In a two-candidate election, Lily Morgan was elected by The Leader staff to serve as the Editor-in-Chief for the 2024-2025 school year during the April 30 meeting.
Morgan currently serves as The Leader’s News Editor, a position she’s occupied since January 2024 after joining The Leader at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester.
Morgan has plans to expand The Leader’s multimedia presence, grow The Leader’s sports section, and build relationships with the staff and campus community.
“Our biggest responsibility here at The Leader is to serve the Elmhurst University community. I want to remind the student body that we’re here for them, and a huge part of that is listening to their feedback.” Morgan said, elaborating on her plans for next year. “Faculty and students want to see us cover more sports stories, so I look forward to going out and recruiting more sports writers so that we can expand that coverage and eventually hire a sports editor as well.”
Morgan continued, “Focusing on establishing a larger multimedia team and strengthening The Leader’s online presence is also a big priority for me. There’s a large portion of the student body who solely utilize social media platforms to get their news, and I believe amping up our multimedia reporting will help us reach an even larger audience.”
Adriana Briscoe, current Editor-in-Chief and graduating senior, had a feeling Morgan would take over the position since the fall.
“Lily demonstrated great initiative as a reporter when she first started writing for The Leader, and she continued to play an active role in The Leader’s success throughout the year as News Editor,” Briscoe said. “The moment she stepped up to lead a staff meeting I had to miss, I knew she would be a great fit for EIC.”
The Leader adviser Eric Lutz felt similarly about Morgan.
“Lily will make a great editor,” Lutz said. “She’s a talented reporter and has made a big impact on The Leader in her short time as News Editor. I have no doubt she’ll continue to build on the great work
of Adriana and her predecessors.”
For Morgan, being elected Editor-in-Chief is an opportunity for her to make an impact with The Leader.
”I HAVE NO DOUBT SHE’LL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THE GREAT WORK OF ADRIANA AND HER PREDECESSORS.”
“Ever since I transferred to Elmhurst last year, I knew I wanted to get involved here as much as possible. Working on The Leader I’ve gotten to talk to people from all across campus and learn more about our community than I ever imagined I would,” Morgan said, “As Editor-in-Chief next year, I’m looking forward to continuing sharing those experiences with our student body and working to instill that same passion and curiosity in my fellow Leader staff members.”
Prior to joining The Leader, Morgan had been involved in various leadership positions in high school, including being a co-captain of her high school’s speech and debate team.
“One of the most important things I learned from my past leadership experiences is that it’s just as important to know how to do the work, as it is to know the people you’re doing the work for,” Morgan said, “A leader is only as good as the team they have backing them, and I have been so honored getting to know everyone on our staff and watching them grow as writers and reporters over this last year.”
“I’m so proud of Lily,” Briscoe said. “I know she’ll be a wonderful leader to work with, and I look forward to seeing what she and her staff accomplish next year.”
Morgan’s first issue with her new title will be August’s Orientation Issue.
“The future of The Leader is bright,” Morgan expressed, “I’m excited to continue working with not only our current staff but also to start recruiting some new faces as well.”
Adriana Briscoe (she/her) Editor-in-Chief
Eve Hvarre (she/her) Chief Copy Editor
Rachel Fratt (she/her) Head Graphics Editor
Jennie Bosas (she/her) Graphics Editor
Lydia Avery (she/her) Staff Writer
Kevin Brassil (he/him) Staff Writer
Rianna Capizzano (she/her) S taff Writer
Malcom Mason (he/him)
Staff Writer
Michael Nicholson (he/him)
Staff Writer
Eric Lutz (he/him)
Lily Morgan (she/her) News Editor
Gabriel E. Galindo (he/him) Arts and Culture Editor
Ian Murphy (he/him) Opinions Editor
Sarah Glees (she/her) Multimedia Editor
Tyler Ptaszkowski (he/him) Staff Writer
Brynn Rubacky (she/her) Staff Writer
Lydia Schoessling (she/her) Staff Writer
Samuel Shulman (he/him) Staff Writer
The Leader is the student-run newspaper to the students, faculty, and administrators of Elmhurst University. The Leader is not submitted to any person or organization for prior approval. The contents are the decision of the editor in agreement with the editorial board. Opinions expressed in The Leader do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or its staff and are not intended to represent those of the EU at large. No text, photos, or art can be reproduced without direct permission of The Leader.
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Inside the front entrance to the Elmhurst University library sits a modest memorial that countless students pass by each day, but which has never gotten public acknowledgment beyond that.
This impromptu shrine first popped up in February of this year and has since grown in size throughout the semester with the addition of drawings, messages, and prayers to candles and Palestinian flag pins.
‘4/24/24, 200 days of horror. You should be outraged,’ reads one sign more recently added to the memorial. ‘To all the precious children no longer with us, I hope you found peace,’ reads another.
There are now over 120 campuses nationwide that have started their own Gaza encampments, each with its own list of demands – but the common theme among them is calling on their universities to divest from companies that are currently funding Israel’s military efforts against Gaza.
Tensions have continued to rise as some of the universities’ encampments continued for days on end, with administrators from these universities calling in armed law enforcement to arrest protestors and take down their encampments.
“‘4/24/24, 200 DAYS OF HORROR. YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED,’ READS ONE SIGN MORE RECENTLY ADDED TO THE MEMORIAL. ‘ TO ALL THE PRECIOUS CHILDREN NO LONGER WITH US, I HOPE YOU FOUND PEACE,’ READS ANOTHER.”
It’s not clear who originally established this memorial, but for the students who walk past this small act of solidarity to get into the library each day, the fake candles that continuously burn are a reminder of the lives lost in Gaza. A way to show that some part of the EU community has not forgotten, or turned a blind eye to what is happening across the globe — even if they feel it’s best to work in the shadows.
The admins of a new Instagram account, @eustudentsforpalestine, have started posting videos of other universities’ protests, aiming to shine a light on the lives of Palestinians and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. They did not respond to The Leader’s requests for comment.
These protests have been happening throughout April and have continued into May, with students from large universities like Columbia University, UC Berkley, University of Chicago, and countless others staging walkouts and setting up encampments in public areas on campus. These acts of protest and solidarity with the people in Gaza have led to countless arrests and national news coverage from people on both sides of the issue – as well as criticism over reported antisemitic incidents at some of the demonstrations.
Controversy sparked a few weeks ago amongst unverified reports of Indiana University and Ohio State University stationing snipers on the roofs of public buildings, silently taking up arms against students in a move all too familiar to those aware of the history of the Kent State Massacre in 1970.
However, officials from the universities stated that these were law enforcement officials serving as spotters, who are also employed during large school sports gatherings. Days later, all eyes turned to the Columbia University campus as peaceful protests escalated to unprecedented violence with the university-sanctioned deployment of the NYPD on the night of April 30.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said in a letter sent to the community last Wednesday that protestors breaking into and occupying one of the buildings on campus pushed the university “to the brink,” and prompted the response of hundreds of NYPD officers on campus the night before.
The occupied building in question, Hamilton Hall, was renamed by student protestors to Hind’s Hall to honor the six-year-old child who was killed by Israeli fire in Gaza after spending hours on the phone with aid workers as she sat trapped in a car with her deceased family members.
Controversy surrounded the narrative of the occupants of Hind’s Hall as New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed that the intelligence division
gained sensitive intel that some of the people within the protest weren’t members of the student body but rather, ‘outside agitators.’
Student reporters from Columbia’s campus radio station, WKCR, were among some of the only press able to give coverage during these events as they were trapped on campus during its lockdown.
These reporters were on the field during the NYPD occupation of their campus and disputed these claims as they were touted on air by reporters on CNN and MSNBC. The student reporters stated they had confirmation from peers of students who occupied the Hall, and that any intelligence claiming the occupants were non-students was blatantly false.
One Police Plaza confirmed the next morning that the NYPD arrested 119 people on the Columbia University campus the night of April 30 but wouldn’t say how many of those were students. They also stated that no press was allowed during the de-occupation of Hind’s Hall, including the student reporters from WKCR.
Across the country on the very same night, pro-Palestine supporters were attacked by counterprotesters at the University of California, Los Angeles. The mob of counterprotesters attempted to dismantle barricades at the UCLA encampment, launching fireworks into the sea of tents and opening fire with tear gas in an attempt to flush the demonstrators out.
Law enforcement was called in to respond to this attack and prevent counterprotesters from launching further explosives, but many people on site say they didn’t act quickly enough.
The LAPD’s response to the violent attacks was most notably criticized by California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. A spokesperson from his office said the “limited and delayed” police intervention was “unacceptable.”
After a night of dodging attacks from counterprotesters, UCLA students were greeted the next morning by the LAPD, who set off flash grenades and shot rubber bullets into the crowd, driving them out of the encampment so that it could be completely dismantled.
A spokesperson for UC Divest at UCLA told the
Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, “25 protestors within the pro-Palestinian encampment were hospitalized,” as a result of the two attacks from counterprotesters and law enforcement.
Closer to home, at Northwestern University, officials and student protestors have come to an agreement of sorts. The Daily Northwestern reported on April 29 that the university would agree to allow protests to continue on campus up until June 1, the final day of their spring quarter classes, so long as the protest only included students and faculty with no one else from the public allowed into the encampment.
“In exchange, students will still be able to organize under a permit granted by NU, they will use only approved devices to project or amplify sound. Previously scheduled events must be able to proceed,” the university said.
The nonprofit Human Rights Watch calls for universities to follow suit with Northwestern University, urging them to respect their students’ rights to
protest, and reminding administrations across the country to “be careful not to mislabel criticism of Israeli government policies or advocacy for Palestinian rights as inherently antisemitic, or to misuse university authority to quash peaceful protest.”
While it’s unclear how long the war between Israel and Palestine will continue, the U.S. government doesn’t appear to be shying away from providing funding to Israel with the signing of foreign aid legislation into law that would provide over $94 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
Only a week later, the state department found in an investigation that five units of Israel’s security forces were responsible for “gross violations of human rights,” which is notably the first time this ruling has been made regarding Israeli forces throughout the conflict.
However, amidst the ruling, the state department has not barred any of these units from receiving U.S. military funding and assistance.
Since this war began on Oct. 7 of last year with Hamas’ attack on Israel, Israel’s military has killed
at least 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
The U.S. has called for an immediate ceasefire, saying that future support and aid for Israel will depend on the ‘concrete action’ taken by Benjamin Netanyahu to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza.
Last week, President Joe Biden addressed the nation with remarks on the campus protests, advocating for free speech while also condemning the student protestors for their methods.
“I understand people have strong feelings and deep convictions. In America, we respect the right and protect the right for them to express that,” said Biden. “But it doesn’t mean anything goes. It needs to be done without violence, without destruction, without hate, and within the law.”
“Dissent is essential to democracy. But dissent must never lead to disorder,” concluded Biden.
Tucked away, across from the Elmhurst Public Library, sits a plot of land unnoticed by many, but wholly loved by those who know it’s there. The 1871 Heritage Garden started in 2017 by Elmhurst University’s Sustainability Committee is now run mostly by one man, Kyle Bennett.
Bennett, an associate professor of biology here at EU, has been running the garden for over six years, inheriting it from a retired German professor who asked him to take up the mantle.
“He was 82 years old and the beginnings of it was just a few beds,” he said. “The reason it’s called the ‘1871 Heritage Garden’ is because the original attempt was to sort of recreate the things that were grown by those first students in seminary as they were growing their own food.”
