The DePaulia 4.29.2024

TheDePaulia

‘Time was of the essence’: NU students set up camp for Gaza

By Lucia Preziosi News Editor

Dozens of tents now occupy Northwestern as student demonstrators at the university have become the latest to set up a tent encampment. Friday, April 26, marked the second day of the pro-Palestinian encampment, which represents their demand that Northwestern divest financially from Israel.

Following similar actions taken by students at Columbia University, New York University and University of Southern California, Northwestern students, faculty alumni and other community organizers set up tents at Evanston’s Deering Meadow.

The demands are clear — as explained by Eden, a third-year political science doctoral student and encampment organizer, who asked that her last name not be disclosed because many students fear retaliation from Northwestern administration.

The demonstrations drew students from other Chicago-area universities, some traveling to Evanston to participate. They included DePaul junior Fiona Reed.

“This is how you can express your voice,” Reed said. “This is how you can demonstrate. You can be up there and screaming. You can pitch a tent. You can sit and watch.”

Besides divesting from Israel, Eden and nearly 100 other protestors on the meadow are calling upon Northwestern to pro-

(The encampment was) perhaps the greatest sense of community (I’ve) felt since being at Northwestern."

tect freedom of speech, civil rights and be transparent with their investments moving forward.

Many campers arrived to set up the encampment as early as 7 a.m. Thursday, April 25, and stayed overnight in tents. They said they were undeterred by automatic sprinklers that went off early Friday morning or cooler temperatures.

As of Friday afternoon, the encampment had grown, with nearly 130 tents scattering the meadow, hosting ample food and drink resource tents, coffee stations, tents dedicated to art and henna tattoos, a stage with speakers and even a bathroom tent.

Some Northwestern professors conducted class sessions among the encampment, out of support for the protestors.

For Eden, the atmosphere was “perhaps the greatest sense of community (I’ve) felt

since being at Northwestern,” as protestors shared coffee and bagels in the early morning.

Tensions emerged as soon as the first tents were set up Thursday, according to a junior studying social policy and global health at Northwestern, who has been granted anonymity, also fearing retaliation.

“Fifteen minutes into setting up the camp yesterday, we already had campus police come and said we had 15 minutes to take down the tents and if we didn’t, they’d start issuing citations,” the student said.

Students had planned to start setting up the camp next week but began sooner because “time was of the essence, the time was now,” the undergraduate student said.

The initial clashes between the protestors, campus administrators and police led to threats of suspension, citations and even arrest. However, this has yet to be seen of-

ficially.

“The police presence (Thursday) was really anxiety-inducing for some people. It’s never fun to see police,” said Eden, the doctoral student.

Since then, demonstrators have reported little police presence.

“I can actually speak for a lot of students when I say that we weren’t scared of getting arrested … we’re actually more so scared of the suspension aspect of it,” the student said.

But, the student emphasized that the fear that she and fellow demonstrators may face “is not even a 10th of the fear that the people of Palestine have,” which motivates them to stay firm in their demonstrations.

On Thursday, Northwestern President Michael Schill released a statement, enacting an “interim addendum” to the Northwestern student code of conduct, which “makes temporary changes to how protestors can engage on … our campus.”

The interim addendum now governs “chalkings, tents, and other provisions,” according to Schill’s statement.

No immediate repercussions have been seen yet for students who violate the new addendum. Students say it’s hard to predict what will happen, but the tensions remain high between protestors and the Northwestern administration.

This provision has not dampened the See

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JESSICA GOSKA | THE DEPAULIA

A protester sits between tents in an encampment on Northwestern University's Deering Meadow in Evanston, Illinois, on Friday, April 26, 2024. Many students are shielding their identity because they fear being punished by the university, which they are asking to divest from Israel because of the ongoing attacks on Gaza.

Doctoral student, Northwestern University

The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.

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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.

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CAMPUS CRIME REPORT

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

Apr. 17 - Apr. 23, 2024

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

Drug & Alcohol Assault & Theft Other

Lincoln Park Campus Crimes: Apr. 17

1) A Theft report was filed for a scooter taken from the bike rack in front of Theater School.

Apr. 17

2) A Simple Assault report was filed for an incident that happened outside of Student Center.

Apr. 18) An Attempted Burglary report was filed for an incident that happened in late March regarding offenders attempting to break into Byrne Hall.

Apr. 18

4) A Theft report was filed for a scooter taken from the bike rack in front of Theater School.

Apr. 19

5) A Theft report was filed for a scooter taken from a bike rack near Student Center.

Apr. 19

Scan to read

La DePaulia online

6) An Attempted Theft report was filed for individuals found attempting to steal a scooter near Holtschneider Performance Center. The offenders fled when Public Safety arrived.

Apr. 20

7) A Theft report was filed for a bicycle taken from a bike rack near Student Center.

Apr. 21

8) A Liquor Law Violation was reported at Munroe Hall. Subject was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital for treatment.

Apr. 21

9) A Disturbance report was filed for an incident involving two groups of students yelling outside O’Connell Hall.

Apr. 23

10) A Disturbance report was filed for an incident outside Arts & Letters.

LOOP CAMPUS

Apr. 23

11) A Simple Battery was reported on public property on Fullerton Ave. One of the offenders was taken into custody and the other fled the area.

Apr. 23

12) A Disturbance report was filed for an incident outside the Sheffield Parking Garage.

Apr. 23

13) A Simple Battery was reported on public property near the Fullerton station. Victim was struck in the face and the offender fled on his bicycle. A Safety Alert was issued regarding the incident.

Loop Campus Crimes:

Apr. 21

1) A Criminal Damage report was filed for a fire hydrant that was found damaged by CDM.

‘Freedom Dreaming’ with Sister Helen Prejean

By Rose O’Keeffe Asst. News Editor

“Show of hands, how many of you dream?”

This was the question moderator Kim Hunt asked a crowd of students, faculty and staff to kick off Wednesday evening’s panel discussion titled “Freedom Dreaming: Reimagining justice systems and centering humanity.”

Most audience members raised their hands.

The panel’s headline speaker, Sister Helen Prejean, too, raised her hand. She told The DePaulia that “freedom dreaming” is about imagining more humane alternatives to what she called America’s broken criminal justice system.

She said having a “prophetic imagination” must impel concrete change.

“To be willing to work in a practical way to make dreams come true, that’s the challenge,” Prejean said.

It’s a challenge Prejean and panelist Pablo Mendoza surmount each day.

After serving 22 years in prison, Mendoza co-created “Walls Turned Sideways,” an art gallery and community space that provides creative and educational outlets to people impacted by incarceration.

“It takes community for us to heal, but on the inside we were just surviving,” Mendoza said.

Panelist and DePaul political science professor Christina Rivers said trauma before, during and after a prison sentence is not adequately addressed, creating a cycle of more trauma instead of healing.

Rivers also discussed felony disenfranchisement.

“When someone is incarcerated in this country, they lose their right to vote, unless they live in Maine, Vermont or Puerto Rico,” Rivers said.

That leaves about 2 million people in the United States unable to influence local or national representation in their districts.

“There’s a lot about it that resembles the three-fifths clause, but in this case the

ratio is one to one … when we’re talking about counting disenfranchised people in prison as members of a district, but they do not count at all,” Rivers said, referencing the pre-civil war law that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person to determine how many congressional representatives slave states would get.

Rivers’ freedom dream is to secure voting rights for incarcerated people.

Prejean, who turned 85 last Sunday, has dedicated nearly half her life to prison-reform advocacy through her ministry against the death penalty.

While living and working with the poor in New Orleans, Prejean began ministering to Elmo Patrick Sonnier, an inmate on Louisiana’s death row. After witnessing his execution in 1984, Prejean was moved to write her first book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” which was made into an Academy Award-winning film and opera of the same name.

She told The DePaulia that after attending the Opera version of “Dead Man Walking” at New York’s Metropolitan Opera last year, she returned home to find a letter from Texas death-row inmate Ivan Cantu.

The letter from Cantu requested that Prejean be with him at his February 2024 execution.

