April 17, 2019

COLLEGE OF DUPAGE STUDENT NEWSPAPER — 17 APRIL

27

2019

VO L U M E 5 3

FEATURES

OPINION

SPORTS

At the Gayla: Annual Event

What Does COD Gain from Jeanne Ives’ Divisiveness

James Harden for MVP

p9

p11

p16

2

CAMPUS FORECAST

THE LEVEL UP PODCAST

WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

WED THU FRI SAT Made possible by the COD Meteorology Department

60%

73°F 55°F

70%

58°F 39°F

NOW ON SPOTIFY AND iTUNES!

30%

YOUR AD HERE

49°F 37°F

0%

60°F 44°F

weather.cod.edu/campusweather

Fridays on codcourier.org

Advertise on the Courier newspaper.

For more info, please contact our adviser, Jim Fuller, at fullerj103@cod.edu

INDEX INDEX

3

NEWS······················ 04

Courier Brings Home ICCJA Awards

FEATURES··············· 06

Maker Market Highlights Student Entrepreneurs

OPINION·················· 10

Pools of Wasted Water

SPORTS··················· 14

COD Dominates on the Baseball Field

COFFEE BREAK······ 18

Weekly crossword, Sudoku, and Doodles

COD Courier Student Newspaper

@codcourier

@codcourier

stories posed online at codcourier.org

THE TEAM

SRC 1220 • 630-942-2689

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF···························· Tessa Morton ASSIGNMENT REPORTER················· Joey Weslo NEWS CORRESPONDENT················· Karla Villegas Pineda FEATURES EDITOR··························· Alison Pfaff OPINION EDITOR····························· Kimberly Wilson SPORTS EDITOR······························ Vijay Kavuri STAFF WRITER································ DeAnte Washington

The Courier is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters, except for the first and last Wednesday of each semester and the week of spring break as a public forum with content chosen by student editors.

The Courier does not knowingly accept advertisement that discriminate on the basis of sex, creed, religion, color, handicapped status, veteran or sexual orientation, nor does it knowingly print ads that violate any local, state or federal laws.

Deliver all correspondence to SSC 1220 between regular office hours or mail to the Courier, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL. 60137.

ON THE COVER

STAFF WRITER································ Madison Venckus GRAPHICS EDITOR··························· Brandon Beckwith ASSISTANT GRAPHICS EDITOR········· Jessica Tapia PHOTO EDITOR································ Lindsay Piotter SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER················ Brooke Shapiro ADVISER - Jim Fuller fullerj103@cod.edu

COD vs Harper College

Lindsay Piotter

NEWS

4

From left to right: (front) Karla Villegas Pindea, Madison Venckus, Brooke Shapiro, Kimberly Wilson, (back) Brandon Beckwith, Jim Fuller, and Alison Pfaff

Photo by Lindsay Piotter

THE COURIER TAKES HOME 24 ICCJA AWARDS Alison Pfaff, Features Editor pfaffa72@dupage.edu

College of DuPage’s Courier student newspaper had a successful year at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s spring conference in Utica, Ill. Twenty-four awards were won by staff members, including Division 1 General Excellence for the second consecutive year. This is the most awards The Courier has received since at least 2014.

On April 12, COD students found out the results of their sub-

mitted entries.

Editor-in-Chief Tessa Morton received first place for news story, first place for news column and second place for arts review.

Graphics Editor Brandon Beckwith took home first place for front page design, second and third place for page design and first place for graphics.

Opinion Editor Kimberly Wilson won first place for editorial writer of the year for the second

year in a row, as well as first and second place for staff editorial.

General assignment reporter Joey Weslo received first place for Reporter of the year and first place for sports column.

Former Features Editor Reanna Comiso received second place for feature writing. Comiso is currently at Lewis University studying to teach middle school English.

Features Editor Alison Pfaff received third place for feature

writing, second place for feature photo as well as second and third place for news photo.

Former reporter Miguel Contreras won first and second place for sports feature and an honorable mention for sports news.

As a staff, The Courier received second place for their website (codcourier.org) and third place for news series of the year.

r e v o c s i D

5

SI R E V I N U AU R O R A

Easy transfer of credit to finish your degree quickly

TY

APPLY NOW FOR FALL 2019.

