The Leader October 6, 2020

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OCTOBER 06. 2020

@LeaderNewsEC

ISSUE 02 ELMHURSTLEADER.COM

BY BAILEY HOENIG

TheLeader

PAGE 06

BY AFAAF AMATULLAH

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JORGE MÚJICA ON WORKERS' RIGHTS: CÉSAR CHÁVEZ LECTURE

BY JASMINE LILLIS

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OLYMPIC ATHLETE LAURIE HERNANDEZ GIVES LECTURE ON DIVERSITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

BY GIANNA MONTESANO

PAGES 04-05

JASMINE'S MESSAGE TO 2020 ELECTION VOTERS: CARTOON

BY HOPE CHAMBERLAIN

ELMHURST STUDENT RECOUNTS CAMPUS QUARANTINE EXPERIENCE ADVERTISING

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LETTERS AND GENERAL

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AMONG US GIRL GANG UNITES FEMALE GAMERS WORLDWIDE LEADERNEWSEC@GMAIL.COM

NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD

shut up, man!

MARISA KARPES Editor-in-Chief GIANNA MONTESANO Managing Editor AFAAF AMATULLAH News Editor JULIA ZAWITKOWSKA Graphics Editor OLIVIA JANICKE Copy Editor ERIC LUTZ Faculty Advisor

ASSISTANTS ARTURO MAGALLANES Assistant Graphics Editor MICHELLE CABANAS Social Media Manager

STAFF BAILEY HOENIG JASMINE LILLIS ANDREW CRIPE JOSLYN GALEAZ JACKIE MURILLO FARAH QURESHI ISABELLA HERRERA JARED BOEKENHAUER SANT DYBOWSKI NICHOLAS REDMOND NIKLAS FAULK HOPE CHAMBERLAIN

CONTACT US The Leader Newspaper Elmhurst University 190 Prospect Avenue Elmhurst, IL 60126 Office: 630.617.3320 GENERAL INQUIRIES & LETTERS TO EDITOR: leadernewsec@gmail.com ADVERTISE WITH US: theleaderadvertising@gmail.com

ABOUT US The Leader is the student-run newspaper speaking to the students, faculty, and administrators of Elmhurst University. The Leader is not submitted to any person or organization for prior approval. The contents are the decision of the editor in agreement with the editorial board. Opinions expressed in The Leader do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or its staff and are not intended to represent those of the college at large.

No text, photos, or art can be reproduced without direct permission of The Leader.

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you’ve done nothing in 47 years!

Graphic by Julia Zawitkowska

First 2020 presidential debate met with bipartisan criticism JARED BOEKENHAUER Staff Reporter The first presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle, between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was held Tuesday, September 28 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The debate was moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace and featured six 15-minute segments on various topics. The candidates discussed the Supreme Court, healthcare reform, COVID-19, the economy, Trump’s taxes, racial tension, and climate change.

The debate was met with heavy criticism from both liberals and conservatives.

Although both candidates interrupted one another, Trump repeatedly refused to yield to the moderator, to which Chris Wallace pointedly told Trump, “Mr. President, your campaign agreed… both sides would get two-minute answers.”

Neither Biden nor Trump refrained from personally attacking each other. Biden described Trump as a clown, and asked him to “shut up, man.’ Trump countered Biden by saying, “There’s nothing smart about you, you’ve done nothing in 47 years.”

Professor of Political Science at Elmhurst University, Dr. Constance Mixon, said the debate was, “unlike anything we’ve seen in presidential history.”

Mixon said that she is worried this debate will discourage people who are just getting involved with politics and that this debate will make these people more “cynical” and “frustrated with the system.”

Viewers also criticized the candidates’ policy decisions. Critics said that Trump refused to disavow white supremacists after the President told the Proud Boys, a right-wing militia group, to “stand back and stand by” during the debate.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang tweeted during the debate: “Chris Wallace has his hands full. Talking over the other person makes for a very choppy ‘debate.’”

Biden was criticized by viewers for inconsistency after initially saying that he did not support the Green New Deal, a proposed progressive environmental policy, then later saying the policy would “pay for itself.”

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted a few days after the debate: “I frankly cannot believe that people stuck around until the end of that debate. We are a country of masochists.”

In an official statement released by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the debate format is now reportedly undergoing amendments to ensure a, “more orderly discussion of the issue.”

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10.06.20

NEWS EU reports low number of oncampus COVID-19 cases amidst national spike Farah Qureshi Staff Reporter When the United States entered lockdown in March due to COVID-19, it was believed that the country would be able to reopen safely.

Graphic by Isabella Herrera

Elmhurst University removes Pokemon GO stop and gyms NICHOLAS REDMOND News Reporter

Pokemon GO stop and gyms were removed from Elmhurst University in August by campus leadership due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students believe that there might’ve been other alternatives as opposed to removing Pokemon GO stops and gyms completely.

“Campus leadership decided that for the time being, it would be a good idea to have the Pokemon GO stops and gyms removed,” said Desiree Chen, Senior Director of Communications and External Relations.

Ho explained, “Make [the stops] appear where there’s less foot traffic, like on the weekend or at a certain time of day during midnight when no one’s at school.”

Large gatherings at the university had been an ongoing concern for campus officials.

“Part of the university’s health and public safety plans for the fall include limiting the number of people on campus (including off-campus visitors) to better facilitate physical distancing and limit potential exposure to COVID-19,” Chen further clarified.