“I said ‘yes’ to him, and I knew what it meant,” Prejean said. “It meant doing everything I could to organize to resist this death and not passively just to accept it and then say a prayer with him to usher him into eternity. Because it’s wrong.”

Prejean and Cantu were anything but passive in the months leading up to his execution. Cantu insisted that his conviction in 2001 for double homicide was based on false testimony and questionable evidence.

Prejean said she believed Cantu to be innocent and tried, alongside him and his legal team, to postpone his execution date until after he received a fair trial.

“Even if he had been guilty, I would have worked to save him,” she said.

Despite celebrities like Martin Sheen and even Kim Kardashian publicly questioning his conviction, Texas put Cantu to death by lethal injection Feb. 28.

Prejean was in the room.

“I’m praying in his ear, the words of Jesus’ own prayer ‘Into your hands, I commend my spirit.’ I was just very conscious of Christ,” Prejean said. “Ivan was very brave.”

Prejean walked away from the execution with a mandate from God to not let Cantu die in vain, but to tell his story and expose the flaws in the justice system.

“I don’t have the luxury to say, ‘Oh, that’s so sad, I’m not gonna do this anymore,’” she said. “I owe it to him to honor his life and death.”

This experience galvanized Prejean’s mission as a witness to Cantu’s story.

The importance of storytelling as a catalyst for change is why she agreed to be the subject of Universal Studios’ documentary “Rebel Nun,” which premiers at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.

Just like her books and the movie “Dead Man Walking,” Prejean said the documentary will “get the story out there and bring people closer to the issue through the different art forms.”

She believes the American people are inherently good, just largely uneducated about the state of prisons and the death penalty. She aims to make the issues more

accessible through storytelling.

The panel conversation addressed failures in the criminal justice system, but largely focused on hope, renewal and re-imagining the future through advocacy and stories.

“This is all about community and coming together because we’re all humans,” DePaul junior Amelia Lewin said.

Rivers said it gives her hope to see young people and advocates fight to bring parole back to Illinois.

Mendoza derives hope from organizations like the Safer Foundation and FullyFree who provide re-entry resources and programs for formerly incarcerated people.

Prejean, meanwhile, said it gave her hope when the state of California moved inmates out of death row as a part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge to transform California’s prison system.

At one point during the panel, she turned toward Mendoza and told him, “Sitting next to you gives me hope.”

But just like dreaming, Prejean said hope must motivate continued advocacy and reform.

“Hope is an active verb. It can sound very complicated, look at all these systems,” Prejean said. “But you can do one thing where you’re part of something and make a change.”

AIKO TAI | THE DEPAULIA

Sister Helen Prejean speaks to a room of people in a panel discussing problems in the incarceration system on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in the Lincoln Park Center. Prejean recognized fellow panelist Ervin Robinson for his work in supporting previously incarcerated people.

Chicago to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention – again

By LiLi Jarvenpa Contributing Writer

It’s Chicago’s time to shine, as tens of thousands of people are expected to converge in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention at the United Center Aug. 19-22.

Often called the DNC, the convention happens every four years to formally nominate the Democratic Party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates.

During the convention, there will be opportunities to hear from the presumptive nominees, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden has called Chicago a “great choice” for DNC host.

Ben Homan, a senior accounting and finance major at DePaul, says this year’s election cycle feels like a repeat of the 2020 presidential race. However, he is looking forward to the convention and is hopeful that his generation can have more of a voice.

“Maybe since Chicago is such progressive city … there will be more opportunity for young people to come out,” Homan says.

A spokesperson for the DNC told ABC Chicago that over 5,000 delegates, 12,000 volunteers and 50,000 visitors will be in attendance.

Delegates are people who represent their voting precinct at the convention. They will vote to nominate the presidential candidate who was chosen by their precinct during the primary elections in each state.

Chicago has hosted 25 Democratic and Republican conventions, but this will be the first time Chicago is hosting the DNC since 1996. This will be the second consecutive DNC hosted in the Midwest, as it was hosted in Milwaukee in 2020.

The Republican Party will be hosting its own quadrennial convention this year in Milwaukee July 15-18.

A news release from the Democratic National Committee said Illinois is part of the “blue wall” that was crucial to Biden’s 2020 victory, along with Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Chicago’s union labor and hotel capacity also played a role in its selection.

“(Chicago) would be an easy travel destination historically,” Wayne Steger, a political science professor at DePaul, said. “If we go back in time, it had the largest node of railroads of any city in the country.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, told NBC 5 that she was working to bring the convention to Chicago for over 18 months.

“We’re right in the middle of the battleground states,” Duckworth said. “The Midwest is key to a victory in 2024, and there is no city better positioned to reach those voters than Chicago.”

Chicago was also in the spotlight when it hosted the 1968 convention, where protests over the Vietnam War filled the streets and fights erupted at the convention.

The Democratic Party was divided on whether to remain in the Vietnam War. Fights broke out on the convention’s floor, with delegates and reporters being harmed.

On the streets of Chicago, anti-Vietnam War groups protested for seven days. They were met with nightsticks and tear gas from the police.

Democrats are trying to avoid a repeat of the 1968 convention.

This year, protesters are working to gain access to the DNC to demonstrate over the Israel-Gaza war. Protest organizers expect up to 30,000 demonstrators to arrive in August.

Organizers are aware of potential protests this year. According to Politico, Democrats say they recognize that demonstrations are part of American democracy. They are confident that the police can manage protesters during the convention.

Protesters told the Chicago Tribune that they will march on the DNC whether they have the proper permits or not.

Kasia Martin, a senior political science major at DePaul, is expecting peaceful protests at the convention.

“With this much of a high profile event I can see (protests) happening, especially with the president being there and a lot of security being amped up,” Martin said.

Chicago police also are training to handle large-scale protests in anticipation of the DNC, according to CPD Supt. Larry Snelling.

But even in a heightened political environment, Steger doesn’t think Biden will face any security threats.

The DNC has an economic impact on its host city as well. The convention is estimated to generate $200 million, Michael Jacobson, of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, told CBS-2.

However, the amount is contested by Victor Matheson, a professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, who said the size of the event could dissuade tourists from visiting.

Whatever happens, Chicago will receive increased media attention during the convention. This year, there will be 15,000 members of the media in attendance, according to the 2024 Democratic National Convention website.

While the DNC largely draws television viewership from Democrats, Steger says Biden will have to work on unifying the party.

“I think that the outreach of Biden to progressives to mobilize the base to win this election, you need a lot of unity among your party — and then hope the other party is more disunified,” Steger said.

PRECIOSA RIOS | THE DEPAULIA

, continued from front: the encampment’s mobilization, with Eden saying that “people are prepared to stay here as long as it takes unless they are physically removed.”

Northwestern Hillel, a Jewish organization on campus, has also released a series of statements on Instagram, supporting President Schill’s decisions and condemning the encampment.

Northwestern Hillel’s social media post said the encampment is “reflecting a disturbing and quickly escalating trend of antisemitic rhetoric.”

But for some, such as Michal Eskayo, a Harold Washington College ESL and speech professor, comparing “anti-Israel” rhetoric with “antisemitic” rhetoric is a dangerous comparison.

Eskayo’s father was born and raised in Israel, and she spent many years visiting her large family, who still lives there.

“To be anti-Israel is not to be antisemitic, that’s such an easy way out of this discussion,” Eskayo said. “Then the door is closed, and you don’t have to talk about dropping bombs … on Gaza.”

Eskayo came to Northwestern Friday morning, displaying an “Israelis for Palestine” sign to the wide range of Chicago

media stations that lined Sheridan Road along the gates of Deering Meadow.

“I often want to make sure there is more than one Jewish voice,” Eskayo said, referring to her presence at Northwestern and her rhetoric with her students at Harold Washington College, a community college in the Chicago area.

The encampments, which are being created at universities throughout the country daily, are reminiscent of the protests and uprising on college campuses during the Vietnam War.

To Reed, college campuses have always been an environment for this type of demonstration.

“Universities have always been important and have always been places where free speech is expected to proliferate. That’s where the big ideas come

from,” Reed said.

As students continue to occupy Deering Meadow concretely, handmade signs line the fences on Sheridan Road from a station where supporters are encouraged to make their own.

