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INDEX INDEX

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NEWS······················ 04

Students Speak out Against Jeanne Ives at Monthly Board Meeting

FEATURES··············· 09

How Will Raised Minimum Wage Affect Student-aged Workers?

OPINION·················· 13

Can we Survive Without Likes on Instagram?

SPORTS··················· 16

The Chaps Fall in Extra Innings

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 Hale ADVISER - Jim Fuller fullerj103@cod.edu

COD Softball: Chaps vs Joliet Wolves

Muhammad Mirza Annes

NEWS

4

Meggie Hernandez-Zayas

cod.edu

STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST JEANNE IVES AT MONTHLY BOARD MEETING Alison Pfaff, Features Editor pfaffa72@dupage.edu

On April 25, The College of DuPage Board of Trustees regular monthly meeting students, community members and staff shared their concerns with the appointment of Jeanne Ives to COD’s presidential search committee.

Jackie Mcgrath, the vice president of the College of DuPage Faculty Association, voiced her concerns with Ives involvement with the committee. “ Tonight you see me and other members of the COD community wearing red. This is the traditional color of the labor movement, but it is also the color worn by educators across the country as a demonstration of hope and activism in support of public education.” Mcgrath said. This evening, faculty are here to support students and community members who object to the presence of former representative Ives on the

presidential search committee. Her record does not support public education, students, or faculty, and we question her interest in participating In the election process. Whose interest does she represent, and are those interests consistent with COD values?”

Meggie Hernandez-Zayas, a paralegal student, spoke out against Ives’ history of discrimination towards the LGBT community and sexual assault survivors. In Ives campaign for Governor against Bruce Rauner in early 2018, she ran a commercial that many deemed offensive, depicting transgender people, as well as other minorities in a stereotypical way.

“I was shocked and appalled when I heard that Jeanne Ives had been chosen to be part of the presidential selection committee, especially considering that COD places such

an emphasis on diversity on its campus,” Hernandez-Zayas said. “I am LatinX. My husband, who graduated from COD about 2 years ago is LatinX. We are grandchildren of immigrants. Ms. Ives, in her racist and xenophobic ad during her run for governor, paints our community as bandana clad criminals.”

Hernandez- Zayas, a survivor of domestic violence, also critiqued Ives’ treatment of other survivors.

“Furthermore, her treatment of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors is atrocious…she openly blames victims for the acts of their perpetrator, for not reporting to the police and while in office she was a strong opponent of a bill that would protect rights of sexual assault survivors on college campuses. Jeanne Ives has no place being included in any portion of this process,” Hernan-

dez-Zayas said.

Nancy Turner, a now Naperville resident has lived in DuPage County for 30 years.

“My family has always valued COD and what it offers for the community. I am also here to express my disappointment in the selection of Ms. Ives on the Presidential Selection committee for the reasons that have been previously stated but also for what I see as Ms. Ives’ lack of support for public education,” Turner said.

In addition to the public’s comments, New trustees Annette Corrigan and Maureen Dunne took their oath of office and there was recognition for outgoing trustee Joseph Wozniak and Alan Bennett. Outgoing student trustee Sonia Paul was honored and Jasmine Schuett took her new position as Student Trustee for the 2019-2020 school year.

NEWS NEWS PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE NAMES FINALISTS

5

Alison Pfaff, Features Editor pfaffa72@dupage.edu

College of DuPage Board members have selected three finalists to become COD’s next president.

They are Brian Caputo, the current interim president for the College of DuPage, Johnny Moore, the third president at Pierpont Community and Technical College in W.V. and Ken Trzaska, the current president of Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas. These three finalists are set to attend public candidate open forums on May 6, 7 and 8. The public forum for Moore will be on May 6 at 4 P.M. Caputo is scheduled for May 7 at 4 P.M., and Trzaska is scheduled for May 8 at 4 P.M. All forums will oc-

cur in the SSC Atrium.