Though students understand that it’s for everyone’s safety, they expressed that their fun on the app has taken a blow.

“It definitely has affected my level of enjoyment from the game,” said Alex Ho, a junior majoring in political science and history. “But I do understand that it’s something that needs to happen and that it needs to take priority over enjoying the game to make sure everyone’s safe.”

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Noel Saldierna, sophomore and double-major in music education and jazz studies, stated that having fewer stops around campus, more specifically in campus corners, would be a viable option.

Other options can lead to an exploration off-campus. Josh Quintos, a computer science major said, “I don’t think that there should be any new accommodations for the game, but people would have to change how they play it”.

“It’ll probably be better to go to farther away places so you won’t have to do the same repetitive places,” Quintos said.

Despite the stops removed, other students are unfazed by the decision. Sophomore Michelle Diaz, who is not interested in the game herself, believes that those who play will find a way to do so.

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Now, as we approach 8 months since the early days of the pandemic, not a lot has changed.

Cases nationwide are still steadily rising, with nearly 300,000 new cases being reported in the last week alone by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of early October, the Illinois Department of Public Health reports that DuPage county makes up over 16% of the total 300,000 cases in the state.

Dupage County has seen approximately 18,200 confirmed cases and 567 deaths.

Throughout August and September, a total of 1,340 people were tested on-campus at Elmhurst University. 6 people tested positive, but all are reported to have made a full recovery. There were 23 total cases (including those that were self-reported) amongst students, staff, and faculty, with 2 people still in recovery as of the beginning of October.

The move to reopen schools and other non-essential businesses has been met with widespread scrutiny for the resulting spike in COVID-19 cases.

When schools reopened in August, it was reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics that there was a 90% increase over four weeks in cases in children between 0 and 24 years old.

Many schools returned to remote learning just weeks after reopening.

In an interview with PBS in August, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed his opinion on reopening schools. He believes schools in areas with a lower level of cases can reopen with caution.

However, he emphasized that schools in red zones, as Illinois currently is, should “think carefully before [they] jump into school.”

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NEWS "I felt like an after thought": Elmhurst student recounts campus quarantine experience GIANNA MONTESANO Managing Editor

Graphic by Julia Zawitkowska

The last thing Jane Doe expected her senior year was to quarantine in a West Hall isolation room with her roommate.

After testing negative for COVID-19, Doe, who asked to stay anonymous for the reporting of this story, spent a week in quarantine after being exposed to the virus from her roommate who tested positive on Sept. 2.

West Hall has one wing on the first floor and, according to Doe, at the end of the wing hallway, two rooms are reserved for quarantining. The rest of the rooms in the wing are occupied by students.

The experience, as Doe recalls, felt “nerve-racking.”

Doe was given 10 minutes to pack necessities

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such as clothes, bedding, and her shower caddy before being taken to her isolation room by Kenneth Parcel, Assistant Director of Campus Safety.

“It [the quarantine experience] definitely made me feel like I was an afterthought,” said Doe. When Doe walked into the room, she noticed the suite did not provide them with any toiletries, trash cans, or cleaning supplies for the week.

“We walked in to no toilet paper, no soap, nothing to clean with,” said Doe. “Even just doing my own

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10.06.20

NEWS wipe down, because I took my own wipes, my wipes were dirty.”

On the EU website, under the COVID-19 section, students are urged to pack an emergency bag in the event they test positive, listing supplies for them to pack.

However, the list does not inform students that they would be responsible for providing their own antibacterial soap and toilet paper.

Doe felt the room had not been cleaned in preparation for students to quarantine, noting one of the first things she saw was an old sock on the floor.

The Office of Housing and Residence Life did not respond to The Leader’s request for comment.

For the week Doe was quarantining, all of her meals were delivered by Chartwells. Doe has an issue with the system in place for food deliveries.

Bill Duro, Director of Dining Services, explained that the students are to call in to the Frick Center Dining Hall and request their meals based off the menu available for that day and that the selected delivery time “will be honored as much as possible.”

Throughout the week Doe ordered her food and she explained that it would take around an hour and a half to be delivered to her room.

Doe would have to wake up at 8 A.M. in order to get her breakfast to her by 10 A.M.

communal microwaves on each floor.

However, since Doe was in isolation, she was confined to her suite and was not allowed to leave her vicinity.

“I tried my best to respect the process but it was really trying at times,” said Doe. After spending a week in quarantine, being released on Sept. 9, Doe was very upset with how administration had aided her throughout the “nerve-racking time.”

Doe mentions that the only person who consistently checked in on her and her roommate were Tim Gatesman, a campus security officer, and Duro telling them “to feel better and be careful.”

During her stay, Doe emailed housing and “demanded” to be placed in a different room because she felt she had lost out on a lot of social events she planned over the summer due to her isolation, even though she was not COVID-19 positive.

"You would think these students

would be number one priority

because it is such

an important issue

“I’m waking up early to make the time to wait a full hour to get my food,” Doe explained.

sweeping the

nation right now"

She felt there could have been a better system in place to deliver the food more timely, noting that students may have health conditions that require them to eat at certain times and waiting could hinder their health.

In the suite, there were also no microwaves or refrigerators to heat up or store perishable foods for students, which bothered Doe. “If they [students in isolation] order something now in anticipation of being hungry later, how are they going to keep it warm?” Doe said. “Food gets bad and that can potentially be another issue if you’re eating yogurt that you ordered yesterday in hopes that it's still a little cool.”

