Softball bows out of Big East Tournament, fails to make NCAA Tournament, page 28.
SGA released its election results last week, find out who the winners are, page 3.
DePaulia
The
Volume #106 | Issue #25 | May 16, 2022 | depauliaonline.com
New president looks to bring fresh vision By Lawrence Kreymer & Nika Schoonover Editor-in-Chief & Print Managing Editor
Robert L. Manuel was comfortable at the University of Indianapolis. He already spent a decade serving as its president and never applied for another job during his time at the university. But when DePaul announced that President A. Gabriel Esteban would be stepping down after the conclusion of the 2021-22 academic year, Manuel became interested with what DePaul can offer as an institution and what he could bring to the table. Eventually, Manuel was nominated for the job by a friend who works at Georgetown. “I feel like I’m at my best at institutions that have faith based connections,” Manuel said in an interview with DePaul student media on Tuesday. “When you are at good institutions — like the University of Indianapolis, and you are doing well in those institutions — you are not applying for lots of jobs.”
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Newly named President Robert Manuel speaks to student media during a press conference on Tuesday. He was previously president at the University of Indianapolis. Manuel ended up applying for DePaul’s presidency vacancy, went through the entire search process and was officially announced as the university’s 13th president
Tuesday morning. He is the university’s second lay president, after Esteban, and grew up in the Episcopal Church, according to Newsline.
Beyond that, he attended Le Moyne College and Georgetown University, both Catholic institutions. In addition, he has served for the past six years as board member at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory High School and participated in multiple immersive religious experiences, including a service trip with the Jesuits to Kenya. “There is unlimited possibility in what could happen here,” Manuel said. “When I went through the kind of search process and I looked at everything, the only thing that is stopping us is a failure of the imagination. The Board of Trustees “unanimously” voted to approve Manuel as DePaul’s next president on April 21, according to a press release. Esteban will officially step down on July 31 and Manuel will step in a day later. On May 11, DePaul held a farewell ceremony for Esteban and his wife, Josephine, at Cortelyou Commons for faculty and staff.
See PRESIDENT, page 9
City crime has DePaul on alert
Diamonds of drag
By Patrick Sloan-Turner & Halie Wingo Staff Writer & Contributing Writer
AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA
Georgia Rising performs at DePaul’s Annual Drag show on May 12. She was crowned the winner after scoring 82 votes against two other finalists.
Students return to DePaul’s annual show after two-year hiatus By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor
“Are you nervous?” Adjusting the straps of their holster to align with the rest of the perfectly planned cowboy attire, Sydryl Denila, also known by the stage name Mr. Trans Former, is getting ready for their drag debut. “Of course I am,” they said. “This is my first ever drag performance.” Denila never imagined being a part of this community, but from helping friends out with their performances to now walking the stage themselves, Denila has made strides into the Chicago drag scene, performing as a senior at DePaul’s Drag Show on Friday. “At first I didn’t think I would get into this, but I moved in with a bunch of my friends
who do drag and became the ‘drag daddy’ making sure everyone was fed and had their lash glue,” Denila said. “Then I assisted for one of their performances and loved it, so I thought I would take a shot and try it as just me.” Performing to “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy),” Mr. Trans Former amps up the crowd with their dance number. Denim shorts matched with a cut off red button-up and signature cowboy hat is the first costume for Mr. Trans Former tonight. Denila’s unmistakable drag look, including the high painted cheekbones, plenty of highlight and the trademark drag eye makeup complete the full effect. DePaul hosted its first drag night after a two-year hiatus on May 12. It’s an 11-year tradition planned and coordinated by DePaul’s
LGBTQIA+ Resource Center, Spectrum and QPOC, involving local professional drag artists and a competition between the DePaul drag students for a cash prize and chance to be DePaul’s 2022 Drag Superstar. Mr. Trans Former, along with six other students, are continuing the beloved tradition and maybe further on into the drag world. Room 120AB in the Lincoln Park Student Center looks unrecognizable, decked out with a long runway, decorated tables with light-up balls, colorful strobe lights and a drink station with all the colors of the rainbow. With the DJ blasting club hits, the room once used for freshman orientation looks considerably like a nightclub in Northalsted.
See DRAG, page 21
Freshman Alex Guyton was sitting in his dorm room bed early in the early morning hours of May 6 when a friend and fellow DePaul student FaceTimed him. Guyton’s friend walked down Fullerton Avenue on their way back to the dorms after visiting a friend off-campus. The two spoke to make sure Guyton’s friend safely made it back to the dorms. When the FaceTime call suddenly hung up, Guyton knew something was wrong. “I tried to text them and call them, and nothing was working,” Guyton said. “I started worrying, but since I didn’t know what the situation was, I didn’t want to call 911.” The call hung up because Guyton’s friend was being held at gunpoint. Around 3 a.m., a white sedan pulled up alongside the DePaul student on Fullerton. A passenger exited the vehicle, displayed a handgun and demanded the student’s belongings, before returning to the car and fleeing, according to the incident’s DePaul Public Safety alert. Afterward, Guyton’s friend made it back to their dorm safe and uninjured. Since the traumatic event, each of the two students has increased concern for their own safety. Now, Guyton and his friends often use DePaul Public Safety services when going out at night. If it is dark outside,
See CRIME, page 4
2 | News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
First Look
CAMPUS COVID-19 CASES April 1, 2022 - May 20, 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
FOLLOW US:
CONTACT US: depauliaonline.com
facebook.com/TheDePaulia
thedepaulia GENERAL PHONE (773) 325-2285
twitter.com/TheDePaulia
thedepaulia
OFFICE HOURS Thursday: 6-8 p.m. Friday: 10-6 p.m. Sunday: 10-5 p.m.
NEWS TIPS news@depauliaonline.com
ADVERTISING business@depauliaonline.com
News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 3
The results are in: SGA announces election results, make goals for future By Patrick Sloan-Turner Staff Writer
In addition to the transition of power at the top of the university, there has also been a recent change in leadership within the student body. On May 7, DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) announced its election winners for the 2022-2023 academic year. Junior Kelvin Holechko will take over as SGA president, alongside running mate sophomore Magoli Garcia, who will take over as Vice President. The newly elected presidential cabinet believes an improved relationship between the student body and student government is vital to DePaul’s advancement. Holechko and Garcia see themselves as the potential link between students and administration. “As an education major…I’ve always had an interest in the administrative side of [things],” Holechko said. “The privilege that student government has is basically unlimited access to DePaul’s administrators, and I believe I can do a lot to connect them with the student body.” Holechko, a secondary education history major, called it a “natural move” to advance into the president’s seat. He believes his area of study and his past involvement in student government makes him the best fit to lead the organization. The two candidates both believe more can be done to aid students through some of the hardships often experienced during college. As President and VP, Holechko and Garcia see their positions as an opportunity to place the university’s assets into the hands of everyday DePaul students. “Student government has so much power in providing resources and information with our students,” Garcia said. “[We]
saw this as an opportunity to bridge that gap.” Holechko and Garcia have already started brainstorming concrete goals and a vision for the following year. Recently, SGA introduced a scholarship for first-generation students. The two candidates hope to take cost-centered initiatives like this a step further and decrease some of the financial obstacles that students experience. For example, they’ve begun to explore the idea of expanding the use of opensource textbooks throughout classes at DePaul. “We want to work with Faculty Council on taking this concept and applying it to more classes,” Holechko said. “[We’d like to] take some of those hidden costs that come with college that people don’t necessarily talk about… and reduce them.” Another essential position was filled from Saturday’s elecDePaul junior tion results that’s likely to be integral to reducing costs. Sophomore accounting major Caroline Snyder won the treasurer seat and hopes to use her role to better ensure that groups on campus receive the financial support they deserve. “I want to make sure that every group gets the funding they need,” Snyder said. “It’s important to make sure that support is adequate.” Along with implementing new opportunities to ease the burden that comes with being a college student, all three of the newly elected officials hope to build on some of the past year’s accomplishments. In April, SGA introduced a shuttle bus to run between DePaul’s campuses to give students a safe option for transport amid a rise in crimes on CTA. As treasurer, Snyder says she’ll do her part to keep the initiative in place when students return in the Fall. “It’s really an added benefit to students,” Snyder said. “I definitely want to [keep] that running.”
“One goal of mine for next year is to bring students and administration together.”
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Magoli Garcia, SGA vice president-elect and sophomore, talks about the importance of having the Reproductive Rights Town Hall on May 26.
Kevin Holechko
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Kevin Holechko, SGA president-elect and junior, said he wants to bring SGA and the student body closer than they have been in the past. For Holechko, one major issue during “A lot of students have felt shut out,” his time at DePaul has been lackluster Holechko said. “I think with Dr. Manuel, communication and transparency between we have a wonderful opportunity to capiadministration and students. On Tuesday, talize on improved communication…and DePaul announced Dr. Robert Manuel as one goal of mine for next year is to bring the university’s next president. Holechko students and administration together.” sees the transition as an opportunity to improve the correspondence between the two parties.
SGA election results President Kevin Holechko Vice President Magoli Garcia Treasurer Caroline Snyder EVP of Academic Affairs Sergio Godinez EVP of Operations Cole Kitchens EVP of Student Affairs Parveen Mundi EVP of Diversity & Equity Adora Alava Senator for the College
of Liberal Arts & Social Senator for the Theatre Sciences School Maximus Hastings Rita Sharon Ismayl Senator for Second Year Senator for the College of Students Education Emily Bylsma Jocelyn Beuther Senator for Third Year Senator for the College of Students Communication Isabel Carmichael Avery Schoenhals Senator for Commuter Senator for the College of Students Science & Health Zoe Bragado Ana Delgado Senators for Intercultural Senator for the School of Awareness Music Isabella Ali, Samara Ryan Williams Smith
Senator for Driehaus College of Business Chrismar Calbillo Senator for Veteran Students Nicole Dizan Senator for Fourth and Fifth Year Students David Hupp Senator for LGBTQ+ Students Evan Mueller Senator for Disabled Students Chloe Crosby SGA | SOURCE
4 | News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 CRIME, continued from front page they make a call to have a car come pick them up and take them across campus. “Every time we want to go out, and it’s dark, even at 8:30, we take the public safety escort service,” he said. “We don’t walk anywhere at night.” The news of this crime was alarming to SGA Executive Vice President of Operations Kellen Brown. One of his roles in his position in student government is to work closely with campus safety, but the DePaul junior says that options are limited to combat crimes that take place off-campus, even if they’re close by. “I know [public safety is] well aware of the crimes going on right off campus,” Brown said. “But since they aren’t technically on campus, they can only do so much.” The May 6 armed robbery of a DePaul student is just one incident in a slew of similar crimes that have recently taken place in areas near DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus. On that same night, an armed robbery occurred at the 1100 block of Waveland in Wrigleyville, another armed robbery and battery took place at the 700 block of West Aldine, and a 23-year-old man was shot while being robbed near the intersection of Webster and Wayne, a few blocks from DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, according to police records,. As of Sunday, the victim, Dakota Earley, remains hospitalized but has improved from being on life support last week. Gun violence is slightly down in Chicago this year from 2021, which was the city’s most violent year since 1991. A reported 344 aggravated assaults involving a handgun occurred in Chicago in April, down from 362 a year ago, according to figures from the Chicago Data Portal. Still, significant violence has occurred near DePaul’s campuses as of late. Saturday night was a violent one in the Loop. A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed near “the Bean” in Chicago’s millennium park at the 200 block of East Randolph Street around 7:30 p.m., according to CPD. Hours
ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ | AP PHOTO
After a social media post was spread to the public about having a party involving alcohol on North Ave. Beach, police seize alcohol from party attendees ranging from 14 to 21 year olds. later, shots were fired one block from the DePaul Center near Adams and State, striking two men around 11:30 p.m. As of Sunday morning, one of the victims was in critical condition, while the other was reported to be in fair condition, according to reporting by ABC 7. All of the May 6 incidents near DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus include a perpetrator stepping out of a vehicle to approach a victim on foot and the use of a gun according to police reports. At a Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting on Tuesday at St. Josaphat school in Lincoln Park, Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers and 43rd Ward Ald. Michelle Smith met with close to 100 residents to help ease concerns and brainstorm solutions. At the meeting, CPD Sgt. John McCarthy, who is a part of an investigation into these incidents, told The DePaulia there’s reason to believe the crimes – including the May 6
event with a DePaul student – are connected. “[We believe] this is a robbery crew we have familiarity with,” McCarthy said. “We [are investigating] two persons of interest.” No arrests have been made, but McCarthy explained to residents at Tuesday’s meeting that CPD is tracking individuals on social media and is optimistic about how the investigation is unfolding. “I’m very confident in this investigation and where it’s leading,” McCarthy told residents. “I’m very confident in our progress.” As far as the crime with the DePaul student as a victim on May 6, McCarthy told The DePaulia it certainly has the same m.o. as others in the area and fits some of the others’ characteristics. Here’s where and when several other nearby crimes with common characteristics occurred: Wednesday, May 4: armed robbery at 2900 block North Clark at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 4: attempted armed
robbery at 2600 block North Bosworth at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, May 4: armed robbery at 1100 block of West Wellington at 11 p.m. Thursday, May 5: armed robbery at 3000 block of North Racine at 10 p.m. Thursday, May 5: armed robbery at 2600 block of North Racine at 10:25 p.m. Brown says that walking alone, especially at night, can be dangerous. Walking in a group can make it easier to stay safe and make yourself less of a target. “If you’re out at night, you want to be in a group,” Brown said. “It makes it that much harder [for a perpetrator] to commit the kind of thing that we saw [on May 6].” For students on campus, Brown recommends using campus public safety services as a resource to get home safe, especially at night. In addition to the CAPS meetings, like last Tuesday’s at St. Josaphat, leaders of communities close to DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus have taken other steps to ease residents’ minds and fight back against crime. Smith has resumed public safety walks, in which neighborhood residents walk the streets at night together in solidarity. In an email inviting residents to join the walks, Smith said, “We will not be driven by fear from walking in our neighborhood, and we will not tolerate these crimes.” Since the traumatic event on May 6, Guyton and his friend who was robbed are now more concerned for their own safety. Now, they often use DePaul Public Safety services when going out at night. If it’s dark outside, they make a call to have a car come pick them up and take them across campus. “Every time we want to go out, and it’s dark, even at 8:30, we take the public safety escort service,” he said. “We don’t walk anywhere at night.”
CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: May 4, 2022 - May 10, 2022 LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS
LOOP CAMPUS
5&8
Seton Hall Clifton & Fullerton
1
990 W Fullerton Building
3
School of Music
2
Corcoran Hall
University Hall
6
9
5
Belden & Racine
1000 Block W Belden Ave,
10
12
McCabe Hall
11 7
Lewis Center
DePaul Center
6
14
13
St. Vincent Church
15
Wayne & Webster
7
16
4
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS May 4 1) A Theft report was filed regarding items taken from a desk in the 990 W Fullerton building.
Assault & Theft
6
Drug & Alcohol
Other
May 10 9) A Harassment report was filed for a person in School of Music receiving unwanted messages electronically. May 5 10) A Theft from Vehicle report was 2) A Smell of Marijuana report was May 8 filed regarding a catalytic converter filed in University Hall. 6) A Smell of Marijuana report was taken from a vehicle parked on the filed in Corcoran Hall. street at Belden & Racine. May 6 11) A Theft from Vehicle report 3) An Armed Robbery report was May 9 was filed regarding a license plate filed regarding a robbery at Clifton 7) A Disturbance was reported at St stolen from a vehicle parked on the and Fullerton. A Safety Alert was Vincent Church. 1000 block of W Belden. issued regarding the incident. 8) A Possession of Cannabis report 12) A Theft of Bicycle report was 4) An Aggravated Battery report was filed in Seton Hall. filed for a bike taken from McCabe was filed regarding an incident off bike rack. campus at Wayne and Webster. A Safety Alert was issued regarding the incident. 5) A Smell of Marijuana report was filed in Seton Hall.
LOOP CAMPUS May 4 13) A Graffiti report was filed regarding markings on the DePaul Center. May 8 14) A Graffiti report was filed for markings on Lewis Center. May 9 15) A Theft of Lost Property report was filed for a person in the DePaul Center. May 10 16) A Disturbance was reported at the DePaul Center.
News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 5
‘Chicago is waiting for another candidate’
Lightfoot reelection to hinge on crime PAT NABONG | AP PHOTO
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stands beside police officers during a press conference at the Chicago Police Department headquarters in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Wednesday, Jan. 26.
