SEBASTIAN ALARCON / THE DEPAULIA DePaul students cheer during FEST at DePaul’s Welcome Center parking lot on Friday, May 15, 2026. This year marks a new look for the DePaul event.
The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.
La DePaulia es el noticiero oficial estudiantil en español de la Universidad DePaul, enfocado en proveer una voz para la comunidad latinx. Nuestras opiniones no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones de la administración, facultad o personal de la universidad.
EDITORA EN JEFE | SOFIA JOSEPH
SJOSEP@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
EDITORA DE CONTENIDO | IZZY SIEMASZKO ISIEMA@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
EDITORA DE NOTICIAS | TORI TREVIÑO
TTREVI@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
EDITOR DE REDES SOCIALES CRIS SALAS
CSALAS@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
MENTOR DE LA DEPAULIA | ARTURO FERNÁNDEZ AFERNÁ@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
CAMPUS CRIME REPORT
May. 6th - May. 12th, 2026
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS
Drug & Alcohol Other
Lincoln Park Campus Crimes:
May. 6
A Disturbance report was filed for an incident on the 2nd floor of the Student Center.
May. 7
A Harassment by Electronic Means report was filed for an incident that occurred on May 6th on the Lincoln Park Campus.
May. 8
An Illegal Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor report was filed for a person in Munroe Hall. The subject was transported to the hospital.
May. 8
A Theft report was filed for an incident on the 1st floor of the Student Center. A Chicago Police report
was filed.
May. 11
A Criminal Trespass and Disorderly Conduct report was filed for an incident outside of McCabe Hall. A Chicago Police report was filed.
May. 11
A Disorderly Conduct report was filed for an incident in the Chicago Public Library. Chicago Police were called to the scene.
LOOP CAMPUS
Loop Campus Crimes: No crimes were reported during this period.
Supreme Court maintains access to telehealth abortion as lawsuit continues
By Maggie Crow Contributing Writer
The Supreme Court ruled to temporarily preserve access to abortion pills, saying the medication may continue to be prescribed via telehealth and mailed to patients until the case makes its way through the courts. The order, delivered Thursday, extended a block on a ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which had prohibited online prescription and mailing of mifepristone, one of two standard drugs for medication abortions.
Litigation will return to the Fifth Circuit, where the court will decide if the regulation of by-mail abortion pills should be up to federal courts or remanded to the FDA. In the wake of the fight over reproductive healthcare rights, Illinois is working to preserve abortion access for those in and out of state.
The Rundown
The Fifth Circuit issued a May 1 decision on Louisiana’s case against the FDA. The state argued that abortion pills by mail allowed Louisiana residents to access the banned procedure and threatened the state’s sovereignty.
Danco Laboratories and GenProBio Inc., two mifepristone manufacturers, appealed to the Supreme Court to reinstate telehealth prescription of the drug.
“All eyes are on the courts,” said Alison Tanner, a senior litigation counsel for the National Women’s Law Center and board member of the Chicago Abortion Fund. “This is the most significant decision impacting access to abortion care since Dobbs overturned Roe v. Wade.”
What’s next?
The Supreme Court’s temporary hold will maintain the legality of telehealth abortion while the case waits to be heard, which can take months or even years. The Supreme Court also prohibited the Fifth Circuit from issuing any more injunctions on this case. Even if the Fifth Circuit rules in favor of Louisiana, the case will return to the Supreme Court before any policy changes take hold.
The case is going back to the same court that ruled in favor of Louisiana two weeks ago. Tanner emphasized that online abortion care has only been secured temporarily.
“It’s kind of already in the tea leaves what the Fifth Circuit thinks,” Tanner said.
Regardless of the decision, Tanner believes the legal battle itself creates its own set of barriers.
“The chaos is part of the strategy here,” she said. “Folks who want to restrict access to abortion care know that when people are afraid that the care that they need is illegal, they might not ultimately seek it.”
Why is telehealth important?
Telehealth is a critical part of the abortion access landscape, especially in Illinois, Tanner said.
Illinois is already an epicenter for travelling abortion seekers — over 32,000 abortions were provided to out-of-state residents last year, the highest of any state, according to a recent report from the Guttmacher Institute.
The ease of online care for both patients and providers is what makes it so accessible, said Mary Bowman, a nurse practitioner at Chicago Women’s Health clinic and former telehealth abortion provider.
“As a telehealth abortion provider, I would probably touch 50 charts in a day. I had over a dozen licenses working in seven states,” Bowman said.
Nearly 60% of abortions provided nationwide to residents of states with total bans were through telehealth, said the Guttmacher report. If telehealth is banned, all of that care will need to be provided in person.
“We do not have a sufficient number of brick and mortar clinics, particularly for folks outside of the Chicago metro region,” Tanner said. “The rising demand could overwhelm the clinics we do have, causing wait times to increase for everyone.”
The increased demand for in-person care comes at a time when the number of brick and mortar clinics are declining nationwide. Four
Planned Parenthood locations closed just last year in Illinois, citing financial shortfall and the unstable political landscape. This left the state with only 12 of its 102 counties with an abortion provider, according to WBEZ.
Fewer clinics means both Illinois and out-of-state residents will have to travel farther to get in-person care. Additional travel increases expenses, which could lessen access for low-income patients, according to Tanner.
“Even when you have a right to abortion care, that doesn’t mean anything if you can’t practically access it,” Tanner said.
What is llinois doing?
Reproductive health nonprofits and lawmakers have been trying to defend abortion in Illinois, despite its precarious legal status nationally.
Expenses like hotels, gas, meals and childcare can all be prohibitively expensive for some patients. The Chicago Abortion Fund is the largest of many groups that coordinate financial aid to pay for all the associated costs of abortion care.
