia sees an opportunity for poetry to be embraced in forms and on levels that previous generations could not offer.

“My life has been a series of lucky or unlucky accidents,” said Gioia, who received an M.B.A. from Stanford University and had a successful business career for 15 years. One of the major turning points in his life came in 1991, when he wrote a piece for The Atlantic entitled “Can Poetry Matter?” The piece gained international attention, and Gioia left the business world to write full-time; he would later serve as the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and now serves a post as a professor of po-

etry at the University of Southern California. “The story of my life has been a story of improvisation; the one constant is that I am a poet, and I improvised many different ways that I could keep my life together while writing poetry.”

On his advice to young artists, Gioia again spoke with serious intentionality, pausing every few beats, choosing each word carefully. “The thing about life is, if you pretend to be something you are not, you spend an incredible amount of time doing that...

You exhaust yourself,” he said, his advice bringing to mind his distressed, haunted narrator. “If you’re doing what you love, it’s as easy as breathing.”

Screened for new class, film explores roots of gang violence Marika Van Laan Arts Staff Crips and Bloods. We’ve all heard of these gangs before, but despite their infamy and impact on American crime, most of us have but a vague and clichéd vision of these groups. We know about gang signs, shootings, and drugs, but the actual history and nature of these gangs are not clear. Bastards of the Party handles the monstrous task of chronicling the roots and development of South Central Los Angeles’s gangs through the eyes of an exBlood himself. The project has an unlikely premise. A former murderer employs history-like methodolog y to detail a violent story clouded by myth. However, the final product is an engrossing stream of consciousness that depicts one of the darkest aspects of American society.

Bastards was screened this past Tuesday at the Center for Race and Gender Studies in conjunction with “Crime and the City,” a new undergraduate course that examines the epidemic of crime among urban youth. Cle Sloan, the director and primary narrator of this film, brings the audience with him on a journey through time to answer the question: How did we come to this?

The narrator poses his question at the start of the documentary, referring to the bloodshed he has witnessed and contributed to as an ex-Blood. The introduction reveals how the next 90 minutes will be unlike most documentaries. Sloan immediately puts a human face to the subject at hand.

The audience is faced with the reality that the gang world is more than a stream of news reports: It’s a community of functional and emotional human beings who are

murdering each other.

As Sloan begins his investigation, the mystery is fascinating.

These notorious groups have little written history and documentation. Even the members themselves are unsure why most of their traditions, beliefs, and wars exist. As the details unfold, the director uses a rapidly changing backdrop of photos, videos, music, and informal interviews with both academics and South Central locals. The quick pacing and the direct tone evoke the mobility of the investigation and the history leading up to the matter at hand.

Sloan’s eschewing of formal documentary techniques also helps the viewer grasp the nature of the investigation. The unedited inputs of various friends and acquaintances, combined with those of authors and government officials, demonstrate the issues

the filmmakers face in pursuit of truth. In addition, the clips reveal how many of the facts are preserved and muddled in oral history. In short, this story could not be properly conveyed by historians sitting in armchairs.

In the end, the director delivers a sad tale of the disillusionment, police brutality, economic decay, and leadership vacuum that planted the seeds for the Bloods and Crips. As Sloan and the audience make sense of the sequence of events in tandem, the tragedy of the results becomes clear and embodied in the reflections of various gang members. The film gives a rare peek into how current and former members feel about their lives and actions, an aspect almost untouched on by media.

However, while the content of his film is bleak, Sloan manages to preserve a glimmer of hope simply by the expository nature

of his work. Although he has not solved the problems he describes, he reveals a fundamental aspect of Crips and Bloods: They are still human beings. As trite as it sounds, the director proves how lives can turn around. The film will probably not bring about the end of gang brutality. However, the unique and exhaustive explanation of its root causes may inspire improved solutions. Sloan shows audiences that the entrenched and debilitating conditions favoring gang organization are complex and long lasting. In brief, solutions such as shortterm police crackdowns are not the answer but instead perhaps contribute to the problem. Such messages prompt the viewers to reevaluate their views of this controversial and deep-rooted problem. Thanks to Sloan’s narrative, we can challenge ourselves to improve our search for a solution.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 18, 2013