By Patrick Sloan-Turner Staff Writer
The year 2021 was the worst year for violent crime in nearly three decades. Over 1,000 homicides took place in Cook County last year. Crime — especially violent crime — is always a significant issue to voters in Chicago, and the recent surge could be the tipping point for the mayoral race on Feb. 28, 2023. In less than 10 months, Chicago voters will elect the city’s next mayor. Issues like crime, education and economic development are always pivotal issues in any election within Chicago and are likely to be prevalent in this race too. The past few years have seen significant surges in crime across the country. At least 12 major U.S. cities hit record highs in violent crime in 2021. Since Mayor Lori Lightfoot was elected in 2019, Chicago has seen upticks as well, especially the 36 percent increase in shootings between 2019 and 2020. The city has also endured a pandemic and labor disputes between the mayor’s office and groups like the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Police Union. To many, various crises like these, along with a field of somewhat unknown candidates thus far, should make for an interesting race. “You have sort of this anomalous situation,” said John McCarron, a former DePaul adjunct professor and political columnist for the Chicago Tribune. “We have a minority, female, non-heterosexual as an incumbent … and there’s a widespread feeling that the mayor is not going to be very popular.” Recent private polling shows Lightfoot’s public approval rating has dipped below 30 percent, according to an April story in the Chicago Sun-Times. This comes as a surprise to some, considering Lightfoot’s landslide victory in 2019. “She won an incredible 70 percent of the vote and all 50 wards of the city [in 2019],” said Craig Sautter, a professor in DePaul’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. “But the big issue has been crime, and she hasn’t been able to get a hold of it.” An incumbent with approval ratings as low as Lightfoot’s is always vulnerable to a challenger. At this point in the race, only three other major candidates have declared themselves to face off with Lightfoot in February. On Thursday, State Rep. Kam Buckner declared his bid for mayor. Buckner was appointed to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2019 and chairs the Illinois House Black Caucus. The Chicago-raised former University of Illinois football player and DePaul Law School graduate holds an endorse-
ILLINOIS HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CHAMBER, THE CHICAGO CRUSADER, TWITTER | PHOTOS
[Left] Rep. Kam Buckner [Middle] Willie Wilson [Right] Ald. Raymond Lopez ment from the Chicago Teachers Union, tive neighborhoods is one of the leading a group that has regularly quarreled with causes for her low approval rating. Lightfoot during the pandemic. “You can’t just stamp one policy or one Chicago-born 15th Ward Ald. Raymond solution and copy it to another community,” Lopez threw his hat into the ring in April. Sanchez said. “Safety for the North Side is difLopez was first elected as Alderman in 2015 ferent than safety for the South Side, but that and, if elected, would be Chicago’s first Lati- doesn’t mean that [one community’s] policies no and second openly gay mayor. If history should mean any less than another’s.” serves as any indicator, Lopez is in for an upWhile violence is a significant issue across hill battle, as no city council member has ever Chicago, Sanchez believes that how Lightfoot been elected to the office of mayor. has handled other types of crime is just as The other prominent candidate to declare important. He says it’s why some activists like thus far is Chicago businessman Willie Wil- him may be quick to criticize. son. Wilson, a perennial candidate who also “When we hear ‘Mayor Lori Lightfoot is ran in 2015 and 2019, recently made news hard on crime,’ the crime that she’s hard on with his free gas giveaways to residents across is gun violence and theft,” Sanchez said. “But Chicago and its suburbs. things like environmental injustices … those Experts like Sautter feel that voters are are crimes too. Is she hard on them? Is she waiting to see if a familiar figure will declare holding them accountable?” themselves for the race. If not, Lightfoot may In Sanchez’s Southeast Side, poor air win back her seat by default, despite her low quality and pollution are major issues. Resapproval ratings. idents of Chicago’s Southeast Side are more “To quote a long-time political saying, prone to cardiovascular and respiratory dis‘you can’t beat someone with no one,’” Sautter ease than North Side residents, according to said. “Chicago is waiting for another can- an air quality report released in 2020. Not didate … but who’s it going to be, the great long after the report’s release, a planned demwhite hope?” olition at the old Crawford Coal Plant in LitSome believed U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, tle Village took place. The blast covered the D-Ill., would fill this void, but on April 28, neighborhood in massive dust clouds and Quigley announced in a statement he would led to concerns from residents about possible not challenge Lightfoot in 2023. health issues as a result. In a news conference While the current pool of candidates is on the day of the demolition, Lightfoot adsmall, Lopez’s early strategy is to repeatedly mitted the city’s active role in the explosion. criticize Lightfoot’s efforts to combat crime To some, environmental inequalities beduring her term. With the public’s concerns tween neighborhoods are part of an overall turned toward recent violence, Lopez’s strate- trend regarding inequality in Chicago and are gy could prove to be a viable one. likely to be thought about by voters next year. “People are turning on the 10 p.m. news “The city has been dividing into the haves and seeing crime downtown near Randolph and the have-nots,” McCarron said. and State,” McCarron said. “It’s going to be McCarron wonders how some voters feel at the top of people’s minds when they go to about Lightfoot’s recent selection for a new vote.” casino or the related development plans, esIn Chicago, crime is defined in many pecially with studies showing that gambling ways in varying communities. For residents rates tend to be higher among individuals of like Southeast Side community activist Oscar lower socioeconomic status. McCarron also Sanchez, Lightfoot’s mishandling of issues thinks some voters believe the city’s resources like crime as they relate to Chicago’s respec- and efforts could be better spent elsewhere
rather than attracting more wealthy Chicagoans downtown. One policy that Lightfoot proposed to combat crime was the Victims Justice Ordinance last year. The proposal would allow the city to seize property from individuals engaged in criminal activity. Since made public, the ordinance has faced heavy opposition from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, who claim that it would only take resources from Chicago families that need them the most. Sanchez sees the ordinance as another example of Lightfoot’s political efforts directed toward the wrong issues. While violent crime is an important issue in countless communities, the Southeast Side activist thinks using similar strategies could do good if directed towards other issues. “When [Lightfoot] put up the Victims Justice Ordinance and said, ‘we’re going to take these gang members’ assets and give them to the folks affected,’ why doesn’t she [take the same strategy] with things like environmental injustice?” Sanchez said. Lightfoot has fought plenty more political battles during her current term. Throughout the pandemic, she’s undergone a handful of disputes with the Chicago Teachers Union, mainly relating to the safety of returning to school during the Covid-19 crisis. The Chicago Police Department clashed publicly with Lightfoot for months over her vaccine mandate for city employees. Ultimately, Lightfoot agreed to exempt more than 1,400 officers from vaccination in April. Chicago voters have a multitude of criticisms for Lightfoot during her past few years in city hall. Still, many don’t see a strong candidate to challenge her seat yet, and this may give her an advantage in February — although there is plenty of time between now and election day. “I think it’s way too far out to say who has a real chance,” Sautter said. “But I’d say even though she’s unpopular, she [currently] has the inside track.” Similar to Lightfoot, less than a year before Chicago’s mayoral election of 2015, Mayor Rahm Emanuel had a relatively low approval rating of 35.7 percent. Despite the low rating, Emanuel won re-election in a runoff with a staggering 56 percent of the vote. No matter what plays out over the next nine and a half months, Lightfoot’s lack of approval paired with what some view as an unfamiliar field of challengers thus far could make for a unique election day. “It’s going to be interesting,” Sautter said. “Chicago politics are always interesting, and in Chicago, it’s always the main show.”
6 | News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
‘And what about us?’ Migrants from Chicago continue to fight for immigration reform and labor rights By Stephania Rodriguez Staff Writer
In 2006, Elvira Arellano sought refuge in a Chicago church to avoid being deported and separated from her U.S.-born son Saúl. Her story made national headlines and even made her Time magazine’s 2006 Person of the Year. Arellano was deported in 2007 but returned to the U.S. after applying for asylum in 2014. In 2017, a U.S. immigration court granted her a stay of removal. Today, she continues her work in defense of human rights as the founder of La Familia Latina Unida, a Chicago-based illegal immigration advocacy organization. She stood before hundreds of people and organizations in support of immigrant rights at Chicago’s 2022 May Day March from Union Park to the Haymarket Memorial. “May Day is a day to commemorate the martyrs of Chicago and all those who have fought before us,” Arellano said. “Today we are here to rebuild our fight, not only to improve our wages and benefits, but also to continue fighting and get out of the shadows.” Between inflation and Covid-19, Americans have faced an uphill battle to earn a living and access child care. These economic difficulties are intensified for an often overlooked segment of the workforce: undocumented immigrants. Undocumented workers make up about four percent of the essential U.S. workforce and 17 percent of the nation’s overall workforce, and hold a variety of low-paying and high-paying jobs, according to FWD.us. Following the onset of the pandemic, millions became susceptible to unemployment and Covid-19 infection. “Our immigrant families were the front-line workers who kept this economy
STEPHANIA RODRIGUEZ | THE DEPAULIA
A client buys a box of tortillas from El Milagro in Little Village. going,” Saúl Arellano said. “Many of them Milagro tortilla factory, one of the most lost their lives. They did everything for popular manufacturers of tortillas across this country. Today is the reason why we the nation, began their demonstration for stand with them and are ready to fight for safer working conditions, better wages their rights.” and hours and Sundays off. They joined Last September, the workers of the El with the pro-immigrant and labor organi-
zation, Arise Chicago, to help defend their rights and achieve their wishes. Prior to being endorsed by Arise Chicago, factory employees reportedly faced threats to their immigration status for participating in the demonstration, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Generally speaking, no matter what kind of job they are in, workers have the right to organize and/or unionize, regardless of your documentation status,” said Jessica Cook-Qurayshi, director of the Center for Labor Education at DePaul University. In April, workers at El Milagro and Arise Chicago announced several victories, but say they are still pushing for more changes, including having Sundays off. Workers are no longer required to work seven days in a row and have seen improvements in the workplace, such as anti-sexual harassment training for managers and air conditioning in dining rooms, according Block Club Chicago. They have also seen salary increases totaling more than $1 million. La DePaulia asked Jorge Mujica, an organizer with Arise Chicago, why it is important for El Milagro workers to have Sundays off. “Family,” Mujica said. “It is traditional in Catholic families to go to mass together and then go out to eat. So it means a lot. If you are not with your children on Sundays, when are you with your children? “El Milagro is using a really stupid excuse.They say that everyone has to work on Sundays because the public wants fresh tortillas. That is ridiculous. When do you go to the supermarket and check the date on your tortillas? You buy six packages and you freeze two, you use the rest and they last you three, four, five days. Makes no sense.” The achievements of the El Milagro workers have inspired other workers in the city to contact and be supported by Arise Chicago. “We are all essential workers and therefore we must fight to be included,” Arellano said. “We are going on a labor strike for immigration reform. We don’t know if we’re leaving, we don’t know if we’re staying, but for now, we’re fighting. Migrants are not criminals, we are international workers.”
Are you interested in helping us carry the weight of
Join the Advertising Sales Team of The DePaulia!!!!! For details email us at: business@depauliaonline.com
the world, or at the least the business-side of The DePaulia, on our shoulders? If so, apply for the position of Business Manager! Learn more by contacting Robin Boyd at rboyd5@depaul.edu
News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 7
Prime Minister of Kosovo speaks on war on Ukraine By Sam Moilanen Staff Writer
The Hidai Eddie Bregu in Albanian and Southeastern European studies program at DePaul hosted a public lecture by Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, on May 14. The Albanian studies program at DePaul is the first of its kind in American academia, Gazmend Kapllani, The Hidai ‘Eddie’ Bregu Visiting Chair for Albanian Studies, said. Its establishment in the beginning of the spring was made possible by an endowment from American Albanian philanthropist Hidai Eddie Bregu. The prime minister found out about the program through reading one of Kapllani’s books. A week before the event, the prime minister reached out to Kapllani and said he wanted to come to DePaul and speak. Kapllani and his staff were able to organize a public lecture where Kurti could engage with the Albanian community and interact with the student body during his visit to the university. “I wanted to speak to students [at] the university because the university is a place where you consume ... [and] produce knowledge,” Kurti said. “I want to engage actively with students and to help them participate as much as possible in public and political life.” Kosovo, officially known as the Republic of Kosovo, is a country in Southeastern Europe located in the center of the Balkans. It is only partially recognized as an independent state since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008. Kurti is an Albanian politician and activist and is the sixth prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo since the country declared its independence. He was re-elected in March 2021 after previously serving in the position in 2020. In October 1997, Kurti caught the attention of the public as one of the leaders of the student protests in Kosovo. He later joined the Kosovo Liberation Army, making him a target of the Yugoslav police. During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, he was arrested and later sentenced to 15 years in prison. Much of Kurti’s lecture Prime Minister Saturday focused on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its potential impact on the Balkan region. For Kapllani, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be used as a tool to draw the West’s attention to other geopolitical tensions in the region. “We had to have the war in Ukraine to understand that this part of the world is so crucial for Europe,” Kapllani said. ”Many times the destiny of Europe has been played in the East, rather than in the West. That’s what we want to bring here.” Kapllani added that the event was made available not only to faculty and students, but the Albanian civilians in
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Prime Minister Albin Kurti of the Republic of Kosovo asked Gazmend Kapllani, head of the Hidai “Eddie” Bregu Program for Albanian Studies, to visit DePaul. Kapllani said DePaul is the first university to provide academia for Albanian studies. Chicago, and appreciates the prime minister taking time to visit Albanians outside of Kosovo to let them know what is happening in the region. “We want to invite students here at DePaul who are not only Albanians to come to us, but especially students who come from the region,” Kapllani said. For students of Albanian descent, like sophomore Nazo Islamaj, Saturday’s lecture was a way to connect to her heritage. Islamaj, Kapllani’s assistant for the Hidai Eddie Bregu in the Albanian studies program, was elated to find out that a prime minister from her family’s regional homeland was coming to her school to speak. “I’m very close to my culture,” Islamaj said. “I got to shake his hand, it was really wonderful ... I have so much respect for him, [and] really adof the Republic of mire him as a Kosovo leader.” The soldout event held 160 seats. Doors opened at 4 p.m., and Father Jose Francisco Orozco and Kapllani gave their opening remarks. The prime minister then gave a public lecture and gave the attendees time to ask questions. Following the Q&A segment, there was a cocktail party immediately after. Kurti’s message to DePaul students is to use the vast knowledge and resources available to actively fight injustices and perpetuate democracy. “Whenever, wherever [there are] students who are active, democracy can strive,” Kurti said.
“I want to engage actively with students and to help them participate as much as possible in public and political life.”
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
A crowd member [middle] calls for a second standing ovation right after Prime Minister Albin Kurti of the Republic of Kosovo is introduced.
Albin Kurti
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Many of the audience members are either Albanian immigrants or second-generation Albanians. There are students, faculty and Chicago civilians in the crowd.
8 | News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
‘DePaul has made me who I am today’ Award ceremony focuses on Black excellence By Tiffany Harrell Contributing Writer
The inaugural Black Excellence Awards were held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, at the Cortelyou Commons, where students, staff and faculty received awards for their outstanding commitment to bettering the climate of the university through service, activism and innovation. The Sankofa Black Student Formation Program hosted a black-tie celebration featuring commemorative speeches, Afrocentric themed décor and hors d’oeuvres in a buffet style amongst a room of glitz and glam. This was not just any award ceremony; this event was a celebration of the wealth of Black excellence, the first ever at DePaul to recognize the academic and personal accomplishments of students, faculty and alumni. The event opened with words from Audre Lorde’s poem “Coal,” affirming Black pride with, “I am Black because I come from the earth’s inside/Take my word for jewel in your open light.” Sankofa student leader and senior Bakange Ajak’s opening remarks explained why students should celebrate Black joy and excellence. “As Lorde says in her poem, we come from the earth’s inside,” Ajak said. “We have been rumbling at the core of this university and in this world, and now is the time to celebrate our accomplishments.” “We asked the question of what dreams we haven’t realized yet and wanted to happen. This event was one of those key priorities,” said staff leader Min. Jene Ashley Colvin. Colvin conceived the event with Darryl Arrington, collaborator of the Office of Multicultural Student Success and Cory Barnes, staff leader of the Sankofa Black Student Formation Program. “When we were developing the event, I knew it was important to invite our community to celebrate people in ways we might not think of ourselves,” Colvin said. The goal for the event was not to narrow down the field of awardees, but expand the love and visibility for people in and connected to the Black community. The nomination form was an open category stating “Excellence in…” where the DePaul community filled in the blank. At the ceremony, there were sixteen different categories of excellence created. Each award recipient received a Sankofa-themed certificate and pendant. Recipients of the Community Angel, Community Heartbeat and the Community Drumbeat awards received a special engraved glass plaque for their achievements in extraordinary service within the community. Sankofa gave the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program special recognition for training DePaul faculty and students to learn with students inside Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois, and Cook County Jail on Chicago’s Southwest Side. There are more than 2.19 million people currently incarcerated in the
United States, according to World Population Review. This program increases the opportunities for men and women, inviting them to take leadership in addressing crime, justice and other issues of social concern. Political science professor Christina Rivers’ Inside-Out class received the Excellence in Scholarship, Perseverance and Solidarity award. Sankofa is about connecting people that have no idea that each other exists. “People who are incarcerated are invisible so much of the time,” Colvin said. “They needed to know we celebrate them as part of our community, even if they aren’t physically on campus.” The Inaugural Black Excellence Awards was not only about the celebration of Blackness, but also a reminder of the importance of intercommunal solidarity. Sankofa presented the Excellence in Solidarity award for consistent and measurable solidarity with the Black community at DePaul to non-Black awardees: Tepeyac, an organization, providing a safe space for Latinx students, Ann Russo, Courtney James and Peter Wild Crea, with special acknowledgement to Georgianna Torres Reyes, associate vice president of Mission and Ministry, who has a deep commitment to the success of Sankofa. Passion and commitment are necessary values when seeking to serve Black people. The Sankofa team paid tribute to staff leader Barnes, stating that his passion for elevating Black voices has helped so many people in the room find strength. Barnes started at DePaul in 2017 and will be moving on to another university. An overcast of emotions and tears came over Colvin as she read words of encouragement and well wishes. “Thank you for being our friend, colleague, teacher, mentor, cheerleader and ride or die,” she said. “We send you with love. We send you with gratitude. We send you with reflection to you, which you have helped us build here. We send you with confidence in what you will continue to build.” Ending the speech with a promise to take care of the legacy he is leaving behind. A teary-eyed Barnes embraced the entire Sankofa team as he received a standing ovation. “DePaul has made me who I am today,” Barnes said in his acceptance speech. “Coming from the city colleges of Chicago as an academic advisor, I didn’t have the opportunity or know what it meant to work at a mission-driven institution. Being here for five years at DePaul, I know what it means to say Take Care DePaul.” DePaul is guided by the Vincentian mission, upholding the dignity of all members of its diverse, multi-faith and inclusive community. The inaugural Black Excellence Awards are a testament to that mission and the relentless pursuit of innovation and creative thinking that embodies its students, staff, faculty and alumni of African descent. Sankofa started as a leadership retreat and has expanded to a full year of programming on its 10th anniversary in 2023.