The Presidential Search Committee consisted of 16 members, including Frank Napolitano, as the committee chairman, who is also the chairman of the College of Dupage Board of Trustees; community members David Fox and Scott Helton, and Jeanne Ives, former Illinois House of Representatives member in the 42nd district, notably running against Bruce Rauner in the 2018 race for Illinois governor. At the April 25 regular board of trustees meeting, community members and students spoke out about Ives’ inclusion on the committee.

cod.edu

6

NEWS Q&A WITH STUDENT TRUSTEE JASMINE SCHUETT Alison Pfaff, Features Editor pfaffa72@dupage.edu

volved as much as they can. I think just knowing that although the vote technically doesn’t count, you’re still bringing all of those concerns to the board so while people may not go in your favor, at least the board heard the concerns of the students and when they’re voting on stuff they can take the student’s voice into consideration.

What made you decide to run for Student Trustee?

What are your goals as the new Student Trustee?

My goals [as] new student trustee is to be the bridge between the student body and the board and administration and to be able to bring to the board student concerns that aren’t always heard. Also, [I want to] invite clubs to actually present at the board meetings so the administration and the board will know what’s going [on] around campus and the achievements that the students have made progress [on]. Also to hear student input, even if its something casual like how their school year is going or what goals they would like to see change at the college.

As a Student Trustee, you are a member of the board but your vote technically doesn’t count. What impact do you want to have with that?

Although in technicalities the vote doesn’t count, for many years the board actually takes into account what the student trustee says. So if there’s a tie about something and it just needs one vote to break that tie, they’ll most likely go and favor the student trustee because they very much value the opinion, and they want the student trustee to be in-

I wanted to be very involved with the students. I very much care for people, and I’m kind of new this year. So, I wanted to be even more involved in COD and get to know many people on the board and just people who work with the board but also get to know more students around campus as I can, especially since I just got into NSO [New Student Orientation] for the fall, so I can connect [with] students even more.

Do you have any specific goals to integrate the students with the board?

I think I’m going to try some little events where we have some food, and I give someone a card, and they can write anonymously what their input is unless they want to put their name. Just some casual meetups so I can get to know [them] but also since I am a part of Student Leadership Council, attending events that we have. We’ve started this thing called ‘Pizza with the President’ or if it’s just [Student Leadership Council] events like Coffee Connections is [another] one we have also started up. Those are a great way to get the student body very involved, and I can introduce myself as the student trustee, and they know that there is someone there that can get their voice heard.

What is your perspective on the enrollment decline at the college as a student, but also now as the Student Trustee?

I think enrollment decline just is about during the generations… when people were born, how many people were born at that time. I think we are just in a period of time where there isn’t as [many] college-level students, but I do know that in a couple of years there are a lot more students that will be incoming from high school, and we will have a larger pool of enrollment because of it. That’s why the tuition has gone up a dollar, but that is decided each year. It is not like we are paying for future students; we are just figuring out this year. If enrollment goes up, we can bring [tuition] down. We could bring it down even more. It just depends on the cost that [is] broken down.

Do you have anything else to add? As the new student trustee, what do you want to tell students?

I just want them to know that I am open to [them], even if they just want to give me an update on how life is going for them at COD. I can be best reached at my email which is schuettj@dupage.edu. I am very responsive to emails. I have it on my phone.

If I get an email, I’ll get a notification about it, and I’ll be able to reply very quickly. But, yeah, I just want to get involved. I made a little Instagram page [@codstudenttrustee].

That’s also a way so if anyone wants to DM and say, ‘Hey I saw your post; college life is going good,’ or if they want to tell me about stuff they’re worried about at the college, or if they want to get connected in whether it’s for the center for accommodations, or if it’s just registration, cashiers office, police service desk, I can [guide them] that way to where they need to be.

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NEWS FEATURES

9

Ten-Year Financial Projection General Fund

$250

Millions

$230 $210 $190

Expenditures Revenues

$170 $150 Projection Deficit Fund Bal. Unrestricted

Total

1FY2020

Proposed

FY2019 FY2020 FY2021 FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 FY2025 FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029

($6)

($3)

($12)

($17)

($22)

($22)

($28)

($34)

($38)

($40)

($45)

$165 $228

$1791 $2421

$167 $230

$150 $213

$129 $191

$107 $169

$79 $141

$44 $107

$7 $69

($34) $29

($79) ($16)

fund balances are projected based on FY2019 actuals rather than the FY2019 Budget.