40% of our undergraduate students transferred to AU

Academic advisors partner with you to chart a path and keep graduation in sight

@ aurora.edu/visit

aurora.edu/apply

North Central will be at College of DuPage on: April 18, 2019 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

April 24, 2019 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

May 1, 2019 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

630-844-5533

aurora.edu/transfer

admission@aurora.edu

Transfer and

Be central

at North Central College.

VISIT OPPORTUNITIES Friday, April 12, Admitted Student Day Friday, May 24th, Transfer Information Session

northcentralcollege.edu/transfer-visit-registration Transferring into North Central College means helpful planning with knowledgeable counselors, generous academic scholarships and financial aid, and customized campus visits. Call for an individual visit and campus tour.

Join the conversation and use #BeCentral and #WeAreNC

CALL

EMAIL

LEARN

630-637-5800 admission@noctrl.edu northcentralcollege.edu/transfer

6

NEWS FEATURES

Photos by Lindsay Piotter

MAKER MARKET

NEWS FEATURES

7

Photos by Lindsay Piotter

FEATURES

8

COLLABORATIVE COMPOSING A LOOK AT COD’S SONG WRITING CLUB Karla Villegas Pineda, News Correspondent villegaspindak@dupage.edu On Valentine’s Day of this year, COD’s Songwriting Club performed a custom love song for student Rachel Stark. The song was commissioned by Stark’s boyfriend, student Michael Carroso.

The playful tune featured lyrical anecdotes about the couple’s favorite breakfast spot, Stark’s beautiful blue-green eyes and various anecdotes of vacations the couple has gone on.

“I was very appreciative of the Valentine’s Day music gram that [the Songwriting Club] put together,” said Stark. “The performance was sweet, casual and playful. They put effort into the writing and performance of the

song. Overall, it was a great experience!”

When they’re not fundraising with custom love songs, Songwriting Club (SWC) acts as a resource for musicians in need of poetic or melodic assistance for song writing.

Because the song writing process is complex, Khadijah Leverette, co-president of SWC, said there is “no one-size-fits-all” composition routine. Instead, musicians in need of help ask the group of around 10 returning members for advice on certain aspects of their own process. There is no need to commit or formally join SWC for musicians to take advantage of

Evening BBA Earn a first-rate Business Bachelor’s entirely at night. Online and on campus.

Our Evening BBA lets you work full-time and study full-time without sacrificing quality. You’ll only need to be on campus a few nights a week. Complete your bachelor’s in just 24 months.

Discover a better path to your Bachelor’s with Dominican’s Evening BBA.

dom.edu/evening-bba (708) 524-6810

Brennan School of Business

the song writing resources offered by the club.

The group has gained momentum after Valentine’s Day, for which they sold—and in some cases performed—customized love songs, like the one for Stark and Carroso. SWC hopes to use funds to bring in professional musicians for small performances and workshops. Leverett also expressed interest in creating a scholarship fund for creatives using funds from future Open Mic Nights.

When they’re not composing, members can be found jamming together simply for the fun. “[Songwriting club] is musicians

coming together to have a place to share their music in a constructive environment,” said Leverette.

The main thing Leverette wishes others knew about SWC is that it is collaborative space for sharing music.

“It provides a musical outlet for people,” said Leverette. “I know there are a lot of people that [create] music, and they just do it on their own, but I think one of the great joys of music is that you can share it with others.”

Check out SWC for yourself, every Wednesday at 4pm in MAC 138.

FEATURES

9

AT THE GAYLA Madison Venckus, Staff Writer venckusm1845@dupage.edu

The College of DuPage Pride Alliance will host their third annual Gayla event Friday April 19.

Gayla is a queer inclusive event open to all pride members and allies. No pre-registration is required for the dance, and admission profits will fund future club activities.

Pride Alliance member, Jacob Kent was one of the members who came up with the idea in 2016. The name “Gayla” came as a play on the word “Gala,” which is another word for a ball or prom.

“The story of Gayla is very personal to me… I had a not very inclusive prom experience, and to remedy that my friend suggested that we have an LGBTQ inclusive event. From my time in pride alliance, I had already known so

many people who had a similar experience, and we worked from there,” Kent said.

