Bridgerton’s ball experience comes to Chicago, transporting visitors to the regency era
The DePaul won back-toback Big East titles on Sunday, Page 28.
DePaulia
The
Volume #106 | Issue #22 | April 25, 2022 | depauliaonline.com
July 1, 2017
A. Gabriel Esteban assumes the role of presidency. He became the first lay president
EVALUATING ESTEBAN
Oct. 8, 2018
At State of the University, Esteban talks 2024 strategic plan, budget changes
March 11, 2020
DePaul shifts all classes to online as Covid-19 cases grow
March 3, 2021
Fifth racial discrimination lawsuit filed in the previous three years
June 14, 2021 DePaul announces that Esteban will step down after the 2021-22 academic year
RYAN GILROY | THE DEPAULIA
President A. Gabriel Esteban gives a speech during his 2019 State of the University address. Esteban is stepping down at the end of June.
DePaul’s president is on his way out, the university needs stronger leadership
T
he clock is ticking. Time is winding down. In two months, A. Gabriel Esteban will officially step down from his position as DePaul’s president after serving in this role for five years. With Esteban’s departure fast approaching, DePaul made a promise in March to the university community that it plans to hire his successor by the end of April — according to Judy Greffin, the chair of the presidential search committee. That date, too, is fast approaching. But before DePaul decides who the next university president will be, The DePaulia wanted to reflect on the Esteban years. Before running this editorial, our initial plan was to talk to university officials and Faculty Council leadership about how they viewed Esteban’s tenure and turn the discussion into a news story. Nobody opted to share their feelings. This week, The DePaulia planned to publish a story evaluating Esteban’s tenure with a broad scope. We wanted to ask the questions, “What did he do well? What could he have done better?” We reached out to 10 members of faculty and staff councils by email to hear their thoughts.
By DePaulia Editorial Board We didn’t ask faculty to criticize or take shots at Esteban but share their honest assessment of his tenure. To us, it’s telling that none of the faculty we contacted had anything they wanted to say on the record, with one replying, “I do not see much upside in criticizing someone when they are leaving.” Well, The DePaulia believes there is a point in evaluating a president who presided over this university since 2017 and implemented drastic change during his tenure. When Esteban was hired in 2017, he laid out a six-year plan — Grounded in Mission — with specific goals and targets that he wanted DePaul to achieve by 2024. These goals are categorized by mission, diversity, student success, access, excellence, and fiscal strength. By our count, DePaul is only on track to achieve six of the 23 goals laid out in Esteban’s Grounded in Mission plan by 2024, according to the most recent report; three of those six pertaining specifically to finances. In some cases — for example, student success — DePaul is below the baseline percentage that it has set in its plan. “From day one of my presidency, my primary focus has been the mission – serving the marginalized and helping students of all backgrounds reach their
full potential,” Esteban said in a statement to The DePaulia two weeks ago. “That strong focus allowed us to do great things.” The first-year student retention rate declined in the first two years below the 86 percent baseline rate that DePaul has set on its website. The four-year graduation rate has also declined from the 60 percent baseline rate to 58 percent in the last three years. DePaul also set a final target of 85 percent for students participating in internships, but the university currently sits at 58 percent — 2 percent lower than the baseline. In an interview with The DePaulia in 2018, Esteban said one of his goals for the university was to increase enrollment. From 2017-2020, DePaul saw a decrease in undergraduate enrollment, with the university recording just a 1.1 percent increase in 2021. All of that has transpired while DePaul’s endowment and revenue has grown under Esteban. Recently, DePaul’s endowment reached over $1 billion, according to Esteban. The university is also raising tuition by 2-3 percent for the next academic year. “The endowment recently hit $1
See EDITORIAL, page 13
2 | News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
First Look
CAMPUS COVID-19 CASES March 11, 2022 - April 29, 2022
The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Lawrence Kreymer eic@depauliaonline.com PRINT MANAGING | Nika Schoonover managing@depauliaonline.com ONLINE MANAGING | Nate Burleyson online@depauliaonline.com NEWS EDITOR | Nadia Hernandez news@depauliaonline.com ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Kiersten Riedford news@depauliaonline.com NATION & WORLD EDITOR | Jackson Healy nation@depauliaonline.com OPINIONS EDITOR | Erik Uebelacker opinion@depauliaonline.com FOCUS EDITOR | Josephine Stratman focus@depauliaonline.com ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Amber Stoutenborough artslife@depauliaonline.com ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Lilly Keller artslife@depauliaonline.com
SOURCE: COVID-19 DASHBOARD | DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
Visit the Covid-19 Dashboard for information on how to report positive cases on campus.
SPORTS EDITOR | Darcy Waskiewicz sports@depauliaonline.com ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | Joshua M. Hicks sports@depauliaonline.com ART EDITOR | Alicia Goluszka art@depauliaonline.com PHOTO CHIEF | Emily Soto photo@depauliaonline.com ASST. PHOTO CHIEF | Sofia Leal photo@depauliaonline.com COPY EDITORS | Luke Myers & Corey Schmidt copydesk@depauliaonline.com SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | Lily Lowndes social@depauliaonline.com ADVISOR | Marla Krause mkrause1@depaul.edu
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. JEFA DE REDACCIÓN | JACQUELINE CARDENAS eicladepaulia@depauliaonline.com GERENTE EDITORIAL | SANTIAGO POSADAJARAMILLO managingladepaulia@depauliaonline.com EDITOR DE OPINIONES, ARTE Y VIDA | ANDREA JUAREZ opinionesladepaulia@depauliaonline.com EDITORA DE MULTIMEDIA | VANESSA RAMOS multimedialadepaulia@ depauliaonline.com ASISTENTE EDITORA DE MULTIMEDIA | FRANKIE PEREZ assistantmedialadepaulia@depauliaonline. com PODCAST PRODUCER | GEOVANI CAMARENA TRANSLATOR | RODRIGO MELGAREJO
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Rallying for the Reader
News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 3
Meeting with union and owners canceled, no reschedule set By Nadia Hernandez News Editor
Negotiations between Len Goodman, Chicago Reader co-owner and DePaul adjunct professor, and the Chicago Reader Union have stalled. After the Chicago Reader Union’s rally on Thursday, Goodman agreed to meet with co-owner Elzie Higginbottom and his lawyer. However, Goodman told his lawyer to cancel the meeting after learning Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor would be present. The union is organizing a “Work from (Len’s) Home” on Thursday April 28 where union members will work outside Goodman’s home in Lakeview — the same location the previous rally was held at Wellington Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. “We already knew that we might have to potentially escalate and [we are] figuring out how we can keep the momentum that we have,” said Yazmin Zacaria Mikhaiel, Reader union member and audience engagement manager. “You can expect reader staffers to show up and do their jobs in front of Len’s home.” The rally will be a visual representation of what the Reader does day-to-day. “To keep the momentum going and make sure that Len knows that he’s impacting us on the day-to-day,” Mikhaiel said. “Showing up to his home so he can witness that is the most visual representation of us doing our jobs.” There are 17 members of the Chicago Reader Union, all members of the Reader’s editorial staff. At the rally on Thursday, union chair Philip Montoro told The DePaulia that Goodman had not formally communicated with him. Kelly Garcia, a Reader staff writer, leader of the Racial Justice Reporting Hub and DePaul alum, spoke to the crowd about how her work continues to be stalled by Goodman’s actions. “The racial justice reporting hub can’t stand on the shoulders of one person,” she said during her speech. “I was promised an editor and more writers. But we’ve not been able to do that because we’re dealing with a man-made crisis, a Len Goodman-made crisis.” The union also created two open letters in support of the Chicago Reader Union, one for professional journalists and the second for artists and artist organizations. Over 50 organizations have signed the artist organization letter and nearly 400 journalists have signed as well. “But not only did we have good support from our brothers and sisters in the unions, but we had community support, support from our collaborators from the other journalistic institutions,” Montoro said at the rally. “We’re building an ecosystem, something sustainable because it’s real hard to go it alone these days.” Co-signers ranged from freelancers to journalists from the Chicago Tribune and past Reader employees. “I think that critical mass of folks speaks to the impact that the Reader has had, and what would be lost in the city for a newspaper with this legacy and grit to just cease to exist,” Mikhaiel said. There has not been an update about another negotiation meeting. 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez told The DePaulia about the importance
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Alderman of the 35th Ward, said The Reader helped him navigate Chicago as a young Hispanic queer man.
of standing behind the Reader union. “It’s critical for us as a community as a city to make sure that we get behind the unionized staff,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “Fifty-year-year legacy of independence on the ground, grassroots journalism cannot be jeopardized just because Mr. Goodman has a difference of opinion.” On April 13, Goodman published a column about being wary of fact checkers and claimed that the Reader staff tried to censor him after he expressed concerns for vaccinating his children for Covid-19. “There’s approximately 36 reporters — independent reporters — who should not see their great work jeopardized just because there is a millionaire who has a different agenda,” Sigcho-Lopez said. Sigcho-Lopez spoke at the rally about how the Reader has impacted Chicago and why the city needs independent journalism. “As an elected official who looks and sees the importance of independent journalism, that is really coming to a community that is really investing in journalists, for more communities that expose these issues who write in detail in that is something that is really rare, and you’ll be really sad to see that going away or being jeopardized,” Sigcho-Lopez said. The Reader staff continues to publish amidst the dispute. They are also celebrating their 50 year anniversary. “We are still working,” Mikhaiel said. “I think that’s something that’s been maybe unclear during this time of mobilization for us, [is] that the paper is still going out. We’re still going to print. We still have day-to-day operations of staffers as well as putting the pressure on to save our newspaper.” As one of the last free alternative biweekly newspapers in Chicago, the
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Don V. Villar, secretary of the Chicago Federation of Labor, speaks with Scabby the Rat.
Reader is able to reach the community, even those who do not have access to the news or internet. “The amount of resources that exist within the pages is so crucial to the fabric of the city and supporting Chicagoans who potentially don’t even have access to the internet, don’t have access to different kinds of services — having a hub like the Reader in print that is still accessible is necessary to keep our city going and for folks to stay informed about what’s happening in their city,” Mikhaiel said. The Reader has limited time until they cannot sustain their for-profit status. “The Reader is our home, and if you care about the people that are in your home, you take care of them,” Mikhaiel added.
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Jesse Sharkey, Chicago Teachers Union President, speaks out about union solidarity. Other unions like United Steel Workers were present at the rally.
4 | News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
From warehouse to doorstep: Students popularize grocery delivery app By Madison Comeau Contributing Writer
Snapchat ads, billboards and buses all over Chicago read “Get $25 off your first order!” The word “Getir” is plastered on stickers, walls and even appears on YouTube ads. Getir, a grocery delivery service, rapidly filled students’ advertisements and pantries around the DePaul campus. It attracts students because of its hefty discounts. But whether these discounts and their customers stick around is a lingering question. The app was founded by Nazim Salur and launched in Turkey in July 2015, according to Getir. The idea was to provide people with “their everyday needs in around 10 minutes,” Getir’s website says. It adapted to Chicago’s fast-paced nature on Nov. 11, 2021. The app utilizes restock centers — warehouses that hold massive quantities of products offered on the app — around the city where the delivery employees bike to pick up items for the orders. The bikers then deliver the orders to the customers, which largely consists of DePaul students. “It’s expensive to hold inventory,” said Jacqueline Kuehl, the head of DePaul’s digital marketing program, about these restock centers. Kuehl said the company is not able to both sustain the restock centers as well as
MADISON COMEAU | THE DEPAULIA
A CTA bus advertises Getir, a grocery delivery app gaining popularity among students.
provide hefty discounts. “[It’s] not profitable, that’s for sure,” Kuehl said. “You can’t offer all that and be the cheapest on the market,” Kuehl said, predicting the discounts that draw DePaul students to Getir will not last for long. She said that “they are trying to buy it as a habit,” explaining why the business is pouring money into the discounts early on in its Chicago launch. DePaul freshman Gaja Majauskaite is a loyal customer to the app. She said she downloaded the app in February and uses
it “at least once a week.” However, she noticed her discounts are trickling away. “The prices feel higher,” Majauskaite said when comparing Getir to other options such as nearby grocery stores or other delivery apps. She said she does not plan to continue to use the app if the discounts continue to shrink. Compared to Instacart the prices are similar and at times Getir offers the cheapest option. For example, a two liter bottle of Coca-Cola costs $2.99 on Getir but it is $3.09 when ordered from Jewel-Osco on
Instacart. The only downfall for many students buying from these services is the minimum requirement when buying goods. Instacart requires a $10 order cost minimum to place an order whereas Getir requires a $15 order cost minimum. Kuehl said this depends on “how much people are willing to pay for sustainability.” All Getir purchases are delivered on bikes as opposed to cars. The deliveries also come in reusable bags instead of plastic or paper bags. First-year DePaul student Alex Perez said environmental impact isn’t the first thing he thinks about when ordering from these services. “But I like the reusable bags,” Perez said. Majauskaite said she considers the environmental impact of places she chooses to buy from when she is ordering. “At first I thought it was great that they promoted reusable bags,” Majauskaite said. “But then I noticed how many of those bags they give out. Reusable bags need to be used at least 50 times in order for their environmental benefits to be realized.” If Getir will be around four years from now with a new cycle of students, Kuehl said that it remains to be seen. “Business always comes down to the same thing,” Kuehl said. “‘What is your value proposition?’ or the unique draw to a business and ‘What are people willing to pay for it?’” Although students have already seen the value in the short wait times, what they are willing to pay beyond the discounts is not yet known.
CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: April 13, 2022 - April 19, 2022 LOOP CAMPUS
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS
Centennial Hall
Ozanam Hall
1
2
DePaul Art Museum 3
Corcoran Hall
5
4
Munroe Hall
7
5
Lewis Center
6
DePaul Center
7
6
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS April 13 1) Public Safety received information regarding a Criminal Sexual Assault that occurred in Centennial Hall on April 4th. April 15 2) An Illegal Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor report was filed in Ozanam Hall. 3) A Disturbance was reported at the Art Museum. April 16 4) A Disorderly Conduct report was filed in the Corcoran Hall lobby. April 18 5) A Confiscated Drug Paraphernalia report was filed in Munroe Hall.
Assault & Theft
6
Drug & Alcohol
April 19 6) A Harassment by Electronic Means report was filed for a person in Munroe Hall.
Other
LOOP CAMPUS April 15 6) A Robbery report was filed regarding an incident in the alley behind DePaul Center. A Safety Alert was issued regarding the incident. 7) A Disorderly Conduct report was filed in the Lewis Center.
News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 5
Barnes and Noble worker threatened with unkown weapon
SOFIA LEAL | THE DEPAULIA
A Chicago police officer sits in his squad car in front of the State Street entrance of the DePaul Center where Barnes & Noble employees were threatened earlier this month.
