A North Park Press Publication
Welcome Edition 2015
Table of Contents 04 Campus Involvement 05 Intramural Sports 06 SGA Welcome 08 Gender Neutral Bathrooms 09 Hookah 10 Provost Emerson 13 Go Chi 14 Checklist for a Night Out
Spectrum Editorial Board
Sarah Lindner Editor in Cheif
Faith ZamblĂŠ Content Editor
Jake Laser Creative Director
Welcome folks, September has arrived and so have you from all around the world. Sometimes it escapes me how incredibly magnificent our campus can be when we accumulate each year. The empty classrooms are filled again, and the grass is re-trampled where sidewalks fail to stretch. Life is good. At the Spectrum, life gets even better. As you may have already noticed, we have built upon last year’s foundation and have established ourselves as a student-run magazine. Each issue will be brimming with opinions, interviews, columns and feature stories relevant to students. Although you will have to wait until October for the first physical copy, northparkspectrum.com will have weekly news to enjoy. We at the Spectrum are willing, able and completely stoked to be providing quality content on subjects of every nature. We want you to read. To think. To discuss. Write back if you feel so inclined. Our purpose is not to tell you what to think, but rather what to think about. Start thinking and join the conversation, whether it be a letter to the editor or engaging on our website. We are your voice. And you are ours.
Kavishka Gunawardena
Enjoy.
Business Manager
Sarah Lindner
Getting Involved on Campus What interests you?
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Get Amped for Intramural Sports
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By Kavi Gunawardena
Welcome North Parkers!
t's the time of year when the hunt for extra-curriculars begins; those of us who like playing sports, but don't have the time (or motivation) for school sponsored teams, may wonder what to sign up for. If this describes you, fear not; Helwig has got your back. For those looking to be involved in athletics without the pressure, Intramural is the way to go. Don't believe us? We took a few minutes to sit down with Ericka Hopper, Director of Wellness and Recreation, and talk about Intramural sports at Helwig. The offered sports include flag football, indoor soccer, dodgeball, floor ball, basketball, badminton, volleyball, and many more. Participation is not limited to the student body--even the staff and faculty are welcome to join! This fall, American football's more popular cousin, soccer, is also available for everyone to play. Organization is simple: There are two leagues, A and B. If you've signed up just to have fun, then joining B would probably work for you, whereas, A is for the more competitive kids out there. If you have any other sport in mind, do not hesitate to walk over to Helwig and have a little chat with Ericka and organize something you like. Check it out. There is something for everyone! ∆
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Welcome from the Student Government Association Hello everyone, I’m a senior studying sports management and economics, a member of the football team, and also this year’s Student Government President. I grew up right here in Chicago where my first memories were at 173rd and Pulaski. For those of you new to Chicago, everything happens at intersections around here. My parents, Shawna and Robert Banks raised me along with my 3 younger siblings—a brother, and twin sisters. Like every athlete in high school, the dream was to go to a D1 school. Yet, my path led me here and there is no other university that I would want to be a part of. The things that I have learned and experienced here have helped me grow into the gentleman that stands before you right now as your class president. I've taken many chances to step outside of my comfort zone and I don't regret any of them. I learned greatly and that’s what I encourage each and every one of you to do. I have some tips for the new students. The first is about that comfort zone: go beyond it. Try something new every day because you never know what doors can open for you. So, it may sound odd, but I’ve come to realize that I’m living my life based upon something I heard on my favorite TV show, Everybody Hates Chris. On one episode, Chris’s father is too cheap to buy Chris’s brother a real Wayne Gretsky hockey jersey. Instead, he gets a knock-off. On that episode, you hear Wayne Gretsky talking about hockey. I always remembered Gretsky saying something special in that interview: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." So I say, why not shoot? What's the worst that could happen? I find that going beyond my comfort zone is always rewarding in the end. This is what leads me into my second tip: live into the diversity here at North Park.
