Freedom of expression can offend

By Tara Kadioglu / June 1, 2007

A college newspaper should exercise caution before throwing around the weight of its opinion—especially when it starts to take the moral high ground over specific individuals’ personal lives, whether they are administrators or not. As former editor-in-chief of the Maroon, I’m no stranger to the fact that the unsigned editorial can be tricky to write,...

Government and religion should never mix

By Tara Kadioglu / May 15, 2007

Mega-churches are a hoot. One summer when I was working as a reporter in Chicago, I covered the opening of the country’s second-largest church, which cost $50 million and housed more than 10,000 people. It was built to help salvage a community downtrodden by crime, alcoholism, drug addiction, and general lack of morale due to...

A job best kept within the U of C

By Tara Kadioglu / May 1, 2007

Helping at last year’s spring convocation, I remember sitting amid the graduating class. Despite the gray sky, the rain-wetted grass, and the family members in ponchos, the Class of 2006 was radiant. The students to my left and right cheered as their classmates took their diplomas. One was hard-pressed to find a graduating senior who...

The one of us factor: Will it matter in the ’08 election?

By Tara Kadioglu / April 17, 2007

I was a high-strung overachiever in high school. I lost student government elections in the eighth and ninth grades due to my nerdiness, which disconnected me from many students. My speeches might have been articulate and witty with a college audience, but they didn’t fly with the jocks and spray-tanned in-crowd who dominated votes. Nobody...

Reporters must ask the tough questions

By Tara Kadioglu / April 3, 2007

Remember Baba Wawa? Gilda Radner’s hilarious character on the original ’70s SNL attested to the fact that Barbara Walters was a trailblazing reporter—the first female evening news anchor. Putting aside her recent interview with Hugo Chavez, she’s been devoting many of her later career days to corn syrup like The View and annual specials on...

The fruits of the road less traveled

By Tara Kadioglu / March 6, 2007

Today is my birthday, and often birthdays represent new beginnings. This is the final issue of my yearlong term as editor in chief of the Chicago Maroon, and the end of a major constant in my life over the past four years. That’s because there has never been a time in my college career that...

Abortion more than black and white issue

By Tara Kadioglu / February 13, 2007

Matt Barnum’s article in favor of being an “anti-abortion extremist” (“The Upside of Being an Anti-Choice Extremist,” 1/30/07) argued that pro-lifers are more optimistic than those on the other side of the spectrum. To support this claim, he argues that a pro-lifer’s ideal law—one that “doesn’t trust women”—would only be rooted in the idea that...

There’s no shame in accepting nerdiness

By Tara Kadioglu / February 2, 2007

The other night when I was on my way out to the Reg to churn out some serious thesis work, the reactions of everyone I bumped into who wasn’t going to the library seemed to be essentially the same: “Aww, I’m sorry.” “The Reg? That sucks.” “Sorry, hon. Good luck.” “Yuck.” “You should sleep more.”...

Divorcing the law from marriage

By Tara Kadioglu / November 10, 2006

Too much valuable time and energy is wasted on trying to keep same-sex couples from getting married. While I think people should be able to marry whomever they choose, this should be a moot discussion when it comes to legal matters. Marriage—however you want to define it—has no place in the law. Why? Because personal...

Housing Options: Blackstone Hall

By Tara Kadioglu / April 25, 2006

If you are a romantic at heart and live in Blackstone, you’ve got it made. This building is the classic, old-style University dorm with an academic feel that you see in movies—complete with a fireplace beneath a crest, a grand piano, thick wooden doors with iron patterning, and an antique elevator. Its small group of...

Law students write to Supreme Court to fight amendment’s constitutionality

By Tara Kadioglu / October 3, 2005

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on December 6 about the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which states that law schools refusing military recruiters on campus should lose federal funds. Critics argue that the amendment discriminates against gays and lesbians, and a lower court ruled that it is unconstitutional. Many law schools...