“With a requirement that everyone needs to be seen in person, more people will need to travel and need assistance with that travel,” Tanner said. “It would be a huge spike in costs for the Chicago Abortion Fund.”
Elise Hauptman, a reproductive rights activist from the northern suburbs, said financial assistance from Planned Parenthood was essential when her close family friend needed an abortion in 2023.
“This young woman needed Planned Parenthood because of an accidental pregnancy when she was not ready mentally, emotionally or financially to become a mother,” said Hauptman, who has previously volunteered with Planned Parenthood. “She was able to continue her education and avoid the cycle of poverty. Now she is thriving on the path she was meant to take, living an independent, responsible life.”
Two bills from the Illinois State Senate seek to maintain access for people like Hauptman’s family friend.
House Bill 4834, which passed in a Senate committee, aims to ensure the privacy of both patients and their clinicians by shielding abortion pills from the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program. The program currently tracks the prescription of controlled substances. If this bill passes in the House, it would prohibit the state from adding abortion pills to this program.
House Bill 5408, currently pending in the State Senate, would establish a new state-run Abortion Access Fund. The fund would distribute grant money to cover the cost of abortions for uninsured and underinsured people.
Bills like these are critical to maintaining care in a constantly shifting legal landscape, Tanner said.
“Anything that can be done to increase resources for folks in need of care will be helpful to everyone,” Tanner said. “I don’t think that there is going to be a decrease of folks coming to the Chicago Abortion Fund any time soon.”
Alison Tanner stands in Chicago’s Near North Side neighborhood on Thursday, May 7, 2026. Tanner serves as a senior litigation counsel for the National Women’s Law Center and board member of the Chicago Abortion Fund.
Angelina Squeo and Muaz Hussaini were elected SGA president and vice president for the 2026-27 academic year. They took 56% of the vote against the ticket headed by Diversity and Equity chair Leen Hashlamoun and Campus Affairs chair Peyton Deck.
All but two cabinet races were uncontested, and all candidates endorsed by DePaul’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter were voted in. Around 1,300 students — about 6% of those enrolled — voted in the SGA election this year, topping the last three years of available voting data.
Squeo is a junior studying political science and president of DePaul’s Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Chapter. Hussaini, SGA’s current treasurer, is a junior studying accounting. DePaul’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter endorsed their ticket, and the duo ran on the slogan, “Your Voice, Our Commitment.”
Squeo said part of their agenda is to “sternly assert the student voice” on all issues.
“Part of our agenda is not playing both sides,” Squeo said. “We want to stand up to administration when we think it’s right, and I think that current SGA leadership has failed to do that.”
Another goal is to “formalize relations” with certain student groups, including the Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, DePaul’s suspended Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, Students Against Incarceration and groups part of the Sumud Coalition.
This would include having a person from each organization attend general body meetings to update SGA on their initiatives.
Squeo said they are choosing to align with these specific groups because “they are pushing campaigns that are very closely aligned with BDS,” or the “Boycott, Divest and Sanction” movement, along with the “Disclose and Divest,” “sanctuary campus” and pro-Palestine
Election results summary
CABINET
President and Vice President: Angelina Squeo and Muaz Hussaini
Treasurer (UNCONTESTED): Layth Awadallah
Chair of Academic Affairs: Cooper Menne
Chair of Campus Affairs (UNCONTESTED): Elena Yepsen
Chair of Marketing and Communication (UNCONTESTED): Falisha Anwar
Chair of Membership (UNCONTESTED): Yash Modi
Chair of Diversity and Equity (UNCONTESTED): Augusto Maita
movements.
Treasurer-elect Layth Awadallah, a junior studying accounting, collaborated with Squeo and Hussaini on the idea for a “community support network.” This includes SGA partnering with legal advocates from the Council on American Islamic Relations. CAIR filed discrimination charges with the Illinois Department of Human Rights on behalf of two Palestinian DePaul students in April.
Awadallah said the legal representatives would “help us dissect resolutions that we want to pass, making sure that they’re actually effective and help the students.” He added that the new SGA administration wants to make sure referendums do not get overturned once students graduate.
Awadallah also said the trio has reached out to local politicians, including Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), who visited the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the Quad in 2024. They have also reached out to Abdelnasser Rashid, an Illinois state representative who represents the Southwest Side and southwest suburbs.
Squeo and Hussaini said they will promote transparency and bet-
ter communication, initiatives often promised by SGA leadership in years past. To do so, Hussaini said SGA will release quarterly reports to document the organization’s progress.
“I want to be really clear with students and let them know that they have every right to check in on us,” Hussaini said. SGA used to release transparency reports in 2021.
Both Squeo and Hussaini emphasized the importance of their respective faiths. Squeo was a main organizer of this year’s “Interfaith Iftar” event. Iftar is the evening meal served to break the daily fast during the month of Ramadan.
“We’re of different faiths, but we hold them to be very dear to heart, like our personal morals and values and beliefs, and we want to make sure that that’s amplified through SGA,” Squeo said.
Ultimately, Squeo says they want to emphasize shared governance. “We’re there for every student, every student voice, and we want to make sure their voices are heard,” Squeo said.
REPRESENTATIVES
School of Music (1): NONE
College of Law (2): NONE
The Theatre School (2): Ethan Rosario Arnold
Driehaus College of Business (9): Kaarunya Venisetty
Jarvis College of Computing & Digital media (9): Tenae Blackwin, Jazib Waqar Raza
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences (4): Mohammad Atiya, Warren Smith, Miya Martinez, Eman Ali
College of Education (2): NONE
School of Continuing and Professional Studies (2): NONE
College of Science & Health (5): Fatou Ndiaye, Abrahim Kayali, Prince Priyanshu
College of Communication (2): NONE
SGA president-elect Angelina Squeo and vice president-elect Muaz Hussaini pose for a portrait in McGowan South on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Squeo and Hussaini ran on the slogan “Your Voice, Our Commitment.”