9

La Bayadère puts Joffrey in first position The story is told through movement with athleticism that appeals to contemporary audiences,” explained Ashley Wheater, the Joffrey Ballet’s artistic director. Indeed, the characters move across the stage in delicate but deliberate steps; the men leap to new, ever more impressive heights, while lithe ballerinas perform ornate but seem-

LA BAYADÈRE Auditorium Theatre Through October 27

La Bayadère: The Temple Dancer, in Chicago for a mere 11 days, was scored by Marius Petipa, who also wrote music for Swan Lake.

COURTESY OF CHERYL MANN—JOFFREY BALLET

Evangeline Reid Maroon Contributor This Wednesday evening, the Joffrey Ballet opened the curtain on a magnificent revival of La Bayadère, a classic work that was given new life by Stanton Welch of the Houston Ballet in 2010 before the show was brought

to Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre this fall.

La Bayadère: The Temple Dancer is a richly romanticized story of love, betrayal, and jealousy, set in an idealized, storybook version of India. It was first performed in 1877 in Russia to the choreography of the great Marius Petipa, famous for his original work

in Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker and his revival of Swan Lake into the version that still endures today. Welch worked to preserve much of those original movements as well as to update the piece. “[He] has compressed and clarified the story, focusing on physical action rather than traditional pantomime.

ingly organic narrative movements of classical ballet, a task quite difficult to accomplish.

However, the highlight of the classical technique is in the third act and known as “Kingdom of the Shades.” It is one of the most celebrated scenes in classical ballet. It begins as an ensemble of over 20 women slowly and gracefully fill the stage while performing 38 synchronized arabesques, creating a sea of white tutus and long legs, moving as if connected. The scene, while much less visceral than the rest of the show, which relies on the Romantic style of ballet, requires an incredible amount of precision from all involved; even hands and tutus flutter in sync. The streamlined choreography allows the

movements—and the dancers’ training—to speak for themselves.

The story line follows the temple dancer, Nikiya, who falls in love with a man, Solor, despite being promised to the gods for a sacramental life. Meanwhile, another man, Brahman, also seeks to marry Nikiya. Then the Rajah requests that Solor marry his daughter, who accepts the offer to wed the princess, knowing he cannot refuse the Rajah. Brahman learns of Nikiya’s forbidden romance and tells the Rajah, not expecting his response: He plans to kill her. From there, the story develops in lavish layers of tragedy and drama that only the 19th century can provide.

The story is presented among the opulently decorated, exotic sets and costuming of legendary British show designer Peter Farmer. The stage comes to life with the wildly detailed backdrops and staging, lit up with the colorful attire. Ludwig Minkus’s score, arranged by John Lanchbery, adds yet another layer to the show. Chicago Philharmonic performs it with finesse, swelling just as a dancer leaps or drawing out a haunting violin note as a character slowly leaves another behind.

La Bayadère, a difficult but ultimately profoundly moving and stunningly beautiful work, has been breathed back to life with subtlety and flair. It is a triumph for the Joffrey.

Among talented names, Pusha T stands out Zane Burton Arts Staff The rapper Pusha T’s major label debut, My Name is My Name, is his first full-length release since his group Clipse was effectively dissolved in 2010.

Clipse closed shop so that the brothers composing it, Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton and Gene “No Malice” Thornton, could pursue solo work.

Pusha then signed to Kanye West’s record label GOOD Music. At first, the new collaboration seemed to be a very odd combination—GOOD Music’s most notable artists have included John Legend, Common, and Kid Cudi, a far cry from the biting street rap of Pusha T. After the release of Kanye’s Yeezus, though, the pairing began to make perfect sense. Pusha T’s malice and history as a cocaine dealer make a lot more sense in the context of the GOOD Music of 2013 than they would have in the label’s 2010 incarnation.

While Pusha has been very active since he signed to GOOD, his music has felt somewhat devoid of real purpose. He released a mixtape called Fear of God in 2011, followed up with an EP called Fear of God II: Let Us Pray a few months later, and was prominently featured on the GOOD Music compilation Cruel Summer the following spring.

