The Courier | Volume 56 Issue 15

Full-Time Student, Part-Time Amazon Delivery Driver: Is It Worth It? Plus: • Faculty Union President Weighs-In on COD’s Handling of the Pandemic • Joe Rogan: Controversy at its Finest

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IN THIS ISSUE

NEWS

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Faculty Union President Weighs-In on COD’s Handling of the Pandemic With the 2nd year of the pandemic approaching, David Goldberg gives his thoughts on COD’s latest COVID-19 protocols.

NEWS

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Joe Rogan: Controversy at its Finest 54-year old podcaster is under the media backlash after controversial episodes spark the nation.

NEWS

OPINION

FEATURES

Workplace Stress — How to Promote Wellness in the Workplace A wellness seminar was held to help raise awareness about how to create a less stressful and more positive environment in the workplace.

Why Chaplife is the App we Need, and Need to Improve ChapLife is a sleek and helpful COD platform for extracurricular engagement, but many students remain unaware of it. Can this be explained?

Full-Time Student, Part-Time Amazon Delivery Driver: Is It Worth It? Experiences of a COD student and Amazon delivery driver.

THE TEAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF·············································· Brenton Russo MANAGING EDITOR········································· Shauntierra Wilson CREATIVE DIRECTOR······································ Danny Olivares STAFF WRITER···················································· Bee Bishop STAFF WRITER···················································· Paul Flicek STAFF WRITER···················································· Yusra Jaleel STAFF WRITER···················································· Eva Koureta STAFF WRITER···················································· Devin Oommen STAFF WRITER···················································· Cody Wagner GRAPHICS EDITOR··········································· Zainab Imam PHOTO EDITOR·················································· Alexia Lukose SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR·································· John Chirayil ADVISER································································· Jim Fuller

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The Courier (SRC 1220) 425 Fawell Blvd.

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FEATURES

FEATURES

COFFEE BREAK

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Why you Need an Internship Before Leaving COD The benefits of having an internship as a student.

A Media Literacy Presentation at COD Educates Students on The Importance of Being Media Literate COD professors along with U.S. State Department officials discuss College of DuPage’s Media Literacy Program.

Crossword Puzzle and Sudoku Happy Valentines Day, Chaps!

Trusting our Journalism It is crucial for all journalists to approach every story with integrity and a desire for the truth, and it's no different here.

Learn more at codcourier.org/ethics The Courier is committed to creating and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the newsroom and at College of DuPage.

Learn more at codcourier.org/diversity

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Learn more at codcourier.org/funding

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NEWS FACULTY UNION PRESIDENT WEIGHS-IN ON COD’S HANDLING OF THE PANDEMIC Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly two years ago, there’s been a lot of things that have changed the education system, particularly at the collegiate level. With the latest edition of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order 87, COD implemented a policy that individuals who come to campus for in-person classes or club activities must either submit proof of full vaccination or submit a weeklytaken negative COVID-19 test. David Goldberg, a political science professor and faculty union president here at COD, sat down and answered a few questions about his thoughts on the latest policies.

Q: What changes have you seen in students during the pandemic?

It is clear to me and many of my colleagues that a large number of students are struggling in terms of the remote environment. We look at how many students are completing the class, turning in assignments, and engaging.

And I think a lot of the faculty is struggling as well. And we’re trying to figure out some ways to address that.

It is a very serious situation that gets more and more difficult as the semesters roll on. I think students are facing an unprecedented level of obstacles to being successful in school.

Q: Do you think your teaching has changed at all during the pandemic?

I think a lot of faculty have tried to be very flexible and help students, and that can mean a lot of things. That can mean extending deadlines and being more flexible on due dates. It can also mean listening to students and talking to them on Zoom outside of class or on the phone to address the concerns students have. I think from our perspective, a lot of faculty find that the more I extend an assignment or try really hard to help that student be successful, it also makes our lives more stressful because that’s more work that we have to do at a different time of the semester. It’s more that we sort of have to keep up on. I think faculty are trying really hard to be flexible and accommodate students, but that comes as a sort of psychological toll for us as well.

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Q: How do you think COD has handled the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?

I think it could have been handled better.

There are times where it’s been handled well, and then there are other times where I feel that the development of the policy and the implementation of the policy leaves a lot to be desired.

