SG Pay Plan Fails - The Chicago Maroon

MAY 24, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SINCE 1892
SG Pay Plan Fails
BY EMILY FEIGENBAUM
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
A proposal to pay top Student
Government (SG) officers failed in
a General Assembly (GA) vote last
night.
GA gathered last night in the
basement of Booth for its last meeting of the school year to discuss a
proposal by Executive Slate to
apply rollover funding toward the
compensation of Executive Committee (EC) members. GA voted
to instead allocate the funding to
Student Leadership Recognition
and Access Program (SLRA), a
program that compensates students who balance volunteer work
and part-time jobs. The motion
passed 18–9–6.
In a memo addressed to GA on
May 21, Slate proposed to allocate
annual awards to EC members for
their elected roles in order to mitigate the financial burdens the roles
carry. The annual sum of $16,979
in awards would have been derived
from administrative funds and rollover funds from previous years.
Updated rollover figures, which
total $311,691, with $96,191 remaining after allocations for next
year’s recently passed budget, were
introduced at the meeting. The rollover amount increased by $58,348
from the estimate at the previous
GA meeting, which Vice President
for Student Affairs Kenzo Esquivel explained is due to conservative
projections. Slate proposed using
the newly projected rollover funding to increase SLRA funds by
$7,500 and create EC awards totaling $16,979.
The Annual EC Award Proposal stated that Slate members
would be awarded $3,465, Liaisons would be awarded $1,040, and
Council Chairs would be awarded
$1,733. Using estimations of 10
hours per week for Slate, three
hours for liaisons, and five hours
for council chairs, the memo noted
the calculated hourly wage would
be $10.50.
Discussion of the SG Awards
proposal began with personal
anecdotes from Executive Slate
members. Kissinger, struggling to
hold back tears, said that being a
University student is a full-time job.
Kissinger explained that he is
a self-supporting student and that
his financial aid and outside schol-
It’s All Greek to Me
Page 4
Greek life’s positive impact is
being forgotten amid criticism.
arship do not cover all of his expenses. Vice President for Administration Alex Jung, also teary-eyed,
explained that she attends UChicago because it less expensive for her
than attending college in Korea.
Citing a statistic from the
American Student Government
Association (ASGA), the May 21
memo stated that 77 percent of
elected student government leaders across the US are financially
compensated. Kissinger added in
an online personal statement that
SG leaders at other universities are
compensated with free tuition or
salaries surpassing $10,000.
A related proposal put forward
in 2014, sought to provide SG cabinet members with stipends to
compensate for their large time
commitments, failed. Citing the
growing role of SG, Slate wrote
in its memo that time spent on SG
poses a financial burden, especially
for low-income students who must
support themselves through parttime employment.
“For much of my time at UChicago I was unable to engage in the
classroom to the degree I wish I
could have, and that came as a result of trying to work a campus job
while prioritizing my work in SG
above all else. While I’m immensely proud of the work that we’ve done
in SG over my past two years as
President, I know I could have done
more if it weren’t for this financial
stress,” Kissinger wrote on the SG
website.
“Collectively, the three of us in
Executive Slate work a total of six
part-time jobs. The amount of time
it takes to do the work in these positions will only continue to grow
as SG’s impact on campus grows.
That is why we are proposing for
EC members to receive a small
annual award— essentially the
equivalent of a part-time campus
job,” Kissinger added.
Several SG members voiced
support for paying SG members,
but expressed consternation over
the message it sends to the student
body.
Graduate Liaison to the Board
of Trustees Katie Perri, a USC
alumna who witnessed a similar
program during her undergraduate career, explained that the
USC SG awards system was both
robust and effective. However, PerContinued on page 2
VOL. 127, ISSUE 50
No Standard
Rules for GC
Elections
BY PETE GRIEVE
& ADAM THORP
DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
& NEWS EDITOR
Graduate Council can keep its
medley of methods for selecting
Zoe Kaiser
representatives, General Assembly
Provost Isaacs takes questions at Monday’s Student Government
decided yesterday, rejecting an atMeeting.
tempt by Executive Slate to bring
them into line.
Last night, Student Government (SG) General Assembly, which
is comprised of College Council
(CC) and Graduate Council (GC),
approved an amendment to its bypresented
counter
arguments
to
BY ISAAC STEIN
laws by a vote of 20–7–5 that will
students’
calls
for
a
$15
minimum
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
wage for all on-campus workers, and allow GC to determine the electoral
Provost Eric D. Isaacs, flanked emphasized their limited availabili- processes of its members on a division- or school-specific basis.
by several employees of his admin- ty for meetings with students.
The amendment was introFrom the onset, the discussion
istrative office, stood at the center
of the Student Government (SG) was tense. Student activists affili- duced after Executive Slate and
meeting on Monday night to field ated with IIRON Student Network the Elections and Rules (E&R)
questions from the audience in a (ISN) attended as a group, and committee made clear their intenscheduled half-hour Q & A session. asked questions in rapid succession. tions to standardize and centralize
The administrators, including Isaa- IIRON is a Chicago-based social ac- GC elections, bringing the various
cs, noted that the University plans tivism coalition that “organiz[es] to methods used to select GC repreto add a deputy Title IX coordina- build student power to create social sentatives into agreement with one
another and with SG’s governing
tor for students by midsummer,
Continued on page 2
documents.
Executive Slate argued that the
representative selection processes
were inconsistent and in some cases
undemocratic, but GC representatives claim that diverse processes
suit the unique needs of the various
divisions and schools.
Though the Assembly’s bylaws
BY ALEX WARD
Justice (DOJ) that had been prorequire
GC to be elected directly,
foundly
affected
by
September
11
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
and overtaken by partisan hiring GC’s 15 divisions and schools have
Yesterday, former United practices, which he eliminated in practice developed a wide range
States Attorney General Eric Hold- by ensuring that hiring decisions of methods for selecting representaer discussed his legacy and views would be made only by career tives in the years since those bylaws
on current politics with a UChi- members of the department. He were adopted, including direct eleccago law professor at the Gordon went on to criticize what he saw tions and appointment by school- or
as attacks on voting rights in the division-level student government
Parks Arts Hall’s assembly lobby.
The Institute of Politics (IOP)– wake of the Shelby County v. Hold- and deans.