ISABELLA RUSSOMANNO / THE DEPAULIA
DePaul collaborates with local public school to install a Little Free Library
By Veronica Hamaguchi Contributing Writer
As a result of a project spanning across Chicago communities, a small wooden box housing donated books will stand on the campus of Gale Community Academy in Rogers Park, free for students to take and enjoy.
DePaul University’s Egan Office of Urban Education and Community Partnerships has partnered with Gale Community Academy, a pre-K through 8th grade public school, to install a Little Free Library on the school’s campus.
The library’s installation ceremony was May 14, with 49th Ward Alderperson Maria Hadden in attendance.
The project was spearheaded by two of the Egan Office’s School Community Organizers, DePaul graduate students Kendall Polidori and Maya Nesti. It aims to foster community and a love for reading at the school.
Polidori’s idea for the project came from her prior adoration for Little Free Libraries. When she proposed the idea to bring one onto the academy’s campus, the school princi -
pal Francisco Leal expressed that he had wanted to install one for years but lacked the resources to do so.
DePaul’s Egan Office funded the roughly $400 project, paid with a portion of the office’s budget, and members of the nonprofit community organization Centro Romero’s youth art club painted the library.
This collaboration with Centro Romero was a “perfect way for us to partner together and just have more community involvement, beyond the school,” according to Polidori.
Nesti and Polidori collected 100 children’s books for free at Open Books in Pilsen, ensuring that the selection included books in both English and Spanish. The books that cannot fit in the library will be donated to the school.
According to the Illinois Report Card, only 11.6% of Gale’s students are proficient in English Language Arts. While this is largely the reason the Egan Office is working with the school, the office’s director, John Zeigler, said schools should not be reduced to statistics.
“Oftentimes schools like Gale and a lot of our CPS schools get painted
in such a way because we look at data in a way that is very concrete,” Zeigler said. “Because we’re in universities, we should look at data, but data doesn’t often tell the whole story.”
Gale Community Academy does not currently have a school library, and teachers are responsible for buying books for their classrooms. According to Nesti, students want to read but lack resources.
This was made particularly evident when each student was given a piece of paper to write down the title of a book they wanted to see featured in the Little Free Library.
“It was just so beautiful to see them write down books that I knew from when I was a kid,” Nesti said, continuing that both the students and principal seem excited by the project.
“The teachers have said how excited they are about it because sometimes they don’t get their books back in their classrooms because the kids want to take it home.”
Nesti added that the books in teachers’ classrooms are currently supplied and paid for by teachers.
Zeigler said that all of the Egan Office’s school partnerships are
prompted by an invitation from the school. Graduate students and the communities they work with form a “true partnership,” as both the students and communities are able to benefit each other.
Nesti said that her work with Gale Community Academy has benefitted her as a person.
She said that in these partnerships, “you learn how to talk with people and not dominate the conversation. You learn how to listen to what people want, and what people need and what’s lacking in their certain communities. I think that’s such a helpful thing.”
Polidori said she hopes that the Little Free Library will expand to become a broader community resource.
“Hopefully we can fill the library with adult books as well and bring the community together,” Polidori said. “It’s just a way to promote literacy and having fun while reading.”
Polidori and Nesti are also launching a book reading campaign a week before the library’s installation ceremony, reading children’s books to classrooms with all grade levels at Gale.
NORA SMITH / THE DEPAULIA
Kendall Polidori and Maya Nesti smile outside DePaul’s Student Center on Friday, May 8, 2026. The two community organizers are working on a free library project that opened Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Opinions
Life’s best stories rarely come from playing it safe
By Sana Hajidamji Opinion Beat Writer
Everyone is the main character in their own life, with different motivations, conflicts, and turning points. Each year is a new season and every decision becomes part of the plot. The people we meet, the risks we take, the opportunities that come our way, and even the mistakes we regret all shape our character development over time. If our choices are what shape us and the story we eventually tell about our lives, then why not “do it for the plot?”
The phrase “for the plot” became popular with young people today, replacing the old trend of “you only live once.” It reflects the belief
that life is meant to be fully experienced. Sometimes it means saying yes to opportunities simply because they might become a great story one day.
I love this mentality because half the fun of life is not knowing what’s going to happen next — so you might as well end up with stories to tell.
Geoffrey Durso, a professor in the College of Business who studies consumer behavior and social psychology, said people often interpret uncertain or negative experiences as part of a larger narrative.
“Attributing this event to being part of a larger story can suggest that the best is yet to come or, conversely,
that it’s part of a consistent pattern,” Durso said. “‘Do it for the plot’ is a direct allusion to this tendency, that one bad event could explain what happens next for good or for bad.”
That idea becomes most clear when you’re going through challenges. Once you get through something, you have a story. Something you can actually laugh about later, or at least say, “Yeah, I survived that.”
Every awkward situation, unexpected friendship and messy falling out eventually turns into lore. The same things that caused stress end up becoming the exact stories you retell years later when you’re trying to explain how you became who you are.
While “doing it for the plot” adds to your story, it also lowers the fear of being judged in the moment.
“Perhaps one reason that ‘do it for the plot’ has gained popularity is that it embraces doing things that are risky regardless of how it is socially perceived by others, even during ‘failure,’” Durso said.
Mia Willis, a sophomore majoring in film and television, says doing things “for the plot” has brought her out of her comfort zone.
“The fear of the unknown is something that can be really scary,” Willis said. “Regardless of the outcome, I always learn new things about what I experienced and about myself, and I think that’s really amazing.”
