The Leader October 6, 2015

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THE LEADER

VOL. October 6,10, 2015 THE AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT ELMHURST COLLEGE. VOL. 48 50 SEPTEMBER 2013

EC yoga club hosts fundraiser at Panera

Who’s that soccer girl?

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Miriam Pawel discusses Chavez’s legacy corinne demyanovich staff writer On Sept. 30 Elmhurst College hosted an Intercultural lecture with Miriam Pawel as the feature speaker; in which she spoke on the impact of Chavez’s activist work and yet how his legacy is diminishing. Though he’s a famous figure to many, he died in 1993 and has seemingly become less relevant. “Everywhere I go, people have heard of him and they know he has something to do with farm workers,” Pawel said, “but they don’t know much beyond that.” She was motivated to keep those memories and important moments in history alive, as well as to provide more scholarly research on Chavez and the UFW movement. Pawel has dedicated the last decade to research on Chavez producing two books on his legacy. “There’s so much we could all learn from the movement, as it had changed so many people’s lives, and that was such a powerful force,” she said. “Unfortunately, after reaching great success in the 1980s, the UFW fell apart after members of it couldn’t agree on whether it wanted to be a union or a movement. Certainly after Chavez

died, the UFW diminished further.” Regardless, Pawel sees Chavez’s involvement as legendary. “He was a remarkable person because of the degree of which he was willing to sacrifice everything and the rest of his life for the cause.” As a powerful movement of social justice, she felt that his story needed to be told. She told a student during the Q&A session that Chavez would plan to spend a day on the weekend with his children, but would often have to back out on those plans because he was the face of the movement. Though he felt bad for putting the movement first, it was that discipline as a leader that made him so great. “I don’t think a lot of people are willing to do that,” Pawel concludes. Working in Californian farms as a youth, Chavez discovered, first hand, how poorly the farm workers were treated. Fed up, he became the voice and the face of the farm workers, who demanded better pay and working conditions. As a grassroots leader, Chavez formed what is now the United Farm Workers (UFW), to fight for fair pay and treatment.

Photo by Corinne Demyanovich Pawl’s lecture in the Founders Lounge emphasizes the impact of Chavez’s legacy and activism work.

One favorite topic of research for Pawel is the California table grapes boycott. Workers in the grape fields were fed up that they were receiving poor pay and working in terrible conditions. They traveled across the country and spread the word to not buy their grapes. They even asked people to stop shopping at the stores altogether who sold those grapes. According to Paw-

el it was one of the most successful boycotts in the history for farm workers “It was such a powerful movement for social justice,” she said. Published in 2014, The Crusades of Cesar Chavez has amassed many awards and praise. Of the praise, Pawel says that she’s simply happy that there’s now something to read on Chavez and the movement .

“I felt like the absence of any kind of scholarly work on him was one reason that people didn’t know who he was.” After two books, Pawel is satisfied that she has reimagined Chavez as a leader and legend, and hopes that from now on he will never be forgotten.

UA Alpha Phi video receives mixed review

Internet Photo Alpha Phi members in the video that was categorized as anti-feminist and hyper-feminine by some.

Saaniya ahmed staff writer After sorority girls from the University of Alabama filmed an Alpha Phi recruitment video, a video accused of neglecting minorities and being anti-feminist, sorority life faces continuous attacks from social critics.

The structure is fairly common among sororities for a recruitment video, but the women of the Beta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi encountered much unprecedented backlash for it. On Aug. 25 writer and online editor A.L. Bailey posted an article on blogging website, AL, criticizing the video and its lack

of diversity and substance. "It's all so racially and aesthetically homogeneous and forced, so hyper-feminine, so reductive and objectifying, so Stepford Wives: College Edition. It's all so ... unempowering,” Bailey wrote. The University of Alabama apologized for the video in an official statement but its creator,

Griffin Meyer, did not. He defended his work, stating to the Hollywood Reporter that "this video is not for politically sensitive adults who immediately associate eating a Popsicle with sex.” In response to the backlash, the University of Alabama deleted, or made private, all of Alpha Phi’s social networking sites and removed the original video from YouTube. Meyer does not believe it should have been removed from the Internet. "Deleting the video made the criticism seem legitimate and made it seem like something was actually wrong with the video,” he said. “It seems like the news channels thought they could make an easy story about a southern sorority being 'racist,' so that's exactly why it blew up.”

Many sorority women, including Dana Eble, online writer and member of Sigma Kappa, support Meyer’s perspective and argue that Bailey's criticisms are contradictory to her feminist ideologies, as she puts down an entire group of women in order to "empower" the rest. “Hyper-feminine or not, every kind of woman has just as much of a desire and right to be respected and taken seriously as any other person,” she wrote in an article on theoddysseyonline. “It's sexist and misogynistic to encourage one group of women and shame another,” she said. “Sorority women are judged harsher [than those not in a sorority], and made to feel like they have to avoid being a walking stereotype.” Continued on page 5


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Is going green too expensive?

Internet Photo Volkswagen’s failure to comply with emission regulation costs the company billions

Gianfranco Ocampo news editor Volkswagen, one of the largest automakers in the world, has re-

cently been exposed in a scandal that cost them over eighteen billion dollars and their reputation as an environmentally safe company. The company has been cheating

on diesel emission tests in the U.S. with the aid of specially designed software. The German company has gotten away with releasing forty times the legal amount of toxic emission into the atmosphere for seven years. Due to the Clean Air Act, the legal emission levels in the US are higher than those in Europe, which means European companies must follow stricter guidelines in the production of automotive vehicles in order to comply with the rigidity of US laws. Volkswagen was hoping to reduce their costs while complying with the act. This was in the hopes of maintaining their reputation as an environmentally sound company by cheating the US regulation tests. Instead,they are now facing over eleven billion dollars in fines and penalties, according to the Wall Street Journal and caused a sizable 20 percent decline in Volkswagen stocks alongside estimated billions in pending fines from various organizations. According to IndustryWeek, the

automotive industry “retains very strong influence and importance” as it is one of the “major industrial and economic [forces] worldwide,” as well as the sixth largest economy in the world. Karl-Heinz Florenz, a member of the European Parliament, told the New York Times why the company was able to get away with it for years. “The answer is very simple: The car industry has been too powerful,” he said. It is now becoming increasingly difficult for one company to “keep up” and compete with others without a compelling selling point that separates it from the rest. For the Volkswagen Group, this selling point was their emphasis on eco-friendly vehicles. It appealed especially to consumers hoping to decrease their carbon footprint on the world. Elon Musk, CEO of American automotive company Tesla Motors, sees the Volkswagen scandal as a learning opportunity. “What Volkswagen is really

showing is that we've reached the limit of what's possible with diesel and gasoline,” he said. He adds in a statement, "The time I think has come to move to a new generation of technology," referencing his electrical cars. Tesla Motors, however, produces luxury cars that are priced considerably higher than most Volkswagen models, resulting in a higher profit, and thus more revenue. As a result the company has more money to spend than Volkswagen, most of which is used to fuel the “green” ideologies Tesla Motors was founded upon. Ashley Scarpa, a Volkswagen Passat diesel owner, expressed her disappointment to The Guardian. “Lowering my carbon footprint was major for me and was a selling point, so I’m really upset,” she stated. “I’m disgusted that I have to drive my polluting vehicle two hours on the freeway.” Scarpa, like many Volkswagen owners, is hopeful that reimbursement for her inconvenience is a possibility.

#Piggate trends amid British Prime Minister controversy Corinne Demyanovich staff writer British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was involved in a recent controversy concerning a pig and his genitals. It is rumored that he “inserted a private part of his anatomy” into a dead pig’s mouth. Inspirting memes, gifs, and many mocking tweets, the story went viral on the Internet last week with the hashtag #piggate. The alleged incident took place at Oxford University where a young Cameron was part of a secret, male-only society called the Piers

Gaveston Society. It has not yet been confirmed as true, but the story is still gathering a lot of attention, making fun of Cameron for this absurd allegation. The controversy broke the Daily Mail, a somewhat unreliable British tabloid. However, the story comes from a recently published unauthorized biography about Cameron, titled “Call Me Dave”. The author, Michael Ashcroft, is a conservative politician and businessman who got the story from an unidentified source who went to Oxford. The unidentified man, however, claims to have only seen a photo of the in-

cident. It’s a weird story, but it gets even weirder when the Internet made a connection to a British television show. In 2011. “Black Mirror” aired an episode that shows the British Prime Minister having sex with a pig on live television in order to fulfill a ransom. The show’s creater, Charlie Brooker, took to Twitter to clarify that this a pure coincidence, and that he has no knowledge of the event. Regardless, this may be the weirdest “gate” scandal yet.