The Fear of God series, while promising, was a definite step back from the heyday of Clipse. While Pusha’s work on Cruel Summer was stronger, it was limited in scope—his only song with more than a single verse was “New God Flow.”

With the release of My Name is My Name, though, things have changed.

Although Pusha’s earlier solo work has been released on the GOOD Music label, this is his first full-length album to be produced by Kanye. The difference that Kanye’s production has made cannot be overstated. This is the album that fans have been anticipating since Pusha

joined GOOD, and it fulfills much of the hype that Kanye has been building leading up to its release.

From the album’s opening, the producer’s influence is immediately evident. “King Push” includes the same samples that were featured in Kanye’s “New Slaves,” and builds a darkness that is uncompromising and all-consuming. Kanye’s work here is minimal and haunting, and it works to reveal just how nasty Pusha’s flow can get, even though he almost never raises his voice on the album.

When the focus stays on Pusha, the album is wildly successful. By contrast, the guest spots that mark the middle third of the album are full of missteps.

It’s telling that these tracks are the only ones that don’t include production from Kanye. For an album tasked with building a distinctive identity for Pusha, most of the features do little more than distract from his trademark rawness. Kelly Rowland’s guest spot on “Let Me Love You” is particularly incomprehensible. If Pusha is going to put out an album that makes a statement, it has to be unified. The questionable features on the album create thematic divisions which distract from Pusha’s strengths, rather than enhancing them.

That’s not to say all the features on the album are out of place. Kendrick Lamar’s verse on “Nosetalgia” is a natural extension of the themes of My Name is My Name, and introduces a lyrical juxtaposition that is a great example of how a feature should work. Kendrick’s harrowing tale of his father’s descent into crack addiction juxtaposes Pusha’s experience dealing massive amounts of cocaine from a very young age. The verses combine to hint at the regrets that Pusha holds about his former life, a theme the rapper introduces earlier in the album with “Numbers on the Boards,” rapping, “Ballers, I put numbers on the

On My Name is My Name, the rapper Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton’s talent shines in his work with Kanye West and Pharrell; it sometimes even eclipses the work of other producers and collaborators.

COURTESY OF PREFIX MAG

boards / Hard to get a handle on this double-edged sword.”

From time to time, My Name is My Name even shows flashes of true brilliance. When Kanye or Pharrell Williams are in the producer’s chair, they’re able to provide Pusha with the guidance he requires in order to succeed. When the production is handled by the host

of other producers that work on the middle of the album, the result illustrates how much of a difference having a great producer can make—and not in a good way.

Tracks like “Numbers on the Board” and “King Push” make me wish for a true Pusha T solo album, one that hands out features with more diligence.

The successes on My Name is My Name are bigger ones than Pusha has achieved in years, but they make the mistakes all the more frustrating. If Pusha’s departure from Clipse is to signify him reaching his full potential, it will need to be with like-minded artists who are able to expand upon his vision rather than simply exist beside it.

THE CHICAGO MAROON | ARTS | October 18, 2013

10

Friday | October 18 Relieve some stress tonight by kicking back with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton at Doc Films’ screening of Fight Club. Join the fight, laugh it off, and play it cool as you watch the story of an average Joe escaping from the monotony of his life into a new, dangerously exciting world involving (you guessed it) fight clubs. Liberal humor, action-packed fight scenes, a touch of romance, and 1999 graphics: What combination could be better? Max Pa-

levsky Cinema. 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and 12 a.m., $5.

West 35th Street, 6–10 p.m., free.

Saturday | October 19

If you’re of the artsy variety (or want to be), head up to the Bridgeport Art Center for its 3rd Friday Open Studios. In a relaxed but hip atmosphere, you can browse thought-provoking artwork while chatting up artists and getting inspired. This month’s feature, organized by Urban Threads Studio, is titled “The Greatness in Textiles” and focuses on the material arts. Light refreshments will be served. 1200

Once in a while, we all feel a twinge of nostalgia for the notso-distant past. Satisfy this innate desire for simpler times by heading over to Hyde Park Records for its All Vinyl In-Store DJ Series. As you browse through used and new vinyl, CDs, and records, feel free to strut your best moves. Four live DJs, led by head honcho Mr. Jaytoo, will be dropping the beats, dishing out disco,

hip-hop, jazz, fusion, and soul.

