University and student need

By The Maroon Staff / May 5, 2003

Two recent developments, the reform of the Shoreland and Broadview express bus ID policy and the introduction of academic minors in a variety of languages, represent attempts made by the University to improve the lives of its undergraduates. Both changes are heartening examples of the University responding to student need. The changes being made to...

Apathy wins no votes for SG

By The Maroon Staff / May 1, 2003

Apathy wins no votes for SG The student body has often viewed Student Government in an apathetic light. It is frequently seen as an organization that is detached from the student body, of interest only to the people involved in it. Even people who express interest in becoming involved make a mockery of SG, as...

This Week on WHPK 88.5 FM

By The Maroon Staff / May 1, 2003

Are you secretly fond of ridiculous musical genres? Do you like to save money? Do you dream about strawberry cobbler? If you answered YES! to any of these questions, then tune into “Mermaid in a Manhole” every other Tuesday morning from 2-4 a.m. and dance along with Courtney to the lush sounds of electropop, noise...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / May 1, 2003

A little known fact about Pete Yorn is that he briefly considered signing with Sub Pop. Apparently, there was interest on the label’s end, but Yorn opted to go with Columbia Records instead, partly because his hero, Bruce Springsteen, had called the label home for many years, but mainly because he wasn’t interested in slogging...

Warm weather revitalizes campus life

By The Maroon Staff / April 28, 2003

With the end of April and the onset of warmer temperatures, students enjoy leisurely activities on the suddenly blooming Quads.

Candlelight vigil marks end of Sexual Violence Prevention Month

By The Maroon Staff / April 28, 2003

Resources for Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) closed out Sexual Violence Prevention Month with a candlelight vigil in Hutchinson Courtyard last night to commemorate those who have been victims of sexual violence.

The Court and sodomy laws

By The Maroon Staff / April 28, 2003

State anti-sodomy laws have been brought up to the Supreme Court with Lawrence v. Texas for the first time since the Court last upheld them in 1986. The Court’s decision in this case will have ramifications in the states which currently now have laws prohibiting sodomy. Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum’s recent comments about the case...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / April 28, 2003

To the Editor: [Re: “U.S. unjustly looks to Syria,” Yasser Ghanchi, 4/22/03.] While I have no answer for many of the claims you make regarding Syria’s “poor victim” status, your statements regarding Israel, Hezbollah, and the Palestinians are simply too ridiculous to go unanswered. First, let’s straighten out your nomenclature: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs...

The power of scholarship

By The Maroon Staff / April 24, 2003

The pervasive campus attitude regarding undergraduates seems to be that the college experience is merely a stepping stone, a necessary but tedious process that facilitates our entrances into graduate schools. This is a gross devaluation of the merit of an undergraduate education. Our time at the University is valuable on its own, not just as...

Hyde Park celebrates Earth Day

By The Maroon Staff / April 24, 2003

5th-year Catlin Tolzmann (left) and graduate student Michael Milligan repaired their bicycles on the Quads during Earth Day. Other activities included an ice cream study break and there will be a “Save the Ales” selection of organic beers at the Pub tonight.

Empty Hyde Park storefronts

By The Maroon Staff / April 21, 2003

Hyde Park is a dynamic neighborhood, diverse and complex, combining commercial, academic and social institutions. At the Maroon, we’re growing afraid that Hyde Park might be quickly adding another adjective to its repertoire: vacant. With the recent closing of Cafe Siena, Hyde Park is faced with yet another empty storefront, adding to the already too...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / April 17, 2003

Levity Mark Oliver Everett Remember that band the Eels? “Novocain for the Soul”? Is it all coming back now? The singer/songwriter for the Eels, Mark Oliver Everett (aka E), has made his first foray into the cinema world by writing and performing the score for the new Billy Bob Thornton movie Levity. In the film,...

Oriental Institute treasures

By The Maroon Staff / April 17, 2003

Following the liberation of Baghdad, rampant looting ravaged the city. A major casualty of the looting was the city?s Iraq National Museum, which housed thousands of priceless ancient artifacts. By now, many of these may have made their way to the black market, effectively taking them out of the secure hands of museum curators. Given...