Internet Photo British Prime Minister David Cameron faces accusations for having sex with a dead pig.

Pope Francis visits Washington D.C. Sarah astra editor-in-chief Pope Francis visited Washington D.C. last week and met with a former gay student of his at the Vatican

The awardwinning student newspaper at Elmhurst College

Embassy. The former student, Yayo Grassi, was accompanied with his partner of 19 years, Iwan Bagus, as well as other individuals of Grassi’s family. The couple met with the pope on

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Sept. 23 after his meeting with Kim Davis. Grassi, a student of Pope Francis’ over 50 years ago at an Argentinian school, reflected on his experience with the pope, saying that he did

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not expect the meeting. “He called me on the phone and he told me that he would love to give me a hug in Washington,” he said to The New York Times. The meeting with Davis was

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Gianfranco Ocampo news editor

EC garden to become Monarch Waystation

Internet Photo Elmhurst College’s Bluejay Oasis is to officially be recognized as a Monarch Waystation

The Bluejay Oasis, a butterfly garden on the Elmhurst College

campus, will officially be dedicated as a Monarch Waystation

on Oct. 8. The Elmhurst college website

reported that the conservation group, Monarch Watch, recognized the EC garden as a Monarch Waystation. As a Monarch Waystation the garden’s habitat will provide food for the butterflies to help the species expand upon generations including: geraniums, goldenrod, sedge and milkweed. It will also play a part in their migration from the U.S and Canada to Mexico during the winter. “The garden offers an oasis for monarchs,” says Paul Hack, grounds and maintenance supervisor to the office of communications and public affairs. “They can hone in on the plants they need, take a stop, and then keep flying on their route,” he

said. The ceremony will also invite Sandy Feit, the education site manager at the Willbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, to speak on the significance of these waystations and other methods to help them survive. “The Butterfly Oasis is providing a habitat, it’s providing a food source, and it’s providing a great source of pollination for other plants around it,” says biology major Michael Stuart, ’16, who spent the summer working in the garden alongside biology professor Paul Arriola. “The garden is beautiful, but what’s most important is what it does for monarch butterflies,” he said.

EC Democrats elect new president The Elmhurst College Democrats, after failing to have an election for a new executive board last spring due to low numbers elected new president Faiza Ikram on Sept. 24. The former president of the club, Pat Ackerman, stepped down from the presidency last term to allow a new president to be elected alongside a new executive board. “I wanted to give new students that came in this fall an opportunity to be a leader within the group. Had we ran the elections in spring, it would have shut out that segment going into the year,” Ackerman said. “As each leader leaves, a new one steps up and takes things to levels you would have never dreamed of. I know all three of the people who have taken leadership roles in the College Democrats will do awesome work and take the College Democrats to heights I have never imagined. I am very proud of all of them.” Ikram, who had run for the vice president position at the previous spring term, was one of the candidates who had to wait for the next term before the EC Democrats could run elections again. “It was a little disappointing, I wanted the elections to happen last spring, but at least we got the elections now and are finally at full swing,” Ikram said. Over the summer both Ikram and Ackerman focused their attention on getting more members for the club in order to have a sizable presence for

the next term. Both members worked with the University of Chicago’s Democrats in the hopes of getting more merchandise. They were given leftovers that included shirts, pens, flyers, and bumper stickers. With the organizations new members the group was able to elect a vice president and treasurer, sophomores Kat Hoyk and Magdalena Martinez. Both are new members to the organization and attended its first meeting on Sept. 10, where they were told the spots were open to run for. “I want to get involved in politics early, in the future I do want to run for office,” Hoyk said. “I want to get involved as soon as possible and be in a position other than just a club member.” For the first meeting with the new president, the executive board have begun making plans for their first meeting. “For the first meeting, she [Ikram] sent out an email asking about topics for discussion at the meeting with items such as the Iran deal, Planned Parenthood, gun control, or the election,” Hoyk said. Ikram also hopes to increase the number of members at the club, despite the increase they received in membership . “I’m not satisfied with the amount of students that we have, I hope to change that,” she said. Both Hoyk and Ikram are hopeful to still have Ackerman as a general member of the

Photo by Pat Ackerman Picture left to right: Ikram (President), Hoyk (Vice President), Martinez (Treasurer)

group, having had all positions in the executive board since 2012. “They never have to hesitate to reach out to me when they want advice or to pick my brains on running a group

like the College Democrats or leadership in general,” Ackerman said. “I have been in all three executive positions, and am the last member of the group who has been there Advertisement

since we were recognized in October 2012, so I feel I have a lot of knowledge to pass on.”


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EC yoga club hosts fundraiser at Panera Evely Ortiz staff writer The Elmhurst College Yoga Club held its first fundraising event of the year at Panera Bread, located on York and North Avenue on Sept. 24 in an attempt to bring awareness to the organization. The club invited EC students to enjoy a meal at Panera Bread in which a percentage of a student’s meal would be passed on to the club. “For our first fundraising event, we thought it went rather well. There was a total of $387.45 of sales and we received 15% of that, which was $58.12. We were very happy with Panera and their cooperation throughout the whole thing,” said Anthony Patricelli, coordinator of the event. The most notable participants were those from the Yoga Club and other campus organizations like Greek Life. The fundraiser was aimed to help students with registration fees, as it costs $40 to join the club. However, Patricelli explains that the purpose of the event was not only to raise money, but to spread the word of the club’s presence.

“It [the fundraiser] was to raise money, but we’re also focusing on developing further relationships with the members of Yoga Club and let people know that the club is here at Elmhurst College. We’re providing this service and club for all the students and faculty,” says Patricelli. The Yoga Club was founded last January and focuses on providing students with a stress free environment. “What I would really like for our group to achieve is just to create an atmosphere that everybody can belong to and enjoy that is stress free, relaxing, and comfortable. It’s kind of like a way to get away mentally and reduce stress and feel good,” says Gina Cesario, president and founder of the club. The Yoga Club first began with 24 members and has doubled in size this semester, with a total of 50 members. Advertising and word of mouth has helped the club gain attraction. “A lot of people who were in our club last semester really enjoyed it. I got very positive feedback through surveys and talking about it [the club]. We had a lot of returning members so that was

Internet Photo EC yoga club works with Panera Bread and manages to raise money for itself

really good. I can see it catching,” said Cesario. The club focuses on team building, providing students with yoga sessions from CorePower and Yoga by Degrees, and meditation. “We accept anyone whether you’re advanced, intermediate, or haven’t done yoga ever in your life. We accept anybody and that’s something I would really want to sustain throughout the years.

Flexibility is such a small part of yoga, it’s definitely more than that,” explained Cesario. The club plans on holding other fundraisers throughout the year at businesses like Chipotle, Brewpoint Coffee, and Pie Five Pizza Co., although nothing is set in stone. Cesario and Patricelli hope that these events will continue to help the club gain traction throughout the semester and be-

come a vital part of the Elmhurst College community. “I think as the club develops throughout the semester it’s going to have a positive impact on this campus. It’s not only a donation for the yoga club, it’s a donation for the well-being of Elmhurst College students,” said Patricelli.

