Loyola Phoenix: Volume 51, Issue 22

Volume 51

Issue 22

March 11, 2020

LOYOLA PHOENIX The award-winning student newspaper of Loyola University Chicago

Loyola responds to coronavirus concerns at home and abroad KATIE ANTHONY RYLEE TAN kanthony1@luc.edu rtan@luc.edu

A Loyola student was isolated on campus after being exposed to a person who’s being evaluated for the coronavirus, school officials said March 10.

This is the latest update in the university’s continued preparation efforts as the COVID-19 outbreak escalates in Chicago and elsewhere.

This comes about a week after Loyola sent students home at its John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) due to the virus’ rapid spread.

Illinois currently has 19 cases as of COVID-19, the respiratory disease

caused by the coronavirus, as of March 10, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has declared a “disaster proclamation,” for the state, The Phoenix reported.

While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Loyola, a student was exposed to someone who is being tested for the respiratory disease, a March 10 email to the Loyola community said.

“Out of an abundance of caution and in alignment with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), the student is in isolation on campus and is well,” the email sent by Loyola’s Wellness Center.

The Loyola Wellness Center is following protocol to isolate students as they

Free throws doom Loyola in stunning Arch Madness defeat

await test results, the email said.

Online classes a possibility

The university is encouraging faculty to move their courses online, and is preparing for the possibility of making online classes mandatory, according to an email President Jo Ann Rooney sent to students. Additionally, the university says JFRC will remain closed for the summer, according to the email.

“Given these rapidly evolving developments, Loyola’s COVID-19 task force continues with its preparedness plans, including the possibility of moving all classes from face-to-face instruction to online instruction,” Rooney wrote in the email.

Courtesy of Loyola University Chicago

CORONAVIRUS 3

Loyola’s Wellness Center sent an email informing students that no cases of coronavirus have been confirmed involving students, staff or faculty.

Still teaching?

A Loyola professor is still holding classes after university investigation found evidence of ‘unprofessional and sexual harassing behavior’ MADISON SAVEDRA

KYLE BROWN

msavedra@luc.edu

NICK SCHULTZ

A female Loyola student showed up in class one day sporting a new nose piercing — which her professor took note of, asking her whether she was “broadcasting her sexuality,” she later recalled.

On another occasion, she said the professor told her she should wear more clothes that “show off what’s happening under there.”

Another time, she said he referred to her, another student and himself as a “design threesome.”

Beyond the “inappropriate” comments, the pro-

kbrown16@luc.edu nschultz@luc.edu

Loyola men’s basketball head coach Porter Moser pinned his team’s season-ending loss to Valparaiso University on one thing: free throws.

“It’s been our Achilles heel all year,” Moser said in a somber postgame press conference. “If it wasn’t tonight, it was going to be one of these other two nights [of the tournament].”

The Ramblers (21-11) — who led by as much as 18 points in the second half — saw their season come to an abrupt ending with a 74-73 loss to Valparaiso in overtime of the quarterfinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) men’s basketball tournament.

The upset comes shortly after No. 1-seeded University of Northern Iowa fell to No. 8-seeded Drake University, marking the first time in tournament history the top two seeds have been eliminated in the quarterfinals. It’s also the second time a No. 2 seed has failed to make the semifinals.

Loyola struggled from the free throw line all season, ranking 10th in the MVC in free throw percentage by a wide margin. This season, Loyola knocked down 65.6 percent of its free throws, while ninth place Drake University connected on 70.6 percent.

The Ramblers ended up going 14for-27 from the stripe at Arch Madness — a 51.9 percent clip. Their 13 missed free throws tied a season-high.

Redshirt junior forward Aher Uguak missed his first four free throw attempts of the game and finished just 3-for-9 from the line.

fessor also allegedly “constantly” touched, rubbed or squeezed the shoulders and backs of female students — several of whom ended up complaining to Loyola administrators about his behavior.

A 2018 internal school investigation into the professor ultimately found “evidence to support the complaint of unprofessional and sexual harassing behavior” against him, according to records reviewed by The Phoenix. Five female Loyola graduates, who The Phoenix isn’t naming, told reporters they experienced or witnessed sexual harassment from the man between 2016-2018 while they were still in school.

HARASSMENT 4

ARCH 13

A&E

SPORTS

The Phoenix lists the top ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day — whether you’re looking to join the downtown darty or avoid the crowds.

What’s next for the Loyola men’s basketball season after getting bounced early in Arch Madness?

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MARCH 11, 2020

Thank God for 'good folks' FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

EDITORIAL Editor-In-Chief Mary Norkol Managing Editor Emily Rosca Business Manager Nick Miller News Editor Mary Chappell Assistant News Editor Kayleigh Padar Assistant News Editor Madison Savedra Sports Editor Nick Schultz Assistant Sports Editor Kyle Brown Assistant Sports Editor Abby Schnable A&E Editor Mary Grace Ritter Assistant A&E Editor Olivia Turner Opinion Editor Adrian Nevarez

This Tuesday, as morale was low and getting lower in The Phoenix newsroom, we had a surprise visitor.

Ralph Braseth, our former student media manager, knocked on our door in a way that made us all think it was someone much more intimidating.

Delivering a bouquet of flowers, Ralph gave another one of his famed speeches. We should have known they wouldn’t end when he left Loyola.

“What I like about you guys is that you work hard, you’re incredibly smart and you’re good folks,” he said.

Like I said, morale was low at this point. News had just broken, and the coffee was wearing off. And this line was necessary for me to hear. Look, I love my job, but it can be exhausting as ever.

And Ralph was my much-needed reminder that I work with some great people. They make me want to pull my hair out. They ask incessant questions that I’ve answered time and time again. They fail to learn where commas are supposed to go and purposefully get me riled up about politics or other shenanigans.

But they’re truly all around some of the greatest people I know.

Aside from being hard-working journalists and students, brilliant people with interesting minds and some of my most treasured pals, they’re straight-up good people.

14-15 No. 2-seeded Loyola falls to No. 7-seeded Valparaiso in MVC quarterfinals, marking season's end

7

Loyola to implement film on glass buildings to

Sending students home from JFRC was the right call

Arts and Entertainment.

Photo Editor Zack Miller

11

Lauv's debut album lacks emotion, originality

12

A&E Editor professes her undying love of boy bands

Sports.

Video Editor Molly Gaglione

13

Audio Editor Luis Mejía Ahrens

Men's basketball looks to offseason after loss to Valparaiso ends season earlier than expected

Design Editor Larissa Paseta

16

Web Editor Kashyap Patel

Lake Shore Campus

2

Rosca's Ramblings: A die-hard arts fan falls in love with college basketball after covering Arch Madness

Security Notebook 1. March 3, 2020: A Loyola staff member reported criminal defacement to university property at Maguire Hall.

News Editor mchappell@luc.edu

2. March 3, 2020: Campus Safety arrested an individual with no Loyola affiliation for trespassing at the Information Commons.