A group of students stood alongside the road, clothed in keffiyehs, banging makeshift drums made of plastic water gallons which garnered loud support from passing traffic due to their “honk for Palestine” cardboard sign.

For many, the goals of those in the encampment and outside supporters remain clear.

“I am not pro or against anybody. I am just pro-human rights, pro-civil rights and no occupation,” Eskayo said.

JESSICA GOSKA | THE DEPAULIA

A demonstrator's sign reads “Viva Viva Palestina” at the Northwestern University encampment on Friday, April 26, 2024, at Deering Meadow. Protesters of different ages, backgrounds and identities came together to show their support for Gaza and to demand the university divest financially from Israel.

JESSICA GOSKA | THE DEPAULIA

A child riding on the shoulders of a man waves a keffiyeh to a Palestinian flag outside the Northwestern University encampment on Friday, April 26, 2024. The sign on the fence read “All Eyes on Gaza” along Sheridan Road by the encampment, where hundreds of signs in support of the protest were on display.

JESSICA GOSKA | THE DEPAULIA

A tent promoting unification sits inside the Northwestern University encampment on Friday, April 26, 2024, at Deering Meadow. Many of the tents were decorated with signs, paintings and flags showing support for the protest.

Opinions

A freshly painted t-shirt dries at the Clothesline Project Exhibition

Thursday, April 25, 2024. The event, which took place in the Student Center Atrium, provided craft materials and small activities to help break the silence around sexual violence.

Giving power and control: Supporting sexual assault survivors and their stories

By Isabella Salinas Contributing Writer

One may think that the increase in awareness and advocacy surrounding sexual violence in the past decade would lead to an increase in survivors speaking up. However, there is still an unrelenting shame that comes with speaking up about such insidious experiences.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and as much as I want to believe that there are safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence, it feels impossible to hide from those who question survivors’ stories.

There are an infinite amount of reasons why a survivor may not speak up — the fear of not being believed, of victim-blaming, maybe even the fear of the unknown. Victims also may be hesitant to share because they might not be able to fully control what happens once they talk to someone about their experience. It’s that idea that the justice you could receive is out of your hands and in those of the law.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault. That is why I am grateful for a particular project that the DePaul Women’s Center does in collaboration with the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness called the Clothesline Project, an event to build community among survivors and their loved ones.

Anyone who has been impacted by sexual and relationship violence is welcome to participate by creating a T-shirt to raise awareness. On April 25, the T-shirts were put up in a visual display at DePaul’s Student Center; this project invites nationwide support and participation. Since its emergence in 1990, the Clothesline Project has been implemented in universities all over the nation; the University of Illinois Chicago, Harper College, Kent State University and Utah Valley State

University are some examples. At DePaul, the Clothesline Project has become a tradition that, in my experience, has brought the community together. It is an opportunity for students to open conversations on a campus where sexual education feels taboo.

“Opening this conversation just provides … an environment where it’s actually OK to talk about and it doesn’t have to be… this devastating talk either,” said Nashley Vasquez, the Women’s Center event organizer.

She said that the people she knows personally do not report their experience because they risk “losing any strength they had.”

Once someone has experienced sexual violence, there is already a sense of defeat.

The Clothesline Project is a chance for survivors to regain some control and to “express themselves,” said Ann Russo, director of the Women’s Center.

“The exhibit is a way to witness that sexual violence and intimate violence and multiple forms of violence are pervasive.”

Projects like this also are a great outlet for survivors and others to express themselves without feeling like others are prodding them to share. They are given control over what they want to express and don’t owe anyone any explanations.

To overcome the stigma, we must individually look at ourselves and consider how we can support survivors of sexual assault. That includes understanding that each victim doesn’t cope the same way and breaking away from our preconceived notions about sexual assault. We also should not expect survivors to report their experiences when we, as a society, have so many stigmas surrounding sexual assault.

As The Clothesline Project does, we need to place power in survivors’ hands and shield them from the prying eyes of society.

If we truly support survivors, then we will hear more from them, free from judgment.

The opinions in this section do not nessecarily reflect those of The

LINNEA CHENG | THE DEPAULIA

LINNEA CHENG | THE DEPAULIA

on

Student designed T-shirts are displayed in the Student Center Atrium for the Clothesline Project Exhibition on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The color of the T-shirts represent different aspects of violence against women.

Op-Ed: On April 17, SJP was sanctioned— A message from your Student Body President

By Parveen Kaur Mundi SGA President, DePaul Junior

All thoughts shared are solely Parveen’s and do not represent any entities she may be associated with.

Student organization, staff, and faculty leaders: if there is one line you take away from this, let it be that right now is an incredibly dangerous time to be a visible figure on the margins in any institution of higher education, especially this one. To the best of my knowledge, I am the first Sikh and South Asian student body president of this University. I want you to know that my opinions are informed by being someone who often finds herself as the sole student and therefore sole dissenting vote in many issues of shared governance at this institution; someone who is more concerned with the livelihoods of the students, staff, and faculty who keep this institution alive than making pleasantries with trustees and donors; someone who believes that we all have a vested interest in making this institution great; and someone who is firmly convicted that only students, staff, and faculty can decide what greatness is.

I also say all this as one of the organizers behind the DePaul Divest campaign. We are all aware that institutions of higher education act as authorities on attention; informing national priorities and, in the process, shaping what and whose idea matters (or does not) as the whole world bears witness. Regardless of the exact politic you hold, the intense and continued retaliation that student organizers and advocates across the nation are experiencing should command all of our attention and solidarity.

University of Southern California

valedictorian Asna Tabassum, Columbia University students at a solidarity encampment, and countless others are experiencing unprecedented abuse at the hands of institutions we pay for and support: if any of this can unfold in metropolitan, private, ‘liberal’ institutions of higher education, in ‘blue’ states, then it can and will impact all of us here at DePaul. And what happens to students like myself and academics who do not draw distinct lines between life as a marginalized person and scholarship? The ramifications are already here.

This past academic year, we already knew of student protestors being pulled into disciplinary processes for breaking arbitrary guidelines: because despite being an institution of higher education, the premise of the protest doesn’t matter as much as whether or not the exchange happened on an authorized bulletin board. A town hall that cultural and allied organizations were asked to attend to express grievances becomes disappointingly pointless as any chance of open dialogue with the administration begins and ends in hiring a third-party facilitator. Dozens of students including myself can stand in line at designated microphones and be given almost nothing in response from senior leadership but silence or something to the tune of “I do not have a satisfactory answer for you”.

Even in student government meetings, and on late evenings when I find myself fielding questions from a DePaulia reporter or my peers, virtually every other sentence of mine begins with the essential phrase “off the record” to mitigate any risk to myself or my peers. The reason I am writing to you all is because [on April 17], the Student Organizations Team with the Office of Student Involve -

ment contacted the Co-Presidents of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) via email. This included the immediate sanction that “Students for Justice in Palestine is not eligible to request approval for or post any fliers, handbills, or other display materials for the remainder of the Spring 2024 quarter.”

I highly question the timing of this decision knowing that this sanction will be in effect the entire time that SJP and I are actively campaigning on the issues of fiscal transparency and divestment. I strongly condemn the selective scrutiny SJP is facing knowing that at the time of this writing [April 18], unauthorized flyers leading with “Hamas, let my people go” are being actively distributed on the Lincoln Park campus. This cannot deter us. Recognize that at DePaul, the notion of a diverse, 30+ organization coalition advocating for financial transparency and divestment is not palatable to the institutions of shared governance.

From cooking to animation to law student organizations, our diverse interests and shared values make us so much stronger than we realize. So what materializes, instead, is a cruel, demeaning narrative of SJP as a sole actor— as a careless and irresponsible ringleader of a fringe cause. For this reason, I can only call in as many organizations as possible, especially those with a more privileged membership, and those already backing DePaul Divest, to help diffuse the University’s scrutiny of SJP by taking the initiative to flyer, organize actions, and support the referendum offline without doing so only under SJP’s banner.

I leave you with this: as the spring quarter marches on, realize that free expression at DePaul is already dead, and those who choose to dissent, privately or publicly, will be shut out now more than

ever before.