Q: In what ways do you think COD could have performed better?

I think some of this could have been faster, and different stakeholders could have been involved. Frankly, there is kind of a top-down decision-making model.

And there may be some areas where that works for them, but when it comes to faculty that are at risk for COVID and students who are dealing with a whole host of challenges, it’s not so effective.

So being told at the last minute there’s a huge shift in policy isn’t helpful and just adds stress for faculty and for students by extension.

Q: Do you think COD has put you in an uncomfortable position in regards to the COVID protocols?

Yes. Q: (In regards to previous question) In what ways?

Other schools have done this differently, in that it’s not solely the responsibility of the faculty at the classroom door to tell students ‘no.’ There are other ways it could be done; the front of the building or in the parking lot. Those require more work on the part of the school as a whole.

I think that my concern is, in addition to teaching the students in our already challenged environment, on top of that we’re dealing with health and safety protocols that, at our level, are difficult to enforce and potentially challenge our relationship with students.

Q: Has there been any point that you felt COD has overstepped in making the COVID-19 protocols?

I think their application of the governor's executive order in general is well done.

In terms of complying with the letter of the law, coming from Springfield, I think they’ve done a pretty good job.

In terms of overstepping, I don’t see this as an issue where student, faculty and community members' freedoms are at risk because of the nature of the pandemic. I don't think people's freedoms are at risk here. People can take online classes if they don’t want to abide by the testing protocol. I listen to coworkers talking about their reservation, but I’m not that sympathetic to the idea that this is the heavy hand of government imposing on us. The goal is to minimize the disease and to keep people as safe and healthy as possible.

NEWS JOE ROGAN: CONTROVERSY AT ITS FINEST Cody Wagner, Staff Writer

Joe Rogan is many things: comedian, actor, UFC commentator, TV show producer, etc., but recent news regarding controversies related to misinformation and racism have stirred the media world as Rogan continues to take heat for false claims and comments made regularly throughout his highly renowned and successful podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

The backlash revolves around podcast segments involving misinformation related to COVID-19 and a separate incident with racially triggered comments made by Rogan. An episode with Dr. Robert Malone released Dec.31 discussed the COVID-19 virus and its treatment. Months before the episode, Malone was taken off Twitter due to the spread of misinformation. Despite this, Rogan made an effort to hear the doctor out, believing that he was in the company of a well-educated and knowledgeable member of the health industry.

Throughout the episode Malone made questionable claims, such as COVID-19 vaccines can put people who’ve had the virus at higher risk. He also formulated a theory known as “mass formation psychosis” believing that a majority of the population is being “hypnotized” in compliance with COVID-19 procedures. Both claims were instantly refuted by healthcare professionals who presented a letter to Spotify with 270 signatures advocating for issues of misinformation regarding COVID to be addressed.

Another widely discredited COVID-19 claim resulted from an episode Rogan conducted with author and biologist Bret Weinstein, who stated “Ivermectin alone is capable of driving this pathogen to extinction.” That claim has also been widely refuted by the current consensus of medical professionals as well as the manufacturer of Ivermectin Joseph Goldberg, communications professor at COD, who is currently teaching a course designed for spotting and acknowledging misinformation reflected on his thoughts regarding the situation.

“When you’re No.1 people are gonna hold you to a different standard,” he said. “And if you’re held to that standard, you have a responsibility to your listenership, and the listeners have a responsibility to interpret what they hear.”

Doctors, psychologists, and other esteemed members of the medical field weren’t the only voices of protest against Rogan. Artist Neil Young ignited rebellion against Spotify, threatening the removal of his musical catalog if Rogan’s podcast remained on the streaming service. Young is a major advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine and made the stance to stop the spread of misinformation within the media.

Soon after his response went public, others followed

Image by Drew DeGennaro

in hopes of combating the issue of misinformation: Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Mary Trump are among some that have spoken out.

“They’re trying to create awareness of what they disagree with and what’s happening between misinformation and Spotify through Joe Rogan,” said Goldberg. “Misinformation is like a virus. It can morph and change strains, and we have to be constantly battling as it continues to move around through age and demographic groups exposed to new platforms.”

Rogan first responded to the backlash on Jan. 31, through a nine minute video uploaded to social media and Spotify reflecting upon the situation while offering some hopeful and sincere feedback.