Section 12(f) of Article II of the
hosted event was introduced by Da- er Supreme Court decision, which
vid Axelrod, whose time as senior removed sections of the Voting new bylaws will allow GC to “ceradvisor in the Obama administra- Rights Act of 1965 intended to tify alternate electoral processes
outside of the [E&R] framework
tion overlapped with Holder’s time prevent discrimination.
“I think what we’re seeing now for running elections on a divias attorney general. Holder joined
professor David Strauss, co-editor is another attempt to somehow sion-specific basis by a two-thirds
of the Supreme Court Review, to disenfranchise, or make more dif- vote of that body.” The Chair of
speak about his tenure as attor- ficult the voting process for people GC will be required to compile and
ney general and his hopes for the of color, for young people, people maintain a list of exemptions to the
future directions of the issues he who have Democratic leanings,” E&R framework, but the processes
“must involve direct election of a
Holder said.
targeted while in office.
Asked about his handling of representative by the students or a
Holder described his experience entering a Department of
Continued on page 3
Continued on page 3
Tough Questions for
Provost Isaacs at Assembly
Holder Talks Legacy, Views on
Current Politics with Law Professor
Pop-up Museum on Quad
Sheds Light on Sexual
Assault
Eight Women to
Represent Chicago at
Nationals
Page 6
Page 8
At night, the museum was lit up
with string lights—a quiet tribute
to the stories contained within it.
The women’s track and field
squad heads to the NCA A
Championship this Thursday.
Chance Colors Outside
the Lines at Listening
Party
Page 6
Chance made good on the following
line, too: “Make you remember
how to smile good.”
Contributing to THE MA ROON
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All rights reserved. © The Chicago Maroon 2016
2
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
Student Activists Came Prepared; Demanded Yes or No Answers
Continued from front
change in the public arena,” according to its
website.
When posing questions to Isaacs, the
IIRON student activists prefaced their queries with “this is a yes or no question,” which
visibly irritated the Provost.
“You know that none of these questions are
yes or no questions.... We’re the University of
Chicago; we’re really about discussion and
debate—we’re not about yes or no questions,”
Isaacs said.
On the subject of Title IX staffing, the
administrators and students agreed that the
University ought to make additional hires. Title IX Coordinator Sarah Wake, who is also
Assistant Provost & Director of the Office for
Equal Opportunity Programs, said that the
hiring of the incoming deputy Title IX coordinator reflects that “we need to increase the
staffing.”
Regarding minimum wage, Isaacs said
that he believes in a “fair wage,” and emphasized that the University has established several recent financial aid initiatives to assist
students. He also said that there is “no fixed
minimum wage” on campus and advised students to contact their supervisors if they find
their pay insufficient.
Fourth-year IIRON member Spencer
McAvoy responded by clarifying that the
IIRON Fair Budget UChicago (FBU) campaign is “talking about all campus workers,”
in addition to students. In response to Isaacs’s
comment that campus workers, on average,
make “considerably more than $15 an hour,”
McAvoy argued that the provost’s position disregards workers who make less than that. He
also said that what campus employees earn is
insufficient to pay for their health care costs.
“Do you know what happens to people who
don’t have insurance, when they don’t have
enough money to pay [their medical bills]?
They die, or they bankrupt their families, or
the IIRON activists and Isaacs on the frequency, length, and forums of their meetings. Last year, Isaacs answered questions
at SG for one hour.
“I get a lot of requests to meet with students, with faculty, with many people who
live off-campus...with students, and particularly the student government...I have come
to meet with [SG], and I think this is the
right group for me to meet with. There are
only so many meetings every year that I can
possibly schedule, so I come to meet with
Student Government, and I’m happy to do
it,” Isaacs said.
A fourth IIRON member, second-year
Sofia Butnaru, questioned the provost on
whether the meeting was long enough.
“Last time, you spoke for an hour, and
so that would mean that we only have one
hour and 30 minutes to ask you our questions and concerns.... Do you think that’s
enough time?”
they usually do both. I know people, I have
multiple friends whose parents had to work
while they were dying of cancer in order to
pay for their treatment. Now, do you feel comfortable with having workers on campus who
need to do that?” McAvoy said.
“The truth of the matter is that if I was
getting paid $15 an hour, I would actually be
able to focus on my studies and be a student
here...you say a lot that the University doesn’t
have the money to pay a living wage, but it
spends tens of million dollars on hedge funds...
so would you say that spending money on new
buildings, hedge funds, and endowments is
more important than human beings?” she
said.
Isaacs responded by stating that “we
spend a lot more on financial aid than we
spend on hedge funds, or on any of the
things you just mentioned.”
The Q & A session was also peppered
with a fundamental disagreement between
SG Assembly Votes Down Compensation for Executive Slate Members
Continued from front
ri argued that all members of EC should be
equally compensated for their work, stating
that Slate members do not necessarily work
harder than their EC counterparts. Esquivel
responded that most institutions implement
a hierarchal awards structure.
First-year CC representative Qudsiyyah
Shariyf expressed concern over the message
that awarding SG leaders sends to RSO leaders who apply for funding through the SLRA.
Shariyf noted that this may not be the intended message of the proposal, but said that
it may be interpreted as a form of privilege
that SG members would be guaranteed annual stipends.Second-year CC representative
Calvin Cottrell noted that this was the last
GA meeting of the year and SG members
should take more than one meeting to dis-
cuss the proposal to pay themselves.
Current CC Chair and incoming SG
President Eric Holmberg voiced support for
the proposal, but stated that both he and future Vice President for Administration Salma Elkhaoudi would abstain from voting
on the issue. Incoming Vice President for
Student Affairs Cody Jones, who does not
currently hold an SG position, argued that
there should be no shame in privileging SG
members with compensation. Jones added
that Holmberg, Elkhaoudi, and incoming
Community and Government Liaison Cosmo Albrecht should not be discouraged from
voting.
Third-year representative Katherine
Shen agreed that SG members should be
compensated, but proposed that funding for
the program not be derived from Student
The Lumen Christi Institute presents
a symposium on
HEIDEGGER’S
CONFESSIONS:
The Remains of St. Augustine
in Being and Time & Beyond
Life Fees. In response to Shen’s suggestion
that EC members be compensated by means
of tuition cuts or housing subsidies, Esquivel said that the administration has not been
receptive to these proposals.