The ongoing, abstract discourse around academic freedom and open expression cannot be accepted by us as student groups and organizations continue to be targeted. To organize around financial transparency and divestment demands a dismantling of inaccurate, simplistic understandings for a new method: returning to an approach that neither starts nor ends in politics, but with our voices. Passing a referendum is a process imagined in the hearts and hands of the student body, unafraid and undeterred, as we are the arbiter of how this institution claims and lives its values. And it is a liberation we must not only be bold enough to dream but also share in realizing together.

Parveen Kaur Mundi is DePaul University’s 2023-2024 Student Body President. She is a third-year undergraduate pursuing a major in Political Science with minors in Chinese Language Studies and Global Asian Studies. Parveen’s academic interests lie in South, Central, and East Asian languages and civilizations, international human rights law, and the positioning of cultural minority communities in religious nationalist contexts. She is committed to scholarship that interrogates how power, lived religion, extrajudicial violence, and ethics operate in these contemporary political landscapes.

Behind the scenes at Battle of the Bands

By Claire Tweedie Content Managing Editor

In the Student Center’s room 120AB, Emily Robinson, senior and president of the DePaul Music Business Organization, furiously types away on her laptop. Every email sent out is another thing crossed off her lengthy to-do list, and

Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova” is stuck in her head from a previous sound check, which is evident from the humming under her breath. She has less than an hour until the doors open for Battle of the Bands, an event she and the rest of the music business group’s executive board have been working on for months.

It’s nearly 4:45 p.m., and while time feels like it's racing against her, she’s already been here for four hours. After five sound checks, coordinating with the audio and visual techs, and working with the student bands, she finalizes the very last details for the night.

“I always get irrationally worried no one is going to come,” Robinson said. “I just want the artists to feel appreciated.”

This year’s Battle of the

Bands features five student bands, including Daisy Blue, Longboy, JAY.WES & Goldy, Intoner and Ur Mom. They competeare competing for a student opener spot at FEST 2024 and are each given 15-minute slots to perform for the audience.

“Every single band is so good and I was dancing to pretty much every single band,” Robinson said. “I just love the art of it all and seeing these artists learning from this event.”

There is no judging panel to decide the winner, so so the FEST student opener depends on audience votes. Attendees are given a paper ballot upon entry that is then counted at the end of the night.

The cut-off to receive a paper ballot is 7:30 p.m. to ensure no late arrivals can skew the vote toward bands that perform later.

6:03 p.m.

The doors finally open to a line of students waiting to get in. While Robinson begins fielding questions from eager attendees, she finds small moments to say hi to alumni of the DePaul Music Business Organization. They’re there to support the organization’s biggest event of the year.

“I want to be involved (in music), but I want to make my

own money,” Robinson said. “I want to work with artists and help them have successful careers in a world and industry where that's really hard to do. That’s how I found DMBO, and it felt like exactly where I needed to be.”

Daisy Blue, made up of freshmen Delilah Johnson and Annie Koziel, is first on the setlist. This is their first performance ever, but the crowd is quick to dance to their cover of “Red Wine Supernova” that, just minutes before, had been stuck in Robinson’s head. Their performance is faster than the DMBO schedule anticipated, though. Before Robinson can decide if they can move the schedule up to keep the event progressing or stall to keep everyone else on track, Longboy takes the stage.

6:52 p.m

With three more bands to perform and more than two hours left before the big FEST artist announcement, Robinson devises a plan to stall. She tells Olivia Epstein, sophomore and DMBO event coordinator, to announce the next band at 7:05 p.m. so they can perform on time at 7:10 p.m.

“I only found out last night that I was going to be announcing, and we just wrote the script today,” Epstein said. “I was worried since it was a little last minute, but it was exciting to see everyone’s responses to this hard work we put in.”

While the plan almost works, JAY. WES & Goldy begin their performance at 7:08 p.m.. Seniors Jarrin Comer and Jacob Goldberg, known musically as JAY.WES & Goldy, submitted audition tapes for the competition as a duo and individual performers to increase their chances of making it into the competition. After conversations with DMBO members, though, the pair committed as a dual act.

“I went and saw Battle of the Bands last year, and I told my producer the next day, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this next year,’” Comer said. “I didn’t have a deep enough catalog then, but I knew I’d be back. Now, we’re here and it feels like a blessing.”

7:24 p.m .

While running between the green room, stage and lobby, Robinson sees a wave of people leave as JAY.WES & Goldy’s set ends. She takes on another responsibility, standing guard at the door, encouraging people to stay for the last two bands before turning in their voting ballots.

Robinson, Epstein and Madison Manor, junior and DMBO marketing chair,

Jay Wes performs with Goldy at DMBO’s Battle of the Bands in the Student Center on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The pair were deemed the winners of the event and will be opening for Swae Lee next month. QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA

brainstormed solutions for the timing issues during Intoner’s performance. At any other event, the team would be fine running ahead and leaving early, but they cannot mess up the DePaul Activities Board (DAB) schedule. DMBO and DAB co-hosted the event to announce the FEST headliner after Battle of the Bands.

Both organizations have already promoted on social media that the FEST artist reveal will be at 9 p.m.. If Battle of the Bands ends early, attendees will have to wait around for the announcement. If they announce the headliner early, those who arrive only for the reveal will be too late.

“In

that moment, you kind of just have to step back,” Robinson said. “The times had to change, and we didn’t know what was going on. But that’s when you really have to think on your feet and not panic.”

Both organizations decided to post on their social media encouraging students to arrive at the event at 8 p.m. if they want to be there for the FEST artist announcement. Robinson decides to announce the Battle of the Bands' winner after DAB does their reveal.

“It’s two big organizations trying to do two very different things,” Robinson said.

8:18 p.m

Ur Mom’s set ends and Manor announces that DMBO members will begin walking around the room to collect the last voting ballots. 10-minutes later, as the ballots are being counted, DAB members take the stage. Tori Trevino, sophomore and DAB marketing chair, tells attendees to move toward the stage and pose for a photo. Just as the picture is about to be taken, the DAB members freeze in place for the mannequin challenge and Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” begins playing. Swae Lee is announced as the FEST 2024 headliner.

Robinson, Epstein and Manor took the stage shortly after to announce the Battle of the Bands winner. On the count of three, the DMBO representatives yelled into the microphone in unison that this year’s winner of Battle of the Bands and the student opener for Swae Lee is JAY.WES & Goldy.

“I’ve been chirping in (Goldberg’s) ear so many ‘if’s’ before today,” Comer said. “I’ve been telling him, ‘If we win, just be ready’ – and now it feels full circle.”

8:52 p.m .

As the last attendees file out of the Student Center, Robinson and the re -

maining DMBO members begin cleaning up.

The table in the lobby with the organization’s flyers is put away, the posters advertising the event are taken off their stands, and the lighting and speakers are packed up. Any trace of the past eight hours of work is slowly stripped out of the room.

“We exist to give opportunities to artists so seeing (JAY.WES & Goldy) and their friends cheer and gather around when they won was a very fulfilling feeling,” Manor said. “It made the stress and the long day completely worth it.”

Robinson’s day is finally over. Reflecting on the months of work spent planning Battle of the Bands and seeing the event come to life, she said she is grateful for the hands-on experience it gave her.

“Battle of the Bands is about the music, but it's also the planning, logistics, production and coordinating,” Robinson said. “You don’t have those skills until you do it.”

“For DMBO and the people who want to do this in the music business, throwing ourselves in is the only way to

Maura Wolf of Ur Mom sings during the final performance of the Battle of the Bands in the Student Center on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Attendees casted ballots at the end of the night to decide who would win.

QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA

Cormick Costello of Intoner plays the bass during their performance at the Battle of the Bands on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Five different groups competed for the role of Fest opener.

QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA

La DePaulia

Festival de poesía en español en Chicago une a escritores latinos de todo el mundo

By Emily Díaz Contributing Writer

“Mi apellido es memoria”, dijo Nancy Morejón en el festival Poesía en Abril de este año. Ella es una poeta cubana y escritora galardonada. Después de que Morejón recitó sus poemas, un grupo de otros escritores latinos locales e internacionales leyeron su poesía dentro de Co-Prosperity, un centro cultural experimental en Chicago el 19 de abril.