University reviews emergency plan for Katrina-scale disaster

By Tara Kadioglu / September 30, 2005

The Class of 2006 might not graduate at Tulane University, whose future remains unclear. Like other universities in the Gulf Coast area, Tulane was shut down since it lacked a disaster plan capable of dealing with Hurricane Katrina. Considering the possibility of unexpected disasters, the University of Chicago started reevaluating its emergency contingency plan as...

Alumnus arrested for stripping on the quads

By Tara Kadioglu / May 6, 2005

Eight members of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) congregated on the main quad to arrest an alumnus for parading through the quad in his birthday suit, Thursday at 3 p.m. The man, who graduated from the College in 2003, was charged with indecent exposure and could be registered as a sex offender, according...

103-story stairclimb raises over $20,000 for tsunami relief

By Tara Kadioglu / April 19, 2005

Nearly 250 people ventured downtown with the expectation of getting extremely hot and sweaty between the hours of 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. this Saturday night, April 16. But instead of partying all night, these students, faculty, and staff from Chicago’s largest universities set a world record by climbing the Sears Tower’s 103 stories. The...

Hitchens tries making neoconservatism accessible

By Tara Kadioglu / February 25, 2005

With his trademark cigarette-in-hand and throaty British accent, Christopher Hitchens, famed author, political eye, and Vanity Fair columnist, discussed the virtues of being a neoconservative to a packed room of students and faculty this Wednesday. Sponsored by the John M. Olin Center on Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy, “Can One Be a...

End of History scholar updates his classic work

By Tara Kadioglu / February 12, 2005

A hoard of students and faculty stood side-by-side and spilled out of Social Sciences 122 to hear world-famous celebrity, author, and political scholar Francis Fukuyama discuss “The End of History Fifteen Years Later.” Speaking at the John M. Olin Center for Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy on February 8, Fukuyama said he...

Comer cuts ribbon for new hospital

By Tara Kadioglu / February 4, 2005

The long-awaited ribbon-cutting ceremony for the University of Chicago’s brand new Comer Children’s Hospital took place last Monday, January 31. While most children’s hospitals inherently do not make for particularly pleasant stays, this one—according to the the Chicago Sun-Times—offers private rooms with 42-inch flat-screen televisions, queen-size sofa beds for visiting parents, video games, and on-demand...

Crime Report

By Tara Kadioglu / January 21, 2005

A robbery occured on the 1400 block of 53rd Street on Monday, January 17, at 7 p.m. A man was walking down the street when another man came up behind him, grabbed his collar, pulled him in an alley, and holding a gun to his face said, “Hand me your money.” The victim took out...

Identity crisis: Scholars debate Mid East

By Tara Kadioglu / November 9, 2004

Questions of national identity, particularly in the Middle East, have recently spurred debates across the world. The Student Committee on the Middle East’s (SCME) panel on Wednesday, November 10, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the International House, titled “Examining National Identity: Nationalism, Transnationalism, and the Future of the Middle East,” will address issues such...

NPR star Keillor tells of home life on a prairie

By Tara Kadioglu / November 7, 2004

Tears of laughter rolled down audience members’ cheeks as National Public Radio (NPR) superstar Garrison Keillor related humorous stories on childhood and provided insights on the election results at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Wednesday at 8 p.m. The event celebrated the opening of the new University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital. Following University President Don Randel’s...

Crime Report 11-05-04

By Tara Kadioglu / November 7, 2004

An attempted armed robbery occurred Wednesday, October 4, on the 1100 block of East 59th Street, at 8:35 p.m. A 54-year-old man parked his car in the vicinity of 59th Street and South University Avenue, got out of his car, and started walking, when seven men approached him from behind. Two of these men displayed...

At Board of Trustees meeting, new dorm given green light

By Tara Kadioglu / October 31, 2004

Plans for the new dorm to be built south of the Midway will be finalized next month, University President Don M. Randel said Thursday after a meeting of the Board of Trustees. Along with Randel, Chairman of the Board Jim Crown, Assistant President of Student Life and Dean of Students in the College Bill Michel,...