Amnesty policy offers protection Chrissy croft opinions editor If your next all-out rager goes south, you might want to call Campus Security for some assistance. To make it less intimidating, the College has a Medical Amnesty Policy that protects students from repercussions when seeking assistance in an alcohol or drug-related emergency. According to the E-book, students who call Campus Security or seek help from an authority figure, including a staff member or Residence Advisors, will not face punishment from EC. The Medical Amnesty policy covers both the person in need of medical assistance and their transport. There are exceptions to the policy, including possession of drugs that are meant for sale or distribution, leaving the student unattended after making the call, and violating other policies aside from those related to substance abuse violations. The Medical Amnesty Policy applies to all EC students whether they are on or off campus. According to an email interview with Jeff Kedrowski, executive director of security and emergency management at EC, the need for the policy was implemented in 2014 "It was intended to ensure that students do not ignore someone in medical distress out of fear of consequences at the College," he said. The Elmhurst Police Department may still issue underage drinking fines or carry out an arrest. "Those who are consuming alcohol while under 21 are still

subject to arrest by the Elmhurst police," said Kedrowski. "Our experience is that someone who is transported by ambulance due to overindulgence of alcohol will be cited by EPD." Quinn Lyding, EC junior and second year Resident Advisor, supported the policy in an email interview with The Leader, despite the prospect of legal trouble. "Regardless of the EPD's level of involvement ... I think the Amnesty Policy is a great way to encourage students to help their fellow students," she said. While Lyding is required to know campus policies as an RA, some students may not be aware and decide against seeking medical aid, even in dire circumstances. Jenny (name changed to protect privacy), a current student at EC, experienced an alcohol-related emergency before the policy was enacted . In an interview with The Leader, she described an experience that she needed the assistance from the amnesty policy. "I blacked out and woke up in the hospital with a drinking ticket next to me," she said. According to Jenny, her friends contacted Campus Security, and she was transported by Caroline Krause, assistant director of campus security, to the hospital. She praised Krause's level of care throughout the difficult experience. "Caroline did a lot for me. She really wanted to make sure that I was okay and that I wasn't going to be freaked out," she said. She went on to say that she supports the policy, but students need to be told about it more directly to make it more effective.

"It's just that no one knows about it," she said. "If they told us about it, it would be a lot better." EC senior Morgan Eckley, who is 21, said that she would still call 911 in an emergency if she were not of legal drinking age. Prior to the interview, she knew about the Medical Amnesty Policy. "I didn't know that name," she said. "But I remember Caroline Krause talked about it once." Rachel Burnison, another senior at EC, asserted that students need to look out for each other regardless of potential legal consequences. "Even if they did get in trouble, it would be less than the repercussion of not calling," she said in response to the possibility of intervention from

the EPD. Kedrowski reported that there have been three alcohol-related medical transports this school year alone. "That number is a little higher than usual for this time of year, and is concerning to us," he said. "It reflects better decision making on the part of the person who was consuming alcohol, and opportunities for friends to intervene before someone gets to the point of inebriation." It is unclear whether this reflects a greater alcohol problem on the EC campus, or a heightened awareness regarding who needs help and when it's appropriate to make the call. The optimistic view of the latter might also

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point to the Promoting Campus Safety Training that all students were told to complete prior to the start of Fall classes. The online training, an approximately 90-minute long module about Title IX regulations, also included a segment on drug and alcohol safety. The Medical Amnesty Policy itself was not highlighted on the final examination required to complete the module, but it did outline tips for safer drinking practices. With all of this in mind, it is important that students familiarize themselves with EC policies as well as state and federal laws before choosing to throw the biggest bash of the semester.


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Alpha Phi continued from page 1 Saaniya ahmed staff writer Although this is a large-scale issue, it is not the first time Pan-Hellenic sororities have been faced with such criticism. Sorority women are often represented in the media a certain way due to prevalent stereotypes. Elizabeth Doyle, the associate director of student activities and director of fraternity and sorority life at Elmhurst College, believes it is pointless to give into these stereotypes. “I don’t have to name the stereotypes,” she said. “To me, successful chapters and communities understand that there will always be stereotypes, but choose to focus their energy on closing the gap between stated values and action. That’s where members have control and opportunity for improvement.”

“Greek life at Elmhurst College proves to consistently be the best indicator of retention for first year students who register for their second year of classes and the community cumulative grade point average is consistently competitive with the all-student cumulative grade point average,” she said. Doyle also addressed the growing criticism that the perception of Greek Life also requires conditions to be met in regards to physical appearance, race, and social class. “Each semester we continue to host a community that is reflective of the Elmhurst College student body,” she said. “Our goal is to continue hosting an inclusive fraternity and sorority community that is reflective of the Elmhurst College student body.” Doyle believes Greek Life is an integral aspect of the campus community at Elmhurst College.

Internet Photo An Alpha Phi member in the video that was categorized as anti-feminist and hyper-feminine by some.

“I think that what makes Greek Life at Elmhurst College special is that we have members who genuinely want to share their experience,” she said. “It's a lifestyle fu-

eled by the desire to grow and lead through leadership, service, scholarship, and community. That's what we have here at Elmhurst College. I think that the fraternity/sorority

community, along with our other wonderful student organizations, is what makes Elmhurst College come to life.”

Trans discussion arises at SAI convention Sarah astra editor-in-chief Imagine people crying and walking out of a convention because the topic of including transgender individuals in a group surfaced. Now you know what Elmhurst College’s Carrie Nielsen and Olivia Kuenster experienced when they attended the annual National Convention for Sigma Alpha Iota over the summer. This annual convention, held in 2015 in St. Louis from July 23-27, discussed the topic of transgender individuals because two collegiate chapters of the women’s fraternity expressed issue with the current Transgender Policy of SAI, according to a letter sent out to the SAI Collegiate and Alumnae Chapters on Feb. 20, 2015. According to Nielsen, the president of EC’s Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) chapter, when the subject came up, older members of the audience be-

gan crying. One member of the audience left the room, slamming the door and cried in the hallway, yelling, “What has SAI come to?” to the audience before her departure, according to Kuenster, the EC SAI treasurer. With the changing times, and transgender individuals seeking equal rights, SAI has attempted to keep up and brought this issue to discussion at the convention. The reaction to the conversation confused individuals at the event, especially the EC students who attended the event. “It was shocking to me,” said Nielsen in an interview. “The issue of transgender individuals has been here for a while and I just never really thought about it until the convention.” Other students were proud of the fact that SAI brought up this discussion and that the women’s fraternity

is debating changing their rules. “I thought it was awesome,” Kuenster said in an interview. “It’s great that people our age are lobbying for this. It’s progressive … we need a change.” This is not the first time that the topic of transgender individuals has come up. In the last year in Fall 2014, there was an individual, Sanjay, who was first initiated as a woman but then went through physical transitions to become a man. This individual was then re-initiated as a man, bearing the title “Friend of the Arts,” a common title that is used for “a man or a woman who is supportive of and actively involved in the arts at a local or regional level”, according to the SAI bylaws. The bylaws also state “Sigma Alpha Iota does not discriminate against women students on the

basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, political belief, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.” While this does cover a broad range, it does not mention transgender issues at all and only specifies that women students cannot be discriminated against. According to the letter sent to SAI Collegiate and Alumnae Chapters, the convention was in order to only discuss, not change any bylaws, inviting members who self-identify as women to join the women’s fraternity. Bylaws can only change with a two-thirds majority vote, according to the current bylaws in place. Many fraternities and sororities around the country are becoming more inclusive to transgender individuals. According to CampusPride.org, LGBTQ-friendly fraternities include Zeta Tau Zeta, a gender neutral fraternity founded in 1926,

and Theta Delta Sigma, which was founded in 2001 on the grounds of being a national, gender-inclusive and multicultural organization, to name a few. SAI is not alone, other sororities have attempted to change and keep up with the transitioning times. And there are some potentially hopeful changes on the SAI agenda, according to Nielsen. She commented on the fact that the EC chapter of SAI is trying to be as inclusive as possible to transgender individuals. “We are identifying them how they want to be identified,” she said. “Things are changing.”

Small business advocacy campaigning for budget change

Photo courtesy of Nora Georgieva Citizens attending the event at the Farmer’s Market in Rolling Meadows.

Nora Georgieva staff writer In the light of the current budget crisis in Illinois, Small Business Advocacy Council launched a campaign starting with a canvasing event to bring awareness about the issue at the Farmers’ Markets around the Chicagoland area, on Sept 26. The politicians of Illinois have not

passed a budget, which will affect all citizens. Some of the affected citizens will undoubtedly include college students as tuition and fees are likely to be increased. It is also possible that grant funds will stay the same or become unavailable. EC has already dealt with some very abrupt cuts in staffing, shuttle buses, and housing due to EC’s depleting, this state crisis could create further problems on campus.