Any members and allies of the LGBTQ community are invited to the event, it’s not a pride exclusive dance.

“A lot of people, especially queer people, coming into COD have this negative prom experience or may not have gone to prom at all. Either people couldn’t be with who they wanted or couldn’t come as who they wanted to. For that reason we need something like Gayla at COD that’s queer inclusive,” Kent said.

Gayla’s admission fee is 15 dollars and will be held in the SRC2000 from 6p.m. to 10p.m.

April 19.

Photo provided by COD Pride Alliance

10

NEWS OPINION

Illustration by Brandon Beckwith

POOLS OF WASTED WATER Guest Column by Mike Hall College of DuPage (COD) students will never look at flushing the toilet the same way. Every day COD students flush their waste, unaware that they are contributing to water wastage. On average, the toilets at the main campus waste about five gallons of water per flush. This problem can be solved by replacing these water wasting toilets with dual flush toilets that save 3.4 gallons per flush.

Although COD has some dual flush toilets, the majority of toilets contribute five gallons per flush of water wastage, every day.

Unfortunately, people don’t realize the problems associated with toilet flushing. Water wastage is inevitable when flushing a toilet, but

controlling the amount of water wasted should be a primary focus.

The more water used in a single flush, the more money wasted and less water available for sinks and showers in the community.

Less water available for the community can be directly related to the five gallons per flush of traditional toilets. Although five gallons of water per flush may not sound devastatingly wasteful, calculating the average yearly wasted water is eye-opening. Putting this in perspective, an average pool contains 20,000 gallons of water which means it would only take 4,000 flushes to fill this pool. While 4,000 flushes can seem monstrous, take into consideration the num-

ber of students that go to COD. In 2011, 26,209 students were enrolled at COD. Now this monstrous number of 4,000 flushes seems very small compared to the number of people attending this college. If each student were to go to the bathroom at least one time using an old-fashioned toilet, then 131,045 gallons of water would be wasted each day. This is enough water to fill six swimming pools.

Even more astounding than six swimming pools being filled each day, is the yearly amount of water wasted. There are 176 school days in the year, multiplying this number by the daily water consumption of toilets comes to 23,063,920 gallons of water. This is enough

water to fill up 288,299 bathtubs.

One of the common misconceptions of toilets and wastage, is that all toilets waste the same amount of water and water waste is inevitable. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Dual flush toilets use 55 percent less water than the conventional old-fashioned toilets.

On average they use 1.5 gallons per flush. If all COD bathrooms had dual flush toilets, 16,144,744 gallons of water would be saved yearly. This is 146,770 bathtubs worth of water and 807 swimming pools worth of water saved.

It’s time for COD to take action. Saving water is essential due to the fact that water is the most used resource.

NEWS OPINION WHAT DOES COD GAIN FROM JEANNE IVES’ DIVISIVE DISCRIMINATION?

11

Joey Weslo, Assignment Reporter wesloj@dupage.edu For countless children and teens who attend public school, perverted school administrators and teachers lurk like dirty, old men in trench coats waiting to expose the children to sordid things like transgender bathrooms and homoerotic gender fluidity.

Or, so states an op-ed by Christian organization the Illinois Family Institute shared by former State Rep. Jeanne Ives, a recent appointee to College of DuPage’s presidential search committee. She has called transgender rights “junk science” and believes the LGBTQ community is trying to “weasel their way” into acceptability.

The former Republican member of the Illinois General Assembly argues gay marriage inevitably leads to a disordered state to raise a child

and has opposed a bill to make it easier for a transgender person to change his, her or their birth certificate. Ives also opposed a bill that would have banned gay conversion therapy across the state.

Ives stridently opposes the Illinois TRUST Act, which protects undocumented immigrants from being arrested or detained by state and local police on the premise of their immigration status.

Many members of the COD community have expressed outrage in her inclusion in the search process. They argue, by endorsing Ives’ beliefs, the college has violated its own Non-Discrimination Policy: “College of DuPage is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and employment environment that is free

from discrimination, harassment and misconduct on the basis of sex, which includes sexual orientation or gender-related identity.”

COD Pride Alliance member Chris Brown believes Ives’ opposition to trans and immigrant rights is detrimental to all students.