Revel in this old-school-meetsultra-hip atmosphere, and don’t forget to ask at the register for a discount on the vinyl. 1377 East 53rd Street, 3–8 p.m.

It’s that time of year again: when the campus swells with hordes of parents, alumni, and, yes, free stuff. Show some school spirit and come out to the UChicago Homecoming Block Party and Football Game, where you’ll find a bounce house, music, games, and plenty of giveaways.

Check out 56th Street’s delicious lineup of fan favorites, including candy apples and corn dogs, and stick around for the football game against Macalester. Be among the first 600 to arrive and snag a free T-shirt. 56th and Ellis, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., kickoff 1:30 p.m.

Sunday | October 20 So you think you know Chicago? Answer that question after checking out more than 150 historic, glamorous, or just plain interesting sites around town

through Open House Chicago, an event hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Roam the Palmer House or City Hall downtown, head over to the renowned Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park, or behold the original Sears Tower in all its glory up in North Lawndale, all for free. UChicago’s own Oriental Institute and Bond Chapel are featured venues. You’ll come away feeling more cultured and knowing Chicago just a little bit better.

Various locations and neighborhoods, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., free.

A Japanese diamond in the rough Ginza Japanese Restaurant has been a go-to establishment of mine for two and a half years, although I can’t remember how the relationship started—a friend’s recommendation, maybe, or just a lucky break? Honestly, it doesn’t matter much anymore.

When it comes down to it, I’m just glad it’s waiting there, tucked away into the dilapidated Tokyo Hotel, where it has been for 26 years. Yet even two and a half decades of staying power cannot fend off the slogging development of real estate investors. It’s been a few weeks now since I learned that the Tokyo Hotel will be closed and renovated, and Ginza ousted in the process. I recently confirmed with the establishment: Yes, they’re closing. Plans are being discussed to relocate nearby, but the follow-through on that idea remains shrouded in ambiguity. October 26 is the restaurant’s final day of operation, possibly for a short while, perhaps forever.

Ginza’s imminent closure irks me. Part of this is the personal sadness of losing something familiar and constant. As Frank Bruni wrote recently in The New York Times, a regular is a regular “for the solace. The peace.” But with Ginza there is a bit more to it than that, because the connection is not only personal but also civic. There is an incubated community in this small

basement-like interior, the child of the blazing energy of River North and the aging clientele that dines here. It is worth experiencing during its final days on the culinary circuit.

This narrow Japanese hole-in-a-wall has dozens of charms, but the most disarming of these is the seemingly magical distance

GINZA 19 East Ohio Street Chicago, IL 60611 Average roll: $5

it can create from the world outside. Passing through the entryway, the bustling crowds of uber-chic River North restaurant-goers disappear, subsumed in the knickknacks lining the walls and the modest wood-paneled sushi bar.

The restaurant seems transplanted from another place and time. Standing in the sushi bar on any given evening is Akira Yokoyama, proprietor and veteran sushi chef of the old guard. If you can, and without being too creepy, watch him work.

Each dish that is ordered he watches, with a meticulous and effortless mastery that ensures its quality. There are no frills at this restaurant, so don’t come asking for any Dragon Rolls. (Or if you do, don’t tell them I sent you.)

At Ginza, the fish does all the talking, uncluttered by the bandaging of sweet and sour sauces that might otherwise compensate for lackluster meat. A chirashi box at Ginza ($18.50) will welcome you with a bed of sticky sushi rice sprinkled with seaweed and topped with pickled daikon, radish, ginger, wasabi, and an array of sashimi pieces. There are staples here—tuna, salmon, shrimp, and salmon roe have always made appearances.