It is estimated that 5,000 teachers will lose their job due to this budget crisis by Thanksgiving around the state. Although the budget was supposed to be passed in July, there has not been one passed yet, creating a quickly forming avalanche of financial problems in the state. Currently, democrats are looking to raise taxes while republicans are looking for structural reform. As neither can come to agreement, the budget remains unpassed three months later. Regardless, both the republican and democratic parties agree that it is likely that taxes will be raised. “[The budget impasse] effects the most vulnerable, whether it is college students who need that extra help to put themselves through school, whether its children, autism programs, the elderly and now even veterans are being impacted” said Blanca Campos, COO of advocacy at SBAC.

This impasse has been at a full stop since July, and if it is not passed by December, it is estimated that the state will be up to $8.5 billion in backlog of bills. As of this point, more than a thousand students have not gotten their map grants due to the fact that state aid for schools are being impacted by this impasse. In addition, this budget crisis will have a bi-product of higher state and property taxes in Illinois, considering that Illinois was already the state with highest migration rate in 2014. “Businesses are choosing to leave Illinois because of the poor business environment. The stalemate just reinforces this perception. We need some successes to encourage businesses to come and do more business in Illinois” said Chuck Scharenberg, a business growth consultant for privately held businesses in the Chicagoland area. Although only 10 percent of peo-

ple are being affected by this, and those are the most needy(in need), but it will sooner rather than later be everyone’s problems that citizens themselves will have to fix and pay off. “Our generation is more aware of social service issues and there is a concern and passion for things like that” said Campos, “but students are obviously impacted because the people who didn’t get their map grant are the people who really need their money the most so right.” The SBAC is campaigning to make the difference and urge politicians to pass a budget so students and other citizens alike do not have to be further reprehended for the impasse. EC has lost a lot over the last year: a president, respected professors, even housing. This unresolved budget impasse will create further financial problems for EC and other colleges alike.


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SGA votes – for the love of politics or the love of pizza? If you wandered into the Founder’s Lounge at the right time and smelled pizza, you might have cast a vote in the Student Government Association (SGA) election two weeks ago. If so, you were given seven votes and shown a list of eight candidates. As you monotonously clicked on the names, you would have seen fellow students filling out their electronic ballot in less than a minute before moving on to the cheesy goodness. As you ate your pizza, you may have been thinking you did a great service to EC. Or, more likely, you were celebrating another free food score. Yes, here we go again questioning the procedures of the SGA. The last time we provided constructive criticism of SGA elections and meetings, SGA implemented new procedures to appease us. Unfortunately, it has not proved effective and we are found with issues once more. For starters, free pizza might sound like a great way to draw students in, but it also poses an issue regarding intention. Were students voting because they sincerely care about who gets to be on the SGA board, or did they just want to spare a few dollars on lunch? Chartwells can be pricy, but that’s another issue for, well, another issue. Even if the participating students were interested in the vote itself, there was no information provided about the candidates. Instead, voters were selecting from a list of first and last names. The result? You either vote for the people you recognize, or blindly click on seven names in hopes that you chose wisely. This doesn’t seem like the proper way to fill positions on a board that allocates approximately half a million dollars worth of student activity fees per year. Simply changing the voting system so that each candidate’s name is accompanied by a photo, short biography, and quote would at least give interested voters the option of forethought. Candidates should also be required to market themselves more publically in order to prove that they are worth the position. If someone won’t take the time to get their name heard on campus, they won’t take the time

to attend weekly meetings or fulfill committee obligations. With the voting system itself, it seems a simple shuffling of names on the ballot would have helped, reducing the chances that certain students get more votes based purely on the sequence of the furious clicks, even if the intention is missing. Holding votes on BlueNet, which can be confusing for some students to understand or locate, might also be a barrier between students and the vote itself. Using a more intitutive voting system that is easily sent in mass-emails and posted to social media might be the quick fix for a more accessible election. We would suggest that SGA also utilize their Facebook page to post candidate information, but their Facebook lacks an audience. Of the approximate 3,000 students at EC, only 286 have liked the Elmhurst College SGA page. We wrote an editorial on Sept. 23, 2014 calling SGA’s election into question, and found that the page only had 261 likes then. That was over a year ago, and the page has only gained 25 more followers. This shows a clear lack of PR and an underutilization of social media. If SGA plans on being relevant and beneficial for the student body, they need to increase their presence on campus and online. Speaking of Facebook, the image showing the newly inducted members of SGA only includes seven people. Where is the eighth? And why does such an important organization still have an empty seat on the board? Not to mention recent news that one of the seven inductees has already dropped since the photo was posted, now leaving two seats empty on the board. With all that said, the election does feel a bit pointless when there are more open spaces than candidates in the running. So we’ll just take the free pizza and forget about all those pesky issues on campus. Who really cares about the hundreds of thousands of dollars SGA is responsible for when they just saved us six bucks on lunch? We vote for cheesy bread next year. Oh, and the first seven names on the list, or whatever.

•Op-art•


opinions

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•Resistance•

Your imaginary closet

Chrissy croft opinions editor

In celebration of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, I would like for you to meet my closeted 14 year-old self. She’s not a confident queer woman, but rather a self-loathing young girl. She doesn’t fire back at oppression, but rather drowns in the convoluted language of her peers and family members. And, most importantly, she still isn’t straight. Although her identity is hidden beneath layers of fear and uncertainty, those parts of her are not erased. If anything, they make a deeper imprint, a lasting impression that she will hold for years to come. She follows behind me, a shadow of my past that I am not ashamed of, but that also doesn’t reflect the vibrancy of my actual identity. She hears what I hear. Sees what I see. But experiences it with reserve, unable to fully externalize the thoughts brewing in her overworked mind.

I needed to break free, and I continue to break free each time I meet someone who assumes everyone is straight. Last week, she overheard a group of students claim that their straight professor told them straight people have to come out. She winced as they explained how they have a coming out story like we do. She wept as they took away one of the most complex experiences of the queer community and made it their own. For people in our community, coming out is a highly individualized process. Some people live happily keeping their sexual orientation or gender identity a private matter, seeing the closet as a safe haven. Others, like myself, found the walls constraining and the ceiling too low. I needed to break free, and I continue to break free each time I meet someone who

assumes everyone is straight. Or, equally as troubling, when I meet someone who sees my clothes or hair and makes an assumption that I am abnomal. You see, that’s heteronormativity. That’s the part my 14 yearold closeted self wouldn’t be able to vocalize. That’s the word that explains why, no matter how badly straight people want to take stake in the happenings of Oct. 11, they never will have a coming out story. Queer people come out because everyone is assumed to be heterosexual or cisgender. We are all categorized based on a binary system that claims “boys like girls and girls like boys.” The coming out process does not end, even for people who would rather keep their sexual orientation or gender identity private. This is because the ideas of heteronormativity are saturated into our daily experiences as people.

Your proclamation of heterosexuality is dominance, it is privilege. Although a rudimentary explanation, I’m hoping this gets at the reason why straight people are not coming out. It doesn’t matter if someone asks you daily whether you are gay or straight, your response of “straight” is not coming out. If anything, it is distancing yourself from the people in the closets. Your proclamation of heterosexuality is dominance, it is privilege. That is not something to be ashamed of or to feel at fault for. It is, however, a shameful act to belittle those who face such high stakes for revealing their identity. It is an act of homophobia and transphobia to assume that your mockery of a coming out experience is wanted in our space, or any space meant to discuss our community. Sure, some allies face backlash for their support. Sure, some people are assumed to be a gender or sexual orientation that they are not. Sure, some people might have a hard time discussing their heterosexual love life. And I acknowledge that these are all a daily reality for certain people in a variety of communities. But coming out is our experience. It is our term. It is our language Please stop telling my 14 year-old shadow that you can relate to her. Because the simple truth is, your closet is imaginary. Hers was all too real.