Second-year Asya Akca asked why the
compensation of CC members was not part
of the discussion. In response, Albrecht said
the program could be expanded later.
Despite arguing against the particularities of the proposal, most SG members who
spoke during the debate expressed gratitude
to Slate members for their work over the
course of the year.
“We didn’t come in to be thanked. It was
more just to try to make the opportunity
available to a wide range of students and
I don’t think that got accomplished today,”
Jung told THE MAROON after the vote.
A motion to approve an increase to SLRA
funding with the same splits between College
and Graduate Councils passed unanimously, with one abstaining vote. Shen then proposed that the SG awards system be a pilot
program in which the end goal is to find an
alternative source of funding rather than the
Student Life Fee. Shen’s amendment stated
that the future Slate would have to vote to
renew the program next year. The amended
version of the proposal failed 12–16–5.
Cottrell proposed a motion to allocate the
proposed EC awards funding to SLRA, in
Answers to Friday’s crossword puzzle,
“Most Wanted Bachelors”
1
2
A
3
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M
Ryan Coyne University of Chicago
5
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with
addition to the previously allocated $7,500.
This motion passed 18–9–6. The new total
of $24,479 was a significant increase from
the $10,000 allocation.
Slate members expressed dismay with
the final decision.
“I think that we’re obviously disappointed
with the outcome…. I am excited that SLRA
is seeing increases at the levels that it is going to and I think that it’s exciting that we
have folks in the GA who are committed to
figuring out how SLRA can also go to support members of Executive Slate and Committee” Esquivel told THE MAROON following
the vote. He emphasized that this sentiment
extends to all of SG.
“I’m definitely disappointed. The work of
Student Government leadership should be
accessible to all students; as you heard tonight, it simply isn’t at this point. As the one
who originally proposed the SLRA program
and got it off the ground, I am proud that it
is recognized as a program worth supporting. But as long as the workload of SG EC
members remains so substantial, and as long
as the impacts of that work have an impact
for all students and student organizations at
UChicago, I think the roles deserve compensation so that students of all backgrounds
have the realistic ability to succeed and dedicate the amount of time these roles deserve,”
Kissinger said.
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Mark Alznauer, Moderator Northwestern University
Cosponsored by the Philosophy of Religions Workshop
and the Theolog y & Religious Ethics Workshop
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Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture Hall
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THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
Executive Slate Hoped to Align
GC With Other SG Elections
Continued from front
divisional council.”
The amended section states that the GC
representative selection processes “may not
obfuscate the will of the voters by permitting
area deans to appoint representatives unilaterally.”
The new selection processes will have to
be submitted as “Divisional Election Codes”
to the Chair of E&R by spring quarter, and
any divisions that do not do so will have their
representatives elected under the standard
E&R framework. Under the new election processes, GC representatives’ term dates and
lengths will be able to vary by division.
Earlier in the meeting, E&R passed by a
vote of 21–1–10 a minor amendment to the
election code that specifies the number of
signatures that graduate students will need
to obtain within their division to get on the
ballot if their elections are conducted under
the E&R framework. Candidates will need
30 signatures or signatures from 2.2 percent
of enrolled students by the registrar’s count,
whichever is lower.
During discussion on that amendment,
GC representatives asked what would happen
to recently elected or appointed members if
the bylaws were fully enforced and the signature amendment passed. One GC member
said that his school’s election was coming up
in a week, and asked what would happen to
its GC seat.
E&R member Joshua Savitt said GC
representatives currently are technically not
legitimately elected members under the SG
bylaws. Graduate Liaison to the Board of
Trustees Katie Perri and Biological Sciences
representative Haley Stinnett questioned how
they could vote if they aren’t legitimate members. Kissinger clarified that rules would go
into effect after fall SG elections.
Kissinger added that the conditions for
implementation are not ideal, but that he
thought now would be the best time because
divisions would have five months to adjust
before elections in the fall. Stinnett said that
some GC members would prefer to have the
changes implemented next spring.
GC co-chair Elliott Balch said he “embrace[s] the goal of direct elections,” but criticized enforcement of the E&R framework
across the board on the grounds that it would
reduce turnout in some divisions relative to
current election processes.
“The thing is that elections that happen
locally tend to be more salient in the divisions and schools, and you can see that by
the turnout,” he said. “At Harris for example,
the last SG election this quarter had a 29 percent turnout, but our local election, also this
quarter, had a 51 percent turnout. At Booth,
it was a 21 percent SG turnout; the local turnout was more like 60–70 percent in the local
divisional election. So if we want to encourage
participation, the representation on the grad
council needs to be salient to the people who
are voting.”
The electoral amendment to the bylaws
was introduced two and a half hours into
the meeting. Fourth-year CC representative
Clark Halpern argued that the amendment
should be tabled to allow Assembly members
to have more time to review it. “The mere fact
that [Balch] proposed this at 6:52 [p.m.] while
we are already in session is kind of crazy to
me,” he said. “This is a very important thing
where we are shifting power away from a centralized [SG].”
CC representative second-year Calvin
Cottrell pointed out that the Assembly has
voted on important issues on short notice in
the past. He added that everyone was operating on an accelerated timeline as the signatures amendment was proposed on Thursday
and this was the last meeting of the year. Cottrell also encouraged CC representatives to
listen to GC members.
“These processes will not obfuscate the
will of the voters by permitting area deans
to appoint representatives unilaterally,” he
said. “I think that goes to a lot of the democracy problems that we had before. I think we
should listen to the grad students and what’s
best for them.”
Second-year CC representative Cosmo
Albrecht expressed concern that the GC electoral processes would be under the discretion
of GC and not the Assembly. Stinnett said
that the amendment would strike a balance
between E&R and GC authority, because divisions would be able to use the E&R framework if they needed it.
Editor’s Note: This article includes sections from another article that ran online
Sunday night previewing Executive Slate’s
plan to enforce the Assembly bylaws in GC
elections.
Former US Attorney General Discussed
Voting Rights, Government Leaks, Policing
at IOP Event
Continued from front
government leaks, Holder defended his reputation for harshness in prosecuting individuals like Edward Snowden, whose actions
he said had dangerous consequences for
national security. Holder pointed out that
although he is often criticized for bringing
more cases against leakers than all previous
presidential administrations combined, he
still presided over only six individual trials
and rejected many more. He also noted that
he had personally ensured that the DOJ never prosecuted journalists who shared leaked
information for doing their jobs.