EU dorm halls don’t allow for students to have microwaves in their dorm, but are able to use the

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CALLING ALL:

Doe felt there was ample time to situate her in a new room after she requested a transfer, but she noted there had been no indicator about what would happen to her post-isolation.

“There was no real communication with me telling me what was going to happen after this,” said Doe. “It was kinda like ‘she’ll forget about it,’ ‘she’s just upset in the moment’ [but] I’m not upset in the moment, I’m upset in general.”

When she didn’t get a response from housing, she forwarded her message to President Troy VanAken who put her in contact with Phil Riordan, Dean of Students.

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“[Phil was] very caring under the eyes of his boss,” Doe said, but she noted that he “fell back” after VanAken was out of the picture, recalling that she would not hear back from him.

Riordan did not respond to The Leader’s request for comment.

Doe feels that the school could have been better prepared to handle students quarantining on campus.

“You would think these students would be number one priority because it is such an important issue sweeping the nation right now,” said Doe. “After all it’s [COVID-19 on campus] not going to stop after me and my former roommate.”

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jzawi8213@365.elmhurst.edu

(See pg. 8 for more info)

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NEWS Olympic athlete Laurie Hernandez gives lecture on diversity and mental health BAILEY HOENIG Staff Reporter

Screenshot of Zoom meeting featuring Laurie Hernandez on the right and Bailey Hoenig on the left

Laurie Hernandez, Olympic gold medalist and Dancing With the Stars champion, opened up about her gymnastics journey, Latin heritage, and mental health in the online lecture “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond” on Oct. 1.

Hernandez’s story began with a solid foundation and a supportive family. Working her way up the gymnastics ladder, she scored herself a spot on the senior national gymnastics team, a major step in the Olympic direction in 2015.

“Growing up with a social worker… there was just a lot of brainwork happening, but sometimes that can feel lonely when people aren’t talking about [mental health],” Hernandez told The Leader.

“The fact that mental health really wasn’t talked about in gymnastics was a pretty big red flag considering just how much mental work is needed in the sport,” said Hernandez.

“When things get hard, it doesn’t mean you stop or quit… it never gave me that fulfilling feeling, it didn’t give me what I wanted… it’s okay to take a break… that’s self-care.” she said.

Hernandez’s passion for mental health derives from the abuse that she, and other gymnasts like

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Aly Raisman, faced in the years during training.

Many gymnasts face eating disorders, body comparison, and symptoms of PTSD from the strict environments.

“Mental health has been more of a conversation topic within the sport of gymnastics within the last couple of years because of what’s happened in the gymnastics community,” said Hernandez.

In 2016, USA Gymnastics, alongside other parties, faced lawsuits regarding sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse allegations against coaches and staff.

After opening up about the abuse scandal in USA Gymnastics, Hernandez noticed a tidal wave of athletes coming forward about their experiences of abuse. The Netflix documentary “Athlete A” and the Twitter trend “Athlete Alliance” have increased the impact of survivors speaking out. “[With] Aly [Raisman] being so bold as well as hundreds of other gymnasts... openly speaking about it, I mean they’re all superheroes because now we have other women who feel a little more comfortable coming forward and sharing what happened with them because they saw some-

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body else do it,” explained Hernandez.

Alongside mental illness in relation to the abuse, the Olympian also strives to break stigmas and raise awareness toward other mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

“They’re not crazy, these are things that they’re dealing with and that they’re working on, and making sure that we are being sensitive to them and knowing that we are there for them and that we have their backs,” said Hernandez.

In the 2016 Olympic games, Hernandez was the first Latina woman to represent the USA in gymnastics in decades alongside two white and two African American gymnasts.

While she felt balanced in her home growing up, Hernandez is also conscious that, “There’s a lot of Hispanic households where… [it is] just deal with it and figure it out yourself rather than of being open to listening to possible resources or learning about resources for your kids.”

Laurie Hernandez continues to advocate for mental health awareness in the gymnastics community and beyond.

10.06.20

NEWS Chicago activist Jorge Mújica speaks on workers' rights at César Chávez lecture AFAAF AMATULLAH News Editor Jorge Mújica from Arise Chicago, a faith-based workers’ rights organization, spoke at this year’s virtual César Chávez lecture on Sept. 23.

Elmhurst University Spanish Professor Dr. Christopher Travis introduced the lecture by lauding Mújica for his achievements in the Chicagoan Spanish-speaking community and reflected on the treatment of immigrant workers in the United States.

“The big question is: are low wage immigrant workers who process our meat, assemble our televisions, sanitize buildings, take care of our children, essential? Or, are they being treated as expendable?” asked Travis.

The lecture, titled “Noticing Immigrants Just Because of COVID” began with Mújica pointing out the incongruity in the labeling of migrant workers preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has brought to us… this apparent contradiction between being undesirable and being essential at the same time,” he said.

“For the last four years, we have been listening to official discourses about immigrants who want to come to the United States to get benefits, to live out of food stamps… we hear about illegal workers,” Mújica, who ran for U.S. Congress in 2009 and for 25th ward alderman in 2015, continued.

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Photo from Elmhurst.edu “And then 2020, COVID hits… we started listening to another new, fancy word: essential worker.”

“Essential workers have to become visible… essential workers have to be legal workers. Essential workers have to be respected,” emphasized Mújica.

Mújica illustrated the continuous tangible threat of deportation for migrant workers by reading aloud immigration news headlines from recent years. One read, “Immigration raids conducted in Mississippi restaurants,” and another, “ICE raids meatpacking plant in rural Tennessee; 97 immigrants arrested.”

