A framed poster of Barack Obama, the kind with the stencil motif and dignified color scheme, leans against the bare walls of Ilsa Flanagan’s tiny office. The space is a work in progress, much like her job description. Outside the…
Author Archive for Juan Velez
Major: Sociology
A Thousand Cuts: As the University of Chicago slashes budgets, workers and administrators feel the pain
by Juan Velez •
The University of Chicago’s bureaucratic machinery usually runs quietly in the background, unnoticed and unknown to all but those that keep it humming. Only in times of strain or controversy do its organization, governance, and finances come under public scrutiny.…
Leading Man: Bronzeville filmmaker Morocco Omari contemplates life in the spotlight
by Juan Velez •
Celebrities are consumer goods. Reading gossip in the press or on trashy blogs, fantasizing over new babies, new outfits, juicy breakups, and emotional breakdowns is a form of escapism. The allure is obvious. Celebrities embody some of our culture’s dominant…
The Jolly Green Giant: The University of Chicago takes some steps towards a sustainability program on campus
by Juan Velez •
It’s hard enough for a person to be green. It requires a detailed awareness of how such trivial acts as leaving the light on or eating a burger can have environmental consequences, and enough commitment to change one’s lifestyle in…
Open Source Groceries: Two University of Chicago graduates bring transparency and fresh fruit to 55th Street
by Juan Velez •
Six months ago, Andrew Cone was working at a hedge fund and making bank. But he was bored. As the recent University of Chicago grad puts it, “I’m not really into sitting in front of a computer making money based…
Richard the Terrible: A challenging new interpretation of three Shakespeare plays opens at the University of Chicago
by Juan Velez •
A pale beam of light washes over an elevated throne, lending it a sickly glow that cuts through the darkness. We will see many swords, but appropriately, this glistening prize is the only object remaining onstage throughout the grotesque affair.…
The Life and Times of the Co-op Market: A storied institution comes to an end
by Juan Velez •
Birth The Hyde Park Co-Operative Society was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, November or December of 1932, by the Shank Family, who lived on 57th Street on the second story of a bookstore, the same building that…
Northern Exposure: Off-Off Campus takes its act citywide
by Juan Velez •
The 21st generation of Off-Off campus, the famed University of Chicago improv comedy troupe, has come into its own. Meek and fresh-faced when they premiered last winter (with an adorable Captain Planet routine), their members now feel well-worn, perhaps even…
