FEATURED ARTIST: Creative nonfiction major Aaron Cooper shares experiences of life at Columbia from a poet’s point of view. For full story and video, visit ColumbiaChronicle.com.
Gov. Pat Quinn remembers fallen soldiers at Columbia Go to ColumbiaChronicle.com for exclusive video content
OPINIONS: Unpaid internships break laws, banks See PG. 38
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No. 1 Non-Daily College Newspaper in the Nation MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013
THE OFFICIAL NEWS SOURCE OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
VOLUME 49, ISSUE 3
Low enrollment, high hopes, cagey college
Campus Editor DESPITE A 5.6 percent decrease in enrollment from last fall, expected to cause an $11 million loss of revenue, Columbia’s administration remains optimistic about its numbers. In a Sept. 10 report posted on IRIS, a faculty web portal, by the Institutional Effectiveness office, a new department that tracks college data, 601 fewer students are enrolled this year than at this time last year. Columbia’s total number of students fell from 10,774 to 10,173—a five-year low. In releasing the data, the college withheld certain key information relating to how selective the admission process was. The report reflects enrollment up to the college’s Sept. 9 add-drop date but does not include students who withdrew during the week– long drop period, said Mark Kelly, vice president of Student Affairs. According to Kelly, a full report with more accurate numbers will
be released Sept. 17. “These aren’t final numbers yet, but they are very close to what they will be,” Kelly said. Royal Dawson, assistant vice president of Institutional Effectiveness, declined to comment on the issue of enrollment until the final report is released. The cost of full-time undergraduate tuition at the college is $22,132 and approximately $11,066 for parttime students, according to the Student Financial Services’ website. Using current statistics, the college is poised to lose approximately $11 million this year. Kelly said that while the college recognizes enrollment’s impact on the budget, it would not admit students just for their wallets. “We’re not going to base our admission decisions on the budget because that suggests we’re going to accept students to make our budget issues easier, even though we think that student won’t be successful here,” Kelly said.
Information from Institutional Effectiveness
TYLER EAGLE
xx SEE ENROLLMENT, PG. 12
Christine Fielder THE CHRONICLE
Pinto kickstarts collection
JUSTIN MORAN Arts & Culture Editor
xx SEE RENEGADES, PG. 19
SHE HAS DESIGNED luxurious red carpet gowns for Oprah Winfrey’s high-profile appearances and powerfully demure campaign dresses for First Lady Michelle Obama’s political pursuits, but now Chicago designer Maria Pinto is aiming to dress the everyday woman with her new ready-to-wear collection, M2057. The line includes 13 minimalist garments and will be funded online using a Kickstarter campaign, running through Oct. 14. As of press time, Pinto has $67,933 pledged toward her $250,000 goal. After graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990 and then interning at Geoffrey Beene in New York City for more than a year, Pinto entered Chicago’s fashion scene in 1991 with surprising ferocity for a newcomer. Just as she was launching her first accessory line out of college,
FEATURE
CAMPUS
METRO
Chicago cyclists get rough with hardcourt bike polo • pg. 24 Columbia moves to increase class sizes • pg. 8
Public art brightens neighborhoods • pg. 40
Columbia, Roosevelt work out gym deal Anthony Soave THE CHRONICLE Columbia athletes now have access to long-time athletic partner Roosevelt University’s new Lillian and Larry Goodman Center, 50 E. Congress Parkway.
AIDEN WEBER Assistant Sports & Health Editor AFTER A FOUR-YEAR struggle to find a permanent home for the Renegades and recreational athletes, the college has struck a deal with its long-time athletic partner Roosevelt University. The deal will give Columbia students and club teams free parttime access to Roosevelt’s newly built gymnasium at the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center, 50 E. Congress Parkway.
Indian-inspired pashmina scarves became a hot item—a style that was luckily prevalent in her debut collection. “Right as the pashmina craze hit, I decided to do a wrap and scarf collection because it was an easy, accessible start-up that I could develop and produce,” Pinto explained. “So, I scheduled appointments with Bergdorf [Goodman], Barney’s [New York], Saks [Fifth Avenue] and Neiman [Marcus], and ended up selling with all four accounts—That’s unheard of [for new designers].”
Finalized in the last week of August, the agreement will allow Renegades teams six hours of practice time per week in addition to opencourt hours for all Columbia and Roosevelt students. Open hours are currently Monday–Thursday from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and Sunday evenings from 6–9 p.m., according to Columbia Fitness and Recreation Manager Mark Brticevich, who was a major player in the negotiation process. He said the deal will be mutually beneficial to both institutions.
In return for gym time, Columbia will offer fitness and health programming to Roosevelt students, according to Brticevich. He said Roosevelt recreation will also benefit from the number of Columbia students at tournaments and pick-up games. “Columbia continues to offer some great fitness, health and wellness elements through some of their classes like Zumba and yoga,” Roosevelt Athletic Director Michael Cassidy said.
xx SEE PINTO, PG. 32
HARDCOURT COMPETITORS, HARDCORE HOMIES.