Unknown Speaker 0:00 All right, we should just put that mic check Unknown Speaker 0:14 Welcome back to the second episode of the maroon Weekly. I'm Austin. And I'm Myles and let's get right into it. Unknown Speaker 0:19 So we're gonna start with a news update. So first up, the frat SIG app has transitioned into the epsilon club D associating with its national chapter. Austin, could you read us the statement they put out about that? Unknown Speaker 0:31 So the statement provided by the fraternities President Varsha Darb, says that both alumni and current members expressed a general sense of apathy towards the national organization as well as the general discomfort towards the implicit associated Association. We have with Sigep chapters across the nation. There are also many of us who feel that nationals imposes an unreasonable financial strain on our operations, which inhibit our recruitment efforts and our ability to hold member events. Unknown Speaker 0:57 You can read more of our coverage on that on the maroon and in print. Also in the news TIAMO. boba tea opened inside campus North last week, and it turns out they actually ran out of Bobe on their first day. Unknown Speaker 1:07 I don't know about you miles, but like I absolutely hate Bobo's so won't be ever going there. Unknown Speaker 1:13 Well, being from California I'm totally have a different opinion. I would love for a Boba place to open on the south side. paroles Unknown Speaker 1:18 just feel so uncomfortable in my mouth and I can't explain it Unknown Speaker 1:22 and agree to disagree. Also in the news, Polsky North reopened on Friday after their mishap with their irrigation system. What is it sir? fire sprinkler? Got it? Okay. That's leaving it in this time. We're Unknown Speaker 1:39 putting that in? Because Austin was the one who messed up. Unknown Speaker 1:44 Okay, that was not quite okay, that's I feel like that's such a smaller mishap than got wrapped up very professional language here. Because it's like kind of like an irrigation system. You're just irrigating fire. Yeah, he's a fire sprinkler, you're just irrigating the fire. Unknown Speaker 2:01 So now miles, did you end up doing anything cool this weekend? Yeah, I Unknown Speaker 2:04 actually got to go downtown to the women's march and hang out with some new Chicago students and ask about why they were there and what they thought about the event. Unknown Speaker 2:12 What's the objective? Okay, my name is Michaela. I'm a fourth year poli sci major. I'm the Outreach Director of readers in Chicago Democrats. I'm here because we're trying to steer the message for you. They move into March and make a really voter oriented about pushing out the boats trying to get knocked on vestige of last year, which was important and necessary, but the focus for this year, which is about supporting women at the polls, getting people to the polls and making sure we actually make it smooth, effective and voter oriented. Unknown Speaker 2:40 So when I was downtown Friday night, I came by the park and I saw all the news stations already setting up all their equipment to cover the event next morning. And the city had already set up all the fencing and bollards to cordon off where the marches happening. So they're definitely anticipating a lot of people coming out today for this March. And the organizers who said it's at least as big as the March last year, which is about 250,000 people so we'll have to wait on official numbers, but it definitely seems like people are excited for this event. Unknown Speaker 3:24 I'm Carolyn hadden, I'm a fourth year public policy student. Here at the second Women's March. There are a few less people here than last year there's the energy is a little bit more subdued. I'd say there aren't like people overflowing into the streets like they were last year. That said there's still a lot of like really enthusiastic, excited people out here. And it's great to see. But I would say it feels a little bit different than last year. I'm still trying to figure out exactly why or what that means. Oh, I'd say in terms of demographics, the audience's almost entirely white are largely largely white. Not as many children as last year either. Last year, I saw a lot of families coming out. I'm not seeing quite as much of that. There are a lot more people selling women's march is kind of interesting. Sorry, yeah, of course. Unknown Speaker 4:27 I'm doing Salford. I'm a second year. I'm Jonah. Unknown Speaker 4:30 I'm a second year as well. Unknown Speaker 4:32 I'm here just because I think standing in solidarity with movements really important. Showing up showing, you know, an immediate landscape that everyone's still engaged as many people this year as last year. That's crazy. That's what they just said. I don't know. I mean, he can't see the end of it. And that's inspiring. So Unknown Speaker 4:50 I'm here because I've been raised by two very strong women and I believe in their rights. I believe that they were amazing people who did so much for me. And so I think that I'm not here today to say We're all the women that have made my life possible that have been so strong for me. And I think they deserve the same rights that I'm given as a man. And so I'm here to show solidarity and support Unknown Speaker 5:16 so that's what I did this weekend. Austin, what do you get up to? Unknown Speaker 5:19 I actually sat down with Spencer Demna or Porter for the Chicago maroon to talk about the grounds of being rent dispute, Unknown Speaker 5:24 grounds or being that's like my third favorite coffee shop on campus. Unknown Speaker 5:27 What could you possibly have above grounds? Well, Austin, Unknown Speaker 5:29 obviously the power rankings go hollow grounds Cafe downs are being Unknown Speaker 5:34 okay. disagree on carbs, like where do you have Harper Harper's Unknown Speaker 5:37 for and then x lib? That's where