CORDELL BRADLEY | THE DEPAULIA
Cory Barnes, coordinator of the Black Cultural Center, and Min. Jené Ashley Colvin, Sankofa advisor and ministry coordinator for Christian and Interfaith Engagement embrace each other.
CORDELL BRADLEY | THE DEPAULIA
Students who attend the Inaugural Black Excellence Awards were treated to a dinner. Many students received awards within one of the 12 award categories.
Black Excellence Awards Categories Service – dedication to others and supporting
faculty and nurturing people’s minds, bodies,
actionable change in the lives of others.
and souls.
Joy – exemplify Black joy and bringing delight
Intercollegiate athletics – for excellence in
and happiness to others.
academics, athletics, and community service.
Support – for consistent presence, assistance,
Staff – for extraordinary work in student-
affirmation, and empowerment of people,
centered programming, being a stellar colleague,
programming, and efforts in the Black
and cultivating the lives of Black students, staff,
community at DePaul.
and faculty at DePaul.
Friendship – for being an amazing A1, bestie,
Faculty – for uplifting the work of Black
comrade, and friend.
scholars and students, excellent engagement of
Leadership – for being the kind of leader
Black students in the classroom, and consistent
others can follow in good faith and to great
advocacy for the Black Community at large.
success.
Community Angel - reserved for those
Style – for unique, expressive, impressive, and
persons who go extraordinarily above and
inspiring sense of style.
beyond the call of duty to make sure that Black
Communication – for moving and
people at DePaul are cared for, provided for, and
motivating others through speech, storytelling,
cherished.
or writing.
Community Heartbeat - given to those
Arts & Design – for someone’s ability to
individuals who embody and inspire love and life
create and express themselves in a way that
in the Black community. Their work centralizes
builds new worlds.
the life sustaining value of every Black person.
Research & writing – for leading the way,
Community Drumbeat - reserved for
bringing others along, and embodying Black
those persons who create demand change on
expertise in their field.
behalf of the Black community by speaking truth
Community Care & Community
to power, organizing Black people, and always
Building – for cultivating and sustaining
calling to action and to pursue a way forward.
connections between Black students, staff, and
News. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 9
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
President-elect Robert Manuel speaks at a press conference with student media. He would like the student body to teach him about Chicago and their lives as students.
PRESIDENT, continued from front page The event had an array of hors d’oeuvres and refreshments for attendees, in addition to live music playing throughout the event. There was a short program held at the beginning of the reception, in which Esteban was able to address his guests and say goodbye to DePaul. In his speech, Esteban spoke of his late father who served as a university administrator, but used to say that he much preferred to be a faculty member. “He used to say that universities are not made by nice buildings, facilities. They’re populated by the people,” Esteban said. “They’re populated by faculty, staff, board members. These are the people that make great universities, the students.” He ended his speech by thanking the community once again and then rejoined the festivities with his wife and university faculty and staff. “I looked at it and said, ‘this is the place that could redefine quality coming out of this moment,’” Manuel said. “I started meeting with faculty, staff, students and the board and I thought there’s really no better place in the country to begin to redefine the future of higher education.” At the University of Indianapolis, Manuel was known for engaging with the student body and was commonly referred to as “President Rob.” As he now starts to transition to DePaul, he said he wants to get to know the campus and talk to different governing bodies on what their vision is for the university. “It’s kind of presumptuous for me to come to an institution that I don’t know the culture of, I don’t know the aspirations of the faculty and staff and say, ‘here’s what the president wants to accomplish,’” he said. Manuel attended a reception to meet faculty, staff and students on May 10 in Cortelyou Commons. There were two receptions held that day, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 4 p.m. Jay Baglia, an associate professor in the College of Communication, was in attendance at the 2 p.m. session, said that he is hopeful for the next president, and emphasized renewal in this transition of leadership. “[He] hopefully will also usher in a sense of renewal that goes along very nicely with that sense of hopefulness. I feel hopeful,” Baglia said. In a conversation with Gerald Beeson, DePaul Board of Trustees chair on May 10 at Cortelyou Commons, Manuel said that he wants to focus on faculty-driven curriculum, a point that Baglia said, in addition to expanding
access, was important for the university mission. “Is part of our Vincentian mission to students from all walks of life within Chicago, and from outside of Chicago and those two factors alone, I think, are very promising,” Baglia said. During his time at the University of Indianapolis, Manuel helped usher in three new residential halls, developed the 150,000-square-foot University Health Pavilion and redeveloped a local industrial building into the new home of the R.B. Annis School of Engineering. He also implemented a five-year plan that resulted in a boost in enrollment and increases in fundraising and the engagement of alumni. “All the successes I’ve had at [New York University], Georgetown, University of Indianapolis have come from conversations with the owners of the mission, the owners of the curriculum, the owners of the institution, and then my job is to find out how to get rid of the obstacles, or raise money for the aspirations they have,” Manuel said. Manuel, 54, and his wife, Wilmara, have three daughters. Prior to becoming president of the University of Indianapolis in 2012, Manuel spent six years as associate provost and dean at Georgetown. “Throughout his distinguished career, President-elect Manuel has shown a deep respect for the power of education and the transformational opportunities it creates for students,” said Judy Greffin, chair of the Presidential Search Committee and vice chair for the Board of Trustees. Manuel said that some of his goals in the early parts of his presidency is to meet with students, faculty and staff to learn more about DePaul and what he can do to remove any obstacles that are hindering the growth of the university. “If a president doesn’t engage with those groups in meaningful ways — meaning more than showing up and offering a speech and then leaving, or really ask asking the questions about what the hopes and dreams are of those groups — then they can’t, I can’t engage in the development of of those aspirations into plans,” he said. DePaul has had issues with enrollment over the course of Esteban’s tenure, with the university only recording an increase in undergraduate enrollment this past academic year. DePaul is also raising tuition by 2-3 percent for the upcoming school year. Manuel pointed to his history of being able to fundraise money as an area of strength he can bring to DePaul and help provide more scholarship money for students.
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
Associate professor Jay Baglia [left] introduces himself to president-elect Robert Manuel [right] at the meet and greet event DePaul held in Cortelyou Commons. “The fact that we serve a lot of first-generation students, that we have a diverse student population, that we are about having access to a world class education seems to be and should be the first thing in our minds,” Manuel said. Engaging with the community is important for Manuel, he said on Tuesday. At the University of Indianapolis, Manuel said he attended any sporting, theater, lecture, event that he could on campus. In addition, Manuel said he held four major town hall meetings every semester where anybody was invited to come and ask him questions. Baglia also said he hopes that the new president will veer away from a focus on accomplishments and focus more on human KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA connection within the university. President A. Gabriel Esteban gives a speech “I think that the emphasis there is less on at his farewell ceremony. finances, which is what my perception was of President Esteban after a relatively short of the size of the student body. At his previous amount of time,” Baglia said. “There was a lot university, it was a private school with about of focus in terms of accomplishments, on eco- 5,600 students. DePaul, however, has over nomic issues, no mention whatsoever on grief, 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students. trauma aspects of the university that have to He is also making a step up to a universido with people.” ty that is in the Big East — one of the largest He added that, what he got from Manuel’s basketball conferences in the country — and is introduction to the university, is a greater fo- home to a men’s basketball program that, albeit cus on that human aspect. one that is currently struggling, had major na“And I think what I got from his self-in- tional success a couple of decades ago. troduction this morning was somebody who “I need to talk to [athletic director] Derecognizes the value of human capital in an Wayne [Peevy] and see what his vision is for institution,” Baglia said. “A university is com- that program,” Manuel said. “I am also a very prised of people. More than buildings, more big college athletic fan. I went to Syracuse as than curriculum. And I think what he promis- a master’s, I worked at Georgetown. I’m a Big es is a return to that emphasis.” East fan. And now, I have a new favorite set of Manuel will be making a step up from the teams.” University of Indianapolis to DePaul in terms
10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
Nation & World
ADEL HANA | ASSOCIATED PRESS
A mural of slain of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is on display, in Gaza City, Sunday, May 15, 2022. Abu Akleh was shot and killed on May 11, 2022.
Independent probe points to Israeli fire in journalist death By Josef Federman Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — As Israel and the Palestinians wrangle over the investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, several independent groups have launched their own probes. One open-source research team said its initial findings lent support to Palestinian witnesses who said she was killed by Israeli fire. The outcome of these investigations could help shape international opinion over who is responsible for Abu Akleh’s death, particularly if an official Israeli military probe drags on. Israel and the Palestinians are locked in a war of narratives that already has put Israel on the defensive. Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American and a 25-year veteran of the satellite channel, was killed last Wednesday while covering an Israeli military raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. She was a household name across the Arab world, known for documenting the hardship of Palestinian life under Israeli rule, now in its sixth decade. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he had spoken to Abu Akleh’s family to express condolences and respect for her work “as well as the need to have an immediate and credible investigation” into her death. Palestinian officials and witnesses, including journalists who were with her, say she was killed by army fire. The military, after initially saying Palestinian gunmen might have been responsible, later backtracked and now says she may also have been hit by errant Israeli fire. Israel has called for a joint investigation with the Palestinians, saying the bullet must be analyzed by ballistics experts to reach firm conclusions. Pales-
tinian officials have refused, saying they don’t trust Israel, and have invited other countries to join the investigation. Human rights groups says Israel has a poor record of investigating wrongdoing by its security forces. With the two sides at loggerheads over the Abu Akleh probe, several research and human rights groups have launched their own investigations. Over the weekend, Bellingcat, a Dutch-based international consortium of researchers, published an analysis of video and audio evidence gathered on social media. The material came from both Palestinian and Israeli military sources, and the analysis looked at such factors as time stamps, the locations of the videos, shadows and a forensic audio analysis of gunshots. The group found that while gunmen and Israeli soldiers were both in the area, the evidence supported witness accounts that Israeli fire killed Abu Akleh. “Based on what we were able to review, the IDF (Israeli soldiers) were in the closest position and had the clearest line of sight to Abu Akleh,” said Giancarlo Fiorella, the lead researcher of the analysis. Bellingcat is among a growing number of firms that use “open source” information, such as social media videos, security camera recordings and satellite imagery, to reconstruct events. Fiorella acknowledged that the analysis cannot be 100% certain without such evidence as the bullet, weapons used by the army and GPS locations of Israeli forces. But he said the emergence of additional evidence typically bolsters preliminary conclusions and almost never overturns them. “This is what we do when we don’t have access to those things,” he said. The Israeli human rights group
B’Tselem said it too is conducting its own analysis. The group last week played a key role in the military’s backtracking from its initial claims that Palestinian gunmen appeared to be responsible for her death. The Israeli claim was based on a social media video in which a Palestinian gunman fires into a Jenin alleyway, and then other militants come running to claim they have shot a soldier. The army said that because no soldiers were hurt that day, the gunmen might have been referring to Abu Akleh, who was wearing a protective helmet and flak jacket. A B’Tselem researcher went to the area and took a video showing that the Palestinian gunmen were some 300 meters (yards) away from where Abu Akleh was shot, separated by a series of walls and alleyways. Dror Sadot, a spokeswoman for the group, said B’Tselem has begun gathering testimonies from witnesses and may attempt to reconstruct the shooting with videos from the scene. But she said at this point, it has not been able to come to a conclusion about who was behind the shooting. Sadot said any bullet would need to be matched to the barrel of the gun. The Palestinians have refused to release the bullet, and it is unclear whether the military has confiscated the weapons used that day. “The bullet on its own can’t say a lot” because it could have been fired by either side, she said. “What can be done is to match a bullet to the barrel,” she said. The Israeli military did not respond to interview requests to discuss the status of its probe. Jonathan Conricus, a former Israeli military spokesman and expert on military affairs, said reconstructing a gunfight in densely populated urban terrain is “very complex” and said forensic ev-
NASSER NASSER | ASSOCIATED PRESS
Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering an Israeli raid on May 11, 2022. idence, such as the bullet, is crucial to reach firm conclusions. He accused the Palestinian Authority of refusing to cooperate for propaganda purposes. “Without the bullet, any investigation will only be able to reach partial and questionable conclusions,” Conricus said. “One might assume that the strategy of the Palestinian Authority is exactly that: to deny Israel the ability to clear its name, while leveraging global sympathy for the Palestinian cause.” Meanwhile, Israeli police over the weekend launched an investigation into the conduct of the officers who attacked the mourners at Abu Akleh’s funeral, causing the pallbearers to nearly drop her coffin. Newspapers on Sunday were filled with criticism of the police and what was portrayed as a public relations debacle. “The footage from Friday is the very opposite of good judgment and patience,” commentator Oded Shalom wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily. “It documented a shocking display of unbridled brutality and violence.”