“In the last few years, the school has made an effort to create a new website page for the LGBTQ community, create more accessible gender-neutral bathrooms and safe-zone training,” said Brown.

“COD also considers itself a safe-haven for undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients.

Ives is notoriously anti-immigrant.

If she has any say in the choice for president, she will help ensure the end to the school’s open policies and implement her own bigotry.”

Pride Alliance member Chloe Edwards said they came to COD because the school is known for being diverse and safe for all communities. Edwards believes Ives’ inclusion threatens the well-being of every vulnerable student.

“The staff goes out of their way to ensure every student feels safe,” said Edwards. “If she helps pick someone who doesn’t reflect the campus’ true beliefs, then acts of sexual harassment and discrimination against marginalized people will rise. If someone is chosen who doesn’t prioritize our needs, I might not even show up to campus anymore.”

Frank Napolitano, president of the COD Board, said Ives’ former continued on page 12

Pride Alliance 2018

Provided by COD Pride Alliance

NEWS OPINION

12 continued from page 11

experience as an Army officer and extensive leadership training makes her uniquely qualified.

“I know she has a keen sense of what it takes to lead in any situation,” said Napolitano. “(Ives) was a very productive contributor to our discussion on the committee that recommended (former-President Ann Rondeau). Her experience has already proved valuable as she has made important suggestions on the search process that all members have agreed to adopt.”

Napolitano said Ives’ tenure as a state representative is invaluable in seeking a president who can successfully work with state legislators.

Napolitano refused to comment on Ives’ positions on the LGBTQ and immigrant community. He also did not comment on how her inclusion affects diversity at the college, nor did he address students’ fears that her influence will lead to a presidential candidate with positions that mirror transphobic, xenophobic and sexual-reactionary beliefs.

COD has faced several years of consecutive declining enrollment. In a presidential search that should embody a moment of unity for the school, Ives’ inclusion brings division amongst the faculty and student body. The college prides itself on its all-inclusive, non-discriminatory environment.

COD’s efforts have attracted students from an array of backgrounds with diverse needs.

Does the inclusion of Ives on the search committee make the college more, or less, attractive to attend?

In Ives’ unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor, she ran a television ad titled, “Thank you, Bruce Rauner,” that members of both parties rebuked for its offensive depictions. The ad has been labeled transphobic, sexist and xenophobic with Ives’

own conservative allies urging her to take down the hateful content.

In the ad, a husky male actor wearing a red dress thanked thenGov. Bruce Rauner for, “signing legislation that lets me use the girls’ bathroom.”

Pride Alliance member Katie McElroy highlighted the hypocrisy of the ad portraying trans people as perpetrators of violence, when they themselves are more likely to be victims of violence for their identity.

“Ives made a mockery out of trans people to further her political agenda,” said McElroy. “She forgets there is an individual person in there with feelings. It hurts to be represented by someone who believes I shouldn’t be allowed to marry a person I love. It was dehumanizing when she voted against allowing trans people to update their birth certificates to correspond with their identity.”

In stereotyping trans people, Ives succeeded in using fear to motivate voters to support her discriminatory policies. Her campaigns have consistently labeled members of the LGBTQ community and gay rights advocates as threats to DuPage’s traditional Christian values.

McElroy pointed to the school’s adoption of allowing students to change the name on their identification card as a sign COD is willing to listen to the students’ demands in ensuring acceptance and eradicating discrimination on campus.

“All our efforts could be pushed aside if Ives recommends a president that wants to stamp our prog-

ress out,” said McElroy. “It’s good to have a diverse group at college because you learn more about the world around yourself. We can’t maintain this unless COD promotes a safe environment for all its students.”

McElroy questions why someone who is outside academia would be valued by the committee. McElroy said the committee has made it clear it does not serve the best interest of the students.

Napolitano said the presidential search committee serves only as an adviser to the board’s decision. He said the committee is comprised of a broad cross-section of the community and stakeholders, including representation from the faculty and adjunct faculty, students, administrators and community leaders.

The board interviews candidates directly and considers feedback from the search committee in making their decisions.