April 22, 2019

HOW WILL A HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE AFFECT STUDENT-AGED WORKERS? Joey Weslo, Assignment Reporter wesloj@dupage.edu What is a living wage? Is higher pay for lower-end workers an entitlement or a fundamental right?

The College of DuPage pays student workers $8.50/hour and limits them to a 20-hour workweek.

Students value the experience their jobs bring but often have to take a second job to make ends meet. This consumes their time and drastically impairs their commitment to schoolwork.

Come January, the college, along with the rest of the state, will raise the minimum wage to meet Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new floor pay of $9.25/hr. This will increase to $10 in July 2020, followed by $1 increment raises until the minimum

wage reaches $15 in 2025.

How will this affect student-aged workers and overall employment in the state’s economy? Will less-experienced workers find difficulty acquiring jobs? Will lower-level employees suddenly find their hours cut or their positions at risk?

Anthony Walker, Civic Engagement Officer on COD’s Student Leadership Council, understands the difficulty many students face balancing minimum wage work hours with schoolwork.

“You have to decide between extra shifts, working another parttime job, and if you can make up your school work at another time,” said Walker. “Should I skip class or

put homework aside so I can make extra money?”

Walker hopes the increased pay will lessen the burden for student-aged workers. However, he learned from his experience working in retail, companies that have raised wages will try to increase efficiency and make up for losses by combining positions and trimming workers’ hours.

“What about wages that are already at $15/hr?” asked Walker. “I doubt employers will provide raises for everyone. It’s going to be harder for companies to stay competitive, and for the first couple of years, it will be harder for younger workers without the credentials to find em-

ployment.”

Walker said if student-workers feel aggrieved, the Student Leadership Council will drive attention to their cause until they can sit down with the proper people and try to reach common ground.

COD President Brian Caputo estimates each incremental raise in the minimum wage will cost COD an additional $200,000 per year.

Currently there are 323 student workers employed on campus, with 252 employed under the College Work Study program and 71 under Federal Work Study. Both types of employees will follow the new state minimum. By 2025, the $15/hr will continued on page 10

FEATURES NEWS

10 continued from page 9

cost the school around $1 million.

Caputo called paying for the raises a balancing act, and said the positions currently employed are vital for the school. There is no expectation of position cuts or trimmed hours.

“We are incrementally raising tuition to cover a little of the additional costs, but we are also trying to grow enrollment and retention.” said Caputo. “We are trying not to overreact. We have a good financial nest egg we can shave off until we see the effects of our enrollment initiatives. Right now the economy is good, however, when the economy falters we can expect people to come and re-tool at the community college.”

Caputo said the Pathways model and the Strategic Enrollment Management initiative should help decrease the college’s deficit bud-

get. The school’s 10-year financial projection shows a continued deficit of expenditures over revenues. This model assumes a 1% property tax increase and also a $1 annual tuition raise. Enrollment is expected to decrease for the next couple of years, before rebounding due to the school’s initiatives.

“Our savings fund balances are hefty with money, but we can’t let the budget deficit go on forever,” said Caputo. “We will have to keep re-evaluating tuition, but we will always be prepared to fund our student-workers.”

COD will be giving a raise to $8.75/hr in the Fall for students who return for a second year of college work study. Caputo said the school hasn’t decided if they will pay another differential in January for those students.

One of these potential students is Stuart Burkhart, a student worker

in counseling and advising. He said, unlike the strenuous balance in his past job in the fast food industry, working at the college provides him time convenience, allowing him to better manage his school work.

“The raised wages represent extra spending money and money to save for when I transfer to another college,” said Burkhart. “I work the full 20 hours; however, I don’t rely on the income for my living situation.”

Burkhart said because of the cost-effectiveness of student workers, the school might have to choose between administrative positions and the student workers if money became tight. He said the school’s predicament is similar to choices other small businesses and employers who hire minimum wage workers will have to face.