Nation & World. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 11
Marcos Jr. declares victory, faces calls to ensure democracy By Jim Gomez Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted Philippine dictator, declared victory Wednesday in this week’s presidential election and faced early calls to ensure respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy. Marcos Jr. garnered more than 31 million votes in an unofficial vote count from Monday’s polls in what’s projected to be one of the strongest mandates for a Philippine president in decades. His vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, appeared to have also won by a landslide. Marcos Jr.‘s electoral triumph is a victory for democracy and he promised to seek common ground across the political divide, his spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, said. “To the world: Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions,” Rodriguez quoted Marcos Jr. as saying. The separately elected president and vice president will take office on June 30 after the results are confirmed by Congress. With a single, six-year term, they are poised to lead a Southeast Asian nation in dire need of economic recovery following two years of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns. They’ll also inherit huge expectations for a way out of crushing poverty, gaping inequalities, ending Muslim and communist insurgencies and political divisions, which were only inflamed by the turbulent presidencies of their fathers. Marcos Jr.’s key rivals have conceded defeat, including former boxing star Manny Pacquiao. Marcos’ closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a human rights lawyer who ran on a promise of badly needed reforms, has only acknowledged his massive lead. “As a boxer and an athlete, I know how to accept defeat,” Pacquiao said in a video message. “But I hope that even if I lost in this fight, my fellow Filipinos who are wallowing in poverty were a winner too.” The United States, a longtime treaty ally of the Philippines, was among the first foreign governments to issue a comment following the elections. It expressed willingness to work with the next Filipino president after an official proclamation but stressed the relationship should be grounded on respect for human rights and the rule of law. “We look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the
AARON FAVILA | ASSOCIATED PRESS
A village worker removes a campaign poster showing Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., left, along a street in Quezon city, Philippines on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. Marcos is the son of longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who died in 1989. next administration on key human rights torial claims in the South China Sea on the the International Criminal Court. and regional priorities,” U.S. State Depart- Philippines’ doorstep. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch asked ment spokesman Ned Price said. The election outcome was an astonish- Marcos Jr. to take immediate action to imHe cited Washington’s long alliance with ing reversal of the army-backed but largely prove human rights conditions in the counManila “that shares democratic values and peaceful “People Power” uprising that oust- try once he takes office, including by helpinterests,” and added that the U.S. govern- ed Marcos’s father in 1986 — a democratic ing the ICC prosecute Duterte, freeing his ment would continue “to promote respect triumph in an Asian region considered a long-detained critic, Sen. Leila de Lima, and for human rights and the rule of law which is human rights hotspot where authoritarian ordering the military and police to stop tarfundamental to U.S. relations with the Phil- regimes flourish. geting activists and rights defenders. ippines and in other bilateral contexts.” Marcos Jr. has steadfastly defended his More hardline left-wing groups and surPrice sidestepped the question if the U.S. father’s legacy and refused to apologize for vivors of the Marcos dictatorship rejected has any concern with the apparent victory the massive human rights violations and Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte outright, acof Marcos Jr. He said the elections and sub- plunder under his rule. He visited his fa- cusing them of whitewashing their fathers’ sequent vote count followed international ther’s grave at the national heroes’ cemetery legacies on the campaign trail and in social standards without any major incident. on Tuesday, laying flowers and, at one point, media propaganda. China congratulated the “leading can- appearing overcome with emotions. “Our generation has shown that even didates” and the Philippines for the smooth He and Sarah Duterte, the daughter of the most ruthless tyrant can be defeated by conduct of the elections. Beijing said it will Rodrigo Duterte, campaigned on a platform the people’s collective action,” said SELDA, a continue to work with Manila “to stay com- of national unity without saying how they group of ex-political detainees and human mitted to good neighborliness and friend- would heal the wounds that have festered rights victims in the martial-law era under ship, focus on post-COVID growth, expand since their fathers’ presidencies. the late dictator. “Now is the time to harness win-win cooperation and bring more tangiThe 64-year-old former provincial gov- that power again - the power to change the ble benefits to both peoples.” ernor, congressman and senator has kept course of history and reject this nefarious Marcos Jr. has said he wants to pursue mum on key political, economic and foreign pair of traditional politicians.” closer ties with China, as did outgoing Presi- policy issues, including how he would adAssociated Press Diplomatic Writer dent Rodrigo Duterte, who at the end ended dress calls for the prosecution of President Matthew Lee in Washington contributed up relying on the U.S. military alliance de- Duterte, who oversaw a bloody anti-drugs to this report. spite initial misgivings as Beijing showed no campaign that alarmed the international willingness to compromise on its vast terri- community and sparked an investigation by
New York Attorney General’s lawyer says evidence could support action versus Trump By Michael R. Sisak Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — As a federal judge weighs Donald Trump’s lawsuit seeking to halt a civil investigation into his business practices, a lawyer for the New York attorney general’s office said Friday that evidence found throughout the three-year probe could support legal action against the former president, his company, or both. The lawyer, Andrew Amer, said at a hearing in Trump’s lawsuit against Attorney General Letitia James that “there’s clearly been a substantial amount of evidence amassed that could support the filing of an enforcement proceeding,” although a final determination on filing such an action has not been made. Amer, a special litigation counsel in James’ office, said the office is “nearing the end” of the civil investigation, which James has said uncovered evidence Trump’s company misstated the value of
assets like skyscrapers and golf courses on financial statements for more than a decade. Trump, a Republican, is seeking an injunction to stop the civil investigation. James, a Democrat, has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes said she would consider both requests and deliver a decision in writing. She did not give a timetable for a ruling. Trump sued James in federal court in upstate New York in December after her office issued subpoenas requiring him and his two eldest children — Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. — to answer questions under oath. A state appeals court heard arguments Wednesday as the Trumps seek to reverse a lower-court judge’s ruling enforcing the subpoenas. Habba argued at Friday’s hearing that James was investigating Trump to make good on promises she made during her campaign for attorney general in 2018, using the office to harass him and his
company with myriad subpoenas and evidence requests. Amer countered that the investigation is on solid legal ground, noting that the state judge overseeing legal fights over subpoenas issued by the attorney general’s office has found there is a “sufficient basis for continuing its investigation.” Trump’s appeals could further delay the end of the probe. The mid-level state appeals court that heard arguments Wednesday in Trump’s testimony fight isn’t expected to take up his appeal of a recent contempt-of-court finding until the fall. Judge Arthur Engoron agreed Wednesday to lift the contempt finding and a $10,000-a-day fine for being slow to respond to James’ subpoena for documents and other evidence if Trump meets certain conditions by May 20. Those include paying $110,000 in fines racked up so far, and submitting paperwork detailing efforts to search for the
KENNETH FERRIERA/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, May 1, 2022. subpoenaed records and explaining his and his company’s document retention policies.
12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
Opinions
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE | ASSOCIATED PRESS
House Democrats hold an event on the Capitol steps on the Supreme Court draft decision on Roe v. Wade after the Senate failed to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act on Friday, May 13, 2022.
Keep the rosaries away from the ovaries: Roe v. Wade and bodily autonomy
By Santiago Posada-Jaramillo La DePaulia Managing Editor
After the leak of a document of the Supreme Court obtained by Politico suggested that the votes to overturn Roe v. Wade have already been cast, a debate about reproductive rights and bodily autonomy has sparked across the United States. This decision by the Supreme Court may take away the federal protections on safe and accessible abortions that have been in place since 1973, impacting the lives of millions that may not be able to terminate a pregnancy if their state doesn’t want them to. As is the long-standing tradition of hetero-passing, cis men like me in this part of the world, I will talk about myself and my life in regards to a topic that can’t possibly include me directly. Less than a month after I turned 18 years old, I decided to go to the doctor and ask for a vasectomy. It was a decision that I had been thinking about for several years at that point, and I felt pretty confident in it. In my case, it was that I didn’t want to have children, and I wanted a procedure that would help with that wish. It wasn’t something that my family took well at first. Both my mom and my dad wanted to have grandchildren, and alongside my brother and some teachers, thought that it could be too early to make such a big decision. Most of the physicians I met weren’t very supportive either. They couldn’t believe I wanted this, and thought that maybe I wasn’t aware what a vasectomy was or that I didn’t know any other ways to prevent pregnancies. They tested my knowledge, but I knew my sex ed. But the process went on, and after a
few months I was able to get that small surgery that gave me the control over my future. It took some time, but ultimately my family came around to see my point of view, and understood that this was not a rushed decision and that it was what I wanted. I even remember clearly when my father called me — he was living in a different city at that time — and told me: “I may not agree with you, but it is your body. So, it is your decision.” In the end, it was easy. Even though there were doubts, nobody denied that it was my right to decide over my body and my future. And I can almost hear all the women reading this and thinking: “Must be nice.” That is what privilege looks like. And that is my main complaint around this issue. Why must people that can get pregnant constantly fight for the right to decide over their own bodies? DePaul sophomore Daniela Hernandez adamantly believes everyone should have agency over their bodies. “I think everyone should just have control over their bodies,” she said. “Most of the people that are voting [to restrict abortion] are men. Obviously, they don’t really have expertise in giving birth and stuff like that. But a lot of people that need abortions are people that are lower income, and those aren’t the people that are making these decisions.” Nine powerful people on the Supreme Court are deciding over the rights of groups of less privileged people, based on their own interests. This tends to lead to decisions that do not account for the realities faced by those most affected. For example, as a study from the Guttmacher Institute showed last year, it is clear that the side pushing to ban
abortions in the U.S. does so with the unsubstantiated belief that legal and safe abortions lead to increasingly higher numbers of abortions. A research note by Amanda Jean Stevenson of the University of Colorado Boulder estimates that by the second year of a complete ban on abortions in the U.S., overall pregnancy-related deaths will increase by 21 percent. Mujeres Latinas en Acción (MLA) is a Latina-led organization that offers community services for women and their families. Neusa Gaytan, senior vice president of programs at MLA, says that removal of federal abortion protections will endanger women going forward. “[If Roe v. Wade is overturned], access will be drastically limited,” she said. “We at MLA work with women that have suffered gender-based violence and sexual abuse, rape. This will make it harder to get an abortion, causing them even more harm.” But even with facing the grim consequences of this decision, the most basic problem comes from treating people that can get pregnant, mostly women, as if they had no say over their bodies and their pregnancies. Pilar Gonzalez, a mother from Dallas, Texas, believes that forcing a woman to have a child that she doesn’t want is detrimental for everyone involved. “It is a right of each woman to be able to decide over her own body,” she said. “And to bring a life into the world when a woman is not ready to do so, it is preferable to terminate the pregnancy. Because it is altering not only the life of that woman and her world, but also perhaps bringing a life that is going to suffer, not having a suitable environment to be able to develop.”
They all agree that the leaked opinion of the Supreme Court feels regressive; a decision that will take us closer to a dystopian reality. “[It feels] like ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ where they talk about these things, and it’s like a dystopian thing,” Hernandez said. “We’re like, ‘Oh, this could never happen.’ But when you look at the small things that have happened in that show, it very much reflects what’s happening now.” “It seems to me like a setback that they are questioning something that was already approved,” Gonzalez said. “I mean, that should not be in dispute. Why bring it up again … I mean, it was like taking a step forward, and now it’s trying to take it back.” “We cannot return to the ages when women could not control their bodies, their lives,” Gaytan said. “We need to keep fighting. We cannot let politicians make these decisions for women.” I don’t have a uterus, and I cannot get pregnant. My ownership over my body is not being put into question. Nobody is “just asking questions” or “using their free speech” to try to take away my right to decide when and how to have a child. No one is debating whether I should go to jail for choosing what future I want to have. And that should be the reality for every person in this country, no matter their sex, gender, income, race or state. It feels like right now is the perfect moment to remember that the ideals of freedom and equality under the law that were written in the Constitution and in the 14th Amendment must be defended from those who would prefer to impose their ideals on the rest of the nation.
The opinions in this section do not necessarially reflect those of The DePaulia staff.
Opinions. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 13
What it’s like isolating for Covid as an on-campus student ART BY SOPHIA IQBAL
By Nadia Hernandez News Editor
When I moved into my dorm in September, there was always the possibility I’d contract Covid-19. Throughout my time as an on-campus resident, I wasn’t aware of what the protocols were when someone did test positive. Students had reported using the Sheffield Square Apartments as isolation units during fall quarter, according to 14 East. There wasn’t a whole lot of transparency from DePaul Housing about how and where students were expected to isolate once they reported a positive Covid-19 case. I got to experience the roller coaster firsthand as my roommates and I tested positive for Covid-19 this past week. When my roommate initially tested positive, it took about a day after she reported her case to DePaul’s Covid-19 dashboard until we heard from DePaul Housing. Someone showed up at our door asking her to respond to an email. By then, my roommate went to isolate at home, while my other roommate and I awaited for our results. When I filled out the report a couple days later, there was no option to indicate I was an on-campus resident. After a couple of hours, my phone was blowing up from calls from the residential director on duty asking about my symptoms, who then told me to pack everything I would need for the next 5-10 days. My head was spinning. I was experiencing the worst of my symptoms and I couldn’t really comprehend what was happening, and that’s when the residential director emailed us our unit assignment, dropped off the keys and said to leave immediately. Within a span of 30 minutes, I had to prepare to brave the next several days of whatever conditions DePaul Housing and Covid-19 were going to throw at me. Our place wasn’t actually that bad. My roommate and I each had our own rooms and a shared bathroom at 1010 W. Belden Ave. I learned later that DePaul Housing had recently started using this space as isolation units. It was also a shock to learn that students also live here aside from isolation. Did they know we were here? Our unit sadly did not have laundry, so we were stuck with whatever we had brought with us. This was tricky because we could either be here anywhere from three to eight days. Once I found out that my stay had been extended, I freaked out because I didn’t bring enough clothes. As a result, the resident director told me to
NADIA HERNANDEZ | THE DEPAULIA
The inside of Nadia’s isolation apartment at 1010 W Belden Ave. Students that live on-campus are sent to units like these if they test positive.
rewear my dirty clothes. The timeframe of when a student starts to experience symptoms will determine their first five days in isolation. DePaul initiated my isolation period on May 5 when I received symptoms, but I was not actually in the designated isolation space until May 7. I was scheduled to retest on May 10; when I tested positive again, another five days were added. I would not retest on May 15— I was going to be released at 5 p.m. In all, I would spend about eight days actually isolated from everyone else. For a couple of days, I was still experiencing symptoms such as headache, cough and sore throat. Luckily, I had bought some medicine and brought it with me. I was shocked that DePaul didn’t offer any kind of advice on its isolation guide or through any emails about what students can do if they needed medicine to ease their symptoms. The only options seemed that a student would order medicine through a delivery app. At the Lincoln Park Student Center, they sell medicine like Tylenol, Midol and Nyquil. I’m unsure why DePaul Housing could not have pro-
vided students, especially with Covid-19, medicine to ease their symptoms. I inquired about receiving some Tylenol and I was pleased when Housing staff could delivery it at no cost. If this a service they can offer, they should advertise it students right away. Going through all the symptoms wasn’t the worst part of isolation. Nobody picked up our trash for six days, although the isolation guide said it would be picked up daily. They finally did after a week, but Public Safety had to get it. I don’t believe trash services come to our building regularly. My roommate and I reached out multiple times to the residential director on duty for somebody to please pick up our trash. We resorted to hoarding bags from delivery to hold everything. All of our delivery meals had to be thrown out and we had no reusable utensils or cups. The best response we got was whether we were leaving the trash in the right place. It was strange that nobody believed us. There were two residential director transitions during our stay and they did not communicate about it. The odd thing is that these are
students. The residential director filled us in and was the one to monitor everything. The contact tracer and the associate residential directors were the only non-students. There isn’t much separating me and the directors other than the fact I had Covid-19 — why was DePaul Housing having students run all of this? I did appreciate the dining service that delivered my meals twice a day. They would contact me if they ran out of something I ordered and they were delivered punctually. I also appreciated that the residential director on duty would check in twice a day, every morning and night, to see how we were doing. It was reassuring to know someone was aware that we were here. The pandemic is not over yet, and who knows how long we will have to live in a world where universities need isolation dorms? On-campus residents should be more aware about the protocols in place and what to expect as we continue to navigate changing Covid-19 guidelines.
Focus 14 | Focus. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
Rising prices:
Chicago food pantries forge on despite inflation challenges
As grocery and supermarket prices have risen, pandemic-era government programs have expired, making around 14 percent of Chicago-area residents food insecure.
By Josephine Stratman Focus Editor
Food-insecure DePaul students may be out of luck with continued inflation, an ongoing pandemic and now empty shelves at DePaul’s food pantry. The food pantry, located on the 1st floor of the Lincoln Park Student Center in Room 107, was started in Feb. 2020 to provide food resources for students in need. Since then, it’s also expanded to non-food offerings, including professional clothing and toiletries. The pantry works with Chartwells and the Lincoln Park Whole Foods to supply food. However, the recent Whole Foods closing has thrown off the pantry’s offerings and may further limit students’ options. “The pantry has been empty since Whole Foods closed,” a student who regularly visits the food pantry and wished to remain unnamed said. DePaul’s food pantry is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. “[The Whole Foods] donate[s]
generous amounts of food weekly to our pantry,” Rick Moreci, director of housing, dining and student centers, said in January. “Our relationship with Whole Foods is pretty new, but so far it is going really well.” Food insecurity in part brought on by the pandemic, remains an issue as grocery prices have skyrocketed. In March, the United States Department of Agriculture released an update to its Food Price Outlook for 2022 and found that nearly every food item is going up in price — in addition to the price increase consumers have already experienced. “All food prices are now predicted to increase between 4.5 and 5.5 percent,” the USDA’s Economic Research Service explained in the report. The report found that restaurant purchases increased 0.3 percent in this past March and was 6.9 percent higher than March 2021. Grocery store supermarket food purchases increased 1.5 percent from February to March and was 10.0 percent higher than in March of last year. Fresh fruit prices are expected to increase between five and six
percent, and dairy prices are expected to increase between four and five percent. At the same time, many government aid programs that helped people get food and essential supplies have expired. Sophie Milam, vice president of public policy and advocacy for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, noted the monthly payments some families received as part of the expansion to the child tax credit ended last year. Outside of DePaul, high grocery prices may also be affecting operations of food pantries. Tony Fuller, director of finance and operations at A Just Harvest in Rogers Park, said the number of people his pantry serves fluctuates depending on the time of the month, because many people receive some kind of government assistance that runs out towards the end of the month, boosting their attendance in the last week of the month. In the Chicago area as a whole, a study from Northwestern University showed more than 14 percent of
households struggle with food insecurity. Families with children were also more likely to experience food insecurity, the report said. Fuller said numbers skyrocketed during the pandemic when lockdown went into place. People lost their jobs and feared for food shortages, so they turned to food pantries. Food pantry leadership said demand still hasn’t come close to those pandemic highs. During that time, he said they started a grocery delivery program, which has been very successful. “We found its an untapped [market] in terms of seniors who are unable to leave their homes,” Fuller said. Estimated food insecurity rates for 2021 are an improvement from 2020, according to Feeding America, but they’re still higher than pre-pandemic times. Record unemployment rates and school closures have made it difficult for families in the area to afford food. In April, Common Pantry served 719 people with food deliveries, 335 people for food pantry items and 3100
Chicago area food pantries Lakeview Pantry 3945 N. Sheridan Rd. Food Distribution Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Common Pantry 3744 N Damen Ave. Food Distribution Hours: Wednesday: 1 - 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday: 1 - 4 p.m. Produce day is the 3rd Monday of each month from 10a.m. – 12p.m.
Ravenswood Community Services 4550 N Hermitage Ave. Food Pantry Hours Tuesdays, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Community Kitchen Hours on Tuesday, 5:307:30 p.m.
A Just Harvest 7649 N Paulina St. Hot meals to-go: Every day, 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Food pantry hours: Wednesday 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Focus. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 15
What is food insecurity? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Being hungry is not the same as being food insecure. While hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.