Napolitano pointed to Ives’ efforts in speaking out against the issues facing the school under former-President Robert Breuder’s tenure. Ives sponsored several bills in Springfield to curtail severance agreements and lengths of contracts that were adopted and passed by Democratic sponsors for Illinois universities. Ives sponsored legislation to have the State Auditor General perform a comprehensive audit of COD. Napolitano credited that audit to leading to many of the policy reforms the school has since implemented.

COD’s Students for a Democratic Society said they fearlessly oppose the undemocratic appointment of Ives to the committee.

Jeanne Ives

COD Newsroom Flickr

NEWS OPINION “Ives has a history of pushing anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ policies and cannot be trusted to have our students’ best interests in mind,” said the students in a statement. “We demand she be replaced by a tolerant individual who supports all communities.”

Pride Alliance member Jacob Kent said their community’s opposition isn’t necessarily against her conservative fiscal policies.

“This is strictly based on her historical support for policies that hurt the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups that make up a large portion of our student-body,” said Kent. “Our new president is going to need to serve all students, not just the ones Ives values.”

Fellow Pride Alliance member

Luna CE Malcolm said those with an agenda of harming any people should have no place in policymaking at COD. Pride Alliance member Jun Tucker fears for their safety if Ives’ discrimination is supported.

“Ives’ placement discourages our presence at the school,” said Tucker. “This puts us in danger where we have to suppress ourselves to prevent people from committing hateful crimes against us.”

Pride Alliance member George Kennett said Ives has a deep-seeded resentment for the LGBTQ community, immigrants and towards public schooling in general.

“It’s shocking Ives has been given this position of power over us,” said Kennett. “I can’t imagine any president that Ives plays a role in

13

Ives has a history of pushing anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ policies and cannot be trusted to have our students’ best interests in mind

-COD Students for a Democratic Society

picking not being corrupt, hateful and openly reactionary.”

Ives’ inclusion could further signify claims the committee and the board disregard the interests of the students and rather serve as a political stepping-stone to spread influence and gather wealthy support from powerful allies.

Seen as an increasingly self-gra-

tuitous body, entitlement and privilege have come at the forsaking of the rights of students.

Should Ives’ entitlement to a position of power from which to continue spreading her hate be valued more than the students who feel they are entitled to basic human rights?

cause as little harm as possible.

It can be challenging to differentiate between preventing the spread of hate speech and encroaching on the right to freedom of speech.

There is always a potential for good ideas to be filtered out as well or for the government to control what people can and cannot see.

But the adverse effects hate speech and extremist content can have must not be ignored. Hate speech and violence has the ability to engender even more hate speech and violence, in which case it would no longer be just words or videos on a screen. These words have very real repercussions that we must acknowledge and try to avert.

Users of social media sites can refrain from viewing extremist content, but there is only so much they’ll be able to do barring stopping use

of these sites altogether. Social media has its benefits, including making it easier for people from all over the world to connect with each other. However that should not come at the expense of society’s safety.

Users shouldn’t have to be exposed to such harmful content.

Laws in several European countries that bar hate speech may make implementing such a law as this one more plausible for them than it would be for the U.S. But we cannot recognize the destructive effects hateful rhetoric and violent content can have and then refuse to enforce any regulations to curtail them. We have to be conscientious of the demarcation between free speech and hate speech for the sake of the wellbeing of our society.

A SECOND LOOK AT THE FIRST AMENDMENT Kimberly Wilson, Opinion Editor wilsonk767@dupage.edu

The European Union recently passed a draft legislation that would punish social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter if they fail to remove extremist content within an hour. The draft law is now subject for final approval in the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee full chamber. Although this law could infringe on freedom of speech, implementing similar regulations in the United States would be worth the trade-off. Large social media sites have a responsibility to aid in the prevention of the spread of violence.

The law, backed by EU lawmakers, comes on the heels of the March shooting at two New Zealand mosques. The murder of 50 people was live-streamed on Facebook and viewed 4,000 times before it was removed.

A website as popular as Facebook has the ability to influence millions of people all over the world.

The propagation of violence and extremist content on sites with as much sway as Facebook could have life-threatening consequences.

Extremist groups often utilize social media sites to recruit new members. Research by the Pew Research Center shows about two-thirds of adults get their news from social media sites. All this serves to underscore the impact content on those sites can have on a population.