Juana Quinones-Goergen, profesora asociada de lenguas modernas en DePaul, creó Poesía en Abril hace 16 años como un festival de poesía totalmente en español, en colaboración con contratiempo, una organización sin fines de lucro de Chicago. El festival ahora es dirigido por Roccio Ferreira, profesora de español en DePaul y copresidenta del departamento de estudios de mujeres y género.

Los poetas de este año viajaron desde España, Bolivia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico y Cuba, con la participación también de poetas de Chicago. Centrándose en el tema de este año, “lazos”, los poetas se conectaron entre sí a través del lenguaje y narrativas que abarcan desde la inmigración e identidad hasta el duelo y la pérdida.

Aunque había diversidad en nacionalidades, la poesía en español une estos huecos culturales, dijo Morejón.

“El español es muy significativo para los escritores hispanohablantes porque es nuestra lengua materna”, dijo Morejón. “Compartimos una experiencia común muy interesante a través del español.”

Morejón recitó un poema titulado “Príncipe Negro por George Floyd”, destacando la importancia del movimiento Black Lives Matter en las comunidades latinas. Aunque los poetas vinieron de todo el mundo, se identificaron con las experiencias de los demás, chasqueando los dedos despues de cada poema.

La poeta boliviana Camila Urioste usó imágenes cosmológicas en su poesía para describir su duelo por la muerte de su padre. Incorporó palabras del antiguo español y del idioma indígena de Bolivia, el quechua.

“De alguna manera, hemos dado a luz a una nueva cultura donde hablamos en español y lenguas indígenas, y me doy cuenta de que no todas las palabras son estrictamente en español”, dijo. “Es increíble para mí poder darme cuenta de esto y tejerlo en mi poesía para compartirla con la gente.”

Urioste dijo que también disfruta experimentando con cómo el lenguaje ilustra los recuerdos, algo sobre lo que muchos otros poetas también escribieron.

Los tamales y las flautas, junto con el jazz latino de la banda, unieron a los poetas durante un intermedio, con un mar de diferentes dialectos españoles resonando por toda la sala. La noche terminó con una animada actuación de jazz de la banda AlgoRitmo, cuyos distintivos solos de teclado, bongos y saxofón representaron muchas facetas de la música latina.

Durante una sesión de diálogo abierto en la Fundación de Poesía de Chicago, los poetas se reunieron nuevamente para discutir la inspiración detrás de su trabajo con revistas gratuitas de contratiempo que presentaban todos los poemas interpretados.

Muchos de ellos reflexionaron sobre su infancia creciendo en América Latina y cómo la llevan consigo en Estados Unidos. Continuando con el énfasis de Urioste en cómo el español forma los recuerdos, los poetas también expresaron sus esperanzas de que las futuras generaciones mantengan viva la lengua.

“Me gusta decirles a los estudiantes que aprendan un idioma extranjero”, dijo Morejón.

“Vas a aprender trucos que te ayudarán en el proceso de tu propia escritura.”

El miembro del público Sol Ugalde dijo que disfrutaron de la intimidad del diálogo abierto y de aprender sobre los viajes de los poetas a Estados Unidos como inmigrantes, especialmente dada la singularidad de cada vernáculo español de los poetas. Disfrutaron de la singularidad de escuchar otros dialectos españoles, como hablante de español mexicano en Estados Unidos.

“Fue realmente agradable escuchar las diferentes perspectivas de los poetas”, dijeron. “Muchos de ellos reflexionaron sobre crecer en América Latina y crecer en Estados Unidos como hispanos y cómo su iden-

tidad influye en cómo y qué escriben.”

Aunque las experiencias latinas cubanas, españolas y sudamericanas difieren en muchos aspectos, el festival unió las diferencias entre los diversos dialectos españoles a través de una pasión compartida por la escritura.

“Estar aquí con escritores que escriben en español es realmente significativo”, dijo Urioste. “Es como un corazón latiendo dentro de la ciudad, expandiéndose y uniendo a las personas.”

EMILY DÍAZ | LA DEPAULIA La banda de Chicago AlgoRitmo se presenta en el festival Poesía en Abril el 19 de abril de 2024 en el Centro Cultural Co-Prosperidad. Son una banda de jazz que hace música improvisada.

José Ernesto Hernández presenta su poesía en el festival Poesía en Abril el 19 de abril de 2024 en el Centro Cultural Co-Prosperidad. Él es de Puerto Rico y explora la nostalgia y la melancolía en su poesía.

EMILY DÍAZ | LA DEPAULIA

Pintando recuerdos: Cómo el arte eleva e inspira a un hombre mexicano de 91 años con demencia

By Alondra M. Castañeda

Contributing Writer

A sus 91 años, Raymundo González ha descubierto que le encanta pintar.

Sus cuadros, que a menudo representan el amor entre un hombre y una mujer, fueron parte de una exposición de arte recientemente. Aunque asistió a la exhibición vestido con su mejor traje, no recuerda haber creado la obra.

Aun así, sonrió mientras la admiraba.

“Tú la pintaste, papá", le recordó su hija mientras se la entregaba.

González asintió y sonrió mientras el resto de los artistas lo rodeaban.

Todos son latinos de la tercera edad del área de Chicago y la mayoría experimenta algún nivel de demencia o Alzheimer. Este grupo de ancianos participó en su primera exposición de arte el mes pasado después de aprender a pintar en un nuevo programa de terapia de arte bajo la Alianza Latina de Alzheimer y Trastornos de la Memoria (LAMDA).

“El arte ayuda a nuestros adultos mayores a concentrarse y enfocarse— físicamente les ayuda con el movimiento de sus manos y les da un propósito al sentirse apreciados al exhibir su arte en nuestras exposiciones”, dijo Luisa Ornelas, de 46 años, coordinadora del programa.

Ornelas comenzó a impartir clases de arte ocasionales para los adutos mayores

de LAMDA hace dos años en su estudio privado en Pilsen. Cuando se dio cuenta de la importancia de su trabajo, hace seis meses, comenzó a trabajar a tiempo completo con la organización.

Las clases y la interacción con otras personas de la tercera edad han ayudado a algunos a lidiar con la depresión, dijo Ornelas. Las actividades les ayudan a ganar confianza e independencia y así naturalmente pueden elevar sus ánimos.

“Intento motivarlos y en un par de meses están emocionados de interactuar con el resto de la clase, crear arte y ya no necesitan tanto mi ayuda”, dijo.

Cuando enseña a pintar Ornelas se centra en el impresionismo, pero también les ayuda a crear paisajes y arte moderno.

“Muchos de ellos ahora disfrutan creando su arte. No eran conscientes de cuánto disfrutaban del arte y ahora incluso disfrutan ir a museos y analizar piezas debido al conocimiento que pudieron adquirir en nuestra clase”, dijo Ornelas.

La hija de González, Reyna de Jesús, de 61 años, se asegura de que su padre asista a la clase religiosamente.

Su padre sufrió un derrame cerebral hace siete años que lo dejó con Alzheimer en etapa dos, dijo ella. Las clases de arte le han dado una nueva motivación y también le han dado a ella algo de apoyo mientras cuida a su padre.

“(Lo cuido a tiempo completo)

porque, además de todo el amor que tengo por él, no querría ponerlo en un hogar de ancianos porque siento que caería en depresión y nos dejaría antes de lo previsto”, dijo De Jesús en español.

Segun estudios, los ancianos latinos tienen más probabilidades que otros grupos étnicos de desarrollar demencia, y sus cuidadores, a menudo miembros de su familia, tienden a ser más impactados emocional y económicamente. También es menos probable que reciban un diagnóstico o busquen tratamiento.

Constantina Mizis, de 56 años, cuya bisabuela también sufrió de Alzheimer, se inspiró para crear la organización sin fines de lucro que trabaja para educar y comprometer a los cuidadores latinos de habla hispana proporcionando programas de apoyo. La organización evolucionó para asegurar programación, como la clase de arte y karaoke mejorar la calidad de vida de los adultos mayores.