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This school represents so many different parts of the world that are actually so fascinating to me. I've sat and had some of the best conversations at the dinner table in the cafe with people from South Korea, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Ecuador. This university can open your eyes to new perspectives, especially for a black kid from the south side of Chicago. I always wanted to meet new people and make friends from all over the world when I went to college. Now, new people here see me not just as a kid from the South Side, but also as the Student Government President. The one with dreads. My final tip is to be open to God's call while you’re here. I am a person who is a strong believer in my faith and I know that without God I wouldn't be able to stand in front of you today as this year’s class president. Believe me, if I was sitting where you are, I wouldn’t think the guy with the dreads would be the Student Government President. And, there are some days that I’m still shocked it came to be. But that just goes to show you that God will place you in situations that you wouldn't always expect to be [in]. If you listen to God’s voice, you never know, you may even end up Student Government President. So those are my tips: go beyond your comfort zone, live into the diversity at North Park, and most importantly, listen to God’s call. By doing these things, you will stay true to yourself and really become a better you.
Jamel Banks
SGA President
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Welcome, Whether you are a returning student or a new student, we hope that you had a wonderful summer, and are prepared to start the new semester and year. We at SGA have been through many changes over this last semester and the summer but we are excited for the year to begin. The Executive Committee, your Class senators and the Representatives are all ready to serve you as the student body to the best of our ability. In the midst of the hectic first week of school, take some time to walk through Viking Fair and the all campus BBQ, which will be held Wednesday, Sept 2, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., on the campus Green Space. Viking Fair is a great opportunity to meet members of SGA, club members and others that are involved in campus events. Wherever you are in your time at North Park this semester, we would encourage you to make an effort to be involved on campus: volunteer with Urban Outreach through UMin, join an intermural team at Helwig, run for a Freshman Senator seat, write for the Spectrum, work a campus job, join an SGA Committee or CAB, join a club, start a club, or just be a regular at campus-wide events, home games, or in Java Haus. Probably don’t try all of them at once.
Welcome Edition
There is a myriad of ways to be involved on campus, and these experiences can range from a very memorable event to a life changing relationship or experience. Don’t be afraid to try. As our SGA President Jamel Banks pointed out this year in his Convocation address, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Involvement in any of these programs will both enrich your North Park experience and the experiences of those that come after you. We, the students, and our collective perspective is what makes North Park ... well, North Park. We are excited to be a part of that process and invite you to join us. We hope to see you around and involved, On Behalf of the Student Government Association,
Isaac Bauer
SGA Vice-President
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Inclusive Bathrooms Now Open
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olerance can be conveyed through many methods, the latest of which is bathroom designation on campus. Eleven university buildings now boast a total of 17 gender-neutral bathrooms: single-stall, unisex lavatories outfitted with the usual amenities. Dr. Jodi Koslow Martin, vice president for student engagement, explained the reasoning behind the restrooms being a university-wide effort to be welcoming and hospitable to all students and visitors, and recognizes, “there will be students who will be transgender.” The transition was primarily implemented by Elizabeth Snezek, Dean of Students, and Physical Plant. She cites one of President David Parkyn’s common adages, “We must walk alongside students,” as an influential idea in the process. In order to live out this saying, Koslow Martin elaborates, students must feel comfortable in this space. Although Queers and Allies had no formal involvement in the gender neutral bathrooms, the student-led group finds them to be a necessary addition. Co-president Sam Van Pykeren articulated his understanding of the change, saying "If you're not catering to those diverse students, then they're not going to come." He also cites North Park's respect for its students of varying backgrounds as a factor. In expressing these ideas, Koslow Martin feels this kind of welcoming adheres to the open Christian values of the university. She explains how having these facilities are “reflective of the warmth and love that Jesus had in his life.” Van Pykeren affirmed this idea, expanding on the principles of gender and Christianity being intertwined.