“I’m not trying to promote misinformation,” Rogan said. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people and have interesting conversations. If I’ve pissed you off, I’m sorry.

Alongside Rogan, Spotify’s initial response, despite not naming Rogan’s podcast directly, addressed the issue by stating that measures would be taken in the form of warning labels on podcasts that center around the subject of COVID-19, particularly pertaining to controversial thoughts/opinions. But this would only be a sliver of the issue as Rogan would face even more criticism to come.

that included the use of the n-word from multiple episodes.

Rogan once again addressed the situation on Friday in another video published to social media.

Rogan said the compilation video was “the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly” while adding that the video spanned from 12 years of conversation and now understanding the influence of the word and its disapproval of utterance within any context.

Amidst the racially charged backlash it was reported that Spotify removed 70 episodes of Rogan’s podcast hosting guests such as Amy Schumer, Marc Maron, Bill Burr, Andy Dick, and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan along with countless others. Spotify has not issued a response as to the removal but one could most likely assume its relation to public backlash, providing an easy scapegoat for corporate entities to make quick and unexplained decisions just for public appreciation.

Goldberg expressed his thoughts regarding Rogan’s response.

“I think he’s a pretty smart and sensitive guy,” Goldberg said. “It’s all a learning experience, and he seems as though he wants to challenge himself to do better.

Rogan has also recently acquired even more backfire that stemmed from a compilation of old episodes highlighting points throughout his career where he made racially offensive remarks

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NEWS WORKPLACE STRESS — HOW TO PROMOTE WELLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE Jona Padua, Staff Writer

Photo by Carlton McGee

According to the American Institute of Stress’ Employee Workplace Survey, nearly 80% of workers feel stress on the job. About half of workers say they need help in learning how to manage stress, and 42% say their co-workers need such help. To help reduce those numbers locally, a wellness seminar was conducted to help workers manage the stress of the workplace.

On Jan. 30, ASEZ WAO, the World Mission Society Church of God, Worldwide Young Adult Worker Volunteer Group, hosted “Seeking Happiness,” a wellness seminar consisting of four different workshops to allow participants to relieve stress in relation to the workplace. The workshops were as follows: Air It Out, Build Up Goodness, Break Your Bad Habits and Thank You Card.

The Air It Out station consisted of blown-up balloons attached to a wall. The participants mentioned any negative feelings they would have at work out loud, like becoming annoyed at a coworker or feeling lazy, then threw darts at each balloon to “air out” the feelings they once had. After the balloons were popped, they received a scroll consisting of positive words like, “Although others do not work, let us work

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faithfully without complaining. When we work with the mindset of an owner, we can work with joy and ease.”

Then at the Build Up Goodness station, participants received possible scenarios in the workplace with two possible solutions. One solution was more emotional, while the other was more level-headed and healthier. By the participant picking the better solution for the situation, it allowed for that person to become aware of the habits that are detrimental to the overall wellness in the workplace, while also providing a solution to those habits.

At the Break Your Bad Habits station, participants identified bad habits they needed to get rid of, wrote them down and taped them to a wooden board. Then, they broke the board in half by a punch, karate chop or even a kick to symbolize the breaking of that habit.

Lastly, at the Thank You Card station, participants wrote letters to someone to express gratitude and appreciation.

The seminar concluded with the remaining presentation that expressed the value of giving thanks to alleviate stress caused by work. Using examples like Oprah Winfrey’s gratitude

journal and the actions of Nelson Mandela, who was able to smile even in prison because he was thankful to God everyday.

Through the seminar, attendees saw how being thankful was a healthy and effective way to transform the dynamic of the workplace.

Guests who participated in the seminar voiced their appreciation to be able to take part in the event, one being a College of DuPage student named James Richardson.

“The biggest lesson I learned in order to get through the day is practicing thankfulness.

There are times at work where managing other employees can be difficult,” he said. “What really got me was the ‘Building Up Goodness’ activity.

I learned there are better ways to navigate through conflict in a respectful manner. That way, not only my feelings can be expressed, but in addition, even considering the employee’s feelings can make that person feel respected also. This is important when representing the company you work for.”