“Every one of these operations stopped people at workplaces,” noted Mújica.

Mújica stated that African American and Latino blue-collar workers have been disproportionately impacted by the consequences of the ongoing pandemic. “Latinos in the United States are only about 15% of the population, but nowadays they are 39% of the cases of COVID,” he said.

Despite the often unsafe on-site conditions, these workers do not have the option of completing their jobs remotely and are at risk of falling victim to workplace outbreaks.

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“60% of Latino workers could not work remotely because they are essential,” explained Mújica. “At Arise Chicago, we started getting these messages… ‘My coworker got sick, my coworker died… if we go home, we will die of starvation.’”

In response to the crisis, Arise Chicago has provided multilingual services for workers who believe they received unfair treatment from their employers.

During the follow-up Q&A session, students expressed interest in the actions the university can take to safeguard immigrant students’ rights, particularly by instituting a sanctuary resolution.

“Sanctuary campus has no meaning other than political,” President Troy VanAken responded.

“We [Elmhurst University] operate in many ways as a sanctuary campus. We don’t require social security numbers. We would not release any student’s information,” said VanAken.

Troy also spoke briefly on establishing federally-funded TRIO grants at EU for students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. “Unfortunately, that grant window is not open right now… when that opens back up, we’re going to participate in it,” he said.

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NEWS AFAAF AMATULLAH News Editor + JARED BOEKENHAUER Staff Reporter

Trump released after COVID-19 hospitalization in White House outbreak On Friday, Oct. 2 President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced their positive COVID-19 diagnoses, hardly a week after hosting the ‘Super-Spreader’ Rose Garden event for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

publicly touting misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, denouncing the use of masks, and refusing to observe social distancing guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at White House events or at his rallies.

Friday evening Trump was seen boarding the Marine One helicopter and was transported to the Walter Reed Medical Center where he reportedly continued attending to his presidential duties over the subsequent few days.

Dr. Constance Mixon, director of the urban studies program at Elmhurst University, expressed to The Leader her exasperation with Trump’s efforts to downplay the virus. “Even as we’ve reached over 200,000 dead, [he] has tried to change the subject in the campaign away from that,” Mixon said.

At Walter Reed, Trump was administered Remdesivir and Dexamethasone, which function to combat particularly aggressive cases of COVID-19.

The news came following months of the president

“He said… at the Al Smith dinner that the end of the pandemic is in sight, and a few hours later he tests positive,” Mixon continued. “It’s extremely

damaging [to his presidency].”

As of Monday, Oct. 5 Trump has returned to the White House, although he will continue with his treatment regimen. White House physician Dr. Sean Conley told reporters that Trump is, “not yet out of the woods.”

White House physicians have repeatedly declined to disclose further information concerning Trump’s health, citing HIPPA patient privacy protections.

Numerous White House officials have recently contracted COVID-19 alongside Trump, including a close advisor to the president, Hope Hicks, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and body man Nicholas Luna.

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10.06.20

NEWS Ted Williams III talks voter apathy and suppression for

#ElmhurstUVotes series Graphic by Arturo Magallanes

AFAAF AMATULLAH News Editor

Elmhurst University students create anonymous confession page

Ted Williams III, political commentator and Social Science Department chair at Kennedy-King College, presented the “Voter Suppression in the United States” lecture on Sept. 29, at the third installation of Elmhurst University’s #ElmhurstUVotes six-part speaker series.

GIANNA MONTESANO Managing Editor

Williams addressed the issue of voter apathy, particularly amongst young college-aged people, which has devastating consequences on voter turnout rates. “The why behind everything we do is so important. Let me tell you my why [for voting],” he told the audience.

Elmhurst University students created an anonymous confessions Instagram account in July for students to share their experiences of injustice on campus. @Elmhurst_Universitea, the name of the Instagram page, is run by a group of students who wished to stay anonymous for this story, noting that very few people know who the account moderators are.

“We are concerned about the consequences we may face if we are discovered,” they said. “We don’t believe that we are doing anything wrong — in no way are we slandering the institution we attend — but we would like to make it a better place.”

They don’t think that their identity is important to know because the main purpose of the account is to give students a platform to share their stories.

They were inspired to open this account after hearing the stories of injustice faced by students around them who felt their stories were “pushed under the rug.” The page owners also noticed other college students creating confession pages.

“In order to move forward positively, we believe that rather than covering up these instances, they need to be discussed,” they said.

Colleges and universities nationwide have accounts or pages that serve as an anonymous forum for students to share their experiences on campus anonymously to bring awareness to issues.

Students have reacted to the creation of the account with positivity, according to the moderator.

“We are getting many submissions,” they said.

“We’ve taken that as a sign that people approve of what we are doing.”

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Williams, who ran for 9th ward alderman in 2015, accredited his current political interests and activism to studying the civil rights movement in school as a young kid. “She [my teacher] started talking about what people had done prior to me being born to ensure that I could sit in the seat I was sitting in a class,” he said.

“I remember... perking up and thinking even if I did not care about this, this would impact my life,” Williams emphasized. “From that moment, I wanted to be engaged in the process because politics impacts your life whether you recognize it or not.”

Williams explained that political alienation arises from the idea that voter suppression occurs ubiquitously. Although people denounce mechanisms like the electoral college system for being anti-democratic, Williams believes citizens cannot remain indifferent toward the government by not voting.