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By Sarah Lindner
Christianity is currently in a critical period, a period that can only be resolved by discussion and thought; this is one way of North Park saying "We're open to having this conversation," in Van Pykeren's opinion. He clarified the difference between gender and sex, the former being a societal construct "perceived as certain roles, certain colors, certain behaviors" whereas the latter is strictly a biological matter. The gender neutral restrooms prevent individuals from having to use the men's or women's restrooms. When asked about restroom nomenclature, Koslow Martin stated the administration “looked to our peers at other institutions and professional organizations that set the standards ... and gender-neutral is the preferred language.” While temporary signage is in place, the official Johnson Center placards are set to arrive soon and are marked by the conventional man and woman figures. This choice was made based on familiarity, says Koslow Martin, “it is what we’re used to looking for.” The new bathroom designation is filling a campus-wide need for inclusion, as discrimination is headed down the toilet. ∆ The complete list of gender-neutral bathroom locations can be found online at: http://www.northpark.edu/About/ Exploring-North-Park-University/Campus-and-Facilities/ gender-neutral-bathrooms
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Let’s Talk About Hookah By Faith Zamblé To a small child, the word “hookah” may recall images of the confounding caterpillar of Alice in Wonderland fame, while the average adult might be suspicious, mistaking hookah for other smoking devices—smoking devices with illegal connotations. However, to a growing numbers of college students, hookah has become a viable plan for a night out with friends, (and in some cases, a household appliance) leaving many people wondering where the trend came from, how it works, and most importantly, what effects it might have. The first point is easy to address. Despite its relatively new popularity here in the United States, hookah is part of a centuries old tradition—four centuries to be exact—originating from ancient Persia and India and popularized by aristocrats of the era. The practice eventually spread to the wider Middle East and Northern Africa, before making its way to Europe in the metaphorical back pockets of immigrants. It has only been within the span of previous decades, however, that hookah usage has reached a borderline level of mainstream acceptance in the U.S., specifically among college students. All this to say, hookah is not new by any stretch of the imagination; it has simply taken us (much) longer to catch on. Now, for the second issue: the hookah itself. With the exception perhaps of people sharing a cigarette or communal marijuana use, smoking is generally a singular activity. Hookah, on the other hand has become a staple offering in Middle Eastern cafes where people would meet to discuss politics and philosophy. Its presence was the equivalent to drinking wine as an integral part of intellectual debate in European countries. Hookah has held onto this aspect of community throughout the years, and so, many sessions are done in groups with friends. And now for the main event: the dangers of hookah. A main factor in the rise of hookah usage is a well-placed lie, the lie being that it is somehow safer than smoking cigarettes because it doesn’t have any extra chemicals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is untrue. Though the tobacco is pure, it it still tobacco and smoking it releases the same number of carcinogens as a cigarette would, maybe more depending on the length of a smoking session. In addition, a byproduct of burning tobacco is tar—hookah or cigarette. ∆
Welcome Edition
DO Use different mouthpieces/tips when
smoking. Sharing tips is one of the fastest ways to get a communicable disease. DON’T Do it in a place where second hand smoke could be an issue. DO Be prepared to spend a reasonable amount of money; hookah is not the cheapest activity. DON’T Use excessively. You can get addicted: tobacco has nicotine no matter what else it’s flavored with. DO Go with friends! Hookah is meant to be enjoyed in a group, not alone. Plus, it helps with the cost. DON’T Believe it’s safer than cigarette use. It’s not.
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though he has only been the Provost at North Park for E ven around two months, Dr. Michael Emerson has immersed
himself in Chicago's culture. With an specialty in urban sociology, Dr. Emerson is ready to share his experiences with students, faculty and staff. He is asking meaningful questions and is beginning to find even more meaningful answers.
SL: You went to school in Minnesota?
SL: And what did you study?
ME: All the way through until I graduated high school. Didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so I moved to California because I had seen it on TV and it looked warm. So I thought I’d go there if I have to sleep outside, which I ended up having to when I ran out of money.
ME: [I] started in psychology, and I really became fascinated by all the inequalities I was seeing here in Chicago, so then I ended up switching to sociology.
SL: You’ve dabbled in homelessness?
ME: I went straight on to graduate school, at that point. I got married after my sophomore year in college so I was a married man already. I took an urban sociology class, came home and told my wife “I found my calling.” And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing ever since: urban sociology research.
ME: I did. I lived a homeless life. I would wear a trench coat and I would walk through Denny’s restaurants, and at that time they would put out free rolls and people never really ate them. So I would go by, grab them, put them in my trench coat, grab little packets of ketchup, and that would be my meal. SL: And you survived it. Where did you go after that? ME: I eventually got a job as a bank teller. I realized you really have to go to college ... because all the people above me had college degrees and I could not rise up in the bank structure without the degree. Then I came and ended up going to the University of Loyola.
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SL: After you completed your degree in sociology, did you continue studying?
SL: I mean, you have all these books, done so many studies, you’ve carried that on through your whole life. Why? ME: All in an attempt to answer the question I had first ... I would ride from the north campus to downtown for classes and would get out downtown. On one side at that point was Cabrini Green and all the poverty. I’d walk toward where the campus was and could see the gold coast, all the wealth...