Although the garden may have had humble beginnings, Bennett has been putting in the work to ensure it continues to flourish. From the first few modest beds of crops, Bennett, with help over the years from various students through his ‘Gardening to Give’ class and the gardening club, has expanded the Heritage Garden to over forty plots of crops.
These plots generate over two thousand pounds of fresh produce each year that is then donated to the local Elmhurst Food Pantry.
“Gardening this way, you know, sometimes I’m taking a hundred pounds of cucumber over there at a time. But the food pantry doesn’t often get real fresh produce, they get donations from supermarkets that are things that are already on their way out.” Bennett reflects on the very start of these donations, “The first year I did this preCOVID, I’d be coming in with things of food. I’d put a cabbage head on a shelf, bend down to get another one, and a customer had taken it. Fresh produce is rare to get.”
“This is not part of my faculty duties, I don’t get paid extra to do it, but I end up working somewhere around five to 10 hours a week during the growing season,” explains Bennett, “Each year we’ve had a little expansion, I’ve gotten lots of grants to help pay for it. So most of the funding, actually all of the funding has come externally from the university.”
Bennett receives funding through grants from various local organizations including The Elmhurst Garden Club, The Garden Works Project, and most recently an innovation grant from the Wild Ones which advocates for the inclusion of native plants, inspiring the fauna placed around the front of the Heritage Garden.
“The thing that’s difficult though, is the garden has no official sanction,” Bennett laments when talking about how he sees things moving forward. “Any moment someone could say ‘Oh that garden’s gotta go’ and there’s really no recourse I can do. The thing that had been sort of the overreaching protection was the sustainability committee.”
EU’s Sustainability Committee, while still officially ‘on the books,’ has not been active since 2017.
““ANY MOMENT SOMEONE COULD SAY ‘OH THAT GARDEN’S GOTTA GO’ AND THERE’S REALLY NO RECOURSE I CAN DO. THE THING THAT HAD BEEN SORT OF THE OVERREACHING PROTECTION WAS THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.”
Bennett, who was once an active member of the committee and looks back fondly on the work they did, says he remembers countless initiatives spearheaded by the committee, including but not limited to; countless recycling events, and even an initiative to provide commuter students free bikes if they chose to opt out of buying parking passes.
“So much of it was driven by administration,” said Bennett, “The president and deans that were interested in it, the people who had the power to make those kinds of decisions, they all left.”
Sarah Strom Kays, chair of the department of communications and media, was also once a member of the sustainability committee.
Currently, she teaches an environmental communication class each fall semester and is passionate about the topic of sustainability within the university — so much so that she planned and proposed the creation of an Office of Sustainability to try to
prevent the dissolution of the committee, an office that ultimately never came to be.
“We need the structures in place so students can just bump in and bump out, but we don’t have that,” said Strom Kays. “It went away, now we have to build it back. I don’t know if it will ever happen again unless there’s some sort of external force. I would love to do it, but I need help.”
Like Bennett, Strom Kays also remembers a time when that structure was in place. She said there is a rich history behind some of the early sustainability initiatives spearheaded by the committee — including, but not limited to, the establishment of a campus ‘Food Recovery Network’ chapter which was led by Chartwells-sponsored interns who would take food donations from students and distribute them to those in need.
There was also a beekeeping program aimed at providing further pollination to pre-existing crops. Strom Kays said EU was one of few institutions at the time that were regulated to have hives by the City of Elmhurst, and that the current legislation on the maintenance of beehives in the city has since expanded to include all educational institutions in part because of that initial program.
Perhaps the most widely known initiative spearheaded by the sustainability committee in its heyday was EU’s composting program –– a program that, like the committee, exists in a state that is now called into question.
There is a largely documented history of EU being recognized and awarded for its composting efforts, which began in the summer of 2013 when EU was given a $28,000 grant by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s competitive Food Scrap Composting Grant Program.
This grant went towards a high-powered grinder that according to EU would be, “used in the campus dining operations to increase the diversion of material from landfilling to composting.” EU stated that the grinder would be ready for use by the time students returned to campus by August 2013. However, representatives from the facilities department said that problems with the grinder began shortly after its installation in early 2014 due to incorrect items running through the machine and causing jams. According to them, the grinder
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had to be taken out of service after about a year. By the fall of 2015, EU was again awarded a Gold Partner designation in the We Compost program run by the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition. This Gold Partner designation recognized “businesses and institutions that demonstrated the highest level of commitment to food scrap diversion.”
At this time, EU was calling itself, “A regional leader in the food scrap composting effort since mid-2012,” and even said that they had “generated more than 21,000 pounds of food scrap compost in this academic year so far — keeping more than 10 tons of waste out of landfills.”
However, sometime around 2017, these sustainable changes fell through, about the same time the committee did.
The composting program was set up through Waste Management, the garbage disposal company used by EU, and grant money was going towards hiring student workers to stand in front of the bins to ensure proper sorting was taking place. However, even with these safeguards in place, Bennett explained the practice was “incredibly cost-prohibitive” for EU.
“The sustainability committee had pushed forward a composting program on campus, and it collapsed,” said Bennett, going into more detail, “We had set up the whole program, but if there’s any contamination in the composting bin the whole thing goes in the garbage. We had gotten to somewhere like 90% of our bins were contaminated and went into normal garbage. If the student worker in charge of sorting went to the bathroom, they’d come back and the compost bin would be contaminated.”
Except by the looks of it, you wouldn’t know that
the composting program has collapsed. Students walk past clearly labeled bins in the cafeteria every day, some even still appropriately sorting, under the impression that they’re doing their part to keep campus green.
“It’s an added cost to take out the bins,” Bennett surmised, “It’s easier to keep the bins and just have it all removed as normal garbage.
Despite intel saying otherwise, and the rumors around campus among the student body (and student workers) that recycling and composting have fallen to the wayside, representatives from Chartwells say they maintain a “robust recycling program,” and that they “still separate compostable and recyclable waste for processing by the waste management company.”
Senior Kelly Gregory is currently enrolled in Bennett’s Gardening to Give class and since then has become interested in sustainability efforts around campus.
“I don’t feel very good about it,” said Gregory, upon hearing the conflicting information about the state of the campus’ waste disposal.
“There is a mass amount of waste that is not going where it should be,” said Gregory. “I think it’s a missed opportunity for Elmhurst to take initiative and lead by example. By engaging in sustainability practices, it can encourage students to do the same.”
While Bennett wishes they could have continued with other initiatives the committee planned, he is grateful for the ability to keep the garden running — despite the challenges of not having the same support of years past.
“The sort of loss of those people on campus who were driving [the committee] has made it difficult. Me as one professor and Dr. Mikenas as the other
environmental studies professor, we don’t have the power and clout to make it happen. But you know who does? Students.”
Although the sustainability committee’s numbers have dwindled to one, there are still other sustainability-focused organizations around campus, and students within them hoping to make a difference in their own way.
“The Greenjays, I’d say we’re bouncing back,” said Justyn Samuels, the president of the organization. “We’re working on building back and revitalizing. It’s a lot of responsibility, but it also doesn’t have to be if you have a lot of people working on the same goal.”
The Greenjays’ mission is to focus on building a more sustainable campus and engage with the community. According to Samuels, they are getting back into the swing of things with a new set of mostly underclassmen members, and some recent successful events for Earth Day, including their farmer’s market.
Samuels says he’s proud of the work his organization does and hopes to continue raising awareness about sustainability efforts on campus. “We’re working on seeing what we can do to give back because I think small gestures go a long way.”
While small gestures may be the way to go, Samuels explained that he and other Greenjays members took larger action a few years ago when they drafted up a sustainability plan for EU in one of their classes. Looking back, Samuels says they hoped that there would be some change made by now, as a result of that plan.
“We did look over the recycling and composting [for the plan], we actually interviewed a lot of the people that are part of that process. They said we
no longer do it due to the cost and because a lot of it the students don’t separate properly. There’s a lack of education on proper disposal methods, there’s a lack of care. Those are all things that could easily be changed too, which is why it’s kind of sad that we got rid of it.”
Despite his disappointment, Samuels says he understands why the cost cuts were allegedly made.
“From a financial standpoint, I understood because they’re paying so much extra just for it all to end up in the same place. However, I would love to change that because we only have one planet, and what’s a few extra dollars, if it’s helping to protect the planet?”
Alex Bulley, the president of the Student Veterans Association, is putting the work in with the organization to spearhead their own recycling program. The process will eventually include new bins brought in by the SVA themselves, and fliers posted to inform students that what they put in these bins will be recycled.
“I put up a bin in the Vet Center and a couple of students responded to it, like really, they were like, ‘Oh, this is really cool, this is a good idea.’ And then it got me thinking about recycling,” Bulley explained, going into detail about how they partnered with energy drink company C4 and collected a lot more cans that way. “I’ve just got one bin right now, and I think it’s full, actually, I have to empty it.”
Even though there’s only one bin in the Veterans Center now, Bulley says he plans to expand the project and hopes to partner with the Greenjays to get the word out.
“So I got these printer paper boxes. And I was just going to throw those around and put a poster on the wall in front of it, or staple something to it, and put one in the library, maybe one out in the Frick Center.”
Bulley’s vision doesn’t stop there, though. Ultimately, he says he’d like to see this sort of program implemented across the city of Elmhurst.
“Man, I’d like to see Elmhurst University do this out in town, you know, maybe partner up with local organizations or something like that,” Bulley said. “I would like to see a map or a flowchart saying, here’s where we can dispose of this stuff. I’d like to see it get a little bit more widespread and maybe kind of, you know, be like a community solution to recycling issues.”
Gregory said after seeing the Heritage Garden on a field trip for another environmental science class she was in, she was inspired to take Bennett’s Gardening to Give class to learn more. Gregory also thinks we need more green initiatives on campus, and she has some ideas for where to start.
“I noticed in my class that a majority of students did not even know about the garden or the greenhouse on campus,” Gregory said. “I think we first need to raise awareness for the things we currently have, like the reusable lunch containers.”
She went on to explain that this prompted her to do further research.
“I learned that we used to do an annual ‘Recycling Extravaganza’ event, we could bring that back,” Gregory said. “Actually, I think we should bring all the events back.”
While the work amongst those keeping sustainability efforts alive here at EU may not be widely recognized, students like Bulley, Samuels, and Gregory said they’re more than happy to do their part to continue spreading awareness.
And as for the future? Bennett said he’ll still be working in the garden. His goals include writing up a proposal to keep the money from his Innovation Grant that has gone unused thus far but would allow him to fund the Heritage Garden for the next five years. He also wants to have a sign put up in front of the garden, to make it official, and to tell people they’re welcome to come and take produce as needed.
Bennett hopes that continuing to run the garden will help educate not only students and faculty of EU but also help to bring the community together.
“That library across the way gets three to four thousand people through it every day,” Bennett estimated. “That big front window is like a picture window looking at our campus and all people see are a few beat-up houses we’re using as student housing. Now they get to see a big colorful garden, and I think that’s wonderful.”
BY
In states like Texas and Florida, migrants are being used as political pawns as they are bussed to the states of their political opponents.