Post-war Iraqi leadership

By The Maroon Staff / April 14, 2003

Ahmed Chalabi, who received his Ph.D in mathematics from the University in 1969, is favored by the Pentagon as Iraq?s future leader, despite opposition from both the State Department and the CIA. Though it fills us with pride to see a U of C alumnus in the headlines, we question the means by which he...

What’s on their minds: Prospies spill the beans

By The Maroon Staff / April 14, 2003

It?s that time of year again. Admissions letters are out and prospective students are sizing up the University to consider making Hyde Park their home next year. We pulled two prospies out of a housing information session to find out why they would want to become part of the netherworld where the squirrels are more...

Communication breakdown

By The Maroon Staff / April 4, 2003

While President Randel’s e-mail to the student body earlier this week may not have entirely allayed fears about the war in Iraq, it succeeded in assuring students that the University is concerned about its student’s emotional needs and is prepared to offer any services it can in the event that the war hits closer to...

Sub-way to go!

By The Maroon Staff / March 11, 2003

The owners of the Subway franchise on 55th Street have succeeded admirably in creating an environment for late-night gathering. Though the project started in service of giving exposure to the Cricket World Cup, Subway has become a heavily used late-night spot for students and Hyde Park residents alike. Not all the 24-hour establishments in this...

Greek statement of tolerance

By The Maroon Staff / March 11, 2003

As members of the Greek community, we recognize that our institutions have recently come under criticism concerning issues of non-tolerance and exclusivity, especially regarding homosexual students at the University. While the actions of a few members of our community have embarrassed us, as Greeks, we do not promote or condone the ridiculing of any gender,...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / March 7, 2003

David Cross Shut Up You Fucking Baby Sub Pop Records David Cross, known to many of you as one-half of the creative team behind Mr. Show, and known no doubt to a great many more of you from roles in the terrible movies Scary Movie 2 and Men in Black II, recorded this album of...

Letters to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / March 7, 2003

Clarifications on town hall meeting To the Editor: I read with interest the February 28 issue of the Maroon, hoping to find coverage of two important initiatives–the Campus Resources Education Committee town hall meeting and the SG Forum on the Rising Costs of Education–and was pleased to see articles on both. However, I would like...

Teach-in a success

By The Maroon Staff / March 7, 2003

Walking out of class has not always been considered an effective way to express a political position. Indeed, we at the Maroon recently critiqued this form of protest as misdirected. We noted that professors who planned to cancel their classes unfairly imposed their political beliefs upon students who simply wanted to learn or those that...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / March 4, 2003

To the Editor: The bigotry of many fraternity members in the Mr. University crowd last Thursday was disgusting. As a queer student, I find their behavior deeply disturbing, and was shocked by how people’s (and your publication’s) account of the Mr. University pageant ignored the event’s frighteningly anti-gay atmosphere. That many frat members use an...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / February 28, 2003

The Caribbean History’s First Know-It-All Tomlab records The Caribbean is a band who has mastered the fine art of creating a lovely tune. On their third album, this group from D.C. takes their time with each of the 12 songs, letting the guitar, drums, bass and keyboards just mingle together. Add to this traditional arrangement...

Community by other means

By The Maroon Staff / February 28, 2003

Chicago’s fourth, fifth and 20th wards encompass the University of Chicago, and the three re-elected aldermen–Toni Preckwinkle, Leslie Hairston and Arenda Troutman–will be determining how Hyde Park looks and works over the next four years. George Bush, Rod Blagojevich and Richard Daley all figure into the political world that structures our neighborhood, but these three...

Letters to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / February 28, 2003

Offensive advertising To the Editor: I never thought I’d be offended by an advertisement until I saw the anti-choice supplement stuck into each and every copy of the recent issue of The Chicago Maroon. The document equates abortion with the Nazi Holocaust, with racism in the United States, and contains on its flip side the...