That said, each box also comes with a few seasonal treasures for the adventurous bunch—monkfish liver and fresh clam are two longedfor favorites. The deep red tuna is bold yet simple, the salmon is rich in its fattiness yet soft, and the gold-colored smelt roe pops in your mouth and almost instinctively forces a smile.

Each piece of fish is delicate and playful under the sumptuous array of colors that glisten in their textured layers: This is where years of experience at the hands of a master craftsman really shine. Ordering nigiri or maki rolls is equally commendable, but as a word of caution, be mindful of how you consume the limited morsels. Every nigiri is already inlaid with wasabi.

Beware the trigger-happy need for soy sauce; the sushi speaks for itself, so let it.

For those less interested in raw fish, there are still several items that are quintessentially grounded in the restaurant’s suave

At Ginza, which will close indefinitely in a week, “the fish does all the talking.”

COURTESY OF LTHFORUM

simplicity. The tonkotsu ramen ($10.50) is served in a metal pot with the broth still boiling, which cooks the ingredients from the inside. This dish produces a balancing act between being boisterous and detailed.

The broth is salty and heavy, inlaid with pieces of shrimp tempura and a large clam. Fish cakes, an egg, and green onion smooth out the dish, allowing some of the more subtle textures to come through. The dish is as much about the feel as it is about the flavors.

There are many other items at Ginza to look into, some that I’d describe favorably, and others not so much. Consider the

yellowtail collar for its tender shards of meat; avoid the fermented soybeans. But in this particular case, the rapidly diminishing lifespan of the restaurant calls more for praise than for criticism.

Ginza has hosted more great meals than I can count, and the fact that I have, at times, ordered so much to give the waitress pause is something I’ll remember with both fondness and dread. As far as Chicago’s landmark establishments go, this is one of the most humble and the most honest. It’s a noble existence in a terrain dominated by a food culture that changes every nanosecond.

Ginza is worth going to

once because it is a unique world within the city, built over years of patronage in a low-profile existence. The restaurant is not the only one in the city that produces complex food out of a careful selection of highquality ingredients, but it may be the only place (at least downtown) where the world simply melts away in the process. Like a diamond in the rough, Ginza is an undiscovered creation built from the chaotic pressure on top of it. Take some time off next week and go, if only to claim you are an observer of the secret Japanese world concealed in River North that is coming to a conclusion.

11

THE CHICAGO MAROON | SPORTS | October 18, 2013

South Siders to face conference’s best, worst in home slate Men’s Soccer David Gao Maroon Contributor After last Saturday’s loss against Emory (8–3–1), the Maroons (6–1–3) will now face the Rochester Yellowjackets (9–1–1) in a game that could solidify a spot near the top of the conference or drop their UAA record to 1–2–0. “[Rochester is] the only team that’s 2–0 in the league right now.

They’re a mix of some veteran guys, and they’ve got some younger guys that are doing really well, some freshmen that have stepped in and played well so far,” said head coach Mike Babst.

The South Siders are coming from a game against Emory in which they outshot the Eagles but were unable to deal with a patient defense that put their entire team behind the ball.

“Our last game was a little of a setback attacking. We lacked urgency in certain situations and chemistry as far as multiple guys understanding when the

attack was on. Hopefully we’ll be able to attack with a lot of speed and be more decisive and create a lot more opportunities than last Saturday,” Babst said.

The Maroons will be facing a high-pressure team that hasn’t lost its past eight games and is undefeated in conference play.

“I think it’ll be a good atmosphere for our guys, and in this league every game is a great challenge and a great opportunity to make a statement and solidify ourselves as a team that can contend for the conference championship,” Babst said. “We just have to earn every inch of it, and Rochester is one of the better teams in the country.”

The Maroons experienced the Yellowjackets’ offense last year, when they played Rochester on the road and were outshot 20–4 en route to a 1–4 loss. Most of the No. 19–ranked team returns this year, with four fourth-years and 12 thirdyears on the field playing for the Yellowjackets.

Fourth-year Sawyer Kisken dribbles the ball against Brandeis University in a game last season. The Maroons won the game 1–0.