I'm at? Unknown Speaker 5:40 Fair enough. Fair enough. Let's see what other UChicago students have to say about this. Watch dirty Chai. Unknown Speaker 5:46 Small bagel harbor Cafe is known for Excellency and cleanliness, Unknown Speaker 5:50 Harper's really homey Harper is my home and has hot baristas. Unknown Speaker 5:55 I think cop is just so bizarre to go to x leave it costs your soul Unknown Speaker 6:02 X leave is where the cold hearted reg grinders go for bagels, sterile and depressing hallowed is great for napping and playing pool not for doing work grounds of being oh I love grounds of being grounds of being is when I want to feel like I'm cooler than I am. Unknown Speaker 6:22 As you can tell coffee is the lifeblood of the Chicago students and our student run coffee shops are beloved by many grounds of being is one of the oldest coffee shops on campus and as a student favorite. On January 8, the Chicago maroon published an article detailing a rent dispute between grounds of being and the Divinity School. So I sat down with Spencer Demna, a reporter with The Chicago maroon to find out more. So I'm sitting down here with Spencer DUBNER, how're you doing Spencer? Unknown Speaker 6:47 Pretty well? How about you? Unknown Speaker 6:48 I'm doing pretty well. And we're here to talk to you guys today about the current rent dispute going on over grounds of being so I guess just to dive into it, Spencer, what is kind of like, how do the student run coffee shops currently operate like not just grounds of being but the other ones like such as x li that hollow grounds? Unknown Speaker 7:04 Right? Right. So what makes grounds of being unique in terms of the coffee shops on campus is that most of the student run coffee shops are actually run through an office called the Center for Leadership and Involvement. So that specifically includes hallowed grounds, X lid, Cobb, Harper, and I believe also the Harris schools cafe, all those are run through the Center for Leadership and Involvement. So they're their students, their leadership is students. But the finances and a lot of the kind of logistics of them existing, are run to the Center for Leadership and Involvement. They're already integrated with the university. What's different about grants being is that grounds are being received space from the university, but it doesn't have an institutional connection to the university, Unknown Speaker 7:43 I guess, going back to the beginning of it, then this is the root of the problem, because if it's my understanding, there was some changes to university cost structure that causes that come about, could you kind of Unknown Speaker 7:53 write so we reported some on this over the summer, effectively, what what appears to have happened is that the university restructures the way that it does its accounting, and tried to standardize it more across divisions. And so some things that previously might not be part of the cost for one division are now counted in that cost things like you know, the space they use, and the rooms that are occupied by say the humanities division or you know, the Divinity School, any other division of the university, suddenly, that is now part of the space that they have to account for. We also reported over the summer on, you know, people trying to give up space and some divisions as part of that document dump that, you know, sometimes people are trying to avoid using as much space because now it factors into their cost. What's new about that, in terms of grounds being is that for the first time, it seems like the Divinity School has to reckon with the space it gives grounds of being being part of its finances, and part of the targets that the university gives it. And so Unknown Speaker 8:47 this all the way goes back to as you said last summer. So how did this all start? That was under a different Dean at the Divinity School. Right. So when did the discussion start with Dean Rosengarten? Unknown Speaker 8:57 Right. So what has happened according to grants being its timeline and preface, by the way on on the discussion about the timeline is that the university hasn't released anything publicly about basically their account of the negotiation. So what we have is what grounds are being and the Divinity Students Association have told us in conversations and what they published on their website, the university hasn't as yet commented on this version of events. So we can't we can't confirm what they think of this. But grounds beings account says that this all started in June, the previous Dean, who, as you said, was named Dean rose and garden said, we think you might have to charge you rent. There was a discussion about that sort of fizzled out as the dean was was leaving the Divinity School, but then it sort of restarted in earnest around September. That's right around when Dean Zoloft, who's the current dean of the Divinity School took over. And then that's when a lot of the conversations that led to the current impasse happened. This is where the Divinity School starts to reintroduce a lot of the sorry to introduce for the first time, a lot of the demands that kind of had become sticking points, which I'm sure we'll talk about later on as well. Unknown Speaker 10:00 Perfect, well, then let's go right into those demands. So what exactly are the demands that Dean's specifically are required in the grand scheme? Unknown Speaker 10:07 Sure. So the the most recent set of specific demands that the university gave the grounds of being is that after grounds are being went public, the university emailed them on January 5, I believe this list that the basically a proposal for a series of demands, demands said things like, you need to take Maroon Dollars, that's been a big issue for them, because they they're arguing there's an equity problem, that if students are on financial aid, and receive subsidized dining, the fact