Correction

By The Maroon Staff / February 28, 2003

An article in Thursday’s Maroon mis-stated Northwestern law professor James Lindgren’s role in the investigation of John Lott, whose research arguing in support of private gun ownership has come into question. Lindgren looked into the claims of other scholars that Lott has fabricated a 1997 study and was unable to reach any firm conclusions one...

Disarming academia

By The Maroon Staff / February 25, 2003

It is difficult to approach the recent controversy surrounding former U of C instructor John Lott’s research for his influential More Guns, Less Crime without betraying one’s politics in the process. A definitive answer to the questions about Lott’s statistics has yet to come down, and by no means is his research, at present writing,...

Voices Music: Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / February 21, 2003

Cat Power You Are Free Matador records If I had to propose a theory as to why self-consciously primitive artists either rule or suck, it would be, maybe appropriately, a basic one: the good ones (or, hell, at least the ones that I’m always coming back to) are good storytellers. No, great storytellers. Dylan’s “Lily,...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / February 21, 2003

SGFC Increases RSO Audits The Student Government Finance Committee (SGFC) has initiated audits of several Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) his quarter, with several more planned to begin next week. As SGFC has begun to enforce more strictly the auditing provisions of the Student Association’s constitution this year, RSOs have correspondingly been keeping more thorough financial...

U of C EMP passes muster

By The Maroon Staff / February 18, 2003

Recent days have seen the practical debut of the color-coded terrorism alert system devised by the Department of Homeland Security. The system has been in place for some months, but the overwhelming novelty of prior alerts reduced their immediacy to that of a dress rehearsal. But with the increasing inescapability of armed conflict in Iraq...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / February 18, 2003

Sociology dept. revamps honors The Department of Sociology recently announced adjustments in its polices regarding honors requirements, personal advising, the process of granting waiver for BA theses, and the character of BA seminars for their undergraduate curriculum. The changes, which will be implemented next year, are intended to make the honors designation more discriminating, improve...

Kill Obscurity

By The Maroon Staff / February 14, 2003

Instead of spending another Valentine’s Day at home feeling sorry for yourself and falling asleep to a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and Laverne and Shirley reruns (as I usually do) why not go out and have a little fun? Remember, not having a significant other around to cramp your style on V-Day can be...

Voices Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / February 14, 2003

Kings of Leon Holy Roller Novocaine RCA Records Well, the first wave of garage bands–the Hives, the Strokes, the Vines–didn’t quite live up to the colossal sales expectations, but, as is usually the case in the music business, no one has the time to shed a tear. Already, there is a second generation of garage...

Devendra Banhart: Folk music for the hyperactive

By The Maroon Staff / February 14, 2003

Alex Mahler Voices Contributor People are talking about Devendra Banhart, and not without reason. At the age of 22 he’s already appeared in Rolling Stone in his underwear. You might be thinking that a number of people have accomplished this, but perhaps only in this case is such an achievement due to natural musical talent...

The thin maroon line

By The Maroon Staff / February 14, 2003

According to the South East Chicago Commission, crime in the Hyde Park and South Kenwood neighborhoods is down 14 percent since 1998. Much of the credit for this drop in crime is due to successful cooperation between University Police and the Chicago Police Department. The police have excelled in improving and maintaining the safety of...

Kill Obscurity

By The Maroon Staff / February 7, 2003

If you’re one of the few people at the U of C who actually goes out on first dates, then we at Carbon Copy have a few suggestions for you. We know there are a zillion great date ideas, but we’re cheap and so are our suggestions. It’s always a good idea to have some...

Rethinking a walkout on Iraq

By The Maroon Staff / February 7, 2003

The ongoing protest against the coming war in Iraq entered a new phase recently when a group of students began petitioning for a walkout from classes on a designated date. In conjunction with this walkout, a teach-in will be held to discuss the problems of war in Iraq. It would be too much to say...

Outlining changes to Chalk

By The Maroon Staff / February 4, 2003

The recent decision to invest $170,000 above costs to refit the Chalk system was sage from more than one perspective. Not only has Chalk proven to be an effective tool for organizing and disseminating class information, but it has shown potential for even more in its few years of use. Classes were taught, with varying...