By Nadia Hernandez News Editor
An unidentified offender was arrested at the DePaul Center for harassing Barnes & Noble employees with an undisclosed weapon on April 6. The DePaulia was given these records a week after the incident occurred and Public Safety said it did not qualify for a DPU Alert. “An Aggravated Assault report was filed regarding an incident in which an offender threatened Barnes & Noble employees with a weapon in the DePaul Center,” according to the weekly Campus Crime Report from April 6 to April 12 said. “Chicago Police arrived on scene and took the offender into custody.” Public Safety declined to comment or provide details about when the incident occurred, what kind of weapon was used during the harassment and when CPD arrived. Lynn Safranek, a DePaul spokesperson, said DPU Alerts are determined on a case-by-case basis. “In general, Public Safety does not issue a timely warning if the offender is apprehended and the threat of imminent danger for members of the community has been mitigated by the apprehension,” Safranek said in a statement to The DePaulia. DePaul spokesperson Kristin Mathews also said that these issues were determined by a case-by-case basis. “The underlying principle in distributing timely warnings is to distribute the relevant information to the appropriate people quickly and effectively,” she said in a statement to The DePaulia in March. “Decisions about whether to issue a timely warning, the information to include in a timely warning, and the form in which a timely warning will be issued, will be made on a case-by-case basis by Public Safety, in light of the relevant circumstances.” DPU Alerts is an alert notification system for emergencies around campus and can contact students through email, phone and message. This is the second incident where Public Safety did not qualify weapons on campus as a threat to the community, after another un-
identified offender brought a gun in the Daley Building in the Loop campus. “There hasn’t been a ton of crime happening inside of DePaul buildings or inside classroom environments,” said Cole Kitchens, Student Government Association senator for Driehaus College of Business. “The majority has been commuting to class and around that area.” DePaul recently implemented an inter-campus shuttle between Lincoln Park and the Loop for students who do not feel comfortable taking the CTA trains or buses in the late afternoon or evening. “It’s understandable that we do live in a city, it’s one of the largest cities in the United States,” Kitchens said. “Exposure to crime is going to be inevitable; however, I think that preventing it as much as possible, especially on campus grounds, is extremely important.” Avery Schoenhals, SGA senator for the College of Communication, said he wants Public Safety to be more transparent about when these incidents occur. “Start with communicating these types of incidents as they happen and not hours later, or in this most recent case, I believe it was actually almost 24 hours later that any notification was sent out,” Schoenhals said. An armed robbery occurred to a DePaul Center restaurant employee on April 15 around 10 p.m., according to a Public Safety alert. The alert was sent out about an hour later at 11 p.m. to students. The Crime Reporting and Clery Act Compliance policy reports that the Director of Public Safety will determine crime alerts on a case by case basis. Currently, Bob Wachowski, DePaul’s director of public safety, is “is responsible for ensuring that a timely warning is issued to the university community.” “There’s really no information that they’ve put out there as to what criteria you are using to determine what case gets what kind of notification,” Schoenhals said. “It’s great that we get the public safety alerts that we do, that needs to come a lot quicker.” Kitchens said he would be interested in Public Safety releasing why they don’t issue alerts for major incidents such as the weapon.
SOFIA LEAL | THE DEPAULIA
Two people walk into the Barnes & Noble at the main entrance of the DePaul Center. Public Safety did not disclose what kind of weapon was used by the offender.
“There’s really no information that they’ve put out there as to what criteria you are using to determine what case gets what kind of notification.
Avery Schoenhals
Senator for College of Communication “I very much trust Public Safety’s judgment and when recording crime on campus and in their efforts of crime prevention,” he said. “I wouldn’t say they would have to issue a reason for everything, but for ones that are that are more serious crimes that occur. There should be a reason why they didn’t issue a DPU alert.” The reasoning would also have been timely as well. “The timeliness of those notifications
would help people make those decisions for themselves,” Schoenhals said. “I wouldn’t want anybody to be put in a situation scared about an ongoing situation, but at the same time, any information is better than no information.” Public Safety has not released any more information about the incident.
6 | News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 7
DAB celebrates Earth Day at Student Center By Kiersten Riedford Asst. News Editor
The sound of chatter and giggling echo throughout the Lincoln Park Student Center on Earth Day. Smiles are on the faces of students who file in line to pot small succulents. Divvy spokespeople talk to students about the $5 student deal for annual bike usage, to which students drop their jaws at. Students fill plates with fresh fruit that lay out across long tables. DePaul Activities Board (DAB) hosted an Earth Day event on April 22. The event was geared to bring the Earth Day experience indoors since rain poured down throughout most of the day. Ankit Pal, DAB president and senior, said the board tries to put on events like this to spark change. With this event Pal said the board wanted students to be able to learn how to become more sustainable. “One of my goals this year as president was to create experiences that students couldn’t otherwise get,” Pal said. “So the first week of school, [there was a] Ferris wheel on campus. The point of this is if you can’t afford to go to [Navy Pier and ride the] ferris wheel, we can bring something to you. Sometimes you can’t go out and explore some of these things. And so we’re trying to create those experiences on campus. And so Earth Day is one of those things. Not everybody has a garden, right? So we can create that.” DePaul student Monique Rivera said she grabbed a friend and went to the event so she and her friend could pot a succulent. Rivera said she loves plants and caring for them. “[I like how this event is] helping people be more aware about plant life,” Rivera said. “A lot of this stuff here is
biodegradable like I know the forks [we are using for the fruit are]. And we have Divvy here so [they are teaching people that] instead of taking a car or public transportation you can ride around in a bike, which I think is very cool.” Divvy spokesperson Nyya Flores Toussaint said Divvy bikes are a great representation of how to be sustainable when commuting as a student. “They are a great way for us to think about saving the environment, right?” Flores Toussaint said. “It is Earth Day. And rather than grabbing a Lyft or an Uber, we can jump on a bike.” Flores Toussaint said another benefit to the bikes is their affordability, which is what the Divvy spokespeople were trying to make students aware of at the event. Flores Toussaint said Divvy has a program that is accommodating to people who are low-income or students. He said the bikes only cost $5 for an entire year of use of unlimited 45 minute bike rides. “What I love about [the bikes] is that we share them,” Flores Toussaint said. “I think that’s really cool. It’s really a sense of camaraderie and community [when we] share these bikes. I think that’s a really powerful thing, especially as we think of less waste and being a little bit more minimalistic in our lives, how we can share things.” Pal said he encourages students to take advantage of the various affordable ways students can become more sustainable on campus. Pal said this event is a tradition and it will continue in future years. He said he looks forward to seeing what future students will do to continue making the university and themselves become more sustainable.
EMILY SOTO | THE DEPAULIA Two students plant succelents in the Lincoln Park Student Center on Earth Day on April 22.
EMILY SOTO | THE DEPAULIA Divvy spokespeople talk to students about the sustainable benefits of using Divvy bikes.
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8 | News. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
Clothesline project exhibit to be presented Tuesday By Nadia Hernandez News Editor
The Clothesline Project Exhibit will be presented at DePaul this Tuesday. The DePaul Division of Student Affairs, Student Government Association and the Women’s Center are collaborating to get DePaul students involved. The exhibit will be held in the Lincoln Park Student Center’s Center Atrium from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Clothesline is a interactive exhibit where survivors of sexual violence decorate a shirt to physically represent their experience. It helps attendees visualize the national statistics on sexual violence “that often go ignored.” This is the first time Clothesline will be at DePaul. Previously during April which is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month, DePaul has held events raising awareness about sexual violence in different communities and offering support. Students can pick up shirts to decorate in the Women’s Center in the SAC or Health Promotion & Wellness (HPW) office. Clothesline values the experience of survivors to be vulnerable so they do not interfere with the shirts. “Every shirt on display reflects the personal experience of its creator and may contain graphic material including: swear words, explicit violent or sexual descriptions, drug references, or other statements surrounding the trauma the individual faced,” according to Clothesline project. “Because our goal is to break the silence of violence, we do not censor the shirts. We support and encourage survivors in their healing process.” Currently, Clothesline has about 2,000
t-shirts. Each year they gain about 20-30, according to their website. The exhibit started in the ‘90s when a member of Cape Cod’s Women’s Defense Agenda discovered women being killed by their romantic partners. “The first Clothesline Project originated in Hyannis, Massachusetts, in 1990 when a member of the Cape Cod’s Women’s Defense Agenda learned that during the same time 58,000 soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War, 51,000 U.S. women were killed by the men who claimed to love them,” according to their website. Different shirt colors represent different experiences. White shirts symbolize someone who has died because of violence while yellow represents someone who is a survivor of physical or domestic violence, according to Clothesline. There are 11 colors of shirts survivors can decorate. About every minute, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, according to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Another interactive part of the exhibit is the background sounds. These are intentional because they represent how often violence occurs. There will be a gong, whistle and bell. They indicate someone being battered, rape being reported and when someone dies of a violent attack, according to Clothesline. These sounds emphasize the frequency of these incidents. Once students have decorated their t-shirt, they can turn it into the HPW Office or Women’s center but they must do it by Monday April 25 to have it presented the following day.
CLOTHESLINE PROJECT EXHIBITION | SOURCE
News. The DePaulia. April 18, 2022 | 9
SGA scholarship will be established in fall
Register for graduation by April 27 Reserve guest tickets in Campus Connect by April 27 Purchase regalia through Herff Jones by April 27 DEPAUL RESOURCES WEBSITE | SOURCE
500 400 300 200 100 0
Year
2017
2018
2019
2020
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
917 first-generation students
600
952 first-generation students
700
869 first-generation students
800
846 first-generation students
900
2021
DEPAUL INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND MARKET ANALYTICS | SOURCE
“The whole basis of this scholarship was to create some kind of equitable scholarship funding for first generation college students so they can access more opportunities here at DePaul.”
Sergio Godinez
SGA Senator for First Generation students “Looking long-term, I hope that this scholarship sets up a path that DePaul can follow,” Godinez said. “Within my next couple of years here at DePaul, I want to ensure that this scholarship is not the only one that’s offered for first generation college students.”
The details of the Student Government Association Academic Resource Scholarship are not yet finalized, but it should be available to students in Fall quarter of 2022.
Shuttle Bus Schedule Lincoln Park 4 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 5 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9 p.m. 9:30 p.m.
Loop
Departing Schedule
Graduation Reminders
1000
844 first-generation students
DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) released further details this week for the “Student Government Association Academic Resource Scholarship,” a new incentive designed to benefit first generation college students. The scholarship will be available to first generation undergraduate or graduate students at DePaul, according to SGA Vice President Kevin Holechko. Its goal is to help cover the cost of textbooks and other extra academic costs these students may face. “We wanted to take a practical approach and work to actually do something that will make a difference on campus,” Holechko wrote in an email to The DePaulia. “We decided that we wanted to help with one of those hidden costs that are not talked about in higher education.” Holechko said the precise number of recipients, as well as how much financial aid will be provided, is still unknown. “That information is still being worked on with our partners in the Office of Multicultural Student Success (OMSS) and student affairs,” he wrote. Approximately one in three students at DePaul are considered “first generation,” defined as the first in their families to earn a college degree, per Newsline. Nationally, only 27 percent of these students actually attain their degrees within four years, significantly less than their continuing generation peers. “There’s definitely a lot of educational, economic, and social barriers that first generation college students face across the board,” said Sergio Godinez, SGA’s Senator for First Generation Students. “The whole basis of this scholarship was to create some kind of equitable scholarship funding for first generation college students so they can access more opportunities here at DePaul.” While the exact dollar amount of the scholarship is still unknown, Godinez said the scholarship can be used to cover a variety of academic costs, including the study abroad program. “A lot of first generation families are also low-income families, so study abroad is not always affordable for them. The scholarship can be used towards that,” Godinez said. “It can be used towards getting textbooks; it can cover transportation costs.”
First-generation students by incoming class
Departing Schedule
Opinions Editor
SGA’s scholarship is in partnership with DePaul’s OMSS. The office already houses Generation Success, an initiative tasked at supporting first generation students at DePaul by connecting them with scholarships, internships and other opportunities. “Picking OMSS seemed like a no-brainer decision to us,” Godinez said. “They’re dedicated to supporting first generation college students, so it seemed like a perfect pairing. We’re glad that OMSS took up the opportunity with us.” As a first generation student himself, Godinez understands the struggles that many of his peers endure when coming to college. “I’m a sophomore, so my freshman year was fully online,” he said. “Going through the pandemic education, then having to transition back to in-person learning as a first-gen student, you start to notice some issues. I thought, ‘It’d be really great to know where this was,’ or, ‘It’d be really great to have access to these opportunities.’” It’s this experience that drove Godinez to represent his fellow first generation students for SGA and push for opportunities like the scholarship. Cost of attendance is an important factor for 97 percent of prospective college students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. For freshman first-gen student Carolyn Espinoza, it’s why she chose DePaul in the first place. “I watched my parents struggle a lot, so as I grew up, I realized that I did want to go to college and build that education in my family,” she said. “DePaul just met my financial needs, so I ultimately chose to come here.” Espinoza said that she hadn’t heard of SGA’s new scholarship until now. But she is excited to see how it could benefit first generation students like herself. “I know when I was graduating high school, there were a lot of kids in my class that were struggling to make ends meet,” Espinoza said. “I was struggling to choose a college because I didn’t know what was possible for me to pay. I know [the scholarship] could help other students out. It’s just one less stressor that they need to think about.” Now that she knows about the opportunity, Espinoza said that she’ll “for sure” be looking into applying when it becomes available. Godinez is encouraged by the potential for the scholarship. But for him, this is just the beginning.
Numnber of first-generation students
By Erik Uebelacker
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10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
Nation & World
Masking mayhem
Federal judge voids mask mandate for airlines, public transportation
JOHN SPINK | ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION VIA AP Crowds of the masked and the unmasked went through the security line at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
By Jackson Healy Nation & World Editor
Across the U.S., passengers have expressed a mix of delight and alarm after a federal judge in Florida abruptly struck down the federal Covid-19 mask mandate for public transportation and airlines. The April 18 ruling states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to justify its decision and engaged in improper procedure when imposing the mandate. Under the Public Health Service Act of 1944, the CDC is allowed to impose measures related to “inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination [and] destruction of animals” in order to prevent the spread of disease. According to the ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, the CDC’s mask mandate does not sufficiently fall under any such category, and thus, enforcement of the mandate was deemed unconstitutional. However, several legal scholars have since criticized Mizelle’s reasoning, arguing that she relied on excessively narrow interpretations of the law to justify her ruling. “What she fails to take into consideration is that the statute also says, ‘and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary,’” said Richard Weinmeyer, a doctoral candidate at Northwestern University. “So, masks really fall into these other measures, and she fails to consider this at all.” Mizelle also ruled the CDC failed to provide sufficient reasoning for the mask mandate’s creation and enforcement, arguing that the mandate is “arbitrary and capricious” as a result. Again, a number of legal experts have criticized this reasoning. “Since there was so much information out already at the time that this was promulgated, you would expect the gov-
“It’s very confusing for people — I’m confused myself.”