“If enrollment figures do not increase, it appears someone is going

to be made unhappy,” said Burkhart. “I would rather be making $8.50/hr than zero. If the minimum wage increase threatens my job or my hours, I will be upset.”

Walker believes businesses need to get ahead of the curve so they can accommodate providing workers a livable wage and also prevent more experienced workers from leaving.

“Politicians need to not have such a one-sided debate, but talk to both business owners and workers,” said Walker. “The livable wage in DuPage County has been cited at $13.25/hr, however, I know from my experience the higher paid workers will not get a raise as well.

When less-qualified employees get paid equally as the more experienced, in what world is that fair?”

Economics Professor Andre Guerra fears Illinois’ raised minimum wage will make it more difficult for students who come from

Brian Caputo, Interim President of COD

Courier Archive

NEWS FEATURES lower-income households to find employment. He believes the benefits of providing a living wage should be weighed with the economic impacts.

“Employers will try to attract older workers with more experience making younger workers deal with increased competition for jobs,” said Guerra. “Hours available to younger workers will probably also decline. However, for students who can find jobs, the benefits of increased income are obvious. These workers will potentially not have to balance two jobs or extra hours.”

He said the new minimum wage could act as a stimulus to the economy because it boosts consumer spending, however, higher unemployment might completely offset the effects for the overall economy.

He believes the state’s economic activity will see slowed growth but wonders how much, and how long these effects will last.

“After the first incremental raise, the state should have waited and judged the impact before continuously raising,” said Guerra. “The wage is rising over 75% in a six-year period. This is very difficult for businesses who rely on minimum wage workers. Will smaller businesses be able to cope? Will bigger businesses turn to more automation to save costs?”

Guerra said because any economists argue raising the minimum wage will create inefficiencies in markets, it would be more beneficial to create programs like a negative income tax or tax credits to help lower-class workers. However, he said because Congress never agrees, raising the minimum wage is seen as an effective alternative for giving a living income to all workers.

Political Science Professor Melissa Mouritsen believes legislators have been convinced by businesses that increasing the minimum wage will hurt the economy.

“In the U.S., business is our royal-

ty,” said Mouritsen. “Legislators are far more beholden to business because they provide jobs, economic progress and campaign donations.

Minimum wage should be viewed as more of a societal good (over an economic policy) because it’s good for everyone when people can af-

“

11 session with cheap products because businesses may turn to increasing the price of goods to offset costs. He said consumers will absorb most of the costs of these higher goods.

Further absorption by consumers will come in raised property taxes. Pritzker estimated the plan

We will have to keep reevaluating tuition, but we will always be prepared to fund our student-workers.

-Brian Caputo, Interim President

ford to eat and pay their rent, and are lifted out of poverty and off government welfare rolls.”

According to the Economic Policy Institute 2019 Analysis, a $15 minimum wage would lift pay for 40 million workers, over a quarter of the nation’s workforce. The average year-round minimum wage worker would earn an extra $3,000 a year. The non-partisan institute claims this would drastically help the preschool teacher, construction worker or fast-food employee who currently struggles to survive on $20,000 a year.

Mouritsen believes America’s love of cheap goods has caused us to devalue and underappreciate our labor force.

“We don’t value labor because we can’t see the point of it anymore,” said Mouritsen. “A dollar hamburger, $5 t-shirt, brand new $125,000 suburban home; in order to get cheap goods, you need cheap labor.

How could the people who make (these products) have any value themselves? A profit-driven economy rests on people not getting paid the true value of their labor. If the labor can be devalued, it is even more successful.”

Guerra believes raising the minimum wage threatens America’s ob-

will cost the state an additional $230 million by 2021, when floor pay is only at $10/hr.

State Republican legislators say besides cut hours and eliminated jobs, the law will cause businesses to flee the state, fail or cut employee benefits.

Guerra said businesses are not likely to flee because those subject to minimum wage workers, like fast food chains and other service industries have no incentive to move. He stressed the law only affects a small minority of those businesses’ workers. He fears small businesses will take the brunt of the law and many could fail.