“In 2004 more people voted in the American Idol election than in the presidential election,” Williams said. “Americans have more faith in a reality TV competition than they do in democracy.

That is terrifying.”

“For those of you who say ‘I wish I was alive during the civil rights era,’ you have the ample opportunity today to be involved in the same issues that they were fighting for 60 years ago,” he continued.

There is an ever-growing need for supporting civic engagement by utilizing platforms accessible by the public, such as social media. Citizen

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Graphic by Julia Zawitkowska mobilization is pertinent to impacting the political process and eradicating structural injustices.

Williams notes that opportunities for young and marginalized voters in Illinois are expanding.

“For the first time, election day will be a holiday,” Williams rejoiced.

Williams further believes that anti-discrimination voting laws must be enacted to prohibit racially or ideologically motivated voter suppression. Convoluted voter identification requirements, for instance, deter citizens from showing up at all the poles.

“You can target people by their race and ethnicity to figure out how to take voting rights from them,” he stressed.

“I’m a politician, and I know people of color won’t vote for me. All I have to do is re-draw the map through gerrymandering, or create situations where particular areas don’t have access to working [voting] machines, or voter purging,” Williams said.

Williams related his own encounter with aggressive measures to suppress votes while previously running for office in Chicago. “They [in court] said at the top of the form ‘You did not put your address so we are going to throw these [petitions] out.’ I said to them… the top of the page never asked for my address.”

“If it’s happening to get me off the ballot, imagine the amount of effort that’s put into knocking voters off of the rolls,” he remarked.

“The numbers to get people purged are going up… In the Illinois 2018 elections, 150,000 voters were purged from the voter rolls. Between 2014 and 2016, 16 million voters were purged across the country,” illustrated Williams.

Although the extent at which voter suppression occurs can be discouraging, William believes these inequities cannot be confronted without active political participation.

“The way we deal with this is we wake up. We get alert. We get engaged,” Williams resolved.

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ARTS + CULTURE JACKIE MURILLO Staff Reporter

This Week In Pop Culture INTERNET PHOTO

Sorry Not Sorry: Max Ehrich discovered split from Demi Lovato via tabloid Demi Lovato and her soap-opera star ex, Max Ehrich may have called it quits, but the drama is far from over.

After Lovato posted a selfie to her Instagram story sans her engagement ring and with a shirt that read “Dogs over people.”

The two called off their engagement on Sept. 24, after old tweets of Ehrich surfaced where the actor was thirsting after other A-list stars such as Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and Miley Cyrus. Lovato initially denied the validity of the tweets on Instagram.

Her ex-fiance posted on his story that he found out of the breakup, while filming a Chrisitan movie, “Through a tabloid.”

The star issued a statement through the app’s story feature, saying “It’s really sad when people FAKE images to pit women against each other.”

However, sources later revealed Lovato was “Really upset,” after the tweets surfaced. They went on to say, “She is head over heels for Max and doesn’t want to be heartbroken.”

INTERNET PHOTO

Taio Cruz bullied off of TikTok

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Ehrich then posted that the couple “haven’t officially ended anything to each other,” he then posted screenshots of her songs and captioned them “Demetria is THE best female vocalist alive.”

Sources revealed that because of this, Lovato “is completely embarrassed… She wants nothing to do with him.” The drama is over for now but from the looks of it, this is not the last we will hear from the former couple.

After posting videos to the app for less than a week in hopes of interacting with fans, the Dynamite singer bid farewell to his followers after being the victim of countless hate comments and videos.

Cruz deleted all of his videos and posted a message that read “Never in my life have I had a more negative experience than the past few days on here.” Later, Cruz issued a statement through his Instagram story, saying “My body was shaking and I had suicidal thoughts.” He said he encountered “Hateful, mocking videos which spurred a feedback loop of negativity.” TikTok star, Dixie D’Amelio came to the singer’s defense through a tweet that read, “This makes me so sad, Y’all bullied a legit music artist off TikTok in under a week… just be nice wtf.”

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INTERNET PHOTO

Pepsi activist Kendall Jenner has a message for you The election is upon us and Kendall Jenner is making it loud and clear that she wants you to take action. On Sept. 24, the 24-year-old model was spotted stepping out of a juice bar in Malibu, California with her dog Pyro and a face mask that read “VOTE.” Recently, Jenner went on Instagram Live with political commentator, Jon Favreau. The social media star began the stream by telling followers “Happy National Voter Registration Day! As I’m getting ready to vote, I wanted to make sure you guys were ready to vote, and registered,” Favreau and Jenner then proceeded to have an open conversation about the upcoming election. Jenner knows that the paparazzi follow her everywhere she goes, so it is obvious that she wanted to take advantage of this and use it as an opportunity to get her fans to register to vote and take action on Nov. 3.

10.06.20

ARTS + CULTURE INTERNET PHOTO

INTERNET PHOTO

Among Us Girl Gang unites female gamers around the world HOPE CHAMBERLAIN Staff Reporter In early September, the popular iOS game “Among Us” saw a surge in downloads, leading to the creation of multiple online communities for the game.

To further communicate, users have been creating Discord servers, a platform for users to create safe community spaces online, especially for female gamers.

INTERNET PHOTO

Players have found themselves playing alongside users who utilize racist and homophobic language, making players feel uncomfortable.

Frustrated by the gaming environment, around 300 women from around the world have banded together to form the “Among Us Girl Gang” Discord server. This safe space requires an application to join and sparks hate-free games.