Giving Tree branches out

By The Maroon Staff / January 31, 2003

It is difficult to conceive of a situation in which the Bag Lunch program introduced by the Giving Tree RSO would not be a commendable one. Their program enables U of C students to donate unused meal points towards meals for a local soup kitchen. Its purpose is obviously laudable. Recently, the Giving Tree has...

Correction

By The Maroon Staff / January 28, 2003

In the January 21 issue of the Chicago Maroon, an article incorrectly stated the date of the Speakout Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. The correct date is January 28th. The article also misidentified the gender of Dr. Rahul Sharma. The Maroon regrets the error.

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / January 28, 2003

Amoco considers move The Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce has recently been exploring the relocation of the Amoco gas station on 53rd Street into the adjacent and soon-to-be vacant space where McDonald’s is currently located. In place of the gas station, the Chamber is contemplating a building with commercial property on the ground level and...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / January 28, 2003

The University of Chicago and its peer universities act remarkably like university freshmen–one expects independence, and gets instead peer pressure. We cling to early action admissions and Yale decides to join us, but other institutions balk if Harvard, Stanford and their ilk won’t join the table. Our independence on this matter has been a point...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / January 28, 2003

To the Editor: In the last two and a half years, college campuses have become hotbeds for political activism related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Representatives and supporters of Israel throughout North America have noticed that anti-Israel activists have initiated a new campaign at the beginning of each school year featuring a new “buzz word” around...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / January 28, 2003

Scout Niblett I Conjure Series Secretly Canadian My disgust with the explosion of female singer-songwriters in the mid/late 90’s, as heralded by the Lilith Fair, has never really waned. As far in the past as Jewel’s screeching mew and a handful of other forgettable anti-talents like Shawn Colvin and Sarah McLaughlan are, that blip in...

Maroon Sports Super Bowl XXXVII Spectacular

By The Maroon Staff / January 24, 2003

Ben Adams Sports Super Mega Commander-in-Chief 1. The winner of the game will be the Buccaneers, which is weird, given that Tampa Bay has absolutely no right to professional sports of any kind. Everyone who lives there is trying to convince people that they live in Miami, which is really a sign of desperation, what...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / January 24, 2003

The University of Chicago, as a student body and as an institution, has long had a charitable attitude towards progressive ideas; it has been a point of pride. As such, the Green Campus Initiative has begun a two-month contest to see which dorm can use the least electricity and has completed a proposal intended to...

Correction

By The Maroon Staff / January 24, 2003

To the Maroon’s readers: It appears that I was further mistaken in saying that pro-Israeli students had approached Professor Nussbaum with regards to their views being silenced. Professor Nussbaum has informed me that she had heard from other faculty of such complaints, but was never directly approached by the aforesaid students. I am exceedingly sorry...

Voices Ministry of Fun

By The Maroon Staff / January 21, 2003

Rolling Stones Wednesday, January 22, United Cente, 7:30 p.m., $50-$350, 1901 West Madison (312) 455-4500. The first night of the Stones’ back-to-back at the United Center is sold out, but you can check out tomorrow’s show for as little as $50, or as much as $350, if you’re into that sort of thing. My mom...

A more direct activism

By The Maroon Staff / January 21, 2003

A more direct activism Some 300,000 people, among them a cadre of University of Chicago students who commuted in vans and cars, arrived in Washington, D.C. on Saturday to protest the proposed war in Iraq. They drew various prominent public figures to support what has increasingly become a public cause. The event looks to be...

Letters to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / January 17, 2003

Sharon’s position unsubstantiated To the Editor: Isaac Wolf’s story (“American Profs Take Stand in West Bank,” January 10) on the professors who signed the open letter warning about possible expulsion of the Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip quotes the deputy Israeli consul general to the Midwest (David Roet) as saying that...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / January 17, 2003

Now that President Bush has stated his intention to file an amicus curiae brief in the pending Supreme Court case dealing with affirmative action at the University of Michigan, the debate over what roles race and disability should play in college admissions has reemerged from obscurity. A recent joint study between the University of Chicago...