Sports Editor nschultz@luc.edu A&E Editor mritter3@luc.edu

Multimedia mbaltas@luc.edu

SAC keeps up with increasing mental health demands

8

Content Manager Maddy Baltas

Opinion Editor anevarez1@luc.edu

6

Opinion.

MULTIMEDIA

Managing Editor erosca@luc.edu

News.

protect migrating birds from death

Copy Editor Leen Yassine

Editor-In-Chief mnorkol@luc.edu

erage with stories on the university’s response at home and abroad, and a Loyola student who's in isolation after having contact with a person under observation. The News section also includes a Phoenix investigation into a professor who’s still teaching despite evidence found of “sexual harassing behavior.”

In Sports, Rambler fans mourn another early exit of the men’s basketball team from Arch Madness. Also, questions are raised about what’s next for the Ramblers.

A&E includes a list of suggestions for the much-anticipated St. Patrick’s Day weekend and A&E Editor Mary Grace Ritter writes an ode to boy bands. In Opinion, The Phoenix Editorial Board says we should be safe rather than sorry when it comes to being informed about coronavirus.

contents

Copy Editor Sean Hemmersmeier

CONTACT

No one has a bleeding heart quite like a journalist. Even if we don’t seem like it all the time — our cynical jokes and endless commitment to the hustle distract from it — we are relentless in our loyalty and compassion.

I’ve seen it time and time again.

Forget the hard, important, sensitive stories we pour ourselves into. It’s just as relevant when any given staffer walks into the newsroom with snacks.

Or when I hear them ask “how was your spring break?” and I can actually hear the genuinity. Or when we help each other out with our problems outside the newsroom.

The people I work with are smart and talented. They’re friendly and helpful. They’re hilarious and witty.

They do what they love, but more importantly, they do it with intention.

I was once told to “hire the right people.” To me, that didn’t necessarily mean the most detail-oriented or the absolute best. It also meant I needed to hire someone with an admirable heart. I think I did an okay job.

This week, The Phoenix localizes the international coronavirus cov-

3

3. March 8, 2020: Residence Life submitted drug paraphernalia found in San Francisco Hall to Campus Safety.

4. March 8, 2020: A Loyola student reported electronic harassment to Campus Safety. The incident occurred in the Sovereign.

News

MARCH 11, 2020

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COVID-19: A history of the virus’ spread in Illinois Emily Burdett | The Phoenix Illinois state officials are working to prevent the spread of the virus — which grew in Illinois March 10 with eight new cases confirmed — but advised residents to take contingency plans just in case.

EMMAGRACE SPERLE esperle@luc.edu

COVID-19 — the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, according to the press release.

March 10

Illinois officials announced eight new coronavirus cases March 10, the first known cases outside of Chicago and Cook County.

Illinois officials are working to contain the spread but recommend residents create contingency plans, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a March 10 press release.

“We again want to encourage people to start thinking and preparing now in the event they are not able to go to work, if schools are closed, if public transportation is not available, and how else their lives will be disrupted by this outbreak,” Ezike said.

Two of the new cases are males in their 40s in Chicago, according to the press release. Also in Cook County is a male in his 70s, a woman in her 60s and a male and female both in their 40s.

The press release didn’t detail how these people were infected or what condition they’re in.

The first cases outside Cook County are a Kane County woman in her 60s and a McHenry County teen whose age is unknown, neither of whom had a history of travel to an affected area and no connection to a known case of

March 9

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a disaster proclamation March 9 to address the coronavirus, after confirmed cases in Illinois jumped from seven to 11 overnight March 8 to March 9.

The disaster proclamation is an operational procedure that opens access to federal and state resources including state disaster relief funds, Pritzker said in a March 9 press conference.

In response to the disaster proclamation, Loyola’s Office of the President sent an email confirming there have been no cases on campus and none of the reported cases have a connection to the university. Loyola will continue with campus operations, including classes or group meetings, the email said.

Pritzker said the state has three labs that can test for COVID-19 and it expects commercial testing facilities to open over the next week to help keep up with increased testing needs. He said this will impact the community but there are things residents can do to increase the safety of themselves and others.

“I want folks to understand, this will affect your daily life, but know your state, county and city officials are working to stay ahead of this,” Pritzker said. “There

are things you can do, and as your governor, I’m asking you to do them.”

He stressed that people shouldn’t be buying products in bulk — especially medical supplies — as it takes away from health care officials who need them.

The four new cases of COVID-19 are all in good condition, according to Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Two of the cases include a woman in her 50s and a woman in her 70s who were both family members of the sixth confirmed case, according to Dr. Arwady said.

Arwady said this shows that close contacts are most at risk for contracting the virus, because it’s transferred through droplets and isn’t airborne. Close contact is considered exposure within six feet for ten minutes, she said.

The other two cases are a woman in her 50s who traveled from California and a woman in her 70s who took an Egyptian cruise early this month, according to Arwady.

Arwady said the CDPH had expected to see more cases, and the detection of the new cases means the healthcare system is working. Currently they are only testing people who are symptomatic, because testing people who don’t show symptoms may create false negatives if the virus isn’t developed enough to show

up on the test, Arwady said.

March 8

The seventh case of coronavirus was confirmed in Illinois March 8 and is thought to be the first community transmission in Chicago, according to city and state officials.

The man is in his 60s and is hospitalized in serious condition, according to Arwady. She said his case doesn’t appear connected to travel.

“Though this may be the first case of community transmission in Chicago, it does not mean that widespread transmission of COVID-19 is happening here,” Arwady said in a March 8 press conference.

Those at risk for COVID-19 such as the elderly or people with compromised immune systems should avoid travel or large gatherings, Arwady said. She said there’s no recommendation to cancel gatherings or public events in Chicago.

March 6

Cook County’s sixth case of COVID -19 was announced March 6. The affected individual is a woman in her 50s and has been hospitalized in stable condition, according to Arwady.

The woman got off a Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco Feb. 21, and returned home, Arwady said. On March, 4th the cruise ship announced

initial cases of COVID-19 and now there are at least 20 cases connected to the ship, according to Arwady.

The woman is a special education classroom assistant at Vaughn Occupational School, and had returned to work, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. Classes are now canceled for week at Vaughn — a specialty school for students with disabilities — and officials are reaching out to students, faculty and any others who may have had contact, according to Janice Jackson, chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools.

March 5

The new cases come on the heels of man in his 20s returning from Italy testing positive early last week, according to a press release by IDPH. The individual has now been released from a local hospital.

The man was tested at the IDPH laboratory and specimens have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing, according to the press release.

MORE ONLINE For more on coronavirus, visit loyolaphoenix.com.

Coronavirus: University takes precautions in midst of Chicago outbreak continued from page 1 Loyola’s Director of Communications Anna Rozenich said the COVID-19 task force is relying on information from federal, state and local health officials to determine an appropriate response — including switching to an online format for classes.