According to Todd Feurer and Sabrina Franza in the CBS article “Chicago City Council approves $70 million more in migrant funding,” “Chicago will dedicate an additional $70 million to its efforts to house, feed, and provide other services to thousands of asylum seekers after the City Council on Friday approved Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request for more funds for the city’s migrant crisis.”
States like New York, California, and Illinois are receiving these migrants without any prior notice and are forced to construct makeshift shelters in schools and other places now closed to the public due to the humanitarian crisis.
According to Emily Navarro, a sociology professor at Elmhurst University, “Migrants are an incredibly important part of our country, both as part of our cultural fabric and also as a base of our economy. It would be wise to consider how to best support their integration into communities, particularly through providing legal means to obtain work.”
In Chicago, more than 35,000 migrants (about twice the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden) have been bussed mainly from Texas. In Elmhurst, there have been 49 buses that arrived at the Metra station, containing 2,081 migrants in total.
According to the same article in CBS, “Ald. Andre
Vasquez (40th), who chairs the council’s Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee, dismissed Beale’s suggestion that halting funding for migrants in Chicago would halt the flow of migrants into Chicago, arguing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is sending migrants to Chicago in an effort to sow division ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.”
The buses to Elmhurst started arriving on Dec. 14 from the state of Texas. These arrivals began because the City of Chicago put its own rules and regulations on the buses, including requiring them to announce when they were arriving, setting a limit of buses per hour, and setting a time limit to when they could arrive.
According to Navarro, “Because of this, the needs of this migration community are much higher. They are also more visible—which is by design in this particular case. Although I cannot speak to resident opinion per se, I do think the visibility and high needs create a greater sense of urgency to deal with the problem.”
According to the same CBS article, “In seeking the additional funding, the Johnson administration has warned that without it, the city could again see migrants ending up sleeping on the floors of police stations, inside Chicago Park District fieldhouses, or on the city’s streets. The mayor’s aides also have warned that turning down the funding could strain the city’s relationships with the county, state, and federal officials they have asked to help with the crisis.”
Back at the border, the situation is not any better.
In Texas, they are putting physical barriers on land and in water despite the federal government and the Department of Homeland Security asking them not to.
In Texas and Arizona, migrant camps are overcrowded and exposed to the elements, making for a dirty environment, and uncomfortable living situations. In some cases, people are separated from their families and left with no information about the whereabouts of their loved ones for days or weeks on end.
The U.S. Senate introduced a bill that would work to restrict immigration and increase border enforcement, however, was not able to pass it. This bill was ridiculed by former President Donald Trump and many republicans in the House of Representatives as weak on immigration and not strong enough to solve the problem. Included in this bill was funding for wars in countries like Ukraine and Russia.
The Presidential candidates visited the southern border and held press conferences with differing views on the crisis. While they didn’t visit any of the migrants in the camps, they each brought in different ideas on how to solve the crisis.
“Constituents want to see that the candidates are taking migration seriously, so I do think a visit to the border would be beneficial,” Navarro said. “However, constituent’s beliefs about what should happen at the border differ greatly, and in some ways, Biden is dealing with more nuanced beliefs in terms of the tension between border security and the humanitarian needs of migrants.”
As a democratic state, Illinois has been noted as one of the safer places for the LGBTQ+ community in our nation. Especially in the City of Chicago, with neighborhoods like Northalsted where the community flourishes. Yet, in 2023, four state representatives and one state senator have introduced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state of Illinois. These bills involve bathroom and sports segregation, sex reassignment surgery, and removing curriculum.
Trans Legislation Tracker (TLT), a data analyst
“ACCORDING TO THE TLT, 589 ANTI-LGBTQ+ BILLS HAVE BEEN FILED THROUGHOUT 2023 , EXCEEDING TWICE THE NUMBER OF LEGISLATION IN 2022.”
project assembled by independent researchers, has been actively tracking the legislation across the country. According to the TLT, 589 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed throughout 2023, exceeding twice the number of legislation in 2022.
Within Illinois, there have been five anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced — House Bills 1071, 1561, 2184, 4096, and Senate Bill 1659.
House Bill 1071 was proposed by Representative Chris Miller on January 12, 2023, and is currently being referred to the House Rules Committee. The bill outlines that the state cannot threaten to withhold funding from an educational institution if it refuses to allow gender-neutral bathrooms.
When asked why he proposed this bill, Rep. Miller stated: “I filed this legislation because I stand against the liberal narrative that men with male genitals can identify as women and vice versa in order to use whatever private space they want. A fully intact male should not be able to walk into a locker room where little girls are changing just because they are confused about their gender. We have seen examples of this right here in Illinois, and I do not put it past the state to threaten public funding in order to enforce their extreme left agenda.”
Upon further inquiry on how this bill may impact LGBTQ+ students, Rep. Miller’s response was:
“Students who are confused about their gender should be encouraged to seek therapy or mental health assistance in order to help them understand basic biology and anatomy.”
The second bill regarding sex-segregated spaces such as locker rooms and bathrooms is Senate Bill 1659, which was proposed by Senator Andrew S. Chesney on February 8, 2023. The bill is currently being referred to Assignments. This bill states that educational institutions are allowed to regulate and restrict access to public restrooms, locker rooms, and other similar places based on ‘biological sex.’ Upon inquiring for clarity, Sen. Chesney declined to comment.
The third bill, House Bill 1562, was proposed on January 1, 2023, by Representative David Friess regarding gender segregation within girls’ sports, requiring parents to verify the child’s biological sex before sports enrollment. This bill is currently being referred to the House Rules Committee. When asked why the bill focuses on girls’ sports rather than boys, Rep. Friess stated “Boys are simply bigger, faster, and stronger” — explaining that a “biological male” (a transgender girl) would have ‘more advantages’ than a cisgender girl due to biological anatomy. Due to this justification, Rep. Friess noted this bill as a “pro-women athlete bill” rather than an anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
The next piece of legislation concerns education; House Bill 2184 was proposed by Representative Adam M. Niemerg on March 16, 2023. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Miller, and it is currently referred to the House Rules Committee. This bill states that any curriculum deemed ‘offensive’ to parents or guardians is optional for their children to partake in, along with the risk of said curriculum getting its funding pulled if voted against.
House Bill 2184 is not the first bill threatening educational freedom. Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill removed LGBTQ+ curriculum and discussion within educational institutions if deemed “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” Upon reaching out for comment on how this bill may compare or contrast with Florida’s, Rep. Niemerg did not respond to The Leader. The final bill, House Bill 4096, was proposed by Representative Tom Weber on May 17, 2023. The bill states that any physician who violates the prohibition of sex-reassignment procedures for patients younger than 18 will have their license
revoked. HB4096 amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Hospital Licensing Act, the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act, and the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to provide for emergency rulemaking. Currently, HB4096 is being referred to the House Rules Committee. Upon reaching out through numerous avenues for comment, Rep. Tom Weber did not respond.
Although Illinois has become a safe haven for LGBTQ+ individuals in recent years, the introduction of this legislation can take a toll on individuals. According to the Trevor Project, 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. In addition to that, 56% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
The Trevor Project’s 2023 National Survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people also found that about half of transgender and nonbinary youth find their school to be gender-affirming, and those who did report lower rates of attempting suicide. Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ young people said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation. Nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ+ young people said that hearing about potential state or local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ+ people at school made their mental health a lot worse, according to the Trevor Project.
“NEARLY
1 IN 3 LGBTQ+ YOUNG PEOPLE SAID THEIR MENTAL HEALTH WAS POOR MOST OF THE TIME OR ALWAYS DUE TO ANTI-LGBTQ+ POLICIES.”
There are numerous organizations within Illinois who offer support to LGBTQ+ individuals such as Equality Illinois, the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, and Howard Brown Health Center.
Many nationwide organizations also offer support, such as The Trevor Project, The Human Rights Campaign, The LGBT National Help Center, the Trans Lifeline Hotline, and more.
When senior Eaden Hvarre graduated high school in 2020, she got the chance to walk across the stage and celebrate her accomplishments, but she was only allowed to have six family members in the gym with her. As she walked across the stage, music played, and her principal, vice principal, and family members clapped.
Then she walked out of the gym, took pictures, and left.
“I was glad that it was still in person, and I was glad that it wasn’t like ‘Oh just come pick up your diploma,’ but people talk about it like it was the twilight zone of walking through an empty gym to graduation music, but it was what it was,” Hvarre explained.
Like Hvarre, many of Elmhurst University’s 2024 graduates belong to the high school class of 2020. This meant that they didn’t get a normal high school graduation, and they spent the better part of their first half of college in online courses.
As such, a few ‘24 graduates shared the unique experiences they went through these past four years.
EU senior Hannah Quintero’s high school graduation was a pre-recorded video where graduates’ names were called out on a screen along with their photos. Quintero said her family held a drive-by with balloons where her family members drove by her house to congratulate her.
EU senior Alex Eddy’s high school graduation was simply a slideshow where each student’s name was presented and read aloud, and he walked across his living room floor when his name was called.
EU senior Heather Vesely got assigned a time to get her diploma based on her home room number. She said she got to wear her cap and gown but had a “very small celebration.”
After graduating high school online and/or socially distanced, these seniors started college fully online.
Quintero said that adjusting to online classes in 2020 was hard, and being on campus in 2021 was also difficult when everyone was wearing masks. Half the students were on campus and half weren’t.
“[It] was challenging in a way because we don’t want to get sick again and go through that whole quarantine time again,” Quintero said.
However, Quintero was able to take fully in-person classes her junior and senior year and described that as a positive experience. She also joined clubs,
such as a sorority and the Elmhurst University E-Celerator program, to meet new people.
“I got to network with many people on campus, meet new people, meet new professors that are gonna be with me throughout the journey after college,” Quintero said.
Hvarre echoed Quintero’s feelings about the first half of college, stating that her first year of college was hard because she was living on campus but doing classes alone from her computer.
“I KNOW MY EXPERIENCE WASN’T WHAT A COLLEGE EXPERIENCE IS, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT A COLLEGE EXPERIENCE IS”
“It’s not like I’m like with my friends looking at our computers, it’s like I’m alone, looking at my computer,” Hvarre described. “But it’s nice now seeing what a college experience is like and getting to know my professors and being in person, so I’m glad that it didn’t last forever.”
Reflecting on her college experience, Hvarre feels positively about her time at EU but wonders how it could have been without COVID-19.
“I know my experience wasn’t what a college experience is, but I don’t know what a college experience is,” Hvarre said. “I don’t know what I’m missing. I’m probably missing a lot of great things, but we just don’t know.”
Eddy explained that he missed out on key milestone moments from his senior year of high school and described the transition from high school to college as “awkward.”
“Ending high school, it did suck because I didn’t get to play my varsity year of baseball, I didn’t get to do all these other things, I didn’t get to go to my prom,” Eddy said. “Walking the stage in my living room was a little funny, but transitioning was definitely awkward.”
Eddy said the social aspect of early college was what he missed the most.
Vesely said finishing high school online wasn’t so
bad because she thought it would be temporary, but it was challenging starting college online because it was difficult to meet students and focus on her studies. She said her first year of college didn’t officially start until her sophomore year when classes and clubs started to run in person again.
She was glad to complete college on campus.
“I am so happy I got to finish college in person because it feels more accomplishing knowing that I got to watch myself achieve my goals not behind a computer screen,” Vesely said.
Heading into their college graduation, these graduates will get a fully in-person ceremony.