October 6, 2015

•Modern Renaissance•

7

Don’t blame the victim

Sarah Astra editor-in-chief Almost every day, something new is released to the public in the Patrick Kane investigation. And every day, things look worse for the victim. With the new “mix-up” with the evidence bags, it seems as though the victim, and her mother’s, account of what happened is not lining up. I spoke with a friend of mine earlier this week about the case, and she perceives that each new development leads her to the conclusion that the victim is lying I’m not echoing this claim by saying that this victim is to blame in this instance, because only Kane and the woman know what happened in that room. Instead I want to explore how the blame a victim of sexual assault

receives from the media, members of the case, and sometimes even family members, creates a widely spread attitude in both victims and women around the world: even if someone comes forth with a sexual assault, that doesn’t mean something will be done about it. Simply checking the numbers shows just how horrifyingly common this issue is. “Right now, nearly one in five women in America has been a victim of rape or attempted rape,” President Barack Obama said this past February in a public service announcement. You don’t have to dig very deep to realize that those numbers are much higher than they should be. It is one of the saddest things in the world that women have to be hypervigilant in many settings that seem mundane. If a woman walks down the street with her cell phone in her hands, and she is harmed, the blame might fall on her. Society might tell her she should have been more careful … She should have done something more. So why is that? Why do we tell our women to be more careful, to be so vigilant of their bodies and of their surroundings to the point of being paranoid that someone is going to jump out and violate them? What I am saying is that the public doesn’t know what goes on when a person is sexually assaulted, so why do people think

•0 to 100•

they can judge the victim? If you’re not in the court proceedings, then you’re not in a place to make judgements. Without perfectly incriminating evidence, or some hidden camera that captures the entire crime, no one should be able to judge the victim and say that they did something wrong. Victims already have such a hard time coming forward, as shown in a study done by the Bureau of Justice. It is estimated that students who were sexually assaulted are 80 percent less likely to report the crime to the police as opposed to nonstudents, according to the study released on Dec. 11, 2014. While there is plenty of evidence against Kane’s alleged victim, this is a current example of a potential victim being blamed in a public setting. The public cannot judge whether Kane is innocent or guilty but they still believe that they have the power to accuse this woman, which only furthers the idea of victim blame in the case of sexual assault. Rather than blaming the victims for anything, the public can focus on training and responding to situations like this. Education is one course of action. Giving individuals the confidence to come forward and the assurance that they will not be blamed for such a tragic event is the primary issue worth focusing on.

White (fake) feminism long about whether the White Feminism phenomenon is real, if it’s something you should be worried about, and what to take into account when trying to identify it. But to make things simpler, I’m going to use selfproclaimed “feminist” Lena Dunham as an example of what White Feminism is and why it isn’t really feminism at all. Here we go.

You would think that someone who proclaims herself a die-hard feminist would remember to represent other types of women in her show.

Zakiyah Toor staff writer

What do you call a privileged white woman claiming to adhere to feminist principles while every thought, sentence, and action of hers proves otherwise? That’s right: a White Feminist. It is a thing, and I’m going to explain why. Many people believe it to be some sort of myth — things like White Privilege and White Feminism surely do not exist! Right? Wrong. I’m here to tell you that they very well do — the world is full of examples — and acknowledging them rather than denying them is crucial to understanding women and their struggles more clearly. We can get into it all day

Let’s start with her awful television show, “Girls”. Yes, that HBO one. Lena Dunham is supposedly the most enlightened feminist figure of our generation, yet her show focuses solely on the struggles of white women. You would think that someone who proclaims herself a die-hard feminist would remember to represent other types of women in her show. You would assume she would find it neccessary to push for diversity within the media she controls. Perhaps she forgot women of color exist, that silly Lena! Even worse, the writing is mediocre at best, falling flat on its face with poorly developed characters and dialogue.

It seems anything can win a Golden Globe these days. In her acceptance speech Best Actress in a Comedy series, Dunham said, “This is for any woman that’s felt like there wasn’t a space for her.” Right. Just like there is never any space for women of color when it comes to representation, especially in the media. If this was such a concern for her, surely her feminist instincts would have kicked in and she would have adamantly written fleshed out women of color? Again, maybe she just forgot. Maybe she just wanted a space for white women to further stretch their legs. It must be tough, after all. These are just a few examples of White Feminism which don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the entire issue — not even close. There are endless examples from popular media to individual actions to entire social justice movements. My main point is this: If your feminism is not all-inclusive, if it does not include all women under any and every circumstance, then it is not feminism at all. Choose to be intersectional in your feminism. Choose to include every woman with all of her struggles and conditions, and leave no woman out. In other words, choose feminism. Not a fake watered down version of a diverse movement.


What Elmhurst College Likes

S

A 230 Student Poll

By Sara Groppe

I prefer Pizza 154 Blujays 67% I prefer Sushi 76 Blujays 33%

I prefer Gmail 162 Blujays 70.4% I prefer Office 365 68 Blujays 29.6% Internet Photos Used

unday night, on Sept. 27, The Leader sent out a poll via email to all Elmhurst College students asking them their opinions about some of the changes EC has made over the past year. It asked two questions: whether students prefer the old pizza station or the new sushi station in The Roost, and whether students prefer the old email to the new email. According to the results, students prefer pizza and the old Gmail account. In a 230-student poll, 67 percent of voters preferred pizza to sushi and 70.4 percent of voters preferred the old Gmail account to the new Microsoft 365 account. The Leader talked to a few students about their answers to the poll. When asked whether she preferred pizza to sushi, Sophomore Andrea Figueroa replied that she is not a sushi fan, so pizza would definitely be her choice. Sean Cahill, a junior, also picked pizza because he is not a fan of fish. As not all sushi has fish in it, Cahill’s response makes The Leader wonder whether people genuinely do not like sushi or if they share common misconception about sushi -- for example, sushi is disgusting because it has raw fish in it -- and as such have neglected to try it. When asked about the email, most students replied that they preferred the old email because it was easier to navigate and organize their emails on. They also missed all the features the old email had, such as Google Drive, an app that stores documents online, making them accessible from any computer. Most students feel that the whole transition has just been a big hassle. Figueroa commented that, “As a sophomore, I was just starting to get used to the old email. I am a very organizational person, and I liked how the old email allowed me to sort my emails into different groups so that it was easy for me to find what I needed. I can’t do that anymore with the new email.” Cahill had a very different experience than Figueroa. “I was one of the students whose old email got hacked,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the 365 email I wouldn’t be receiving any college emails at all.”

“I liked how the old email allowed me to sort my emails into different groups so that it was easy for me to find what I needed.” Andrea Figueroa

“If it hadn’t been for the 365 email, I wouldn’t be receiving any college emails at all” Sean Cahill

Graphics by Fabian Vasquez


Beat

ecleader.org

October 6, 2015

10

Stonewall fails to portray accuracy

chrissy croft opinions editor

From “Godzilla” to “2012”, award winning Director Roland Emmerich is known for big name action films with immersive worlds and believable characters. But his latest film, “Stonewall,” will leave viewers searching for a brick to hurl at the big screen. The film is meant to tell the story of Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) and the months leading up to his involvement in the Stonewall Riots of 1969. It follows his life as he struggles to combat homophobia, homelessness, and heartbreak in a world that has left him feeling rejected and misunderstood. Unfortunately, the story is told through a historically inaccurate, mildly offensive, and entirely confusing storyline. To be fair, there are a few well-executed emotional scenes, particularly between Danny and his street friend Ray (Jonny Beauchamp), a homeless

drag queen who does sex work to survive the brutal streets of New York. Unfortunately, their relationship appears after just a few minutes of on-screen time together, and blossoms too quickly to garner the audience’s emotional investment. It’s also troubling that Danny acts as the hero for Ray, who wants a relationship, but is rejected by Danny because they are “too different.” It is this judgemental persona of Danny that makes the movie difficult to watch. Scene after scene Danny is shown staring in disgust at people who are gender nonconforming or less straight-passing than himself. The initial culture shock may have been for social commentary, but the shock never seems to dissipate or face critique from other characters. Instead, the viewer gets to look down on the less attractive and less normal citizens of New York right alongside Danny, a fictional

privileged character thrust into a factual world of oppression. The timeline of the film is also hard to follow. From high school to 1969 to high school to 1970, the time traveling is almost impossible to fully grasp until a character makes a subtle hint that suggests a new time frame. There are some key moments that lose poignancy simply because the time and place is so ambiguous. But the most atrocious part of this slow moving, seemingly endless 129 minute film is the lack of depth regarding the actual riot itself, which historians consider the start of the LGBTQ rights movement in America. In real life, it was a time of social justice fueled anger and righteous revenge against a country that oppressed people based on their differences. The setting, Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York, was the hub of many homeless queer people of color