Among the guests was Bolingbrook Mayor, Mary Alexander-Basta, who was also able to participate despite her busy schedule. She expressed how grateful she was to one of the members of the Church of God who invited her saying, “Thank you so much! I had a blast, I absolutely loved the event and all the energy.

Keep up the amazing work!”

Richardson agreed, saying, “It was fun and educational. I was able to reflect and focus on myself when finding better ways to navigate stress as a working student…I encourage others to check out events like this from the church more often.”

More information regarding ASEZ WAO can be found at asezwao.org.

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OPINION WHY CHAPLIFE IS THE APP WE NEED, AND NEED TO IMPROVE Yusra Jaleel, Staff Writer

Graphic by Zainab Imam

Getting involved with campus extracurriculars is a convenient way to make the most out of the differences by meeting like-minded people while simultaneously doing activities students enjoy.

Here at College of DuPage, there is an unsung tool intended to make campus involvement a simpler action.

ChapLife is a website that houses all information relevant to each of COD’s official 84 organizations. Employing a widely-used campus engagement platform called Presence, ChapLife is accessible through the ‘Student Life and Resources’ tab on the college’s main page. The site features pages dedicated to the campus’s organizations, schedule of upcoming events, and extracurricular-related forms.

Upon first glance, ChapLife seems like a valuable and convenient platform that makes navigating all of COD’s opportunities for involvement pretty feasible. Yet, despite all of these useful features, it doesn’t seem to be widely used or even recognized across the student body. I only recently learned of it myself and have discovered in the process that it’s already existed for several years. Is there an explanation for this disconnect?

The ‘Organizations’ page alphabetically lists each of COD’s organizations, and each specific activity has a section allotted for basic

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information, upcoming events, and a clickable icon to join or contact the club. The ‘Events’ page chronologically displays all upcoming extracurricular events on campus while noting the affiliated organizations; this page also offers users the option to choose a grid, list or calendar display of the schedule. The ‘Forms’ page contains links to a few specific applications and forms that are generally applicable to all activities such as a club adviser form, a request for club tabling and a new club inquiry form.

The site also presents a search bar and several filter options: category of organization, name of a specific organization, tags, dates, and several others.

Additionally, students are also provided with the opportunity to login through their insideCOD information; under their specific account, students can view current memberships, officially accumulated service hours, and a detailed timeline of all previous organization memberships.

Accounting student Andrea Jovanovic describes her personal experience with ChapLife beginning late into her first semester at COD and only because of another student briefly mentioning it in passing. She recalled using it to fill out forms for giveaways and see all the clubs offered by the school. However,

because of many organization pages remaining inactive, Jovanovic admitted, “I didn’t get to get as involved as I wanted to.”

Her experience depicts two central issues: ChapLife is pretty difficult to unearth without already knowing it exists, and it isn’t updated regularly across many organizations. Although it is accessible from the school’s main website, a student would already need to be familiar with its features to even know to click on it.

The tool isn’t even advertised on the homepage. It is tucked away into a subsection.

One can find the direct website via a search engine, as is possible with other platforms affiliated with the college. However, without already knowing about ChapLife compared to how familiar students are with BlackBoard, this would be difficult.

Have you used Chaplife? Let us know!

As a recently appointed administrator of a COD club, I’ve foraged through ChapLife from both a posting and receiving perspective on a couple of occasions. The site is noticeably more difficult to navigate as the former than the latter. Not only are there a considerable number of vague icons to navigate through, but the site itself doesn’t provide much direction. If my fellow officers hadn’t been so experienced with ChapLife, I would be lost in knowing what information to include inside of a blank, massive textbox. Many organizations are not updating their pages regularly or even at all, and it is arguable that the ambiguity of the site from the administrative end contributes to why. Nonetheless, ChapLife loses its practicality without this information.

This subsequently leads to another prominent issue with the site: its marketing. It isn’t discussed or marketed around campus, whether that be from staff members, to incoming students at New Student Orientations, or from physical posters. Notably, the current version of ChapLife is actually not the original. The previous version, also called ChapLife, assumed a reputation of being very outdated and difficult to use. Additionally, that version of ChapLife persisted for several years before COD began using Presence to create the website.

Nevertheless, by maintaining the same name and not even advertising a change, many admins and staff members previously familiar with it held onto their negative biases towards ChapLife. With so many people weary of it, there’s less of an urgency to take advantage of the features the new site has to offer.

