Nightmare on 58th Street: Trust lacking at the ER

By Rachel Lewin / October 5, 2007

Do you lie about how much pain you’re in? Do you take trips to the ER in ambulances “just for fun”? Are you overly dramatic, just for the attention that it will get you from the nice doctors? You should be answering with an indignant “no” to all of these questions, just like I am....

An unappetizing impropriety?

By Maroon Editorial Staff / October 2, 2007

Aramark Corp. CEO Joseph Neubauer’s recent $25-million donation to the U of C should be welcome news to everyone on campus. However, while we commend the Neubauer Family Foundation’s generosity, the gift further complicates a relationship between his company and the University’s main governing body that is already too close for comfort. As a member...

Hyde Park activism misses the Point

By Alec Brandon / October 2, 2007

If you look around Hyde Park, you can still see vestiges of the last big push by its community activists. “Save the Point” read torn bumper stickers and sun-worn signs adorning residential windows around town. This movement dates back to 2001, when the Chicago Park District proposed replacing the structurally unstable limestone steps that go...

Don’t let Iran become the next Iraq

By Ryan McCarl / October 2, 2007

America is stumbling toward another disastrous war in the Middle East. With every small escalation in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, the likelihood that the two nations will end up at war increases. It is tempting to dismiss the idea of starting yet another war as madness. The ground forces that make up...

Relaxation without Representation

By Maroon Editorial Staff / October 2, 2007

It is reasonable for students to assume that the representatives they elect to Student Government (SG) will be the same ones who serve them the following year. Unfortunately, under the current College Council (CC) bylaws, representatives are permitted to study abroad and appoint “proxies” to take their places. The Council is starting the academic year...

Drowning in a sea of red tape

By Zack Hill / October 2, 2007

I find it odd that my landlord company (let’s call them Landlord X) can claim to be involved in “Property Management.” Aren’t there laws against false advertising? Sure, “Mismanagement of Property, Destroyer of Lives, and Devourer of Worlds” may be unwieldy, but it is far more accurate than the otherwise reassuring “Property Management.” My saga...

Memo to General Peter Pace: Get down from the moral high ground

By Matt Barnum / October 2, 2007

Why does Peter Pace think anyone cares what he thinks about homosexuality? General Pace, the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, first made headlines last March when he said, “I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that [the U.S. military] should not condone immoral acts… I do not believe the United States...

A good cause does not make a good person

By Matt Barnum / September 19, 2007

At the beginning of my first Sosc class last year, our professor had each of us say one thing that came to mind when we heard the word “liberal” or “conservative.” My half of the class was given “liberal,” and I—not a fan—had a few choice words in mind. But after dismissing the initial rush...

Fix the Communication Breakdown

By Maroon Editorial Staff / September 19, 2007

With the inauguration of a new president and turnover of several top positions in the administration, the 2006–2007 academic year initially promised a new era of positive leadership on campus. Instead, it became the year of the student activist after the administration failed to seek out and understand students’ opinions. Causes such as graduate student...

Right-wing optimism in Iraq is misplaced

By Ryan McCarl / September 19, 2007

Over the summer, Americans were bombarded with a stream of contradictory reports about the progress, or lack thereof, of the Iraq War. The war has dragged on for four and a half years, and most politicians and commentators have long since thrown their support behind one perspective or another; unsurprisingly, war supporters tend to be...

Save the New Hampshire primary

By Tim Murphy / September 19, 2007

It’s a strange election cycle indeed when the one man who seems to be making sense is Newt Gingrich. This summer, the former speaker of the house, in a rare moment of clarity, called the present campaigning process “insane” and “stunningly dangerous,” and decried the increasingly lengthy primary season. And while the system is perhaps...

Don’t get too excited

By Zack Hill / September 19, 2007

Exuberance becomes apathy. Hours happily spent at the library become hours spent half-consciously browsing YouTube. Admiration of your fellow students becomes envy, which in turn becomes hatred. Your well maintained and regulated diet becomes an unfortunate—though admittedly delicious—mixture of breakfast cereal and Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. I am, of course, speaking of the transformation that most...