U of C Hospital participates in walk to honor cancer victims

Over 100 University of Chicago cancer doctors, researchers, nurses, graduate students, and staff participated in the American Cancer Society cancer walk on Sunday. The event, Walk and Roll Chicago, allowed cancer survivors and friends of victims to honor those people they have lost to cancer as well as those currently fighting the disease.

“We think it’s great that the people who work on cancer all week long still have the energy and the passion to go out and help raise money to do this research on the weekend,” said John Easton, director of media affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The University of Chicago hospital community has lost two individuals to cancer in the past year: Dr. John Ultmann and Joan Porter. Ultmann, professor of hematology/ oncology in the department of medicine and an expert on lymphoma, treated patients until a few weeks before his own death last fall. Porter, who worked as the human resources staff manager, died from breast cancer in December.

“That was a big loss for us and it touched many lives,” Eileen Dolan, an associate professor of medicine, told the Chicago Tribune. Dolan, who helped form the U of C team, walked in Ultmann’s memory.

— Sydney Schwartz

U of C students join downtown protest against biotechnology

A group of students from the University of Chicago will join organizations including GeneWise and Art and Revolution in protesting the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council Conference today from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Wyndham Hotel in downtown Chicago (corner of Erie and St. Clair Streets).

The conference, titled “High Anxiety about Biotechnology: Who’s Buying, Who’s Not, and Why,” is a forum for representatives of agricultural biotechnology research and teaching institutions in Canada and the United States and will address the issue of genetic engineering in food products.

The protestors call for consumers to “Wise Up to Biotech!” and join their efforts to raise public awareness of biotech issues and express dissent to policies such as the lack of labeling genetically engineered food.

“I think this event has gotten a lot of publicity. It’s going to be very big,” said Stephanie Lane of the University’s Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO). “It should be really interesting because groups like Art and Revolution try to take over the street with street performances. It should be quite an interesting couple of hours.”

Art and Revolution is a group that creates giant puppets for use in protest street theater, while GeneWise is an activist group that seeks to address the risks of genetic engineering. University students from groups like Creative Progressive Action (CPA) and ECO will protest with activists from around Chicago.

— Jennifer Bussell

Students invited to discuss new bowling alley with proprietor

Interested students are invited to attend a meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Harper 103 to discuss Lucky Strike — Hyde Park, the new Hyde Park bowling alley and entertainment center.

Steve Soble, the proprietor of Lucky Strike, will meet with student representatives of the Council on Registered Student Organizations (CORSO) and Ilene Jo Reizner, director of real estate operations for the University. Lucky Strike – Hyde Park, which is scheduled to open Fall Quarter in the parking structure on 55th Street and Ellis Avenue, will have eight lanes that are fully automated, American Bowling Congress-certified, and separated into two rooms with four lanes each.

There will be a restaurant/bar with 1940s decor, seating for 100, and room for private parties. Steve Soble’s company, Spare Time, operates six other establishments in the Chicago area, including Lucky Strike — Lincoln Park, Southport Lanes & Billiards, The Corner Pocket, Daily Bar & Grill, Firehouse Grill, and Hudson Club.

— Sydney Schwartz