Despite these aspects, there are still several organizations that are concise, active and consistent on their ChapLife page. To illustrate, the Phi Theta Kappa page lists sections dedicated to an overall summary of the club, the requirements to join, the process of joining, the location of the PTK office, a description of the meetings, Zoom link recordings of all previous meetings, opportunities for leadership positions and the advisers’ information. As an officer, myself and the other Phi Theta Kappa leaders dedicated a section of the page to introducing ourselves in order to create a sense of welcoming. Students also have access to both the monthly meeting Zoom link and a contact form. The Phi Theta Kappa page utilizes the features of the website to not only be as thorough and useful as possible to potential

and current members but to also maximize on membership engagement.

Northern Illinois University’s version of ChapLife using Presence has sections dedicated to experiences and resources in addition to the three COD lists. HuskieLink is directly linked to its own social media pages, and all organization pages follow the same format of listing basic information, naming officers, linking documents, linking a contact form and a clickable option to join the organization.

This demonstrates that the issue isn’t with the platform at all, but rather with how it’s being used.

Fortunately for COD students, Phi Theta Kappa is hosting a workshop for extracurricular officers to not only bring awareness to ChapLife and its many assets, but to also teach admins how to use it effectively for better engagement.

We are also creating a physical display outside of the Office of Student Life that will provide visual instructions on how to navigate the site effectively on the student end.

When speaking with Jovanovic, she also candidly noted that, “There’s still a lot that could be improved, mainly the knowledge on how to use it and the marketing of the site itself.

Overall though, it’s a useful tool.” She did say it best herself: all in all, ChapLife is a useful and functional application that could and can benefit many students at College of DuPage, it just isn’t utilized to the best of its abilities.

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FEATURES FULL-TIME STUDENT, PART-TIME AMAZON DELIVERY DRIVER: IS IT WORTH IT? Devin Oommen, Staff Writer

Graphic by Zainab Imam

As a student at COD I work part time while I go to school. Like many students know, it can be difficult to find a part-time job that works around a school schedule, doesn’t consume your entire life and pays enough. One day while I was searching for jobs I hit the jackpot, or so I thought.

I found out about this thing called Amazon Flex. The website said you could work as an independent contractor delivering packages in your own car and work the hours you wanted, and how often you wanted. I decided to try it out. I downloaded the app, went through the background check process and got approved.

All I had to do now was schedule a shift and start delivering. On the app, I saw shifts were posted from different warehouses at different times of the day. Shifts were anywhere from 1 – 5 hours long, from any surrounding warehouses.

So, I took my first shift and decided to see what this was about. The app walked me through what to expect, gave me directions to the warehouse I was supposed to pick up from and made me follow a check in process. I walked into the warehouse, and there was a line of other drivers waiting to get a cart of packages

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to deliver. Like any person on the first day of any job, I expected the warehouse managers might have known that I was a first-time driver and would make sure I knew what I was doing.

I quickly found out this was not the case.

I got to the front of the line, was given a cart full of packages and had to roll it to my car in the parking lot as the manager quickly was trying to get to the next person in line. I looked around at what everyone else was doing and put together what I was supposed to do. I figured out the cart included packages that were put together in a way I should have been able to deliver all of them in the amount of time I signed up for.

I scanned all the packages with the app and threw all the boxes and envelopes into my car so that I could start delivering. I only had 3 hours.

At my first stop I discovered my great mistake in not organizing the packages in the way they were ordered by Amazon according to the order of what stop they were on the route. That day I spent a lot of time looking for packages in my car at every stop. Oddly, the amazon app didn’t, and still doesn’t, make it easy for anyone to organize packages. That shift was supposed to take me 3 hours, but it took 4.5 hours.

I learned if I waited and spent some time in the app constantly pressing refresh, I could work for the same amount of time and make up to $32 more for the same work. This was cool at first, but it became time consuming and stressful because the shifts didn’t always surge or go higher. If they did, sometimes other drivers who are also doing the same thing got the shift first. When I pulled into the warehouses I also noticed some people appeared to be just sitting and waiting. I found out some people knew sometimes the best-paying shifts would appear 1 minute before the start time for the shifts, which no one could possibly make it to in time unless you are sitting in the parking lot of the warehouse anticipating it. I guessed those people might be making the most money but might also be putting a lot of their free time into waiting in the parking lots of warehouses on the off chance they get a high enough paying shift.