Lauren Holt

Andrew Dismukes

Anyone who uses hateful slurs or game-ruining hacks will be removed from the server.

The server has a separate channel for users who want to upload pictures of pets or create conversations with fellow users about current events.

The women who created this server have managed to connect people through the internet in a safe and supportive environment.

INTERNET PHOTO

Punkie Johnson

Saturday Night Live brings on three new cast members, including Punkie Johnson HOPE CHAMBERLAIN Staff Reporter “Saturday Night Live” just announced its three newest cast members — and get ready queer women, because we got one. Along with “S.N.L.” writer Andrew Dismukes and Upright Citizens Brigade improviser Lauren Holt, the show’s first out Black lesbian cast member has finally joined the crew.

Executive producer Lorne Michaels hired standup comedian Punkie Johnson, who will join last season’s full cast this fall. Johnson has had roles in shows like “Adam Ruins Everything,” “Corporate,”

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Among Us game icon

INTERNET PHOTO

and “Space Force,” and performed a stand-up set in “Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers.” Her most recent work, however, has been a series of “Virtual HomeSchool” videos.

Johnson has two elementary school aged sons, both currently completing their schoolwork from home. Her exasperated, sarcastic, and humorous take on homeschooling offers solace for other parents along with a much-needed comedy break. “Saturday Night Live” returns Oct. 3, to NBC.

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Screenshot of Among Us gameplay

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ARTS + CULTURE Joji stuns with the release of his sophomore album, "Nectar" SANTÉ DYBOWSKI Staff Reporter

Joji has continued his quick rise to fame after dropping his second studio album titled “Nectar” on Sept. 25. The once social media star and creator of the 2013 Harlem Shake dance released the 18-song album with features from artists such as Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo, and Diplo.

After the release of his first album in 2018 titled “Ballads 1,” which went number 1 on the Billboard R&B charts, fans had high expectations for the project. He continued with his tailored R&B sound that left many people in awe, but he also has been criticized for being too repetitious with his style.

One of the main songs on the album “Gimme Love” made its rise to fame on the app TikTok earlier this year and was an instant hit. The album

is expected to sell around 60,000 to 75,000 copies within the first week, which would land him on the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Joji has his own unique sound and style in his music that separates him from many other artists. His psychedelic-esque love songs with upbeat and meaningful lyrics have placed his music into a triphop or lo-fi genre. He says he gets a lot of inspiration on his sound from old science fiction movies.

His music faces a lot of skeptics because of its unique style. Before listening, I too had my speculations that all the songs were going to sound somewhat similar, however, I can confidently say that this is not the case. Every song tells its own unique story that anyone can relate to.

In an interview with Billboard, Joji discussed his sci-fi influence. He stated, “Every three or four years some director drops an insane sci-fi movie, one we all collectively look at and say, ‘Damn, that’s crazy.’ I love exploring these ‘what if?’ otherworldly concepts. Now that there’s so much CGI, people jump to the action and ignore the story, and now that movies are coming out at a faster rate, it's harder to find the gems.”

This album definitely shows how bright the future of this young artist is. After only making music for a few short years he has already become one of the biggest artists in the world.

“Nectar” is one of Joji’s best projects to date, which sets the bar high for whenever we hear from him next. This album is a must listen and sparks anticipation for what’s to come from Joji in the future.

“Nectar” is one of Joji’s best projects to date, which sets the bar high for whenever we hear from him next.

Joji's album, Nectar INTERNET PHOTOS

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THE LEADER

10.06.20

ARTS + CULTURE Super Mario 3D AllStars brings immense joys and nostalgia

pecting you to know what to do just by reading the name of the level. Conversely, at the start of every level “Sunshine” gives you a visual cue for where you’re supposed to go, one that fills the player with excitement and boosts the replayability tenfold.

ANDREW CRIPE Film Critic

4 OUT OF 5 STARS “Super Mario 64,” “Super Mario Sunshine,” and “Super Mario Galaxy” all managed to be standouts in years with vast catalogs of instant classics. The three Marios in this 35th Anniversary Compilation for Nintendo Switch are important titles that are being packaged together for full-price on store and eShop shelves, but in a cringey attempt at raking in as much cash as possible, Nintendo has put a FOMO-inducing time limit on how long the collection will be available to buy (you have until the end of March 2021). This is slimy because they are not-so-gently nudging everybody who is simply thinking about buying the collection to hurry up and purchase it, or else the decision will be made for them.

That smack of desperation is the most unattractive thing about this release. Add to it the fact that the presentation is flaccid. When you load “3D All-Stars” up, it exerts zero effort to transport you.

You get a brief jingle from “Mario Galaxy” then are abruptly brought to the selection screen. You also have the option to listen to the Koji Kondo soundtracks, which is… Okay? Obviously the music is legendarily beautiful and catchy, but let’s acknowledge how nobody boots up their Switch on a Friday night for the sole purpose of blasting decades-old Mario music they’ve already looped a billion times on YouTube.

So how do these “All-Stars” hold up in 2020?

Starting from the first, I sometimes enjoyed “Super Mario 64” (1996). Everything had charm-sprinkles on it; a bounciness to all the sights and sounds.

These stages, these songs, these labyrinthine settings continually urge you to discover, play, and push Mario to his limit, even though Mario’s limit becomes apparent as soon as you reach the higher-stages of each level.