AP PHOTO
people for hot meals, Fuller said. Despite supply chain issues plaguing the grocery industry, food pantries generally aren’t having too much trouble keeping food on the shelves or serving everyone. “We rely on donations and so I would say really, one of the issues was the supply chain issue on top of this,” Fuller said. “On top of the general issues, the supply chain issues were hard-
er to get, because we’re still in a to-go model, so we need to get containers, and those are harder to get. The primarily donation-based model means they’ve always had to be adaptable when it comes to their offerings — now, perhaps just a little more so. “We’re always having to be flexible, so it’s mostly about always having a range of different resources, and being
in communication with different folks to get resources. Having been around for such a long time, we’ve developed a massive network.” Inflation growth isn’t just limited to food, according to Sophie Milam, vice president of public policy and advocacy at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “Families are feeling the impact on multiple fronts,” Milam wrote. “The
problem of food inflation is made worse by the fact that other weekly and monthly expenses like gasoline, household energy, and household cleaning products are also soaring, especially gasoline.” With prices, food pantries have to stretch their dollars, just like the people they serve.
Current average prices and amount increased since last year
$3.20 (+$.73) $6.13 (+$.93)
$3.72 (+$.54)
$2.94 (+$.26) $6.29 (+$1.06)
$3.68 (+$.22)
PHOTO COURTESY FACEBOOK
Volunteers prepare meals at A Just Harvest, 7649 N Paulina St.
16 | La DePaulia. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
La DePaulia
OPINIÓN: Mantengan sus rosarios fuera de los ovarios: Roe v. Wade y la autonomía corporal By Santiago Posada-Jaramillo Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia
Luego de la filtración de un documento de la Corte Suprema obtenido por Politico que sugería que los votos para anular Roe v. Wade ya había emitido, se ha desatado un debate sobre los derechos reproductivos y la autonomía corporal en los Estados Unidos. Esta decisión de la Corte Suprema puede eliminar las protecciones federales sobre abortos seguros y accesibles que han estado vigentes desde 1973, afectando la vida de millones de personas que tal vez no puedan interrumpir un embarazo si su estado no lo desea. Como es la larga tradición de los hombres cisgénero, heterosexuales como yo en esta parte del mundo, hablaré sobre mí y mi vida en relación con un tema que no hay forma de que me incluya directamente. Menos de un mes después de cumplir 18 años, decidí ir al médico y pedir una vasectomía. Era una decisión en la que había estado pensando durante varios años para ese momento y me sentía bastante seguro de ella. En mi caso, no quiero tener hijos, y quería un procedimiento que me ayudara con ese deseo. No fue algo que mi familia tomara bien al principio. Tanto mi mamá como mi papá querían tener nietos y, junto con mi hermano y algunos maestros, pensaron que podría ser demasiado pronto para tomar una decisión tan importante. La mayoría de los médicos que conocí tampoco me apoyaron mucho. No podían creer que yo quisiera esto y pensaron que tal vez no sabía qué era una vasectomía o que no conocía otras formas de prevenir embarazos. Pusieron a prueba mi conocimiento, pero yo tenía claro el tema de educación sexual. A pesar de todo, el proceso continuó y después de unos meses pude hacerme esa pequeña cirugía que me dio el control sobre mi futuro. Tomó algún tiempo, pero finalmente mi familia se acercó para ver mi punto de vista y entendió que no era una decisión apresurada y que era lo que yo realmente deseaba. Incluso recuerdo claramente cuando mi padre me llamó —vivía en otra ciudad en ese momento— y me dijo: “Puede que no esté de acuerdo contigo, pero es tu cuerpo. Entonces, es tu decisión”. Al final, fue fácil. Aunque hubo dudas, nadie negó que era mi derecho decidir sobre mi cuerpo y mi futuro. Y casi puedo escuchar a todas las mujeres leyendo esto y pensando: “Debe ser agradable”. Así es como se ve el privilegio. Y esa es mi principal queja sobre este tema. ¿Por qué las personas que pueden quedar embarazadas deben luchar constantemente por el derecho a decidir sobre su propio cuerpo? La estudiante latina de segundo año de DePaul, Daniela Hernández, cree firmemente que todos deberían tener agencia sobre sus cuerpos. “Creo que todos deberían tener control sobre sus cuerpos”, dijo. “La mayoría de las personas que están
Manifestantes se juntan en Federal Plaza protestando por sus derechos reproductivos.
”No podemos volver a las épocas en que las mujeres no podian controlar sus cuerpos, sus vidas”,
Neusa Gaytan
Vicepresidenta de programas de Mujeres Latinas en Acción votando [para restringir el aborto] son hombres. Obviamente, en realidad no tienen experiencia en dar a luz y cosas por el estilo. Pero muchas personas que necesitan abortos son personas de bajos ingresos, y esas no son las personas que toman estas decisiones”. Nueve personas poderosas en la Corte Suprema están decidiendo sobre los derechos de grupos de personas menos privilegiadas, con base en sus propios intereses. Esto tiende a conducir a decisiones que no toman en cuenta las realidades que enfrentan las personas más afectadas. Por ejemplo, como mostró un estudio del Instituto Guttmacher el año pasado, está claro que el lado que presiona para prohibir los abortos en los EE. UU. lo hace con la creencia infundada de que los abortos legales y seguros conducen a un número cada vez mayor de abortos. Una nota de investigación de Amanda Jean Stevenson de la Universidad de Colorado Boulder estima que para el segundo año de una prohibición total de los abortos en los EE. UU., en general embarazolas muertes relacionadas con aumentarán en un 21 por ciento. Mujeres Latinas en Acción (MLA) es una organización dirigida por latinas que ofrece servicios comunitarios para mujeres y sus familias. Neusa Gaytan, vicepresidenta sénior de programas de
MLA, dice que la eliminación de las protecciones federales contra el aborto pondrá en peligro a las mujeres en el futuro. “[Si se anula Roe v. Wade], el acceso se verá drásticamente limitado”, dijo. “En MLA trabajamos con mujeres que han sufrido violencia de género y abuso sexual, violación. Esto hará que sea más difícil abortar, causándoles aún más daño. Pero incluso enfrentando las nefastas consecuencias de esta decisión, el problema más básico proviene de tratar a las personas que pueden quedar embarazadas, en su mayoría mujeres, como si no tuvieran voz sobre sus cuerpos y sus embarazos. Pilar González, una madre de Dallas, Texas, cree que obligar a una mujer a tener un hijo que no quiere es perjudicial para todos los involucrados. “Es un derecho de cada una de las mujeres poder decidir sobre su propio cuerpo”, dijo. “Y traer una vida al mundo cuando una mujer no se encuentra preparada para hacerlo, es preferible interrumpir el embarazo. Porque es que es alterar no solo la vida de esa mujer y su mundo, sino también tal vez traer una vida que va a entrar a sufrir, a no tener un entorno apto para poder desarrollarse.” Todos coinciden en que la opinión filtrada de la Corte Suprema se siente
FOTO CORTESÍA DE PAT NABONG| AP
regresiva; una decisión que nos acercará a una realidad distópica. “[Se siente] como ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’” o ‘El cuento de la criada’ “donde hablan de estas cosas, y es como algo distópico”, dijo Hernández. “Pensamos, ‘Oh, esto nunca podría suceder’. Pero cuando miras las pequeñas cosas que han sucedido en ese programa, refleja mucho lo que está sucediendo ahora.” “A mí me parece un retroceso que estén cuestionando algo que ya estaba aprobado”, dijo González. “O sea, eso no tiene discusión. ¿Para qué traer a colación nuevamente… O sea, era como dar un paso adelante y ahorita es tratar de darlo hacia atrás.” “No podemos volver a las épocas en que las mujeres no podían controlar sus cuerpos, sus vidas”, dijo Gaytán. “Tenemos que seguir luchando. No podemos permitir que los políticos tomen estas decisiones por las mujeres”. No tengo útero y no puedo quedar embarazado. Mi propiedad sobre mi cuerpo no está siendo cuestionada. Nadie está “solo haciendo preguntas” o “usando su libertad de expresión” para tratar de quitarme el derecho a decidir cuándo y cómo tener un hijo. Nadie se debate si debo ir a la cárcel por elegir qué futuro quiero tener. Y esa debería ser la realidad para cada persona en este país, sin importar su sexo, género, ingresos, raza o estado. Parece que ahora mismo es el momento perfecto para recordar que los ideales de libertad e igualdad bajo la ley que fueron escritos en la Constitución y en la Enmienda 14 deben ser defendidos de aquellos que prefieren imponer sus ideales al resto de la nación.
La DePaulia. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 |
Nuevos miembros de SGA buscan facilitar la vida de estudiantes de DePaul By patrick sloan-turner & Jacqueline Cardenas Escritor y Jefa de Redacción, La DePaulia
Con un nuevo cambio de poder en las directivas de la universidad, también hay una nueva transición de poder dentro del cuerpo estudiantil. El 7 de mayo, la Asociación de Gobierno Estudiantil (SGA) de DePaul anunció los ganadores de las elecciones para el año académico 2022-2023. El estudiante de tercer año Kelvin Holechko asumirá el cargo de presidente de SGA, junto con la estudiante de segundo año Magoli García, quien asumirá el cargo de vicepresidenta. El nuevo gabinete presidencial cree que una mejor relación entre el cuerpo estudiantil y el gobierno estudiantil es vital para el avance de DePaul. Holechko y García se ven a sí mismos como la conexión entre los estudiantes y la administración. “Como estudiante de educación… siempre me ha interesado el lado administrativo de [las cosas]”, dijo Holechko. “El privilegio que tiene el gobierno estudiantil es básicamente el acceso ilimitado a los administradores de DePaul, y creo que puedo hacer mucho para conectarlos con el cuerpo estudiantil”. Holechko, estudiante universitario de historia, lo llamó un “movimiento natural” para avanzar al asiento del presidente. Él cree que su área de estudio y su participación anterior en el gobierno estudiantil lo convierten en el mejor candidato para dirigir la organización. Los dos candidatos creen que se puede hacer más para ayudar a los estudiantes a superar algunas de las dificultades que a menudo experimentan durante su vida universitaria en DePaul. “El gobierno estudiantil tiene mucho poder para proporcionar recursos e información a nuestros estudiantes”, dijo García. “[Nosotros] vimos esto como una oportunidad
para cerrar esa brecha”. Holechko y García ya han comenzado a pensar en objetivos concretos y una visión para el siguiente año. Recientemente, SGA introdujo una beca para estudiantes de primera generación. Los dos candidatos esperan llevar iniciativas centradas en costos y disminuir algunos de los obstáculos financieros que experimentan los estudiantes. Por ejemplo, han comenzado a explorar la idea de expandir el uso de libros de texto de código abierto en todas las clases en DePaul. “Queremos trabajar con el Consejo de Facultad para tomar este concepto y aplicarlo a más clases”, dijo Holechko. “[Nos gustaría] tomar algunos de esos costos extra que vienen con la universidad de los que la gente no necesariamente habla... y reducirlos”. Otro puesto esencial fue ocupadoa partir de los resultados de las elecciones del sábado, el cual probablemente sea parte integral de la reducción de costos. La estudiante de segundo año de contabilidad, Caroline Snyder, ganó dicho puesto de tesorera y espera usar su papel para garantizar una mejoría para que los grupos en el campus reciban el apoyo financiero que merecen. “Quiero asegurarme de que cada grupo obtenga los fondos que necesita”, dijo Snyder. “Es importante asegurarse de que el apoyo sea adecuado”. Junto con la implementación de nuevas oportunidades para aliviar la carga que conlleva ser un estudiante universitario, los tres funcionarios recién elegidos esperan aprovechar algunos de los logros del año pasado. En abril, SGA introdujo un autobús de enlace entre los dos campus de DePaul para estudiantes, una opción segura para el transporte en medio de un aumento de delitos en
FOTO CORTESÍA DE KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | LA DEPAULIA
Nuevo presidente Kelvin Holechko (izquierda) y vicepresidenta Magoli García (derecha) planean mejorar la communication con las directivas de DePaul. CTA. Como tesorera, Snyder dice que hará su parte para mantener la iniciativa cuando los estudiantes regresen en otoño. “Es realmente un beneficio adicional para los estudiantes”, dijo Snyder. “Definitivamente quiero [mantener] eso funcionando”. Para Holechko, un problema importante durante su tiempo en DePaul ha sido la comunicación mediocre, y la transparencia entre la administración y los estudiantes. El martes, DePaul anunció al Dr. Robert Manuel como el próximo presidente de la universidad. Holechko ve la transición como una oportunidad para mejorar la correspondencia entre las dos partes. “Muchos estudiantes se han sentido excluidos”, dijo Holechko. “Creo que con el Dr. Manuel, tenemos una maravillosa oportunidad de capitalizar la mejora en la comunicación... y una de mis metas para el próximo año es unir a los estudiantes y la administración”.
FOTO CORTESÍA DE KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | LA DEPAULIA
La vicepresidenta Magoli García busca proporcionar recursos a los estudiantes.
Bad Bunny será el primer héroe latino con su propia película titulada ‘El Muerto’ By Andrea Juárez Hernández Editora de Opiniones, La DePaulia
Bad Bunny es una estrella del pop y fenómeno de la música latina. El músico ha sido elegido como El Muerto, el futuro personaje principal de la próxima película del universo arácnido de Sony, que llegará a los cines en enero de 2024. Sony ha pasado los últimos años intentando desarrollar su propio universo cinematográficwo, independiente de los personajes conocidos del Universo Cinematográfico de Marvel. Comenzando con Venom en 2018 y el recientemente lanzado Morbius, Sony ha venido produciendo una variedad de personajes. Estos confrontan y, en ocasiones, se asocian con su personaje más preciado, Spider-Man. Sony aún no ha revelado información narrativa específica para El Muerto. “Es genial escuchar que habrá un nuevo héroe en los cines. Soy un gran admirador de Spiderman y Bad Bunny, por lo que será súper épico de ver”, dijo Giselle Castro, una estudiante entusiasta de Depaul cuando se le preguntó sobre la nueva película. La película se centrará en JuanCarlos Sánchez, también conocido como El Muerto, un personaje secundario de Marvel Comics conectado con SpiderMan. En los cómics, Sánchez era un niño pequeño que fue entrenado por su padre para ser el miembro más nuevo de su familia en asumir la personalidad de El Muerto.
GRÁFICO | INSTAGRAM KINGDAVID_AK69
Bad Bunny será el primer personaje latino en liderar una película de Marvel.
Luego, a Sánchez se le daría una máscara de lucha libre que otorga una fuerza y resistencia extraordinarias al usuario. El Muerto exhibirá al primer héroe latino de Marvel con su propia película protagonizada en vivo. No será la primera vez que el rapero y compositor puertorriqueño entre a un ring. El año pasado participó en la WWE cantando su canción “Booker T” en el Royal Rumble 2021 y luego ayudando a Damian Priest en el ring. Kevin Vasquez, otro compañero de estudios de DePaul, dijo: “A mi hermano le encantaría ver esta película porque muestra a un latino como un héroe y no como un tipo malo como Bane del
universo DC, así que es increíble saber que tenemos más representación”. Por supuesto, ha habido otros personajes Latinx de acción en vivo antes de El Muerto, como Ajak de Salma Hayek en Eternals y América Chávez de Xochitl Gomez abriéndose paso en el Multiverso de la Locura, pero El Muerto será el primero en tener su propia película. Sin embargo, debido a que se trata de Sony, El Muerto no puede considerarse parte del Universo Cinematográfico de Marvel. Esto, por supuesto, no desacredita la gran representación de la comunidad latinx en la pantalla grande. “Es importante tener representación
FOTO CORTESÍA DE ROB GRABOWSKI | AP
El cantante puertorriqueño Bad Bunny pasa de la tarima a la pantalla grande.
porque los niños ven estas películas tratando de buscar modelos a seguir, Bad Bunny ya es una inspiración para muchos con su música y ahora puede llegar a un público más amplio como un superhéroe”, dijo Jennifer Carrillo cuando. El Muerto marcaría el primer superhéroe latino en obtener su propia película en el universo de los personajes de Marvel, justo después de que Sony también anwunciara a Madame Web, que marcó al primer personaje femenino del universo de Spider-Man en obtener su propia película.
18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
Arts & Life
Chicago Symphony Orchestra hosts 'College Night'
MICHAEL BOLAND | THE DEPAULIA
Muscians from Chicago Symphony Orchesta warm up before their preformance on College Night, a discounted concert for students who were invited to a Q & A with the orchestra.
Students attend concert at discounted rate By Michael Boland Contributing Writer
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has long been an attraction for residents and tourists alike, but many Chicago college students have yet to experience it. On Saturday, April 1, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra hosted “College Night” with $15 student tickets. Students also had the opportunity to attend a pre-concert reception with free pizza and a Q&A session with Chicago Symphony Orchestra bassoonist Miles Maner. Maner is in his ninth season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has been a professor at the DePaul University School of Music for eight years. Maner’s Q&A was a discussion about the performance and how he transformed his passion into a career. “Human spirit can find a way to do what it wants to do. I had a really easy upbringing so I’m not going to write a book because it’s just boring,” Maner said during the Q&A. “I went to an okay school, lived in a pretty neighborhood and played in the band. Life is kind of complicated. I had an easy upbringing, and now, I have noticed that I hadn’t learned some things such as perseverance, dedication, etcetera.” Maner’s understanding of his privilege, and his acknowledgement that it led him to lack traits those with rougher upbringings must learn, was a nod to the struggles of all students. “I don’t think it necessarily takes external support to make it where you want to go,” Maner said. “If you can find a way to support yourself in terms of being your own advocate, at the end of the day everyone is advocating for themselves. If you can learn to do that you can make it where you want to go.” Students that attended the Q&A commented on how Maner was able to relate to them — even if they weren’t music students.