“Thinking Man” for president: Kerry realistically runs in flip-flops

By Tara Kadioglu / October 28, 2004

We’re well into autumn by now, but, in some ways, the right still wants to discuss summer fashion. Bush supporters distributed flip-flop sandals with John Kerry’s name on them to delegates at the Republican convention last month. And remember that old television hit “Flipper?” The Republican National Committee apparently made and distributed an 11-minute clip...

European Union prudently “talks Turkey”

By Tara Kadioglu / October 12, 2004

Somewhere in the streets of Istanbul, an old man in tattered clothes smokes his nargile (hookah) while watching a young woman in a mini-skirt yap into her cell phone. He exudes peace and humility, and rarely travels farther than three or four blocks. She exudes activity and social status, and knows the best restaurants in...

Evaluating the air after September 11

By Tara Kadioglu / October 2, 2004

Albert Camus makes a profound statement in his lyrical essay, “The Desert,” when he says, “Living, of course, is rather the opposite of expressing.” In the same piece, he says that a wise person expresses little, focusing on living—or action—instead of words and images used to invoke certain public perceptions. Americans who think unlike Camus...

The politics of a purely decorative code

By Tara Kadioglu / September 18, 2004

A Mack truck driver carrying “toothpicks” sends a dispatch over to his buddy to say he “forgot his comic book.” His buddy asks him what his “10-20” is so he can come help him out. Is it so hard to say he’s carrying a load of lumber and that he forgot his logbook? And why...

Crime Report

By Tara Kadioglu / May 21, 2004

An armed robbery occurred on May 19 at 11:15 p.m. on South Woodlawn Avenue. A 16-year-old man walking on the street heard two people running toward him. One of the offenders grabbed him by the collar, struck him in the face, and knocked him to the ground. Then both suspects went through the man’s pockets,...

Crime Report

By Tara Kadioglu / May 18, 2004

An armed robbery occurred on May 16 at 2:10 a.m. on 4900 South Drexel. Two people confronted a 23-year-old man and, pressing a hard object against his side, said, “Give me your money.” As soon as the man handed over $400 in cash, the offenders fled southbound on Ellis Avenue. One offender was described as...

Crime Report

By Tara Kadioglu / May 4, 2004

An attempted burglary occurred Friday, April 30, at 10:19 p.m. on the 1400 block of East 54th Place. A University Police officer on patrol observed two men acting in a suspicious manner in an alley, apparently casing residential homes in the vicinity of 54th Place, Blackstone Avenue, and Dorchester Avenue. The officer notified other officers...

Faculty to discuss Middle East policy

By Tara Kadioglu / April 23, 2004

John Mearsheimer and Ron Suny, professors of political science at the University, and Michael Ledeen, of the right-leaning think tank American Enterprise Institute, will debate the implications of the 2004 presidential race on U.S.—Middle East relations this Monday. The event, titled “The 2004 Election and U.S. Foreign Policy Toward the Middle East,” will be held...

News Briefs

By Tara Kadioglu / April 20, 2004

PanAsia 2004, a 10-day series of events celebrating Asian culture, kicks off Wednesday with an opening ceremony at the I-House. Following a banquet from 5 to 7 p.m., the ceremony will feature a keynote address from the curator and director of the Asian Pacific American Program at the Smithsonian Institute, Franklin Odo, and a performance...

Great books inspire scholars’ musings

By Tara Kadioglu / April 13, 2004

Students and faculty members alike grappled with the question of what makes a book great at this year’s fundamentals colloquium, “The Power of Books: Some Personal Accounts,” on Monday. James Redfield, the Edward Olson Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Classical Languages and Literature, spoke first, beginning with anecdotes of his experiences with literature...

University mourns Weintraub

By Tara Kadioglu / April 2, 2004

If one course best characterized the University of Chicago, many claim, that course would be History of Western Civilization. And if one professor epitomized this course, that professor would be Karl Joachim “Jock” Weintraub. The legendary professor, 79, passed away Thursday, March 25, of a brain tumor. All of Weintraub’s former students who were interviewed...