Holder spent much of the discussion addressing the issue of police violence and community relations. Asked whether the federal
government has any role in handling issues
involving local police departments, he said
that police generally want to do things “the
right way” with regard to their communities,
but that this can sometimes require outside
training and federal efforts to break down
unhealthy cultures of abuse. Speaking about
allocating federal resources to improve local
police departments, Holder said, “I think for
the money that you invest, the return is exponentially better.”
Responding after the discussion to
an audience question about whether any
country provides a better model for political enfranchisement than the U.S., Holder
affirmed his faith in the country and said
that his criticisms should not be taken as
indictments. Holder also said that he continues to believe in the potential for significant
improvement, and told the audience that this
responsibility falls partly on them.
“I’m always hopeful that this country, as
good as it is, can be made better; it’s what
I’ve tried to commit my life to, it’s what I
think you should commit your lives to. You
can’t be passive in this fight for progress:
you’ve always got to ask tough questions, be
able to face hard truths, and be prepared to
engage.”
3
4
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
VIEWPOINTS
Giving a Green Light to the Media
University Wavered in Its Commitment to First Amendment Freedoms Last Week
An NBC News crew was
not g ranted access to the
main quad to videotape students protesting what they
see as the corporatization of
the University last Thursday. The protest, organized
by the IIRON Student Network (ISN), involved a 150+
person march across campus
and a sit-in in Levi Hall by
34 students and alumni. The
sit-in ended at 5 p.m., when
the building closed and the
UCPD escorted protesters
out. The protesters demanded a meeting with administrators—following a lack of
administrative attendance
at public meetings hosted by
student groups including Fair
Budget UChicago, the Campaign for Equitable Policing,
Students for Disability Justice, and UChicago Climate
Action Network—but were
unsuccessful. According to
IIRON, this was the largest
protest on campus in at least
three years.
Organizers of the protest
contacted local and national media outlets, including
NBC News, to solicit coverage. According to one of the
organizers, second-year Hannah Breslau, the University
denied the T V crew access
to the quad to videotape and
interview students, who were
inside Levi Hall and gathered
outside the building on the
quad-facing side. The press
was required to stay on the
street-facing side of Levi,
which is public property, and
shoot video from there. The
University’s policy states that
outside media should contact
the News Office before arriving on campus, and TV crews
must obtain prior permission
to enter the quad.
The protest last Thursday
presented a case in which the
University should have granted NBC News, and any other
outside media, permission to
enter the quad to report on
what was taking place. The
University has the right to decide who can and cannot have
access to campus because it
is private property, but it has
an obligation to be consistent
in its stance on First Amendment freedoms. There are
privacy and safety concerns
that may occasionally justify restrictions preventing
TV crews and reporters from
entering the quad—students
and staff should be able to go
about their lives without the
threat of public harassment—
but such concerns were not
apparent in this case.
R espect for freedom of
speech, freedom of protest,
and freedom of the press are
all deeply woven into the fabric of UChicago, which earned
a “Green Light” rating from
the Foundation for Individual
Rights in Education (FIRE)
earlier this year. Even though
NBC News was not able to
make prior arrangements to
cover last week’s protest on
campus, the University acted
contrary to its own principles
by denying reporters access to
the quad.
—The MAROON Editorial Board
Letter to the Editor: Administration Action Against Greek Life
Unfairly Punishes Multicultural Greek Organizations
The Center for Leadership
and Involvement (CLI) has announced changes effective in the
upcoming school year that will
prohibit Greek organizations
from applying for Student Government Finance Committee
and Annual Allocations funding,
and require us to pay for room
reservations—with a limit of 10
room reservations per academic
quarter.
These changes, implemented
without the input of student members of Greek organizations, unfairly jeopardize the operations of
the Multicultural Greek Council
(MGC) by treating all Greek organizations as a monolith.
We understand the University’s attempt to hold Greek organizations accountable; however,
MGC organizations should not
be subjected to collective punishment for infractions we did not
commit. Our values of inclusivity, service, and diversity lie far
from the recent actions of fraternities. While it is easy to group
all Greek organizations together, this approach is flawed in its
overly simplistic view of MGC
organizations. MGC organizations exist for a fundamentally
different reason than other Greek
organizations: to support and integrate minority representation
in Greek life and beyond, where
historically minorities have not
been accepted. We have been integral in maintaining a supportive space for ethnic minorities
on campus and the University
has acknowledged this. Previ-
ously, MGC organizations were
categorized as “cultural interest
clubs,” rather than as traditional
fraternities and sororities. This is
apparent during RSO fairs, when
MGC organizations are placed
away from Panhellenic and NIC
organizations and instead given
tabling space near cultural organizations. The University’s decision to punish us alongside Greek
organizations ignores our distinct
identities, further excludes us,
and deprives us of resources that
allow us to pursue our mission of
multicultural diversity. For over
a century, member organizations
of UChicago’s MGC have provided
services through substantive projects to better our communities.
MGC organizations have
fewer members than other Greek
organizations because MGC organizations serve underrepresented
communities. As a result of this,
we obtain the bulk of our funds
from Student Government rather
than member dues. The administration’s new policy will disproportionately harm us. Five out of
six UChicago MGC organizations
do not own a house and therefore
rely on the University for meeting and event spaces. This new
policy leaves us without a safe
University-sponsored space to
hold our brotherhood and sisterhood events, recruitment events
that maintain and increase our
membership, cultural awareness
events, and MGC-wide social
events. Furthermore, without access to campus spaces, our fundraising efforts will be severely im-
pacted. We will have nowhere else
to turn to for funding or support.
MGC hopes to continue serving the University community
and our brothers and sisters at
full capacity. But we can’t do that
without student and University support. On a campus that
preaches diversity and inclusivity, supporting MGC organizations should be obvious. But the
impending changes to our RSO
status places our ability to enact
positive, inclusive change in our
campus community at a standstill.
–Multicultural Greek Council
This letter has been abridged
for print; for the full letter, visit
chicagomaroon.com.