Quintero is looking forward to having the opportunity to walk in this year’s college graduation.
“This year feels different because my family will be in the crowd during the ceremony cheering me on while I walk across the stage,” Quintero said.
Hvarre feels that this year’s graduation won’t be as personal as her high school graduation could have been since her college class is larger than
her high school class was, but she still looks forward to the day.
“I’m excited to get to be on the field with my friends and sitting in the chairs and taking pictures after,” Hvarre said. “It’s gonna be chaotic, but I’m kind of excited for the chaos because my other one was completely like alone.”
Vesely said getting a real graduation ceremony feels “surreal,” and this will be her first graduation ceremony.
“I am nervous and so happy at the same time,” Vesely said. “I am glad I get to accept my diploma in front of all my family and friends!”
Eddy looks forward to being able to walk across the stage to get his degree and have his family come and watch.
“It feels refreshing, I guess is a good way to put it,” Eddy said. “Just the experience you wanted in high school, you finally get it now.”
When much of the world went on lockdown in the spring of 2020, The Leader followed suit.
Marisa Karpes, The Leader’s editor-in-chief from 2020-2021, recalled the week everything shut down.
“It was so sudden, just one second in the newsroom hanging out with everyone and collecting story ideas, and I just remember the last meeting we had before everything shut down — it was like we were all in Old Main, and we were like what’s going to happen?” Karpes said.
Karpes led the staff fully online throughout the 2020-2021 school year through virtual meetings and digitized issues. She noted that this made it a little more difficult to have natural conversations but said the staff handled the situation well overall.
“We were really good about having our cameras on and seeing each other because we wanted to still see each other, but I think a lot of that just natural conversation got kind of lost, and it became more of a formal meeting of me trying to probe people for stories,” Karpes said.
During that school year, the staff covered campus protocols, did student check-ins on how students were feeling throughout the situation, and wrote editorials reassuring students.
Looking back on the situation, Karpes felt taking a break for the spring of 2020 and then continuing to publish online only was the best decision given the circumstances.
“As members of the press, we have a responsibility to inform our audience and be there for them, but we were also at the time students still going through this really confusing period and almost surreal period thinking back on it, so I think it was good that we took that time to put ourselves first too as students and make sure that we could push through to the end of the year,” Karpes said.
Senior Samuel Shulman, a current staff writer, understood The Leader’s decision to break from publishing issues during the spring and summer but felt some additional online publication could have been beneficial.
“Maybe a way to keep students connected to each other was having an online platform like a blog, like submit ‘What have you been doing during Covid?’
‘Are you excited that Elmhurst is opening back up in the fall?” Shulman suggested.
Shulman said he’s glad The Leader moved online when it did.
“It would have been the best because at the time, everybody was afraid to touch anything,” Shulman said, noting how restaurants handled the situation similarly by offering QR codes to menus.
Eric Lutz, The Leader’s current advisor, said his main priority was to keep The Leader running throughout COVID-19, but The Leader staff exceeded his expectations. He noted how multiple other events were occurring, such as racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd and the election, and the staff managed to put out a quality paper amidst everything that was happening.
“There was so much going on, and all of it was so important,” Lutz said. “I am proud of how the student journalists handled it—even more so, in fact, as I look back at some of the work they did. It feels like forever ago, but also like it was just yesterday.”
The end of the school year brings to mind sunny field days, sizzling barbecues, and that refreshing feeling that comes with the knowledge that summer is right around the corner.
Elmhurst University students relived those elementary school field days when Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Union Board, and the Office of Equity and Inclusion hosted EU’s first Unity Picnic in 20 years on May 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Brune Patio and Mall.
They offered a range of outdoor activities, including but not limited to a petting zoo, a parachute, an inflatable, field games, and a grill.
Taris (Tj) Ellison, vice president and historian of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., explained the event hasn’t been hosted in many years due to the Mu Mu chapter not having many active brothers on campus. There would only be one or two on the yard at a time, but now they have four on the yard and three that just got initiated.
Ellison said the current advisor of the Mu Mu chapter threw this event back when he was on campus with one goal in mind.
“The reason behind him throwing this event was for union, for everyone to come together, everyone to have fun and appreciate each other’s differences and similarities,” Ellison explained.
Syed Mujtaba Razvi, co-president of the South Asian Student Association, said SASA collaborated with the Union Board to create a DIY kite-painting and flying activity at this event.
“It’s good weather out here, so why not fly a kite?” Razvi said.
Yug Chauhan, a new SASA member, appreciated the picnic.
“There’s sheep petting and really good food, and having new memories, making new memories, it’s really fun,” Chauhan said.
Sulika Ili saw her fellow students having fun out on the mall and figured she would hop on the bandwagon.
“I just saw the posters around campus, and it looked fun. I could see everyone playing outside from my room, so I just wanted to come outside and hang
out,” Ili said.
Kristin Bukata found herself in a similar situation - she saw a bunch of people hanging out on the mall after her class and decided to join in the fun. She commented on how the parachute brought back childhood memories.
“The parachute-colored thing you can sit under, I haven’t done that since probably second grade so it was good,” Bukata said.
Giselle Sanchez, vice president of the Latino Student Association, came with LSA to the picnic and enjoyed the weather.
“It was a really good event to step out in this nice weather that is coming in now, just to prepare for the end of the semester and for finals,” Sanchez said.
Ellison hopes the event sparked connections.
“I hope people take away that you can enjoy each other, you can make a friend, anyone who is new on campus, you’re always welcome, anyone on campus, in general, you’re always welcome, even faculty, we love to see everyone on campus we love to see everybody talking to each other and getting to have a great time,” Ellison said.
In a significant development to former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan has ruled the former president violated his gag order and is thus being held in contempt of court.
According to Merchan, Trump violated his gag order nine times over the course of a week, via social media posts made on the platform Truth Social, many of which targeted key witnesses in the trial, Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen.
As a result of this, Trump has been fined $9,000 in total for his conduct, as well as being instructed to remove these posts from his account on Truth Social.
Merchan made mention of the fact that these fines wouldn’t mean much for Trump, who “can easily afford such a fine,” but did issue another warning to him.
“Defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment,” Merchan said.
How did we get here?
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump on March 30, 2023. The indictment, revealed by local prosecutors five days later, contained 34 felony counts related to violating New York’s law on corporate record-keeping.
Firstly, they contend that payments made to Stormy Daniels constituted illegal campaign contributions, violating both federal and state election laws. Secondly, they argue that the payments were part of a coordinated effort to aid Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by vanquishing damaging stories, rather than merely reducing personal embarrassment. Lastly, prosecutors allege that Trump manipulated reimbursement records to evade taxes, violating New York tax law.
a former president.
Moreover, even in the event of a conviction, Trump is unlikely to face prison time. Falsifying business records at the felony level carries a maximum sentence of four years, but first-time non-violent offenders often receive probation instead.
Key witnesses, including Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, are expected to play crucial roles in the trial. Cohen, who facilitated the hush money payments, has turned against Trump and is anticipated to testify against him.
As the historic criminal trial of former President Donald Trump kicked off on April 22, 2024, both prosecutors and Trump’s defense team presented contrasting narratives to jurors. The trial, which has caught national attention, marks an unprecedented legal battle against a former U.S. president. Prosecutors wasted no time in outlining their case, maintaining that the reimbursement of hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels was not just a private matter but part of a larger scheme to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, as mentioned earlier on.
Matthew Colangelo, a prosecutor, carefully detailed Trump’s alleged efforts, alongside his former attorney Michael Cohen and ex-National Enquirer chief David Pecker, to diminish damaging information during the crucial 2016 election period.
Trump’s defense team forcefully contested the charges, arguing for their dismissal on grounds of selective targeting and politically motivated prosecution. However, Justice Juan Merchan, presiding over the case, turned down these claims and imposed a gag order on Trump, preventing him from publicly discussing likely witnesses or individuals involved in the proceedings.
The trial, scheduled to commence on April 15, 2024, is expected to last up to six weeks. At the center of the charges is the allegation that Trump falsified business records with the intent of furthering separate underlying crimes. Prosecutors have highlighted three theories to support this assertion.
Crucially, the judge’s ruling on the motion to dismiss has strengthened the prosecution’s case. Merchan affirmed that Trump’s intent to commit the alleged crimes suffices, regardless of whether he is convicted of the underlying offenses.
What’s going to come of all this?
While the case shows significant strengths, it faces notable challenges. Heightening the charges to felonies by linking them to federal election violations presents a novel legal theory, testing the boundaries between state and federal laws. Trump’s defense may also show the payments as private matters and the charges as technical infractions insufficient to warrant criminal prosecution against
In remarkable contrast, Trump’s defense team actively asserted his innocence, claiming the charges were baseless and emphasizing Trump’s alleged lack of involvement in the creation of falsified business records. Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, emphasized that while there may have been a paper trail, there was no illegal intent on Trump’s part. Blanche’s assertion that “there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election” set the stage for a contentious legal battle over the construction of Trump’s actions.
The trial’s first witness, former AMI CEO David Pecker, provided brief but potentially crucial testimony before the court adjourned for the day. Pecker’s role in what prosecutors termed the “catch and kill” scheme, aimed at controlling damaging narratives about Trump before the 2016 election, CONTINUED ON Page 14
CONTINUED FROM Page 13
is expected to be the center of the prosecution’s case. His testimony is expected to shed light on key meetings and agreements between Trump and himself about the hush money payments and efforts to conceal damaging information.
However, the legal proceedings faced an immediate obstacle as Merchan assembled a hearing to address allegations that Trump violated the gag order imposed on him. Prosecutors urged the judge to fine Trump for multiple violations of the order, reducing the seriousness of breaching
courtroom protocol.
Meanwhile, in a separate courtroom battle, lawyers representing Trump challenged the legitimacy of a $175 million bond posted by Trump for his civil fraud trial. While Trump could not attend the civil hearing due to his obligation to be present at the criminal trial, his legal team strongly contested the proceedings, reducing the multifaceted legal challenges the former president currently faces.
In a post-trial statement to reporters, Trump aimed to distance himself from his former attorney, Michael Cohen, claiming that Cohen’s crimes were
unrelated to him. However, fact-checking reveals that Cohen’s convictions, including campaign finance offenses related to the hush money scheme, directly expose Trump, adding another layer of intricacy to the ongoing legal saga.
As the trial unfolds, the focus remains on how the prosecution and defense will work through the intricate web of evidence and legal arguments, with the outcome being confident to repeat far beyond the courtroom, potentially shaping the future of presidential accountability and legal precedent.
Tyler Ptaszkowski (he/him)
Staff WriterElmhurst University held an event with Linda Robertson, a Democratic candidate for the 65th district of the Illinois House of Representatives, in Old Main 107 on April 25.
The event was hosted by Richard “Ricky” Rivard, a professor of political science at EU and candidate for the 12th district of the Kane County Board. It comprised a meet-and-greet session immediately followed by a Q&A.
Robertson, who describes herself as “a scientist and Democrat” as well as “socially progressive and fiscally pragmatic,” previously campaigned for the same seat in 2022. Her opponent, Republican Dan Ugaste, ultimately won the election with just over 54% of the vote. Over 44,000 ballots were cast overall in the race.
This year, Robertson ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination, receiving over 5,000 votes in total. Likewise, Ugaste ran uncontested for the Republican nomination, earning nearly 7,000 votes.