that they can't spend that money at grounds of being but that someone who's spending cash can University says that's an equity issue. There's also the question of integrating finances with the university, which grounds are being has has attempted to do things like for instance, open his accounting and say that we're going to release our books to the public remains to be seen if that's a satisfactory solution, but that's another demand that's on the table. And then the biggest one, of course, is rent. The problem with the rent demand is the most recent version of the university's demand doesn't include a number. So grounds are being claimed in previous discussions that the university demanded around $60,000 $40,000 of that is a rent figure that they calculated. And $20,000 is a figure for utility, which grounds being disputes the amount of but it's not clear if the university still stands by that figure, because all they said in their most recent proposal, is that they want grounds for being to pay like put a graduated increasing amount of rent over time, but it's not clear what that would graduate to, or like on what timescale? Or what the final amount would end up being. Unknown Speaker 11:36 Alright, so there's a lot right there. So let's just digest point by point. So from grounds of beings perspective on the Maroon Dollars issue, what why don't they currently accept maroon salaries at least like what what is their problem with that? Unknown Speaker 11:48 So grounds are being has sort of a, I guess, a reputation as a cash business, they talked about the idea that that's important, because they just carry so much volume, you know, that they're very popular, and that they wouldn't be able to operate at the speed that they do if they had to take cards and everything. As it happens, I've actually came to the University on rune dollars. You know, they say that they're also concerned about the equity issues. And so one of the offers they made in their counter proposal is that they will in fact, accept Maroon Dollars, but they won't take cards, Unknown Speaker 12:14 switching to the university's finance issues. So I guess the university's main concern is transparency and being able to audit them. So what have compromises that they propose? Unknown Speaker 12:23 Well, honestly, we don't know. What what the university's concern is, that's certainly one interpretation in grants being is saying, Grant grants being response to this proposal to integrate with the university finances has been to say, if your concern is transparency, we will account openly. So they did things like they released their budget for last year, you can see it on their website. And they're talking about transitioning to open accounting, which would mean that they would just release their books, and anyone can read them. So if the university's concern is accountability, that's how grounds being attempted to address it. And then Unknown Speaker 12:53 so I guess, finally, on the rent issue, since the main one, I guess, is the largest thing being disputed here. So setting costs aside, right, currently grounds and being does operate at a profit if I'm correct, right. Unknown Speaker 13:03 Yeah. Grounds being makes around 30 to $35,000 a year. Unknown Speaker 13:08 And with that profit money, they're currently subsidizing or funding, I guess, the Divinity Students Association, Unknown Speaker 13:14 correct? Yeah, yeah, I think it's worth clarifying kind of the relationship between those. Because in the past, there have been various complications. But effectively, the way that the two things are organized now is that the Divinity Students Association, which does things like send students to conferences, you know, provide emergency funds, organize social events, etc. The Divinity Students Association now has grown into being as a subsidiary, and the grounds being donates all of its profits to the Divinity Students Association to use for things like conferences and academic support and all that. Unknown Speaker 13:44 So essentially, by charging rent or grants of being for the space, they're going to defund our different portions of the Divinity Students Association, like by not allowed on grounds of being to donate their profits, Unknown Speaker 13:56 right? Possibly, yes. So there are two kinds of wrinkles in this picture. The first is that divinity Students Association has a second source of funding. So everyone in the college and everyone and I think most graduate divisions pays a student life fee, which is just a fixed additional thing when their tuition in the college, you know, that goes toward things like student government, etc. And the Divinity School that money goes to the Divinity Students Association. So they also receive around 30,000, or a little less from that as well. But that money can't be used for everything. And so some of the things that divinity Students Association says that it wants to do things like funding people going to academic conferences, they can't fund through that money. And that's why they say they need grounds beings profits. The second complication is that the university has made some commitments to saying that it might fund some of these things on its own. So in a scenario where grounds are being suddenly as making not $30,000 in profit, but 10,000 or zero, there's at least some university offer on the table to say we'll fund some of this, but it's not clear things like through what mechanism like would this funding still pass? Through the Divinity Students Association, or will the university bypass them? And also like what what what scale of funding. So the concern that divinity students has about that is effectively loss of independence and loss of control that they're not sure that they'd have as much money. And they wouldn't have as much control over where it goes. Because the the autonomy that divinity Students