“Cuando la gente me pregunta ‘¿por qué sientes la necesidad de apoyar a tu organización?’ a lo que respondo, ‘¡Es una responsabilidad moral cuidar de nuestros ancianos y cuidarnos unos a otros!’”, dijo Mizis.

LAMDA no solo brinda ayuda a personas con Alzheimer y demencia, también recibe a todos aquellos que desean participar.

Wanda Petrovic, de 65 años, encon-

tró llegó a la puerta de LAMDA hace dos años después de la muerte de su esposo. Ahora el programa de arte es uno de sus favoritos.

me llevó a LAMDA, reviví; gracias a LAMDA y a todas las personas maravillosas aquí”, dijo Petrovic. “Cada día siento ese amor, ese calor de su abrazo, su respeto y me siento absolutamente cómoda”.

Se sentía orgullosa de todos los cuadros que Ornelas eligió como parte de la exposición.

“En esos momentos en que estoy pintando, me proporciona una enorme cantidad de relajación y comencé a ser más aficionada al arte después de que nuestra maestra nos llevó a los museos de arte”, dijo Petrovic. “Pude distinguir qué técnicas estaba usando el pintor, gracias a la educación artística que he podido recibir”.

De Jesús dijo que está agradecida por su padre y por todo el apoyo que ha encontrado en la organización.

“LAMDA ha ayudado enormemente a mi padre ya que también es capaz de recordar una canción que compuso para la ciudad de Chicago; ¿Nos la cantarás, papá?”, le preguntó De Jesús.

“Chicago, Chicago ciudad de bullicio, sin duda serás la mejor del mundo...”, canto González. “Chicago, Chicago la ciudad de bullicio y ajetreo, sin duda serás la mejor del mundo.”

Reyna De Jesús y su padre, Raymundo González, presentan su arte en la sede de LAMDA en Cicero, Illinois, el 8 de marzo de 2024. Los adultos mayores están aprendiendo a sobrellevar la pérdida de memoria a través de la pintura en la exposición de arte de LAMDA.

LUISA ORNELAS | LA DEPAULIA

Arts & Life

Local record store celebrates the future of physical media

By Quentin Blais Chief Photographer

Customers rifle through records and cassettes of their favorite artists in Let’s Boogie Record & Tapes as the morning sun streams through the store windows. Behind the counter, co-owner Jason Keller keeps track of the day’s busy sales while greeting new patrons. His brother-in-law and co-owner, Phil Lesnik, organizes albums around the shop.

The small record store in the Bridgeport neighborhood buzzed with activity on Saturday, April 20, as customers and employees celebrated Record Store Day.

Started in 2008, Record Store Day is a globally observed celebration of independent music stores that takes place each year. The goal of the holiday is to celebrate these small businesses’ role within the communities they serve while also emphasizing the importance of physical media. In an age when music is available at the tap of a finger, many still opt to support their local record shop.

Customer Marcia Levin drove in from the Beverly neighborhood to support the business forin celebration of Record Store Day.

“The brick and mortar (store) is definitely going away, and it’s sad,” Levin said. “”But I do think that niche places like this will continue to exist because they’ve been going this long. You know, you can go online, and I suppose google the name of an album, and someone somewhere will sell it to you at a better price, but it’s not the same.”

Keller said there’s a common the reason people frequent their local record stores

same products and more online is simple.

“It’s the nostalgia, you know?” Keller said. “The posters on the walls have been here since 1977, and we have a very great collection of ‘old school’ plus ‘mid- school,’ plus ‘new school.’ It’s just been a fun experience to be part of, and I’m super excited that people are taking an interest in it.”

Record stores are seeing a rising trend of consumers from new generations who see the obsolete medium as a physical way to show support for their favorite artists. With demand growing, stores such as Let’s Boogie are seeing an influx of younger people.

“Local record stores like this are really important,” said Julia Soulsby, a senior music major at DePaul. “They give me a place to find some new stuff to listen to. Usually, I’ll go with my friends and we all find a new album

or artist to get into. Without them, we’d be stuck with digital stuff.”

Keller’s father opened the shop in 1976, and he ran it for six days a week until he closed the shop due to sickness in 2019. The store remained closed through the pandemic until 2021, when Keller and Lesnik took over the business. The pair, the sole owners and operators of the store, recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of the store’s reopening in January.

“I spent a lot of my Saturdays here with my dad through grade school, junior high, and high school,” Keller said. “Then, in college, I would come back for Christmas and spend time with him while selling records.”

Keller said his father, Neil, always wanted to get into the record business. He worked for the Illinois government, but Keller said his dad didn’t like working for ‘“the man.”’

“(My dad) started this before I was even born,” Keller said. “There’s pictures of my mom and dad setting up the shop, getting the records in, getting the crates, and starting in 1976.”

Keller said even if the pandemic closed down the shop, it proved to be beneficial for the record industry as a whole.

“It was something you could do at home,” Keller said. “It shipped to your house and you could talk to people about it on the phone and on the internet.”

For older generations, buying records can come from a place of nostalgia. Younger generations see records as symbols of dedication to their favorite artists.

The record store stocks genres ranging from jazz and blues to rock a’n’d roll and hiphop. Keller said that people are drawn to the music they grew up listening to, and he stocks his shelves with that in mind.

For customers likesuch as Levin, it’s all about the experience of picking up something unexpected at the record store.

“I don’t know what I want until I see it, but that’s the beauty of the record store,” she said.

Keller and Lesnik open Let’s Boogie every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. While they cannot open it longer due to their other jobs, they want to use the shop’s profits to earn some income for Keller’s parents.

“We’re gonna keep the record spinning as long as we possibly can,” Keller said.

QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA

Customers fill Lets Boogie Records and Tapes on Saturday, April 20, 2024. The store has been a staple to the Bridgeport community for more than forty years.

QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA Phil Lesnik, left, and Jason Keller stand behind the counter of Lets Boogie Records and Tapes on Saturday, April 20, 2024. The pair have run the shop since January of 2021.

when they couldan find the

‘Third places’ and where to find them

By Sophie DiBenedetto Contributing Writer

Whether you’re dragging yourself to your local coffee shop in the morning, indulging in some retail therapy or people-watching in public, many people need to get out and detach from their everyday spaces. As the world adjusts to “normal” post-pandemic, wellness experts and sociologists are encouraging people to venture outside their homes and work (or classrooms), exploring places in their local communities to relax, renew and restore.

These places are known as “third places,” a concept created by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, “The Great Good Place.” Third places are known as public spaces in which the community can come together to converse and share new ideas. The name “third place” comes from this space being outside your home, known as space one – and your work, space two.

“Third spaces are going through a revival right now,” said Kayla Turner, wellness support specialist in the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness at DePaul. “Considering that they build up the community and local businesses post pandemic – as well as give people the opportunity for a productive-free existence – I think that third spaces are pretty dang important.”

The first step in establishing your own third place is to explore options throughout the community. The list below includes interesting, cost-friendly options for college students to try.

Kibbitznest Books, Brews & Blarney

Kibbitznest Books, Brews and Blarney, at 2212 North Clybourn Ave., is a book bar serving as a dedicated third place in Lincoln Park. Partnered with the nonprofit Kibbitznest Liberal Art Discussions, the venue hosts storytelling shows, comedy performances and liberal arts discussions.

Guests can visit to explore and purchase from their book collection, play board games, write letters or poems on typewriters, play foosball, listen to music and more. As a community space dedicated to human interaction, Kibbitznest is Wi-Fi and computer-free, and encourages minimal cell phone use.

“I really love Kibbitznest because it’s a space detached from screens and technology where I can sit and connect with my friends,” Carly Garrett, a DePaul junior, said. She also appreciates the cozy atmosphere

a coffee or adult beverage.

Chicago Cultural Center

The Chicago Cultural Center, built in 1897, is a landmark in the city’s history and one of its most frequently visited sites. Home to the largest stained-glass Tiffany dome, the Cultural Center was originally created as Chicago’s first central public library, an attempt to show that the city had developed into a sophisticated metropolis. It later became one of the nation’s first free municipal cultural venues.