It’s All Greek to Me
Greek Life’s Positive Impact is Being Forgotten Amid Criticism
Maggie Loughran, Editor-in-Chief
Forrest Sill, Editor-in-Chief
Annie Cantara, Managing Editor
The MAROON Editorial Board consists of the Editors-in-Chief and editors of THE MAROON.
NEWS
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Sarah Manhardt, editor
ONLINE
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VIEWPOINTS
PHOTO
Cole Martin, editor
Kayleigh Voss, editor
Zoe Kaiser, editor
ARTS
Stacey Reimann, editor
Hannah Edgar, editor
Grace Hauck, editor
Miriam Benjamin, deputy editor
MJ Chen, deputy editor
SPORTS
Katie Anderson, editor
Zachary Themer, editor
GREY CITY
Natalie Friedberg, Editor-in-Chief
DESIGN
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Patrick Quinn, chief financial officer
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© 2016 THE CHICAGO MAROON
Ida Noyes Hall / 1212 East 59th Street / Chicago, IL 60637
Brooke White
W hen I care about anything, I care deeply.
The more my class discussion dragged on, the more
intense our debate became.
The room was divided: some
people supported us, while
others did not understand us.
I sat back in my seat, biting my tongue as I listened
to my classmate rebuke an
organization that’s so meaningful to me and my time at
UChicago.
“I just don’t believe that
they add any value to this
campus.”
I glanced quickly at the
other sorority sisters in the
room, hoping to find some
sort of solidarity. It’s easy
for an outsider to not recognize the numerous benefits of
Greek life, but hearing that
our involvement on campus
is essentially worthless was
a hard pill to swallow.
This past year, especially on our campus, Greek life
has been drowning in criticism, struggling to resurface
with the respect it deserves.
The numerous sexual assault
allegations that brought frats
under fire have dragged sororities’ reputations down
too. Our student body cares
only about the negative dra-
ma. What makes the news?
Scandal and the fiery drama that circulates on Overheard at UChicago and Yik
Yak. Nobody wants to hear
that Pi Beta Phi, my sorority,
sends girls every week to St.
Thomas Catholic School to
tutor children. Does no one
care that we donated $14,000
to Pi Beta Phi’s literacy foundation to promote children’s
literacy?
After spending fall quarter abroad, I spent my first
few weeks of winter quarter
consumed by social anxiety.
R eaccl imating to on- campus life was daunting, but
my sisters provided me with
the sort of social safety net
that helped me find my place
again. I was invited to sisterhoods (often off-campus
Continued on page 5
5
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
Greek Life Is Responsive to
Criticism
Continued from page 4
events to the Lyric Opera, movies, or
restaurants with only sisters), ate too
much pizza at formal, was a co-emcee at Arrowfest, watched movies and
ate popcorn with my grand-big, and
studied in a Reg room after chapter
with 10 or more sisters. My sorority
has built me up. My sisters have given me an insane amount of support,
assuring me that they’re there for me
whether I’m in Hyde Park, Chicago or
Hyde Park, London.
Sororities and fraternities are by
nature inclusive, not exclusive. There
aren’t any prerequisites. At the beginning of each academic school year,
each sorority encourages all girls to
consider going Greek; if you want to
explore, all sororities are open to you,
and both the girls and the sororities
work together to determine which
one best aligns with their interests.
Rushing is just like interviewing
with any university—you determine
which is the best fit for you. Like
being a student at UChicago, Greek
life is another organization that allows for connection and networking.
The differences between the role of
a non-Greek-affiliated student and
the role of a sorority sister are very
few. In both situations, we work to
educate ourselves and one another,
make long lasting friendships with
our peers and our superiors, and find
leadership positions. And now more
than ever, sororities and fraternities are working closely to address
the atrocities of sexual assault and
promote sexual assault awareness,
education, and prevention. We are
responsive.
Greek life is dynamic and empowering. Arrowfest, IF Sing, and Anchor Slam are all Greek-affiliated
charity events that want to involve
the entire campus. Bar Night and
its culture are a campus-wide phenomenon. Yet when the negative attention which surrounds Greek life
overshadows the positive aspects,
campus slowly rejects us. But these
organizations are important to us.
We put a lot of time, dedication, and
love into them. You might not agree
that Greek life is well-intentioned
or that it brings anything positive
to campus, but there’s a difference
between disagreeing and devaluing.
Don’t ignore the good that Greek life
has done to make your argument easier.
Brooke White is a second-year in
the College majoring in public policy.
Anne Wang
2O15/16
CONCERT
SERIES
JAZZ
AT THE LOGAN
$
5
STUDENTS
TICKETS
MIGUEL ZENÓN
RESIDENCY
Jazz master comes to campus
with “Identities” Big Band
TUESDAY, MAY 24
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W. Armitage / 7 PM / FREE
Folclórico: An exploration of jazz and Afro-Puerto Rican music
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
Foster Hall, Room 103, 1130 E. 59th Street / 12-1:30 PM / FREE
Lunch panel with Miguel Zenón, hosted by the Center for
Latin American Studies and the Center for the
Study of Race, Politics, and Culture
Fulton Recital Hall (Goodspeed Hall) / 4:30-6 PM / FREE
Jazz workshop with Miguel Zenón and the Jazz Xtet
Amazing House, Amazing Community
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www.hf-homes.com
708-251-1500
Logan Center Performance Penthouse / 7:30 PM / FREE
Listening session with Miguel Zenón,
presented in partnership with Hyde Park Jazz Festival
THURSDAY, MAY 26
Logan Center Performance Hall / 7:30 PM / $35 / $5 students
Miguel Zenón Quartet and “Identities” Big Band
Concert: Identities are Changeable
For tickets and other information, visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu
Julie and Parker
Hall Endowment for
Jazz and American
Popular Music
6
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
ARTS
Pop-up Museum on Quad Sheds Light on Sexual Assault
BY KARDELEN SERTSOZ
MAROON CONTRIBUTOR
In the wake of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month,
arts RSO Kitchen Sink collaborated with Resources for Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP)
and Phoenix Survivors A lliance (PSA) to present a pop-up
exhibition called Light Shed
on the quad this past weekend. The museum—a sparse
frame hung with artworks—
showcased h igh ly persona l
depictions of rape, stalking,
intimate partner violence, and
other forms of sexual violence
across various media.