Although Robertson needed a minimum of 500 signatures to qualify for the ballot, she received a maximum of 1,500 signatures, attributing this to “angry women.” The Chicago Tribune also endorsed Robertson, making her the first non-incumbent Democrat with this distinction.
According to Robertson, a native of Tacoma, Washington, she became politically “awakened” in college by the Vietnam War protests and sit-ins, as well as the 1970 shootings of unarmed Kent State
University students.
Robertson, who considers herself “the unlikely candidate” rather than a “career politician,” hopes her distinguished experience as an environmental biologist will help her win what she considers a “very tough district” as a repercussion of gerrymandering, which she believes has enabled more extreme campaigns.
Nevertheless, Robertson remains adamant that “common decency and courtesy” must triumph over “ugly political discourse,” insisting that political parties often focus more on finding common ground and solving problems than arguing with one another. While fielding questions from the numerous students in attendance, Robertson frequently referred to her political and scientific initiatives, such as pursuing a petition to eliminate a tax on food, which she believes is a basic necessity.
Robertson also indicated that close family members, including her mother and grandchildren, have influenced her views on topics like gun safety, reproductive rights, and childcare.
Furthermore, Robertson offered her political advice and observations to those in attendance, noting that many who vote early tend not to receive any follow-up texts or emails, and many voters decline to review the bar recommendations for judges on the ballot despite these being “critical” positions. When asked whether she had learned anything from running a campaign in 2022 that she planned to take into account this election cycle, Robertson conceded that a race could not be won in 75 days, comparing her campaign to that of a friend who
ran for the Illinois Senate and spent two full years reaching out to voters.
Robertson also emphasized the importance of canvassing and fundraising, as well as relying on “grassroots help,” a friend network, and potentially even the generosity of certain other candidates. Robertson is set for a rematch with Republican incumbent Dan Ugaste in the next Illinois House of Representatives elections, which are scheduled to be held on November 5, 2024, concurrent with nationwide elections to the presidency, the United States Congress, and various gubernatorial positions and state legislature seats.
OJ Simpson, former National Football League player, most notably known for his famous murder trial, died at the age of 76 on April 10 after a battle with cancer.
In recent social media posts throughout May and February, Simpson announced he had an unspecified type of cancer and addressed his health several times.
Then, on April 26, his longtime lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, announced that Simpson died from metastatic prostate cancer.
The news of Simpson’s death was first announced by his family via his account on X.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” reads the tweet, posted the day after Simpson died.
Simpson was the father of Arnelle Simpson, now 55, and Jason Simpson, 53. He also had two children with his late ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson: Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35. They are the sole beneficiaries of his estate.
Simpson’s body was cremated, and as of now, there is no public memorial planned, according to his attorneys. A cremation service was held at Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas, though Simpson’s lawyer, LaVergne, was unwilling to disclose who attended.
Simpson gained fame in the NFL as a running back for the USC Trojans, where he set NCAA records and won the Heisman Trophy. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985.
He was also an actor in a few movies such as “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!”, “The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear” and “The Towering Inferno.” However, in later years, he appeared in a series of commercials for the Hertz car rental company.
Despite these career changes, Simpson is more popularly known for being on trial for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were stabbed outside her condo in June of 1994; shortly thereafter, the police identified OJ Simpson as the prime suspect. He was spotted on June 17 hidden in the back of a vehicle owned by his friend and was tailed by police until his surrender.
Simpson faced an eight-month trial starting in January 1995, which included around 150 witnesses who testified about the case. Simpson’s defense team focused on the racism within the Los Angeles Police Department, claiming that members of the LAPD were unfairly targeting Simpson due to their prejudices.
Simpson never took the stand during the trial. However, his 73-year-old mother got out of her wheelchair and made a notable appearance on the witness stand to explain how her son was too crippled from rheumatoid arthritis to hurt anyone.
This trial was widely broadcast on cable television to cover the full range of public opinion and debate Simpson’s innocence. To this day, it is described as one of the most publicized criminal trials in human history.
In October of 1995, Simpson was found not guilty of the two murders, but the legacy of the case left the American public with a lot to reflect on, especially regarding race and the justice system.
Simpson was taken to civil court years later and was sentenced to pay $33.5 million to the victims’ families. Only a portion of this debt was paid before his passing.
At 6:30 am, with a free coffee and donut in hand, I walk the long strip down toward the finish line and take a sharp right turn toward the bleachers. They shine from the rain, the reflection almost blinding. We walk up toward the press box door, yanking it open against the wind. Slowly, we switch on the power, plug in the laptop, and after a brief hum of static, our playlist begins. The sun is still slowly creeping up and the air is still cool, racers are beginning to arrive.
Saturday, April 27, 2024, the Elmhurst Student Veterans Association hosted the first ever Bluejay 5k in support of Honor Flight Chicago.
Honor Flight Chicago is a non-profit organization that is committed to thanking and honoring our veterans by sending them to D.C. to visit their own war memorial. According to their site, they “recognize the bravery, determination and patriotism of America’s senior military veterans with an all-expense paid, one-of-a-kind journey to Washington, D.C. for a day of honor, thanks and inspiration.”
Organizing an Honor Flight takes a lot of hands, time, planning, and of course, funds. The Bluejay 5k was put together to join many others in raising money to help honor our veterans. Main organizer
Jacob Hill sat down with me to discuss his own time in service, the organization of the event, and the Student Veterans Association’s vision for the future.
Jacob Hill wears many hats, including being a professor of library science, a librarian, the liaison to the military services office as well as an alderman at Elmhurst city hall. He also serves on the veteran’s commission and works with the American Legion.
Hill told me about his time in the US Army National Guard from 1996 to 2002. He was never deployed but said he “was activated for the Salt Lake City World Winter Olympic games which came right after 9/11 so there was a very heightened security focus on those.”
When asked about why he wanted to host the event, Hill explained that the university has never hosted a 5k in his 20 plus years working here. He wanted to host an event to bring together the community and to have veterans supporting veterans. He named it the Inaugural Bluejay 5k because he hopes and plans on this being a recurring event every spring semester.
“I want to have something that we’re (veterans) attached to that’s going to have a history,” he said. Hill ended up meeting Peter Richey, who works with Honor Flight Chicago at his son’s school. Richey is Hill’s son’s teacher and he got to talk with him
about the veteran’s event the elementary school has held each year and how Honor Flight hosts 5k around the area yearly but hasn’t been able to rely on a space. Hill offered Langhorst Field as a possible space that they could rely on. When race day finally arrived, a little over 180 racers crossed the finish line. Zack Fidrocki was the overall fastest male runner, crossing at 17:03, and Abby Miller was the overall fastest female runner, crossing at 26:04. Notably, the oldest racer was Bonnie Cordaro, age 83..
Currently, the final donation amount from the race is still pending, but at this time, about $8,700 has been raised. Hill said, “We’re going to have a check handed over at some public event, probably at an Honor Flight return ceremony when some veterans come back in the next month or so.”
Looking to the future, Hill hopes that alongside the student veterans, he can host many more events, like the 5k and the fall barbeque. He spoke about the dynamic between student veterans and other students and encouraged us to “celebrate our similarities.”
Next year, near the end of the spring semester the SVA plans to host the Second Annual Bluejay 5k, and the veterans are looking forward to more of the Elmhurst University community joining in.
In a monumental step in the history of Elmhurst University’s Digital Media department, the campus’ inaugural film festival, hosted by the EU Film Club, will take place on May 10.
The festival will include a screening of 19 projects spanning a wide variety of genres and mediums — from documentaries and short-form films to music videos and stop-motion animation.
After the screening, there will be an awards ceremony to honor the creatives behind these projects. These awards will be given out for directing, cinematography, editing, performance, and screenwriting, to name a few. There will also be an audience award that participants can vote on live at the festival.
The event will conclude with a photo-op and meet-and-greet with some of the creatives behind the films.
EU digital media professor John Klein said the idea of starting a film festival has been bouncing around for a while amongst the department.
“We all saw the need for an event like this to celebrate all the cool films and projects our students have made,” said Klein, “but I have to give major credit to graduating senior Sarah Glees for really spearheading the creation of this year’s festival and putting things in motion via the Film Club.”
Sarah Glees, multimedia editor for The Leader, and president of the EU Film Club, also worked
as a director on three of the projects chosen to be screened at the festival this year and said she’s thrilled to see everything finally coming together.
“The festival was something that’s been in the back of my mind since starting at EU last year,” said Glees. “When I became film club president this year, I immediately knew I wanted to find a way to make this festival possible.”
Klein said he and Professor Kristyn Jo Benedyk were more than happy to help structure the event with Glees, as they both have experience with other film festivals at schools like DePaul University.
“I guess you’d call me a faculty supervisor, but I’m more excited by my role as a jury member, judging the film submissions and putting together the program and awards!” Klein emphasized.
Glees said she hopes this is just the first step in a great future in recognizing and honoring the arts at EU.
“The goal is for this to become an annual event that grows in size each year. Ideally, I would love to see the venue move from Illinois Hall to a true theater venue such as York Theatre,” Glees said, hoping to see the event expand going forward.
Klein agreed, saying, “I’ve heard from some students who are already talking about submitting projects for next year’s festival, and as great as this year’s program is, I can’t wait to see it grow each year as more students get involved.” Glees and Klein both said there are a lot of ad-
ditional people to thank for the festival coming together.
“There has been so much support for this event,” Glees expressed, “The Office of Marketing and The Office of Admissions have gone above and beyond to help make sure this event is successful. And this event was only able to come together with the help of digital media faculty, specifically John Klein and Kristyn Jo Benedyk.”
Klein acknowledged Glees’ efforts.
“Sarah’s been working with Desiree Chen in marketing, who’s been instrumental in creating the posters and other materials that are a big part of why people are excited about the festival,” emphasized Klein, “And I really have to commend Sarah in particular for all the work she’s done; this festival wouldn’t have happened this year without her.”
Klein said he looks forward to seeing all of the finished projects as a judge for the festival this year, but also as a professor who’s worked with some of these students in his classes.
“As a professor, I always want to see my students make work that’s inspiring and that showcases who they are as artists, and it’s been so rewarding for me to see these finished films as emblems of that philosophy,” Klein said. “I’m so proud of them.”
Those interested in attending this historic film festival can obtain their free tickets online, via the link in the bio of the EU Film Club Instagram page, @eu.filmclub.
“Shōgun,” which first aired back in February of this year, just released its final episode on April 23. The series, which is based on the novel by James Clavell, is a sweeping epic set during the end of the Sengoku Period in Japan and follows the journey of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, whose enemies have united against him, John Blackthorne (also referred to as Anjin), an Englishman who shipwrecks nearby, and Toda Mariko, the translator brought to communicate on behalf of the two of them.
Spoilers Ahead. Content Warning: Talks of suicide.
So much is pulled off in this epic; however, one thing that’s truly remarkable is how true to history the show is. The show has a podcast that was released along with each episode and not only fed our generation’s love of the audio medium, but also gave a lot of amazing insight into the creation of the series. They mention all different factors that went into making sure this show maintained authenticity. For example, the script for this show was originally all written in English. It then went
through an extremely lengthy translation process as it was sent to be translated into modern Japanese, then translated again by someone who specialized in dialect spoken during the Sengoku Period when this show takes place. That translation was then what was used to generate the captions used throughout the show.