who were drag queens and sex workers. Unsurprisingly, they are reported to be the most integral parts of the historic uprising. Unfortunately, this film gives the impression that it was all centered around the heartbroken teen angst of Danny. Much of his rage is fueled by the deception of Trevor (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who cheats on him after what might be the shortest and least established relationship in film history. He throws the first brick as an act of defiance against the advice of Trevor, just seconds after stating that he doesn’t believe in violent protests for change. Once again, Danny and the viewers get to put themselves above the seemingly savage queer people who wanted to fight for the sake of justice. The trouble is, Danny is a fictional character in a movie with actual historical icons, yet he is pictured as the main catalyst for

an entire community. And after the historical riot finishes, the remaining portion of the film is still focused on love interests. The depth of the riot, the diversity of its characters, and the long-lasting impact are all lost in a “coming of age story” meant to pull at the heartstrings of people who don’t like to be made uncomfortable by the ugly truths of history. Placing a cliche star-crossed lovers drama in the middle of a historical event does not make the story revolutionary. Instead, it belittles the actual activists who sparked social change. Luckily, the real LGBTQ movement was about more than finding true love or getting revenge against an unfaithful older man. Instead, it was centered on the prospect of liberty and justice for all — especially the people Danny spent so much time looking down upon. Spare yourself the ten bucks and pick up an LGBTQ history book at the library instead.


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October 6, 2015

ecleader.org

Dear Lisa speaker raises awareness

Photo provided by Katrina Mioduszewski A snapshot into Lisa Santoro’s life before she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend at 18 years old.

Katrina Mioduszewski staff writer

in the world today. May the people who know violence be blessed, and that someday innocent people will no longer need to know the pain and suffering that violence brings.” -Lisa Santoro

Caution Abusive relationships are a reality that anyone can experience. Abuse in a relationship is usually sparked after a couple has become emotionally attached. One cannot claim they will respond a certain way until Lisa Santoro had just they have been faced with graduated from Nazareth the situation. Many things Academy; she was an aspirare easier said than done, ing journalist, preparing to and ending an abusive re- begin her journey at Unilationship is one of them. versity of Iowa, and making The least we can do is stay informed and get help be“Find a partner that fore it is too late. Some of will respect and trust the major warning signs of you. When you say stop, an abusive relationship are: they stop, and when you negative body comments, tell them you are going out, they don’t question ultimatums being given, you, but instead tell you and threats of suicide. to have a great time.” On Sept. 23, 2015 Tom -Tom Santoro Santoro spoke to EC students about dating vio- memories during her last lence and the murder of high school summer. Lisa his daughter, Lisa. Tom has had been dating a guy for been featured as a speaker five months when she defor domestic and dating vi- cided to end things a couple olence for the past 18 years. of weeks after graduation to At the lecture in Founder’s focus more on her future at Hall, Tom described Lisa as college. Unfortunately, her a “happy-go-lucky, smiling plans all came to an abrupt teen” and he read some per- end when her ex-boyfriend sonal letters from his jour- beat her to death with a bat. nal. Lisa turned out to be one of the “innocent people” that she dedicated her prayer to. Experience She experienced the “pain and suffering” of violence in “For an end to violence a way that is hard to believe,

and for this, Lisa deserves to be remembered forever. On July 29, 1994, Barbara and Tom Santoro were forced to watch any parent’s biggest nightmare unfold before their eyes. Before returning to the firehouse that evening, Tom stopped by his home to give Lisa a kiss goodnight. It was at 1 a.m. that he received a phone call from his wife letting him know that Lisa had not yet returned home when she should have been back. Immediately, Tom drove to her ex-boyfriend’s house where she had agreed to meet with him one last time. “I saw a police car, an ambulance, and I knew my daughter was dead. Nothing was harder than driving home that night to tell my wife and son that Lisa would not be coming home.” After 21 months of court cases, Lisa’s ex- boyfriend was sentenced to 75 years in prison. Although Tom’s anger resided, he was never able to forgive. For the past 21 years the Santoro family has kept Lisa alive in their hearts, and for the past 18 years Tom has kept Lisa’s story and prayer alive in our country. Tom started DEAR LISA to raise awareness of abuse in relationships and define the warning signals that people do not usually pick up on until it is too late. Most cases begin with verbal abuse, “when someone does something that hurts you, and they do it over and over and over, it’s a red flag,” stated Tom. Eventually commentary like “you look better with your hair down” or “your shorts are too short” may escalate to physical or sexual abuse. It has been found that “A girl will go back to the abuser an average of 7 times.” It may seem impossible that a woman would go back to someone who has been hurting her, and when Tom asked the girls in the audience to raise their hand if they would break up with the abuser after an incident involving physical abuse, majority of the hands went up. It is easier to assume, though, what one would do if he or she were not physically and emotionally in

the situation. After “falling in love” with a person, it is hard to believe that they could have hit or raped you, and after many apologies, the victim tends to come up with an excuse for the abuser and trusts them when they say it won’t happen again. “This cycle of violence doesn’t stop, everyone argues sometimes, but if they continually yell, threaten, and abuse you, something is wrong,” Tom suggests. He also stated that one way to prevent domestic abuse is to “find a partner that will respect and trust you. When you say stop, they stop, and when you tell them you are going out, they don’t ques“When someone does something that hurts you, and they do it over and over and over, it’s a red flag,” -Tom Santoro

tion you, but instead tell you to have a great time. Respect and trust are the two most important qualities a relationship should carry.” Since 1998, Tom Santoro has been traveling to high schools to spread awareness, impact thousands, and save lives. Many teary-eyed students go up to him after the presentation asking for hugs, and telling him their own stories. “I think they look at me as a father”, many students have turned to Tom when they needed help getting out of a relationship or just an opinion of where it is going. In this way Tom has helped Lisa’s prayer become a reality. He has truly brought an end to violence in many relationships and turned the Santoro’s heart-rending story into a memoir for his daughter who will now live on forever in our thoughts and prayers. R.I.P Lisa Santoro Help “It’s not your fault, I am concerned for your safety, and you are not alone.” According to Megan Rosado, from the connections for abused women and their children, these are some of the phrases that women and

men hear when they call seeking help, shelter, and resources after being abused in a relationship. Hotline responders are “not allowed to outright tell a caller what to do, they can only suggest different safety precautions and continue emphasizing that it is not the victims fault”. One tactic they suggest is having a code word with their family, friend, or neighbor. If things start to spin out of control it is suggested for the victim to try to get into a room, call their safety person and say the code word. This then disables the abuser from knowing you called for help. “There is always a risk in leaving their home, victims choose to be homeless and live with complete strangers,” says Rosado. “Usually going to a shelter is not something a victim will choose unless their situation extremely dangerous, they have no other resources or place to go.” Research reports have shown that a majority of women seeking help from the CAWC shelter program are ages 20 to 40. Also, when asked if the prevalence of violence has increased or decreased Rosado stated that “1 in 3 women are going to be victims of abuse” and this statistic has stayed stable throughout her career. “The process for help begins with the initial call”, women are informed, given validation, and if there is space in the program they are admitted into the shelter. If there is no room, callers are given a list of other shelters they could call and are always encouraged to stay in contact. “Yes, it is common for women to return to their abusers, we never tell them that they cannot go back,” sometimes victims feel stronger after becoming more informed and decide to give their relationship another chance. “We let them know that it is their choice to make. We wish them the best and that our door is open if they ever want to come back.”