Josh Hoffpauir
Student, 21, Drexel University, Philadelphia ernment would probably not put quite as much verbiage into the statement that it makes imposing the mandate,” said Mark Weber, a law professor at DePaul. The Justice Department said Wednesday it would appeal Mizelle’s decision following a CDC statement arguing that the federal mandate “remains necessary for the public health.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit will hear the case, and the case could also end up before the Supreme Court — both of which lean conservative. Whether the courts side with Mizelle or the Justice Department won’t only impact the CDC’s Covid-19 mask mandate, though — the decision could permanently decrease the CDC’s authority to act against the spread of disease. “The statute specifies certain things that the CDC can do with regard to the control of communicable disease, and [the argument is] it’s going far beyond what it should be able to do,” Weinmeyer said. “And so, the real concern going forward is that, should the 11th Circuit side in the reasoning of Judge Mizelle, that’s a real strike against the CDC — limiting its authority, limiting its power to act in these types of emergencies. And that presents a real challenge, not only for this pandemic, but for future pandemics going forward.” Across the country, the sudden shift in policy has perplexed a number of
Americans — many of whom had already found it difficult to keep track of local, state and federal policy changes throughout the pandemic. “It’s very confusing for people — I’m confused myself,” said Josh Hoffpauir, 21, a student at Drexel University in Philadelphia. “A lot of workers in grocery stores, restaurants or drug stores aren’t wearing masks. A lot of the patrons aren’t, either. So it’s hard when you’re seeing all these different examples of how to live in the pandemic era, especially in Philadelphia.” On April 18, Philadelphia became the first major U.S. city to reinstate its mask mandate for public indoor spaces, following a rise in Covid-19 cases within the city. However, as Mizelle’s ruling on the CDC’s mandate for public transit came only hours later, many Philadelphians were left puzzled about where they could and couldn’t go maskless. On Thursday — just four days after the indoor mask mandate went into effect — Philadelphia’s Board of Health voted to rescind the mandate once again. Mayor Jim Kenney acknowledged Friday that the decision by SEPTA — the city’s public transit authority — to make masks optional in line with Mizelle’s decision made it difficult to enforce the city’s mandate. In Chicago, both the CTA and Metra announced Tuesday that riders would no longer be required to wear masks. Lat-
er that day, the Chicago Department of Aviation announced an end to masking requirements at O’Hare and Midway airports. While most cities have dropped masking requirements, not all transportation administrations have followed suit. In New York City, masks continue to be required on MTA public transport, as well as in John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport before and after boarding a flight. In Los Angeles County as well , riders must wear masks on public transport and when inside Los Angeles International Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport. Even in places where masks are legally required though, a policy is only as effective as its ability to be enforced. “We’re relying on the public to comply with these types of issues,” Weinmeyer said. “A big concern even at the start of the pandemic was, how are small businesses — even big businesses — really going to enforce these types of policies? Because that responsibility has been placed on them. And we see this in actions taken on flight attendants or people getting into fights in stores about wearing masks and things like that.” Still, Weinmeyer adds that the amount of people he’s seen wearing masks even after mandates were dropped is encouraging. “There’s going to be people who aren’t wearing masks,” he said. “There’s only so much you can do. Public health isn’t about 100 percent compliance, it’s about trying to get the most people to participate — to get vaccinated, to get them to wear a mask, to practice social distancing — to reduce the spread of disease. Nothing is going to be 100 percent perfect, but we’re trying to really do the best job we can, and I’m heartened that I go to the story and I still see a lot of people wearing masks. Every little bit helps with these types of situations.”
Nation & World. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 11
Amazon workers make history, form company’s first union By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor
In the yearlong battle between Amazon and its employees, the employees have finally won. A labor union group at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, made history on April 1 when enough workers voted to form a union for the first time in company history. The historical union was organized entirely by the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), a group of current and former Amazon employees at warehouse JFK8. The group, led by founder Christian Smalls, focuses on better conditions, pay, job security and having a say as employees in the company, according to the ALU’s website. In the end, 2,654 employees voted in favor of unionization, while 2,131 voted against, according to NPR. Smalls was fired from Amazon in 2020 on the claims that he broke quarantine rules by attending a walkout he had coordinated. Following his firing, Smalls and Derrick Palmer, his friend and colleague at Amazon, decided to unionize. Together, they grew the group, from spreading information on TikTok to setting up food tables at the bus stop near the warehouse, according to the New York Times. Helen LaVan, a management and entrepreneurship professor at DePaul, was not shocked to hear that workers successfully unionized in New York because of the state’s positive stance on unions. However, she was impressed with the efforts of the union at a company like Amazon. “Many Amazon workers are temporary or part-time, which makes this successful organizing drive more amazing,” LaVan said. Former Amazon employee Max Meredith worked at a warehouse in Keno-
ALICIA GOLUSZKA | THE DEPAULIA
sha, Wisconsin, for about two to three months in 2019-20. His job was to scan packages in the warehouse, and he had to make sure that he scanned enough packages per hour or else he would have been fired. “I was told by many higher-ups that the best way to do things was to enter ‘robot mode,’” Meredith said. “Just to be soulless and move at the rate they wanted.” Along with employees constantly being tracked as they work, workers have limited bathroom breaks that are also tracked and working conditions that are dangerous, according to Fortune. In 2020, 5.9 Amazon warehouse workers out of every 100 suffered serious injuries forcing them to adjust or miss work, according to a study done by the Strategic Organizing Center. At JFK8, Amazon employees were told they had unpaid time off, but were then forced to work mandatory overtime, which resulted in a spread of the pandemic. Additionally, the company’s lack of communication left their em-
ployees struggling, which encouraged Smalls and Palmer to speak up and later promote their union, according to The New York Times. When a union gets the votes of approval, the union then has the opportunity to negotiate with the employer on terms of employment and create a collective bargaining agreement. Many unions join a larger union affiliation or federation, which can provide funding and power to go up against large corporate employers. Employees at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, have been trying to vote on a union for the past year with the help of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a larger union that has existed for nearly a century. However, even with the help of the RWDSU, the election for unionization has been a long process of rejections and challenges by each side, according to CNBC. The ALU chose to remain independent. That allowed them to make their own decisions and connect with the
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workers who could connect with Smalls and Palmer because of their shared experiences. While the group may not have the funding from a larger union, their GoFundMe has raised over $315,500 dollars and counting. “I think that a big factor is that, as I understand the situation, the union is independent and not affiliated with any mainstream union, a factor I understand might have accounted for their success,” said Robert Perkovich, clinical management and entrepreneurship professor at DePaul. “Thus, Amazon has much, much more power and resources should the parties begin collective negotiations.” A win for the ALU may spark other Amazon workers and locations to speak out against the company. One started but has not found the same success. At an Amazon facility in Bayonne, New Jersey, Local 713 of the International Brotherhood of Trade Unions had planned to represent the workers there, but withdrew their proposal with no reason given, according to the New York Post. Smalls and Palmer have no plans to stop with this one victory. Amazon employees at a Staten Island sorting center, LDJ5, will be able to vote to become a part of the ALU on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the ALU’s website. With a company as large as Amazon, employees may be overlooked in the rush to meet production rates. However, the goal of the union in Staten Island is to bring attention to those employees and provide them with a voice. “I think the Amazon union is absolutely amazing and I’m hoping that it’ll force the company to go beyond absolute bare minimum care for their employees,” Meredith said. “Further, I hope it’ll make the company realize that people are not a replaceable resource.”
Content written by Jackson Healy | THE DEPAULIA
Emmanuel Macron reelected Disney’s private government as French President in Florida dissolved Incumbent Emmanuel Macron comfortably defeated populist challenger Marine Le Pen in the French presidential race, becoming the country’s first leader to be reelected since 2002. As voting closed, polling projections showed Macron — a centrist — receiving 58.5 percent of the vote against far-right Le Pen’s 41.5 percent. While Le Pen made significant gains compared to her 2017 loss of 66.1 percent to 33.9 percent, the race was not as close as recent polls had suggested. As Macron pledged to unite a country “filled with so many doubts, so many divisions,” his victory speech acknowledged the “numerous” voters who supported him primarily to ensure the far-right Le Pen did not reach the presidency. “We have a lot to do, and the war in Ukraine reminds us that we are going through tragic times where France must make its voice heard,” Macron said against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and a projection of the French tricolor flag, as Daft Punk’s “One More Time” played over speakers. Le Pen, who ran in her third presidential campaign, conceded defeat while expressing optimism for the future. “In this defeat, I can’t help but feel a form of hope,” she said. A victory for Le Pen almost certainly
THIBAULT CAMUS | ASSOCIATED PRESS French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands as he heads to a polling station in Le Touquet, France, Sunday, April 24, 2022.
would have meant a drastic shift in France’s foreign policy. Whereas Macron has played a key role in the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Le Pen has been sympathetic to Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Le Pen, a staunch nationalist, has also been notably more critical of the EU and NATO than the more globalist-oriented Macron. As France’s constitution holds that a president cannot serve more than two consecutive five-year terms, Macron will hold his seat until he is replaced in 2027.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday dissolving the Disney-controlled private government on the Walt Disney World property in the state. As Disney’s government — offically the Reedy Creek Improvement District — is to be eliminated by June 2023, DeSantis said Friday that the company is expected to end up paying more taxes than it currently does as a result of the law, adding that residents around Disney shouldn’t expect an increase in their taxes. The move comes as a rebuke against the entertainment monolith’s recent opposition towards Florida’s new law, dubbed by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” The law — which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade — has drawn the ire of LGBTQ advocates, Hollywood stars, students, Democrats and the White House. Critics argue the law marginalizes LGBTQ people. DeSantis and his Republican supporters have argued that parents should discuss such topics with their children as opposed to teachers. Following increased pressure on the company to act, Disney posted a statement online and sent an email to employees April 8 saying the company was wrong to stay silent on the issue and pledging to end its political
JOHN RAOUX | ASSOCIATED PRESS Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is seen Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
donations in Florida. “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down,” CEO Bok Chapek wrote. “I am sorry.” DeSantis has attacked Disney for its opposition to the bill, depicting the company as propagating a “woke” Californian ideology. “You’re a corporation in Burbank, California, and you’re going to marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state,” DeSantis said Friday before signing the bill into law. “We view that as a provocation, and we’re going to fight back against that.”
12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
Opinions By Halie Wingo Contributing Writer
Students have faced some questionable decisions made by their landlords that can lead to some embarrassing, dangerous and uncomfortable situations.
Many DePaul students are moving away from home and experiencing living alone for the first time. This experience can be frightening enough for young adults without their landlords making it harder on their tenants. As apartment hunting season begins,
Savannah J. (Lincoln Park) “In 2021 I moved into an apartment on Lincoln and Diversey, and instead of starting new leases, friends were just passing the leases off to each other. The first time it got rented was in 2015 and they just started swapping out roommates. That means they hadn’t inspected the apartment since 2014, which you are, apparently, not supposed to do. So, there were a ton of issues in that apartment and one of the minor ones was that our water heater was directly in front of the electrical panel. You couldn’t reach it and you had to call the landlord and get maintenance to come out because they had to push aside so much stuff that we couldn’t touch just to turn the power back on. We also had a banister that was tilted so far over that you couldn’t use it to get up the stairs.”
Savannah J. (Continued) “The worst thing that happened while I was living there was in February of 2021 when we had a big snowstorm. There were skylights in our apartment and the snow was piling up on them and one of them cracked and started leaking water into one of my roommates’ bedrooms, our living room and our kitchen. During that same storm, my bedroom wall shared a wall with the bathroom and the pipes in the bathroom froze and they started squeaking when we would try to turn the faucet on. Thankfully, they came out 12 hours after my roommate called maintenance, but they couldn’t get to the pipes in the bathroom, [so] they had to go through the wall in my room. They cut a hole in the wall that was about three feet by three feet right next to my bed. They fixed the pipes, but the maintenance guy left and said he would come back to patch the hole in about an hour. I could see the pipes from the bathroom, and you could hear the wind coming in from outside of the apartment. It was like 12 degrees outside, and my room dropped to like 47 degrees. The maintenance guy didn’t come back. I had to stay at a friend’s house. By the time I moved out August 1 of 2021, they still had not patched the wall.”
many students are moving out of their current housing for one reason or another. Some are leaving because of their horrible landlords. Here are some DePaul students sharing their questionable landlord stories, so you know what not to look for when looking for a new place to call home.
Kaitlyn P. (Lincoln Park) “I was sitting in the bath in my apartment, and, in the past, I had a roommate who would take baths almost every day and we never had an issue with it, at least that I knew of. Then, all the sudden, I hear banging on the downstairs door and the buzzer starts going off. I was in the bath so I couldn’t answer, but someone else did and I heard shouting downstairs. I have no idea what they’re saying, but about 20 minutes later, I start hearing the buzzer again and I hear a knock at my door. I keep hearing knocking and I realize this is our landlord and maintenance guy. If he doesn’t hear me answer he will come in. I hop up and run into my room to get a robe and I run to the door as he is opening it. He said there was a leak downstairs, and it turns out the drain at the front of the tub is not working properly, so it was just draining into the apartment below us.”
Ben K. (Wrigleyville) “Last week, we had a severe sewage backup in our unit. The maintenance person from our management company came out and while he was trying to fix the clog in our pipes, he ended up bursting a pipe. That then caused water to start flooding into the lobby of our building. He went down to check it out and ended up getting fumes and chemicals in his eyes from going into the ceiling. He left with water still leaking from the ceiling into one of the light fixtures, which had an active electrical current running through it. Around 11:30 that night, my roommate got back to the building, and he mentioned that he smelled smoke. So, we went to the lobby and checked it out and the light fixture was smoking. We called the fire department immediately, they showed up within 10 minutes and told us that they could tell the maintenance work on the building was done poorly. It wasn’t done up to code or done correctly. We got lucky that our roommate came back and noticed, because if he hadn’t come back at that time there was a strong possibility that the light fixture could have caught on fire. Here we are, more than a week later, and there’s still a hole in our ceiling in the lobby. One side of the building’s plumbing still isn’t working.”
ART BY ALICIA GOLUSZKA
The opinions in this section do not necessarially reflect those of The DePaulia staff.
Opinions. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 13 By Erik Uebelacker Opinions Editor
Maybe it’s my distaste for legacy media, or my occasional urge to be a contrarian. But for a long time, I didn’t think traveling war reporters were necessary anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the bravery of anybody willing to risk their lives for the sake of journalism. I don’t think I’m built for it. But in today’s day and age, it’s easier than ever to follow international news. Nations in turmoil have their own reporters on the front lines, whether they choose to be or not. Social media is filled with primary accounts of conflict around the world. I follow Ukrainian soldiers on TikTok; they post these daily. I was under the impression that corporate media outlets sending out their own correspondents was reflective of western hubris and the egos of the reporters. I didn’t think it was worth risking the lives of the journalists and those around them to cover stories that weren’t necessarily theirs to tell. After a few conversations with people more knowledgeable than myself, I think I was wrong. Russia continues to release propaganda surrounding their occupation of Ukraine. Ed Lawler, adjunct journalism professor at DePaul University, explains how this proves the necessity of war reporting. “There’s a risk to the truth,” Lawler said. “I think back to the war correspondents of the Vietnam War, and many took a very critical view of what was going on there. They sort of blew the lid off the tragedy and the farce of the war in Vietnam.” Without journalists on the ground in these combat scenarios, we’re left to rely on accounts from domestic media of the nations involved. This coverage can often be biased at best, or misleading at worst, in the case of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite the enormous risks that war journalists, their crews, and any locals tasked with guiding the team through the chaos take, it’s important for these wars to be documented by the rest of the world to know what’s really happening. “It is worth going to see some of the sites where these atrocities have taken place, and maybe giving voice to the people of Ukraine,” Lawler said. “Maybe getting close to the scene can not only dramatize the atrocities but dramatize the horror of war over there. Do you learn that from staying stateside?” Somehow, I didn’t consider this, despite so much of my own foreign policy perspective
EDITORIAL, continued from front page billion, which represents a more than 100% increase since 2017,” Esteban said in a statement. “Over the last two years, donors committed more than $153 million – an unprecedented record for DePaul, which enables us to support even more students with scholarships.” It seems like the university — with Esteban’s leadership — has prioritized more the health of its finances than the student experience. For starters, DePaul left its counseling services severely understaffed in the beginning of the year when students returned to campus for the first time in 18 months. DePaul failed to provide remote learning accommodations to disabled students when in-person classes resumed in January and Covid-19 cases were still high during the Omicron surge. Throughout the pandemic, DePaul has been inconsistent with its Covid precautions. In December, the university made a decision to go virtual classes for the first two weeks of winter quarter, but did not require proof of the booster shot until March — well after the peak of Omicron subsided. But when cases were trending down-
I was wrong about war reporting RODRIGO ABD | AP PHOTO
Journalists report as forensic workers line up the corpses of civilians collected from a mass grave in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 8, 2022.
being based on the work of war reporters. Had I not seen the brutality of the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan through the lens of war journalists, I may have never questioned our involvement in the region. The risks are still enormous for those involved, however. “There’s obviously the physical risks,” said writer and artist Dan O’Brien. “And then of course there’s the psychological, emotional, mental risk.” O’Brien has a longstanding friendship with renowned conflict journalist Paul Watson. He’s collaborated with Watson on numerous projects depicting the trials and tribulations of war reporting. Watson first started facing the psychological risks of war reporting during his time covering the Rwandan Genocide. “He’s been dealing with the repercussions ever since,” O’Brien said. “He and I had talked a lot about how many war reporters will claim that they’re not traumatized by their work. But you wonder just how forthright they’re going to be in public about this sort of thing.”