“ The purpose was to provide an outlet for self-expression and a space of solidarity
for people who have been affected by sexual assault,” said
second-year Kelsey Schmitt,
RSVP peer educator.
The installation featured an
open-air shed. Wires connected to the supporting beams,
each bearing multiple pieces of
canvas—each canvas held one
person’s story. Third-year Angela Lin, a member of Kitchen
Sink, explained that attendees
at Kitchen Sink’s weekly painting sessions had been painting
self-portraits over the past
three weeks. Some canvases
contained simply words, some
drawings, and others a combination of the two.
A representative manned
the museum during the day
to answer questions and ensure that the space remained
safe, welcoming passersby to
create their own expressions.
At night, the museum was lit
up with string lights—a quiet
tribute to the stories contained
within it. The collection had a
haunting quality.
F irst-year K arley R ojas,
who helped set up the structure, reflected on the museum:
“[I] think that this project was
a way to perfectly capture the
dialogue and [create] a safe
space, open to the public, where
they can share their experiences with the world.”
A s the days prog ressed,
the installation slowly filled
with more artwork. K itchen
Sink, which provides free art
supplies to students at weekly
painting sessions, also provided materials to Light Shed for
anyone to use while visiting
the exhibition. By the installation’s last day, the exhibition’s
walls resembled a quilt of per-
Cecília Resende
The Light Shed pop-up museum stood open on the quad, inviting passersby to reflect and to create.
sonal experiences.
During fall quarter, Kitchen Sink collaborated with Active Minds, the campus RSO
promoting mental health, to
create a pop-up museum with a
focus on mental health awareness.
“I had seen Kitchen Sink’s
Pop -Up Mu seu m w ith the
theme of mental illness, and
I thought a similar concept
could be implemented for Sexual Assault Awareness Month,”
Schmitt said. “During the planning, the idea expanded—more
than I had anticipated—into a
really beautiful museum.”
Continuing the theme of
artistic expression on the topic of sexual violence, PSA is
showcasi ng its Clothesl i ne
Project this week in Hutchinson Courtyard. The project is
a similar exhibition of personal
stories: not on small swaths of
canvas, but on T-shirts.
Chance Colors Outside the Lines at Listening Party
BY MIRIAM BENJAMIN
DEPUTY ARTS EDITOR
“I speak of wondrous unfamiliar lessons from childhood,”
Chance the Rapper says in
“Blessings ( Reprise),” the final song on his third mixtape,
Coloring Book. For Magnificent Coloring World, his secret
Chicago listening party (with
emphasis on party), Chance
did more than just speak about
childhood: he provided it. Attendees met at the Pulaski International School, and were
taken via school bus to a warehouse on Ohio and Sacramento.
As Coloring Book played over
the speakers, it was obvious
that Chance made good on the
following line, too: “Make you
remember how to smile good.”
Miriam Benjamin| The Chicago Maroon
Listeners gathered in a vibrantly decorated space to celebrate Chance the Rapper’s newest EP Coloring Book.
7
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
Seminary Co-Op Celebrates 55 Years of Getting Lost in Lit
BY ZEKE GILLMAN
ARTS STAFF
There’s a monastery in Hyde
Park. Not many would call it that,
but, more often than not, you will
find students and Hyde Park residents congregating within its
intimate abode. There, professors
come to preach scholarly ideas,
worship is done privately and in
silence, vows are made, and your
bible—well, it’s in your hands
which academic title you choose to
sanctify.
Formally, this sacred ground
is known as the Seminary Co-Op.
Located on South Woodlawn Avenue with another branch on East
57th Street, the store’s sweeping
collections of books, organized in
elaborate mazes, induce customers to explore and discover. Spend
enough time here and you will undoubtedly feel the allure of being
ensconced by interminable shelves
of great literature.
None, it seems, escape the
charming spell of the Seminary
Co-Op. Yet while everyone recognizes and appreciates the store, not
many know its origins.
John Mendonca, James Cavanaugh, and Joseph Pickle, the
three students who founded the
Seminary Co-Op, believed that
they could gather the resources to
sell the many obscure books that
their courses demanded at affordable prices.
“The Co-Op was founded by
at least three people, but depending on whom you ask it may be 17
people. But [the] three main shareholders [were] the first three found-
ing members,” said Jeff Deutsch,
the current director of the Seminary Co-Op bookstores.
The first Seminary Co-Op
bookstore was located in the basement of the Chicago Theological
Seminary, now Saieh Hall. The
founding managers, being the college students they were, crammed
books in whatever space was available. “They would just find whatever corner they could find a bookshelf and put a bookshelf there,”
Deutsch said. “So there were bookshelves on pipes and anytime there
was a small space they took it over.
And there was this labyrinth of
shelving that was so easy to get lost
in and made one feel small in the
best possible way, just surrounded
by ideas.”
Thus, the Seminary Co-Op was
born in 1961, nursed in the cranny
of the Chicago Theological Seminary with 17 members. But soon
it grew.
In fact, the Seminary CoOp currently boasts over 50,000
members, about 3,500 of whom
live abroad. Deutsch even told of a
group of foreign monks who annually request books from the Seminary Co-Op through handwritten
letters.
Its growth and prestige are due
largely to the work of Jack Cella,
the storied general manager and
Deutsch’s predecessor. Over the
course of 43 years, Cella expanded
the Seminary Co-Op to its current
status. According to Deutsch, Cella’s labor turned the bookstore into
a “Mecca for academic titles.”
“We had a very large following
through our mail-order business,
and a number of people still stay
with us even though they can get
the books elsewhere,” Deutsch said.
“They believe in what we do, they
think that as a cultural institution
we’re important, and they support
us.”
The Seminary Co-Op soon became so distinguished that Cella
was approached by Columbia University to open a store there. For
reasons unknown, Cella turned
down the offer.
Since then, the Seminary CoOp has remained integral to Hyde
Park’s culture. It ranks alongside
the other idiosyncrasies of Hyde
Park—gothic architecture, streets
brimming with diner food, and the
Obamas.
In October 2012, the Seminary
Co-Op moved to its new location
on Woodlawn. The current space
replaced the cafeteria of what was
the dormitory for Chicago Theological Seminary students. Its
modern space is meant to reflect
the traditional appeal that the
basement-bookstore had. Tigerman-McCurry Architects wanted
to reproduce the maze-like organization of books that was so unique
to the old location.