Don’t grieve for Steve’s

By The Maroon Staff / January 14, 2003

Recently, residents of Woodlawn voted to end liquor sales in a small area of their neighborhood with the objective of shutting down Steve’s Food and Liquor. This action reflects the changing character of the Woodlawn neighborhood, which is moving away from the high-crime reputation that it has held in past decades. Relationships between the University...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / January 14, 2003

Bush right to renominate Pickering To the Editor: Joshua Steinman’s ramblings (“Bush’s Southern Strategy,” January 10) condemning President Bush for re-nominating Charles Pickering to a federal judgeship are so full of half-truths, distortions, and outright lies that it’s hard to know where to begin. Some are just too ridiculous to even respond to, such as...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / January 10, 2003

To the Editor: I recently graduated from the University of Chicago (Political Science ’01) and am used to weighty pronouncements emanating from Professor Wellstones and their pot-smoking or croissant-eating disciples at the University of Chicago. When will these professors (re)gain a veneer of academic integrity? It was enough to be preached to while trying to...

Voices picks the best movies of the year that was 2002

By The Maroon Staff / January 10, 2003

We, the movie aficionados of Voices, would like to present to you what we believe to be the best movies of 2002, a year that was riddled with the worst atrocities committed to film (à la Attack of the Clones, Jackass: The Movie, etc.) but redeemed with some pretty rockin’ ones listed below. You will...

Correction

By The Maroon Staff / January 10, 2003

In the article “University propses Arts Center,” on December 3, 2002 the Maroon incorrectly stated the role of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. Hardy Holzman and Pfeiffer were selected by a committee of faculty and administrators to complete the programming and feasibility study for the proposed new arts center. This study will inform future fund raising...

A need for healthy dialogue

By The Maroon Staff / January 10, 2003

University of Chicago students departed for winter break under a pall with the news of a suicide–the suicide of a first-year–on the last Thursday of the quarter. Word of the incident spread over the Web, IM and e-mail, and reached the headlines of the student newspapers this week. There is not room here to understand...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / December 3, 2002

Provost releases annual report University Provost Robert Saller recently released his Annual Report for 2001-2002. This report provides an overview of the University’s financial and academic progress over the past year. Additionally, the report tracked the progress of the Chicago Initiative, the large-scale fundraising campaign which aims to raise $2 billion over the next five...

Correction

By The Maroon Staff / December 3, 2002

In the article titled “Student attacks third-years after frat party” in the November 26 issue, the Maroon incorrectly stated the name of a fraternity. The correct name is Alpha Delta Phi. The Maroon regrets the error.

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / December 3, 2002

The University’s Physical Education and Athletics Department has recently been under scrutiny. While some employees of the athletics department have claimed widespread problem in the department’s dealings with personnel and finances, the Maroon would take this occasion to reconsider the physical education testing and classes overseen by the athletics department. Students have long believed that...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / November 26, 2002

Bar Louie scheduled to open Bar Louie, a restaurant with 10 locations in the Chicago area known for its urban décor and jumbo martinis, is expected to move into the lobby of the Flamingo Apartment building by late January. Zoning restrictions, which had previously jeopardized the chain’s coming to Hyde Park, have recently been resolved....

Absorb foreign experience

By The Maroon Staff / November 26, 2002

The University acted wisely when it made the decision recently to pioneer a Civilization Study Abroad program conducted entirely in a foreign language. The new program, which will be housed in the University’s new building in Paris and taught completely in French, should be a success in bringing students closer to the civilization they are...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / November 19, 2002

To the Editor: I am disappointed that a man with a name so promising as “Lovejoy” should repeat hackneyed arguments by the Israeli far-right on the possibilities for Palestinian nationhood. All Lovejoy aroused was my disgust and pity for his total lack of curiosity and analysis. The Israeli right wing likes to claim that Jordan...

News In Brief

By The Maroon Staff / November 19, 2002

Subway to open on 55th Street Students returning to campus after the Thanksgiving break will be greeted by an additional dining option in Hyde Park when a new branch of Subway opens during the first week of December. The new store will be located between Cornell Drive and South Hyde Park Avenue on 55th Street,...