No good story exists without conflict. Imagine reading a book where nothing ever went wrong, nobody made mistakes and every character stayed comfortable the entire time. It would be unbearably boring. The same is true about life.
This mindset shouldn’t mean making reckless decisions just for chaos or romanticizing suffering for the sake of it. But there’s something freeing about viewing challenges as part of the narrative instead of evidence that your life is falling apart.
Years from now, most of us probably won’t remember every time we played it safe. We’ll remember the risks we were daring enough to take.
ZOEY DUCHENE / THE DEPAULIA
DePaul students walk on Fullerton Avenue on Friday, May 15, 2026. College students often make decisions “for the plot” on the weekend with their friends.
La DePaulia
El jugador del grupo estudiantil latine Tepeyac, Javier García Medina, estudiante de último año, se prepara para dar el saque inicial mientras la árbitra Sofia Mullen, estudiante de tercer año, suena el silbato para comenzar el tercer partido anual de fútbol benéfico en Wish Field el 14 de mayo de 2026. El partido atrajo a más de 70 asistentes.
Grupos estudiantiles latines de DePaul se enfrentan en el tercer partido benéfico anual de fútbol
Por Cristian Núñez
Escritor Colaborador
Dos organizaciones estudiantiles latines de DePaul se reunieron para su tercer partido anual de fútbol el viernes 15 de mayo, con el objetivo de recaudar dinero para una organización benéfica local.
La Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), un grupo estudiantil para futuros profesionales y líderes, y Tepeyac, una organización estudiantil basada en la fe, eligieron donar a Casa Central, una agencia de servicios sociales para la comunidad latina en Chicago fundada en 1954.
“Ellos ayudan a nuestra comunidad local repartiendo ropa y comida, y estoy emocionado de fortalecer nuestra colaboración”, dijo Miguel Rojas Palma, estudiante de último año y presidente de ALPFA.
El partido atrajo a más de 70 asistentes, incluidos los propios jugadores, según el liderazgo de Tepeyac. Los miembros de ALPFA y Tepeyac vendieron bebidas y bocadillos y realizaron
una rifa con premios. Todas las ganancias fueron destinadas a recaudar fondos para Casa Central.
Jugadoras del equipo femenino de fútbol club de DePaul ayudaron actuando como árbitras.
Arabella Ruiz, estudiante de primer año en DePaul, y Sofia Mullen, estudiante de tercer año, se ofrecieron como voluntarias para arbitrar el partido. Se enteraron del evento por una de sus compañeras de equipo.
“Para mí, el voluntariado se trata de conectar y aprender más sobre la comunidad, especialmente porque soy estudiante de primer año y todavía soy nueva en todo esto”, dijo Ruiz. “Poder ofrecerme como voluntaria me hace sentir más conectada con mi universidad”.
ALPFA ganó el partido 5-0, pero ambos equipos lograron su objetivo. Juntos recaudaron $676 para la organización benéfica, según la presidenta de Tepeyac, Lesly Fernandez.
“Todos colaboramos, y creamos esto pensando en la caridad, así que ¿por qué no divertirnos mientras re-
caudamos fondos?”, dijo Javier Garcia Medina, estudiante de último año en DePaul y jugador de Tepeyac.
Palma dijo sentirse orgulloso del desempeño de su equipo.
“Nuestro equipo luchó hasta el final, y nuestros increíbles delanteros anotaron sus goles e hicieron su trabajo. En general, fue un gran esfuerzo de equipo”, dijo Palma.
Las árbitras también quedaron impresionadas con el entusiasmo mostrado por ambos equipos.
“Hubo esfuerzo, intensidad y determinación, y eso me encanta ver”, dijo Mullen.
Diego Galloza, expresidente de Tepeyac y recién graduado de DePaul, dijo que el fútbol sirvió como una manera natural de unir a la comunidad latine a través de una pasión cultural compartida.
Lo que quizás los estudiantes no saben es que el evento fue inspirado por creadores de contenido de YouTube.
Galloza dijo que el concepto del partido fue inspirado por el grupo de YouTube “Sidemen”, quienes realizan
sus propios partidos benéficos.
Galloza, quien se graduó en noviembre de 2025, ayudó a hacer realidad el evento en 2024. Dijo que sentía que la iniciativa estaba alineada con el compromiso de Tepeyac con la fe, la cultura y el servicio. El proceso fue difícil, pero la organización finalmente pudo trabajar con las operaciones de Wish Field para reservar el campo, explicó.
La colaboración con ALPFA surgió gracias a la amistad de Galloza con algunos miembros de la mesa directiva de ALPFA. En sus primeras etapas, Tepeyac desarrolló el evento con la esperanza de ayudar a un estudiante beneficiario de DACA en DePaul, dijo Galloza.
Ahora, tres años después, los líderes de los grupos están viendo cómo su pequeña idea se convierte en una tradición comunitaria.
“Honestamente, desde el primer año que lo hicimos hasta ahora, se puede ver que ha crecido muchísimo, y estoy emocionado de ver cómo seguirá creciendo en el futuro”, dijo Palma.
CRISTIAN NúñEZ / THE DEPAULIA
St.Vincent’s
D el M un D o J a M z
“Spinning
freSh beatS Since 1581”
Por Tori Treviño Editora de noticias
Bruno Mars visitó Soldier Field el sábado 16 y domingo 17 de mayo como parte de su gira “Romantic”. Algunos de mis compañeros editores y yo quedamos devastados por no poder asistir. Aunque el FOMO se siente intensamente, nada me impide escuchar mis canciones favoritas de Bruno Mars desde casa. Aquí están algunas de las mejores canciones de la discografía que ha construido durante más de una década.