“Paul has seen his colleagues get hurt. He’s also often felt he had to keep his psychological struggles secret because colleagues wouldn’t want to work with him,” O’Brien continued. Through his relationship with Watson, O’Brien understands the risks of his line of work. But he also understands its necessity. “If we don’t have journalists covering these conflicts, then the wider public is left with only propaganda, rumor, myth,” O’Brien said. “And that can only play into the hands of the powerful, no matter what side of the conflict. You need people at least attempting to communicate fact and journalistic truth.” Social media has made it easier for the public to see the firsthand horrors of war, without correspondents having to capture their own sources to share with their audiences. It’s a big reason why I initially thought these reporters weren’t necessary anymore. But with the barrier of entry to posting on social media being so low, it’s easier than ever to be fooled by fake or misattributed footage. I didn’t understand just how rampant this issue was until I was fooled by a video from a
war simulation video game that was making rounds on Facebook as legitimate air combat between Russian and Ukrainian pilots. Even real social media footage has to be consumed with a grain of salt, as it generally lacks the context and fact-checking that established news organizations strive to include. “The people who are doing the filming, or the reporting, they’re not trained journalists,” Lawler said. “They may not know what to look for, they may be prone to misinformation. So I think that speaks to the value of putting trained journalists on, or near, the scene of battle.” Social media is an excellent tool to help tell these stories. Relying solely on unverified primary source material is a slippery slope, though. I’ve been taking the work of war reporters for granted for too long, despite consuming so much of their content. They’re not just adrenaline junkies seeking the next big thrill. They’re an important part of our global media landscape in a time where a surplus of information makes it easy to get confused.
wards and Covid vaccines were more readily available to the public in the spring of 2021, DePaul did not host an in-person graduation ceremony, while nearby universities pivoted away from the virtual setting for commencement. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, it was understandable that graduation was held virtually. In 2021, DePaul and Esteban should have made more of an effort to hold an in-person graduation ceremony and invite back the 2020 graduates — which schools like the University of Illinois were able to do. Faculty and staff both expressed burnout and fading morale during Esteban’s last State of the University address in the fall, which coincided with Esteban implementing a hiring freeze for tenure-track faculty in 2020. Esteban did keep one promise: He told The DePaulia in 2018 that big changes won’t happen overnight to the men’s basketball program. Esteban — unfortunately — was right. It took former athletics director Jean Lenti Ponsetto retiring in the summer of 2020 to enable the necessary changes in the athletic department and within the men’s team — in particular, the firing of the head coach. As Esteban concludes his fifth year at DePaul, the men’s basketball team has never finished above 10th in the Big East.
With a new athletics director in place — DeWayne Peevy — the athletic department has been transparent with its fans and the media. Peevy has done a good job of engaging with fans on social media — even when it is not positive around the men’s basketball team — which is a far contrast from Esteban’s administration. DePaul also faced a wave of racial discrimination lawsuits in 2020 and 2021 from former and current faculty members. The university has made it a theme of not commenting on pending lawsuits, but that has also resulted in less transparency around other university issues. Failing to comment has been the theme of the Esteban administration. When faced with issues that impact students and faculty, Esteban has deferred to his spokespeople to respond to pressing questions. Over the last year, it has become even harder for The DePaulia to receive a response — or even an interview — from Esteban directly. Furthermore, DePaul has kept its presidential search mostly under wraps, besides several statements from Greffin over the course of the year. In January, The DePaulia wanted to talk to Esteban about DePaul’s Covid-19 response, but a spokesperson said he was unavailable until the end of March.
Students have also felt the lack of Esteban’s presence on campus this year. In a DePaulia story earlier this year, one student said that the only time she had seen Esteban was in a pre-recorded video during her freshman orientation. Other students interviewed for the story echoed this notion as well. For a university that describes itself as a “tuition-dependent institution,” the President has a duty to be more visible to the community and do a better job of engaging in student life. For complete transparency, the university has granted The DePaulia a 30-minute, in-person interview with Esteban on May 3. But that comes after multiple attempts to interview Esteban were declined, and one 30-minute interview is not enough to address all of these underlying concerns felt by the DePaul community. In the time since 2020, the DePaul community needed strong leadership more than ever. Instead, faculty, staff and students felt overworked, undervalued and alone. They couldn’t rely on executive leadership to provide them with the support they needed and university morale has suffered as a result. With a new president comes the hope that the university will finally feel that sense of community again.
Focus 14 | Focus. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
Warmer weather for Ill
Later primary date gives students more oppor By Nika Schoonover Print Managing Editor
All politics is local. That phrase, commonly touted in American political culture, was coined by the late Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr., who served as Speaker of the House from 1977 to 1987. It’s an overused mantra and its implications and truth have been debated repeatedly. When most people think about politics, their mind probably goes to those sitting on the hill in Washington. But, no matter what you think about O’Neill’s overplayed saying, local politics matters and it affects the constituents directly in the jurisdiction of their local government. Take abortion, for example. The right to an abortion is being tried and the future of Roe v. Wade is uncertain. Those on the pro-life side though, have taken to their state governments to move around the Roe ruling, making it much more difficult for residents in their state to obtain an abortion if they so choose. Local politics matters but, unlike the well-advertised presidential elections, a significantly lower percentage of the population votes in state elections compared to national. In Illinois, midterm turnout has averaged 54.2% in the past 11 elections. That’s more than 18 percentage points less than the 72.7% average turnout for the 11 presidential elections in Illinois since 1980, according to the Center for Illinois Politics. Illinois is currently gearing up for its primary elections which have been pushed back to June 28, rather than its usual date on the third Tuesday of March. This is to accommodate the redistricting process, which has been pushed back due to delayed Census data as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary will include elections for Senate and representatives of the House, and will also include various state offices including governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state representatives. R. Craig Sautter, a professor in DePaul’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, says that he thinks primaries are usually scheduled early to weed out voters. “In my opinion, the parties traditionally scheduled primaries in March to limit turnout to party loyalists who were willing to come out in bad weather,” Sautter said. “That may sound cynical, but I think it is probably true.” Peter Coffey, associate vice president for community and government relations at DePaul, agreed with this sentiment, saying that good weather is a better incentive for voters. “I mean, historically, the reason we have a March primary is because of the old Cook County machine, the Democratic Party machine, wanted fewer voters, so they had it in a cold month,” Coffey said. The last time a primary was moved was in 2008 when lawmakers pushed it forward to February when former pres-
ident Barack Obama was originally on the presidential ballot. Coffey added that, while he’s not sure if this is absolutely the case, he believes that good weather makes for a stronger turnout. The Republican gubernatorial primary is one that has garnered a significant amount of media attention in recent months as the Republican candidates compete to beat Gov. J.B Pritzker in November. Jeff Fiedler, the director of communications for the Chicago Republican Party, said that they are taking a neutral stance on the candidates, with the priority of getting as many Republicans as possible out to vote. In front of their offices, they have signs for a variety of the Republican candidates so that voters can get any sign they want. “We really are excited about the fact that there is a lot of interest on the Republican side for the governor’s race and for the Senate race,” Fiedler said. One of the top running Republican candidates for governor, Richard C. Irvin has attracted big money from founder and CEO of Citadel Kenneth C. Griffin. In the first three months of 2022, Irvin raised $22.83 million, with $20 million coming from Griffin. Irvin has raised more than 17 times more than any other candidate reported in the campaign finance filings, with Jesse Sullivan following behind with $1.32 million raised. State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, has also received funding from a prominent billionaire, receiving $1 million from Richard Uihlein, the founder of Uline, a shipping and business supplies company. Last week, Bailey received an additional $2.5 million from Uihlein, according to Illinois State Board of Elections records. Fiedler added that this funding for Republican primary candidates has allowed them to reach more prospective voters. “I mean, that’s really what it does. It allows them to reach more prospective voters and that’s right in line with what we want to do, we want more people to show up in the primary,” Fiedler said. On the Democratic side, the Secretary of State features Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, Chicago Ald. David Moore, former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Sidney Moore of Homewood. The Illinois American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has opted to not make an endorsement for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, despite more than half of its 900,000 workers pledging their support for Giannoulias. According to Tim Drea, the president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, no single candidate could get the two-thirds support necessary for an endorsement, despite there being support from affiliates on both sides. Coffey added that if students get out to vote, they have the ability to impact their community.
“I think it’s difficult sometimes for those people who don’t feel settled yet to have a stake in a local community. But if DePaul students pooled their votes, they can influence our next alderman or our next mayor,” Coffey said. Though Coffey said he’s not suggesting an organized effort to get all students to vote, he emphasized the impact students could have on their local elections. “I went to school at Illinois State University and there were as many students enrolled at the university as residents of the town. So you can make a difference,” Coffey added. For students that are registered voters in Illinois, Coffey encouraged them to check their voter registration status on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
Why June 28
During the 2021 Illin Assembly, state lawm Senate Bill 825. This m date of the Illinois pri March 15 to June 28. Census data was delay of the pandemic, this effort on part of lawm commodate the redra congressional district were affected by the d
How to register to vote: Illinois voter registration deadlines:
In Person: 28 days before Election Day, after which you may register during the early voting period through Election Day. By Mail: Postmarked 28 days before Election Day. Online: 16 days before Election Day Illinois offers online voter registration. You can register by mail to vote in Illinois by printing a voter registration form, filling it out, and mailing it to your local election authority, or, you can register in person.
Who can vote? You must:
Be a citizen of the United States Be a resident of Illinois and of your election precinct at least 30 days before the next election be 18 years old to vote in a general election or 17 years old to vote in a primary election if you will be 18 by the time of the general election. cannot be serving a sentence of confinement in any penal institution as a result of conviction of any crime not claim the right to vote anywhere else
Focus. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 15
linois’ 2022 primaries
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OFFICIAL BALLOT STATE OFFICES UP FOR RE-ELECTION
GOVERNER Democrats J.B. Pritzker Beverly Miles
Republicans Darren Bailey Christopher Roper Cheryl Erickson Paul Schimpf Richard Irvin Emily Johnson Gary Rabine Max Soloman
LIEUTENANT GOVERNER Democrats
Republicans
Juiliana Stratton Karla Shaw
Avery Bourne Latasha Fields Brett Mahlen
ATTORNEY GENERAL Democrats
Republicans
Kwame Raoul
Thomas DeVore David Shestokas
Other elections: 59 State senators 118 State representatives
Federal offices: U.S. senator 17 U.S. representatives
SECRETARY OF STATE Democrats
Republicans
AlexI Giannoulias David Moore Anna Valencia
Dan Brady John Milhiser
TREASURER Democrats
Republicans
Mike Frerichs
Tom Demmer Patrice McDermand
COMPTROLLER Democrats
Republicans
Susana Mendoza
Michael Kinney Shannon Teresi
Big spenders: Funds raised and spent by gubernatorial candidates
JOSEPHINE STRATMAN | THE DEPAULIA
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16 | La DePaulia. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
La DePaulia 900 800 700
200 100 0
917 estudiantes
300
952 estudiantes
400
869 estudiantes
500
846 estudiantes
600
844 estudiantes
Número de estudiantes de primera generación
1000
Estudiantes de primera generación segun año de grado
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Year
GRÁFICO KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Fuente: DePaul Institutional Research and Market Analytics
SGA anuncia beca para estudiantes de DePaul de primera generación By Erik Uebelacker
Editor de Opiniones, The DePaulia
La Asociación de Gobierno Estudiantil (SGA) de DePaul dio a conocer más detalles esta semana sobre la “Beca de Recursos Académicos de la Asociación de Gobierno Estudiantil”, un nuevo incentivo diseñado para beneficiar a los estudiantes universitarios de primera generación. La beca estará disponible para estudiantes de pregrado o posgrado de primera generación en DePaul, según el vicepresidente de SGA, Kevin Holechko. Su objetivo es ayudar a cubrir el costo de los libros de texto y otros costos académicos adicionales que estos estudiantes puedan enfrentar. “Queríamos adoptar un enfoque práctico y trabajar para hacer algo que marcara la diferencia en el campus”, escribió Holechko en un correo electrónico a The DePaulia. “Decidimos que queríamos ayudar con uno de esos costos ocultos de los que no se habla en la educación superior”. Holechko dijo que aún se desconoce el número exacto de beneficiarios, así como la cantidad de ayuda financiera que se proporcionará. “Todavía se está trabajando en esa información con nuestros socios en la Oficina de Éxito Estudiantil Multicultural (OMSS) y asuntos estudiantiles”, escribió. Aproximadamente uno de cada tres estudiantes en DePaul se considera “primera generación”, definida como la primera en sus familias en obtener un título universitario, por Línea de noticias. A nivel nacional, solo El 27 por ciento de estos estudiantes en realidad obtienen sus títulos dentro de los cuatro años, significativamente menos que sus compañeros de generación continua. “Definitivamente hay muchas barreras educativas, económicas y sociales que enfrentan los estudiantes universitarios de
”Quiero asegurarme de que esta beca no sea la única que se ofrece a los estudiantes”.
