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.”