Graphic by Zainab Imam

If calculated by the length a shift is supposed to take, a shift can pay anywhere from $16 an hour to $40 an hour. Amazon does not explicitly explain to drivers how the pay for shifts is calculated. Generally, shifts seem to pay more when there is a higher demand for drivers. A driver who takes a 3-hour shift that starts in one or two days often will be paid $48. If the driver waits until the start time gets closer, they can be paid up to $90 for the same 3-hour shift and in some cases up to $120 or more. The demand for drivers might increase at early or late hours, when the weather is bad, when other drivers cancel a shift, and when the volume of expected deliveries is high. If completing all the deliveries takes longer than the scheduled time, the driver can choose to return the remaining packages to the warehouse or complete the deliveries and request compensation for the extra time worked from amazon support.

As I got used to delivering, most days the job was easy. Sometimes it was too easy. On those days I would be able to finish all deliveries early. I would take a four-hour shift and the warehouse only had 10 minutes of deliveries to give me. Other times, the warehouse overbooked for drivers and had no deliveries to give me. Though these shifts are uncommon, I still always got paid the full amount I signed up for.

There are some small moments that are fun.

One time, I recall walking up to a house and a small girl excitedly ran out the front door to take the package from me while her mom watched.

In those cases you’re like Santa all year.

But sometimes deliveries seemed overly difficult. One of the most common experiences I’ve had is delivering from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. or from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. I still remember the first time I delivered to a house at 4:30 a.m. There was no light out, and I found not only did the customer turn all their lights off but also their house had no number I could see. There was no way to know I was delivering to the right place.

I thought this might be a rare occurrence, but I’ve found it is very common for customers to make delivering to their residence a guessing game. I learned to carry some flashlights with me and be alert at all times. While doing one delivery to what seemed like a normal suburban neighborhood, I was flashing my light around and found a giant spider in the middle of the

customers pathway waiting for me. As it has gotten colder, I’ve also had to learn to work in subzero temperatures, how to walk across driveways that are pure ice and/or that are unshoveled.

On the hardest day of doing deliveries, I took a shift from a warehouse in Elgin. It paid a lot, and the Elgin warehouse is only a 20-minute drive with no traffic. Mistakenly, I thought doing deliveries from that warehouse would be the same. I ended up going to a place called Marengo and surrounding areas like Hartland to places I never knew existed. While delivering, it felt like I had stepped into a different dimension.

Graphic by Zainab Imam

uncomfortable than I have ever felt. But that is part of the job and is common no matter where you are delivering. You can get paid higher, and the work can be relatively easy, but you don’t get to choose what area you deliver to or to decline if it’s an area you are unfamiliar with.

Overall, the experience of delivering for Amazon has been mixed. Since Amazon Flex drivers are independent contractors, the money we get paid is self-employment income and is pre-tax. This makes delivering for Amazon Flex more or less worth it. While doing deliveries I’ve been able to see areas I never knew about or took the time to see, and I’ve been able to make some money while still having enough time to go to class and finish homework. There are times that the job is incredibly easy, and there are times the job seems incredibly difficult. But it is a solid source of income in those times that it seems worth it.

Have you worked as an Amazon Deliver Driver? Tell us your stories in the comments.

Houses were separated by miles of unoccupied land. In some cases there were no roads, just dirt or gravel that led to one house or a small group of houses. When it got dark, I learned there was a type of darkness I had never experienced before. Driving in rural darkness with no city lights, not being able to see anything further than my headlights, felt like I was in a horror movie. While it was sometimes terrifying, the people in Marengo were as kind as the people in the northwest suburbs, and the people who were not kind made me feel more

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FEATURES WHY YOU NEED AN INTERNSHIP BEFORE LEAVING COD Johnny Chirayil, Social Media Editor

COD Newsroom

So you want to get a job, but you don’t know what job you want? Look no further! Getting an internship is a great way for students to understand what job they want to pursue. According to COD’s Student Internship Information page, internships express “experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting.”