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October 6, 2015

12

#AskTrump hits Twitter Jonathan knitter staff writer

E.L James did it. Seaworld did it. Jameis Winston did it. And now everyone’s favorite presidential candidate did it. “Last week, Donald Trump gave his 4.33 million Twitter followers the opportunity to #AskTrump questions about both his campaign and his personal life. Following such aggressively painful #Ask campaigns from other celebrities on Twitter, bigger names tended to stray away from allowing such open-ended questions on the faceless app. Thus, it is unsurprising that Twitter users were not so friendly to the businessman turned politician: “What’s your favourite type of discrimination? #AskTrump” -@LilyBaileyUK “Do you plan on deporting both your immigrant wives, or just the one you like the least? #AskTrump”

-@JennyTrout “#AskTrump if you dig under your hair, down thru the scalp, underneath the skull, is there just a bunch of orange chicken from Panda Express” -@flipyourface These were just a few of the many scathing tweets that Trump ignored entirely. The handful of short and sweet responses that the mogul did answer were short and vague. They also happened to be answered via online videos. When asked what he would do for student debt, Trumps response was: “Student debt is a tremendous problem in the United States,” said Trump. “We’re going to restructure it, we’re going to make it possible to go through college, get through it. We’re going to make it so that it’s very affordable. Right now, it’s not fair. It’s one of the only places, frankly, where our country makes money, and they make a lot of money. That

should not take place. We are going to make it really good for the student.” The #AskTrump campaign was another media generator, which, for the four-time-bankrupted Republican, has worked. Several days following the Twitter campaign Trump appeared on “60 Minutes” with Scott Peller, bringing in a staggering 15 million viewers for its season premiere. In more vagueness, Trump explained his hopeful reform of healthcare. It could be argued that his plans sound a little like Obamacare, something that he already called a “disaster.” “[I]t’s going to be a private plan,” said Trump. “And people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have every-

Internet Photo

thing.” As he makes his rounds across the country, Trump will continue to spend much of his time on Twitter, trying to reach the 18-24 demographic. Although his ambiguous answers to the country’s questions might

leave some annoyed or concerned, the “You’re fired” extraordinaire continues to dominate social media over rivals from both parties. “I try to learn from the past,” Trump said. “But I plan for the future by focusing exclusively on the pres-

Who’s that soccer girl? Daniel wiggin beat editor

When we tried to determine if the rumor was true that she held the door open for people while still juggling her soccer ball, Kat replied that: “It has become so natural I wouldn’t remember. I feel more comfortable with the ball and it helps keep me focused.” She says that another benefit to always having the soccer ball is that “I never have to pull out my phone in an awkward moment. Part of the reason Kat

If you have spent a lot of time at Elmhurst College, then there is a good chance that you have seen “that soccer girl” around campus. She has built up a reputation for doing tricks with her soccer ball nearly everywhere she goes. She has been seen juggling a soccer ball while going up the stairs, walking to class, and, allegedly, while holding the “The feedback has door open for people. The “soccer girl’s” actual been nothing but positive. People feel comname is Kat Waugh and she fortable to talk to me, is a senior double major in and when I stopped International Business and bringing the soccer ball German. She transferred around for a while, peoto EC from Colorado and ple asked me to bring it back.” started juggling her soccer ball around campus the first -Kat Waugh semester of her sophomore year. When asked why she started, her response was: “I transferred to EC was to utineeded extra practice. Prac- lize our study abroad proticing soccer in public adds gram. Through the Center an added sense of pressure.” for Professional Excellence, She currently plays on the she was able to study away girls EC soccer team and in Germany for a semester. says that she has “been play- “I shared the common laning soccer for 16 years on a guage of soccer with those I met abroad,” says Kat. She team.” found that the shared pas-

sion was “enough to break the language barrier and make lifelong friends.” But how do people back at EC respond to her very overt love of soccer? “The feedback has been nothing but positive. People feel “I shared the common language of soccer with those I met abroad”

ciates the Tiki-taka style of play which has been utilized by FC Bayern. Tiki-taka focuses on short, quick passes and using an equal mix of both offense and defense. When asked if she had any role models, Kat said: “It doesn’t matter the person’s age. If they have a quality that I aspire to have, they

can be a role model.” Outside of soccer, Kat also has a love for rugby, languages, and cultures. One thing that Kat wanted to let the EC community know was that “if people see you’re positive, passionate, and humble, they will want to support you in your success.”

-Kat Waugh

comfortable to talk to me, and when I stopped bringing the soccer ball around for a while, people asked me to bring it back.” She showed me her favorite soccer trick which involved suspending the soccer ball in between the legs and sidestepping around a competitor. When asked about the trick she said: “I call it ‘The Kat.’ I saw a defender do it once, and I always wanted to score like that.” Naturally, we got to talking about her favorite football club. Kat says that “It’s kind of embarrassing but by favorite team is Barcelona. But I also love FC Bayern. Go Germany!” She really appre-

Photo Courtesy of Daniel Wiggin Kat Waugh showing off her soccer skills near the Frick Center


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October 6, 2015

ecleader.org

Let the binge watching begin and inanimate objects that mier on Tuesday, Nov. 17 on come to life to create chaos. NBC. School may be in full Oh, and Lady Gaga will have “Grandfathered” swing, but everyone needs a part in it. See how this seaa break -- wait, let’s be hon- son affects you tomorrow, est, a distraction -- from all Oct. 7, on FX. the homework and extracurriculars, am I right? So “Blindspot” ditch the books for an hour Imagine waking up with and have a laugh, a cry, or a tons of tattoos on your body. fright. You’re bound to find Not only do you not know something that makes you how they got there, but do any one of those here. you’re baring it all for those in Times Square. That’s the “American Horror Story: reality for an unknown Hotel” woman (Jaimie Alexander) whose memory has been completely wiped out on Internet Photo the NBC drama “Blindspot”. When the FBI leads an inGet ready for all the feels vestigation into the woman’s and say goodbye to John Staidentity, they find that her mos as Uncle Jesse on Full most prominent tattoo is of House, because now he’s a one of their agents’ names. grandpa on FOX’s comeWatch how the mystery un- dy series “Grandfathered”. folds Mondays on NBC. He plays Jimmy Martino, a restaurant owner who rocks “Chicago Med” the single life until he finds If you’re a fan of “Chicago out that he has a son (Josh Fire and Chicago P.D.”, then Peck) who has a daughter. Internet Photo watch out for the franchise’s Seems like there’s a little faWhile this is not a new latest series Chicago Med. ther-son catching up to do, show, an exciting new sea- The show follows some of and Jimmy taking on some son will be out soon. Expect the city’s finest doctors in responsibility might in orthe same terror and fright the trauma center and all of der. Airs Tuesdays on FOX. in the fifth season of Ryan their relationships with each Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s other on and off the clock. “The Grinder” anthology series “American Although nothing has been To TV star Dean SanderHorror Story”. As its subti- confirmed, you can proba- son (Rob Lowe), practicing tle “Hotel implies”, this sea- bly bet on seeing a few fa- law on the silver screen toson will take place at a hotel miliar faces from the other tally translates to real life. filled with possessed patrons series’. Check out the pre- When his hit show comes Elizabeth Imbrogno staff writer

to a close, he moves back to his hometown where his father and brother suit up for an actual law firm. While mostly everyone loves that he’s back, it’s to his brother, Stewart (Fred Savage) whom he has some warming up to do. Tune in for it Tuesdays on FOX.

ophizes over the numerous ideas and notions that enter his mind. Netflix will air the show on Friday, Nov. 6.

“Heroes Reborn” In the mini-series “Heroes Reborn”, a spin-off from NBC’s hit show “Heroes”, a group of people charged with superhuman abilities are accused of a terrorist attack on Odessa, Texas. With some villains bent on controlling their powers, some of the future heroes hide while others find themselves on the run. The series mostly features fresh faces, but their storylines will likely intermix with some of the original cast members. Check out the mini-series, which airs Thursdays on NBC.

Internet Photo

“Supergirl” Fly high with Superman’s female cousin Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl in CBS’s new flick. Set in National City, the show spotlights Kara (Melissa Benoist) and her double life as a career woman and superhero. While finding time to fight the city’s criminals, she must also deal with the personalities and responsibilities “Master of None” that come with her job at a It’s impossible not to in- media company. The series clude a Netflix series on premieres Monday, Oct. 26 a must-watch TV list for on CBS. college students. Parks and Recreation star, Aziz Ansari, headlines “Master of None,” a new comedic series about the life and times of a New York actor who philos-

Thursdays are the jazz nights cat Jones staff writer

It’s just past 7 pm, and walking through the smoke of a couple straggling cigarettes one is greeted with bright brass from the backroom of Fitz’s Spare Keys. Thursday night saw a draw to Fitz’s for the Fall semester’s first Jazz Combo night. Contrary to the show flyer, Thursday’s lineup consisted of combos from directors Dan Hennel and Mark Colby. Hennel’s quartet set the mood and nonchalantly instilled in some that this combo night would be for the bassists. Mark Colby’s supercombo, which features bassist Conor Roe, trumpeter Adam Roebuck, trombonist Ryan Smith, and the infamous Kidera trio on guitar, saxophone, and drums,

ripped through the night with original arrangements,

who’s quartet was featured all weekend at Chicago’s legThe sextet did nothing endary Jazz Showcase. The next combo night at less than inspire the air that the lightly-boozed jazz cats would sonder through to their Thursday night destinies.