The space hosts free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures and art exhibitions. The Chicago Cultural Center can be found at 78 E. Washington St. and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Catcade

The Catcade is a cat-themed lounge, arcade and rescue dedicated to rescuing cats from life-threatening situations and finding them friendly, loving homes through their cat adoption program. Guests can visit the lounge for $20 to play and socialize with the cats for 55 minutes, play free arcade games, participate in events like cat yoga and potentially adopt a cat. In 2021, The Catcade took in 528 cats and permanently housed 431 cats, according to their website.

The Catcade moved to 624 W. Belmont on April 20, which allows them to care for more cats and have more visitors in a larger venue.

“The new location is only a 10-minute walk from my apartment, so I’m looking forward to walking by and seeing the playful cats in the window,” Ariele Palmer, a DePaul sophomore, said.

Chicago Sports Museum

The Chicago Sports Museum, found at 835 N. Michigan Ave., is a dedication to all things sports. The museum combines sports memorabilia and artifacts with interactive experiences using advanced body tracking technology that allows guests to score goals and shoot free throws, while playing the part of fans’ favorite professional athletes.

Exhibits allow you to compare your own

skills, such as vertical leap, wingspan and grip strength, to athletes such as Chicago Bulls legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Attendees also can learn sports history lore ranging from forensic sports mysteries to curses and superstitions in the sports world.

The Chicago Sports Museum provides sports fans the opportunity to immerse themselves into the ultimate sports experience at a cost-friendly price of $8 for college students that present valid ID.

GIA CLARKE | THE DEPAULIA

A patron sits on a bench and checks their phone in the Chicago Cultural Center on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The Preston Bradley Hall is free to the public.

GIA CLARKE | THE DEPAULIA

People sit in Kibbitznest on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Kibbitznest prides itself on being a third space where people can play board games, chat, order drinks and read.

GIA CLARKE | THE DEPAULIA

A woman walks up the staircases to the Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The Cultural Center is known for its architecture and Tiffany glass domes. for

By Claire Tweedie Content Managing Editor

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

“Spinning freSh beatS Since 1581”

Hello, my lovely DeJamz reader. I have reached that point in the academic quarter where I am so beyond stressed that I no longer feel human emotion. I have simply stared into the void of D2L for too long and it has unfortunately begun staring back. Since my mental state is now a swirling mess of exhaustion and midterm due dates, I’ve found that my Spotify reflects that inner turmoil. Basically, I’ve just been listening to the songs I know will make me cry in the hopes that it’ll reassure me that I can still feel something. There’s no better way to celebrate hitting submit on that shitty midterm paper than listening to songs that only make you feel worse!

“Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John I wish I knew what in my subconscious this song linked onto to become

a source of emotional catharsis. While I can psychoanalyze that statement later, you can experience it right now! I have a visceral memory from freshman year of college of weeping and laying in the grass on the Quad in the middle of the night and playing this song on repeat. Perhaps not the most joyous of memories, but it’s a great song nonetheless.

“You Were Born to Be in Battle” by Old 97s

This wouldn’t be a Claire Tweedie approved DeJamz without including at least one country or folk song. Old 97s is easily one of my favorite bands, and I heavily associate their music with my childhood. This song, in particular though, has such melancholic lyrics that if I listen to it too closely, I do start to slowly break down. Read the lyrics for yourself, and try to tell me it isn’t a beautifully poetic story of war and death.

Crossword

“30/90” from “Tick, Tick… Boom!”

You know how everyone inevitably cries on their birthday? If your instinct reaction to that statement was, ‘No, what the hell are you talking about?’ then I think we’re just fundamentally different people. “30/90” is the quintessential song to wallow in your birthday depression. The upbeat rock instrumentals help drown out the sounds of your sobbing and Andrew Garfield’s vocals (and performance in that movie) will eventually put a smile on your face.

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond

Sometimes, even the most wholesome of songs can bring a tear or two to your eye. For whatever reason, I have a very vivid memory of my mom driving me and my brother to elementary school and singing along to this song in the car. Ah, such simpler times. Now, I associate this song with homesickness and missing my mom. Isn’t it funky how personal

Hinge holder

Clock feature

“Brainiac” author Jennings

Crockett’s last stand

Volunteer’s cry

Senate vote

Barbarian who creates a buzz?

Mardi Gras king

B’way “no seats” sign

Chest part

Lyricist Lorenz_

Wipes clean

Matt of “The Martian”

Greenish-blue shades

Very quickly

Tool with teeth

“Good Will Hunting” sch.

Sci-fi master Isaac

Lawyers’ org.

Waiting uncomplainingly

Mined asset

Loss caused by a pothole strike

Phone no. adjunct

Hawaiian strings

Waited in line, say

Tread heavily

47) Welles who played Kane

Difficult burdens

Private employer

Ghastly

P on a frat pin 59) “Chocolate” dog, for short

Worthless stock contract?

Swelled head

Grueling exams 64) Hurricane of 2011 65) Kinsey research topic

66) Truth or_ (party game)

67) Slackens off

meanings behind songs can vary so wildly? Human consciousness is crazy!

“Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog

Let’s end this playlist on a slightly more whimsical note. My adoration for The Muppets should be no surprise if you’ve read my previous DeJamz. That being said, “Rainbow Connection” holds a special place in my heart. There’s nothing quite like listening to a green, fabric frog sing about the uncertainty of life and the wish for happiness that makes me sob. You’re right Kermit; maybe someday I will find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me.

1) Fifth A venue retailer

2) Author_ Boothe Luce

3) Barbering tool

4) Comedian Philips

5) Like a pine fragrance

6) Shorthand similar to “IMO”

7) Prepared to shoot

8) Barton of the Red Cross 9) Right angle

Dress designer Donna in a frenzy?

Admirer from afar, maybe

Deli counter call

Ticked off

Walking tour carry-along

Pueblo tribe

Super serve

Crow’s nest support

Farm enclosures

Apple throwaway

Times to revel

Cheers from the grandstands

Border on

Crate of exploding cigars?

“The Four Seasons” composer Vivaldi

Elbow guards

Shakes down

“Glee” actor Mon-

Favorable times

Rich, chocolaty dessert

Tara family name

Stock valuation phrase

Great Lakes tribe members of old

52) Performed brilliantly

53) Brewpub offerings

54) Word after “road” or “’roid”

56) Be the king 58) Vending machine inserts

60) Dropped for a 10-count, for short

61) “La-la” lead-in

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

Holtmann lands Konneh, Skogman, new assistants

By Tom Gorski Men’s Basketball Beat Writer

DePaul men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann is further enhancing the team's roster by securing commitments from incoming freshman forward Sekou Konneh from St. Thomas More and graduate senior center David Skogman from Davidson.

Konneh, a 6-foot-8 forward from St. Thomas More High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is ranked as the fifth-best recruit in the state. He also holds the top spot among power forwards in Wisconsin.

"Sekou is a young and gifted prospect with high upside," Holtmann said in a statement. "He needs to continue to get stronger and improve his skills because he is a tremendous kid who is really hungry to grow. We are really excited about what Sekou can grow into here."

Concluding his high school career at St. Thomas More, he played a pivotal role in leading the team to its first state boys basketball championship since joining the WIAA. He finished the season with five consecutive double-doubles, culminating in a standout performance during the title game, where he recorded 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Skogman is the first center added to Holtmann’s team for next season after spending the last four seasons at Buffalo (2020-2022) and Davidson (2022-2024). He announced his verbal commitment to DePaul via X on Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-10 center appeared in 17 games last season for Davidson, starting all 17 of them, averaging 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.6% from the field and 47.1% from beyond the arc.

Skogman has one season left of eligibility and chose to commit to DePaul over Wisconsin.

The program will also be adding Lavall Jordan, the former head coach of Butler and Milwaukee, onto the coaching staff, alongside Brandon Bailey, who previously served as an assistant coach under Holtmann at Ohio State.

Jordan is set to join Holtmann’s coaching staff, where he'll serve as the program's General Manager in addition to his duties as an assistant coach.