Association has in terms of its funding is kind of unique in terms of academic divisions and how they fund these sorts of programs. Unknown Speaker 15:24 Okay, so then recently, I know that grounds of being and the Divinity Students Association has sort of formed a preservation community committee, excuse me, as they called it. So how is this been playing in now that this has been formed into the discussion between the university and like, what kind of role are they hoping to play? Unknown Speaker 15:42 Right? So the Preservation Committee that divinity Students Association grants being Preservation Committee was formed, I believe it was initially formed, there was a meeting like a plenary meeting of all the Divinity students, they agreed to vote to form this committee, all the negotiation and all the publicity and everything has technically been happening through them. So like, for instance, they hosted a forum last weekend, which was all about sort of getting public input and figuring out strategy that was through them. Their website is where all these documents and kind of public information about the negotiations had been released. So they've effectively routed everything through that committee, but it's not a separate organization in terms of personnel. Unknown Speaker 16:21 So looking forward, now, what kind of paths forward? Like just hypothetically Do you see this possibly taking? I know, from my understanding Dean's Allah has, or at least from grounds of beings account, that she's insinuated the possibility of shutting down grounds of being or getting some other coffee shop to come in here. Again, that's just from grounds of beings account. So like we see possibly happening. Unknown Speaker 16:46 Yeah, so that that is another thing we reported on. There's a particular conversation in November where we're Zoloft said something, the quote that Grant's being gave is that she floated the possibility of a Starbucks in the basement, not terribly clear what that means. You know, we couldn't we couldn't get a university comment on that. But that's just another kind of thing that's on the table in terms of how people are approaching this. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if grounds of being goes anywhere. From what I heard at the meeting, there are some faculty members there, there seems to be kind of more pressure on the Divinity School than then is immediately obvious. You know, faculty from other schools know about this, you know, it's kind of maybe doing a little bit of reputational damage. And I think that the people who are organizing on the other side sort of know that, you know, they've talked about the idea of trying to organize like letter writing campaigns and all these sorts of things, the idea being to put more pressure on the Divinity School. So I think it's I think it's possible that grounds of being will end up paying more rent, I think it's possible that I'll end up integrating their finances. But at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the Divinity School just shut down grads of being Unknown Speaker 17:52 thanks for sitting down with us fencer. Be sure to follow Spencer, and the Maroons coverage of this story as it keeps on going and Yep, thanks again. Unknown Speaker 18:00 Absolutely. Thanks so much. Unknown Speaker 18:07 Alright, so now I'm joined by Max Miller, the host of the Marines arts cast, and he's here to give you a little preview of what's to come on Wednesday morning. Unknown Speaker 18:14 Hi, guys. So in our next episode for the Marines art cast, we're going to be talking about the maroon TV. We're going to feature an interview with Haley grew and span director for maroon TV, and she's going to tell us about her creative process for the TV show hide pork. Next we're going to talk about a play that I want to go see on the north side called the antelope party that has to do with bronies and their interaction with the right wing government, I guess the neighborhood watch spreading throughout right wing communities. And then finally, we'll close it off with an interview of Jacob Johnson, a comedy rapper on campus who goes by the name average Johnson. Unknown Speaker 18:49 Max, that sounds fantastic. And I can't wait until Wednesday when we get to listen to that. So there's a number of cool events coming up this week, including one on Wednesday at the IOP which is a conversation with Lawrence O'Donnell, who hosts the last word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC about his new book playing with fire the 1968 election and the transformation of American politics. That event will be at the quad club and you can sign up for it on their Eventbrite page. Unknown Speaker 19:23 Also, there's a human rights and practice Symposium on Friday and Reg 122. And the you Chicago Japanese animation society is hosting their 17th annual Yuichi con on Saturday. Unknown Speaker 19:35 For more great events, you can check out Chicago maroon.com/events. Unknown Speaker 19:39 So our tech thing of the week this week is Nintendo labo. They these are cardboard cutouts that you fold into crazy new objects that can help you interact with your switch and cool new ways. So there's like cardboard RC cars that you control with the vibration motors. There's a house fishing rod, a piano and even a full size robot that kids can put on Unknown Speaker 20:10 Thank you to the UC Dems for letting me tag along with them to the March this weekend. Spencer DUBNER for talking to me about grounds of being thank you to Aaron senden for his great music. Unknown Speaker 20:18 Thanks to Ben Ken and the entire Logan cage stuff. Unknown Speaker 20:21 And thank you to Catherine MacDonald for her unwavering support of this project. I'm Miles. I'm Austin. And that's all I have for you this week. Thank you for tuning in. And you can catch us on Monday mornings at 9am Transcribed by https://otter.ai