Sergio Godinez
Senador de Estudiantes de Primera Genaración de SGA primera generación en todos los ámbitos”, dijo Sergio Godinez, Senador de Estudiantes de Primera Generación de SGA. “Toda la base de esta beca fue crear algún tipo de financiamiento de becas equitativas para estudiantes universitarios de primera generación para que puedan acceder a más oportunidades aquí en DePaul”. Si bien aún se desconoce el monto exacto en dólares de la beca, Godinez dijo que la beca se puede usar para cubrir una variedad de costos académicos, incluido el programa de estudios en el extranjero. “Muchas familias de primera generación también son familias de bajos ingresos, por lo que estudiar en el extranjero no siempre es asequible para ellos. La beca se puede usar para eso”, dijo Godinez. “Se puede usar para obtener libros de texto; puede cubrir los costos de transporte”. La beca de SGA está en asociación con DePaul’s OMS. La oficina ya alberga Generation Success, una iniciativa encargada de apoyar a los estudiantes de primera generación en DePaul conectándolos con becas, pasantías y otras oportunidades. “Elegir OMSS nos pareció una decisión obvia”, dijo Godinez. “Están dedicados a apoyar a los estudiantes universitarios de primera generación, por lo que parecía una pareja perfecta. Estamos contentos de que OMSS haya aprovechado la oportunidad con nosotros”. Como estudiante de primera generación, Godinez comprende las
dificultades que enfrentan muchos de sus compañeros cuando llegan a la universidad. “Soy un estudiante de segundo año, así que mi primer año fue completamente en línea”, dijo. “Pasando por la educación pandémica, luego teniendo que hacer la transición de regreso al aprendizaje en persona como estudiante de primera generación, comienzas a notar algunos problemas. Pensé: ‘Sería genial saber dónde está esto’ o ‘Sería genial tener acceso a estas oportunidades’”. Esta experiencia fue lo que llevó a Godinez a representar a sus compañeros de primera generación para SGAe impulsar oportunidades como la beca. El costo de la asistencia es un factor importante para el 97 por ciento de los futuros estudiantes universitarios, según el Centro Nacional de Estadísticas Educativas. Para la estudiante de primer año Carolyn Espinoza, es por eso que eligió a DePaul en primer lugar. “Vi a mis padres luchar mucho, así que a medida que crecía, me di cuenta de que quería ir a la universidad y desarrollar esa educación en mi familia”, dijo. “DePaul acaba de satisfacer mis necesidades financieras, así que finalmente elegí venir aquí”. Espinoza dijo que no había oído hablar de la nueva beca de SGA hasta ahora. Pero está emocionada de ver cómo podría beneficiar a los estudiantes de primera generación como ella. “Sé que cuando me estaba graduando de
la escuela secundaria, había muchos niños en mi clase que luchaban para llegar a fin de mes”, dijo Espinoza. “Estaba luchando para elegir una universidad porque no sabía lo que podía pagar. Sé que [la beca] podría ayudar a otros estudiantes. Es solo un factor estresante menos en el que deben pensar”. Ahora que conoce la oportunidad, Espinoza dijo que “seguramente” buscará postularse cuando esté disponible. Godinez se siente alentado por el potencial de la beca. Pero para él, esto es solo el comienzo. “Mirando a largo plazo, espero que esta beca establezca un camino que DePaul pueda seguir”, dijo Godinez. “Dentro de mis próximos dos años aquí en DePaul, quiero asegurarme de que esta beca no sea la única que se ofrece a los estudiantes universitarios de primera generación”. Los detalles de la Beca de Recursos Académicos de la Asociación de Gobierno Estudiantil aún no están finalizados, pero debería estar disponible para los estudiantes
FOTO CORTESIA DE SGA | LA DEPAULIA
Sergio Godinez, Senador de Estudiantes de Primera Generación de SGA, dijo que comprende las dificultades que enfrentan muchos de sus compañeros.
La DePaulia. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 17
Manifestantes peruanos siguen insatisfecho durante inestabilidad del gobierno By Santiago Posada-Jaramillo Gerente Editoral, La DePaulia
El presidente de Perú, Pedro Castillo, anunció el viernes 22 de abril desde la ciudad Cusco, un proyecto de ley para consultar a los peruanos sobre una nueva constitución, buscando cumplir una de sus promesas de campaña; todo esto luego de fuertes protestas y paros en el último mes y varios años de inestabilidad política. A pesar de que el periodo presidencial en Perú es de cinco años, desde el 2016 el país suramericano ha tenido cinco presidentes diferentes. Esto ha causado gran parte de la inestabilidad política en el país, causando una fuerte desconfianza hacia el gobierno en general. Como opina Monserrat, habitante de 22 años del distrito de La Perla, en la provincia de Callao, Perú, “Cada nuevo presidente representa un movimiento distinto, lo que causa mucho revuelo, siempre es algo diferente que desfavorece al pueblo”. El presidente Castillo se posicionó en el 2021 y se considera que fue elegido por gente fuera de la capital, especialmente de zonas rurales. Por lo que las pasadas protestas y paros, que iniciaron en zonas rurales y conectadas con el campesinado, fueron un devastador golpe a su imagen. Hablamos con Luis Angel Ruiz Serrano, habitante de 37 años del Distrito de Chorrillos en Lima, Perú. “En principio el aumento de la gasolina fue el detonante, esto aunado al aumento del costo de vida, la poca eficacia de los cuerpos policiales para contener la violencia y sobre todo la poca credibilidad que Castillo tiene como presidente que provocó con constantes cambios y una falta evidente de plan de gobierno”, dijo Ruiz Serrano. Pero a pesar de que el aumento del precio de la gasolina, relacionado a la invasión de Rusia a Ucrania, y el aumento del precio de los alimentos básicos, causados por los paros de transportadores, fueron los causantes principales de estas movilizaciones, la gente ya venía con una importante inconformidad con el gobierno. Joaquín, peruano y agente de call center
Peruanos protestan frente a la Plaza San Martín, Lima, a principios de abril.
de 21 años, opina que “la inestabilidad política del Perú se debe al deficiente manejo del presidente Pedro Castillo, el cual no ha cumplido ni una de las promesas que ha hecho al pueblo y lo único que ha logrado es que los precios salgan disparados”. Como lo explican en detalle Juan Diego Quesada y Jacqueline Fowks periodistas de El País de España, Castillo también ha causado muchos escándalos al nombrar a personas que no parecen estar preparadas para sus cargos e, incluso, que han ganado fama por esparcir teorías de conspiración. También es importante mencionar cómo el legado del expresidente Alberto Fujimori sigue afectando la situación política de Perú incluso más de 20 años después de su destitución. Primero, es importante mencionar que la principal rival de Castillo a la presidencia de Perú y líder de la oposición a su actual gobierno fue Keiko Fujimori, hija de Alberto Fujimori. Segundo, el sector político, principalmente el partido Fuerza Popular, que apoya las acciones del gobierno de Alberto Fu-
FOTO CORTESIA DE @KEVIN.VEGALIMBHER | INSTAGRAM
FOTO CORTESIA DE @KEVIN.VEGALIMBHER | INSTAGRAM
Peruanos se manifiestan en contra del gobierno de Pedro Castillo.
jimori, sigue teniendo importante poder, como opina Ruiz Serrano: “El partido Fujimorista aún tiene muchísima gente en el congreso y posiciones de poder que les permite manejar la situaciones a su conveniencia por lo que tan pronto algo se vuelve inconveniente para ellos simplemente se remueve”, dijo.
Tal vez su nueva propuesta de constitución pueda ayudar a su imágen, pero solo el tiempo lo dirá. El gobierno de Castillo va a tener muchas dificultades para mantenerse, pues debe tener contentos a sus votantes y controlados a sus opositores, cosas que no ha podido lograr hasta ahora.
Latinos se conectan personalmente con la exposición de Frida Kahlo
By Andrea Juárez Hernández Editora de Opiniones, La DePaulia
Tuve la oportunidad de ver la colección de fotografías personales de Frida Kahlo, que se exhibe en el Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano de Pilsen y está abierta al público. Cuenta con 200 fotografías de la colección personal de Frida Kahlo. La fotografía fue para Frida una manera de luchar contra el olvido y una herramienta para descubrir su pasado. Dado que su padre, Guillermo Kahlo, era de ascendencia alemana y comenzó su carrera como fotógrafo en México, la fotografía tuvo un papel esencial en su vida. aparecen autorretratos Los frecuentemente en su obra, influenciada por la técnica del retrato fotográfico de su padre. Han pasado más de 70 años desde la muerte de Frida Kahlo y su popularidad internacional sigue aumentando. Michelle Rivera, una influencer de Instagram también conocida como Rachel Savage, dijo: “Frida es una jefa total, sigue siendo tan relevante hoy porque es una inspiración para muchas personas”. Kahlo se ha convertido en un ícono cultural tanto en México como en los Estados Unidos,
FOTO CORTESIA DE ANDREA JUÁREZ HERNÁNDEZ | LA DEPAULIA
El 9 de abril de 2022, el Museo Pilsen de Arte Mexicano tuvo un alter para Frida Kahlo cerca de su exposición fotográfica.
sirviendo como puente entre ambos países. En 2007, la colección se mostró inicialmente en la Ciudad de México, revelando detalles personales y conexiones
en la vida de Kahlo. Ha viajado por todo el mundo y actualmente se encuentra en exhibición en el Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano de Pilsen.
La exposición se divide en seis secciones: Los orígenes; La Casa Azul; Política, Revoluciones & Diego; Su Cuerpo Roto; Los amores y la fotografía de Frida. La instalación no presenta una biografía cronológica de Kahlo, sino que destaca aspectos de una artista, un país y su gente, y una era de su historia personal. Es un collage de imágenes que nos permite ver los lados frescos de un personaje significativo del siglo XX. Sara Martínez, una visitante del museo declaró “realmente aprecio poder ver estas imágenes porque crecí con Kahlo” Mi sección favorita de esta exhibición fue “Cuerpo Roto” porque realmentedestaca a Kahlo como un ser humano que tuvo sus luchas personales. Puedo conectarme con ella e identificarme en sus luchas, aunque nunca la conocí personalmente. Ver estas fotografías nos conecta con la esencia de Kahlo. Desafortunadamente, la fotografía no está permitida dentro del espectáculo, por lo que la única forma de ver estas imágenes es ir a verlas personalmente. Como fanática de Frida Kahlo, le recomiendo encarecidamente que vea estas fotografías en persona porque son una oportunidad única en la vida.
18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
Arts & Life Make haste to the ball of the season
PHOTO COURTESY OF @BRIDGERTONEXPERIENCE
Two performers dressed as Duke and Duchess emerge to captivate the audience with a spirited acrobatic dance bringing everyone back to season one of Bridgerton.
Bridgerton experience comes to Chicago By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor
Put on your regency best — the “Bridgerton” experience has made its way to Chicago. Opening on Wednesday, April 20 at the XS Tennis and Education Foundation, the “Bridgerton” experience is filled with powder-wigged staff handing you the latest Lady Whistledown gossip and orchestral music taken from the show itself, welcoming the die-hard fans of the Shonda Rhimes show. This coveted ball hosted by Netflix, Shondaland and Fever starts out by guiding you to an 1813 London-inspired ballroom. As you walk through the gleaming string lights and purple wisteria flowers, you then enter the first main room — the courtroom where the Queen herself was seated on her throne. After curtsying for her majesty, the festivities await, from posing for an oil painting (filtered photo) to trying one of “Bridgerton” themed drinks such as the “diamond of the season”. After a few interactive dance scenes to the “Bridgerton” soundtrack, the Queen arises and asks us to follow her to the main event of the night in the ballroom, decorated with chandeliers, and a live orchestra performing some of the latest pop songs, including Ariana Grande. The ballroom scene starts out with the fan's most memorable character of the show: the symbolic bee used throughout both seasons. The actor dressed in full bumblebee costume performs a special dance ushering the guests for an interactive dance routine. Throughout this period piece, two performers dressed as duke and duchess
emerge to captivate the audience with a lustful and flirtatious dance bringing everyone back to season one of Daphne and Simone-inspired movements. Along with the acrobatic performance, both actors use the silk curtains and chandelier to bring the crowd into cheers and maybe a cooling down with their fans. After the dance act and beautiful violin performance by one of the musicians, the Queen finally decides among the maidens of the evening who is diamond worthy. Melissa Torres, a young maiden celebrating her birthday, had been nudged forward by her friends and instantly caught the eyes of the Queen. Even the diamond — the coveted title of the evening — was surprised at the decision after receiving last-minute tickets. “I didn’t even imagine I would be the Queen’s first pick,” Torres said. “I was completely shocked.” Torres turned 31 on Wednesday and was dressed in the latest fashionable gowns along with her friends. “Tonight has been amazing and getting on stage after being named the diamond was an experience I’ll never forget,” Torres said. After the celebration of the fine selection, Lady Whistledown's voice emerged from the above: “I don’t know about all of you, but I got what I came for.” After the 90-minute experience comes to a close, the familiar beat of “Single Ladies” by Beyonce booms through the stereos as the guests crowd the dance floor for another round of dances. After shuffling to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” Rachel Downey fans herself along with her gaggle of maidens. “We love dressing up and pretending to have an English accent all night,”
PHOTO COURTESY OF @BRIDGERTONEXPERIENCE
Guests for the Bridgerton Experience pose for a picture in the Queens throne.
Downey said. “They did a fantastic job — the best interactive TV show experience I’ve been to.” As her friends giggle in response, they run back to stage to dance to the last song of the night. Twirling around center stage at the end of the night, Rachel Morreit, spotted in a tulle pink regency-style gown, poses while her date takes photos for her followers. “I work as an influencer and was asked to come tonight for the grand opening of the ‘Bridgerton’ Chicago experience,” Morreit said. Morriet is a huge fan of the “Bridgerton” series and started binge watching when the pandemic began back in 2020.
“I love period movies so I knew I was going to enjoy “Bridgerton.” Once I heard they were setting up an experience here, I was so excited to be a part of it,” Morriet said. Morriet considers herself a Chicago influencer and has a following on Instagram where she posts about the events and restaurants she's invited to. The night comes to a close with a swift ushering out and thank you before making haste to the gift shop and last-minute photos. “Bridgerton” has been given the green light to continue for future seasons, giving the strong hope this will not be the end of local Chicagoans' chance to live the lives of London's once-elite.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 19
Not your grandmother's zine
Messy Misfits Club is queer and untraditional By Lilly K eller Asst. Arts & Life Editor
Raw, uplifting and empowering is how DePaul senior and editor Riley Reed describes Messy Misfit Club, their newly created zine. Starting in Dethis 2021, cember queer-centric zine seeks to uplift the voices and artwork of queer artists in DePaul and Chicago while also transforming the way publications handle conventionally taboo or inappropriate topics. "It began as a way to do something unique, while also becoming a space to talk about things that are not talked about," Reed said. "I've never seen a zine really talk about religion that much, or sex too." litertraditional Unlike ary magazines, Messy Misfit Club prides itself on engaging art around commonly disapproved subjects that do not often get published. Whether it’s fiction, poetry, illustration and every other medium under the sun, Messy Misfit accepts all creative mediums of every style. "A motto we follow is ‘out of bounds,’ we do things that are really untouched and out of bounds, we want to get to the nitty gritty of topics,” Reed said. “I know a lot of publications really censor writers and creators and that's not what we want to do at all. We're out in the open, welcoming everything from sex positivity to religious issues." A unique aspect of Messy Misfit Club is its desire to preserve the artists’ work and keep it as original and unfiltered as possible. "I've seen a lot of publications, but never one that does what we do, which is talk so deeply but not censoring anything,” Reed said. “We don't cut down people's pieces, the only thing we have is a word limit, not a restriction on what you can say." The first issue of the zine focused on themes of love, disenchantment and everything in between, was published in print and online. Each edition from Messy Misfit Club is organized into multiple sections, each highlighting a unique aspect of the queer identity. From "Out of Bounds," which features pieces regarding direct issues that are not discussed, to"Skinto Skin," a portion dedicated to intimacy and real people talking
about r e a l sex, according to the zine’s Instagram. While it is not uncommon for zines to organize their work beneath a shared idea, Messy Misfit Club possesses a particular blend of relevancy while not hindering the artist's creativity. Editor Flower, who preferred to use only her first name, detailed the process of coming up with the most recent subject matter of religion and spirituality. "From the start, we knew we needed to take on religion in some shape or form, since it is a topic that touches so many in our community," she said. Despite Messy Misfit Club managing to address so many different topics and questions in under 18 pages, Flower's takeaway remains clear. "I want individuals to know they are not outsiders and are perfectly who they should be,” Flower said. “I grew up in an outsider box and was shamed for everything and continued to get stuck with the wrong crowd. It wasn't until I moved to Chicago where I found my communities and the people who constantly make me feel so safe and so seen."