Photo of Provost Emerson Courtesy of North Park University
Coming Full Circle with Provost Michael Emerson
I was just ... I was so naive at that point, “How can this be? How can you have with just in a few blocks, wealth I cannot understand and poverty I cannot understand? And why can I clearly see there’s a difference in the color of the skin of the people on either of these two sides? SL: Chicago is one of the most segregated cities. It was a great place for you to start researching. ME: And then I remember saying, “I’m going to go to grad school and the only place I will not go is the Southeast because I don’t like heat and I don’t like humidity." And I end up at the university of North Carolina for graduate school, so be careful what you say you won’t do. SL: How did you end up here? You did come full circle in a way.
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ME: I’ve been down in Houston for 15 years at Rice University and a one year stint at Notre Dame. And two things: one my daughter came here and I was really impressed with how it went for her and being part of the convocation that they're going to have tomorrow. Just seeing ... I love the campus, I love where it's situated, I love that it's in Chicago. That was one thing, the other thing was a sense of ... I have no strong desire to be a provost but if I ever was to be one, I would want it to be at North Park. So when I saw that they were looking I said, “Oh I gotta apply.” And it happened. SL: Can you define a provost in common language? ME: That’s been the funniest thing at this job. Because when I’m a professor, everyone goes “Yeah, I understand that.” When I first started here, I didn’t have a key to the building and I needed to get in. I found security and I said “I’m Michael Emerson, the new provost here, wondering if you could let me in to my office." We were talking and they thought I was legal counsel. Provost must mean an attorney or something. Yeah. So what’s a provost do? You could say ... There’s two ways you could say it. You’re professor of the professors or the vice president of academic affairs. Your job is to oversee all of the curriculum, the faculty development, and making sure we have quality education through and through. SL: What are excites you about being here? I know you already talked about why you chose North Park, but what is one of the most exciting things you have found about being here so far?
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ME: One is a vision, and that is that what’s happening here and is going to continue happening is that I say this term “God is gathering greatness.” All the people, that are here and that are being brought here, it’s for a purpose. It’s not just random chance. There are going to be very powerful things happening here. SL: That’s ominous. ME: Yes. And what I have found in being here and all the people I’ve met so far is the incredible commitment that people feel, a bond they feel with this place. Which is a very important thing, its part of how a place becomes great. People have to truly believe it has a purpose and a mission that is worth sacrificing for and that’s what I’m finding, that people do. SL: What is that purpose you find people are striving for? ME: It is this: “How do we as a Christian university, in a world that’s urbanizing and diversifying, how do we prepare students for that world? How do we speak and use our knowledge to make that world work better?” When you bring diversity together, when you put people in tight urban spaces, it often doesn’t work and we have police violence, and we have shootings, gangs erupt, and fights, and people arguing and people don’t want to live by each other. There’s so much to work on. And that’s the big challenge we have, but that’s also, what I think, gets people excited.
ME: Not just this city, left to its own, when you’re bringing diverse people together it often doesn’t work well. It doesn’t happen naturally so its finding a way to use our knowledge. We ask big questions, we try to figure out what is our purpose in life, when do I sacrifice and what do I sacrifice for. Is it okay as a color just to live with other people my color? Why or why not? Let’s think about it. Our country asks us not to think about it, just follow the way we do it, don’t think about it. SL: Going back to the North Park mission of being intercultural, before you arrived here they changed from multicultural to intercultural. Can you explain why that happened? ME: It sounds like nothing but it’s a huge change. It is that idea, we don’t want to just be a lot of different people here, we want to be people who are bringing their differences together to find strength and to make friendships and to use that creativity that comes from diversity to find solutions for better learning. So intercultural communicates that. It’s saying we’re doing it together. Inter. Intergrowth. Multi, Chicago has always been multiracial, it hasn’t always been intercultural. SL: Has the university been enacting any policies to make that distinction now that they’re trying to be intercultural? A lot of it is white, mainstream culture so how are you trying to achieve that goal of differentiating?
SL: You would say that the negativity in the city is what North Park is challenged by the most?