Just a few minutes after Rooney’s email update, Loyola’s history department sent out an email to students enrolled in history courses that included a survey to gather information about students’ access to resources in case of a mandatory online transition.

Returning JFRC Students in Self Quarantine

The COVID-19 outbreak has heavily affected Italy as well with 10,149 confirmed cases and 631 confirmed deaths as of the night of March 10, according to the World Health Organization.

JFRC students were notified Feb. 29 they were required to return home by Mar. 4 as the virus spread throughout Italy — around two months before their planned return to the U.S. Students returning were advised to follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) policy and self-quarantine for 14 days and check their temperature twice a day, the email said.

Some Loyola students studying at the JFRC said the university’s decision to pull them out was the right decision.

“As much as [leaving] absolutely sucks

… I’d much rather have them get us all out now,” said Maya Williams, a 20-yearold sophomore studying international business and French at the JFRC. “The university made the right call to get us all home before it got worse.”

JFRC students will be completing the rest of their semesters online. Loyola gave them the option of either living at home while they complete their coursework, or return to residence halls on either the Lake Shore or Water Tower campuses.

Students who decide to return will already have their housing costs covered by what they paid for their semester in Rome, according to Rozenich. Loyola says they’ll reimburse students who decide to stay at home a percent of what they paid for housing in Rome.

“Specifics will vary from student to student, and so the University will work with each student individually in the coming days to determine the prorated amount for each,” Rozenich said.

Loyola sophomore Olivia Simon, who was in Rome, plans on coming back to campus to complete her classes online once her quarantine period is up. Whichever residence hall she ends up being placed in, the university told her housing costs and a 7-day meal plan would be covered by what she already paid for in Rome.

Other students, such as Loyola sophomores Mckenzie Cronin and Lauren Manini said they’ll be staying home and saving their money from the housing refund.

Manini, 20, said she isn’t looking forward to completing her classes online.

“I understand why they’re doing it, but personally I’m not very happy about it,” Manini, who is studying advertising and public relations, said. “I don’t think I am going to do very well doing online classes. I just never would have chosen myself to take online classes, and I feel like it’s going to be a lot harder for me to.”

Cronin, who’s studying marketing and theology, is spending her quarantine period at her family’s lake house in Indiana and will also complete her classes from home. She said she feels confident she didn’t catch the virus but is taking the precautions recommended by the university.

“I’m scared people will be scared to go near me, and I did nothing wrong,” Cronin, 20, said. “It just stinks that this is happening to us.”

Students Studying in China Frustrated by University Response

JFRC students weren’t the only students who had their abroad experiences cut short by COVID-19. Students studying at partner programs in China were sent home at the end of January — while the programs have partnerships with Loyola, they aren’t directly run by Loyola.

China currently has 80,924 confirmed cases.

An Office of International Programs (OIP) advisor and Rozenich didn’t give information to The Phoenix about the students studying in China. But students

said they were frustrated with how the OIP handled their evacuation.

Loyola sophomores Rosa Carter and Raimi Woodruff and Loyola junior Grace Johnson were sent home from their study abroad programs in Shanghai and Chengdu, China — but all three of them chose different paths for the rest of their semesters after they said the OIP didn’t have a set plan for their return.

Johnson said she had to “plead her case” with the university to return to classes on campus for the rest of the semester, but with the help of business school administrations made a plan to come back.

“100 percent it was basically just me, by myself, trying to figure out what to do, working with [Loyola], if I could come back to school,” Johnson said. “I didn’t even consider studying abroad again because I felt very defeated.”

Johnson, 21, said because her program wasn’t run by Loyola, she didn’t feel as though they had a set plan for her return — or even would have been aware of her situation if she hadn’t reached out.

“Because I took that extra step, they were willing to help,” Johnson said.

Woodruff, 20, hoped to enroll in another language school or abroad program in Taiwan, but she said the OIP was hesitant about placing her in a new program due to the uncertainty of the virus’ spread at the time — she ended up coordinating with her Chinese professor to complete an independent study in Taiwan for credit.

Carter decided to take the semester off at home in Seattle. She said she felt like the move back to Loyola would be too difficult, and didn’t feel as though Loyola presented her with a plan for an easy transition.

“Basically what [the university] left me with was ‘talk to the dean of your school and your advisor and see what your options are,’” Carter said. “Instead of what they are doing for Rome, how they’re trying their best to integrate students back there.

JFRC Future Programming Up in The Air

In another email sent from the Office of the President, all summer programming at the JFRC has been canceled and all 2020 classes at the JFRC are contingent on the situation in Italy.

Loyola expects the CDC to lower the travel advisory on Italy in the next few weeks — which is currently at a level three, meaning people should avoid unnecessary travel — so students are still advised to obtain the necessary documentation to study abroad in Italy, the email said.

Should the JFRC remain closed, students will be registered for fall classes in Chicago and fees incurred for visas will be reimbursed by Loyola, the email said.

Students also have the option to work with the OIP to plan new study abroad options.

A final decision on JFRC classes will be announced by July 15, the email said.

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CLOSER LOOK

HARASSMENT: Loyola graduates ‘shocked’ and ‘discouraged’ to find continued from page 1 Despite the allegations against him and the school’s own findings, The Phoenix also found Loyola continues to employ him as an associate professor teaching five classes, according to class records in Loyola’s online portal, LOCUS, and the chairperson of his department.

The professor, who The Phoenix isn’t identifying, refused to comment to a reporter other than to say via email: “It is the Policy of Loyola University that faculty must not discuss confidential student or personnel matters.”

School officials wouldn’t say how he was punished after the investigation, except to say that disciplinary action was taken.

The students who brought complaints against him have graduated, meaning some were left in the dark about what happened to him after the investigation concluded.

After The Phoenix told some of the graduates he’s still teaching at the university, one said she was “shocked.”

Another questioned why the man is still teaching, saying she doesn’t think he’s “fit to be a professor.”

“How many people need to be taught by him, and how many of these people are going to feel very uncomfortable in their school environment?” she asked.

‘Going into his class, I knew to stay away’

Loyola defines sexual harassment as “unwelcome, sexual, sex-based, and/or gender-based, verbal, written, online and/or physical conduct.”

One of the now-former students interviewed by The Phoenix said her professor’s actions fit that description.

“It was just one of those things where every day in class it always felt like it was an opportunity to try and touch my shoulder.”

LOYOLA GRADUATE

She said he “constantly” touched her, once told her to wear clothes to “show off what’s happening under there” and referred to her, another student and himself as a “design threesome.”

She said she would sometimes skip class because of these comments and behavior, especially on days when attendance was optional. She said those classes were “just more opportunity for him to be weird.”

One of the woman’s former classmates told The Phoenix she not only witnessed some of the professor’s behaviors with her friend, he also touched and squeezed her own shoulders on occasion.