Edi t o r Emma Cholip said that one of the zine's overarching goals is continuing to cultivate a sense of belonging amongst its readers. "Our main thing has always been growing our community,” Cholip said. "We want to continue showcasing that queer people can be real, while also acting as a safe space where you can talk about what you want without feeling guilt.” Messy Misfit Club’s dedication to showcasing the link between queerness and artistic expression creates a oneof-a-kind atmosphere, exceeding the boundaries of traditional literary magazines. "I don't know a single queer person who doesn't have some form of artistic outlet," Cholip said with a laugh. "Art is something you can put your all into, and because a lot of the time queer people can't get behind themselves or always be their own biggest supporter because they have lots of people who don't necessarily believe in them.” The zine’s unrestricted guidelines when it comes to artistic mediums allows for individuals of all creative
backgrounds to showcase their work. "I think being able to teach yourself how to write well or put together a poem is really inspiring,” Cholip said. “There is something special about feeling proud what about you have created." DePaul Ava senior O'Malley exher presses love for the zine and how it differs from traditional publications at the University. "I really connected with the romantic aesthetic of the first edition, as well as the call to tell ‘out of bounds’ stories that push the boundaries of what we consider acceptable to talk about, especially in regard to queerness," O'Malley said. As for why she chose to submit her work to Messy Misfit Club, O’Malley’s response remained simple. “I love how committed to elevating queer voices and taboo topics Riley, Flower and Emma are…To be able to organize a live-event for the first ever edition, and attract such a large audience really proves how fantastic this zine is. Riley has done so much for queer DePaul students through her work in SGA, and I'm really proud of her for bringing Messy Misfits into the world. I feel very affirmed and celebrated as a queer femme writer.” Although submissions have recently closed, the second issue of Messy Misfit Club, the editors expressed their excitement for the impending issue, which will be released on May 13. “I’m even more ready for this edition since we’ve got the groundwork underway, and I feel this [edition] is even more impactful to the community. I’m excited for the stories we’re telling and the positive message we have!” Reed said .
ART BY HELEN WARGO
20 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
'Northman' is Robert Eggers' most approachable movie By Jacob Costello Staff Writer
Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” is a movie set in the brutality of The Viking Age. While the story is on the simple side, the performances, action and cinematography make this movie an exhilarating ride and worth a visit to the theater to experience it. “The Northman” follows Amleth, a Viking prince played by the powerful Alexander Skarsgård, who seeks revenge after his uncle Fjölnir, played by Claes Bang, murders Amleth’s father, abducts his mother and takes the kingdom for himself. Amleth disguises himself as a slave to make his way to his uncle’s farm in Iceland and befriends a slave and self-described sorceress named Olga, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Amleth and Olga begin a plot to destroy everything Fjölnir holds dear. Murder, deception and chaos ensue, leading to a bloody and quite satisfying conclusion. “The Northman” is a crowd-pleaser. The action scenes have amazing choreography and sound design which makes the movie’s violence feel all the more barbaric. In a market saturated by cartoonish computer-generated fight scenes, this is a welcome departure. Movies can be severely hindered by bad cinematography, but thankfully that is not the case here. Jarin Blaschke is the person responsible for the beautiful and interesting shots in “The Northman.” His camera work captures the harsh conditions and stark beauty of the North Atlantic. His work in Eggers’ other movies has also been outstanding and I am excit-
PHOTO BY IMDB
Alexander Skarsgård and Anya-Taylor Joy star in scene from "The Northman."
ed to see what visuals the team can come up with next. As much as I enjoyed the movie, it is not free from criticism. The movie is based on a Viking legend, which they called “sagas,” and the same saga served as William Shakespeare’s basis for “Hamlet.” “H I did not have much of a problem with it, but the story is not anything new for a revenge story set in medieval times. Eggers’ small but promising portfolio is full of period pieces with a level of accuracy that makes them seem daunting to some viewers. “The Northman” is easily his most approachable movie yet. That is not to say his other two movies are only enjoyable for history nerds, but the slow pace of “The Witch” and painfully accurate, and sometimes unintelligible, dialogue of “The Lighthouse” make
them movies that I find a little hard to recommend. “The Northman” has a simple plot, easy to understand stakes and thrilling action that will keep any person, regardless of historical interest, thoroughly entertained throughout. Prior to seeing “The Northman,” I took professor Andrew Miller’s HST 217 class, The Vikings. This class made me all the more excited to see this movie. Learning about Viking culture, technology and beliefs greatly improved my viewing experience. The three friends I saw the movie with did not take the class or have encyclopedic knowledge of Vikings, but they still had a great time with the movie. This just goes to show Eggers’s skill as a filmmaker. He is able to take dense material that is best taught in a college classroom
and make it engaging for any moviegoer. Watching a movie like this after taking the class made me appreciate the attention to detail Eggers puts into his movies. The ship burial, the farm in Iceland and the design of the longhouse were all things I saw in the movie that felt pulled directly from the textbooks professor Miller used to teach the class. When so much thought and effort goes into a large-scale production like this, you can not help but marvel at the magic of the movies. Beyond the gorgeous shots, galvanizing performances and gratuitous gore, “The Northman” is a showcase of what Hollywood can make when they put time and elbow grease into a movie. With so many remakes and movies based on existing characters it is easy to feel that the studios are creatively bankrupt. Movies like “The Northman” prove that thought wrong. By purchasing a ticket to see this movie in a theater you are telling the executives in California that you like movies like this and want to see more. A year without going to the theater has made me stop taking experiences like this for granted. Sure, in about four months you probably will be able to stream this movie on HBO or Amazon, but after a year where that was our only option to watch a new movie you owe it to yourself to sit in a dark room with a very large screen, feel the thundering sounds of Viking Combat and take the train home replaying the most memorable scenes in your head.
MAKE YOUR SUMMER COUNT. GET ONE STEP CLOSER TO GRADUATION. REGISTER FOR SCPS ONLINE CLASSES AT GO.DEPAUL.EDU/SCPSSUMMER.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 21
Embrace local this summer
EMILY SOTO | THE DEPAULIA
Two Chicagoans enjoy food from Molino Tortilleria, a stand at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. The market opened in April, a month earlier than usual.
Chicago farmers markets return as the weather warms up
FARMER MARKETS IN CHICAGO
By Isabelle Bohanek Contributing Writer
The official outdoor season for Chicago farmers markets starts in May and, luckily for DePaul students, many are a short commute from the Lincoln Park area. Everyone knows a farmers market when they see one — rows of tents teem with vibrant produce, cute dogs strut on leashes and long lines of customers wait for the freshest pastries. Locals and tourists alike enjoy walking their way into a farmers market during their weekend trip to the city. Outdoor farmers markets give people a chance to browse the colorful array of tents selling houseplants, produce or specialty goods and buy directly from the business or farm of their choice. While the official outdoor season starts in May, The Green City Market located in Lincoln Park and the Nettelhorst French Market in Lakeview kicked off the season in mid-April, offering a range of fresh produce, organic coffee and other pastry delicacies for market-goers. The Green City Market is off of North Clark Street next to the Lincoln Park Zoo and occupies the latter end of the open back trail near North Avenue Beach. Fresh coffee, cider and volunteers greet market-goers at both ends of the trail, along with maps locating each vendor. The Nettelhorst French Market is tucked away on North Broadway Street next to the Nettelhorst School playground. A colorfully decorated fence and bright flowers greet the curious pedestrians and prompt them to take a closer look at the arrangement of specialty products. Chicago Nettelhorst French market offers a virtual market for patrons interested in the year-round market experience but transitioned to the outdoor market experience last weekend. They are open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the commute from the Fulleroton stop to Belmont stop is 20 minutes via the Brown Line. The Green City Market and Uptown Farmers Market will begin opening their farmers markets each Wednesday starting the first week of May. Both markets are only a 15-minute commute via the CTA bus or L-train from DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus and start at alternating times from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. Though farmers markets tend to be more expensive than the average grocery store, one factor could be the amount of labor that goes into curating the products. David Paiz, a vendor for River Valley Market at various Chicago markets, petitions market-goers to
GREEN CITY MARKET
Lincoln Park 1817 N. Clark St. Wednesday and Saturday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
UPTOWN FARMERS MARKET Uptown 4620 N. Broadway Wednesday: 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
EMILY SOTO | THE DEPAULIA
A customer chooses a plant from the Smit's Farm table at the Green City Market.
consider the labor of farmers and business owners when buying from local markets. Paiz has been a vendor for 13 years. There are expenses for farmers during the planting, resting and harvesting seasons that impact vendors’ often firm pricing. Similarly, there are popular products that are in demand for returning patrons. “If you are a recovering addict, I do not recommend the five-cheese garlic spread,” Paiz said. “I say that to joke around, but people continually say they love it. But seriously, everything has two sides. People will look at the prices and complain without considering the labor. Sometimes you don’t see it, but we’re out here.” The earliest vendors leave their farms at 4:30 a.m. to set up their tents before the 7 a.m. start time. Paiz sets up his table of assorted mushrooms, sauces and appraised spreads while his son Robinson greetsearly customers. “The market day is when we spend the most time together. I’ve been helping onand-off since high school, but I used to come all the time when I was younger,” Robinson Paiz said. “You get to meet a lot of people and farmers.” Further north in Lakeview, vendors like Hahn’s Bakery, Sandi’s Fresh Flowers and Hilary’s Cookies set up their tents before the Nettelhorst French Market began at 8 a.m. The fresh bread and Easter-themed cookies were displayed, sealed and ready on vendors’ tables. Yet some farmers showcase entire plants, which requires detailed planning. Although farmers can anticipate the sales of
their popular products, each market day is different. “We honestly weren’t expecting this many people to come out today given the actual outdoor season starts in May,” vendor Paul Biegal said after selling out of basil. Biegal works with his father-in-law for Smits Farms in Chicago Heights. His tent was decorated with delicious herbs and colorful houseplants. Dill, rosemary and flat parsley spilled over the tables and succulents basked stoically in the sun as patrons entered in and out of the tent. Similar to River Valley Ranch, Smits Farms is a flagship farm that has been a part of Green City Market since it started over 20 years ago. Both farms participate in other markets across Chicago. “We were already used to the indoor markets that started the Saturday before Thanksgiving, but it’s around May that the outdoor markets get really busy,” Biegal said. Market-goers can pay with cash, card and Link payments to accommodate the situation of every shopper. The Link Match pilot program matches dollar-for-dollar up to $25 spent at farmers markets per day, according to The Experimental Station. The Green City Market and Uptown Farmers Market accept Link payments, but the Nettelhorst French Market does not. The produce prices at markets are comparable to Whole Foods or Mariano’s, yet products range from houseplants and flowers to jewelry and apparel. The Daley Plaza City Market starts on May 12 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for any residents living in the Loop area. The West Loop Green City Market will start on the first Saturday of
DALEY PLAZA CITY MARKET Chicago Loop 50 W. Washington St. Thursday: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NETTELHORST FRENCH MARKET Lakeview 3252 N. Broadway Saturday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
GREEN CITY MARKET West Loop Mary Bartelme Park, 115 S. Sagamon Saturday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA
May from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mary Bartelme Park. Both accept Link payments and are accessible locations for students living near the Loop campus. A detailed schedule of other upcoming outdoor city markets starting in June and July can be found on the City of Chicago’s official website. Darcy DeWolfe and her husband were having breakfast at Eggsperience Café in Lakeview when they saw the Nettelhorst French Market set up kitty-corner to the café. “We go to a lot of farmers markets in the area,” said DeWolfe as she was picking out an assortment of Sandi’s Fresh Flowers. “We happened to see it while we were eating so [we] decided to stop over after — it’s really nice.”
22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
What’s Fresh
'Ultimatum' brings messy to the forefront
Turning Red is turning heads
PHOTO BY IMDB
PHOTO BY IMDB
Shanique Imari and Randall Griffin pose for the Netflix dating show "The Ultimatum."
By Chinyere Ibeh Film and Music critic Netflix has come out with yet another dating show, but this one has a twist. “Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” features six couples, where one person has issued an ultimatum. One person in each couple wants to take the next step of the relationship — marriage — while the other isn’t ready for the commitment. “Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” introduces six couples and why they have resorted t0 an ultimatum. These couples then officially break up and begin dating around with the other couples. After a couple of weeks of the dating process, they choose someone other than their original partner and they live together for three weeks in a “trial marriage.” After their trial marriage with their new partners, they live with their original partners for three weeks. Nick and Vanessa Lachey host this show as they had previously hosted another Netflix dating show, “Love Is Blind.” Nick and Vanessa chime in throughout the process and give the couples advice as they need it. The Lacheys serve as recognizable faces whose relationship stood the test of time and public attention. The process aims to help people clarify where they stand in their relationships and how they feel about their partners. One can easily say things got pretty complicated and messy. Throughout the show, there were many blow-ups, fights and tears, which all make for good television. One moment that set Twitter ablaze was the dinner where everyone chose the person (not their partner) to spend their first three weeks with. Nathan was one of the participants and he had come with his girlfriend Lauren. He had issued the ultimatum in their relationship because he wanted to have kids – Lauren didn’t want the same thing. Nathan had a connection with two of the other women, but they had chosen other people by the time he had to make his choice — this put him in a mini panic. He whispered to Madlyn, another woman who came with her boyfriend Colby, that he would choose her. Then, he did the complete opposite. This set off a reaction amongst the table because everyone saw right through the mess. With all of the blow-ups and fights, one thing sticks out to the viewer: these couples
are quite young. Much of the cast are in their early to mid-twenties which caused me to take a step back. April served as the most outspoken one of the bunch, yet she was the youngest at 23-years-old. The oldest was in a couple together, Lauren and Nate, as they both were 30-years-old. Everyone else didn’t crack a day older than 26-years-old. Perhaps, some of these relationships didn’t pan out due to inexperience and too much pressure. Many of these couples started dating in their early twenties. “Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” should have a focus on older couples, who’ve been in long-term relationships rather than younger couples who’ve only been together less than two years. Rather than an age issue, it’s a time issue. One has to wonder if these couples truly had the experience to know whether marriage really is the next step for them. Just like many viewers, I wondered if these couples were even ready for that next step. Should these couples give more time into their relationship or was a reality television show the push they needed? When people bring their lives and relationships to reality television, I’m always skeptical about everyone’s intentions. Some people will come onto a show to gain clout or some small amount of fame. Did these couples truly work on themselves through this process or are they just going through the motions? Ironically, as I was skeptical about these couples potentially not having enough experience to take that next step, four of the six couples ended up together. Both April and Zay arrived at the reunion single as April chose the single life and Zay’s relationship with Rae ended after a heated argument. Even though the intentions of the show are good, it exposed the messy and uncomfortable side of everyone’s relationships. The show took the issues within each relationship and magnified them. These couples had to see their partners connect with other people. That discomfort possibly caused them to figure out what they needed to do in regards to their ultimatum. “Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” serves as a lowkey toxic, hot mess that we all can’t look away from. Netflix does its job by twisting the way we perceive dating and relationships by helping people find love in the most unconventional ways.
Meilan Lee hugs her mother Ming Lee in the newest Disney Pixar film, "Turning Red."