News Briefs – 04.02.04

By Tara Kadioglu / April 2, 2004

Race and human rights forum A two-day forum entitled “Incarceration and Detention: Race and Human Rights,” will be presented by the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture; the Human Rights Program; and the Office of the Provost at the University of Chicago in collaborating with the International House Global Voices Program at...

Obama soars leading into Democratic primaries

By Tara Kadioglu / March 12, 2004

Newspaper endorsements and a recent poll show public support for Barack Obama skyrocketing as of late, indicating that he may win the Democratic candidacy for Illinois senator in the primaries next Tuesday. Obama received endorsements from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as three prominent downstate newspapers in late February.  A Chicago...

Obama soars leading into Democratic primaries

By Tara Kadioglu / March 12, 2004

Newspaper endorsements and a recent poll show public support for Barack Obama skyrocketing as of late, indicating that he may win the Democratic candidacy for Illinois senator in the primaries next Tuesday. Obama received endorsements from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as three prominent downstate newspapers in late February.  A Chicago...

NSIT deduces E-mail problem

By Tara Kadioglu / March 9, 2004

Even in the computer world, sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. Networking Security Information Services (NSIT) learned this lesson when they discovered that the anti-virus software intended to prevent a dangerous influx of corrupted e-mails was in fact the cause of the service interruption on Thursday. Bob Bartlett, director of Enterprise Network...

Provost calls for registration committee

By Tara Kadioglu / March 9, 2004

The provost’s office recently convened a new body of administrators to improve the registration process, addressing issues including the scheduling of room assignments, calendar decisions, and improving the new registration website, cMore. The Registrar’s Advisory Committee (RAC) is currently focusing on improving room assignments for spring quarter, according to Thomas Black, University registrar. Black said...

Scholars debate Mideast

By Tara Kadioglu / March 5, 2004

A diverse crowd of Jews and Muslims, both students and faculty, heard Salim Yaqub and Abdul Palazzi debate the greatest threats to domestic and political tranquility in the Middle East on Wednesday night. The heated evening discussion, “Threats to Peace in the Middle East,” consisted of two half-hour speeches, a debate, and a question-and-answer session....

Webmail shuts down Thursday

By Tara Kadioglu / March 5, 2004

Plaisance, the machine that allows members of the University community to read their mail, was shut down yesterday due to a loss of memory. Thirty mailboxes were corrupted. The e-mail system was up and running by around 9 p.m., when engineers and networking security information services (NSIT) staff began to troubleshoot for the cause of...

UCPD completes brutality inquiry

By Tara Kadioglu / March 5, 2004

With students preparing demonstrations and a day of silence to protest the alleged beating of a University student on January 24, the University Police Department (UCPD) announced Thursday that it has completed its internal investigation of the incident. Since completing the investigation, the UCPD referred the incident to the Committee on University Security (CUS). The...

Crime Report – 03.02.04

By Tara Kadioglu / March 2, 2004

On Wednesday, February 25 at 9:13 p.m., three teenage boys confronted a 22-year-old man walking alone at 1321 East 53rd street. They told him to “up the money” and surrounded him. He gave the three $16, and they fled. The victim saw a passing UCPD car and informed an officer of the crime. He rode...

NSIT plays doctor, tries to cure virus-laden e-mails

By Tara Kadioglu / March 2, 2004

Students need to be extra vigilant this week to keep computer files safe from the hands of doom. MyDoom.F—a dangerous variant of the MyDoom virus that began circulating last month—burst onto the scene last Monday, continuing to pick up steam today. MyDoom is among several viruses affecting Windows computers that rely on user error to...

U.N. officer talks to University students about peacekeeping

By Tara Kadioglu / February 27, 2004

U.N.ited Nations Legal Officer Stadler Trengove spoke to a room full of students Thursday about the future of the U.N. in international peace and security. Chicago Society sponsored the event, titled “The United Nations in the Post-Iraq World Order,” which was held in Harper 103. In a wide-ranging talk, Trengove spoke about international tribunals, U.N.-backed...

Administrators, students try to draw more minorities

By Tara Kadioglu / February 27, 2004

In an attempt to address the relatively few number of black students enrolled at the University, students and faculty attended an open forum on Wednesday to discuss issues involving the recruitment of students of color. The Provost’s Initiative on Minority Issues (PIMI), the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students in the University,...