“It was just one of those things

Larissa Paseta | The Phoenix

Two female Loyola graduates said their professor asked them invasive questions about their nose piercings, specifically asking one if the jewelry was “indicative” of bisexuality. These comments are just a few in a long list, according to students.

where every day in class it always felt like it was an opportunity to try and touch my shoulder,” she said.

The first woman got her septum pierced while she was a student in the professor’s class, and she said he asked her invasive questions, including whether she was “broadcasting her sexuality” with the new jewelry.

The professor also asked the second woman, who has a similar nose piercing, personal questions about her sexuality, specifically suggesting her piercing was “indicative” of bisexuality, she said.

According to this woman, he said: “You really mean it has nothing to do with your sexuality, you really don’t think that? ‘Cause I also saw you wearing your dog collar the other day, and you know when people wear that, that’s as much of an indicator of what they like to do in the bedroom than anything.”

She said the suggestion made her feel “very uncomfortable” and she was wary of going to class.

A third recent graduate said she avoided taking a class with the professor for as long as possible because she heard questionable things about him from upperclassmen.

“Going into his class, I knew to

stay away,” she said.

When she did take his class, she said the rumors held true.

The first day of class, she said the professor acknowledged students have said they didn’t like when he went near them. But he told them “that’s just how I teach,” she said.

“I know many other female students who are afraid to do certain things, act certain way or have changed their schedule because of him.”

LOYOLA GRADUATE

His classroom was “a weird space to be in,” yet another graduate said.

She said while the professor never touched her, she watched him touch other students.

“For some students he would put his hand on their back, and it would just go a little far down in my opinion,” she said.

‘I am willing to be an advocate for them’

Loyola President Jo Ann Rooney’s administration has been criticized repeatedly by students in recent years for its handling of sexual misconduct allegations, with the

school accused of poorly managing internal investigations.

Last fall, The Phoenix published a story about three Loyola students who alleged rape against the same man and were frustrated with how the university handled the investigation. Just last month, The Phoenix also reported on a male Loyola student who was expelled for a rape allegation against a female student yet walked the stage at graduation.

The investigation that’s the subject of this latest story led to similar frustrations among the women who made the complaints against the professor and were interviewed by a Loyola Human Resources (HR) employee as part of the case.

The Loyola HR rep who was involved in conducting the university investigation wouldn’t comment to The Phoenix for this story, saying in an email, “Due to confidentiality requirements, information regarding specific cases cannot be shared or discussed. No additional information is available.”

But the now-former students described poor communication with the HR rep throughout the investigation.

One of the women decided to contact the rep during her last semester at Loyola, after hearing classmates of hers had spoken to the HR

rep about the professor.

In February 2018, the graduate emailed the HR rep detailing eight incidents in which she felt like she was sexually harassed by the professor, including the comment about a “design threesome,” asking if her septum piercing meant “broadcasting her sexuality” and suggesting she wear clothing to “show off ” her body, emails show.

She also said the professor joked about going “on a date” with another student and told her she could “join in on the fun.”

“I know many other female students who are afraid to do certain things, act a certain way or have changed their schedules because of him,” she wrote in an email to the HR rep. “I am willing to be an advocate for them.”

This graduate said, after meeting with her, the HR rep promised to reach out with the findings of the investigation, likely in a “couple weeks.”

Not only was there no conclusion in that time, the graduate said she repeatedly contacted the HR rep over the following seven months for updates. The rep responded saying the investigation would be done “soon” or “in the coming month,” according to emails reviewed by The Phoenix.

“Are there any updates?” the graduate wrote to the HR rep April 24, 2018. “I really can’t leave Loyola and graduate knowing that this man is still employed here.”

The rep replied two days later saying she hoped to complete the investigation “in the coming month.”

Graduation came and went in May 2018, and the graduate still hadn’t received the findings.

Another graduate who spoke to the HR rep said she received one update about a month or two after speaking with her, saying the investigation was ongoing.

One of the other women who also spoke to the rep said she didn’t receive any follow-up emails and wishes she would’ve gotten “closure” before graduating.

“I’m trying to be fair and say, ‘I understand they’re busy and they have a lot of cases and whatever,’ but it’s kinda unresolved.”

LOYOLA GRADUATE

Under Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972, colleges are responsible for responding “promptly and effectively” to notifications and reports of gender-based misconduct. But there’s no exact time frame in the statute.

One graduate — who participated in the investigation as someone who said she witnessed sexual harassment — said she understands investigations take time, but said the

Larissa Paseta | The Phoenix

PAGE 5

professor teaching at Loyola after sexual harassment investigation lack of updates was frustrating.

“I’m trying to be fair and say, ‘I understand they’re busy and they have a lot of cases and whatever,’ but it’s kinda unresolved,” she said. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘Well, where did this case even go? Is stuff even happening? Is there going to be a resolution? Is action going to be taken to get him out of there?’ I don’t know.”

Two other graduates — who said they witnessed or experienced harassment by the professor — said they decided not to reach out to the HR rep because they felt their experiences weren’t enough to warrant participating in the investigation.

One of the graduates said she ignored her “feelings of discomfort” and didn’t talk to anyone at the university because she thought it wasn’t a big enough deal.

“What happens now? ... Who decides what happens to him?”

LOYOLA GRADUATE

The graduate who started an investigation with the HR rep emailed her three times throughout the summer after graduation in 2018, documents show.

“Please let me know what is going on,” she wrote after one email went unanswered for two weeks.

Emails show the HR rep didn’t tell her the findings of the investigation until August 29, 2018 — nearly seven months after it began.

The investigation found “evidence to support the complaint of unprofessional and sexual harassing behavior,” the HR rep wrote in the letter, saying the investigation included meeting with professors and students in the professor’s department.

But the letter didn’t include what action the university would take against the professor, the graduate said. She was left with unanswered questions.

“What happens now? … Who decides what happens to him?” she asked the HR rep in an email.

‘A whole long process with no resolution’

The HR rep told that graduate the professor’s department and school would review the investigation report and make a recommendation based on the process outlined in Loyola’s Faculty Handbook, emails show. That was the only information the rep said she could give, according to the graduate.

The chairperson of the professor’s department also couldn’t tell the graduate what would happen to the professor.

“It feels disrespectful to the potential threat that he poses to any other student’s livelihood.”

LOYOLA GRADUATE

Speaking generally, Tim Love, who now oversees internal investigations into sexual misconduct at Loyola, said once the findings of an investigation involving a faculty member are released, there’s a chain of command for what happens next.

The chairperson of the department makes a recommendation of disciplinary action to the dean of the school, who makes a recommenda-

tion to the provost, who then makes the final decision, according to Love.

It’s up to Loyola’s Office of the Provost to get back to a student or graduate about the outcome of an investigation involving a faculty member, but there’s “less of a need to know about outcome” if the student has left the university, according to Love, who was speaking generally.

One graduate said despite having graduated during the investigation, she still felt “determined” to get answers.

“I feel like I deserve to know that information,” she said.