MICHAEL BOLAND | THE DEPAULIA
Students line up for free pizza during the College Night student event at Orchestra Hall. “I was surprised how relatable the Q&A was. I don’t play any instruments and haven’t ever been super into this sort of thing, but he did a good job of making the discussion about advancing in your life as a whole, rather than just in terms of music,” said Jacquelyn Sparrow, a 21-year-old film major at DePaul University. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s “College Night” was sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich M. Gross, longtime subscribers and donors to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “In addition to having endowed the principal flute chair, they generously sponsor a weekend of concerts each season,” said Clay Baker, a communications and public relations coordinator at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “Pre-pandemic, we held two to four college nights each season,” Baker said. “This is our first one since Fall 2019. We have been hosting college nights for over 15 years.”
As events like “College Night” become available due to rising vaccination numbers and a decrease in hospitalizations, precaution levels vary for different venues. At the Chicago Symphony Orchestra event, proof of vaccination, a matching ID and masks were required for all guests regardless of vaccination status. After the Q&A, the concert, titled “Muti Conducts Montgomery & Beethoven Pastoral” featured “Riccardo Muti lead[ing] a world premiere by Jessie Montgomery, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s new Mead Composer-in-Residence.” During his Q&A, Maner explained that the Montgomery piece “is extremely simple. There’s a melody that’s given and it’s changed slightly, either the mixup of the melody or the instrument playing the melody. It’s beautiful in its simplicity. It’s a hymn for everyone.” The performance also featured a bass concerto, “Concerto di Bravura,” performed by Alexander Hanna, principal
MICHAEL BOLAND | THE DEPAULIA
A string bass player from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs on April 1. bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Orchestras rarely feature the bass as a soloist, so the “College Night” performance was both exciting and unique. Hanna also serves on the bass faculty at DePaul University. Experiencing all Chicago has to offer might be a financial burden to many college students, but there are a number of discounts offered by organizations, such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, that allow students to be more involved with the arts. While “College Night” only happens a few times a year at CSO, there are plenty of opportunities for students to get discounted tickets for $20 at select concerts. Events such as the Chicago Symphony Orhestra’s “College Night” allow students to expand their horizons without breaking the bank.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 19
Chicago Influencers Social media celebrities reflect on how the city has influenced their content By Grace Vaughn Contributing Writer
When Bailey McGuire created her “Hangry Chicago” Instagram account in 2017, she never saw it as a career move. It was simply a fun place to store food pictures during nights out with friends or lunches at Lula Cafe with her parents. At the time, she had recently graduated from DePaul University and landed her first job at a PR agency focused on serving clients in the hospitality industry. “While I was figuring out what to do with my life, I just started posting,” McGuire said. “I didn’t give it much energy. I used it more as a job portfolio to prove to employers that I could build a small following.” The pandemic began three years later, and her company started to lay off employees. She was unemployed for eight months and knew it was time to shift focus by taking her content more seriously. McGuire is among thousands of young digital creators choosing Chicago as their background for content creation. Many social media influencers move to Los Angeles or New York City to grow their brand, but unlike these cities, Chicago provides an unsaturated market for those seeking a career online. Ren DiNino, graduated from Purdue University in May of 2020 and headed straight to Chicago. While working full time DiNino began posting TikToks to document her new explorations in the city. These short, “diary-like” videos opened an entirely new door for her career. One day, after posting tips on how to find an apartment in the city, Compass Real Estate reached out to her with an opportunity to become a leasing agent. “It was never something I envisioned doing as a part-time job,” DiNino said. “I’ve been able to emerge myself in the
PHOTOS BY INSTAGRAM | @HANGRY_CHICAGO
An Instagram post from Hangry_Chicago promotes a sandwich from Boxcar Betty's. real estate business all because I posted a video expressing that I liked apartment hunting.” As new residents in Chicago began to follow her, so did businesses. Restaurants all over the city reached out to DiNino with invitations to come dine over the weekend in exchange for a post about their establishment. “I love being able to connect with the community through these places. Some businesses don’t have means for advertisement yet, especially if they're new, so I try my best to inspire my followers to go check them out,” DiNino said. These types of connections are crucial for influencers in Chicago whose content relies on partnerships. Still, there is pressure for the content to perform well from both the creator and the business. “These local restaurants are investing in us and our content because they think it’s going to help support them,” McGuire said. “There’s a level of stress that goes along with that. I think the perception is
that it's easy and stress-free work, but at the end of the day, it’s impactful.” Each influencer works to build their aesthetic in an effort to differentiate themselves online. For Sabrina Waryjas, owner of the “Sabrina in Chicago” Instagram account, culture and upbringing are the driving forces behind her content. While growing up in Guarulhos, Brazil, she dreamed of living abroad one day. That dream became a reality in 2019 when she accepted an international exchange offer to Chicago. Her love for the city was immediate. After working multiple jobs for several months, she saved up enough money for a computer and camera and began posting about her personal journey on social media. “I saw an opportunity to be the eyes of Brazilians who are watching and going through the same thing I went through,” Waryjas said. “They have a dream and need to see that it’s possible to set foot here one day.”
PHOTOS BY INSTAGRAM | @HANGRY_CHICAGO
A colorful charcuterie board posted by Hangry_Chicago from a local restaurant. Lately, her content has focused on visiting small businesses in different neighborhoods, from Spam fries in Lincoln Park to face mask bars in West Loop. She’ll capture the interior of the restaurant or shop, show her purchases and offer her overall review. “I research a lot about the places and find out what makes it different,” she said. “I talk ahead with the owners to understand how I can help authentically create awareness about their business. I really like to think I am now a part of the community.” The community-oriented aspect of this industry is what appears to be the driving force behind creators in this city. They not only see it as a side hustle, but also a way to connect with the place they now call home.
Students imagine holidays they want to celebrate in May By Halie Wingo Contributing Writer
May is often associated with warming temperatures, longer days and a welcome departure from April’s torrential showers. Holidays and celebrations are another integral part of the month, marking both essential recognitions from Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month and brain cancer awareness month to light hearted festivities like national barbecue month. If you have an idea for a national holiday, there are a couple of ways you can make it happen. A company or person can declare a holiday and people can choose to follow it, according to marketplace.org. Another way a national holiday can be created is through nationaldaycalendar.com. You can submit a request to have a national holiday added to the calendar through the website, though only a few are accepted. Madison Metcalfe, a DePaul junior, expressed her desire to create her own holiday to commemorate overlooked tragedies. “I would have my own national holiday, not really a holiday, but I would like to have a national memorial day for the Tulsa Race Massacre on May 31st,” Metcalfe said.
Despite few knowing how holidays are created, Metcalfe include, the idea remains intriguing. Sarah Agolia, a junior at DePaul, believes the range of national holidays are exciting. She has even kept track of some of her favorite national holidays. “I think it’s fun,” Agolia said. “I used
TYLER OCAMPO | THE DEPAULIA
to keep track of fun holidays like National Ice Cream Day.” While Agolia admits that creating her own national holiday could be fun, the challenge of coming up with an original idea remains overwhelming. ”I think there are so many national holidays that anything I could come up
with may already be a holiday,” Agolia said. Kate Whitcomb, a sophomore, conveyed interest in the notion that anyone could create their own holiday. “I thought it had to be done by a figure of authority and for a serious reason. I think it is interesting that you can do this because we should be able to celebrate what we want,” Whitcomb said. Whitcomb also said that she knows there are several important holidays this month, not including the funny ones you don’t see on a normal calendar. “I know Memorial Day and Mother’s Day are in May this year along with Cinco de Mayo. May is also Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. A lesser known one but important to me is that May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month,” Whitcomb said. While only holidays located on a calendar may be officially recognized by the general public, it is entertaining to see the near infinite amount of national festivities within the month. Although the endless celebrations can be potentially labeled overkill, it is still a unique aspect that resides within the month.
20 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
Looking for common ground: 'Everything, Everywhere, All at Once' represents a possibility of understanding in tense parental relationships By Nika Schoonover Managing Editor
A24’s newest film, “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” stars Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu, showcasing a tense mother-daughter relationship between the two characters under a sci-fi lens. Though this movie is emotional for anyone, especially those with a tense relationship with their own mother, it felt particularly poignant for Asian American families. In the opening scenes, Joy Wang (Stephanie Hsu) is trying to talk to her mother about inviting her girlfriend to the family party that evening. Her mother, Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), was distracted about preparing for her tax meeting and getting ready for the party. Yes, she could have just been distracted by trying to get everything done, but those of us who have had this exact type of conversation with our own mothers know better. She was avoiding Joy and using her own stress and tasks as a way of diverting the conversation. Evelyn won’t hear her daughter’s pleas to just stop and talk to her, and even goes so far as to redirect the blame, saying that she’s not the one changing the subject, but her daughter is. As Joy prepares to leave, Evelyn stops her and for a second — it looks like she’s going to apologize for her actions. Instead, she asks if she gained weight, and Joy angrily gets into her car and drives away. Though the two actors share the spotlight throughout the film, rotating between dealing with their own grief, disappointments and trauma, I found myself utterly drawn to Yeoh’s character. I felt as though I was seeing my own mother through Yeoh’s depiction of the character, and I felt her stress, sadness and existential dread through it all.
PHOTO FROM IMDB
A scene from box office hit "Everything Everywhere, All at Once," released in March.
Though this first scene felt like a playby-play of so many conversations I’ve had before, I was drawn in by the quiet moments and the emotion displayed so expertly by Yeoh, as it showed the type of transparency that I either never really saw or ignored in my own mother. As Evelyn’s life is turned upside down, she becomes pulled into her alternate lives in other universes. It’s true that anyone could watch this and understand the fascination of what their life could have been if they had simply made other choices. But, as a daughter of a Filipino immigrant, I found myself thinking not of my own choices, but the choices my mother made throughout her life and how it got her to where we are today. In one life, Evelyn was an expert martial artist and movie star. In another, a chef. And the one at the center of the conflict, she was a scientist that drove her daughter to the brink
by forcing her to universe jump until it destroyed her. In each alternate life, she carried a level of obsession and disbelief at the choices she made and the life she ended up with, ultimately leading to her complete dissociation from her current life. When I watched Evelyn come to terms with each of her lives, I thought about similar choices my mother made and I realized I had thought about this before. If we followed the rest of our family to New York after they decided to immigrate to America, if she had taken the job in Los Angeles after her company closed during the 2008 recession, if she had been less practical in her own life. I felt a level of kinship with Yeoh’s character and even felt a pang of guilt for not recognizing that similar lost feeling that my mother might have experienced. Emily St. James, in an article by Vox, coined the phenomena shown in this movie the “millennial parent apology fantasy.”
In a heart-wrenching conclusion, Evelyn apologizes to Joy, now filled with a greater understanding of her daughter’s pain and her own faults in their relationship. Joy asks her, if she could have any life, why would she choose to be in this one with her? Evelyn responds that she will cherish her, even in the small specks of time that they have together. The movie represents an attempt to heal intergenerational trauma through an apology that promises to do better than they had before. Evelyn realizes she experienced similar traumas with her own father and recognizes how that translated into her relationship with her daughter. By living her countless lives, Evelyn reaches a level of understanding with her daughter that she was otherwise blind to. This doesn’t just rest on the parent, however. The child in this fantasy trope also realizes that their parents went through the same trauma with their own parents that has more or less paralleled their current relationship. There’s a push and pull with this fantasy dynamic, as it creates the perfect circumstances to reach a level of understanding and, then, a promise to do better. It could be just a fantasy to reach this level of understanding, but stories such as this film that articulate this apology arc do teach a lesson in trying to understand the other person. Through listening and an attempt at empathy, that apology and promise can be reached. “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” in my opinion, was an ingenious way of articulating healing from intergenerational trauma and how parental relationships can improve as a result. It’s no wonder this film has become a tear-jerker for all viewers, as it promises the fantasy of understanding and improvement in tense familial relationships.
MAKE YOUR SUMMER COUNT. GET ONE STEP CLOSER TO GRADUATION. REGISTER FOR SCPS ONLINE CLASSES AT GO.DEPAUL.EDU/SCPSSUMMER.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 21
AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA
Drag finalists Mr. Trans Former (left), Georgia Rising (middle) and Skator Gaytor (right) speak with the event host, Irregular Girl, at the DePaul Drag Show on Thursday night.
DRAG, continued from front page The room is full of eager students, some new, some old that remember previous years' drag shows, before Covid-19. Kelly Lang, a senior at DePaul majoring in peace, justice and conflict studies, has been looking forward to this since the 2020 DePaul drag show was canceled. “I went my freshman year with a group of friends and absolutely loved it,” Lang said. “I'm so happy to be back now for my last year almost as a tribute to my ending.” Walking back into the drag dressing room, the students are getting ready for their performances. The dressing room is covered in glitter; boas, wigs and detailed lace costumes are arranged in chaotic placements for each artist. Carefully drawing in their sharp, angled eyebrows for a sultry look, DePaul senior Grace Gilbrattch, also known as Virgo Abode, rushes to get fully ready before the event begins. Gilbrattch is doing a tribute to Marina in the Diamonds in their set. As a costume design major, Gilbrattch used their personal skills and materials to create their own dress. “I felt like [Marina] got me through some of my worst times, so I wanted to perform two of her songs,” Gilbrattch said. “The outfit was planned for when I saw her in person for her concert; I patterned the whole outfit, from the sparkly spandex to the top. I just wanted to be the shiniest thing out there.” While it’s both Mr. Trans Former and Virgo Abode’s first time, Skater Gaytor, a DePaul senior, has been doing this for over a year. “Oh honey, I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve performed, it comes so natural to me,” Gaytor said while simultaneously adjusting their wig and applying lipstick with perfect balance. The show begins, the packed room
is ready to start — a little late, as most gays are. The host of the night is popular local drag performer Irregular Girl. Before the event can fully start, the rules of drag have to be explained to the newbies, including a tip station to exchange for dollar bills to support the performers. Then it begins — Irregular Girl takes the stage, strutting down the runway with power on their sparkly sequin bodysuit and cotton candy cover. “Please give a warm welcome to Bescoliná!” Irregular Girl announced. “Dreaming of you” by Selena blasts through the speakers as Jose Dominguez Magdalene, the first student performer, walks out, all dolled up in a dress and handbag, and delivers a chilling acting performance of confessing love with an elated twist of alcohol. One by one, each student came onto the stage; Bescoliná, Mr. Trans Former, Testostermoan, Virgo Abode, Georgia Rising, Whorechata and Skater Gaytor each had the chance to wow the crowd with their routines. Along with the students, professional drag artists performed their sets as well. Stephanie Gato-Girl, Siichele and Lúc Ami all came for guest performances. The time came for the first round of votes. Along with the judges, the students in the crowd got to vote on three finalists to continue for a second performance. After much anticipation, Mr. Trans Former, Georgia Rising and Skater Gaytor advanced to the final round. Tension was high. Mr. Trans Former went first, and the memorable first few notes of “Treasure” by Bruno Mars sang through the room as the crowd cheered. Georgia Rising followed up with a high-energy performance in a tennis skirt and pigtails. Skater Gaytor performed to “You Oughta Know '' by Alanis Morissette in a bloody schoolgirl outfit, taking the crowd by surprise as they threw their wig off and expressed raw emotion of
AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA
Three drag finalists speak with the event host, Irregular Girl, at the DePaul Drag Show.
AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA
Siichele performs during the show to the song "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks. performative anguish. Rising won. The room goes silent as the giant After taking their victory lap on screen tallies the votes for each perfor- stage, Georgia Rising takes a final bow mance. for the crowd as DePaul’s 2022 Drag SuHolding hands, the three finalists perstar. hold their breath as the numbers rise. Scoring the highest at 82 votes, Georgia
22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
'Make ‘Em Laugh': A film for a coping generation
By K ayla Holliday Contributing Writer
Draped in their finest duds, filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts alike flocked to the premiere screening of DaVinci Street Production’s newest flick, “Make ‘Em Laugh,” this past Friday. Centered around the power of comedy as a temporary antidote to life’s troubles, the short film offers poignant commentary for a generation riddled with the weight of uncertainty and anguish present from the recent years under Covid19’s grasp. Drawing influence from the likes of “Good Will Hunting” and “Dead Poets Society,” the film is the host for a stand-up set that plays out in real time, performed by protagonist Sean Keating. Airing the deep grievances that brought him to his present state, lapsing from early childhood to adulthood, he masterfully draws laughter from the crowd with profound technique, despite the dark subject matter. “There’s so much truth in the human pain, and I think comedians have such an amazing way of flipping it on its head and making us able to laugh,” said cinematographer and DePaul film sophomore, Enzo Goodrich. “The things they’re talking about can be really disturbing and really messed up and really sad,” he continued. “But there’s always this way to spin it
KAYLA HOLLIDAY|THE DEPAULIA
The producers of "Make 'Em Laugh" pose for a photo at the premiere of the film.
into something funny.” “Make ‘Em Laugh” was written in collaboration between executive producer Evan Sellas and DePaul screenwriting sophomore, Max Celis. Also holding the role of the film’s director, Celis described the inspiration behind the piece.