COURTESY OF HANS GLICK

In a season that has been characterized by playmaking and ball movement, Chicago is looking to avenge last year’s defeat and contend with

the offense by keeping the ball out of that pressure.

“They are going to look to press. We’re going to play to our strengths by moving the ball quickly so

they tire early, and then we’ll try to pick them apart.

Just as with Carnegie, the other [fourth-years] and I are 1–1–1 against them, so we have another rubber

match on our hands,” said captain and fourth-year defender Adam Shamlian.

The action kicks off at 5 p.m. today at Stagg Field under the stadium lights.

No. 4 Emory presents biggest obstacle at second Round Robin Volleyball

Second-year Maren Loe prepares to return the ball in a game against Heidelberg at the 2012 UChicago Gargoyle Classic.

COURTESY OF JOHN BOOZ

Kevin Moy Maroon Contributor The South Siders’ path to a championship continues this weekend.

The No. 19 Maroons (16– 7, 3–0 UAA) will travel to St.

Louis where No. 11 Wash U (18–5, 2–1 UAA) will host the second UAA Round Robin of the season. The team will play four matches, two on Saturday and two on Sunday, which will eventually determine the seeding for the

UAA Championship in three weeks.

“Conference is always a big deal for any team,” head coach Vanessa Walby said. “This Round Robin will be more difficult, and there are more matches, so we really need to

come out and play.”

The Maroons will start the tournament against No. 4 Emory (22–1, 3–0 UAA). Emory will be the team’s biggest challenge this weekend.

Chicago’s defense will be one of the keys to the match.

The Maroons will rely on the continued defense of thirdyear libero Eirene Kim, who led the team with 26 digs at last weekend’s Midwest Volleyball Challenge.

“We have to close the block first so that their good attackers can’t hurt our defense on the ground,” fourth-year middle blocker Maggie Vaughn said.

Following the Emory match, the Maroons will have slightly less intimidating competition. To finish off Saturday, the team will square off against unranked NYU (18–2, 2–1 UAA).

Carnegie (16–6, 1–2 UAA) and Case (11–12, 0–3 UAA) will be the two matches on Sunday for Chicago. Even

though these are some of the weaker teams in the UAA, the Maroons do not plan on taking these games for granted.

“We need to be focused every single point of the match,” Walby said. “We need to control what is happening on our side of the court and keep our play as consistent as possible.”

The Maroons are looking to bounce back after losing the last two matches at the Midwest Volleyball Challenge last weekend. The final match saw the team fall to No. 1 Calvin College in three sets.

Yet the South Siders recognized that the regional tournament featured tougher competition than they have seen all season. They are hoping they can use that experience to have a strong showing this weekend.

“Especially [now] when it is the time that school ramps up and tends to become overwhelming, those tournaments are the true test

of the team’s composure and discipline,” Vaughn said.

The Maroons will look to second-year outside hitters Maren Loe and Jasmine Mobley on the offensive front.

The two led the team in kills at last week’s tournament.

They will also rely on fourthyear setter Nikki DelZenero, who posted a season-high 58 assists at last week’s match against Bethany College (19– 7).

Chicago is confident it will perform well this weekend, based on previous matchups and familiarity with these teams.

“The conference tournaments are always different because these are the girls that we play every year. We know the general tendencies of each team, so it’s easier to get into a groove,” Vaughn said.

The Maroons’ quest for good seeding continues when they begin the Round Robin by facing Emory on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

DeMayo: “The main thing I would like to see the team keep doing is keep winning and sweep UAA play” FOOTBALL continued from back

theme that will recur in the second half ’s round of games. Playing a home game, with the added energy that will come from the homecoming festivities and high attendance, should provide the team with an extra spark.

“The environment should be great,” Duffy said. “Everyone is real excited about the moves that the University has been making

in recent years to get more support out at the games. It’ll be a lot of fun and will bring a lot of energy to the table.”

A saying echoed by most team members is one coined by new head coach Chris Wilkerson: “Control the controllables.” The team seems to have internalized this strategy, and it has influenced its mental and physical preparations.

“As long as guys can continue to stay focused on the task at hand, then we have the opportunity to do something special,” Duffy said.