Admin addresses civility issues

By Tara Kadioglu / February 20, 2004

With recent events intensifying the political atmosphere for some, the administration attempted to ensure that the discourse on campus remains civil. Steven Klass, vice president and dean of students in the University, and Provost Richard Saller, in an e-mail to the student body Tuesday, addressed the problem of interference with freedom of expression in the...

Second-year students dine with faculty

By Tara Kadioglu / February 17, 2004

Second-years in the College rushed to Ida Noyes Monday to dine with faculty members in their respective concentrations at the second annual Faculty Roundtables. The College Programming Office (CPO) created the event last year in response to various student-faculty focus groups. “It really is good for students to begin networking with their professors this early,”...

Valentine descends on campus

By Tara Kadioglu / February 13, 2004

Cupid needs no arrow to pierce second-year in the College Agraja Sharma’s heart this Valentine’s Day. Sharma looks forward to dressing festively for an evening of dining and downtown delights with her boyfriend of nine months, Simren Dulai—even though she has no idea where he’ll be taking her. “He’s going to surprise me. I don’t...

Questions swirl around hospital firings

By Tara Kadioglu / February 6, 2004

Since the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) filed a grievance against the hospital for firing several of its members, some of the 52 who were let go last month for parking illegally, many are now considering the possibility that the hospital may have secretly planned the terminations of these workers. Unions—including the INA—have been in contract...

Mearsheimer and Realism

By Tara Kadioglu / January 23, 2004

John Mearsheimer, noted professor of political science and director of the Program for International Security Policy, candidly spoke to students and faculty members at the Reynolds Club South Lounge Thursday as part of a continued series of brownbag forums collectively entitled, What Matters to Me and Why. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor...

Students just can’t concentrate: choosing a field becoming harder for undergraduates

By Tara Kadioglu / January 20, 2004

Beth Malinowski came here last year convinced she wanted to work towards degrees in public policy and biology. By the end of last quarter, after taking courses in both, she found that she wanted to explore other options. “Looking through the biological sciences requirements, I realized that many of the courses listed didn’t interest me...

Ice skating on the Midway remains valued pastime

By Tara Kadioglu / January 13, 2004

Snell and Hitchcock residents have long considered themselves members of the most chic houses on campus. They proved that on Friday night when they attended a private skating session at the Midway Rink, continuing the long-standing Hyde Park tradition of ice skating on the Midway. Although the rink, as it stands today at 1130 Midway...

Model U.N. requests more money for conferences

By Tara Kadioglu / January 13, 2004

The Model United Nations Team (MUN) launched a publicity campaign against what they claim has been a lack of sufficient funding for academic teams by the University and, more specifically, by the Student Government Finance Committee (SGFC). David Siffert, Vice-President of MUN, said the lack of funding is especially serious for teams as successful as...

Group of SG officers stands up for Shoreland

By Tara Kadioglu / January 11, 2004

A recent exchange of letters between a group of Student Government (S.G.) officers and University administrators has further confirmed what many have suspected for months: the days of the Shoreland as undergraduate housing are numbered. Though the College Council as a whole has deliberately assumed a neutral stance on the Shoreland debate so as not...

SG closer to making Red Line van service a reality

By Tara Kadioglu / December 2, 2003

The Student Government Transportation Committee (SGTC) presented its proposal for a shuttle service traveling from campus to the Red Line to the Transportation Advisory Workgroup last Friday, drawing constructive criticism and bolstering hopes that the shuttle service might materialize. SGTC chair Joe Anzalone presented the proposal to the committee. Cheryl Gutman, the deputy dean of...

Water seeps into Reg

By Tara Kadioglu / November 21, 2003

The Regenstein suffered a minor blow from the weather Tuesday morning when a drain in a custodians’ closet in the northwest corner of the first floor backed up and spewed water into the surrounding area at 8:25 a.m. The water made its way from the first floor reading room all the way to the carpeted...