“The mask of comedy is something that has always existed, and I think now is an era where it exists more than ever,” he said. “That’s not a bad thing. I feel like that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s just a means of coping that’s really interesting to me.”
Choosing to focus specifically on the lens of a stand-up was a team decision, as DaVinci producers felt they truly connected on their love for the medium. In fact, they drew significant influence from their favorite, celebrated comics such as George Carlin, Larry David and Dave Chappelle. Celis, a founding partner, said “’Make Em Laugh’ is my way of trying to look at universal things through a very narrowed scope.” He insists the film is vastly relatable to anyone who has used their personal art form as a distraction from reality. The DaVinci company was founded on creative expression regarding tough-hitting subjects, ranging from loss to addiction to domestic abuse. Bringing in the contrast of comedy adds an entirely new level of depth to their already-established roster of films. “I’m so proud of the project we created, and I’m so confident in it — I’m so happy to [finally] show it to people,” Goodrich said of the premiere. “Make ‘Em Laugh” is available now for free viewing on the DaVinci Street Productions YouTube channel. Their next film, “Hear My Plea,” is set to be released this summer.
'Zandy’s Bride' review Music Box’s 'Hell on the Homestead' series continues
ALLISON FREEMAN | THE DEPAULIA
By Jacob Costello Staff Writer
As with “Unforgiven” last week, 1974’s “Zandy’s Bride” is a part of “Hell on the Homestead,” a film series being held at Music Box Theater at 3733 N. Southport Ave. The series focuses on unconventional Westerns and is sponsored by the DePaul School for Cinematic Arts. This movie is a drama in a Western setting and is absent of any gunfights or horse chases that are synonymous with the genre. As a lover of cowboy action, I was not sure what to expect with this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised with “Zandy’s Bride.” “Zandy’s Bride” follows Zandy Allan, a lonely frontiersman played by the incomparable Gene Hackman. Zandy purchases a European mail-order bride from a newspaper in hopes of companionship and children. Hannah Lund, the bride portrayed by Liv Ullmann, arrives at Zandy's homestead and is immediately
disappointed. She placed her ad in order to find adventure and love in the West, neither of which are provided by Zandy. He treats Hannah like his property, and Hannah is disgusted with Zandy’s filthy house and habits. The movie becomes a cold war between the two characters navigating their new relationship and learning to live with one another. “Zandy’s Bride” is one of the most interesting Westerns I have ever seen due to the domestic story and lack of genre tropes. This movie is a romantic drama set in the American West, with no gunslingers or cattle rustlers in sight. Coming from a lover of the Western genre, this was a welcome departure. Without gunfights and action scenes, the audience is able to sit back and take in the rich atmosphere of “Zandy’s Bride.” The performances in this movie are incredible. Hackman is a pleasure to watch as Zandy. He is by no means a stereotypical Western hero. Zandy is gross, misogynistic and crude. Hackman por-
trays him in such a way that we stay invested in him despite his many flaws. We see in the movie that his poor treatment of women is due in part to how his father treats his mother. He is a pretty awful man for the majority of the runtime, but his new bride tries everything she can in order to get him on the path to redemption. Ullmann’s Hannah is a perfect foil to her new husband. She is clean, has manners and wants him to be a man she can love. The two are in perpetual conflict with each other for much of the runtime, leading to both heartbreaking and hilarious scenes. A character-focused movie like this depends on strong performances from the leads, and these two do not miss the mark. “Zandy’s Bride” features gorgeous cinematography and a wonderful score. The scenery of this movie is breathtakingly beautiful, and the audience is treated to numerous shots showing off the
beauty of the American West. The score of this movie is another highlight. The music is absent from most of the scenes, only showing up during montages of the lovely landscape. This moderation made me appreciate the score even more and further emphasized the beauty of nature. Additionally, having no score or ambient music during the other scenes of the movie give further weight to the dialogue and actions. “Zandy’s Bride” is a quiet and reserved relationship drama, set in the backdrop of the American wilderness. With stellar performances, striking cinematography and lively music, this is a movie worth a watch. While not the most thrilling film, the low-key story of this movie makes for a good, albeit unconventional Western. The screenings are free for DePaul students. I am giving Zandy’s Bride three and a half out of five stars.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 23
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' misses its mark
David Lynch’s last movie (for now): Review of 'Inland Empire'
PHOTO FROM IMDB
Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong star in Marvel's " Multiverse of Madness."
By Tiffany Harrell Contributing Writer
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where screenwriter Michael Waldron and director Sam Raimi have now taken on the task of balancing the multiverse. So, where should I begin? In "Multiverse of Madness," Strange has become the master of metaphysical arts and is now able to alter realities in the multiverse. He crosses paths with the powerful Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch, his close companion, the Sorcerer Supreme Wong and Christine Palmer, as well as others. Now, what is the significance of these characters specifically, and how do they connect the dots to where we are currently in the multiverse? To help, I recommend watching a couple of episodes from Marvel Studios' "What If…?" series. Watching these six movies, two series, and two episodes will help quite a bit. The last section is optional, but it will help with the easter eggs and cameos in "Multiverse of Madness" Binge-watching "WandaVision" on Disney+ is a must if you want a better understanding of Wanda Maximoff becoming the Scarlet Witch. "Doctor Strange" isn’t strictly necessary because you can piece together his story at the beginning of the new film. However, since we are short on time, let me fill in some of the blanks. Marvel Studios released the Disney+ series "WandaVision," starring Wanda Maximoff. This series was a fictional depiction of the life of Wanda with the love of her life, Vision, and their twin, prior to the threat of Thanos. The series ends with Wanda seeking knowledge of her new powers via the Darkhold, or the Book of the Damned, which reveals her true destiny as the Scarlet Witch, as she hears the voices of her twins calling out for her in the astral plane. Then you have the main characters, Doctor Strange and Wong, whose last appearances took place in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” where Peter Parker asks them for help after Spider-Man's identity is revealed. While helping Parker, Strange's spell went wrong, causing him to summon beings from other realities into his own inadvertently. It's essential to see "Spider-Man: No Way Home" because the saga continues into "Multiverse of Madness." In my opinion, Raimi is the creative genius behind this film. Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch together on-screen is a dynamic duo of mystical power with nonstop thrills.
As a true MCU fan, I can genuinely say that I'm not disappointed with the interchangeable cameos and easter eggs. The fighting was phenomenal, considering they are leaning more toward the invisible style hiding the transitions and making the edit cuts more seamless than their usual scruffles. Still, is this the type of film that will convert those who are not already on the MCU bandwagon? Probably not. Why? For starters, I would have to say that in some parts of the film, the CGI (computer-generated imagery) was inadequate, and the dialogue didn't quite hit the mark when it came to moving the plot along. This leaves the audience split depending on their perspective — are you watching it as a sequel to “Doctor Strange,” or as a Wanda movie? As sequels go, it's good enough, but as a Wanda movie, it was a bull’s-eye. How can that be, you might ask? Wanda is still dealing with the fallout of losing her family; meanwhile, Strange is coping with having to be the only go-to left since Tony Stark (Iron Man) is gone. Wong continues to be the best in the sanctum. It was great to see many of the other warriors highlighted more, specifically newcomer America Chavez who ends up being Strange's sidekick since her power is her star portals, which are self-generating and allow her to travel through the multiverse. The film has some dynamic sequences, even though I'm still a fan of the inverse style in the first movie. I'm all for consistency, but not at the cost of the storyline. I understand why Marvel used the writers from “Loki.” However, when dealing with some of the complex and mind-bending concepts in the MCU, the dialogue still falls short. You fall into the trap of making many of the characters' problems seem trivial — an issue that could have been addressed with better writing. It's still Marvel, and they will continue to use the Marvel Method, which involves the writers delivering a general plot. These general plots can be all over the place in terms of detail. If you have a proper understanding of the artistry of Raimi, then you'll love it. Overall, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" finally feels like the actual start to the next phase in the MCU, making this film essential for the fans to consume. If I had to rate this, I would give it three out of five stars, only because of the lackluster writing between the Wanda scenes and unaddressed cliffhangers left over from "Doctor Strange."
PHOTO FROM IMDB
A scene from David Lynch's 2006 "Inland Empire," re-screening at Music Box Theatre.
By Jacob Costello Staff Writer
For the spring of 2022, David Lynch has supervised a 4K restoration of his most recent feature film, 2006’s “Inland Empire.” I was fortunate to catch a screening at the Music Box Theatre this Sunday. While I was not as enthralled with this movie as I have been with his other work, “Inland Empire” is a unique movie that only Lynch could make. “Inland Empire” follows Nikki Grace, an actress played by the stellar Laura Dern, being cast in a supposedly cursed remake of an older movie. She later learns that in the original production the two leads were mysteriously murdered. Nikki begins to have strange dreams and her mental state starts to deteriorate. Weird occurrences, anthropomorphic rabbits and eerie hallways fill out the movie’s almost three-hour runtime. Lynch has always been a divisive director. His first feature, 1977’s “Eraserhead,” is a movie I have seen numerous times and I am not sure if I entirely understand, but it is easily one of my favorite movies. Lynch’s work is notoriously obtuse, most of it being immune to interpretation due to the sheer bizzareness of it all. Despite his quirky movies or maybe directly because of them, Lynch is one of the most beloved directors in America. His movies are art in the purest sense of the word. Dreamlike, surreal and unexplainable, Lynch is not overly focused on getting his audiences to understand the plots or messages of his movies. His movies all elicit a strong emotional reaction, and “Inland Empire” is no different. This movie is Lynch at his weirdest. The entire film is shot on a handheld camcorder, giving a very off-putting feeling to the movie and its disturbing contents. “Inland Empire” has to be one of the most visually distinct movies I have ever seen. While I did not really care for the story this movie tells, I was enamored with the look of this film. The low resolution of the camcorder adds a very unsettling element to the experience. The lighting is also a factor in this. Scenes can be so dark that it makes it very hard to make out what is happening, and then moments later the audience is bombarded with whites so bright that you have to squint your eyes. “Inland Empire” uses lighting and camera quality to make a movie that is like no other. Dern is one of my favorite actresses
and she does not disappoint here. The film left me with plenty of uncertainties, but I am certain Dern put her heart and soul into this performance. Dern is as fantastic in “Inland Empire” as I have grown to expect when I see her name in the credits. While I am not entirely sure if I fully understood the movie, I completely understood the turmoil Dern was experiencing and the effect of it on her character’s life. She masterfully navigates the full range of emotions in this mammoth of a movie and solidly cements herself in my Mount Rushmore of actresses. Unsettled is the best word to describe how I felt watching “Inland Empire.” This is a long movie that kept me uneasy from start to finish. While I felt the emotions Lynch wanted me to feel, I can not say this is a movie I liked very much. There were many aspects I loved — camerawork and Dern’s acting chief amongst them — but this is a movie I am not itching to rewatch or recommend to my friends. The plot is nonsensical at times, and I was lost for a fair amount of my viewing. I have been lost when watching Lynch’s other movies and ended up loving them, so what makes this different? One of my biggest issues with this movie is the length. This was actually an aspect I was looking forward to about this movie. I love Lynch, and I love long movies, so I expected this to be a match made in heaven. The movie has glacial pacing which made scenes drag on for what felt like hours. The movie loses a lot of momentum with this sluggishness, and I found myself forgetting how a scene started halfway through. I am sure this was all intentional and Lynch made the exact movie that he wanted to make, but this movie simply was not my thing. “Inland Empire” is a movie that has a lot going for it. Unique and experimental filmmaking techniques, a stellar performance by Dern and one of the most uncomfortable atmospheres I have ever experienced in a movie theater all make this a movie that I am glad I got to see on the big screen. Unfortunately, it is not without faults. Slow-motion pacing, a nonsensical plot and a meandering story make “Inland Empire” fall flat. I think it is worth a watch for the sheer artistic nature of the project, but this movie was not for me. I am giving “Inland Empire” two and a half out of five stars.
24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
St.Vincent’s
D e JAMZ
“Spinning fresh beats since 1581” By Lilly K eller Asst. Arts & Life Editor
Despite growing up in rural Vermont, I have never been fond of modern country music. However, while my grudge against the current standards of country music may never lessen, classic country and western is a different story. While Johnny Cash falls somewhere between country, rock and western, it is already evident that his influence and impact on the music industry will never be forgotten. Whether you have been a longtime Cash listener, or the name is brand-new, I invite you to experience my personal favorites of Cash's over 1500 songs. Cocaine Blues It's not a proper Johnny Cash playlist if I don't include at least one of his iconic murder ballads. One of my favorite aspects of Cash's songs has always been their narrative capability. “Cocaine Blues,” in particular, illustrates a glimpse into the
life of outlaw Willy Lee, a man who kills his unfaithful spouse after taking a shot of cocaine and soon finds himself on the run. I love the polluted western vibes this song radiates alongside Cash's ability to convey such a provocative yet believable anecdote that always has me coming back for more. Wayfaring Stranger Although Johnny Cash did not originally write this song, I am here to argue that his version is the best. From the addictive blend of fiddle and guitar to Cash's calm yet reflective tone, this song often makes me feel like a nameless traveler, merely passing through each stage of life. I have always adored the spiritual aspect of this song and how it details the soul's journey from life to the beyond and how the loved ones we've lost will always wait for us. Running Kind I believe that everybody can relate to this song at one point in their lives. I discovered this song in the midst of 2020 and remember feeling such a connection to the
Crossword Garden Shed by Alejandro Arakelian
lyrics of restlessness and always wanting to leave. Perhaps my imagination is more robust than most, but something about this tune always makes me daydream of every possibility my life holds, albeit good or bad. Folsom Prison Blues Okay, I lied; I could not help but include a second murder ballad. Yet, before you roll your eyes, I think it's essential to bring up the legacy and impact of 'Folsom Prison Blues.' Beginning in 1957, Cash started his two-decade long stint of performing concerts within prisons, most notably at Folsom Prison in Folsom, California. Soon after, Cash went on to sponsor prison reform efforts, and publicized taboo ideologies of thought such as everyman deserving a second chance at life. While it's important to admire Cash's lasting legacy on music, I believe it is equally important to see how he used his stage for good. Hurt Despite being originally written by Nine Inch Nails, I would argue that “Hurt”
ACROSS 1 Composer J.S. 5 Hendrix hairdo 9 Peacock network 12 "Now ___ me down to sleep" (prayer start) 13 Online journal 14 She, in São Paulo 15 Bagel type 17 Got the dub 18 Monotonous 19 Broncos legend John 21 Long way around 22 "Cool!" 23 Wind instrument? 26 All squared up 27 Like nostalgia glasses 31 Second year, for short 32 Stumble 33 Self-evident truth 35 Corn husk wrapped dish 40 Big ray 41 Frog's landing 42 Prefix with cycle 43 Nf6, for example 45 Musician Brian 46 Cousin's mom 47 Chrysler Building architect William Van___ 48 Name within "Valentina" 49 Hoses down 50 Dozes off
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKI
is one of Cash's most iconic releases. Being one of his final pieces before his death in 2003, this song oozes with age and exhaustion, crafting an image of a man who wants nothing more than rest, but cannot yet achieve that luxury. Although this song may have debuted at the end of Cash's career, I fully believe it played a major role in immortalizing Cash's life and legacy.
DOWN 1 Two-legged stand 2 Without company 3 French dynasty 4 Sleep: Prefix 5 Like a Rothko painting 6 Escape 7 Supreme Court pseudonym Jane ___ 8 Poet Nash 9 80s genre that drew on punk rock and disco 10 Swollen 11 River creation 16 Randy Newman's "___Got A Friend In Me" 20 Unwanted glare 24 Neither's partner 25 Some members of the 1% 27 1979 hit for the Police 28 Newspaper section 29 Bar offering 30 October birthstones 31 "Pulp Fiction" co-star ___ L. Jackson 34 Colorful parrot 36 "Dude!" 37 Speed skater Ohno 38 Washed 39 Utopias 41 Period after Mardi Gras 44 Shade
Sports
Sports. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 25
KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul junior Olivia Borowiak runs in the Big East Cross Country Championship on Oct. 29. On May 6 at the Wisconsin Classic, Borowiak broke a school record in the 1500m dash and placed fifth.