Another graduate said she was frustrated by not knowing the outcome of the investigation, calling it “a whole long process with no resolution.”

During the time of the investigation, Loyola’s Office of the Provost was under the charge of Margaret Callahan as interim provost. As of February 2020, Norberto Grzywacz is the new provost. Neither of them responded to requests for comment from The Phoenix.

After the investigation concluded, the graduate who launched it soon learned from current students the professor was still employed by Loyola, which The Phoenix confirmed with the chairperson of his department and through Loyola’s online course list.

Some of the graduates said they were “shocked” and “discouraged” upon learning he’s still a Loyola professor.

“Keeping him employed at Loyola at any capacity is telling your female students that they don’t deserve protection f rom basic harassment.”

Data from Stop Street Harassment

Larissa Paseta | The Phoenix

LOYOLA GRADUATE

“For that to be ignored is really unsettling to me, it really makes me feel Loyola doesn’t care about its … sexual harassment allegations,” said one graduate, who said she experienced harassment but didn’t participate in the investigation. “It feels disrespectful to the potential threat that he poses to any other student’s livelihood.”

It’s unclear how the professor was disciplined, but the chairperson of his department told The Phoenix there was “disciplinary action” taken and it followed all the “official channels.”

The graduate who received the investigation’s findings in August 2018 reached out to the professor’s chairperson one last time in January 2019 to ask for news about the professor’s discipline.

Emails show the chairperson said she couldn’t say “much but that disciplinary action has been taken and is now in place.”

The graduate responded to the chairperson, saying she thinks allowing the professor to teach is a mistake.

“I understand a lot isn’t solely up to you, but keeping him employed at Loyola at any capacity is telling your female students that they don’t deserve protection from basic harassment,” she wrote to the chairperson.

“I am not going to give up my pursuit of either his termination or exposing his behavior.”

Loyola students can report sexual misconduct to The Office for Equity & Compliance at (773) 508-7766 or use the university’s EthicsLine reporting hotline, Loyola’s system for dealing with different complaints.

Larissa Paseta | The Phoenix

MARCH 11, 2020

6 NEWS

LUMA to focus on student art nearly a year after a controversial restructuring KAYLEIGH PADAR kpadar@luc.edu

A year after controversial changes were made to Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) aimed at saving money, the museum’s new management plans to focus mainly on student and faculty art, rather than outside exhibitors. This could include showcasing art projects from various classes and allowing professors to exhibit their own work.

Founded in 2005 on Loyola’s Water Tower Campus, LUMA has two permanent collections of fine art, including the Martin D’Arcy Collection that’s made up of Medieval and Renaissance art, according to the museum’s website.

LUMA underwent a large restructuring last year, which included reduced visiting hours and a voluntary withdrawal of the museum’s accreditation, The Phoenix reported.

Carlynne Robinson, LUMA’s new collection and events manager, started in November 2019. She said she’s having meetings with students and faculty members to hear what they want from the museum.

Robinson said the museum staff plans to promote student art within the museum, rather than host external temporary exhibits as LUMA did in the past. However, she said she’d be open to exploring that in the future.

“For some people, it’s probably non-traditional to work so closely with the students,” Robinson said. “I think investing in students will put so much value into LUMA and their experience at the university.”

LUMA also plans to hire student workers to help host exhibits and events similar to the way the museum did in the past, Robinson said.

Robinson said she’s currently planning an exhibit for the spring that will showcase art made by seniors in Loyola’s Fine and Performing Arts Department.

Loyola administration chose to reorganize the museum because it previously cost about a million dollars to operate, The Phoenix reported.

This decision has been questioned by some, including Loyola’s Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) — an organization of professors that’s been critical of President Jo Ann Rooney’s administration.

Professors in the AAUP questioned why the museum wasn’t considered “worth it” and raised concerns about why and how it was restructured in the first place — citing fundraising issues and a lack of faculty input.

“The financial arguments that were made for relinquishing the accreditation raise questions about the university’s accounting practice,” said Ian Cornelius, the president of Loyola’s Chapter of AAUP. “Does it expect all units to make a profit? Surely the library can’t be held to that standard or else we’d have to sell all the books.”

In order to save money, the university chose to voluntarily withdraw LUMA’s American Alliance of Museums accreditation — the museum field’s mark of distinction — which it first received in 2013.

Thomas Kelly, senior vice president for administrative services who was a part of making the decision, wouldn’t answer questions from The Phoenix.

The accreditation requirements — specifically the required operating hours — were part of why the museum cost so much to operate, Anna Rozenich, a spokesperson for the university, said in an email to The Phoenix.

“This will allow the university to prioritize resources in support of the museum’s academic focus and use the museum space for special events while maintaining the visibility of its collections and exhibitions,” Rozenich said in the email, which she said was on behalf of Kelly.

The American Alliance of Museums requires accredited museums to be

Zack Miller The Phoenix

After recent changes made to LUMA, the museum now plans to focus on student and faculty-created artwork exhibits.

open for 1,000 hours a year, according to its website. Since the museum no longer needs to meet these requirements, the hours have changed to “10 a.m. to 3 p.m. pending availability,” according to LUMA’s website.

Before arriving, visitors must call and make an appointment to view the art. Before the changes, LUMA was open more often and visitors could drop in unannounced.

When asked about the drawbacks of the appointment system, Robinson said she thinks there’s an “adjustment period for the new operating model.”

Going forward, she said the Martin D’Arcy Collection will be open whenever there’s an exhibition on the first floor so visitors won’t need to make an appointment.

About a thousand people have visited the museum since Robinson started in November 2019, she said. This includes attendance from LUMA’s popular annual holiday exhibition as well as

daily visitors, which she said are mostly classes on field trips.

Marilyn Dunn, an art history professor, wrote a report for the AAUP last summer chronicling the changes made to LUMA over the past few years leading up to the reorganization of LUMA las summer. In the report, she argued the university failed to raise enough money to support LUMA over time, partly by failing to replace the staff members at LUMA who were responsible for fundraising.

University administration, through Rozenich, declined to comment on these findings.

Over the years, multiple LUMA staff members left Loyola without being replaced, which eventually left the museum with a staff of six, down from 12 in 2015, Dunn wrote. Some of these positions were involved in fundraising for the museum, she wrote.

“What’s done is done, but it’s really unfortunate that other universities

throughout the city and throughout the country support their museums,” Dunn said in an interview with The Phoenix.

“Other universities seem to find a way to do that, but that is just not a priority here at Loyola.”

Other nearby universities have museums that cost more annually than LUMA did. In 2018, Northwestern University’s museum, The Block Museum of Art, had a budget of about $3.9 million, according to its website.

Ryan Tracy, a 2017 Loyola graduate who worked at LUMA for five years as both a gallery manager and public relations intern, said he noticed Loyola wasn’t supporting LUMA as much as it could have.

“I had a very limited budget for everything from the school,” Tracy said.