“NOTHIN’ ON YOU” DE B.O.B. FEAT. BRUNO MARS Perdónenme por empezar con una canción en la que Mars sólo aparece como artista invitado, pero
tenía que ponerla en el primer lugar. Esta canción es tan atemporal y nostálgica para mí. Me transporta a cuando cantaba con mis primos cuando éramos pequeños. Siento que la pequeña Tori soñaba despierta con un amor que se sintiera como esta canción.
“LOS ARRIESGO TODO” DE BRUNO MARS
En mi opinión, una de las maneras más increíbles en que un músico puede honrar su cultura es haciendo una canción en su idioma. Soy un gran fan de los artistas latinos que traducen sus canciones populares al español (como “Rascacielo”
de Demi Lovato y “Dices” de Selena Gomez). Que Mars tradujera “Risk It All” al español hizo que esta canción fuera aún más romántica.
“IT WILL RAIN” DE BRUNO MARS
El hecho de que esta canción fuera creada para “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” ya la convierte en algo icónico. Me encantan las canciones devastadoras, y esta me hace sentir como si fuera Bella Swan llorando por Edward Cullen. Fácilmente alcanzó triple platino en el carro de mi hermana mayor, donde yo era una pasajera frecuente en el asiento trasero.
“YOUNG GIRLS” DE BRUNO MARS
Siento que muchas canciones de Bruno Mars me ponen en una mentalidad con la que no me identifico para nada, pero me encanta vivirla de todos modos. Con esta canción, mi imaginación me convierte en la chica súper cool, joven y salvaje sobre la que él canta. ¡También es perfecta para escuchar mientras te arreglas!
ESCUCHA LAS JAMZ EN SPOTIFY
Arts & Life
DePaul’s FEST marks its return in a new location
By Sebastian Alarcon and Brielle Kohlbeck
Contributing Writer & Content Managing Editor
Since 1986, FEST has been the signature end-of-year celebration for DePaul students featuring music, food and activities. This year, the festival ditched its usual location on Lincoln Park’s Quad and took place in the DePaul Welcome Center parking lot. The event’s shift into a music festival-style lineup rather than promoting one major headliner and opener gave it a whole new look compared to past years.
Local artists shared the stage, including some signed to DePaul’s record label, Blue Demon Records. The festival lineup included artists DJ Eve, Sample Quincy, Zercher, Moyana, DJ Ca$h Era and Kai-
crewsade.
“We had a focus on reimagining the event,” said Courtney James, head of the Office of Student Involvement. “We pay attention to what events students are really interested in, and then we do focus groups, and we do different surveys to see what works well with students. It really informed a lot of the decisions in the event design this year.”
Starting at 4 p.m., students began piling into the parking lot, surrounded by a multitude of free food, carnival rides and activities.
This year’s FEST featured a rocking climbing wall, face painting and balloon animals for students to en-
joy at no cost, all organized by the DePaul Activities Board.
Senior Aiden O’Neal, a program activities specialist and organizer for DAB, said he enjoys the process of planning and hosting events like these. He hopes to put on similar events in his future career.
“I take a lot of it in steps,” O’Neal said. “It was a really cool opportunity because you get to work with cool artists, and a bunch of other people, and just learn your way around the music industry.”
Some of these changes come after challenges the festival has faced in past years.
In 2025, headliner A Boogie Wit da Hoodie cancelled just 90 minutes before he was set to
perform due to air traffic delays caused by a dust storm. And in 2024, DePaul FEST was cancelled following the pro-Palestine encampment on the Quad.
This year’s FEST received mixed responses from students after DAB announced changes in February of this year. Some students associated these changes with DePaul’s ongoing budget strain. University Communications said the changes to the festival were “programmatic and focused on student engagement.”
However, throughout the event, students spoke positively of the changes made, from freshmen to returning FEST attendees.
“I really enjoy that DePaul has stuff like this for free for students,”
said freshman English major Laura Martens. “Being a college student, you don’t have a lot of money. So having something I can come out and do with my friends that has activities and games, it’s really great.”
Sophomore film major Meaghan Levy, who attended FEST last year, had more mixed feelings on the changes.
“I liked it better on the Quad. It’s a nicer area,” Levy said. “I never really know who the music artists are anyway, so it makes no real difference to me.”
Despite the changes and initial skepticism from students, FEST still drew a large crowd of students throughout the five hours it operated.
Kaicrewsade performs at DePaul’s FEST on Friday, May 15, in the University Welcome Center parking lot. The festival lineup included artists DJ Eve, Sample Quincy, Zercher, Moyana, DJ Ca$h Era and Kaicrewsade.
Moyana and her band performs at FEST on Friday, May 15, in the University Welcome Center parking lot. This year’s FEST received mixed responses from students after DAB announced changes in February of this year.
A spraypainter graffities a bucket hat on Friday, May 15, in the University Welcome Center parking lot. This year’s FEST featured a rocking climbing wall, face painting and balloon animals for students to enjoy at no cost, all organized by the DePaul Activities Board.
Motorcycle group brings innovation and inclusivity to riding
By Sabrina Castle Digital Managing Editor
Mike Dobija used to feel embarrassed approaching random motorcyclists in Chicago to recruit them for his new riding group. When he started Chicago United Riders in 2015, getting members to join was no easy task. But over a decade later, what started as a wild dream of Dobija’s has transformed into one of the largest and friendliest motorcycle groups in the city.
After returning home to Chicago from multiple army deployments, Dobija was searching for “purpose and identity and something to be proud of,” things he said he lost transitioning back into civilian life. On the search for an outlet, Dobija said he was inspired to start Chicago United Riders (CUR) in 2015 after seeing the potential — and problems — of other motorcycle groups.