“If we can find a way to employ every worker at a higher wage, the social benefits would be great,” said Guerra. “But for those workers who won’t find employment, the social impacts are negative. Further social assistance would be required to help those who are left with no job at all.”

Guerra cited an economic prediction showing for every 10% increase in the minimum wage, unemployment for teenage workers rises 1 percent. Pritzker’s law will raise the state wage 82%.

Guerra said the economic consensus isn’t clear because there are

so many competing factors. He pointed to economist Alan Kreuger’s study into New Jersey’s raised minimum wage in the ‘90’s, which found no indication unemployment had increased as a result. Employment actually increased in businesses subject to minimum wage workers. However, he said businesses had two years to plan and could have shaved off workers before the study began.

He said there will always be too many moving parts for consensus, but most economists argue over how large the negative impact will be on unemployment. He said for similar reasons people should shy away from comparing our nation’s economy to other countries who have raised the minimum wage. He thinks Illinois will serve as a good experiment for what could happen on a federal level.

“The higher the cost of living, the lesser the beneficial impact will be for workers,” said Guerra. “The problem with raising the national minimum wage is the cost of living varies significantly across the country.”

Five Democratic presidential candidates have followed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ call for a federal $15 minimum wage.

Mouritsen believes the more voters show their support for a higher minimum wage, the more likely candidates will try to appeal to working-class and unionized voters. She said legislation helps, but the movement needs to be inspired from the ground up.

“Collective action is the key, but we lack the social capital to do this, said Mouritsen. “Although I see some hope on the horizon, change is hard when we argue about whether fast food workers should get $15/hr when paramedics get less. Real wages have not increased in decades. How about we pay both fairly?”

12

FEATURES NEWS

BEYCHELLA

WHEN BEYONCÉ BROUGHT CULTURE TO COACHELLA DeAnte Washington, Staff Writer washingtond1614@dupage.edu Fellow Beyhives, she has done it again. The one and only, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has blessed us with another masterpiece. Beyoncé, released her documentary, “Homecoming:A Film by Beyoncé,” on Netflix April 17. This documentary debuts her 2018 headline performance at Coachella, a music festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Cali. She has also released the “Homecoming” album and her 2016 album, “Lemonade” to all streaming sites. It’s been an arduous journey for the queen, and this iconic moment has shown the world what black girl magic is.

At the start of the documentary, we are given a scenery of the performance shown rom the lens of a vintage camera recorder, the crowd anxious and fidgety as they wait to

see Beyoncé. She blows her whistle.

Then, the domino effect happens as the drummers and the dancers start to clear away, and the spotlight is turned to the back of Beyoncé.

I’ve never seen an actual goddess until she turned around and strutted on the stage and swayed away to introduce her performance.

Before I watched the documentary, I read reviews on it. Not everyone was as interested in it because the performance was accessible on social media, and the documentary was not as different as they anticipated it to be. For me, it was beautiful. The reason I admire Beyoncé is her willingness to captivate black culture into everything she does. In 2016, when she dropped her “Lemonade” visual on HBO, she brought a new

perspective of herself. Before, she was considered an artist who was suitable for white people to listen to, but her album, Lemonade had deep southern roots mixed with modern black culture. In Homecoming, Bey mentions her dreams of wanting to attend an Historically Black College/University but was in the group, “Destiny’s Child” during that time. She is an influential figure to black women as she spread her feminist practices in her music and showed the importance of women’s independence and beauty. This documentary also focuses on her difficulties after giving birth to her twins months before starting rehearsal. She was over 200 pounds and said it was the most difficult pregnancy she had.

During the rehearsal, she talked

Illustration by Jessica Tapia

about the challenges of time management between preparation for Coachella, learning to be a mother to her three children and a wife to her husband. Her diet was limited to fruit and vegetables, and her time rehearsing couldn’t consist of more than 15 hours because she needed to be with her family.

We forget celebrities like Beyoncé are going through challenges normal people like us go through. It was made crystal clear in this film.

Nothing about this film was made to be perfect which made it perfect.