Track and field junior races to break every DePaul distance record By Erik Uebelacker Opinions Editor
Some say records are made to be broken. For Olivia Borowiak, they’re made to be crushed. The junior cross country and track runner has already beaten several longstanding DePaul distance records. In 2021, she beat the school’s best outdoor 5000m time, a record that previously stood for over three decades. With two more years of eligibility, Borowiak is already lapping herself. She bested her own 3000m school record at the Big East Indoor Championships back in February. Going into this year’s Outdoor Championships, Borowiak has no intention of slowing down. “It’s now a goal of mine to have all the distance records,” Borowiak told The DePaulia. Based on the success she’s already had, the Yorkville native is well on her way. “There’s only a few that I’m missing,” she said. “The indoor mile, which I technically have the time, I just ran it in the [distance medley relay]. I also need the 10k and the steeple [chase]. But I don’t know if I’ll ever do steeple, because it’s not really my event.” Her times speak for themselves. But according to associate head cross country and track and field coach Geoff Wayton, Borowiak’s work ethic is what truly makes her special. “She’s one of the most coachable young people that I’ve ever had the good fortune to work with,” Wayton said. “She shows up every day with a great attitude. Even when she has a bad day, you don’t find out until afterwards. From a coaching perspective, that’s what you’re looking for.”
BEN ZEBROWSKI | THE DEPAULIA
Olivia Borowiak runs in a distance medley relay at the Big East Indoor Championship on Feb. 25.
Borowiak broke the DePaul record for the 1500m dash at the Wisconsin Classic on May 6, finishing in 4:23.82. On May 14, she competed at the Big East Outdoor Championships at the University of Connecticut, finishing 10th in the 5000m with a time of 16:46.51. “The sport of distance running is about as egalitarian as you get,” Wayton continued. “You put in the work, show up day in and day out, you’re going to end up seeing some good things happen. So, she’s been really fun to coach. I’m really proud of her. The transition for me — I only got here in December — has been helped by people like Olivia, who have a great attitude every day.” The work hasn’t gone unnoticed. It
hasn’t come easy either. Competing in a year-round sport like distance running can be both physically and mentally taxing. As the spring season picks up, Borowiak is already dealing with the transition from indoor to outdoor competition. “You never know if it’s going to be 90 degrees and rainy, or 85 degrees and 100 percent humidity,” Borowiak said. “Outdoor season really keeps you on your toes.” Despite this, Borowiak is a creature of habit. She’s not one to change up her training regimen that’s been working so well. “For preparations, I mostly keep everything the same,” she said. “I don’t change anything, just get to the meet,
focused and prepared. I follow my same plan every time.” If she quit today, Borowiak would still be one of the most accomplished distance runners in school history. But she hasn’t just made an impact on the record books; she’s made an impact on her teammates as well. “I got here last year, she’s a year ahead of me,” said sophomore cross country and track and field runner Meghan Dieball. “Just watching her whole season breaking through has been really motivating for all of us. She puts in the work every day.” Borowiak is “friendly to everybody,” Dieball said, and a leader on and off the track. A writing and rhetoric major, Borowiak plans to attend graduate school after finishing her bachelor’s degree. She lost a year of competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so she’ll have an extra year of eligibility to break more distance records while she takes her master’s classes. Her accolades are already historic for the school. Perhaps even more valuable is the praise she continues to receive from teammates and coaches. “Larry Bird, his legacy at Indiana State was that he made everybody around him better,” Wayton said. “And that’s what Olivia has done. That’s the best compliment I can give as a coach.” As an Indiana State alum, Wayton doesn’t make that comparison lightly. The acclaim and accolades keep coming in for Borowiak. Her future expectations are high, but she won’t let the pressure get to her. “There’s always some pressure,” she said “But as long as I run what I know I’m capable of doing, I should be fine.”
26 | Sports. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022
DePaul runner and jumper leaps to the podiums in season full of success By Zach Elliott Contributing Writer
Ultimately, no matter how eloquent or vocal, an athlete is at their best when they compete at a high level every day, every practice — or every event, in the case of junior DePaul track and field sprinter and jumper Tori Carroll. “She always competes at a high level,” DePaul assistant track and field coach Stephanie Williams said. “She’s what we consider a gamer. So regardless of what’s going on at the meet, she is going to step up and rise to the occasion and perform. Every time.” Hailing from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Carroll came to DePaul in 2019 after a high school career that included runner-up finishes in the long jump at the Michigan 2018 and 2019 Indoor State Championships. Her evolution as a sprinter and long jumper only accelerated after joining the Blue Demons in the fall of 2019. “I started track when I was seven but didn’t really start, well, trying, until high school,” Carroll said. “I did the 100, 200, and long jump. I hated the 200, but the other two were good. Track was fun, but I didn’t start really getting good at track until I got here.” As with many things in the last few years, the beginning of Carroll’s career was put in flux due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on collegiate athletics. Despite that misfortune, Carroll has consistently put up high or first place finishes across her time at DePaul, highlighted by shattering the DePaul women’s record in the long jump last month. “So last year, we dealt with adversity to the point that we didn’t even run the 4x100 [relay] until conference,” Williams said. “We ended up almost winning, and Tori was our anchor. We got second, and almost broke the school record. That’s really the experience with Tori, just understanding she’s reliable and she’s that competitor every time.” In a season highlighted by Carroll’s personal achievements — including a recent third place finish and personal best and near school record 11.61 in the 100 meter dash at the Clark Wood Open on April 29-30 — Carroll’s competitiveness, drive to win and personality are not lost on her teammates either. “Tori, she’s a character,” senior long jumper and sprinter Esther Aldana said. “Very goofy, so she brings that fun side to
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS
Junior Tori Carroll races past a teammate and Illinois State opponent. Carroll placed third in the 100m dash at the Clark Wood Open on April 29-30.
the team but when it’s time to compete, it’s time to compete. She gets very locked in and serious — she’s never satisfied, always locked in and determined.” While being such a successful athlete and letting her character shine through, Carroll also does her best to lead during competition in her own way. “It’s not really a vocal type [of ] leadership,” Carroll said. “I just like to, you know, encourage that camaraderie and hard work. I do consider myself a leader, it’s just not really a vocal thing to me.” Whether it is spoken or not, Carroll’s exemplary leadership and excellence within her event groups is invaluable for her teammates. “I think seeing her driving her passion for the sport and then her wanting her teammates to do just as well — and have that same passion and drive — she just kind of brings it out of you,” Aldana said. A paramount part of coaching,
beyond strategy and preparation, is recognizing who stands out as leaders on your team — something Carroll has managed, too, with her intensity standing out to her coaches every time she steps on the track. As the Blue Demons headed into the Big East Championships this past weekend, the team had high aspirations. Carroll led by example once again, continuing her brilliance this season by
winning a gold medal in the long jump. As a true “gamer,” Carroll went out and did what she does best — compete. “I just have to jump far and run fast,” Carroll said. “I don’t really put any marks on it, because that’s when it gets weird in my mind. So I’m just going to go out there, and we’ll see what happens.”
DePaul Center 333 South State St. Welcome Back DePaul Students Hand Tossed
Store Hours
Pizza
Mon - Fri 10 am – 5:30 pm
From scratch
Breakfast returning soon
Homemade Pizza, Slices & Whole, Stromboli Rolls, Hearty Pastas, Salads, Soup, Combos w/side & drink, Desserts & more.
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
Tori Carroll leaps in a long jump event. She placed first at the Big East Outdoor Championship.
Sports. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 27 TRACK AND FIELD, continued from back page Terry took home the gold in 400m dash, running a 46.37 time. “Winning the 400 shows a lot of the work that I put in the season,” Terry said, describing what the achievement means to him. “It shows how much dedication and time that I had spent to accomplish what I wanted out of the race.” In the same event Terry won, Stanley finished in seventh place, holding a time of 48.97. Regarding the remaining track events, the men had top-10 finishes in nearly every event. In the 100m dash, Cole and Attucks rounded out the top three with 10.71 completed running times. Marshall finished seventh with a 10.83 time. Cole and Attucks continued their excellence by finishing in the top four of the 200m dash with 21.62 and 21.64 running times. Stanley finished sixth with a 21.79 record. Darius Brown highlighted the 110m hurdles, finishing second with a 14.22 running time. He continued his dominance with a third place finish with a 52.65 running time in the 200m hurdles. Grant Fuller finished sixth with a 54.66 running time in the same event. Brown, Stanley, graduate Grant Fuller, Terry ran a fourth place finish in the 4x400m relay with a 3:12.73 time. Senior Shane Knanishu finished 12th in the 1500m race with a 3:51.59 time. With his family in attendance, junior Jason Montano took first place in shot put with a 16.57m throw. “Indoors, I did not do well and I wanted to come back stronger for outdoor season,” Montano said after winning gold. “When I won it hit me, like all the time I put in paid off and I was very happy about the outcome. It really meant a lot to me.” Litwin finished fourth with a 15.29m throw in the same event. Montano and Litwin also competed together in the discus event, finishing in the top 10 with eighth and tenth place finishes on 42.97m and 41.41m throws. The women contributed to the team’s impressive showing by adding top finishes of their own. Carroll went on to finish in the top four of the women’s 100m dash with a 12.12 time. Walker finished sixth in the 200m dash running a 24.32 time and finished top four in the 400m dash with a 54.16 running time. Ingram took home the
DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA
Cameron Attucks hugs Myles Marshall on Feb. 26. Attucks and Marshall won with the 4x100m relay team at the Outdoor Championship on May 14.
bronze in the 100m hurdles with a 13.83 running time. Freshman Casey Mulvey finished in the top five of women’s discus and shot put events with 41.97m and 13.56m throws. Jones finished in the top four in the triple jump with an 11.87m jump distance. Senior Esther Aldana, Walker, freshman Maia Mays, and Carroll finished third in the 4x100m relay with a 45.96 running time, while freshman Jade Pope, Mays, freshman Alyssa Leak and Walker finished fourth in the 4x400m relay with a 3:47.05 time. With the team preparing for the preliminary rounds, Terry hopes that he not only participates, but has the opportunity to make DePaul proud. “I’m looking forward to improving my time, but not only improving my time, but also representing the university in front of the nation,” Terry said. “I want to show that we can also compete with these major schools.”
DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA
Jason Montano prepares to throw in shot put at the Big East Indoor Championship on Feb. 26.
SOFTBALL, continued from back page Both pitchers were on their game today, with Lehman striking out seven batters and only letting up two hits, while Villanova’s pitcher, Rauch, had nine strikeouts and only one hit allowed. “[Lehman] threw an absolute gem of a game,” Adix-Zins said. “You can’t ask for anything more from her on the mound.” Because of the loss, the Blue Demons immediately faced UConn again in an elimination game on Friday afternoon. Senior Erin Hocker got the starting pitcher role, but struggled with walks in the first inning, which UConn capitalized on. Between singles, a sac fly and Hocker walking the batter while the bases were loaded three times, UConn was able to take an early 6-0 lead. Sophomore Julyana Gomez came in to pitch for DePaul in the second inning and was able to hold UConn back for the rest of the game. In the sixth inning, she was stuck in a bases loaded situation, but she was able to end the inning on a strikeout. Gomez finished the game with six shutout innings. “For [Gomez] to come in and do what she did, I think she did a great job,” AdixZins said. “It gives me excitement for our future because she’ll be a junior next year. Knowing that she came in and shut them
DARCY WASKIEWICZ | THE DEPAULIA
Catcher Anna Wohlers and pitcher Sarah Lehman consult with head coach Tracie Adix-Zins during the Blue Demons’ 1-0 loss to Villanova at the Softball Big East Championship on May 13.
down, kind of faltered a little bit, but then got some big pitches and big plays behind her, so, I mean, a lot of emotions.” DePaul’s offense finally made an appearance when a double by Johnson brought home graduate student shortstop Maranda Gutierrez for DePaul’s first run
of the game and of the day. That was followed by a single from freshman catcher Anna Wohlers that Johnson scored on. “Whenever [Johnson] is up to bat and stuff, you know it’s going to be a big at bat,” sophomore center fielder Nicole Sullivan said on May 10. “You can just tell
as soon as she gets into the box that it’s going to be something big.” In the following innings, the Blue Demons had times where they seemed like they were challenging UConn, but they were never able to fully get their offense together before UConn shut it down. Before the tournament, six Blue Demons received Big East honors. Johnson and Polucha were named to the All-Big East first team, while Lehman, junior right fielder Tori Meyer and freshman catcher Anna Wohlers were named to the All-Big East second team. Gutierrez was also named the Big East Player of the Year for the third time. She finished the season with 46 hits and 25 runs batted in, along with a fielding percentage of .954. “She’s an aggressive player, she’s really consistent, she’s kind of a backbone, she’s accountable,” graduate student second baseman Skylor Hilger said about Gutierrez on March 9. “I think she’s someone that you can really trust out there and you know that she expects high of you and she trusts you as well.” The loss of graduating players like Gutierrez and Lehman will leave a hole in the team, but the Blue Demons also have a lot of returning players, such as Johnson, Meyer and Wohlers, that can step in to fill those roles.
Sports
Sports. The DePaulia. May 16, 2022 | 28
Track and field claims four gold medals, 11 podium appearances at Big East Outdoor Championship By Joshua M. Hicks Asst. Sports Editor
DePaul’s track and field team finished their two-day conference outdoor championships with four gold medals and 11 podium appearances, opening the door for play in the NCAA Preliminary Meets taking place May 25-28 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Select student-athletes will be in attendance and participating at the meet. An official announcement will take place this week. Day one of the meet started with a bang as junior Tori Carroll won first place in the women’s long jump. She took away the gold medal and title as Big East champion with a distance of 6.38m. The jump breaks the school record that was set in 2015. “I was really shocked when I won,” Carroll said. “I was not expecting to jump that far. It was a really cool moment, especially since I was training really hard all season so it was nice to break that record.” In the same event, junior Alicia Jones set a personal best with a 5.51m distance. She finished ninth overall. The women’s hammer throw brought sophomore Billie Martin a fifth place finish. Thanks to the performances of senior Isabel Ingram, graduate Kiersten Walker and Caroll, they qualified for the final round in each of their events. Walker qualified for the 400m and 200m finals, while Ingram qualified for the 100m hurdles and Carroll in the 100m dash.
On the men’s side, freshman Alex Bernstein finished second in the men’s hammer event with a distance of 56.76m. In the same event, senior Ben Litwin finished fifth with a 56.04m distance and freshman Tommy Goggin finished ninth with a 49.06m distance. Sophomore Myles Marshall finished seventh in the long jump with a 7.02m distance. Junior Jarel Terry and graduate Michael Stanley qualified for the final round of the 400m. The men had two events that equated to two top 11 finishes in each event. In the men’s 3000m steeplechase, freshman Will Previdi finished ninth with a 9:16.23 time and senior Ryan Taylor finished 11th with a 9:21.31 time. For the men’s 10000m, graduate Gavin Glaza finished ninth with a 31:13.56 time while senior Dominic Bruce finished eleventh with a 31:39.69 time. DePaul concluded the first day with a plethora of personal best time records in the men’s 100m race. Sophomore Cameron Attucks ran 10.59 time, while Marshall ran a 10.65, freshman Dominic Cole with a 10.69 and junior Zach Debelak with 11.11. Coming off a strong first day, the team carried the momentum into the second day of events, sending a message to their national competitors. The men’s team led the way by winning the 4x100m relay race, behind the wheels of Marshall, Stanley, Attucks and Cole with a 40.42 time.
See TRACK AND FIELD, page 27
DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul junior Jarel Terry cheers at the Big East Track and Field Indoor Championship on Feb. 26. Terry won a gold medal in the men’s 400m dash at the Big East Outdoor Championship on May 14.
Softball’s season ends after offense disappears at Big East Tournament By Darcy Waskiewicz & Preston Zbroszczyk Sports Editor & Contributing Writer
DePaul softball’s season has come to an end after back-to-back losses to Villanova and UConn in the Big East Tournament on Friday. After a 6-2 victory over No. 1 UConn on Thursday, the Blue Demons took on Villanova in the semi-final game. The Blue Demons were able to take two out of three games against the No. 3 seed Villanova in the regular season. However, the offense was silent for both teams, and it came down to a battle between the pitchers that extended into an extra inning, and that was all Villanova needed to open the scoring and win the game 1-0. “We just couldn’t get that hit,” head coach Tracie Adix-Zins said. “We couldn’t get somebody to get something contagious going to pass the bat.” Graduate student pitcher Sarah Lehman cruised through the first inning, setting down the first three Villanova batters she faced. Lehman worked around a one-out double and a walk in the second inning by striking out three batters to get herself out of the jam. She came back out
in the third and sat down the first three with help from her defense. Continuing her dominance, Lehman had her third shutout inning without any hits, holding Villanova through four innings with one hit and no runs. The score remained the same, as the Blue Demons and Wildcats continued to battle in a 0-0 game through four. A display of consistent dominance has Lehman and Villanova’s pitcher Paige Rauch combined for 13 strikeouts and two hits through six innings of softball in the semi-final game. The Blue Demons had some action in the top of the seventh with their second runner of the game on base. Graduate student left fielder Kate Palucha reached second on a fly ball which was dropped by Villanova’s right fielder. Junior reserve Grace Frazier pinch ran for Palucha but was unable to score. After playing through the scheduled seven innings, the Blue Demons headed to extra innings. However, the Blue Demons’ usually dominant offense never gained traction when it was needed the most. On the flip side, Villanova was able to capitlize with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth to walk off the game.
See SOFTBALL, page 27
DARCY WASKIEWICZ | THE DEPAULIA
Sarah Lehman concentrates before a pitch during DePaul’s 1-0 loss against Villanova on May 13.