“I saw a brotherhood in it,” he said at a Poncho-themed ride on May 2. “I also saw a lot of holes and flaws in the way they were doing it. I was like, ‘I want to do this. I just want to do it better.’”
Historically, motorcycle clubs like The Hells Angels have functioned like “organized gangs,” Dobija said, with roots in criminal activity, financial dues, strict hierarchies and required participation in events.
Looking to distance themselves from the “taboo” of these clubs, Dobija said he and fellow organizers coined a new label for the type of organization they aspired to be: an open motorcycle group. Completely volunteer-based, it’s open to all riders without any financial commitment.
The only requirement for members to ride with CUR is to “respect”
its leadership team, arranged in a military-style structure, Dobija said. Much like in combat, rides are highly coordinated operations. A Point Person leads the ride. A group of Alpha Team Leaders makes up the first and second ranks, taking direction from the Point Person. A few Vanguards ride out ahead of the group to scope out any potential roadblocks. All this is facilitated through radio communication inside leaders’ helmets.
“From every light, from every every time we’ve gotta merge down to one lane and back to four, we’re communicating and we’re work -
Mike Dobija, founder and president of Chicago United Riders, poses in front of a line of motorcycles in the city during a Poncho Ride on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Dobija said he started in the group in 2015 to find “purpose and identity and something to be proud of.”
A motorcycle displays the CUR logo at a Poncho Ride on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Completely volunteer-based, CUR is open to all riders without any financial commitment, Dobija said.
ing together to get from point A to point B. And there’s something so magical about doing that,” Dobija said.
Though planning and executing rides is serious business for CUR’s leaders, Dobija said they keep things fun with ideas that are “outside the box.” Rides usually include creative themes like neon, tropical or camouflage, unique routes and before and after parties at local bars. All of these have gained the group a “cult following.”
“I’m blessed to be in a position where I share my creativity with everybody. Hundreds of people show up and get to be a part of my creative process,” Dobija said.
As an Alpha Team Leader, Curtis Sullivan assists in planning themes and routes for rides and often serves as a Point Person. Sullivan said he finds deep purpose in this role, describing the sight of a mass of motorcycles in his rearview mirror as “euphoric.”
“There’s pride in it. There’s excitement about it. There’s fear that comes with it too. …” Sullivan said. “There’s nothing else in my life that’s giv - en me that.”
Though now a crucial part of CUR’s leadership, Sullivan had to climb the ranks to get to where he is. He showed up to his first ride in 2018 with a cheap bike that he could barely start up. But despite his lack of status or showiness, he said he never felt judged by the group.
“It doesn’t matter who you are outside of here. You can be yourself here and be welcome,” he said.
An emphasis on inclusivity has catapulted Chicago United Riders into one of the largest motorcycle groups in the city. People of different ages, genders and races are all connected by their “love of riding,” said Laura Knight, a CUR member since 2023.
Knight, having seen misogynistic behavior from motorcycle clubs she rode with previously, called CUR’s innate ability to build community among different groups “so rare today.”
“You see all these things about diversity, equity, inclusion and all this stuff,” she said. “Here, it’s not even an issue. It’s not even discussed.”
The group is very open to female leadership, which is uncommon in other groups and clubs that are usually run by men.
Amanda Holan, another Alpha Team Leader, headed the group’s first-ever female-led ride in April.
“It was a little terrifying, but it was great. It was an amazing feeling to have that privilege,” Holan said.
She said she aspires to “tear down those standards” of male exclusivity in motorcycling by paving the way for other women, like a little girl who asked her to auto - graph a CUR poster after a ride in February.
Holan said she wants to tell all female riders, “If I can do it, you can do it, and you can do it better than me. I’m walking for you so you can run.”
Much like Holan, Dobija said he is laying the groundwork to someday pass the reins of CUR to an ambitious and deserving successor. But in the meantime, Dobija plans to continue the group’s innovation and inclusivity for decades to come.
“I want to reach more people. I want to touch more people’s lives. I want to help more people.”
Mike Dobija stands atop his bike while surrounded by CUR members during a Poncho Ride on the I-290 Highway on Saturday, May 2, 2026.
St.Vincent’s
D e J a M z
“Spinning freSh beatS Since 1581”
By Peyton Hopp Sports Editor
Something about me is that I love a good throwback song, especially as of late. I have a playlist titled “Let’s DANCE!” and, naturally, most songs on there are throwbacks. When curating the playlist, I rediscovered songs I’d completely forgotten about. In this DeJamz, I am going to reminisce on the songs that made up my childhood. Hopefully you will remember a song or two and add it to your playlist!
“TATTOOED HEART” BY ARIANA GRANDE
I have been an Ariana Grande fan since I first saw her on “Victorious.” The other day I decided to relisten to all of her albums. Her “Yours Truly” album brings back loads of nostalgia, especially this song. I love how the song starts off bubbly until Grande sings the chorus in an agonizing way, like she is in so much love that
she is almost in pain. I love it when an artist sings their heart out!
“BEGGIN’ ON YOUR KNEES” BY VICTORIA JUSTICE
Speaking of “Victorious,” I absolutely love this song. I grew up watching the show religiously and, I will not lie, some of their songs are bops. “Take a Hint,” “Best Friend’s Brother,” “Freak the Freak Out” and “Give It Up” are some honorable mentions, but this was the one song that constantly got stuck in my head and has remained until now. It’s a catchy song and the lyrics always give me a laugh. “I’ll have you crawling like a centipede” is an absolute bar.
“DJ GOT US FALLIN’ IN LOVE” BY USHER
Usher is the guy for throwback songs. I used to take hip-hop dance classes when I
was younger, and this was one of the songs I learned choreography for. If you asked me to recall the dance today, I could do a bit of it with no problem. On the way home from those classes, my mom and I would jam to this song on the radio, and we still do to this day.