By Siona Chibber Staff Writer Told through the perspective of Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a thirteen year old Chinese Canadian, this story delves into her coming of age journey as she sets the stage for this fast-paced family comedy. The audience becomes aware from the start, that they’re about to witness a story about change, acceptance, and new beginnings. As Mei begins to narrate, she tells us that as she turned thirteen, she is at the stage where she is ready to do things independently and for herself. In her words, Mei describes the importance of “honoring herself ” rather than just “honoring her parents.” She wants to be able to do things on her own and be her own person. She goes through puberty and learns how to navigate her life through the help of her friends. Up until now, Mei’s worked hard to become the perfect daughter for her parents. Everything begins to crumble when she turns into a giant red panda. Unlike many other Disney or Pixar movies, “Turning Red” does not shy away from language and topics specific to the demographic of the main characters. Using words such as “sexy” and “pads” one can understand that this film has a more realistic tone. It is common for children’s movies to withdraw from teenage topics such as periods, but this movie does not. They not only bring up such issues in the show, but discuss them as well. These concepts are shown through conversations between Meilin and her mother, Ming. They explore these issues together throughout the movie. When she first transforms into a red panda and is struggling with the changes in her body, her mother assumes she is beginning puberty and is prepared to have a talk with her daughter. She starts by asking her if she started her period by using a code phrase, “did the red peony bloom?” This topic, which most people view as shameful or taboo, is addressed whole-heartedly and brought up in a positive manner. After years of seeing the same story being told about a teenage girl facing hardships and then learning to overcome them, this film takes a slight turn away from this trope.
While that same formula is used as a template for most movies with female leads, “Turning Red” focuses on other topics such as generational trauma. It is discovered that the red panda is passed down to the Lee women. In a descriptive heart-to-heart, Ming explains to Mei that this transformation has been a crucial part in their family’s history which had been created by their ancestor, Sun Yee. Her mother tells her, “what was a blessing became an inconvenience.” Learning to overcome this curse and holding onto the connection between mother and daughter is an issue that this family has continuously had to face. For a film made in 2022, there was an exciting amount of diversity in both the movie and the voice cast, with characters such as Priya voiced by Maiyetri Ramakrishnan, who is South Indian, and Abby Park, who is voiced by Hyein Park, a Korean. Even the side characters came from a variety of backgrounds. With notable appearances from hijabi women, a Sikh man, and many more people of color. Although this movie primarily focuses on the perspective of a Chinese girl, almost everyone watching can feel represented by a character in this story to some degree. One thing this animation studio has consistently done well, is the idea of female empowerment amongst movies with women as the leads such as “Moana” and “Encanto.” “Turning Red” does a phenomenal job in exploring the celebration of femininity. The story consists of primarily women as the main characters all of whom work together rather than tear each other apart. There is a clear and positive message about the strength in the feminine power in this film. While some reviews have been negative and argue that this movie is “boring” and “distasteful,” it’s important to note who is saying this. Many white male reviewers seem to be against the positive and accurate depiction of teenage girls. This movie represented a realistic representation of girls, women, puberty, and culture. This film is a must see with your family, it is well worth your time. I strongly encourage everyone to go watch it on Disney+.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 23
violated How Hulu’s 'Pam & Tommy' misses the mark By Violet Smale Contributing Writer Hulu’s controversial new docudrama, “Pam & Tommy,” has sparked lively debate since it began streaming in early February. “The greatest love story ever sold,” brags the tagline of the eight-episode miniseries. The series, based on the 2014 Rolling Stone article “Pam and Tommy: the Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Sex Tape,” follows Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan), and the havoc wreaked on their lives and relationship following the leak of their intimate honeymoon tapes in 1995. With a masterful use of prosthetics, an all-star cast, a killer soundtrack, and a boatload of ‘90s nostalgia, “Pam & Tommy” is as flashy and glamorous as its titular duo. Yet, the highly anticipated series has a dark side. The series aims to highlight the exploitative and invasive nature of the notorious ‘90s media scandal. But in a paradoxical twist, it was made without the real Pamela Anderson’s permission. After many unsuccessful attempts to reach Anderson, producers moved forward with the series without her consent. Rob Seigel, a showrunner for the series, argued in favor of proceeding with the show without Anderson. “The show is very much on, I think if you had to name one person with whom the show’s sympathies lie, it’s Pam,” Siegel told Entertainment Weekly. Siegel, along with other members of the show’s production team, argued that creating the show without Anderson’s in-
volvement could give it a more objective standpoint. “I was shocked by how many people assumed that [Anderson and Lee] were in on it, which is something I’m happy that we were able to set the record straight about,” Siegel said. “We very clearly, unambiguously present them as victims of a crime, which they were.” This may be a fair reason to continue with the series. Younger generations born into a post-tape world may fail to grasp that this was the first ever celebrity sex-tape scandal, and a large portion of the public falsely assumed Anderson and Lee had leaked and sold the tape themselves. But whose decision should it be to “set the record straight”? Should it lie in the hands of a team of people hoping to make a hit drama, or the hands of the woman whose life was completely turned upside-down? Should it lie in the hands of high-level Hollywood producers hoping to make a fortune, or the hands of a woman who was harassed by the public for years, whose legacy and life will forever be tainted by a video tape that was never supposed to leave the safe in her home? Upon watching the show, it quickly became apparent to me that, despite what Rob Seigel may claim, the show’s sympathies did not lie entirely with Pamela Anderson. In fact, I would argue that the show took quite a sympathetic stance with Rand Gauthier, the carpenter fired by Lee who stole and leaked the tape. Played by the widely-adored Seth Rogan, Gautheir was portrayed to be a working-class victim seeking vengeance
PHOTO BY IMDB
Lily James potrays Pamela Anderson in a scene from the Hulu series "Pam and Tommy."
on Lee. Although the show is thoroughly entertaining, with lavish production design and action-packed episodes, it does not live up to what it claimed to be. For a show that was meant to “unambiguously” present Anderson and Lee as “victims of a crime,” it places heavy emphasis on Lee’s reckless and arrogant disposition, and treats Anderson as a two-dimensional counterpart, with significantly less plotline and personality than Rogan’s Rand Gauthier. Following the release of the series, Anderson broke her silence, saying she felt “violated” by the show, according to Buzzfeed News. Anderson’s inner circle confirmed her opposition to the series, saying Anderson has found “Pam & Tommy” to be “very painful for [her] and everyone that loves her,” according to Entertainment Tonight. Lee, on the other hand, has given the show an enthusiastic stamp of approval, telling Entertainment Tonight that “I know Sebastian [Stan], he’s playing me. From what he’s told me, [it’s a] really beautiful story.” Clips of the show represent Anderson’s reaction to the tape as hysterical,
while Lee struggles to understand why her reaction is so extreme. This is accurate to how it occurred back in 1995, an anonymous source close to Lee told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s a sentiment the rock star still shares [to] this day, according to the source,” Entertainment Tonight reported. Lee and Anderson’s clashing reactions to the show are a powerful testament to the underlying message: Lee, along with the creators of “Pam & Tommy,” refuse Anderson the sympathy she is owed. Nearly 30 years after the scandal, the media continues to fail and misrepresent Anderson. Anderson plans to set the record straight in her own way. In a post on her Instagram one month following the pilot episode of “Pam & Tommy,” Anderson announced her upcoming Netflix documentary in a handwritten note which reads she is “not a victim, but a survivor… alive to tell the real story.” The verdict is: although beautifully designed and shot, “Pam & Tommy” is ultimately an extreme case of popular media exploiting a woman’s trauma, forcing her to relive her darkest moments.
Harry Styles can never return to 'As It Was' By Caroline Zeeman Staff Writer
Recently making its live debut at Coachella on Friday evening, “As It Was” by Harry Styles has quickly added another accolade to its roster. Styles released the first single of his third studio album, “Harry’s House,” on April 1. After a day of the song being out it earned a Guinness World Record for being the most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours by a male artist, as well as garnering the most single-day streams on Spotify in the United States. Having only been released two weeks ago, it seems there is no limit to the praise of Styles and his new musical direction. Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield described the song as a “daring change up” for Styles and admires the sonic choices portrayed in "the '80s synth-pop single [that] depicts running from the past and battling with change.” Longtime Styles and One Direction fan Margo Thornberry is a Sophomore at Indiana University who anxiously awaited the song’s debut. After a few listens, she described the soon-to-be song of the summer as “a mix of ‘Take On Me’ by A-ha, ‘Pink Lemonade’ by James Bay and ‘Blinding Lights’
Harry Styles poses for his album cover "Harry's House," set to release on May 20.
by the Weeknd,” while simultaneously sounding “uniquely Harry.” Thornberry’s opinion is validated by The Guardian’s Ben Beaumont-Thomas, who compared it to “Blinding Lights” and its “same sort of earworm instrumental motif." Styles is a new age rock star, a quality agreed upon across all ages and genders as clearly seen at the reaction of the
PHOTO BY IMDB
crowd during his headlining Coachella performance. He somehow combines the attributes of icons across genres from Elton John to Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie while grasping his own originality and charm. While not everyone has to enjoy his music, Styles’ charisma and kindness
makes it difficult for individuals not to like him. Izzy Lima, a graphic design Sophomore at DePaul, is by no means a superfan, but could not deny the song’s catchy melody. “After I listened to it I couldn’t get the song out of my head for days, and I wasn’t mad about it,” she said. Adding to Styles’ likeability, in an interview with Capital FM he disclosed that the intro of the song features the voice of his goddaughter whom he called daily during the lockdown before she went to bed. He looks back fondly at the memory and chose to include the voicemail he received from her on the one day he forgot to call. Putting it all together, Styles debuted the single as the opening song to his headline Coachella set on Friday, April 15, which was aptly named “Harrychella.” The next single prior to the album release is unknown, though Styles did perform two new songs titled “Boyfriends” and “Late Night Talking,” which are being shared on social media by fans. It seems this summer is bound to be Harry’s — it is his world and we are seemingly living in it.
24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
St.Vincent’s
D e JAMZ
“Spinning fresh beats since 1581” By Nadia Hernandez & Darcy Waskiewicz News Editor & Sports Editor
As the weather gets warmer and you’re hanging outside more, you might be wondering what the best songs to listen to in the spring are, and you already know it’s One Direction. Formed in 2010 on X Factor UK, One Direction changed the lives of millions around the world, including ours. While they have been broken up for six years, that does not stop fans from praying for a potential reunion. In the meantime, enjoy some of our favorite songs from each album that scream spring vibes and get back together just once. Up All Night The title song from One Direction’s first album, “Up All Night” is the kind of song I can scream at the top of my lungs at all hours of the day. The spring months always feel like
they fly by, and this song is all about slowing down and living in the moment for the whole night. This song and album put One Direction on the map and it was groundbreaking. C’Mon, C’Mon I don’t have a car, so I walk everywhere and this is my favorite song to blast through my headphones. Like “Up All Night,” “C’Mon, C’Mon” is all about living in the moment and dancing the night away. From start to finish, this song is upbeat and it’s always a challenge not to dance when listening to it. Happily This song is for the unapologetic Aries babies who don’t care what people think of them. I mean, the word fire is mentioned 15 times in the song, so it’s clearly a sign. I only needed to listen to this song once to fall in love with the fun beat and it has remained as one of my favorite 1D songs since 2013.
Crossword Chart Toppers by Alejandro Arakelian
Steal My Girl This is a main character moment. “Steal My Girl” was one of the lead songs from Four and for a good reason. Its upbeat tune and beat is resistible while One Direction adds their magic where it feels like they’re talking about you. My favorite opening lyrics of the album are from this song, “She's my queen/ Since we were sixteen/ We want the same things/ We dream the same dreams.” Temporary Fix Another great song to scream at the top of your lungs, “Temporary Fix” is on One Direction’s final album and their only album without Zayn Malik, who left the band in March of 2015. It’s the perfect song for spring as the weather gets warmer and the days are longer because it makes you want to go out with friends and enjoy every moment.
ACROSS 1 Just fine 4 "Back in Black" band 8 Hair line 12 Sushi tuna 13 Chess innovator who worked with Kann 14 Bakery fixture 15 Nada 16 Petri dish gel 17 Manner of walking 18 Shallow lover (Kanye West, 2005) 21 Yahtzee cube 22 Unexpected (Alanis Morisette, 1996) 26 Dream (Mariah Carey, 1995) 30 Gal pal, in spanish 31 ___ de France 32 "Que ___?": Spanish greeting 34 Simple bed 35 Poisonous (Britney Spears, 2003) 38 Reflectors (Justin Timberlake, 2014) 41 Resolve 43 Word with super or spider 44 Bunter's goal, or what certain across answers in this puzzle are in relation to the artists in their clues. 49 Vogue editor Wintour 52 Sweeties 53 Baseball arbiter 54 Voting group 55 "Grave of the Fireflies" director Takahata 56 Dallas sch. 57 Genesis creator 58 Storm preceder 59 Used to own
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKI
DOWN 1 "Avatar: The Last Airbender" protagonist 2 Home of the Reds and Browns 3 Slay 4 Orange tinted wood 5 Most on edge 6 Ball culture performance 7 Queen's dog breed 8 Organized massacre 9 Director DuVernay 10 Ayanami of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" 11 Explosive initials 19 Banned pesticide 20 Division of history 23 The Velvet Underground singer 24 Hunchbacked lab assistant 25 "Memory" musical 26 Suits 27 Sunburn soother 28 On deck 29 Thanksgiving staple 33 In between, as a space 36 Cornell city 37 151, in old Rome 39 Kidnapper's demand 40 Algorithmic variance, for short 42 Value system 45 Cubs slugger Sammy 46 Thick with vegetation 47 Actress Stone 48 Tater 49 Stomach muscles, for short 50 Rapper ___ Choppa 51 Holiday drink
Sports
Sports. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 25
Offense surges to spark softball in sweep over Georgetown By Darcy Waskiewicz and Thomas Gorski Sports Editor and Contributing Writer
The offense for DePaul softball soared as the Blue Demons swept Georgetown last weekend in their final series at home. The team has now swept their last three Big East series. The Blue Demons took game one against Georgetown with a 10-2 victory, led by junior first baseman Brook Johnson’s four RBI game and a strong pitching performance by senior Erin Hocker. “The offense did a great job at showing up today,” head coach AdixZin said. “Everyone stayed within themselves in terms of what they were trying to look for offensively and what they wanted to drive and put in play.” Georgetown took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning after Hocker gave up a two-run home run to deep left field. DePaul had a home run of their own in the bottom of the inning after graduate student left fielder Kate Polucha’s solo shot to deep center field made it a 2-1 deficit for the Blue Demons. Graduate student shortstop Maranda Gutirrez started off the bottom of the third inning with a lead off double, which resulted in a score after freshman catcher Anna Wohlers hit a sac fly to left field. DePaul tied up the game at two runs each. Junior right fielder Tori Meyers was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fourth inning, followed by freshman designated player Carly Alvers’s RBI double down the right field line that brought Meyers around to score and give the Blue Demons a 3-2 lead. A few moments later, Johnson blew the game open with a grand slam to deep left center field and the Blue Demons extended their lead 7-2. “I know that I’m going to get limited pitches,” Johnson said. “So whenever I see one I try to hit it and lay off as much as I can.” The Blue Demons started off the bottom of the fifth inning with backto-back singles, followed by sophomore center fielder Nicole Sullivan’s RBI double down the right field line that scored Polucha from second. Riley Pool grounded out to the pitcher, but Meyers was able to score on the play and DePaul extended their lead 9-2. The Blue Demons walked off the game in the bottom of the sixth after Sullivan walked with the bases loaded due to the run rule and DePaul picked up the 10-2 victory. Hocker was dominant on the mound, despite giving up a home run in the first inning. She tossed a complete game and allowed four hits while striking four Georgetown batters. “I felt good, ‘’ Hocker said. “I was a little nervous because there is always a little more pressure when it’s an important game like this, but I just had to focus in and play our game.” In game two of the double header on Saturday, the offense soared in a 17-0 victory, led by Alvers’ two home runs and Meyer’s three RBI game. “It felt so good, I was literally so excited,” Alvers said on her first career home run. “[The Georgetown pitcher] pitched me a rise ball which is my favorite pitch to hit and once I saw it, I swung my hardest and it just happened
DARCY WASKIEWICZ | THE DEPAULIA
Maranda Gutierrez prepares to swing into the ball against Georgetown on Saturday. She had two hits in game one and four hits in the series.