Untruth in advertising

By The Maroon Staff / November 19, 2002

Recently, the Maroon has received a great deal of criticism for our decision to print, in both issues from last week, a paid advertisement from a website known as campustruth.org, which presented a biased and hateful view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Quite frankly, our decision to accept the advertisement was mistaken, and we feel that...

Recent ads take the low road

By The Maroon Staff / November 19, 2002

During the last week, The Chicago Maroon ran two advertisements paid for by an anti-Palestinian organization. Using crude images, these ads purported to generalize, misrepresent, and then condemn the aspirations of the entire Palestinian population. One ad juxtaposed a golden-haired, triumphant Israeli athlete with a dark and grizzled Palestinian gunman; the first, the ad asserted,...

Ministry of Fun

By The Maroon Staff / November 15, 2002

The Porcupine Tree November 17 Martyr’s 8 p.m., $15 Like some Pink Floyd with your Tool? If so, I think I’ve found the band for you. Porcupine Tree has been around for about a decade, but I’ll bet my bottom dollar that the group has managed to fly beneath your radar until now. The band,...

Correction

By The Maroon Staff / November 15, 2002

The following names were inadvertently left out of the letter about Campus Watch published on November 7. Arnold I. Davidson, Professor of Philosophy; Peter Dorman, Associate Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization; Walter Farber, Professor, Oriental Institute and NELC; Susan Goldin-Meadow, Professor of Psychology; Gene Gragg, Professor of Linguistics and Near Eastern Languages and...

Staff Editorial: Promontory problems

By The Maroon Staff / November 15, 2002

Many of the protesters in Hyde Park’s “Save the Point” campaign have found the city of Chicago’s response to their efforts unsatisfactory. The Task Force for Promontory Point spent the past five months researching and formulating a counterproposal to the city’s, one that they allege would be cheaper and more agreeable to local interests. We...

Simplify financial aid bureaucracy

By The Maroon Staff / November 12, 2002

It was good news indeed that a study by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education listed the U of C as having the fifth highest proportion of Pell Grant recipients among first-tier universities. This is a sign that the University’s commitment to attracting top students from all economic backgrounds is alive and well. There...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / November 12, 2002

Morgenstern gets it wrong To the Editor: Josh Morgenstern’s Viewpoints article (“Take responsibility for words,” November 8, 2002) is an embarrassment to this university and those who are educated by it. His writing shows selective research and a complete lack of understanding for the situation surrounding Rashid Khalidi and the Web site campus-watch.org. I hope...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / November 12, 2002

Taco Bell’s contract debated The removal of Taco Bell’s kiosk in Hutchinson Commons is currently under consideration. Cheryl Gutman, associate dean of students for housing and dining, and Bill Michel, deputy dean of students, will meet today with Daniel Lichtenstein-Boris, a second-year in the College and the leader of the Anti-Sweatshop Coalition (ASC). Because Taco...

I hate Barry William Zito

By The Maroon Staff / November 8, 2002

All right: pasta doesn’t make a last name, right? Even if you change the last letter. Here are some names that don’t exist: Joe Linguino Frank Mostacciolp Tony Tri-Color Spiralr Rudy Angel Haiø Sam Cous Couf Billy Gnoccha Rick Dinosaur-Shaped Macaroni and Cheesk Similarly, Barry “baked” Zito does not exist, yet he insists on existing....

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / November 8, 2002

The Juliana Theory Love Epic Records This album should be so much better. Two songs in, Love crumples and refuses to stop sucking until it comes to a halt at the sixty-plus mark. It’s not a pretty sight. And, believe it or not, I actually had high hopes for this album. I saw the Juliana...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / November 8, 2002

Both Stanford and Yale announced Wednesday that they will drop their early decision programs in favor of the non-binding early action. While we at the Maroon feel that this is a step in the right direction, we believe that there are structural flaws in the entire college application process. Rarely are high school seniors cognizant...