With such a wide reach, it is important social media sites are held accountable for the influence they have. Radicalized groups should not be allowed to freely spread hateful rhetoric. As these social media sites have given hate groups a platform, they also have a duty to ensure they

14

SPORTS

DOMINATION REIGNS ON THE COD BASEBALL FIELD Vijay Kavuri, Sports Editor kavuri@dupage.edu Photos by Lindsay Piotter

T.J. Jaros

Photo by Lindsay Piotter

The Chapparrals dominated Harper College as a big second inning opened up the floodgates to take over. Harper College came in as a 3-8 team coming in to this game. The Chaps scored nine runs of 10 hits in the second and went on to win 15-3. All nine starters came to the plate and delivered at least one hit.

The starting pitcher for the Chaps was Elijah Rochon who earned the victory, pitching three innings. Rochon said he thought, “today was great, and we came out with a lot of focus, and our defense was good, and our offense was great and got us ahead early.” Pitcher Kolten Kapusinski finished off the game pitching the last two innings.

The hits were supplied by Sherman Martin, T.J. Jaros and Kyle Ferguson who each had two RBI. Peter Sedlacek also provided two hits for the Chaps.

Coach Bobby Wilson was “happy with the start from Elijah.”

“Good things happen when the ball is put in to play,” Wilson said.

The victory improved the Chaps record to 15-12 on the season. The Chaps are at Joliet Junior College for a double header on April 16, followed up with Kankakee Community College on April 18.

SPORTS

15

Photos by Lindsay Piotter

16

SPORTS JAMES HARDEN DESERVES THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS INDIVIDUAL AWARD IN BASKETBALL Guest Column by Vandy Manyeh

season. Fifty-seven in total. The “Bearded One” had a 40-point game 28 times during the regular season, mimicking Jordan’s 198687 season.

The Rocket’s offensive juggernaut also had nine 50-point games, the third highest in NBA history.

He became the fourth player since Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain to record multiple 60-point games.

Ending the season with 2,818 points, Harden is the only player in history to reach that number with at least 500 assists and 500 rebounds.

Westbrook ran in the shadows of Oscar Robertson and won it.

Harden ran in the shadows of the “GOAT.” Harden is up 2-1 versus Antetokounmpo.

pia

a Ta

ssic

y Je

ion b

an assassin. He was able to drop 30 points in 57 games. That includes his 30 or more points versus the rest of the teams in the NBA. He led the NBA in scoring with the highest scoring margin since Wilt’s Chamberlain 1963-64 season, while moving above 20 Hall of Famers on the all-time scoring list.

Overall, Harden led the league with 36.1 points per game. He also registered 7.5 assists per game.

Without Paul, Capella and Eric Gordon in a combined 53 games, Harden was able to lift the Rockets from the bottom of the table in a tough Western Conference, to the fourth spot.

Next, he’s been great on the defensive end, in a one-on-one scenario. Haden averaged 2.0 steals per game, 0.18 steals per game behind the leader in steals, Paul George. To be fair, I’ll give Giannis Antetokounmpo, the guy in Milwaukee claiming to be the league’s MVP a point here.

The Bucks had a league’s best 104.9 defensive rating during the regular season. The Rockets turned things around and ended the season with the fifth best defense in basketball.

Not too shabby.

Finally -- the “anomalies” -- a voting metric that gained notoriety during the 2017 Russell Westbrook-Harden MVP debate.

Harden is the first player in NBA history to average 36.1 points per game while notching at least 7.0 assists per game. Harden recorded the longest 30-point scoring run since Michael Jordan’s 1987-88

tratt

on Harden -- his favorite scene on the offensive end. He knocked down another three from downtown and secured a crucial win for the Rockets.

Yes, he was able to take down the Warriors without his main supporting cast, Chris Paul and Clint Capela.

Whether it’s against a tanking team like the Knicks, a wellcoached team like the Spurs, or a team that’s stack with multiple AllStar players, Harden filmed the “Unguardable Tour” throughout the regular season.

Now to the reasons why I think he deserves the MVP Award.

Harden’s offensive capabilities, since the Rocket’s General Manager Daryl Morey brought him to the Toyota Center, aren’t newsworthy anymore.

And as a person who has been against handing the MVP Award to a player simply because he put on a show during the regular season, I had to switch gears.