In an age that emphasizes
immediacy, the Seminary Co-Op
remains one of the few bookstores
that values patience in the search
of a book. Not many businesses would take pride in telling its
customers to “Get Lost!” But this
is precisely the idea that is at the
foundation of the Seminary Co-Op.
It is the search that is essential, not
the end.
This same philosophy perme-
ates 57th Street Books, a bookstore
that the Seminary Co-Op owns
and operates. 57th Street books
was founded in 1983, when Cella
was approached by the landowner
of the building. He asked Cella to
stock the available space with another legendary bookstore.
“Jack said ‘yes,’ but wanted to
expand it. That first room, from
what I understand, was the entirety of the building, and they
just blew up wall after wall until
the entirety of the basement was a
bookstore,” Deutsch recalled.
57th Street Books, however,
has a somewhat different purpose
than the Seminary Co-Op. In an
attempt to preserve the distinct
nature of the Woodlawn store, the
Seminary Co-Op has realized an
unusual model: to split the two
stores by genre.
“The idea behind it was to have
a balance with the Co-Op. [There
were books] on traveling, mystery, cooking, and other things;
endeavors that were not academic
in nature could have a place to be
celebrated,” Deutsch said. “The
same fine curation that went into
a store like this [the Seminary CoOp] could go into a general interest
community bookstore.”
Yet, despite the reputation of
the Seminary Co-Op and its attempts to diversify its collection, it
still struggles to maintain a steady
profit. It is no secret that the Seminary Co-op has had its share of
financial difficulties. Its core philosophy is in many ways an impediment to its financial success: in the
age of online retailers and immediate gratification, it is difficult to
promote a more deliberate, inquisitive approach to book-buying.
“The last decade has not been
good for us, and there’s certainly
some things that we could have
done better and that we could do
better. We currently lose a couple
hundred thousand dollars every
year, and we won’t be able to survive with the way we are operating
now,” Deutsch said. “The key to our
survival [is the] community—those
[who] care about spaces that are a
little inefficient, that are a little
slow, but see us as a cultural institution as much as a retail environment. Those people make conscious
decisions to buy books from us. [. .
.] We’re trying very hard to run a
cultural institution and we’re trying to retain this breadth. We need
a good couple of years to stabilize
and hopefully figure out a business
model that doesn’t compromise our
cultural values.”
While the Seminary Co-op
may not provide the fastest route
to purchasing a book, it has always distinguished itself through
its commitment to its cherished,
unique values. Deutsch explained
that these cultural values are at
the heart of the Seminary CoOp: “Coming together, browsing,
discovery, slowness, community,
human interaction, and things
of that sort. We have well over
50,000 members now and that
membership, the active component of that membership believes
deeply in bookstores and spaces,
community gathering, discovery,
and that there’s an experience
that can’t be replaced by a search
engine.”
Lang Lang’s Overblown CSO Appearance Even Flashier Than Fireworks
BY REBECCA JULIE
ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITOR
In an interview with this
paper earlier this year, Chicago
Symphony Orchestra (CSO) music
director Riccardo Muti said, “In
the last [several] years, we have
become a visual society. So instead of listening to the music, we
want to see conductors exercising
on the podium, pianists that communicate with God while playing,
violinists that try to impress the
public with sexy attitudes…. All
this didn’t exist 30 years ago, 40
years ago. Today, with television
and other things, people are interested in what they see. Nobody
speaks about the spiritual integrity of these [artists]; what they are
conveying to the public.”
Previously, Muti’s words felt
too cynical to me. Perhaps this
is a reflection of my overzealous
optimism about the future of
classical music and the arts; but
it had always seemed to me that
audiences are still rife with people who love classical music for its
artistry, not for flashy showmanship on the part of conductors or
soloists.
Alas, I’ve been converted.
Saturday evening’s CSO performance, expertly led by French
conductor Charles Dutoit, was a
frightening validation of Muti’s
words. The Chinese pianist Lang
Lang, whose celebrity drew a
Columbia Artists Music
Lang Lang’s performance felt more inspired by Muse than musically inspired.
near-capacity crowd to Orchestra Hall, joined the orchestra for
Prokofiev’s fiery third piano concerto. When he arrived on stage
to boisterous applause, the energy
in the hall was at a Yo-Yo Ma level
of ecstasy.
But Lang Lang is no Ma. Unlike Ma, who is arguably one of, if
not the most famous classical musicians alive today, Lang Lang’s
celebrity is puzzling.
In signature Lang Lang style,
the pianist let his hands fly dramatically from the keyboard after
complex passages. Other times,
he conducted the orchestra with
his left hand during the lengthy
piano rests, unwilling to give up
the spotlight. Yo-Yo Ma respects
the intentions of composers when
he performs and is a consistently
gracious soloist—Lang Lang fits
neither description.
However, the audience drank
up the drama like it was the nectar of the gods, clapping loudly at
the conclusion of the first movement.
When Lang Lang played the
exposition, he slammed on the
keys with a complete lack of regard for the light touch this energetic music needs. During the
second movement, the orchestra
frantically tried to keep pace with
Lang Lang’s breakneck speeds,
and Dutoit, unwilling to fight
the soloist, resigned to the overly
flashy tempi. It was only during
the rollicking, jazzy third variation in this movement that I felt
Lang Lang’s heavy-handedness
was actually a blessing rather
than a curse.
T he orchestra, however,
played extremely well under
Dutoit’s masterful baton. The
ensemble was sensitive to the
nuances of Prokofiev’s score, and
the signature clarinet solo in the
opening bars of the concerto set
the tone for a lovely interpretation
of the first movement’s Andante.
However, the third movement
was another testament to the orchestra’s responsiveness to Dutoit
and Lang Lang’s utter lack thereof. Part of the reason this score is
so brilliant is that, unlike most of
the piano concerti of the Romantic
period, the piano solo part is an
integral puzzle piece in the overall orchestral framework. Amid
opportunities for solo piano virtuosity, a successful rendition of
this piece is dependent on the soloist and orchestra acting in unity, particularly in this concluding
movement.
Yet what was supposed to be
a conversation between orchestra
and piano turned into more of a
disjointed argument: the orchestra was trying to have thoughtful
commentary and the piano was
being a “that kid”—enjoying the
sound of his own voice without
listening to anyone else, even if
it was entirely out of the spirit of
the debate.