DeMayo believes this Maroon squad has a chance to go further than those of past years.

“The main thing I would like to see the team keep doing is keep winning and sweep UAA play and bring the Founders Cup back

to Chicago. The attitude and effort that every member of this team has and gives is exemplary, and with that combination no changes are needed,” DeMayo said. The Founders Cup is given to the team that wins the Chicago-Wash U game each year.

The Maroons kick off against the Macalester Scots at Stagg Field tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.

SPORTS

IN QUOTES “I thought about doing all that stuff. But I think the league would fine me.”

—New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, when asked whether the only way to stop the Patriots’ Tom Brady is a stake to the heart

Maroons poised for homecoming game against Macalester Football Russell Mendelson Sports Staff Following a bye week that was used to recover after their only loss of the season, the Maroons will start the second half of their campaign at home, facing Macalester in front of the homecoming weekend crowd.

Chicago (4–1) suffered its first defeat of the season on October 5 in Memphis, TN at the hands of Rhodes College (5–1). Along with the difficulties associated with playing a strong opponent, the South Siders experienced a wide range of non-football-related roadblocks that weekend, including a nine-hour overnight bus ride.

“The most challenging part was seeing the whole team fight for all 60 minutes and still come up short.

It definitely wasn’t a lack of effort, [we] simply just got out-executed in a few instances and Rhodes was able to capitalize. But overall, everyone came ready to play, and you hate having to see your guys come

up short when you know they left it all out there,” said fourthyear linebacker and captain Brian Duffy.

Fourth-year offensive lineman Franco DeMayo saw the bye week that followed the game in Memphis as a useful opportunity for the team.

“I think that, as a team, we would agree that the bye week was definitely a good thing, since we had a lot of guys get banged up last week and they were able to heal,” DeMayo said. “As a team, we really try not to add emphasis on previous weeks and just treat every week as if we were 0–0. Also, last week had no effect on our goal of winning [the] conference.”

Putting the season in perspective, Chicago has earned the right to be proud of its body of work up to this point. The team leads the conference with a 4–1 overall record and has performed well despite spending the majority of its season on the road, which is a FOOTBALL continued on page 11

Third-year Zak Ross-Nash goes down on contact in a game against Elmhurst earlier this season.

COURTESY OF JOHN BOOZ

Chicago looks for UAA foothold in weekend doubleheader Women’s Soccer Tatiana Fields Associate Sports Editor After a solid start to their year, the Maroons will be put to the test this weekend in one of the most important stretches of the season.

Coming off of a 2–0 loss to Emory at home, Chicago (7–3–2) will host Rochester and Case on Friday and Sunday, respectively. With a 0–1–1 record in the UAA, the South Siders have a chance to improve their conference record with these next two matchups.

The Maroons haven’t tasted victory for quite a stretch, seeing as they’ve gone 0–1–2 in their last three matches. Winning these conference games is crucial for

them to have a chance at postseason play.

“This is a very important weekend for us that will allow us to establish ourselves in the UAA,” said fourth-year midfielder Beatrice Hobson. “We are looking to come out strong Friday against Rochester to bounce back from our loss to Emory. Setting the tone of the game in the first 15 minutes will be key for us to put Rochester away early and gain momentum for our game against Case.”

Like the Maroons, Rochester (5–3–3, 0–1–1) has yet to win a game in the UAA and will be looking to improve its standing. However, the South Siders will have home field advantage and were able to defeat the Yellowjackets 2–1 last year on the road. Chicago believes that it is ready for

this weekend’s challenges.

“We have been working hard in practice all week to prepare us for our matches against Rochester and Case,” said firstyear defender Brenna Budd. “We have confidence in our ability to defeat both teams and are excited to be playing on our home field.”

After hosting Rochester on Friday, the Maroons will then face the Case Western Spartans on Sunday. The Spartans (7–5–1) also have yet to win a game in the UAA with their conference record of 0–1–1.

Last year, the Maroons handily defeated Case with a final score of 6–0. This year, the South Siders expect nothing different.