Talking heads have reduced the voting metrics for this season’s award to what a player did on the offensive and defensive ends. Oh, and the “anomalies.”

What about the Rockets’ standing this season?

This is a “metric” I’m going to ignore. The Rockets would’ve been the second seed in the Western Conference if they were going to avoid an eleventh-hour 112-111 loss to the Thunder. That loss left the Rockets in the fourth spot, with a possibility of playing the Warriors early on in the playoffs.

I’m here for it.

So, by allotting a point to a voting metric, Harden should be named the league’s MVP. On the offensive end, Harden was

Illus

James Harden, the Houston Rockets’ fiery player, deserves the 2019 NBA MVP Award.

In New York, he went into the Madison Square Garden and scored 29 points in three quarters. With 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, Harden went into the locker room, wore his skinny pants, laced up his regular kicks and watched his team take down the Knicks in a 120-96 blowout.

But it is the Knicks.

OK, I get it.

The guy walked into the AT&T Center, hit nine backbreaker threes from downtown and scored 13 points in less than three minutes en route to 61 points versus the San Antonio Spurs.

At the Oracle Arena, the Rockets were down by three points with 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Harden went coast-to-coast, isolated Kevin Durant, arguably the NBA’s best wing defender, and nailed a step-back three to tie the game. On the defensive end, he rebounded the ball off a miss by Durant, touched the balance of his kicks, created some space and missed a three while Klay Thompson defended him.

The Rockets ran a Harden-riddled offense during that stretch. So expect Harden to have the ball in his hands for the majority of the offensive possessions in overtime.

Somehow, he’s been knocking down clutch shots.

The Warriors went on to score 15 more points. Harden’s Rockets went toe-to-toe with 13 points.

With five seconds remaining on the game clock, Gerald Green inbounded the ball to Harden in the Warrior’s half.

Barbecue Chicken: Thompson and Draymond Green switched

MUSIC

17

STAFF PICKS

ROAD TRIPS

All Star Smash Mouth

Best Day Of My Life American Authors

Madison

Brooke

I originally heard All Star by Smash Mouth when I watched Shrek for the first time, so I’ll never forget this song. It’s such an easy tune to catch onto whether or not you’ve heard it. I always stick this song in my road trip playlists because it gets everyone excited and singing.

Hey Ya! Outkast

We’re gonna break this thang down for just a few seconds: whether they know the lyrics or not, anyone can jam to this song. If not, then I’m sorry you’re stuck in a car with this fool. Why would you go on a road trip with someone who’s too cool to shake it like a Polaroid picture? The only thing cooler than being cool is ice cold.

Brandon

Heroin The Velvet Underground

We are all wed to our darkest impulses. Yet, the road shines forth with endless hope. Let there be decaying embers in every thought.

We cling on to what’s most destructive in our lives because it provides us structure. Our comforts driving fear into our hearts. We are conditioned to accept death in life. Like rotten shells of grapes moldering to a long-dormant vine. We resist the road. We spurn the winds of change. You must kill yourself a little every day. Murder everything but the essential. Detoxify the soul; purify your existence.

Yesterday is a funeral pyre. Its smoke bellows behind you. Creation is destruction. Life is the open road.

Joey

Even if you’ve never heard of this song once in your life, this upbeat tune will having you jamming out in your car. It’s catchy and fun, and the perfect song to sing along to, and trust me when I say you will. There is never a bad time to play this, especially on a drive.

1985 Bowling for Soup

This is an iconic 2000’s hit I specifically remember hearing a ton on Pandora’s Summer Hits of the 2000s radio station, before I found the magic of Spotify. It’s an easy song to sing along to and is catchy as heck. I think its an essential on any road trip playlist!

Alison

Good Day Owl City

When I am on the road my primary concern is staying awake. Over the summer last year I travelled back and forth from St. Louis and it is remarkably exhausting to sit in a car for four hours. I love to listen to upbeat music that i know the lyrics too. If I’m jammin’ and singing, along it’s less likely that I will veer off the road. This song is a bop and will never get old.

Tessa

YOU CAN FIND THE FULL COURIER SPOTIFY PLAYLIST AT CODCOURIER.ORG

COFFEE BREAK

18

GAME OF THRONES

DOODLE PROMPTS

• Stick them with the Pointy End • Hold the Door!