Letters to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / November 8, 2002

Accusations on Campus Watch To the Editor: We are appalled at irresponsible allegations of anti-Semitism and “abuse of power” against faculty of the University. These charges and insinuations—made on Campuswatch.org and in other contexts—have been aimed at Rashid Khalidi, Professor of History and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations; at Holly Shissler, Assistant Professor in NELC;...

Letters to the editor

By The Maroon Staff / November 5, 2002

Listen to all voices on Israel To the Editor: As it should be, I don’t know what religion, if any, Professor Ada Holly Shissler subscribes to. I assume she is not Jewish, for in that case she would have been called a “self-hating Jew,” the other easy label that is put on critics of Israel’s...

Staff editorial: Make yourself heard

By The Maroon Staff / November 5, 2002

The faculty of the Divinity School recently circulated a petition decrying a possible war in Iraq. Though the petition was small in scale—it had only 35 signatories—it bespeaks the ease with which the public can voice its opinion. It also says something about the value of doing so. Today is, as we hope everyone has...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / November 1, 2002

The Foo Fighters One by One RCA Records By now, it’s a pretty widely accepted fact that the Foo Fighters are a great singles band. Just look at the collection of songs they’ve amassed over the course of their four studio albums: “I’ll Stick Around,” “Big Me,” “Monkey Wrench,” “Learn to Fly,” “Stacked Actors,” “Hero,”...

Applying restraint

By The Maroon Staff / November 1, 2002

The University of Chicago has often backed up its claim of drawing a “self-selecting applicant pool” by offering unusual application essay questions; this year has been no exception. “How do you feel about Wednesday?” is the latest in the University’s series. The Maroon appreciates the spirit of the question “How do you feel about Wednesdays?”...

Letters to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / November 1, 2002

Latin America’s global role To the Editor: For most of the late 20th century, Latin America was justly considered an unstable region where democracy failed to prove itself as a stabilizing political force. Dictatorship, authoritarianism, and coercion seemed to go hand-in-hand with attempts towards democracy, fluctuating back in forth in unpredictable ways. Argentina’s Peron, Chile’s...

Call for Submissions

By The Maroon Staff / October 29, 2002

The Chicago Literary Review is now accepting submissions. We're looking for essays, reviews, stories, poetry and photography. email [email protected] to submit or for more information.

Watching the watchers

By The Maroon Staff / October 29, 2002

University of Chicago professors who teach or write about Israeli-Palestinian relations and the place of Israel in the Middle East now find themselves with an audience besides that of their students and peers: Campus Watch. The Web site was founded by Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum and columnist for the New York...

Voices Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / October 24, 2002

The Washdown hail from Tampa, Florida—not exactly known as a breeding ground for good bands. But this limber punk outfit successfully defies the odds on their debut EP, recently released by reputable indie label Lookout! Records (Green Day, Pretty Girls Make Graves). Unlike the syrupy, My Bloody Valentine-inspired dream pop that seems to be par...

Letter to the editor: Singapore’s internal affairs

By The Maroon Staff / October 24, 2002

To the Editor: On college campuses everywhere, a cottage industry exists around the championing of causes big and small, current and obscure. Normally, apathy guides me blissfully past the protesters. Today, however, was different. I read in the Maroon that a loose coalition of student groups, including Amnesty International, South Asia Watch, Samahan, and Students...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / October 21, 2002

Upon superficial examination, it seems that the University of Chicago has been plagued with computer problems for the past six months. Beginning with last spring’s e-mail crashes, the problems have been mounting: non-secure Telnet access, the webmail breakdown earlier this quarter, and the struggling Chalk system all indicate prolonged and unresolved difficulties. To hear some...

Letter to the Editor

By The Maroon Staff / October 21, 2002

To the Editor: The last paragraph of John Lovejoy’s recent article “Why We Should Trust Bush” begins by pointing out that his “argument sounds simple.” This is a drastic understatement. His “argument” is not only simplistic; it is dead wrong, based on limited or outright incorrect evidence. It represents a highly dangerous way of thinking...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / October 17, 2002

The Streets Original Pirate Material Vice Records Mike Skinner is a white British rapper. Let’s back up. Mike Skinner is British—like tea and crumpets—but he raps about “pushing things forward” and “memories fading, soldiers slaying” and a bunch of other poetic shit. And he does it fast, spits like Em might if he didn’t have...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / October 17, 2002

We were surprised and saddened to learn this week that the Chicago Weekly News was forced to temporarily suspend its publication. We are sorry to hear any voice on campus temporarily silenced. We understand that there are some ipso facto circumstances in which the Maroon and the CWN are direct competitors, but we view it...