The controls and camera are broken by modern standards. As more gymnastic efforts were required of Mario to get the tougher stars, cameraman Laiku made it his goal to drive me insane with his dull “erm erm” sound everytime I tried to maneu-

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ver the camera. This hindrance kneecapped my momentum every other second.

And then there’s the controls. Too often when I was on narrow ledges or gangplanks, I had to put Mario in the prone position to turn him around, because steering him with even the gentlest analog-stick-flick makes this clumsy bastard swerve to his death. Even with all the necessary concessions you have to make to a 24-year-old game, this is decidedly un-Mario behavior.

I’ve been talking to people who grew up with “64” about my deflating experience. I prod them for some secret answer to understanding the game, but even fans won’t deny its age-apparent issues: they love it because it is inextricably linked to who they are, not because it actually deserves to be championed as an enduring feat of gameplay.

“Super Mario Sunshine” is where things get interesting. Visually, this is the most fascinating game of the bunch. It is a bizarre, challenging, wonderful experience.

It shares the bones of its predecessor: the threejump super-flip, the backflip, the dive, the walljump. But the handling is so much smoother, and wielding the robot-water-shooter on Mario’s back (F.L.U.D.D., one of Nintendo’s finest moments & worst jokes) is endlessly satisfying. I was doing my best to make quick time of these games so I could write my review, but there were so many points I lost myself simply exploring the maps (especially the groovy hub world, “Delfino Plaza”), all of which are bursting with good vibes. And that’s the beauty of it: “Sunshine” shows you its best hand from the get-go, and rewards you with surprises and tools the more you play it. Every time you start it up will be a good time, even 18 years later.

The boss battles are undeniably repetitive, but that’s the only thing I would call repetitive in this game. It follows “Mario 64’s” formula of adding a new purpose to the same map in order to get a new Star/Shine Sprite, but it drops the previous game’s infuriating, head-scratching system of ex-

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“Sunshine” was anchored to a financial floater of a system, but like the GameCube as a whole, it is an astonishing, original invitation to have fun. But speaking of the GameCube, “Sunshine” for the Switch is not compatible with that console’s controllers.

This is likely to rub some longtime fans the wrong way. Any folks who want to experience a personal favorite in as familiar a fashion as possible may want to just stick with their original copy.

Finally, we have “Super Mario Galaxy” (2007). After spending so many hours with the unrelatable “64” and the sometimes cruelly difficult “Sunshine” (for all the myriad pleasures, those “Secret Stages” are satanic), “Super Mario Galaxy” is the gaming equivalent of having somebody tell you they love you.

Every player who cherishes a title that is almost as old as them will tell you the same thing: graphics don’t matter, gameplay does. If improving upon “64’s” limitations was the motto for “Sunshine’s” production, endless variety was “Galaxy’s.” The baffling fact that this game doesn’t look nearly as gorgeous as “Sunshine” isn’t even a complaint, but a testament to what an incredible, addictive stand-alone experience “Galaxy” is.

Playing this old Wii game with a next-tech Pro Controller is a slick ride. There were levels that looked threatening, but I was relieved and delighted by the ease of movement with the Pro Controller, like when I had to motion-control Mario as he ran atop a Monkey Ball-thing on a platform full of holes. So the motion controls are tip-top, and if you want to play it handheld, you can tap the screen to catch starbits. If you’re not on public transit, this is more convenient than it sounds.

There are so many levels, so many unique boss fights, so many star-bits to wave the controller at (which, so many hours later, still hasn’t gotten old for me), so many curious challenges and artistic leaps forward that the age totally drips away from “Galaxy.” This is a ride whose scale for failure isn’t financial, but whether or not you valued the moments it gave you. 13 years later, I think you still will.

The best part of this collection is seeing how each game learned and evolved from the last, never appearing like a clone but a cosmic leap forward.

Overall, having this collection in your library is a great idea if you don’t own these games — there are still many immense joys to be had — but if you already do, I don’t see the point in buying them again just because Nintendo told you to.

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OPINIONS Editorial

Improve the quarantine system for residential students In this issue of The Leader, an interview was conducted with a student who went through the process of being quarantined on campus. It is disappointing to find out that the process was so complicated and even unsafe for those in the community. Better is expected from the university.

While the student mentioned in the story may have been one of the first people in need of a quarantined room, that is still no excuse for the poor treatment this student received. The university had enough time over the summer to figure out the logistics, and they should have expected a need for quarantined rooms.

Even though this student tested negative, they were put in a West Hall suite with their roommate who tested positive. This makes it so the student was more susceptible to catching the virus, hence their personal safety seemed to not be prioritized.

An expectation for any student moving into a new room is for it to be clean. The fact that this room was not properly cleaned is concerning even outside of a pandemic.

Since the beginning, the CDC has been urging the public to wash their hands with antibacterial soap as a means to protect oneself. However, these students were thrown into a suite, where one tested positive and the other negative, without any way to wash their hands to limit the spread of germs.

In fact, according to the student, there was hardly anything in the room provided to them that they needed to take care of themselves, such as a refrigerator, microwave, or even garbage cans to properly prepare, store, or dispose of food. These are especially important for students that cannot utilize communal kitchens — and not tempt them to potentially break quarantine rules just so they could take care of themselves.

The process of receiving food at least seemed to be somewhat in order, with a sufficient selection of food and communication if something was not available. The student did express disappointment in the time needed to allocate to receive food, so there is still room for improvement in that sector to more efficiently bring food to students who depend on it for their safety and the safety of others.