"Lavall (Jordan) is a talented coach who has had success as an assistant and head coach," Holtmann said in a statement. "He will assist us greatly and play an instrumental

THE HINSKE HUDDLE

Reggie Bush’s Heisman saga is only beginning with reinstatement

By Ryan Hinske Sports Editor

The NCAA has finally given in to nationwide support for one of college football history’s greatest players’ reinstatement. In the newest chapter of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and “amateurism” in collegiate sports, the former University of Southern California running back Reggie Bush regained his Heisman Trophy 14 years after he voluntarily forfeited it.

Bush, who earned his 2005 Heisman by rushing for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns, forfeited his award in 2010 after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dis-

covered he accepted thousands of dollars and a vehicle, among other gifts, from multiple agents.

Before 2021, the NCAA did not allow players to profit from their name, image and likeness. This meant they could not receive gifts from anyone associated with NCAA schools or participate in individual sponsorships and advertisements.

Bush became the prime example of the repercussions a player and school could face if such arrangements were made. In the aftermath of Bush’s Heisman forfeit, USC was banned from participating in postseason games in 2010 and 2011 and was forced to

record and to the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Bailey is set to join Holtmann’s coaching staff as an assistant coach, making the move from Ohio State where he previously served on Holtmann’s staff last season.

In 2019, Bailey joined Brad Stevens' staff as an assistant coach for the Celtics, a position he held for two seasons before working with Team USA as an assistant coach in 2021-22. It’s worth noting that he will be making his return to Lincoln Park after graduating from DePaul in 2009.

"Brandon (Bailey) had 13 years of NBA experience before I hired him last year and his experience teaching defense at that level proved valuable," Holtmann said in a statement. "He is detailed and thorough in his teaching. Brandon is also a DePaul grad and his love for this University is an added plus. We are excited to welcome Brandon, his wife Julie and their entire family."

role in the NIL space and roster construction. Lavall has great experience in developing guards for the NBA and his skill teaching is outstanding which will play an important role as we develop our team."

Starting in 2022, Jordan has been an onair game and studio analyst for Fox Sports, delivering comprehensive analysis of college basketball and extensive coverage of the Big East Conference. He also spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks as an NBA scout during the 2023-24 season.

It's worth mentioning that Jordan is well-acquainted with the Big East, having previously served as Butler’s head coach from 2017-2022. During his time with the Bulldogs, he led the team to an 83-74 overall

disassociate with Bush on all facility memorabilia and purchasable merchandise. They were additionally vacated of all of their wins from late 2004 through the entire 2005 season, including their national championship victory in the 2005 Orange Bowl.

In 2021, the new era of NIL began when the Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA was not legally allowed to limit payments to student-athletes if they were education-related. However, the NCAA held that Bush’s award would not be reinstated because “pay-forplay” arrangements were still prohibited.

Bush filed a defamation lawsuit on the basis that the arrangements were not “payfor-play,” contending there was no evidence that he was ever paid for the reason of playing at USC and the investigation was not thorough enough to warrant such an accusation that damaged his reputation. Bush’s lawsuit argues the NCAA described pay-for-play as intended to incentivize a player to attend or remain at a university, not payments from a player’s representation (e.g., agent or family friend).

After public support for Bush’s rein-

Bailey began his basketball career as a manager under Doug Bruno with the DePaul women's basketball team, before transitioning to roles as a graduate assistant and director of operations within the men's basketball program from 2009 to 2011.

Holtmann's offseason continues to be busy as he manages the recruitment process and puts the finishing touches on his staff. The team has successfully recruited eight players from the transfer portal and has received commitments from Konneh and three-star forward Chris Riddle of Kenwood Academy.

This leaves the program with three scholarships yet to be filled for the 2024 recruiting class.

statement rose and several former Heisman winners boycotted the ceremony in support of him, the NCAA reinstated Bush’s award almost three years after NIL’s commencement.

“We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie,” Heisman Trophy Trust president Michael Comerford said in a statement. “We are so happy to welcome him back.”

However, Bush is not finished. The NCAA filed a motion to dismiss the defamation case late last year, which a judge will review Monday, April 29. Bush, however, will continue to push for the trial to commence, as the claim of defamation is still on the table for his legal representation. The claim remains that the NCAA’s labeling of Bush’s case as “pay-for-play” caused him “mental anguish, humiliation and embarrassment.”

Don’t expect this week’s news to be the happy ending to this saga. The NCAA’s longstanding feud with Reggie Bush may just be heating up.

@DSKOGMAN42, DEPAUL ATHLETICS | VIA INSTAGRAM

DePaul transfer David Skogman spins a basketball during a photoshoot he posted on his Instagram April 26.

DePaul men’s tennis wins third title in four years

By Ryan Hinske Sports Editor

DePaul men’s tennis has won the Big East championship again, re-establishing themselves as the top team in the conference after coming up short last year.

The Blue Demons are establishing themselves as a dynasty in the Big East, winning three of the last four conference championships under the leadership of DePaul’s second-longest current tenured coach, Matt Brothers, who is in his 17th season in Lincoln Park.

“These guys are just really hungry,” Brothers said. “I’m just super proud of those guys. It’s a team effort and culmination of all of the ups and downs throughout the season, overcoming some adversity and lots of self improvement, and being ready for that moment is what the season is all about.”

On Monday, April 22, DePaul took down Saint John’s University 4-2 to win the Big East title. It capped off a Big East tournament weekend in Cayce, South Carolina, where DePaul first defeated Villanova University and Georgetown University to advance to the final. DePaul’s first ever title came down to the wire against St. John’s in 2021, where the Blue Demons edged a 4-3 victory.

“I would say it’s a rivalry,” junior Mattei Iaquinto said of playing St. John’s. “We don’t get to play during the regular season because of scheduling stuff, so when we get to com-

pete against each other, it’s sort of personal.”

The competition started with St. John’s winning the doubles point before DePaul nearly swept the singles points, winning four of the five matches and asserting their dominance over the tournament’s one-on-one battles.

In the previous two tournament matches, DePaul only gave up two points on the singles courts, finishing the tournament 11-3 in singles competition. Brothers talked about how DePaul faced adversity against Georgetown, going down in the doubles competition and fighting back.

“We planned on winning the doubles point,” Brothers said. “We didn’t, so that made what happened in the finals that much easier for these guys, because they’ve been in that same scenario two days before, down the doubles point, having to fight against a good team in singles, and they got it done.”

Even after their dominant tournament run, the team has remained focused on the next level. The NCAA will announce the schedule for the national tournament Monday, April 29. As DePaul awaits their schedule, they are looking into the future rather than the past.

“The goal was not just to win the conference tournament, but to progress in … the NCAA tournament,” Brothers said. “These guys have shown a lot of fight … Everyone has to be there, everyone has to believe, everyone has to know the potential that they

have in themselves.”

Even after winning the Big East men’s tennis championship Most Outstanding Performer for his singles victory to close out the final, Iaquinto said little has changed and that his mind is set on what’s next.

“Life goes on as usual, nothing special,” Iaquinto said. “I’m feeling excited for what comes next. It definitely won’t be an easy challenge, but I feel like with the work we’re going to put in, we can all be ready for what’s next.”

DePaul has established a dynasty in the Big East, remaining so confident in conference play that they are collectively set on new heights: they want to be national champions. Graduate Vito Tonejc, who has won all three championships with DePaul, discussed what it takes to build a conference dynasty.

“First of all, consistency,” Tonejc said. “And then just commitment … this comes from the beginning of the season … it’s a product of everything we have done this whole year.”

For Tonejc and other players like graduate Leon Huck, the success of this season has extra meaning, because it is their last.

“I hope to continue being as determined and taking all these challenges with me and all this growth I took in college into real life,” Huck said. “Life is a journey. It’s not done after this.”

After the 5 p.m. central time selection show on Monday, competition begins May 3, with the championship set for May 19 at Stillwater Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

RYAN HINSKE | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul junior Sven Moser addresses the media after a practice on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at the Sullivan Athletic Center. The DePaul Men's Tennis team returned from the team's Big East championship in Cayce, South Carolina, with a victory.