“RIDIN’ SOLO” BY JASON DERULO
I mean, come on now, this is a classic. Jason Derulo was one artist I constantly heard on the radio back in the early 2010s. I heard this live at Jingle Ball in 2024 and it was everything I could’ve imagined. I’d gone to see another artist and forgot Jason Derulo would be there, so seeing him made my younger self so happy. I vowed my anthem of 2026 would be “Ridin’ Solo,” but I’m into someone now so … there’s that!
“LEAVIN’” BY JESSE MCCARTNEY
This is the oldest song I remember hyperfixating on. In kindergarten, I would listen to this as often as I could. My friend and I would beg to borrow my sister’s phone on the bus. And when my sister would give in, it would be on repeat for a good 20 minutes until the bus rolled around to our stop. Who knows why a song about a man wanting a girl he likes to leave her current boyfriend would be stuck in my head, but it sure is catchy!
LISTEN TO THE JAMZ ON SPOTIFY
Sports
I’m afraid of James Harden
By Jeremy Battle Director of Photography & Multimedia
I’ve never cared for James Harden. I’ve never cared for his style of aggressive, highlight reel basketball. I’ve never cared for his foul baiting that irreparably damaged the game. I’ve never cared for the way he disappears when it matters most. I’ve never cared for his beard.
Now he’s on my team.
On Feb. 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for James Harden. In case you aren’t in the loop, that’s like trading a brand-new Corvette for a banged-up Ferrari.
Garland was a fan favorite and one of the earliest bright spots for Cleveland basketball after Lebron James left in 2018. The city stuck by him when he started his career as statistically the worst player in the entire league and developed into an All-Star-caliber guard. He was shifty, effortlessly gliding past defenders and passing through the pockets no one else could find.
I don’t intend this to sound like a Darius Garland postmortem, but that’s how it feels. I hope he keeps balling, but playing for the Clippers is like being in basketball purgatory. He’s a hardworking player who always uplifts his teammates, and I feel like the team gave up on him.
After taking the Cavaliers to three
straight playoff appearances alongside costars Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, last year was anything but a fairy tale. Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers’ dark magic cut the Cavaliers short after a historic regular season, and Garland barely saw the court due to a toe injury.
But enter his replacement, James Harden, a man who’s been an All-Star 11 times, earned three scoring titles, been All-NBA eight times and won the MVP award in 2018.
Despite all the accolades, he’s never won a championship. His greatest claim to fame may be choking.
He shot an abysmally low 18% in the 2015 Western Conference Finals and in an elimination game against the Golden State Warriors. In 2017, he did the same against the San Antonio Spurs.
After 17 years in the league, Harden has yet to miss the playoffs, but he has nothing to show for it.
The problem with Harden isn’t that he’s terrible, it’s that you don’t know which version of him you’re getting. In his short time as a Cavalier, he’s already given Clevanders a front-row seat to the Harden experience. He’s put up performances that make me want to jump through the screen, and others that make me want to apologize for hating
him in the span of days.
When Cleveland got rid of Garland, they shortened their future. They traded a talented young guard for one 10 years his senior. It was a “win now” move made after years of stagnation. If the Harden gamble doesn’t pay off, they might blow everything up. It makes his unpredictability even more nerve-wracking.
Some players are just awful in the playoffs. I’ve enjoyed watching the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren put up nothing but horrible performances ever since April.
Harden is different; the stats don’t communicate how awful he’s capable of being. I
can tell you he had more turnovers than field goals in the first nine games of the playoffs, but even that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Above all else, I want to see my favorite team win, but Harden’s legacy is on the line and I think he knows that. He knows that if he doesn’t lock in now, he’ll forever be known as the guy who couldn’t get it done.
Maybe pairing him with Donovan Mitchell, an incredible player who’s never been past the second round of the playoffs, was the right choice.
They’re both hungry and have chips on their shoulders. I hope those chips carry them to a championship.
Peyton’s Power Hour: Anyone can play sports!
Peyton Hopp Sports Editor
Sports have always been a big part of my family’s identity. My mother grew up a cheerleader and was surrounded by hockey most of her life thanks to her brothers. My dad did not play any sports, but he always looked forward to grabbing his copy of the Sports Illustrated magazine on Thursdays when he was younger. Naturally, my siblings and I took on the sports gene that my parents handed down.
My brother, Alex, is the only one who currently plays sports. I was immersed into the Special Olympics world when he first participated in 2016. My family and I all showed up in matching “Team Ogden Special Olympics” shirts and we were slathered in sunscreen to combat the boiling sun beaming down on us.
In his first ever event, he earned a bronze medal in speed walking. About an hour later, he threw up just outside of our family car.
Despite him getting sick, it was a moment that my family and I always reminisce on. My mom, sister and I were screaming louder than we ever had because my brother had squeezed his way into getting a medal.
participating in the Special Olympics.
You have to be part of a public school or park district in order to participate, so Alex stopped once he graduated high school.
In October 2024, he moved into Misericordia, an assisted living home for adults with special needs. Since then, he has been doing the Special Olympics as much as he can.
He has gotten 17 medals and 10 rib-
bons throughout the years in events like basketball skills, soccer skills, softball throw and speed walking.
Watching my brother light up after something as simple as kicking a soccer ball, sinking a basket or power walking across the finish line fills me with pure joy.
On May 1, Alex participated in the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics at Soldier Field. Not many people are
able to say they have walked on Soldier Field, so I am quite jealous of him. Even though I was not able to attend, seeing his exuberant energy through photos my mom sent to my family made my day.
After he participates in events, his first words to us are always: “I’m tired.”