The true magic of the evening
came when Dutoit led the CSO
in Stravinsky’s ballet score for
The Firebird. Dutoit, a master
of 20th-century Russian scores,
lent his skilled hand beautifully to this challenging work. The
interpretation was everything
The Firebird should be—frightening in its intensity at times,
heart-wrenchingly beautiful at
others.
Strav i nsk y ca l ls for a
near-Wagnerian size orchestra
for this masterwork, but the large
size never felt cumbersome. On
the contrary, Dutoit drew sensitive dynamic contrast from the
players that would have been impressive for a smaller ensemble,
let alone one of this magnitude.
The concert’s opening was
also a testament to Dutoit’s coordination with the CSO. Stravinsky’s charming, four-minute
piece Fireworks was performed
vibrantly, with the wind section
setting the tone for an evening of
consistent excellence.
It was unfortunate, then, that
the ensemble’s intelligent playing
was overshadowed in the Prokofiev concerto by a pianist who tried
to “communicate with God while
playing.” It was even more unfortunate that the audience was
touched by this.
Maestro Muti, I’m sorry to
ever have doubted you.
8
THE CHICAGO MAROON - MAY 24, 2016
SPORTS
IN-QUOTES... “I don’t know about no flopping or nothing” —Russell Westbrook on Draymond Green’s allegations that he flops.
Bennett Looks to Reclaim National Title in Pole Vault
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
KATIE ANDERSON
SPORTS EDITOR
The men’s track-and-field
squad w i l l be send i ng one
lone athlete to the 2016 NCA A
DIII Outdoor Track and Field
Championships this weekend
at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
T he C h a mpion sh ips for
both the men and women will
begin on Thursday and continue through the end of Saturday.
Fourth-year Michael Bennett will be representing the
Ma roons a lone i n the pole
vault at nationals in his fifth
career trip to the NCA As. He
comes in as the 18th seed,
with a seed height of 4.91m.
In 2014, Bennett was the national champion in the pole
vault and outdoor national
runner-up.
Bennett’s national title in
his second-year indoor season
was UChicago’s 14th individual national championship in
school history, and just the
eighth national title in trackand-field.
After a brutal injury to his
hamstring this past summer,
B en nett ’s fou r th a nd f i na l
year has not been easy. Yet,
Bennett’s recovery appeared
seamless, as he came back to
claim the UA A title in the pole
vault at the end of April, just
weeks after his return to competing.
“Recovery has been great. I
haven’t had issues since ninth
week of winter quarter,” the
fourth-year said. “[Being in]
the nationa l championsh ip
again feels incredible. I can’t
be more excited for this week
after the performance it took
to secure a spot during the
Last Chance Meet this past
weekend.”
Now, w ith a f u l l re covery and UA A Championship
under his belt, Bennett feels
prepared to bring the national
title back to the South Side for
a second time.
“It’s definitely going to be
different this year in terms of
all the competitors are very
close together, so it’s going to
take a near f lawless execution
to secure A ll-American honors. On the plus side, I don’t
have a target on my back this
time. I’m confident I can surprise a lot of people Thursday.”
Bennett will also be present to support the eight Maroon women who will be representing Chicago at nationals
in six various events. These
women are second-year Khia
Kurtenbach, fourth-year Nelson T rotter, third-year M ichelle Dobbs, second-year Megan Verner-Crist, third-year
Madeleine Horvath, first-year
Nicole VacaGuzman, fourthyear M ikaela Hammel, and
first-year Emma Koether.
W h i le t he N C A A DI I I
Cha mpionsh ips spa ns over
University of Chicago Athletics Department
Fourth-year Michael Bennett en route to a successful jump in a recent year’s meet.
four days, for Bennett it will
be short, and hopefully sweet.
“It still hasn’t hit me in terms
of ‘this is it for my career,’” he
said. “The only thing I’ve really considered is that I can go
for broke at this meet and not
have to worry about anything
afterwards”
Bennett will compete on
Thursday at noon for the national title.
Eight Women to Represent Chicago at Nationals
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
University of Chicago Athletics Department
Fourth-year Rachel Jackson and second-year Aleksandra Majka race in hurdles at the UChicago Windy City Rumble.
BY RHEA BHOJWANI
SPORTS STAFF
The Maroons’ grueling season with many highs and lows
came to a close for many ath-
letes this past week. In the final meet preceding the NCA A
DIII National Championships,
the Maroons posted even more
top finishes as they competed at the two-day North Cen-
tral College Gregory Invite
on Wednesday, May 18, and
Thursday, May 19.
T he UChicago team was
looking to improve times and
up marks in order to quali-
fy for the highly anticipated
NCA A Outdoor Nationals that
are approaching ever so quickly. With the team ending the
invite on an immensely strong
note, things are looking up for
the talented Maroon team.
UChicago’s women finished
with two statement victories,
with the first victory coming
from second-year Ade Ayoola’s impressive top high jump
height of 1.65m. The second
winner was second-year Megan Verner-Crist, who beat
out the competition for the
1,500-meter with an astounding season-best time of 4:32.98.
The Maroons also raced to the
finish line with multiple fifthplace finishes as third-year Michelle Dobbs ran the 800-meter in 2:10.72 and first-year
Nicole VacaGuzman finished
the 400-meter in 57.35. Not
far behind, second-year Vivian Barclay finished in seventh
place in the long jump as well.
This meet also served as
the final one for many fourthyears as they complete their
collegiate track-and-field ca-
reers. Although an incredibly
bittersweet invite, this meet
served as a meaningful one to
many athletes on the squad.
When looking back at this
memorable season, fourth-year
Alisha Ho claimed, “Overall,
this has been an incredible
season for both the men’s and
women’s teams. We had a lot
of people showing significant
improvement and outstanding
performances. I really can’t
point to only one person since
there have been so many consistent and inspirational people.”
Rushing to track practice,
Ho stated with enthusiasm,
“ The national qualifiers are
incredible though.”
Up next, the women’s team
looks forward to the ever so
anticipated NCA A DIII Outdoor National Championships,
which will take place in Waverly, Iowa, from May 26 up until
May 28. The Maroon women
look to finish the season with a
bang with hard work, extreme
talent, and irreplaceable teamwork.