“The museum didn’t have a curator or director for the last few years. We were told there would be replacements made, but that obviously never happened, which sort of slowed things down.”

Loyola’s SAC sees 25 percent increase in use over a single year RYLEE TAN EMMAGRACE SPERLE esperle@luc.edu rtan@luc.edu

Despite an “exponential” increase in the number of students using resources for disabilities, university administration is keeping up with the demand.

The Student Accessibility Center (SAC) — which provides on-campus support and accommodations for students with disabilities — saw a 25 percent increase in the number of students that use accommodations from fall 2018 to fall 2019, according to Director of Learning and Student Success Betsi Burns.

Accommodations cover a wide range of needs and include getting extra time on tests, audio note-taking and attendance or deadline flexibility, according to the SAC website.

The increase fits national trends that show more students with disabilities are attending higher education, according to Katie Tappel, the associate director of SAC. Loyola students can apply for specific accommodations or can apply with a specific disability or mental health issue and work with the SAC office to get the accommodations that fit them best, according to Tappel.

There’s also been an increase in students applying for accommodations with mental health issues — including anxiety and depression — at Loyola, according to Tappel. In 2014, the top two categories of applicants had learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while in 2018 the top categories the SAC serviced were mental health and chronic medical conditions, Burns said.

In order to manage the increase in

Coordination is more than just ademic Services, Division of Student naming gets multiple testing accomdemand, the SAC started using Accommodate — an automated digital proctoring tests, according to Tappell. Development and other campus part- modations, including time-and-a-half system that made the application pro- Specialists help signing up students ners to assist in coordinating the ex- for exams, said Loyola’s SAC works and working with faculty to get and re- ams, Tappel said. around her tight schedule. cess faster, according to Burns.

First-year biology major Stephanie “My schedule is back-to-back The SAC also hired two new staff turn tests and exams, Tappell said.

The SAC has also seen an increase Miller said she gets double-time on [classes] Monday, Wednesday and members in spring 2019 to help with caseloads and testing accommoda- in testing accommodations with a 54 her tests and said she hasn’t had any Friday, so it becomes a problem with tions, she said. The SAC currently has percent increase from fall 2018 to fall issues scheduling exams with the SAC. testing,” she said.

The student said she’s used acfive staff members, two executives and 2019. During the fall 2019 semester, Even when she had missed the sign-up three specialists, and they’re looking to the SAC coordinated 2,375 exams, deadline, she said they were able to ad- commodations throughout high fill the last vacant executive position, with an additional 1,183 during fi- just to ensure she could take her exam school but had issues using them nals week. on time. during standardized tests. She said Burns said.

To handle the increase in test-tak“[It’s] not usually [difficult],” the she hasn’t experienced those same SAC specialists meet with students to review documentation, support ing accommodations, the SAC often 19-year-old said. “Even finals [aren’t] barriers at Loyola.

Burns said the SAC was “lucky” to students and coordinate the testing uses nearly every available room in hard to schedule as long as you’re on get the new hires so they can continue rooms, Tappell said. The SAC hired Sullivan Center, including staff of- top of it.”

A student who The Phoenix isn’t to help students. more specialists after the Student Ac- fices. The SAC also asks Student Academic Services Department — the department containing the SAC — restructured to allow for more specialists, Tappell said.

Loyola senior Alexandra Alamo said the online program is a “double-edged” sword because its easy but disconnects students from staff.

“On one end, it provides students with the autonomy and responsibility of requesting on their time regardless of where they physically are,” the psychology said. “On the other, it can be a confusing process to go through a website instead of asking a person directly.”

Burns said, if offered, any department at Loyola would take more resources — like extra funding or staff — but that the SAC doesn’t need anything else to keep up with the increased demand.

“If you ask anyone if they need more resources they’d always say yes,” Burns said. “We want to do what we need to do, but also be fiscally responsible with students’ tuition dollars.”

The most frequently provided accomodation is a distraction-reduced Rylee Tan The Phoenix environment for testing, coordinated The Student Accessibility Center saw a 25 percent increase in the number of students that use accommodations from 2018 to 2019.

by SAC staff, according to Burns.

NEWS

MARCH 11, 2020

7

Loyola scheduled to install film, reduce bird collisions on campus

SEAN HEMMERSMEIER shemmersmeier@luc.edu

Loyola is planning to put up ClearView bird collision prevention film to help reduce the number of bird collisions on its Lake Shore Campus (LSC).

This move comes after years of advocacy from an organization that collects birds who die after they hit the windows on large campus buildings.

Birds don’t perceive glass and often crash into large windows, causing injury and death, according to Reuben Keller, Ph.D., a professor within Loyola’s Institute for Environmental Studies. That lack of perception causes LSC to be a very dangerous place for migrating birds.

Since 2012, more than 1,200 dead birds have been collected on LSC by The Student Operation for Avian Relief (SOAR) — a student group that advocates for bird-friendly practices on campus.

The facilities department — which maintains Loyola’s buildings — told SOAR in November 2019 they were planning on putting up film on the six buildings that contribute to the most bird deaths, Keller said. Facilities is still determining what those buildings will be, according to Kana Henning, the associate vice president for facilities.

Loyola has committed $250,000 to this project, Henning said. The facilities department will be responsible for maintaining the film and will allocate money as necessary when film expires, according to Henning.

SOAR has published data on where the most dead birds are found. The south entrance of the Damen Student Center is the deadliest location, where 72 birds were found there in 2019, at the next deadliest location — east side of Halas — only 20 birds were found.

In 2019 there was a “minimum” of 223 birds killed by collisions, which was a record high for the campus since SOAR started collecting birds in 2012, according to Keller.

The university will use ClearView’s bird prevention film, according to Henning. The film is guaranteed to last for 10 years, which means replacing the film

is a commitment the school will have to maintain, according to Keller.

Students, including biology major Sophia Dahlquist, are happy Loyola is investing in preventing bird collisions, as long as the university doesn’t commit a lot of resources to the maintenance of the film.

“I support it — as long as it’s not extreme,” Dahlquist, 20, said. “As long as Loyola doesn’t spend as much on this as they do on other important functions.”

Putting film up is the best measure that can be taken at the moment, according to Keller. It’s possible to get windows with permanent patterns baked in, but Loyola would need to order all new windows for that measure to work, Keller said.

Keller helped to start SOAR in 2012 as an engaged learning class — classes based on research and experiential learning — to study the problem of bird collisions on LSC, The Phoenix reported. SOAR and Loyola have worked together since 2012 to reduce bird collisions on campus, including scheduling the blinds at the Sullivan Center for Student Services and Information Commons during the peak migration time of dusk, The Phoenix reported.

The number of collisions caused by LSC buildings is a “minimum” estimate

by SOAR. Those numbers don’t account for injured birds or birds taken by predators, according to Keller.

Due to product specifications, the film won’t be placed until the weather consistently stays above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, Henning said, which won’t happen until April, according to the Weather Channel, a news channel that monitors weather throughout the world.