Spare Keys is Thursday, Oct. 15. Combo night begins at 7 pm. There is no cover charge, but there are $3 do-

mestic pints. Do something worthwhile and energizing with your night by supporting local musicians at Fitz’s.

as well as Roebuck’s debut performance of his original, “Watch Clock”. Charming patrons with a display of their musical mastery, the sextet did nothing less than inspire the air that the lightly-boozed jazz cats would sonder through to their Thursday night destinies. Roebuck quickly introduced the jazz group, to “get this thing over as fast as possible”, so that the audience could get on with their lives, and so he could catch trumpet virtuoso Sean Jones, Internet Photo


sports

ecleader.org

October 6, 2015

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EC sports roundup Trace nardi staff writer

Women’s Soccer

The Elmhurst women’s soccer team dropped their CCIW opener on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a 3-1 loss against Wheaton College. Freshman Sidney O’Keefe tried to close the gap at the end of the first half, but her shot slipped wide of the goal. Elmhurst ended the first half trailing Wheaton with a score of 2-0. Sophomore goalkeeper Melinda Vickers kept the Bluejays in the game with six second-half saves. Freshman Kennedy Irmen scored a goal late in the second half to put the Bluejays within one goal. Senior forward Kat Waugh’s free kick rolled across the goal and off of junior Megan Hart to set up Irmen to score from 10 yards out. Wheaton out shot Elmhurst 28-15. At present, Elmhurst’s record is 5-3-1, 0-1 CCIW. The last non-conference game will be Tuesday, Oct. 6 when the Bluejays host IIT at 7 p.m. Women’s Volleyball The Elmhurst women’s volleyball team scored a win against Wheaton College by scoring 25-15, 26-24, and 2519. The Bluejays improved their record to 13-5 and 1-0 in the first match of the CCIW with the win. The Bluejays built a com-

manding lead in the first set with a 9-4 run, which opened a 14-9 cushion. After leading 15-11, the Bluejays closed the set with a 10-4 run. In the second set, kills by senior Mary Lawrence and sophomore Alli Rogers gave the Bluejays the set point. An error by the Bluejays allowed Wheaton to even the score at 24 all, but kills from junior Hannah Nimrick and sophomore Hannah Davis sealed the set at 26-24. In the third set, the Bluejays took control with a 8-2 run. Wheaton was never closer than three points for the remainder of the set. Elmhurst scored the 25-19 victory. The lady Blujays were .232 for the match with 46 kills, 17 errors in 125 swings. Rogers ended the match with 11 kills and Lawrence had 11 kills and 5 team-leading blocks. Sophomore Shannon Burns had six kills and six digs, while davis and sophomore Olivia Parks both had five kills. Amy Schryver totaled 20 digs in the victory. Elmhurst is ranked 15th in the latest AVCA Division III poll. The Bluejays traveled to Colorado to play in the Colorado Invitational on October 2-3. Men’s Golf During the Midwest region Classic, the Elmhurst men’s golf team totaled a two-day score of 622 to place sixth among 41 teams from the

Midwest. The Bluejays shot 303 on the first day to place fourth and shot 319 on the second day to take sixth place in the overall standings. Milikin University won the invite with a total score of 600 for both days. Junior Wyatt Stickney was the top individual finisher for the Bluejays with a score of 153, in which he tied for 16th. Sticknet shot a 72 on day one and an 81 on day two. Senior Jeremy Yoder tied for 23rd with a 154, junior Kyle Brenkman tied for 40th with a 158, and freshman Curtis Geiger shot a 163 to finish in a tie in 71st. Junior Jordan Jensen competed as an individual and

shot 85-83, which placed him in a tie for 99th place. Men’s Soccer On Saturday, October 3rd, the Elmhurst men’s soccer team scored an upset in double overtime with a 2-1 win against No. 22 Wheaton College. Sophomore midfielder/ forward Alec Gnass scored both goals, including the game-winning goal during minute 105. Currently, the Bluejays record is 3-6-1 and 1-0 in CCIW play.

the lead with five saves and won a one-on-one with an attacker with a slide deflection. Double overtime began with both teams tied at 1-1. Afetr five minutes of play, Gnass scored the winning goal and sent the Elmhurst fans into hysteria. Senior Jeff Kading lifted a cross to the far post and Gnass buried the winning goal.

Continued on page 16

The Bluejays finished the first half with a 1-0 lead, even though Elmhurst was out shot by Wheaton 12-3. Sophomore goalkeper Nick King insured

Elmhurst’s Kat Waugh dribbles past Wheaton’s defense.

Photo by Hannah Jasinski

The gender play gap in tennis Corinne Demyanovich staff writer

On Sept. 12 and Sept. 13, the men’s and women’s tennis champions of the 2015 US Open were crowned. After two arduous matches, Flavia Pennetta took the women’s trophy, while Novak Djokovic took the men’s. They not only took home trophies, but a sizeable $3.3 million dollars each. It may be shocking to some but each winner received equal pay. This is regardless of gender and it should be noted that tennis has supported equal pay at the four major Grand Slam tournaments since 2007. It’s great that tennis has agreed on equal pay, but in the past few years, there has been some backlash about it, particularly from the male players. Males and females do not play the same game of tennis: men play best 3 out of 5 sets, while women play best 2 out of 3 sets. Men are bothered by this because women are getting payed the same as men to play less tennis. To remedy this, we should close the play gap.

It may be argued that women play shorter matches because they cannot match the standards of men on a physical level. However, if you can play three sets of tennis, you can play five. The only difference is physical and mental endurance, and it’s difficult to argue that women are not capable of that. This inequality between men’s and women’s tennis has caused a decline in interest in the latter. There are many reasons men’s tennis is viewed and loved more. Their matches are longer and therefore more exciting, and capable of more upsets and drama. Male players have to stick it out mentally and physically, and it’s therefore harder to win a best of five match. As a viewer in the stands, you pay more money for less tennis at a women’s match, five sets of intense tennis is much more worth it. In an article by Michael Visontay for the Sydney Morning Herald, he calculated the gap of playtime between men and women at semi-finals and finals at majors: 2013: Women: 28 sets; 20 hours. Men: 48 sets, 40 hours

2014: Women: 26 sets; 21 hours: Men: 44 sets, 31 hour. This data is exemplified at Wimbledon in 2015. “Djokovic defeated Federer in one of the all-time epics that lasted just under four hours,” Visontay writes. “The day before, Kvitova beat Eugenie Bouchard in the final in 55 minutes.” Because women play a lesser game, less people watch and the standards are set far lower, making women’s tennis subpar to men’s. The unequal length of matches comes down to historical prejudices of women’s athleticism. Women were

thought to be fragile and incapable of physical activity. However, men’s tennis player, Andy Murray, who sees the current situation as “two different sports,” thinks that women are capable of playing five sets. “I’m not saying the men work harder than the women, but if you have to train to play five sets, it’s a longer distance,” says Murray for Tennis. com. “It’s like someone training to be a 400-meter runner and someone training to be a 600-meter runner.” The longer the match, the more athletic drive is needed.

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Women have the potential to play the same length as men, and many figures in tennis are already advocating for that change. It is time to recitify the systemic ramifications of limiting women’s athletic ability. Women play less tennis and we don’t even think about why that is or if it could be changed. Some male players are annoyed that women are paid the same to play less tennis. Good. Let’s channel that anger and eliminate the gender play gap as well so that men and women can play the same great game of tennis.


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sports

October 6, 2015

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3 1 3 61 531 6 2 15 6 Records as of 10/4/2015 Infographic by Fabian Vasquez

EC fall sports conference and overall record.

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EC sports roundup Trace Nardi staff writer

Wheaton out shot Elmhurst 20-8, but the Bluejays were able to capitalize on their four shots on goal. King completed the game with six saves. Elmhurst also traveled to Simpson College for a non-conference game on Monday, Oct. 5. See EC roundup on page 14

Photo by Hannah Jasinski

ELmhurst’s Nick Fecci fights Wheaton defender for possession during their double overtime win.


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