RSOs to receive more money for events, trips

By Tara Kadioglu / November 18, 2003

The Student Government Finance Committee is currently working to finalize budget changes that will provide Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) with better funding. The changes were implemented on October 28 and are currently in an experimental stage. SG President Bo Shan began the initiative to reformat the SGFC budget last year, and said that one of...

SG debates Red Line van service

By Tara Kadioglu / November 11, 2003

With introductions and icebreakers behind them, the Student Government is starting to tackle a serious issue: improving campus-to-downtown transportation with the implementation of Red Line shuttle services. The Student Government Transportation Committee (SGTC) met Friday, November 7th, to discuss a proposal for a Red Line shuttle to be used by students for traveling between campus...

Panel addresses women’s issues

By Tara Kadioglu / November 6, 2003

University students packed tight in the Reynolds Club South Lounge on Wednesday to hear bold comments from powerful women. The event, part of a discussion series held by the University Community Service Center (UCSC), featured former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Corinne Wood, vice president for Policy at Planned Parenthood of Chicago Tracy Fischman, and Clerk...

Student government debates Shoreland future

By Tara Kadioglu / November 3, 2003

The Shoreland debate was the hot topic at Student Government’s first official College Council meeting, held last Sunday. Much of the discussion focused on the controversy surrounding the Shoreland, which the University may close as a residence hall in the coming years. The Council members all expressed enthusiasm about situation and were in consensus with...

University ranked 7th in student activism

By Tara Kadioglu / October 31, 2003

Mother Jones, a nonprofit magazine dedicated to social justice, listed the University of Chicago seventh on its list of top activist university campuses in the world in its September/October 2003 issue. Integral in bringing about Chicago’s sudden status were the “Boot the Bell” campaign and anti-war protests. Last fall, U of C student activists—mainly members...

New College Council gets organized for year ahead

By Tara Kadioglu / October 20, 2003

Student Government’s (SG) newly elected College Council met for the first time with the executive slate and the Graduate Council representatives on Sunday. The newly elected College Council members are: fourth-years Maryah Qureshi, Gadiel Castro-Zapata, and David Gardner; third-years Cameron Downing, Steven Chen, and Ben Mainzer; second-years Yi Rong, Yenisey Rodriguez, Robert Hubbard, and Chang...

Student discusses faith and activism at Brownbag

By Tara Kadioglu / October 20, 2003

Discrimination was one of the issues that took center stage last Thursday as a handful of students and faculty members met in the South Lounge of the Reynolds Club at noon to listen to Ella Hereth, a fourth-year in the College, lead the brownbag forum “What Matters to Me and Why.” Hereth, a Gender Studies...

SG prepares for school year after summer in Chicago

By Tara Kadioglu / October 16, 2003

The new student government executive slate is ready to embark on a year-long journey of decision-making, change, and-—perhaps-—a little fun. After a summer of allocating money, the slate is preparing to welcome new members to student government. The executive board members spent the summer in Hyde Park, working primarily on the Student Government Finance Committee...

Conference addresses women’s issues

By Tara Kadioglu / October 13, 2003

The University played host to over 40 scholars last week for a three-day conference entitled “Women and American Religion,” a symposium that addressed the need to include women’s experiences and stories in the canon of American religion. The conference, held at Swift Hall, began with remarks from keynote speaker Anne Bradue, who considered the “continuity...

Students gather to discuss Proof, film industry

By Tara Kadioglu / October 6, 2003

The filmmakers of the Miramax motion picture Proof invited the University community to a conference in the Social Sciences building yesterday to review the plot of the movie and answer questions about the cinematic process. The meeting drew a small but diverse crowd that included aficionados from campus film organizations and people just curious about...

Congress struggles to reach compromise on financial aid

By Tara Kadioglu / October 6, 2003

A debate over student financial aid has been playing itself out in Congress over the past few months, as some Congressmen struggle to keep a tax loophole from eliminating millions of dollars in student grants. This summer, Congress rearranged the tables in the federal need-analysis formula, the system used to determine students’ eligibility for federal...