• Dracarys

On this blank space, your homework, or a vacant white board, doodle to your heart's content.

Share your doodles with us at @codcourier

THEME:

OFF TO THE RACES

ACROSS 1. Goes with flows 5. Worry excessively 9. Occasional heart condition 13. Well-____ machine 15. *War Admiral’s 1938 experience 16. Sudan’s neighbor 17. a.k.a. Pleasant Island 18. Great Salt Lake state 19. Marching band member 20. *Unlikely champion during Great Depression 23. Shiny wheel part 24. Religious Wednesday 25. Don’t just stand there!

27. A cool ____, as in money 28. Come off 30. Type of cabbage 33. Never without “n” 35. Infection of the eyelid, pl.

38. Ethiopian currency 39. Sea swallows 41. Arm bone 42. Best of the crop 44. Aid in crime 45. Away from wind 46. Sourly 48. Snakelike reef dweller 50. Winter glider 51. ____ as a fiddle 52. Peter of the Lost Boys 53. *”The Most Exciting ____ ____ in Sports” 59. December 24 and 31 61. Bear’s hang-out 62. Retire from military 64. *Official flower of the Kentucky Derby 65. Attention-getting interjection 66. Napoleon’s stay on St. Helena, e.g.

67. Bear constellation 68. Play on words, pl.

69. *Between walk and canter

DOWN 1. Longest division of time 2. Objectivity preventer 3. Like most-desired ribbon 4. Evening in Roma 5. Turn red 6. Co-eds’ military org.

7. Isaac’s firstborn 8. Informal wear 9. Part of play 10. *____ Downs 11. Olden day women’s riding garb 12. Dutch cheese 14. Home to Burj Khalifa 21. Florida Key, e.g.

22. Steeped beverages 26. Opposite of potential 27. Caribbean rattle 28. *Race, literally 29. European sea eagle 30. *Official Kentucky Derby broadcaster 31. Lungful 32. *Second leg of the Triple Crown 34. Calf at a grocery store 36. Between NE and E 37. Sigma Alpha Epsilon 40. Beer garden mug 43. Catcher’s catcher 47. Drooping neck skin 49. Chopin’s composition 50. Relish tastebuds’ sensation 51. Law business entities 52. Paddington Bear’s homeland 54. Pearl Harbor island 55. Demeanor 56. SMS 57. Chieftain in Arabia 58. Aria, e.g.

60. Poseidon’s domain 63. *Trifecta or Exacta

COFFEE BREAK

19

Achieve More.

Together.

• 80 undergraduate majors • Adult accelerated degree completion programs • Counselors on-site to make the transfer process easy Our most popular transfer majors include computer science, criminal justice, education, nursing, healthcare leadership, business and aviation.

Learn more about our on-site undergraduate programs: • 3+1 Computer Science degree • 3+1 Criminal Justice degree • Enhanced 2+2 Teacher Education degrees (Early Childhood Education with Endorsements in Special Education and ESL, Elementary, Special, and Combined Elementary/ Special Education)

Scheduled On-Site

3+1 Advising Session

Dates and Room Locations: cod.edu/academics/transfer_programs/ 3plus1_advising_sessions.aspx

(815) 836-5250 • admission@lewisu.edu

lewisu.edu/transfers

Reach Your Full Potential.

You’ll find a warm welcome and a friendly community at Elmhurst College. More than 500 students transfer to Elmhurst every year, so we understand your needs—and we’re committed to helping you reach your full potential.

Money and Forbes magazines rank Elmhurst among the top colleges for your money. Plus all transfer students receive scholarship support.

OPEN HOUSE April 27

Check-in and events begin at 8:00 a.m.

Meet faculty and students, learn about admission and scholarships, and explore the campus!

RSVP at elmhurst.edu/openhouse

ELMHURST IS COMING TO THE COLLEGE OF DUPAGE! April 24 & 30 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

2nd floor, near Starbucks

Ask about our Guaranteed Transfer Admission program.

Individual appointments are available.

Email brian.pollastrini@elmhurst.edu for more information.

Office of Admission | admit@elmhurst.edu | (630) 617-3400 | elmhurst.edu/transfer