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ME: That’s part of what I’m learning and part of my job, is to make it happen more. So one of the important things for me is ultimately who we hire. Even if we hire people who look racially different, they could still have the same culture. We are really seeking people that have diversity of perspectives. We’re trying to make sure that we continually diversify our students. The thing is that we find in my own studies, is that if you have enough diversity, people then can have a voice to change things. If we don’t, the majority will never agree to change even if some want to they can’t succeed. you have to have diversity of perspective pushing for the change. That has to be step one, to continue to diversify who’s here. One of the things we did on Monday, is that our whole faculty retreat was on the issue of intercultural and we focused on the big questions that we ask like: “who do we assign in our books? Who are students reading? Are they reading different voices and different perspectives or not?” So we’re trying to figure out how to weave it into our courses.
SL: Do you like to explore the city and go to different neighborhoods? What do you like to do here?
SL: With your daughter also here, what is the dynamic like? Do you go out for coffee or pretend like you're strangers?
SL: To combat the Netflix habits.
ME: You might want to ask her, I don’t really know yet. I know that when I was interviewing here, it happened to be that I came across her class standing outside of Sohlberg Hall because they were waiting to take their final and had some problem with getting into the building. And I said “Hello everybody, I’m Leah Emerson’s father, the new provost here, and I’m going to go see if I can figure out what the problem is and get this solved for you.” I remember she was very embarrassed by that, so probably keep some distance.
Welcome Edition
ME: First of all, when we chose a neighborhood [to live], it had to be diverse, I had to be able to walk or bike here, and I had to be able to walk to the train as a family. So we were able to find that by heading south a little ways from here. And why we wanted to be by the train, for one because I don’t like to drive, use a car. I think that’s a waste in a city. And it also allows us to explore neighborhoods and get anywhere. SL: With lots of new students arriving, new to Chicago, what is something you think they should try? ME: Do not waste the chance to be out in the city every time and every chance you get. That’s a great advantage of being here at North Park, and part of our job as faculty, as deans and administrators, is to help you be able to do that. And we will be working very hard at that.
ME: That’s right. It’s easy to that, and when it gets cold out to just say, "I’ll stay in." But the connections you make, internships you can do, that’s the beauty of being in a huge city, right? Whereas you have all the worlds big companies here, you have the great, great religious leaders, artists, incredible performers; everything you can think of. ∆
Provost Emerson’s Chicago Favorites
Chicago style hot dog or deep dish pizza? That's a great question, I love them both. I’m going to go with the hot dog The "L" or bike? I have lived in Copenhagen, the bike capital of the world, if Chicago could be more bike friendly that would be my preference. Lincoln Park Zoo or Shedd Aqarium? Lincoln Park Zoo. The contradiction or the surprise of having rural in urban. A free zoo? I love what that communicates. And I just think it's beautiful, the nature in the city. It’s a good lesson of how to design cities. Cubs or Sox? Sox believe it or not, I like the Sox a lot. I have for a long time. I’ll tell you why too. The Sox to me are more of the working class, everybody team and the cubs are for the professionals Sears or Willis? Sears, it’s a huge mistake to call it the Willis Tower. And the best building downtown is the John Hancock building, its incredible. It is simple, symmetrical, it is incredibly strong.
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Go C H I Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep Sep
September 2015
1-10 Hideout Riverwalk, 35 E RIverwalk S Free 2-5 Chicago Turkish Festival, Daley Plaza Free 3 Modest Mouse, Concord Music Hall $50 3-6 Chicago Jazz Festival, Millennium Park Free 4-7 Taste of Polonia, Copernicus Center $7 10 Of Montreal, Lincoln Hall $25 11-13 Roscoe Village Oyster Fest, Roscoe Village Pub $7 11-13 German-American Fest, Lincoln Square Free 11-13 Festival de la Villita, Little Village Free 16-18 Berghoff Oktoberfest, Federal Plaza Free 18 Best Coast, Metro Chicago $21 19-20 Renegade Craft Fair, Division from Damen to Levitt Free 21 Stromae, Riviera $40 30 LĂŚtita Sadier + Deradoorian, Schubas $15 30 The Growlers, Metro Chicago $19
Research Sarah Lindner // Design & Photography Jake Laser
Welcome Edition
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Checklist for a Night Out A Great Night Out Starts with Great Planning
By Jake Laser
1. Figure out responsibilities for the next day 2. Set any alarms for the next morning 3. Charge phone 4. Wallet, Cash, North Park ID 5. Plan your route back to North Park (Night Owl CTA map, Lyft, etc.) 6. Drink plenty of water 7. Have fun, stay safe
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...be part of the North Park Press. ~ if interested, email Sarah through ~
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