Another example was changing one of the book’s details which was Blackthorne sharing his knowledge of this specific canon from him sharing his knowledge of a specific type of gun as that type of weapon was already in use in Japan during this time. All truly amazing lengths that show how much the creators of “Shōgun” wanted to honor the story they were portraying.
The cinematic nature of this series also stands out. Intimate close ups pair with as much awe as the sweeping landscape shots. The score is also tactfully used throughout to evoke true tension and suspense. Especially in the scenes of fighting, one of the composer’s notes the purposeful use in having the score mimic that of a horror feature rather than an action piece was a powerful choice as it highlighted the truth, the brutality and terror in the violence occurring.
But what truly sets “Shōgun” apart as a series is its story. While this narrative is centered around this central external conflict of Toranaga fighting to keep from being executed by his enemies and using Blackthorne and Mariko as tools to accomplish this, there’s so much more going on within the internal conflicts of each character. Each character has their own motivations that stem from a certain loyalty either to another like Mariko’s loyalty to Toranaga and her religion, while others are to themselves, like Toranaga and Blackthorne who are each seeking to elevate themselves. Despite this focus on furthering themselves, there’s truly strong bonds that get built throughout this series between characters. In the last episode, Toranaga reveals that the real reason he ended up keeping Blackthorne around was because he made him laugh. It’s a quaint and wholesome moment as Toranaga stands at the cliffs hoping for a better, more peaceful future for Japan and in that future, he sees Blackthorne, someone who’s relationship began from a very volatile place. Similarly, Blackthorne and Mariko’s relationship is one of the highlights of this series and some of my favorite moments are the ones they share together.
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In the podcast, they touch on what they call “the sexiest scene of the series” which is when Mariko takes Blackthorne to a brothel and though there’s no physical intimacy between the characters, Mariko ends up translating for the woman that’s been paid to sleep with Blackthorne. The blocking of this scene has the women getting up and sitting beside Mariko, the camera then slowly panning as Mariko translates her words until the woman is out of frame and Mariko is no longer translating but revealing her true feelings for Blackthorne. The love shared here is one of the side plots of this narrative, yet it holds so much power in the motivations of these characters going forward.
Language is also a huge factor in this series and is especially highlighted through Mariko’s character whose sole job is to repeat and interpret other’s words as honestly as possible. Blackthorne is key in this aspect of language, as he’s not only who Mariko translates for, but also someone who has no regard for the words he speaks. This becomes evident when he hangs a dead bird up to rot and says that anyone who touches it should die. It’s a slight, off the cusp remark that he didn’t actually mean, however, when the bird is taken down by the gardener, Fuji, who was assigned to Blackthorne to tend to his needs, kills him. Blackthorne, as well as the audience, learns a powerful lesson here about the power of words and the validity they can hold. Similarly, Mariko shows its power by using language as a way to fight without ever drawing her sword. Her character often recites poetry when speaking and brings beauty to the language. Her words are also her legacy and what those around her remember her by most, which is made clear in the final episode.
“Flowers are only flowers because they fall,” one of the truly beautiful lines from one of her poems spoken in the final episode by her childhood friend Ochiba. It’s one that’s a testament to the show’s portrayal of loss which is unconventional and at first hard to wrap your head around as a modern-day viewer.
The era this series takes place is one that’s been plagued with death both through constant battling as well as natural disasters, such earthquakes like the one seen in episode five. There is a level of desensitization that is clear
in these characters; however, there is also just a mindset that is held amongst them which is the respect for death. Seppuku is also a very important part of this culture, which was a form of ritualistic suicide seen as a high honor during this era. Many characters perform seppuku throughout the series, including Mariko who attempts it in episode nine before being stopped. This comes full circle back to that line of poetry as Mariko’s words point out the viewpoint that life is only worth living because of the knowledge of death.
The one area I felt the show lacked and I feel this comes from its dedication to be as true to the book as possible. Novels, however, are different storytelling mediums than television, and as a result the pacing doesn’t always translate. Certain episodes felt to slow down the pacing a bit such as episode seven. While crucial information was still revealed, and the characters performances were still captivating enough to hold my interest, there was more exposition than concrete plot points to move the story along.
Similarly, the last episode was one I felt could have been combined with episode nine, which is one of my favorites in the whole series. Where the finale begins is where the penultimate episode seemed destined to end, with the death of Mariko. By breaking it up, there was this sense of false hope I had that maybe she wouldn’t have died,] when she did; however, in the opening few frames, it left me disheartened for the first part of the finale as I debated whether that was the death her character deserved or not. Had these last two episodes been combined, with Mariko’s death serving as the climax of the episode, I think that would’ve served her character’s arc better and made that scene with Fuji and Blackthorne on the boat saying goodbye to her that much more impactful.
“Shōgun” comes at a pivotal shift happening in culture as a clear shift of television being able to not only match but rival cinema. Stories now aren’t limited to traditional media means. Books especially can be fully represented in a mini-series format yet reach the same if not a bigger audience than a feature. “Shōgun” further proves this by its retelling of this beloved story in a truly monumental way.
Rather than ending with a review rewind as I usually do, for my last review with The Leader, I wanted to end with a reflection on some of my favorite pieces I’ve put together over the years. One of the first things that stands out are my Christmas and Halloween lists. These were so fun to put together, and I loved getting to share unknown classics like “Eloise at Christmastime” and campy, song-filled features such as “Little Shop of Horrors.” Not to mention that doing these reviews also finally gave me the push to watch all the Oscar best pictures and check that off my bucket list.
As far as favorites go, “Past Lives” still comes out on top for me as not only one of my favorite reviews but overall favorite film of the past two years. Looking back, I definitely would change my rating from 4 stars to 5. On the other side of the spectrum, I still stand by my Barbie review despite many people severely disagreeing with my dislike of it. Getting to write these reviews also had me looking for new and unique pictures to watch rather than just the box office hits. In doing so I got to explore great features such as “Monkey Man,” “Rye Lane,” and “Call Jane,” all of which I still find to be impressive films.
I’m truly going to miss hoping on my soapbox twice a month, however, if anyone is interested in continuing to hear my ramblings, I can be found on the letterbox at Sag1459. This has truly been an amazing experience and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings.
I first watched the prequel trilogy of “Star Wars” in my senior year of high school because I was a purist for a while (“purist” meaning someone only interested in the original trilogy), avoiding the prequel because of the bad things I heard about it.
But I eventually gave it a chance as I started to become more open-minded to watching new films and less influenced by negative reviews.
With the May 3 re-release of the first of the “Star Wars” prequels to theaters, here are my thoughts on this game-changing film in the series.
This film (and the prequel trilogy as a whole) provides the same escapism as the original trilogy that takes you back to being a kid. The technology is very impressive and arguably allows for more of it with newer effects, as well as great world-building. The characters and world through this newer technology are kind of reminiscent of “Boohbah” and “Teletubbies,” both nostalgic childhood shows, so it has a somewhat similar feel for me.
That being said, from a character and humor standpoint, it doesn’t exactly measure up. This is off the heels of what is considered by many (including myself) to be among the best film series ever made, and you know that impact is going to be really hard to replicate. While the original trilogy is great for both kids and adults, this one is definitely more on the kid-centric side.
But still, you’re talking about a film series that gave iconic characters, and while a good chunk are here, most aren’t even the same.
Yoda especially. Compared to his debut in Empire, he really isn’t funny. Like at all.
This more serious Yoda is easy to make fun of, especially in “Revenge of the Sith,” because he just feels like a completely different character. That being said, I give this one credit — it at least had a puppet Yoda (before they switched to CGI for later re-releases, something I really wish was never done), as it does at least somewhat resemble the Yoda we came to love in the originals. Plus, Yoda does return to his normal self that we fell in love with in The Last Jedi thankfully.
And I’m just gonna say it, I actually can’t help but get a laugh out of some of Jar Jar’s lines. Not a lot, but a couple. I admittedly am a sucker for juvenile humor and comic side characters. That being said, Han Solo’s dark and sarcastic humor is simply irreplaceable.
As for the new characters, does anyone honestly believe they will go down in cinematic history like Luke, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, etc.? Will this Obi-Wan really leave the same impact as his original older counterpart? Will Qui-Gon Jinn or Padme leave the same impact as the original characters? Undoubtedly, no, they are just, like I said, irreplaceable.
As for the newer effects, though they do allow for a lot of creativity and world-building like never before, evoking that sense of childlike joy, the downside is that since it looks very different (which is an issue with the prequel trilogy as a whole), it is sort of hard to connect to the original trilogy.
What I mean by that is when Obi-Wan explains to Luke in “A New Hope” about how Darth Vader “killed” Anakin Skywalker, it’s kind of hard to be fully on board and be like “Yeah, this is how it really happened.”
There are also callbacks to the original trilogy like Jabba the Hutt and the Jawas briefly appearing just for nostalgia’s sake without really doing anything with it — not that I mind this, it just feels a bit forced.
Also, the whole thing about Padme deceiving everyone into thinking her bodyguard is herself isn’t executed very well. It feels kind of forced and doesn’t leave much of an interesting reveal. And the political stuff, man if it was tough to follow in the original trilogy, it is really tough to follow here (and again, the prequel trilogy as a whole).
Seriously, how is this convoluted plot about blocking trade routes supposed to connect to Anakin becoming Darth Vader? Again, it’s sort of hard to be fully on board. Why Naboo? That’s never really explained either, why is Naboo even really important to block trading of all places?
So, on the whole, the prequel’s escapism and technology satisfied me, but it just can’t compete with the original in terms of characters or humor. Compared to the original trilogy, I don’t see it as awful as I know a lot of people do, but nonetheless, I can see their side. I guess I’m just more soft-hearted and admittedly a kid at heart.
The table scraps of “Star Wars” would be the best way to describe this one and the prequel trilogy, barring “Revenge of the Sith” which I think comes close to the original trilogy — greatness, flaws, and all.
If you’re just looking for that same great escapism and not super picky, this’ll definitely do it for you. But realistically, it’s safe to say the original trilogy will never be beat.
emails, and they’re never at a convenient time. It doesn’t help when EU’s websites and web services also tend to have out of date or false information, with students either getting confused and lost or using the wrong service for the task they need to complete.
An example: university dining services. The EU website lists dining hours and basic contact
But if you don’t need to contact Angel Almodovar, the current head of EU Dining services, the seldom updated hours are an issue too. On the EU website featuring dining options, hours are only the basic schedule, with no up-to-date information. At the top of the page is a small paragraph advising students to use the Chartwells-run “Dine-on-Campus”
edu, these pages are meant as a rough guide for prospective students. After navigating campus life for a while, this becomes obvious. Most informational pages only contain basic information and a contact for further reading. This becomes an issue when there is no obvious advertising for the Elmhurst “Dine-on-Campus” website.
Because the link to the actual updated and accurate dining hours is planted in a short blurb about working for Chartwells, it can be ignored and passed over to look at the (wrong) hours in large bold text just below.
Once you learn about this, it doesn’t become a big issue to navigate to the right website to begin with, but it can be confusing, especially because the MyElmhurst Student portal has no indication of dining hours or information at all (and actually contains a link to a different website featuring a menu of items for the date).
Even in the student portal, some pages are rarely up to date. Student jobs and work-study are mentioned countless times during prospective student tours, orientation week, and advising meetings. The campus jobs page, however, is almost never kept up to date.