At least the food staff checked in with the quarantined students. While the logistics of how things were handled were horrifying to hear, the fact that the student was left to feel so neglected emotionally is the most startling.

The fact that this student felt so isolated and uncertain about what was happening throughout the process is not acceptable. A vulnerable student already going through a terrifying situation should not have it be amplified by the university.

Students who have to go through this deserve proper care throughout, from Housing and Residence Life all the way to the chairs of the COVID-19

Task Force. They should not feel like they are only being cared for when the big bosses are watching.

Being not responsive to them, The Leader, or anybody else who has COVID-19 related issues is frankly irresponsible and dangerous in nature when the whole campus community needs to be on the same page to make sure these issues are taken care of properly.

Hopefully, this was just a fluke and other students having to be quarantined on campus are experiencing better and more effective treatment. But going forward, the university needs to be held more accountable for taking care of its students during this time — for the sake of everyone’s safety.

Letter to Editor Submitions Letters to the editor can be submitted below or sent to leadernewsec@gmail.com. Letters must include your full name and Elmhurst College affiliation. All letters should be 300 words or less in length. The editors retain the right to edit letters before publication. Don’t forget to spell-check! The Leader is the student-run newspaper speaking to students, faculty and administrators of Elmhurst College. The Leader is not submitted to any person or organization for prior approval. The contents are the decision of the editor in agreement with the editorial board. Opinions expressed in The Leader do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or its staff , and are not intended to represent those of the College at large. All text, photos and art cannot be reproduced withoutdirect permission of The Leader.

JASMINE LILLIS — Cartoonist

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THE LEADER

10.06.20

SPORTS EU sports indefinitely postponed JOSLYN GALEAZ Staff Reporter

Sports practices on campus continue with safety protocols NIKLAS FAULK Staff Reporter COVID-19 has left its mark on the athletic world, including collegiate sports. Back in March — before schools were forced to transition to online learning — spring sports were canceled, and there was a void that would remain until August.

Near the start of the 2020 Fall semester, Elmhurst University President Troy VanAken held virtual press conferences announcing the return to campus. Included in these press conferences were the guidelines and steps for athletic teams and clubs to safely return to practice. According to VanAken, teams will always be required to socially distance, and will be required to wear facemasks.

Temperature checks will also be mandatory.

Photo from Elmhurstbluejays.com Fall sports at Elmhurst University have been postponed until further notice due to COVID-19 restrictions. Elmhurst athletics will continue to follow the directives from local and national authorities, to explore competition opportunities for fall sports and student-athletes.

“I think we were all disappointed initially when we heard we would not be able to play our season this fall,” stated Jeff McDonald, EU head football coach. “However, the health and safety of our student-athletes always comes first, so we completely understand the reasoning behind the decision.”

With extra practice time this fall, the Elmhurst football team is hopeful that incoming athletes will spend more time connecting with the returning students.

“I feel that having our season in the spring this year is in the best interest for everyone. I don’t think this is a big setback for our team because all of the other schools in our league are doing it as well,” said Ryan Brenner, sophomore football punter.

“It also gives us more time to improve and integrate our new players into our team so we can play our best, come game time,” explained Brenner.

Similarly, for student athletes, the time buffer allows for more time in the weight room.

“Right now we focus on working out, practicing, and taking advantage of this extra time given to

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us,” shared Taylor Fuchs, member of women’s golf.

The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin has been tasked with exploring competition opportunities for fall sports to compete in the spring while maintaining full conference competition for the spring sports. Decisions about the possibility of fall sports officially competing in the spring will be announced at a later date.

“We are now training to get ready for the spring season,” said Preston Chartier, freshman men’s soccer goalkeeper. “I think it’s great because I can continue to work hard to get myself ready and finetune my performance for the upcoming season.”

Currently, Langhorst Field and stadium, the tennis courts, R.A. Faganel Hall gym, and the weight room are all open for limited use. Social distancing and mask-wearing protocols have been put in place. There is also a limit of twenty people in the weight room at once. Each facility has a sanitation cart where students are required to clean all the equipment they use.

Wendy McManus, director of athletics, is optimistic about the EU sports returning and offers encouragement to student athletes during this time. “How do we move forward? We begin to prepare for our return. We focus on our academics. We train like we never trained before. We engage with each other.

We come back stronger than ever,” she declared.

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Although Fall sports were officially postponed by the CCIW, the university is making progress for sports to eventually continue. According to Hector Quintero, member of the EU wrestling team, the school is going about practicing safety measures to make sure that sports can safely return in the future.

Quintero mentioned EU wrestlers are holding workouts in smaller groups. Only a few teammates at a time can lift together. They are also holding limited open mat sessions where only eight people at a time can participate.

When it comes to monitoring COVID-19 testing and preventing the spread, all university athletes were required to download an app called “Helper Helper,” which requires athletes to fill out forms and report their daily symptoms.

Jared Szaltis, track and field hurdler, also stated that the track team will be split into groups of 10 people or less.

“We will also have practices split up by event-specific practices to allow for the different groups to be on opposite ends of the field to help follow social distance guidelines,” said Szaltis.

Szaltis also mentioned that the locker rooms are locked, so athletes must change in and out of their uniforms in their dorms or when they get home.

Szaltis thinks positively in the protocols and their ability to bring back sports safely.

“I believe the athletic department is doing a great job thus far in helping bring back sports and prevent the possibility of an outbreak beginning on campus,” said Szaltis.

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