to go over.” The Blue Demons scored first in the bottom of the first innings after Wohlers RBI double to left center field, followed by Polucha’s RBI single in left field. DePaul then scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning after a handful of RBI doubles by freshman infielder Baylee Cosgrove, graduate student second baseman Skylor Hilgor and Johnson to extend their lead 6-0. The offensive firepower in the bottom of the third inning was highlighted by Alvers two home runs, Meyer’s grand slam and Johnson’s RBI double. Alvers hit her first career home run and followed up with a grand slam later in the inning. “When you look at our lineup, everyone has a lot of home runs and RBI potential,” Adix-Zin said. “It makes it hard because you might fool us the first time around, but you won’t the second time around.” The bottom of the fourth inning was no different and DePaul extended their lead 17-0 after a Riley Pool solo blast to deep left field. Similar to Hocker, graduate student Sarah Lehman had a strong outing throwing three shutout innings and allowing only two hits. The team returned on Sunday for the final game of the series against Georgetown and began their dominance early and finished with an 13-9 win for the sweep. With Lehman on the mound, Georgetown opened the game with a leadoff home run, but DePaul quickly silenced the Hoyas with seven runs in the first inning before rain paused the game. When play resumed, the Blue Demons added on four more runs to lead 12-1 after one inning, including two home runs from Polucha and one from Johnson. The Blue Demons also tacked on another run in the second inning. Sophomore Julyana Gomez entered the game to replace Lehman after the first inning and stayed in for the rest of the game. Georgetown bounced back
DARCY WASKIEWICZ | THE DEPAULIA
The team cheers for Brooke Johnson after her grand slam in game one against Georgetown.
DARCY WASKIEWICZ | THE DEPAULIA
Erin Hocker winds up to throw in game one. She pitched in all six innings and allowed four hits.
after the Blue Demons’ early lead and responded with eight straight runs to cut the score to 13-9. However, DePaul was able to shut them down before the Hoyas did real damage and the Blue Demons came away with the sweep. Johnson led the team with two hits and four RBIs, while Polucha had two hits and 3 RBIs.
The Blue Demons return to Cacciatore Stadium on Wednesday for a single game against Illinois on Wednesday before traveling to play Creighton on April 29-May 1.
26 | Sports. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022
Golf heads to conference tournament in search of first title By Preston Zbroszczyk Contributing Writer
After five months of traveling all over the country and maintaining focus throughout the season, the DePaul golf team prepares itself for the Big East Championship. The tournament starts April 25-27, and will run on all three days, with each day consisting of one round of 18 holes. The team opened the season at the Valparaiso University Fall Invitational on Sept. 20, where they finished 8th out of 12. Since then, the Blue Demons usually finished around 11th place. Their highest placement of the season was in October at the Tom Tontimonia Invitational, where the Blue Demons finished 4th out of 13. At the tournament, junior Noah Kolar had a career best of 67. The Blue Demons concluded their intercollegiate schedule with the Missouri University Tiger Invitational on April 1112. Kolar, a top performer on the team, finished in 36th place and helped DePaul place 16th overall. “Each week is a different challenge,” head coach Marty Schiene said. “It is a different course, different conditions; you are playing the course. I emphasize to score you need to drive it, wedge it and need to putt it; those are the skills we work on. It is such an intricate game it does not get old or boring.” The Big East Tournament is being held for the first time in Pine Mountain, Georgia’s Callaway Gardens Golf Course. The Blues Demons were fortunate to have professional caddy and former PGA Tour Champion David Toms speak to the team about what to look for and how the course in Georgia can be played successfully. Toms, in his years of playing, has won twice at Callaway Gardens course. “We did the Zoom call with the professional caddy,” junior Conor Glennon said. “We did sort of a classroom session, where we go over the course and analyze what clubs to use, because everyone is playing individually, so we try and go through how each person would be most successful on that course.” The game of golf requires a great deal of patience, and when a season stretches from September to April, like the Blue Demons schedule does, finding time to unwind and clear the head is essential. The team has never had the luxury
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS/STEVE WOLTMANN
DePaul sophomore David Griggs swings out of a sand bunker. He and the Blue Demons will compete in the Big East Championship this week.
of calling a golf course their home. Each intercollegiate scheduled invite is a neutral site, which makes traveling to every tournament a chance for the team to bond. “[Nik Gatmaytan] is a very good cook, and he makes insanely good food,” sophomore David Griggs said. “So, we do team dinners a lot, or sometimes we will do a movie that all of us can enjoy. I mean, we all love to play golf, so we also do that in our free time we will practice together and play games, that is where we have the most fun.” The Big East Tournament requires that six players from the team qualify to participate and represent each school at Georgia. The Blue Demons constructed a four-round qualifier to determine which individual would qualify for the Big East Tournament. Three individuals remained exempt and had already qualified due to their consistent performances throughout the season. Players like junior Artemiy Valvenko and freshman Alex Vekich have
given stability for the Blue Demons all season and will highlight the group of six in hopes of bringing home some hardware. “We played through all those nasty days,” Schiene said. “Monday it snowed, we played Chicago Highlands, Sunday Ivanhoe [was] very cold, Saturday we played Bryn Mawr and Alex Vekrich shot 64 with a hole-in-one, so that’s kind of exciting as a coach to see someone go that low.” This year’s Blue Demon squad has leadership from all nine of its players. Throughout the season, they have had freshman to fifth-year seniors play large roles in and contribute to winning performances all season.
The collegiate scoring format in golf takes the top four individual scores out of five who have played the course in that round of 18 holes and adds them together at the end. This allows for placement to be ordered by team total performances and individual performances—that way, the team will get rewarded for both performances. “We have sort of been tailoring our practices for the Big East, trying to prepare for the course and practicing sure shot we feel will be required or potential used on the course,” Glennon said. “Being confident in what you practice, you’re practicing for a reason and the preparation is sort of in the practice.”
DePaul Center 333 South State St. Welcome Back DePaul Students Hand Tossed
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Call to Preorder Whole pizzas 14" or 17" 312-663-1070 Dine in - Carry out Delivering with Door Dash and Grub Hub Student Discount for in store Purchase w/ Valid ID PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS/STEVE WOLTMANN
DePaul golf junior Conor Glennon finishes through a swing during a tournament.
Sports. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 27 MEN’S TENNIS, continued from back page chemistry they have built overtime. “It is unique that these guys get to go through four or five years together,” Brothers said. “It’s such a great group of guys. They are good guys off the court and are passionate about the sport.” The Band of Brothers was formed a few seasons back when the core group of talent committed to joining Brothers’ movement. The meaning of that name stood for protection within the team as they prepared to battle together in every match. “There was a big group of us that came in at the same year and our coach’s last name is Brothers, we all go to war together,” said Tuff, one of the original members of the Band of Brothers. According to Tuff, building chemistry was important because in comparison to previous years, they have a bunch of young guys on this current team and have been working hard to become a strong unit together. Over the last few years, players like Wassenaar, Tonejc and Tuff were the younger guys in the original core group. Now, they are the veteran leaders that bring the experience to guide the younger players to higher levels of success. “Usually, the Band of Brothers was the older guys and four of them graduated last year, but I think [Wassenaar], Tripp, and me and [Peder Minsaas] are the core now of the Band of Brothers because we’re the oldest and then maybe a new nickname comes out for the new guys.” Well, whatever nickname comes about, it will carry a plethora of weight for the young players. They held down the fort in the final stretches to get DePaul back in position to taste victory once again. When comparing last season’s team to this season, he admitted that the new dynamic helped develop the players for this moment. “Two completely different teams,” Brothers said. “Last year was all the older, experienced guys who made it through the pandemic together and
Creighton
W 4-1
PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS BELL
DePaul men’s tennis team celebrates their second straight Big East Championship title together in Cayce, South Carolina on Sunday.
then took full advantage of their second chance. This year is a completely different dynamic — back to development and getting guys better.” The elder statesmen of the group approved the talent the young core brought to the table, helping them finish their collegiate careers with a bang. “It’s special because of how quickly the young guys became a part of our winning culture,” Wassenaar said. “They learned so quickly, and by the end of the season, they were playing like seniors.” “The younger guys made some valuable contributions to this Big East title,” Tuff said. “We’ve officially welcomed them to the Band of Brothers.”
Xavier W 4-2
St. Johns
W 4-2 PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS BELL
Freshman Marino Jakic yells during a match. He was named Big East Most Outstanding Player.
WOMEN’S TENNIS, continued from back page semifinals. In the semifinals, the Blue Demons took on No. 1 seed St. John’s. DePaul lost to St. John’s in the regular season and St. John’s was coming off 13 straight wins, but it was the Blue Demons who were victorious this time in a 4-2 victory on Saturday. Doubles pairs Antonijevic and Kizelbasheva and Martin and Nobbs set the pace with victories to start the match, and then singles wins by Kizelbasheva and Jovicic propelled DePaul forward. The match came down to Nobbs, who was trailing in her singles match but came back to win 7-5 and clinch the victory for the Blue Demons against the dominant St. John’s team. “I think what’s great about the Big East is also its biggest challenge,” head coach Marisa Arce said. “I think any team could come and win this tournament. Every team is beatable but every team is good so we have to be on it, we can’t take anyone too lightly and we need all six doubles players and all six singles players to
be ready to go physically, mentally and emotionally.” The tournament came down to the finals on Sunday, where DePaul took on Xavier in the final. The Blue Demons have been battling Xavier in the Big East championship for years. In 2019, DePaul defeated them in the final but last year, it was Xavier who was victorious over DePaul. And this year, it was Xavier who came out on top as the Blue Demons fell short of the title in a 4-0 loss. Xavier was dominant from the very beginning and swiftly defeated the doubles teams. Afterwards, the singles players struggled to keep up to Xavier’s strong play and the Blue Demons were unable to come out on top and saw their season end. “There’s been a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but as a team, we’ve all grown together a lot,” sophomore Kaya Rand said. “Every match that we go through, it makes us even better and it just prepares us for the Big East and what comes after that. We’ve just grown a lot this entire year.” PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS BELL
DePaul graduate student Marija Jovicic serves the ball at the Big East Championship on Sunday.
Sports
Sports. The DePaulia. April 25, 2022 | 28
Back-to-back Men’s tennis claims Big East title for second year By Joshua M. Hicks Asst. Sports Editor
The DePaul men’s tennis team had an up and down season, finishing the regular season with an even .500 record at 12-12. But under the leadership of head coach Matt Brothers, the team has surged with an undefeated conference schedule that included winning their final three conference matches to seal their fate as back to back conference champions. Their 4-2 victory against St. John’s gives DePaul a 8-0 record in conference play, with the title of 2022 champions attached to it. Throughout the tournament, DePaul expected to have the No. 1 seed. When tournament time came, DePaul eventually came in as the No. 2 seed. St. John’s ended up taking the top seed, even though they only played two conference matches. “I thought we were going to get the No. 1 seed because we were undefeated, but somehow, we didn’t get it,” junior Vito Tonejc said. “I don’t think that matters too much because we still have to win matches to win it again, and they’re all even teams.” A lower seed than expected was not enough to stop the Blue Demons. They
still prevailed in winning the conference tournament once again. The key to winning the championship match was based on the team’s double’s performances. “Doubles play is probably very important, most important in the Big East, especially because it makes the job much easier, so I think we’re going to put the emphasis on doubles,” Tonejc said. The team started off strong in doubles play. Tonejc and freshman Marino Jakic lost their match, but junior Leon Huck/freshman Jona Gitschel (7-5) and graduate Tripp Tuff/graduate Luuk Wassenaar (6-2) picked up the team, solidifying their victories to give DePaul the early edge. From that point on, DePaul took off in singles play. Wassenaar and Tuff lost their singles matches, but behind the leadership of Tonejc, the rest of the team stepped up and helped DePaul get over the hump. Tonejc won his match 6-4 and 6-1. Jakic won his match 7-6 and 6-3. Freshman Matteo Iaquinto assisted by completing his match with a 6-4 and 6-3 win. Huck did not finish his match. This squad, nicknamed the Band of Brothers, has a history of success. The uniqueness of the team stems from the
See MEN’S TENNIS, page 27 PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS BELL
DePaul junior Vito Tonejc cheers after scoring a point at the Big East Championship in Cayce, South Carolina. His singles victory on Sunday helped the team earn their title for a second straight year.
Women’s tennis falls to Xavier in Big East championship Butler W 4-2
St. John’s W 4-2
Xavier L 4-0
DARCY WASKIEWICZ | THE DEPAULIA
PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS BELL
DePaul freshman Hristina Djokic swings into a ball during a match against Xavier on Sunday.
By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor
The DePaul women’s tennis team’s season has come to an end after the Blue Demons fell short of the title in a 4-0 loss to Xavier in the tournament final on Sunday. Despite a dominant win against the No. 1 seed St. John’s in the semifinals, DePaul was unable to defeat Xavier in the finals for the second year in a row. The season was full of ups and downs, starting with a 4-0 win against Bradley in January and ending with a 4-3 loss to Xavier. The team finished the regular season with an overall record of 7-8 and a conference record of 4-3. “There’s been a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but as a team, we’ve all grown together a lot,” sophomore Kaya Rand said. “Every match that we go through, it makes us even better and it just prepares us for the Big East and what comes after that. We’ve just grown a lot this entire year.” To prepare for the tournament, the team focused on every aspect of their game and the best ways to hold off their opponent’s offense, while keeping up with them in the Carolina heat. Additionally, the team used their spring
break to travel to California, where they mixed fun with practice. “Singles, doubles, match practice, we’ve been drinking a lot of water because it’s going to be hot in South Carolina, so we’ve been trying to hydrate ourselves,” freshman Eleanor Nobbs said. “We practiced outside a few times last week, so things like that. And lots of fitness and conditioning to get us prepared for long matches in the heat.” Last season, the Blue Demons defeated Butler and Villanova at the Big East championship before falling to Xavier in the final match and history repeated itself this year. As the No. 4 seed, DePaul faced off against No. 5 Butler in the first round again on Friday and defeated the Bulldogs 4-2. The match kicked off with doubles victories from graduate student Marija Jovicic and freshman Hristina Djokic and junior Lenka Antonijevic and sophomore Yuliya Kizelbasheva that secured DePaul a point. Antonijevic, Djokic and junior Valentina Martin then followed with singles wins that secured the Blue Demons a win over Butler to move on to the
See WOMEN’S TENNIS, page 27