Of the 27 jobs currently listed on the board, 20 of them are filled, no longer accepting applications, or do not exist anymore (temporary positions for J-Term or Fall Term).
A handful of listings are even duplicates of previous ones. There is a listing for Groundskeeping under current manager Joseph Nikoli, as well as an older listing under David Mack. Mack
it be to afford the classes they are taking, or just to have some spending money, the application process in general is confusing and changes depending on the job being applied for.
Most jobs ask students to reach out to a contact listed on the listing. Some (notably: student ambassadors) have a link to a separate online application. Depending on the listing, students may also be asked to fill out a formal university job application, listed for download at the top of the job postings page.
The varying application forms also coincide with a dispersion of information on the listings themselves. The information varies wildly, sometimes listing the role under “Job Title”, other times “Student Position Title”, and other times not listing the name of the job at all, leaving only the name of the department that created the listing.
Listings sometimes have a brief description and a list of responsibilities, sometimes just one of the two, and other times both categories are listed under one or the other. They contain conflicting and often duplicated information.
EU’s Department of Communication and Media contains four main major programs and vari -
Dear Editor,
In 1976, a group of Elmhurst College students, faculty, and staff brought Omicron Delta Kappa (OΔK) to campus. In the subsequent years, OΔK members were active on campus and in the local community. Members led on-campus organizations, volunteered for on-campus and off-campus events, and improved their leadership skills.
OΔK was founded in 1914 and is one of the four mem-
bers of the Honor Society Caucus — a consortium of the most prestigious honor societies in the country. The other Caucus members include Phi Beta Kappa (1776), Sigma Xi (1886), and Phi Kappa Phi (1897).
The mission of OΔK is to, in part, identify and develop leaders in collegiate and community life and encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and alumni to advance leadership.
After a break, OΔK will be back on campus in Fall 2024!
ous minors and major tracks to complement them. Within this department are countless students, staff, and faculty training to work in film and television production, marketing and advertising, or journalism.
What ties these people together is the need and passion for clear communication. It’s how our world works. Maybe if the EU staff in charge of their online communication took a page out of the professors they employ, this article wouldn’t exist.
Letters to the editor can be submitted below or sent to leadernewsec@gmail.com. Letters must include your full name and Elmhurst University affiliation. All letters should be 300 words or less in length. The editors retain the right to edit letters before publication. Don’t forget to spell-check. The Leader is the student-run newspaper speaking to students, faculty and administrators of Elmhurst University. The Leader is not submitted to any person or organization for prior approval. The contents are the decision of the editor in agreement with the editorial board. Opinions expressed in The Leader do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or its staff, and are not intended to represent those of EU at-large. All text, photos and art cannot be reproduced without direct permission of The Leader.
Invitations to students (undergraduate and graduate), faculty, staff, and community members will be sent in the Fall 2024 semester to eligible applicants. More information can be found at odk.org.
Enjoy your summer break.
Sarah Strom Kays, Ph.D.
Acting Faculty Advisor, OΔK
2024 is off to a rough start for the Chicago White Sox who are 6-26 at the beginning of their season. To make matters worse, they are without Luis Robert and Moncada. Eloy Jimenez returned to the lineup in the series vs the Kansas City Royals.
The White Sox’s poor start to the season is their worst in the team’s history. White Sox fans and folks around baseball wonder what is going on with this team. There are many reasons, big and small, as to why this team is off to such a terrible start. However, these are three of the key reasons:
First up, the offense. In 2023, the White Sox offense ranked bottom in the league. For further context, that 61-101 team ended 2023 ranking 29th in the league in runs scored, 30th in walks, and 29th in RBIs.
The result of this turned into a near complete teardown of the offense for 2024 to address the shortcomings at the plate; however, if you were to hold a mirror to this team, it would reflect the same stats at the start of this season for the 2024 White Sox.
This team ranks 30th in the league in runs scored, 30th in Runs batted in, 30th in home runs, and 28th in walks. The 2024 offense averages around two runs per game. The White Sox have a .188 batting average, which is dead last in the majors. It will get worse before it becomes better for this offense given the circumstances of the injury situation of Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert.
Given this, it is no wonder the Sox are one of the few teams in MLB history to get shut out eight times in their first 22 games of the season. Unlike the 20202021 White Sox, this team does not have an identity
on offense. The good news is that these are veteran players who have been through slumps, and the expectation is that these players will eventually pick up the offense.
The White Sox pitching staff has seen some bright spots in the rotation. The emergence of Erik Fedde, currently the ace of this rotation as of now, is a welcome sight to see. Fedde was very dominant in the Korean baseball league, and this has translated into his second stint in the MLB.
Garret Crochet, being converted from a reliever to a starting pitcher, started well, but recently it seems teams have adjusted to him and are now hitting him hard, which is the reason his earned run average has skyrocketed. Crochet does lead the team in strikeouts.
Michael Kopech, a starting pitcher who has once again become a bullpen arm after his struggles last season, has seemingly embraced his role. Kopech has now become a guy who can get the Sox multiple innings of relief or get called on to close a game in the ninth. These bright spots are good for a team trying to look at what they have for 2025 and beyond. However, outside of these players, the pitching staff is also part of the reason this team is off to a historically bad start. The pitching staff ranks only ahead of the Colorado Rockies with an ERA of 5.14. The White Sox have had a lead in many of the games they have lost. They have been unable to consistently nail down the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to win ball games.
What separates the good teams from the bad teams is late-inning pitching. Having great pitching late in the game is one of the key components of a good team, and the White Sox have shown so far this year
that they are not a good baseball team due to the inability to nail down the last three innings of a game.
The White Sox have preached about doing the small things at the start of the season because it was something they struggled with every day back in 2023. Last year there were errors on the defensive side of the ball, mental lapses at bad times, and struggles within the division. In 2024, although the defense has gotten better as of late, the small mistakes at the end of games have tortured this team yet again.
In the series finale vs the twins, Paul Dejong missed an easy would-be inning-ending groundball, which would have seen the Sox escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth inning. Dejong could not field the ball, which led to a pair of twins scoring and tying the game; the Sox would later lose 10-5 to the wins and get swept by the twins again. This leads to another glaring statistic with the Sox that is a tale as old as time itself, which is struggling to beat the teams within the AL central division.
Last season, the White Sox finished 23-29 vs the Al Central during the 101-loss season. This year, the White Sox are 2-18 in the AL Central division following a second consecutive sweep by the twins and 14.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians. The Sox’s inability to defeat teams within this Division will make it much harder to turn the season around, as winning these games could quickly shrink that number down. If the White Sox have any hope of saving this season, this is an area that must be approved on.
The White Sox enter the month of May 6-26 with the Cardinals, Rays, and Guardians coming up.
Kyle Hendricks, one of the Chicago Cubs’ most recognized players, seems off to a rocky start this season. Players and fans alike are wishing him well, believing and knowing the Cubs deserve better than the rough start they’ve gotten.
There’s still a long season ahead and plenty of time to prove himself. According to Jordan Bastain for the MLB,
“Cubs manager Craig Counsell understands what Kyle Hendricks has meant to the organization over the past decade. This is a pitcher who has carved out a long career based on precision, helped lead the franchise to the top of baseball’s mountaintop as
World Series champions and is revered as a leader behind the scenes.”
The famous pitcher’s rough start is a little awkward given his length of time on the team and his consistently good performance.
Counsell spoke to Hendrick’s achievements.
“I respect his track record of what he’s accomplished,” Counsell said Sunday morning. “And you go through these. He’s gone through -- maybe not this particular stretch -- but stretches where you’re not pitching the way you want to and struggling. And you figure it out.”
As of April 21, in his fifth start this season for the Chicago Cubs, Hendricks faced another challenging game. In Jay Cohen’s report on News18, he lasted only four innings in the Cubs’ 3-6 loss to the Miami
Marlins on April 20. Despite the disappointing results, Hendricks remains optimistic, believing he’s heading in the ‘right direction’ and acknowledging the need to turn things around quickly.
Hendricks acknowledged the challenges but hopes to carry forward.
“It’s just tough with the results not being there,” Hendricks said. “It’s a results-based game. It’s obviously not good on that end, but got to take the positives in the right direction. Just got to put it together here.”
With a debut almost 10 years ago, Hendricks’ tough start to the season is only more apparent. Below are his stats for 2024.
Despite the worrying performance, the Cubs are playing well overall, currently placing second in their division behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
When I first transferred to Elmhurst University, I knew I wanted to write, but I was scared to put myself out there. I didn’t know anybody, and I was afraid to make a single move.
I remember sitting anxiously in the cafeteria, waiting for any ounce of courage I could muster to get up and ask someone if I could talk to them for the student newspaper.
Even when I took that leap of faith, I got several ‘nos,’ and I felt a little discouraged at first.
But I kept going anyway, and the more I talked to people, the easier it became. Being part of The Leader taught me to step outside my comfort zone to achieve what I want — whether that’s as small as an interview in the cafeteria or as big as a leadership position.
Throughout my two years with The Leader, I pushed past my fear of talking to people to cover a wide range of stories and eventually lead the staff, and I’m so glad I did. Working with The Leader has given me the freedom to meet new people and explore my interests.
Picnic, and numerous lectures. I enjoyed these events because they connected me to campus life, and I always walked away from them having learned something I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
In addition to growing my passions for writing and learning, serving as Editor-in-Chief of The Leader has been a great honor. The staff this year impressed me with their ideas and their determination to see those ideas through to their final drafts.
One of my favorite parts has been seeing the staff bounce ideas off each other and work together — I enjoy being part of creative processes, and being able to help guide those processes and see them through to production has been fulfilling. Thank you to my fellow editors and staffers for your hard work this year. It’s been a pleasure working with each and every one of you, and I’m so proud of your growth with The Leader. I can’t wait to see what you all continue to accomplish!
“Being part of The Leader taught me to step outside my comfort zone to achieve what I want”
I worked on several profiles and human interest stories, which let me explore people’s characters, backgrounds, and passions. For instance, I got to meet and write about a poetic storyteller, an award-winning author and journalist, a lawyer and her advocacy work, a student event planner, and so many more inspiring people whose stories we can learn from.
One of my favorite things about being a student journalist has been learning about who people are and why they do what they do, so writing profiles and features for several people was extremely rewarding.
I also got to attend fun events on campus, such as Alpha Mu Gamma’s International Poetry Reading, the E-Celerator’s Tesla Motors talk and drive, the Unity
To Eric, thank you for always being there to coach me through the tasks we worked on this year. Whether I needed help making an editorial decision or needed to talk about a situation I was second-guessing at 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday production night, you were always there to offer guidance.
To Ryan, thank you for encouraging me to run for Editor-in-Chief. I wouldn’t be where I am today without your support.
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my parents for supporting me every step of the way and believing in my potential. While I’m sad to be leaving EU and The Leader, the memories I made and the lessons I learned here will last me a lifetime.
BY Ian Murphy
Nearly two years ago, I left Columbia College Chicago and transferred to Elmhurst University, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
There were quite a few reasons behind the decision, the main one was Columbia changed my financial aid package from what they had been giving me, which was lovely. Second was the fact that I truly didn’t feel like I was getting my money’s worth, especially not with that price increase. The professors were impersonal, their advising and career center were practically unreachable, and I didn’t feel connected on campus (aka the one building in the middle of the loop where we had classes).