I hate the Fox Television broadcasters, especially Tim McCarver

By The Maroon Staff / October 14, 2002

Let’s check resumés. Steve Lyons was a journeyman utility infielder for nine years, and he never played for a World Champion. He had his fighting chance with the 1986 Boston Red Sox, but selfishly abandoned them for the greener-looking pastures of the Chicago White Sox, who, it appears, did not particularly enjoy employing his services....

Student Government Election Results

By The Maroon Staff / October 14, 2002

The following students were elected to the College Council last week: First-Year Candidates Robert Hubbard Kate Oppenheim Katie Foss Vivek Viswanathan Second-Year Candidates Cameron Downing Ben Mainzer Kate Field Kevin Lavelle Third-Year Candidates Noeline Arulganendran Erin Onsager Brittany Simmons Fourth-Year Candidates Adrian Kats Keith Voogd Jon Westring

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / August 15, 2002

The University community ought to be reassured by the Council on Teaching’s “Report on Enrollment and Teaching, 1996 to 2001.” For all of the heat generated by discussions over college expansion, the report indicates that — so far as a quantitative assessment of education is concerned — the overall quality of the education the University...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / August 8, 2002

As the University embarks on the Chicago Initiative, it is somewhat bewildering to hear that one of the biggest rooms in the University’s figurative house is not in order: the Library System has been forced to freeze hirings in an effort to make budget. The Chicago Initiative’s $2 billion goal is divided between four “priorities,”...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / August 1, 2002

The recent furor surrounding the news that Princeton University admissions officials gained unauthorized access into Yale’s admissions database is not entirely unwarranted. Nonetheless, we at the Maroon would like to remind concerned readers that only 11 records were actually accessed, which hardly constitutes a massive breach of security. But its small size does not make...

Shortcuts

By The Maroon Staff / August 1, 2002

All-Time Quarterback All-Time Quarterback Barsuk Records Ben Gibbard, best known as the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, recorded the eleven songs on this album as a solo project during one of the group’s slack periods back in 1999.This album is in fact a compilation of two EPs previously released on Elsinor Records: The...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / July 25, 2002

University institutes 9-911 Members of the University community who wish to reach 911 dispatchers will now have to dial 9-911 when using campus phones, according to an announcement made by Networking Services and Information Technologies (NSIT). Previously, both 911 and 9-911 would reach 911 dispatchers. In February, however, NSIT began compliance with Illinois Electronic 911...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / July 25, 2002

It has not been a good year for some of Hyde Park’s more beloved institutions; the City of Chicago continues to threaten the Point, the Hyde Park Theater closed, and the Harper Court Foundation (HCF) removed the chess benches from Harper Court. This last development is particularly disturbing because it was entirely senseless. Despite facing...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / July 18, 2002

The College Board recently agreed to settle a suit brought by Disability Rights Advocates, which mandates the cessation of the practice of flagging test scores obtained under special conditions—most commonly extra time. Most education officials and commentators have observed that the end of flagging is a commendable change, in the sense that it reinforces the...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / July 11, 2002

Let’s face it, there’s something just plain romantic about riding on a train—hearing the sound of the whistle, eating as the countryside flashes by, meeting other passengers, and so on. With the rise of the airplane and automobile, however, train travel has become an increasingly unfeasible option for many Americans. Train travel is not much,...

News in Brief

By The Maroon Staff / July 11, 2002

INS cracks down on part-time students from Canada and Mexico Increased enforcement of immigration laws in the aftermath of the September terrorist attacks will prevent Canadian and Mexican part-time students from attending American colleges and universities. Federal law dictates that a foreign student must be enrolled full-time in order to be eligible for a student...