This film wasn’t made to show just the performance that became an iconic moment in pop culture, but the build up that happened that made it historical. She had moments during rehearsal where she felt unease and questioned if she was ever going to be the same again.

Crew members questioned if they were worthy of participating in her headline performance due to their physical attributes such as. One of the girls who was a main act in her performance of the song “Party” talked about how she didn’t think she would ever be on stage due to her being short and having a full figure. There were so many characters in this performance, and all of them are seen interacting as one group yet maintaining their individuality.

It felt like I was watching Michael Jackson’s 2009 documentary “Michael Jackson’s This is it,” because it showed the struggles of the artist rather than how the world sees them on stage. I was satisfied with this film. I believe Beyoncé is one of the most notable figures of our time and has set an example for the future black women and men.

OPINION

13

LIKE IT OR NOT

WE CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT “LIKES” ON INSTAGRAM Kimberly Wilson, Opinion Editor wilsonk767@dupage.edu

Many Instagram users became frantic after a recent rumor circulated that the app was getting rid of its “likes” feature. The abolition of “likes” could have arguable benefits, such as lessening the anxiety many users feel to live up to a certain standard when posting pictures.

But such a change would ultimately only be a quick fix to the much larger issue of the need for public validation facing our generation.

The rumored change, which the social media giant has since officially denied, would have meant users would still be able to see the number of likes their own posts garnered but not the number of likes other users’ posts received.

In a Newsweek article by Nina Godlewski, an Instagram spokesperson stated the company was not currently testing such a feature but were continuing to explore ways in which they can “reduce pressure” for users on the app.

The unabating need to always have the perfect picture to post on Instagram is something so much of our generation is entirely too familiar with. All photographs must be expertly doctored to meet specific criteria in order to be deemed suitable for “the ‘Gram.” Otherwise, it will be locked away in our phone archives, never allowed to see the light of day.

Users utilize the proper lighting, efficient angles and the best editing tools to make each photograph “IG worthy.” They then hit the “share” button with trepidation, sending their masterpiece off to millions of judges, juries and executioners.

Anxiously they await the public’s response. Enough likes engenders a state of self-satisfaction and eupho-

Photo by Lindsay Piotter ria. Too few likes on too many posts is devastating to one’s self-esteem and reputation. We all know someone who went as far as to take a post down if it fails to gain a sufficient amount of likes. We’ve perhaps even been that person ourselves.

Instagram should absolutely strive to implement any measure they can to ensure users feel comfortable. Giving users the option to prevent others from viewing the amount of likes their posts have could indeed make Instagram more fun to use. But removing the ability to see others people’s likes will not solve the underlying problem at hand.

If the app continues to be a main source of validation for Instagram users, they will simply find another

“

way to measure public opinion– such as focusing on the number of comments–in order to satisfy their need to feel accepted. To truly get rid of the pressure associated with using Instagram, users must recognize the amount of likes a picture gets does not determine their worth.

can give a sense of self-worth that is easy to achieve in a society that tells us we have to look and behave in a certain way to be accepted.

But numbers on a screen are a very ineffective way to measure one’s value. If Instagram likes are your main source of self-worth, you will never really feel worthy. Being truly secure involves accepting who you are and not letting anybody else dictate how you should feel about yourself.

If we can adhere to these principles, it won’t matter if people know Especially as young people, it can how many likes we get on a picture. be difficult to refrain from worry- The best way to reduce the pressure ing about what other people think we may feel while using Instagram of us. Instagram provides a sort of is not to get rid of likes, but to get instant gratification that allows us rid of the power they have over us. to feel loved by our peers. The app

Users must recognize the amount of likes a picture gets does not determine their worth.

14

NEWS OPINION THE MARGINALIZATION OF LATINOS IN THE TRUMP ERA Karla Villegas Pineda, News Correspondent villegaspinedak@dupage.edu I remember the first time I experienced uncensored disgust towards the Latino immigrant community, in the days leading up to the shift between the Obama and Trump administrations. At a hair salon I had not been to before, the hairdresser I was assigned was finishing up with another client. I overheard them talking about illegal immigration.

“Why can’t they come legally?