Students who aren’t sure about what career they want will greatly benefit from enrolling in an internship. For example, if you want to apply for a future job, an internship will strengthen your resume. You can learn about the work environment and how each coworker cooperates with one another. Additionally, if a program requires an internship, a student can receive academic credit for enrolling in an internship. Students should understand that having an internship is different from having a job. After all, interns do not have the same amount of experience as a professional does.

They are developing skills rather than fulfilling certain responsibilities.

Some students may wonder if interns get paid. That depends on what program you’ve enrolled in. A newcomer student, named Amirah Ahmed, is planning to transfer to Illinois

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Institute of Technology to study chemical engineering. Ahmed is serving an internship with Daintelligent to study data, analytics, and artificial intelligence solutions. Ahmed told COD’s marketing newsletter that the internship helps her “figure out the dynamics and expectations in a work environment… and what to look for in a career.” She also discovered that “working with a small company is more along the lines of what she wants to do.”

Ahmed talked about her perspective on internships and how it was beneficial for her in a personal interview for the Courier.

She first heard about the internships when she was passing by a classroom in the BIC. From the hallway, she saw the professor projecting a flier for internships on the board. She took down the URL and applied. From that point on, she would have to fill out an application and get interviewed. Getting this internship was no easy process for her. There were 80 applicants, and she was one of the eight selected. Plus, this wasn’t the first internship she applied for, so she knew that she had to get “really creative on where and how she searched for a position.”

After applying, she finally got her first paid internship and this was her first experience in a work environment. “I am learning how

to work with coworkers, the expectations of an employer and employee, appropriate level of professionalism,” Ahmed said. “As a data analyst, I work a back-end job, with little to no customer interaction, unlike others my age who commonly work in retail or food service. While I lack the skills for customer service, I gained greater technical skills on the job.”

Although, “An internship is not required for her program” Ahmed said. “ As a chemical engineer, my current internship is unrelated to my major and future career.” “ I do not get any credit for my internship. However, it looks great on my resume. This internship is proof, that I can apply what I learned in school, learn on the job, and work with others. I made some money, met new people. Learned how to work with people across a generation gap, stand my ground and prove my worth. The greatest benefit I gained from this internship was discovering my own preferences in a work environment. At the end of my internship, I can re-apply and be hired as a part-time worker.”

COD strives to connect with local and regional businesses when it comes to providing students with internships. Ahmed was connected to Daintalligent through InternPlus: a program that connects students to local start-ups and small businesses for paid positions. Moreover, students can participate in workshops. These workshops collaborate with the departments throughout the College: Counseling presentations, Advising and Transfer Services, Career Services, and members of the Benedictine University 3+1 program.

Having an internship at COD surely sounds like an opportunity many students shouldn’t miss out on, especially if their program requires an internship. Internships can provide students a hands-on experience on what career they’re pursuing and they can have a better understanding of the circumstances. If you would like to learn more about COD internships, visit the Student Internship Information on the COD website.

FEATURES A MEDIA LITERACY PRESENTATION AT COD EDUCATES STUDENTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MEDIA LITERATE Eva Koureta, Staff Writer

“You are media literate if you can distinguish good and bad news,” said Hodzic. “Social media is only a part of media literacy where either you know how to comprehend the social platforms or you don’t.”

One of the important topics discussed in the media literacy presentation was the fact that because of the CCI program, students from COD will receive a diploma in mass communication.

“The mass communication classes offer students a wide variety of experiences and issues which can make it a viable platform to offer a certificate in the knowledge that has gained from this program,” said Goldberg.

Graphic by Zainab Imam

From commercials, to shows and even in the news, media literacy is essential to everyday life.

Being media literate means being able to know that the news update part of Saturday Night Live is satire and not real news.

The importance of literacy is supported at COD by significant news stating that COD students are now able to receive a certificate from the mass communication program.

Two Mass Communication professors from COD, Joseph Goldberg, Sandy Fries, and MPTV professor Tony Venezia, talked about College of DuPage’s Media Literacy program on Jan. 13.

Four officials from the U.S. State Department including Deputy Assistant Secretary Ethan Rosenzweig and Director of the State Department Office of Global Educational Programs Anthony Koliha presented alongside them. Additionally, international students from the CCI program took part in the presentation.

The CCI program (Community College Initiative), welcomed 18 international students from all over the world, to participate and enroll in COD classes. Most of the international students are enrolled in mass communication classes.