So that summer I was frantic. I’d gone through the whole process of figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, but now I had no idea how to get started. So naturally, I typed “film school near me” into Google. Shockingly enough, EU was one of the top results.
Tim Ahlberg was my admissions advisor and within a couple of minutes on the phone with him, I was completely sold. He talked up all the professors, the program itself, and the possibilities students graduating were having. Then when I toured the campus with him, I was even more on board as it had that classic college feel I had been missing in the city, just on a smaller scale. Not to mention, I got a great financial aid package. So there Columbia.
Maybe it was fate or just a great Google search, but my life truly was changed by my choice to
come here. Before EU, I was the one in school who just kept her head down and was there to do what was required and then get out.
Thankfully I met some truly encouraging people, specifically our former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Windle, who helped and encouraged me to be involved with The Leader. Because of him, I had a place to get on my soapbox and share film reviews, as well as create great multimedia content, such as the 2023 WGA Strike and the Elmhurst protest against DeSantis. None of this would have been possible without those who’ve supported me, especially my amazing professors.
you aren’t a digital media student because of his energetic and outgoing personality.
He’s someone who loves what he does and loves even more to uplift others. So much of what I’ve been able to accomplish, including a short film and a pilot TV episode, were because of the encouragement and support from John.
“my life truly was changed by my choice to come here”
Karen Benjamin, my environmental history professor, whose class I took to fulfill a requirement, but ended up being so inspired that I ended up making a short documentary based on research I’d done for one of her assignments, which ended up winning in a festival, furthering my connections in the Chicago film industry.
Kristyn Jo Benedyk, who’s the reason so many opportunities were brought to us in the digital media program and who, because of her connecting the digital media program with The BASE Chicago, I will be graduating with the producing credits of seven music videos (something I still struggle to wrap my head around).
I also can’t forget the great John Klein. A name that quite a few people know around campus even if
Every opportunity I’ve gotten has been because of the support of my professors or because of something I’ve learned from them. They’ve pushed, challenged, inspired, encouraged and respected me throughout my two years here, and I couldn’t be more thankful. My time here at EU and especially my time here at The Leader will be one I look back on with such fond memories and nostalgia.
I’m so thankful to my friends and family and everyone who’s helped me get to where I am. I got to experience so much I typically would’ve overlooked because of my involvement with The Leader. It’s been said to death, but it really is true how far putting yourself out there and stepping out of your comfort zone will take you. That being said, this is the end of one chapter and truly going forward I have no idea what will come next.
People love to keep asking me my plans after graduation, and when I tell them I have some things floating around but I’m not really sure, yet they typically follow it up with asking if I’m nervous. Then, like John Mulaney, I respond, “No, you know, like a liar”. But really no, I’ll figure it out I think… maybe.
I joined the Leader almost three years ago and this is the first article I have ever written.
As I started my college career in the middle of a pandemic with vaccines still months away, I had no idea what to really expect at all. I can honestly say that being Head Graphics Editor of an award-winning newspaper never crossed my mind as I just worked hard to get through that first year. So when I joined the team as a sophomore, back when there was an actual graphics team, I was happy to just make selections from images for Jasmine Lillis, our Head Graphics Editor.
By the end of 2021, less than a year into my time at The Leader, the entire graphics team graduated out of Elmhurst, and I was one of the only assistants left when that team went off into the real world. As I put my first full issue together, I was working with less than a year of experience using Adobe tools, and a massive amount of imposter syndrome, which wasn’t entirely misplaced.
Issue 7, published in 2022, was that first issue, and it featured a misspelled name on the cover and an ugly blue spot color that I would never use now. I remember being so proud to finally see some of my work in print until the last graphics editor gave the PDF back to me covered in red marks of everything I had done wrong. I felt completely disheartened and ready to quit. Gianna Montesano convinced me to stay, reminding me that this was my first time doing a project of this scale. She stressed that there was no one else to take over the position even if I left. I learned pretty quickly the rules of layout and how to work InDesign just from trial and a lot of error. Over the past three years, I have gone from finishing an average issue in over 15 hours to just three. Under my time as Head Graphics Editor, The Leader has won numerous design awards, including awards in Print Advertisements and Page Designs.
I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the past teams I worked with. Gianna and her staff pushed me to learn more about print design than I ever thought I could want or need to. It is through her time as Editor-in-Chief that I met Ryan. Ryan Windle helped me bring a sense of creativity back
into a normally bland medium. Honestly, Ryan is the reason I am still here today. They reminded me of the importance of our work time and time again, covering issues like campus responses to COVID-19 and legislation that affected our peers. I visited protests, campus events, art shows and so much more as a part of Ryan’s ed board. I am so thankful for the friendship that resulted in those late night productions with them.
I’ve been able to work with some amazing people throughout my time with The Leader. Abbey Mark was my right-hand man when it came to illustrations and logo designs, and Jennie Bosas has been a refreshing addition with her witty cartoons. Adriana Briscoe has demonstrated what real empathetic leadership looks like, while Eric Lutz has been the driving force of the paper since before I knew what the paper even was. To my ed board peers now, I am thankful for the support and stories that I have gotten from you all this year.
Even as I started at The Leader, I never expected to be running the graphics team, let alone to be winning awards for the graphics and layouts that I would create. I’ve gotten to be a part of so much at the school thanks to The Leader and the skills I have gained from my work here. I’m a finalist for both the Senior of the Year award and the Founder’s awards, nominated, in large part, because of the work I was able to do here. As I reflect on the past few
“To be part of a team that values integrity and empathy has been one of the greatest joys of my time at school”
years, I am reminded of the importance of student journalists. I might not be a writer, but I understand the importance they hold for a generation of kids affected by climate change, political division and upheaval, overturning of fundamental rights, and watching atrocities of death and destruction around the world. As students around the country continue to protest the violence in Gaza and being told that our voices do not matter, I hope the journalists
(and those setting up the layout of their own school papers) do not stop speaking out. I am mourning all that the students in Gaza have lost. All of their universities have been destroyed, and too many of them will never have a graduation or an opportunity to create art or write their own stories.
This fall, I am embarking on a new adventure as I start my graduate program in Art Markets at the University Institute of Portugal. Part of me is beyond excited to finally get to just be a student, not worrying about athletics, clubs, resident advisor issues, or my bi-weekly sessions alone in the newsroom hunched over our computer.
Another, admittedly larger part, is terrified to give all of that up, especially those sessions alone in the newsroom. To be part of a team that values integrity and empathy has been one of the greatest joys of my time at school. In three short years, to go from making selections to creating the whole damn thing, has been absolutely surreal. But they are full of memories that I will always cherish.
BY Ian Murphy
Looking back on my five-year journey here at Elmhurst University, I’ve had moments where I’ve asked myself if I did enough for myself and my education. It wasn’t easy choosing a college for myself when I graduated high school. I had only looked into universities that were close by and had a film program. My mentality back then was to fly with caution, keeping an eye on the financial aspect of college. Eventually, EU became my choice of university, and looking back to when I took my first set of steps on campus, the journey has been great. It had to be, right?
“looking back when I took my first set steps on campus, the journey has been great”
My first semester ended with me making the Dean’s List and finishing early, only to be hit by a worldwide pandemic by the second semester. Those two
years where life was remote and isolated made me reflect and think about my life, my career choice, and where would I end up if the situation was going to last longer than expected.
It felt like a limbo, as if time froze. Eventually, classes went back in person, and everything soon began to phase back into normality by my junior year. By then I was hit with the question of whether or not I would add another major into my education. I was already finishing two, would a third one do it justice?
Would that be enough?
This current academic school year was the most hectic, tense, impulsive, frustrating, and tiresome year I’ve had. By this point, I had participated in a fellowship connecting Spain’s past to its contemporary cinema, an internship for an independent production filmed on campus, and a study abroad trip to Spain, where I filmed a promotional video that would end up being presented at a convention in Virginia.
I became a member of the National Foreign Language Honor Society, Alpha Mu Gamma, reaching the position of president by my last year. I joined The Leader as a staff writer, eventually accepting the role of Arts and Culture Editor towards the end of the year.
Not to mention, I became a finalist for the Founder’s
Award and the Senior of the Year Award as well.
It’s a long list, but the question kept going through my head, “Was it enough?” Was I doing enough? Was I giving enough?
I was raised to think one does not simply “try” things. One acts and does the things that he wants to reach. Not by giving 50% or 75%, but 100% of their mind, body, and soul. The question was whether or not you actually did it.
It wasn’t until these past days that I came to realize that it will never be enough, and that’s okay.
These years, I’ve made the best out of them. The experiences and memories I’ve built helped me grow and develop my skills, talents, abilities, and way of thinking. I pushed my limits to the best of my skills. That truly is enough.
So to those who are experiencing similar emotions and thoughts, running back and forth inside our subconsciousness, I ask that you truly look at yourselves very deep and recognize your worth. You alone are enough, you’ve done enough, pushed enough, struggled enough, journeyed, and traveled enough to know your limitations and expectations. I know I have.
As my graduation comes closer, my plans afterwards are to travel to Florida for the Disney College Program, do a masters in filmmaking, and eventually go out and find work within Chicago.
Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened.
My time at The Leader has been short, but nothing short of an unexpected and wonderful time.
Arriving at Elmhurst University in the fall of 2020, life on campus was filled with uncertainties. Starting college alone has its unknowns, but during a global pandemic, every day had uncertainties. My first year at EU came and went, and I began getting involved with different organizations and meeting people who would make my time at EU incredible.
Spring 2021 was the first time I ever became involved with The Leader. The Leader interviewed me over the phone about a project I had thought of bringing to campus. Since then, as I traversed campus, walking through the chapel, or the Frick Center, the newsstands where the paper would sit always caught my eye.
During my junior year, I took a historiography class and dedicated my 22-page paper to the history of Elmhurst’s residence life. After sharing it with friends, I wondered how I could share more about history
with others, and The Leader came to mind. My penultimate year at Elmhurst came, and the student involvement fair gave me the chance to sign up.
I thought, “Sure, why not?” The first meeting came, and I had no idea what I was going to do or what I should do. Seeing familiar faces was nice, so connecting with others and getting to collaborate on my first article happened seamlessly. When my first articles were published, I was so excited to see them physically in the newspaper. From then on, I wanted to write as much as I could for The Leader. I wanted to share stories.
my role at The Leader as a talking point to get my students to write news articles as a class activity for a lesson I taught.
February came, and the Illinois Collegiate Press Association handed out numerous awards to The Leader, one of which went to me. I knew from the beginning that my style of writing was most likely not for news articles, having only done academic papers. However, being told that I won an award for my featured article left me shocked.
“My time with the leader was short, but it left an indelible impact on me.”
Of course, I told all my friends to read the latest copy, handing it to them whenever I could. As a senior, I became even more involved. I had no idea as to how much I could really do to contribute to the hardworking writing staff.
While student teaching, I still wrote for The Leader, while on lunch breaks or after school. I even used
My time at The Leader went quickly, as did my senior year. Although it was short, my time with The Leader left an indelible impact on me. I will forever be grateful to The Leader for letting me share my stories and for letting me work with an incredible staff. Telling stories is one of the great joys of being human, and they hold our own history.
The last lesson I’ll take from my time here as a staff writer is that in life, it’s never too late.
PHOTO BY Ian Murphy
BY Ian Murphy