My family immigrated the right way, in through Ellis Island from Italy, when it was still open,” said the hairdresser. She shook her head in disgust.

“I don’t know, but all those Mexicans do is steal our jobs,” said the lady in the chair.

I hid behind my magazine in the waiting area and blinked back tears.

Never before had I felt so small and guilty for being Mexican.

I remember wanting to yell back. Didn’t they realize that so many of the jobs new Latino immigrants do were the ones Americans didn’t want?

Even then, their lack of acknowledgement for what every immigrant risks in coming to this country simply for a better chance at life astounded me: raids in places we once thought were safe, slurs yelled simply for one’s appearance, families torn apart and children locked in cages.

The Trump administration has enabled the oppressive treatment and near-persecution of Latino immigrants, those undocumented and otherwise.

Throughout history, there has always been persecution of a group of people—whether it be in America or abroad.

In the Trump era, we see Latino immigrant families as only one of

the many minorities, such as the Muslim, LGBT, disabled and African-American communities, targeted by the administration.

I don’t mean to say oppressive immigration laws did not exist prior to 45’s presidential inauguration; it is well known that other presidents with higher popularity, such as Barack Obama, also held strict laws against undocumented people living in the U.S. Yet, what makes Trump’s presidency different is that he campaigns on a hateful, bigoted agenda. By targeting minorities with executive orders, such as his decision to close borders and ban the entry of Muslim citizens living in certain Middle Eastern countries, Trump makes it seem as if it’s O.K. to be a racist.

Growing up in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, I had never personally experienced racism due to my ethnic background until the Trump era.

As a white-passing individual, I recognize my privilege as someone that can be mistaken for being white played a large part in this.

However, it is also because the campaigns Bush and Obama ran were focused on so-called unity as an American people. They did not season their personas with micro-aggressions and blatant acts of racism in the same way Trump has. Bush and Obama did not call Mexicans drug dealers who rape women and steal American jobs.

What jobs?

Long hours in fields to pick American produce, wrecking their bodies to build scaffoldings and construction sites, even scrubbing dishes in so many of America’s beloved food chains.

These jobs aren’t just stereotypes. They are the realities for so

many new immigrants.

I think about the news I see now, shared across the internet in the form of Tweets, Instagram and Facebook posts.

“ICE raid at Fiesta Market!

Retweet and stay safe.” “ICE has been spotted at the Walmart on 53. Please share.”

The Latino community protects itself as best as it can from the hateful agenda spread by an administration built on lies, stigmas and bigotry. Even then, we lose some of our loved ones to raids.

Cousins, friends, aunts and uncles are being taken from a country they now recognize as home and forced to live in an environment that is either unsafe, economically unstable, or one they no longer feel is home.

New migrants caught at the southern border have their children taken away and kept in so called “immigration camps” where the living conditions have too often resulted in the loss of a child’s life.

The Latino immigrant community is tired of this anger and fear.

We as a people must not allow hate and bigotry to win. I urge all of you, regardless of your political affiliation, to please look deeply into whomever your candidate of choice is in the next elections. Exercise your right to vote for love.

Illustration by Brandon Beckwith

OPINION NEWS

15

THE FIRE OF NOTRE DAME Guest Column by Naresh Kavuri

My Friend Dave and I visited Paris for the first time on April 13. We were on our third night in Paris and on our way to dinner. During our walk, we both noticed how cool the sky was looking. The color of the sky was orange, yellow and purple, which made me pull out my phone to take a picture. Little did I know the most iconic building in Paris was burning.

We got a table outside and heard the sirens of fire and medical ambulances. Sipping on our drinks, we noticed the worried faces on the waiters, and around the same

time we both got notifications on our phone that Notre Dame was on fire. My initial reaction was to joke that we should have had our Notre Dame tour the previous day instead of the next day.

I will always remember that I was eating Beef Bourguignon, which is a French beef braised stew. The stew had a buttery sauce with carrots and potatoes. My friend’s meal was not as memorable as he ordered medium-rare steak that was cooked well done. That was the second surprise of the night to find out that Paris is not known for their steaks.