“COD was selected as one of the participating community colleges on the State Department’s

program on media literacy with foreign students coming from various colleges to focus on mass communications and media literacy. I and the two other professors were representing COD,” said Goldberg.

Having a unique career background, Goldberg was an interesting part of the presentation. From marketing, to the CIA to a political consultant for Motorola, Goldberg shared how media literacy and mass communication were important in different aspects of his career. For example, being able to understand the messages he was receiving and how to communicate with clients.

Din Hodzic, an international student from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who participated in the presentation, believes it is important for people to distinguish what is true or false.

“Media literacy is connected to all aspects of communication, from social media to TV and newspaper, so being able to distinguish and strain the messages that you are receiving can only happen through media literacy,” said Hodzic.

When it comes to social media, Hodzic believes social media and its different platforms aren’t fully affected by media literacy.

“Being able to receive a certificate is extraordinary,” said Hodzic, “I am not aware of every detail, but what I do know is that not only are we able to receive a certificate from COD, which is an important achievement in our early career, but now for the first time every student at COD can receive a certificate in mass communication.

This is a great accomplishment, and I am grateful that our program achieved that.”

The presentation on media literacy was originally scheduled to take place in Washington. Because of COVID-19 cases rising, the presentation was relocated to three different states, Washington, Texas and Illinois. Unfortunately, the presentation was rescheduled to a Zoom meeting where the participants would be safer from the pandemic.

“It was an interesting, helpful and entertaining presentation,” said Hodzic.Unfortunately, not being able to travel to Washington was not an exciting update but these are the new circumstances, so we all must accept and settle with them. After all, it was a noteworthy event.”

College of DuPage now gives students the ability to understand, communicate and comprehend media using media literacy and its aspects through its mass communication classes and new degree.

Explore what Mass Comm. has to offer at COD. 13

COFFEE BREAK Theme: Valentines Day

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ACROSS 1. Fantasy sports data 6. Accounting acronym 9. Stark daughter on "Game of Thrones" 13. Branch of economics 14. All talk, no action type of service 15. Relating to symmetry, in geometry 16. Base-8 numeral system 17. "____ the land of the free..."

18. Lots and lots 19. *Actor Ryan of "Blue Valentine" 21. *Desdemona's suspicious husband 23. Big fuss 24. Nose-in-the-air type 25. Uber alternative 28. One on a pedestal 30. Moderately wide 35. Eye layer 37. Twelfth month of Jewish year 39. Cheese-covered chip 40. Popped relief?

41. *"Love, ____" movie 43. Splints site 44. Muhammad's teachings 46. Orchestra instrument 47. Past of heave 48. Avoids work, in British slang 50. Give off 52. Dose of sunshine 53. Back seat 55. Hair-raising product 57. *____ valentine, an opposite of love note 61. English author perhaps best known for "The Canterbury Tales" 65. Like Mary-Kate and Ashley 66. Pooh's "wise" friend 68. Bring to an end 69. Potassium nitrate 70. Farm sound 71. Arm bones 72. Back talk 73. Uniting conjunction 74. Imposter

DOWN 1. Smoke plus fog 2. Comes in hard or soft shell 3. Parts of a play 4. ____-____-la 5. Plural of solidus 6. Heidi's shoe 7. *Sweetie follower 8. Cook's cover 9. Wheel holder 10. Cambodian money 11. Two-masted vessel 12. "The Sun ____ Rises" 15. Trash can for fireplace (2 words) 20. Source of lymphocytes, pl.

22. Pull along 24. Dormant state 25. *Famous archer 26. Dispatch boat 27. "____ and whistles" 29. Hodgepodge 31. Mr. and Mrs. Incredible's son 32. Blood of the gods, Greek mythology 33. Seven days postmortem 34. *Hive-related endearment 36. Unfortunately, exclamation 38. Rumpelstiltskin machine 42. Stallion's cry 45. Business combination 49. Old Man's turf, according to Hemingway 51. Darjeeling server 54. Smell, usually pleasant 56. Calms 57. Ford Transit and such 58. Pelvic parts 59. Lice eggs 60. Augments 61. Oaf 62. Scoop holder 63. Biblical twin 64. Donna or Lou 67. Got a blue ribbon

DOODLE AWAY

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