“If we play with the intensity we know

we are capable of, then we should win both games,” Budd said.

For these next few games, the Maroons will be heavily focused on following through on offense, as the South Siders have scored one goal over their last three games. Chicago will look to fourth-year midfielder Micaela Harms, third-year midfielder Sara Kwan, and fourth-year for ward Natalia Jovanovic to lead the team’s offense. “ We are really focusing on connecting our passes and keeping possession in our attacking third to create scoring opportunities,” Hobson said.

Chicago will take its offensive focus to Stagg Field against Rochester today at 2:30 p.m. and Case on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Five for Friday: Taking a look at the week’s key story lines 1.

OFFENSE HOPING TO BREAK OUT OF SLUMP

Women’s soccer has averaged less than a goal a game in its last four games and has been heavily outshot over the same period.

The defense has, thankfully for them, impressed over that same period, but last weekend’s 2–0 loss to Emory only served to highlight Chicago’s misfiring offense. With the South Siders sitting five points off the UAA lead, and Rochester and Case Western both in town this weekend, they need to find some goals fast. The South Siders will look to third-year Sara Kwan and fourth-years Micaela Harms and Natalia Jovanovic for some inspiration in front of goal. The three boast 14 goals and 17 assists between them this season, and with the biggest weekend of the Maroons’ season coming up, they will need to be on target again.

W

2.

EXPECT HIGH-SCORING HOMECOMING

The Macalester College Scots will be the guests at this year’s homecoming game. This should be welcome news to the Maroons, who are coming off of their first loss of the year, a 41–34 defeat to Rhodes College. Despite the loss, Chicago performed well (a couple of special teams blunders cost the Maroons the game), and fourth-year quarterback Vincent Cortina shone in particular.

Cortina threw for 354 yards and five touchdowns and must be relishing the opportunity to face a Macalester team that gave up 56 points in its last game against Carleton and 26 in the game before against Mayville State. In what should be a lively atmosphere, expect the South Siders to get on the board early and often.

3.

BIG WEEKEND FOR MEN’S SOCCER

This year’s UAA conference is finely poised. Chicago is tied for third with No. 12 Brandeis and No. 23 Carnegie Mellon, teams that both made the NCAA tournament last year.

The Maroons welcome conference leaders No. 18 Rochester to Stagg Field this evening before facing lastplace Case Western on Sunday. The Yellowjackets have two wins out of two games in the UAA this year and enjoyed an impressive 3–2 win away against Brandeis last week.

If they win tonight, the Maroons could take a share of the conference lead into their game against the underdog Case Spartans. If they lose, Sunday’s game will become more about staying alive than about making a statement.

M

CROSS COUNTRY SET

EMORY POSES BIGGEST 4. THREAT TO MAROONS IN ROUND ROBIN II

5. FOR FINAL DAY OF PREP

Volleyball has a perfect record in conference play after sweeping the first UAA Round Robin of the season two weeks ago. Those victories will certainly give the South Siders confidence heading into Round Robin II, and they will need to be at their best as they take on Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, and No. 4 Emory. Chicago, ranked 19th in the nation in the most recent NCAA polls, will fancy its chances against Case, Carnegie, and NYU, but Emory will pose a much bigger challenge. Still, the Maroons need only look back to their victory over No. 11 Wash U during the last weekend of UAA play, only their second in history against the Bears, for a little extra inspiration in their first game of the weekend against Emory. Another unlikely win would set the tone nicely for the remainder of the weekend.

After the cancellation of the North Central Cardinal Open next week, Saturday’s UW–Oshkosh Brooks Invitational now represents the Maroons’ final opportunity to prepare for the UAA Championship, which takes place in Pittsburgh, PA on November 2. Chicago’s preparation could hardly have gone smoother. The men have finished first in two out of four meets this year, while the women have been top three out of five times.

Hopes are high for the conference meet this year, with the women ranked sixth in the nation and the men 30th. The result of this weekend’s race will mean relatively little come conference, but don’t underestimate the confidence these teams will gain from a commanding performance in Oshkosh.

—Jake Walerius

BEFORE

CC

UAAS