Moments like these remind me that anyone can play sports. We always see superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Victor Wembanyama and Lionel Messi, but we forget that normal, average people can play as well.
I quit sports at a young age because I had coaches who made it obvious that they did not want to coach young girls who were trying to give sports a shot.
The Special Olympics motto is: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
I wish I had heard this quote before I quit playing sports because it is a reminder that you are still allowed to have fun even if you fail. Whether you get a gold medal or do not place at all, it is still fun and a great opportunity to play.
Seeing how excited Alex gets over a ribbon or medal brings a smile to my face.
The Special Olympics may not receive the same spotlight as professional sports, but because of Alex, it will always have a special place in my heart.
DUANE BURLESON / AP PHOTO
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden goes to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half in Game 5 of a second-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Detroit.
PEYTON HOPP / THE DEPAULIA
Peyton Hopp, Alex Hopp and Spencer Hopp pose for a photo at the Special Olympics on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. This was Alex’s first time
Welsh, DePaul’s first ever
at
on Monday, May 4, 2026,
Katelyn Welsh: DePaul’s first-ever women’s pole vaulter
By Cristian Núñez Contributing Writer publishing.
The smallest change in wind can cause problems in pole vaulting, especially outdoors. Even a slight breeze on approach can cause a vaulter to bail.
Having to deal with the elements and other challenges has been a common theme for Katelyn Welsh, 21, a graduate student, athlete and a person. Welsh is DePaul’s first female pole vaulter since the university added women’s track and field in 1982.
“I don’t want to disappoint the people who invested so much into me, and I want to be a good teammate, and I want to be able to contribute,” she said.
Welsh’s interest in pole vaulting came as a surprise to her. She may have chosen a different sport had it not been for a crush she had on a boy her freshman year of high school.
“I had been a diver, a gymnast, and I did the high jump,” Welsh said. “So I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll try it,’ and I realized pretty quickly that I was pretty good.”
Welsh attended the University of Rhode Island for her undergrad. Looking to pursue book publishing as her major, she said there were not that many schools that offered it. So she started searching deeper, eventually sending an email to a coach at DePaul asking, “Do you want a pole vaulter?”
“The reason I chose DePaul was because it was the only program that I could vault at,” Welsh said.
But the publishing side was just as important to her. She noted that love of reading and writing inspired her desire to get a job in
“My mom used to have to take away my books from me at night,” Welsh said. “And she felt like she was being a bad mom for having to take my books away.”
Welsh is now a graduate student who is pursuing a master’s in writing and publishing.
David Thompson, a DePaul track and field coach, received Welsh’s email along with some videos of her performances. He said he saw something in them.
“You’ll see a lot of different things that pole vaulters and jumpers may do outside of their primary sport and track and field, so getting that video gives you a bigger picture of what type of athlete they are,” Thompson said.
Once he received the video, he knew Welsh was someone he wanted to recruit.
The connection between coach and athlete was established early on, as both Welsh and Thompson are Washington natives who lived near Seattle.
Thompson was aware that recruiting a “first” athlete of any kind would come with some struggles. But as the recruitment process progressed, he felt confident that Welsh would thrive with that title.
“She’s really mature for her age. She’s had a lot of experience,” Thompson said. “She can handle this type of new experience that DePaul is undertaking.”
That maturity showed early on, when Welsh graduated from high school early. She then participated in a program that allowed her to attend college earlier and finished her
undergrad at age 19.
There were challenges when preparing for a pole vaulter at DePaul. Thompson had to consider the budget and logistics for the poles that Welsh would need to compete.
Welsh said that Thompson knew what she needed for equipment and drills to run. “He knew what workouts worked best for me,” she said. DePaul had also worked out a plan to shuttle Welsh to the facilities that provided her with space to practice her sport, like Gately Park and Chicago Hope Academy.
Now, after starting at DePaul in the fall quarter, Welsh’s days are a constant balancing act between school, work and being a Division I athlete. Her mornings often start with her job at a coffee shop, where she opens the store as a barista.
“I wake up at 5 a.m. to go to work and take the bus back to campus to change and get ready for practice,” Welsh said. “We jump for an hour and a half, head back to campus to lift, do homework, and have class at night from 6 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.”
This hard work doesn’t go unnoticed by her teammates.
Amelia Barrington, a junior at DePaul, is a high jumper for the track team and sees Welsh as a positive influence on the team.
“She’s truly such a wonderful friend and person,” Barrington said. “She always puts people above herself.”
They’ve also bonded over a love of books. Welsh’s most recent read was “The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai, while Barrington is currently reading the second in Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing” series, “Iron Flame.”
Barrington said she appreciates how Welsh celebrates her teammates’ achievements with them.
Even with all the positives, it hasn’t always been easy. Welsh said she suffered from a mental block from the pressure of being DePaul’s first-ever woman pole vaulter.
“It really hit me at the beginning of the year, especially because they had bought me all new poles,” Welsh said. “It obviously costs money to ship poles to meets. It costs money to have us at a facility where we can jump.”
This pressure affected her results in the field as well.
“It was not a very good mindset to be in, because at the end of the day, everyone wants you to do well.”
Her coaches recommended that she speak to a sports psychologist, and Welsh said that it helped both “for thinking positively” and for being more aware of her body position when she wasn’t clearing her first jumps.
Welsh said the psychologist “got me in the right place to just jump for fun, because that’s why I’m here.”
It’s not unlike the wind Welsh often faces when getting ready to jump. But Thompson is proud of the adjustments she continues to make.
“It took us some time to get there and get over the hiccups,” he said. “But I think it says more about her mental makeup and approach than anything.”
Katelyn
women’s pole vaulter, prepares to jump
practice
at the Hope Student Athletic Center. Welsh works on her jump process and her mindset during practice.