Photo provided by Naresh Karuvi

16

NEWS SPORTS

CHAPS FALL IN EXTRA INNINGS Vijay Kavuri, Sports Editor kavuri@dupage.edu The Chapparrals Women’s Softball team was pushed to extra innings against the visiting Joliet Wolves, and lost 1-5 in 8 innings of play in what was a very tightly pitched game by both squads. Joliet took a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning on an RBI-double from Isabel Ortiz. The Chaps fought back in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Vincenza Zaccaro tied the game up at 1 with an RBI single that scored Kate Koska.

The game was lost in the top of the eighth inning when Joliet scored 4 times. The Wolves scored on a straight steal home, then added runs on and RBI single, another run came in on an error on a misplayed ball at shortstop and the final run crossed the plate on an RBI groundout on the play to third. The Chaps were unable to answer and took the loss 1-5.

The starting pitcher for the Chaps, Karen Martini, gutted out a great effort, pitching all eight innings. Martini went on to say, “we played a great game and got it to extra innings, and we had to just shut them down.”

Coach Ryan Connell stated, “even though we are having a tough season, we have been playing a tough schedule and Joliet came in as the No. 4 team in the country. “I think we will be in good shape; we just need to get the bats going.”

The loss dropped the Chaps to 10-30 on the season. This game was part of a double-header with Joliet. Upcoming games for the Chaps include games versus Kankakee Community College, Harper College and South Suburban College.This will all be followed up with the NJCAA Region IV tournament at COD on May 11th..

Featured in photos: 5 Karen Martini, 6 Andrea Richards, 9 Vincenza Zaccaro, and 10 Gaby Morales Photos by Muhammad Mirza Annes

NEWS SPORTS

17

LET’S

GO CHAPS!

COFFEE BREAK

18

DOODLE PROMPTS

• Paddle Ball • Origami • Cats are actually Aliens

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:

MOTHER’S DAY

ACROSS 1. May occasion 5. ____ Tzu 8. Auto unit 11. Lyft alternative 12. “On Golden ____” 13. Zetkin of International Women’s Day fame 15. Forever and a day 16. “The Simpsons” palindrome 17. Angler’s decoys 18. *Mother, e.g.

20. Friend in war 21. Divided, it cannot stand?

22. Black gold 23. *Mother, e.g.

26. Like anti-cruelty proponents 29. “This land is your land...”

30. Loan shark 33. *Like Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard 35. “Captain Marvel” genre 37. It also rises, in Spanish 38. Faulkner’s “As I Lay ____” 39. Ant construction 40. “Not my brother’s ____” 42. First Tudor monarch’s number 43. Meteorologist’s line 45. Battles royal 47. Modus operandi 48. Chocolate source 50. Barrymore or Carey 52. *Like grandmother on mother’s side 55. Like Al Yankovic 56. Gaelic 57. Joie de vivre 59. On pins and needles 60. *She played Zuzu’s mom in Christmas movie classic 61. Left to a Russian 62. Pastrami partner 63. Greek H 64. One quarter of a Presidential term

DOWN 1. *School org. with moms (and dads) as members 2. Indian music 3. Farm team 4. Pool hall mishap 5. Powerball, e.g.

6. Playwright Chekhov 7. Perfume property 8. Lime-rich soil 9. Mouse to a snake 10. Fossil fuel 12. Accepted truths 13. Request to Geico 14. *Mother’s song 19. Tedium 22. “Days of ____ Lives” 23. *Delivery room word 24. Binary digits code 25. Train runners 26. *What many mothers want 27. Lacking guile 28. “Sesame Street” regular 31. Olympic cast-out 32. Future fish 34. Shining armor 36. *Form of thank you to mom 38. Gloomy and drab 40. Jared’s competitor 41. Hosted 44. Off-color 46. With nobody to call your own 48. Editor’s insert 49. Between harbors 50. Controvert 51. *Mother’s Day, e.g.

52. *Emmanuel Macron’s mom, e.g.

53. Toward shelter, nautically 54. Volcanic flow 55. “The Art of ____” 58. And not

COFFEE BREAK

19

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