Arts & Culture: Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer
4
bring “Broad City” act to Lincoln Hall, See pg. 17
Online exclusive video
Rebecca Brunner’s biggest inspiration for her music
Opinions: Yik Yak allows college students to post
anonymously, causing issues, See pg. 32
FALL 2014
WEEKS LEFT
No. 1 Non-Daily College Newspaper in the Nation MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2014
THE OFFICIAL NEWS SOURCE OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
VOLUME 50, ISSUE 12
Kim invites community to embrace Columbia DIY devices jolt brain, improve function
KATHERINE DAVIS Campus Editor TO HELP RAISE Columbia’s profile and boost awareness among influential Chicagoans, President Kwang-Wu Kim delivered a speech at a luncheon hosted by the City Club of Chicago, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that provides forums for civic and public affairs in Chicago, on Nov. 13 at Maggiano’s Banquet Restaurant, 111 W. Grand Ave. Along with prominent Chicago business and civic leaders, a large number of community members, students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni attended the event, which mainly consisted of Kim discussing the college’s mission, goals and its desire for community partnerships. Kim addressed several points at the event, which included the college’s curriculum, alumni, postgraduation success and most distinctively, diversity. “Columbia College Chicago is deeply, deeply committed to the educational value of difference,” Kim said. “The more different perspectives we assemble, different ways of
JACOB WITTICH
Assistant Sports & Health Editor
Carolina Sánchez THE CHRONICLE President Kwang-Wu Kim spoke to the City Club of Chicago to raise awareness of the college among the Chicago community at Maggiano’s Banquet Restaurant, 111 W. Grand Ave. on Nov 13.
evaluating truth, different relationships to power, privilege and authority and make that the setting for our students’ exploration, the greater likelihood that they will be thinking about things they never thought about before. ”
In addition to discussing collaborative initiatives, Kim asked community members to visit campus and engage with students to better understand the college’s atmosphere and better identify with the college.
Although the college has emphasized the importance of fundraising through donor gifts and increased enrollment this academic year, Kim said the first step in accomplishing
xx SEE LUNCHEON, PG. 9
‘No Genre’ music seminar brings B.o.B, DJ MoonDawg to campus KYLE HOLLEY Assistant Campus Editor THE STUDENT PROGRAMMING Board
partnered with Atlantic Records to bring a panel of distinguished members of the hip-hop community to campus. Hip-hop artists Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., who performs under the name B.o.B., radio personality DJ MoonDawg, Chicago-based artist Spenzo and Kevin Gates spoke at “No Genre”, a music seminar about radio play and how to pursue a record deal, on Nov. 11 at Stage Two in the 618 S. Michigan Ave. Building. Spenzo, an Atlantic Records signee, said he was excited about the opportunity to speak with Columbia students about his experience as a 19-year-old recording artist. He said he would still be in a high school classroom had he not
Campus honors veterans • PAGE 3
been signed. However, Spenzo said the industry has been a learning experience for him every day. “This music business is school to me,” Spenzo said. “Every step I take involving this, I learn and grow from it. I feel like I’m in a school of music.” Although Spenzo said he is still learning about the music industry, he said he credits his drive and ambitious pursuit of his dreams as the main reason he has seen such success as an artist. “I don’t live up to my name—I live up to my work ethic,” Spenzo said. “I wake up and say, ‘How can I be better than yesterday’s me?’” B.o.B., an Atlantic Records artist, Grand Hustle affiliate and hip-hop superstar, offered students insight about the importance of being
xx SEE GENRE, PG. 9
Kelly Wenzel THE CHRONICLE Rapper B.o.B advises students on the importance of developing meaningful industry relationships.
Brain detects ghostly presence • PAGE 14
Tribulations in translation revealed • PAGE 20
FOR SOME, A cup of coffee is the best way to focus on work. But for Vincent Wood, a junior neuroscience major at the University of Pittsburgh, that extra jolt of energy comes from a different source. Wood uses Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation at home, a device that uses electrodes attached to the head to send a small electrical current to parts of the brain intended to improve its performance. The device works by applying a weak current to the scalp, which penetrates the brain’s tissue and changes the likelihood of neurons in that region to fire signals or not, thus either enhancing or inhibiting certain processes, according to Jeremy Nelson, science advisor at the Department of Defense Hearing Center of Excellence. Wood is only one of many who self-administer tDCS outside of a laboratory setting. Use of such brain stimulation has gained momentum among many who practice it at home using DIY devices. There is an entire online community of users who self-administer tDCS and share their experiences through different platforms, including message boards such as reddit and YouTube. However, tDCS is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and, according to Nelson, research on the technology is still fairly new, so it is difficult to know any long-term risks in using the device. “[There are] factors that we need to study more thoroughly, so it’s hard to say [what the risks are], and that’s going to be probably everyone’s biggest caution,” Nelson said. “We still don’t know what happens when somebody applies this to themselves for hours or for days, weeks or months.” Michael T. Weisend, senior research scientist at the Wright State Research Institute, said
xx SEE BRAIN, PG. 15
Skate park comes to South Loop • PAGE 36 T HE COLUMBIA C HRONICLE