Waiting to put up the film until April shouldn’t affect the migrating birds too much since the bulk of the migration season doesn’t start until late May, Keller said.

In October 2019, Loyola considered placing film on windows to prevent bird collisions, but administrators had to consider several factors including cost and how the film would impact the overall design of the buildings on campus before putting a plan in place, The Phoenix reported.

Sean Hemmersmeier The Phoenix

Loyola plans to install bird collision prevention film on the windows of six buildings that cause the most bird deaths.

Sean Hemmersmeier The Phoenix

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Opinion

PAGE 8

MARCH 11, 2020

With the coronavirus, it’s better to be safe — ­ and informed — than sorry Zack Miller

THE PHOENIX EDITORIAL BOARD In the digital age, we have more information at our fingertips than ever before — which is partly why we’re seeing so much about the coronavirus lately.

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by coronavirus, has dominated the news cycle and minds of those around the world. Between school closings, evacuations and quarantines, just about every outlet across the country has been extensively covering the spread of the virus. To some, it might feel like too much coverage.

But being informed is extremely important throughout this global crisis.

As upsetting as it was, Loyola’s decision to send students home from the John Felice Rome Center was the right call. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded more than 9,000 coronavirus infections and 463 deaths as of March 10, according to WHO’s situation report.

It’s been the hardest hit country outside Asia, with about 16 million people quarantined in the country, according to the BBC. There’s no way the university could’ve functioned properly and guaranteed the students’ safety in Italy. As of publication, Italy is on lockdown, meaning Loyola students got out of there just before all nonessential travel in and out of the country was prohibited.

With the decision, Loyola prioritized its students.

The

administration made the choice to put students’ health and well-being first. Even though students were rightfully upset, it’s better to be bored and quarantined than at greater risk for contracting the coronavirus.

Loyola has frequently updated students about its response to the virus — sending out multiple emails from the Wellness Center and the Office of the President. Through all the communication, Loyola has proven to be transparent every step of the way, which students should appreciate, even if the university hasn’t canceled classes as they may have hoped.

Though the emails may be overwhelming, this communication is a good thing. It’s the university’s responsibility to inform its students about all relevant health and safety concerns.

And the news coverage about the outbreak — much of which has included a subscription fee waiver — is equally informative and important.

The outbreak shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. But when it comes to health, the more information the better. The public deserves to know what it’s getting into and know how to protect themselves.

The emails from Loyola’s Wellness Center and the Office of the President mentioned the possibility of transitioning classes from faceto-face instruction to online. The emails also mention the action other universities have taken to prevent the spread of the virus in their

The Phoenix

Mary Norkol Emily Rosca Mary Chappell Adrian Nevarez Nick Schultz Mary Grace Ritter

student body. Fordham University, Santa Clara University and Seattle University are mentioned in the emails as schools that transitioned to online instruction due to “high numbers of COVID-19 cases” in their states.

While it can be annoying to get so many separate emails in your inbox about the same topic, it’s always better to be over-informed than underinformed. Information on the virus

is constantly evolving, so staying updated helps keep us keep up on how to stay healthy and reminds us how to prevent it from spreading.

Part of the reason the virus seems like it’s being blown out of proportion is because news is far more accessible now than it ever has been. We have updates at the palm of our hands on various news websites and apps. The virus is spreading quickly, so it makes sense that the news about it would be,

too. And now that we can access an abundance of news in a series of clicks and swipes, that information is just more available. But don’t be fooled — that’s a good thing.

We don’t know how severe the virus will become in Illinois, but the proper distribution of information is instrumental in containing the virus.

In the meantime, wash your hands. Spread credible information — not the coronavirus.

Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control

MARCH 11, 2020

OPINION 9

Young voters should focus on results rather than empty promises Courtesy of Gage Skidmore Flickr

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren lost big on Super Tuesday. It's clear that democratic voters are divided, backing different candidates. Young voters should look beyond bold promises and back either Biden or Trump.

JOEY CHERIAN jcherian@luc.edu

Former Vice President Joe Biden is presently in the lead after winning a commanding number of delegates on Super Tuesday and the March 10 primaries — the largest contests thus far. However, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) is not too far behind and major primaries, such as Florida and Illinois, are yet to come. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party still has a fighting chance against the moderates.

Young voters and students should look beyond bold promises and support candidates who can do more than simply make them.

The deep divide in the Democratic primary between progressives and moderates spells for a divisive presidential election in November.

The American people may still ultimately be left with an ideological battle between democratic socialism and capitalism.

Sanders advocates for Medicare for All and free college tuition. Students should be skeptical. Not only are the senator’s policies a bureaucratic nightmare, but it’s unlikely they would pass even if he was elected. He would have to work with Congress, where most Democrats and Republicans are wary of his proposals. In other words, Sanders doesn’t have the votes.

On the off chance Democrats gain the four Senate seats rated as tossups by 270 To Win — a nonpartisan political forecasting website — moderate lawmakers in the party remain deeply divided on these issues. They will not rally around Sander’s far-left policies especially regarding healthcare. Many moderate Democrats are shunning Medicare for All, according to reporting by Politico.

“I think people do want to have the

opportunity to keep private insurance,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Unlike Sanders, both Biden and Trump will be able to work with the current political landscape. Biden was in the Senate from 1973 to 2009. He has worked with many Democrats and Republicans currently in the Senate and got the votes required to pass the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare. This experience would allow him to pass a moderate agenda built on compromise that’s good for the American people.

Trump — say what you will of him — has actually accomplished many things during his term in office as well. This includes implementing tax cuts, passing criminal justice reform, passing aid for communities affected by the opioid crisis, passing a major North American trade deal and most recently negotiating a peace deal in Afghanistan. He's much more successful than his Republican predecessor George W. Bush, who started two wars and bailed out the banks in 2008.

Sanders, on the other hand, hasn’t actually done much in the Senate and doesn’t want to compromise. He has only sponsored three bills that became law in his 13 years in the Senate.

Meanwhile, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DMN) — a moderate — had 14 in the same period of time.

Unlike Sanders, Biden and Trump have the ability to get things done on a bipartisan basis and get the job done, which is something young voters should focus on.

Young voters should also realize Sanders’ policies would, for the most part, not benefit them. Sanders very blatantly said in the second Democratic debate that his policies would require a hike in middle-class taxes. This wouldn’t be in the interest of most college graduates, since they would most likely be footing the bill as future taxpayers. Free college would

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore Flickr After Super Tuesday, the moderate wing of the Democratic Party is unifying around Joe Biden

also potentially devalue the benefits of a degree.

Ultimately, nothing major will change upon the election of Biden, or the reelection of Trump, which

wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Free college and free healthcare wouldn’t only fail to get passed but would hinder the future of young people if it would.

Illinois residents should remember to get registered and vote early, or on March 17. Absentee ballots are available for non-Illinois residents on a state-by-state basis.

Courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Flickr

Young voters and students overwhelmingly support progressive candidates such as Bernie Sanders, but they should switch their loyalties.

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A&E

PAGE 10

MARCH 11, 2020

Photos: Hanako Maki The Phoenix

The Chicago River is dyed emerald green every St. Patrick’s Day, attracting thousands of visitors, a tradition that dates back more than half a century. For those who want to avoid the Loop, there are other options.

St. Patrick’s Day activities around the city BEN MOONEY MARY GRACE RITTER bmooney3@luc.edu mritter3@luc.edu

St. Patrick’s Day exists in a strange middle ground of holidays, not a forgettable one like Arbor Day but not necessarily a family-based celebration like Hanukkah, so it can be a challenge to find something to do.

But have no fear, this list will lay out the best activities for everyone’s favorite Irish patron saint day.

River Dyeing

The most obvious activity here in Chicago is the famous dyeing of the river. The city government dyes the Chicago River green every year in honor of the Saint and countless people flock to see it.

Just like the famous Cloud Gate, also known as The Bean, it’s a sta-

ple of Chicago. To some, this overall event is the greatest insult to Ireland since Margaret Thatcher. To others, it’s the greatest party in the city.

There will undoubtedly be massive amounts of people drinking in public and general chaos. Any mad man would absolutely love this in all its debaucherous glory, just be ready to fight off sensitive drunkards or sickly patrons.

Those looking for a different view of the iconic river dyeing, there’s a variety of river cruises happening.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Slightly south of this craziness lies the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade. This family-friendly event will take place March 14 on Columbus Drive. The parade is scheduled to start at noon and last about three hours. It’s set to showcase all kinds of colorful groups and floats, from bagpipe bands to dance troops. A much less disgusting affair than the

river, the parade is an ideal for a day out with the family.

However be weary of this event, as there are talks about shutting it down due to fears surrounding COVID-19. If it takes place, remember to keep a portable bottle of hand sanitizer with you, and avoid skinto-skin contact if possible.

Localized Events

Looking beyond the Loop, there are plenty of neighborhood celebrations across the city. Set to follow the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Irish American Heritage Center (4626 N. Knox Ave.) in Albany Park will host a St. Patrick Festival. Featuring contemporary and traditional Irish music, food and dance and vendors selling Irish gifts, it boasts celebrating “all things Irish.”

The festival is set to include the Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band, The Chancey Brothers and Trinity Irish Dancers. There’ll also be an arts and

crafts fair and family-friendly activities for children. It will be running from 1 p.m. to midnight with tickets costing $15.

Shamrock’n the Block at Old Saint Patrick’s Church (700 W. Adams St.) is a yearly St. Patty’s Day block party for people of all ages. Taking place March 14 from noon to 6 p.m., this shindig features traditional Irish dancing as well as bands, with enough corned beef and beer to feed and intoxicate a village.

If March 14 is all booked up, then fear not because the Northwest Side Parade is ready to launch March 15.

Starting 12 p.m. at the William J. Onahan School (6634 W. Raven St.). The parade goes for one hour, with an afterparty kicking off with a $15 entrance fee. Showcasing the same foods as Shamrock’n the Block, making for no shortage of classic Irish delicacies.

On the other side of the city, the longstanding South Side Parade will also take place March 15 at noon.

It’s set to run from Western Avenue between 103rd & 115th Streets and include bands, dance groups and the parade queen.

The South Side Parade is also at risk of being cancelled because of the spread of Coronavirus.

Casual Indoors Fun

There are also plenty of things to do at home for those who are concerned with COVID-19. For instance, the classic Disney original “Luck of the Irish” is streaming on Disney+ and offers its fair share of laughs, nostalgia trips and horrible mid-2000s acting.

Even simpler, invite a few friends over and have a couple drinks. As long as the drink isn’t too cheap or plentiful, it can be quite a fun experience.

Whether it’s celebrating with Guinness or a green beer, a simple friendly gathering always brings the holiday together. Of course, this is only for those who are over the age of 21.

Photos: Hanako Maki The Phoenix

MARCH 11, 2020

11 A&E

Department of Modern Languages to host annual graphic novel contest SASHA VASSILYEVA svassilyeva@luc.edu

Loyola’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures will celebrate society’s long-time love of visual storytelling with its annual Foreign Language Graphic Novel Contest, open to students of all majors.

Those who participate will create a novel based on their interpretation of the theme, which this year is “There is no place like…”. According to the contest rules, the novel should be no longer than eight pages and must include all original writing and artwork.

The graphic novels should be written in any of the foreign languages taught at Loyola, which include Spanish, French, Arabic, Hebrew, Latin, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, Italian and Polish.

The contest took place for the first time last year and was created by Pau-

lina Dzieza, manager of the Language Learning Resource Center. Dzieza said she decided to make the contest an annual event following its success the first year since it provides students with a creative outlet for their language and artistic skills.

“I feel it was such a great opportunity for students to express their artistic skills and of course language skills … so I feel like there is a need to continue that,” Dzieza said. “It’s so great for our students and it’s a different way of learning language.”

Last year’s winner was thenfirst-year student Ace Chisholm, who wrote her novel in Latin based on the theme, “Best day in my life.”

Chisholm’s novel, “Dies Maximus,” told the story of a young harpy — a mythical half-human, half-bird creature — who runs into and bonds with Roman legionaries. In an interview with The Phoenix last year, Chisholm said participating in the contest gives

students an opportunity to practice creating dialogue in a foreign language in a new, creative way.

This year Dzieza said there will be more prizes for the top graphic novels because of the amount of outstanding submissions they received last year.

The top seven novels will receive a prize starting with a $400 Visa gift card for the first place winner, $300 for second place, $200 for third and $100 for fourth, fifth and sixth place.

The graphic novels will be judged by a panel of faculty from the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures including Dzieza, Department Chair Susana Cavallo and a faculty member who’s an expert in the language in which each novel is written.

All entries for the contest must be submitted to the Language Learning Resource Center by 4 p.m. on March 27.

For further questions, students can contact Paulina Dzieza at pdzieza@luc.edu.

Lauv’s ‘How I’m Feeling’ is ironically emotionless ALEC KARAM akaram@luc.edu

Five years after dropping his first single, 25-year old singer-songwriter Ari Staprans Leff, known professionally as Lauv, released his first studio album, entitled “How I’m Feeling.” Executive produced by Lauv, the 21-song album is a moody hour of monotony.

The album includes 2019-hit “I’m So Tired…” — released more than a year before the album — as well as features from Troye Sivan, Alessia Cara, BTS and more. It’s an overstuffed, redundant listen and would have benefited from losing half its tracks. Unfortunately, even the songs that sound pleasant get lost in this unnecessarily long shuffle.

While his vocal tone is pleasant, Lauv remains emotionless throughout the album. The songs all blend together and few offer something unique.

The songs are too consistent sonicilly and thematically to the point of redundancy. Cohesive albums are great but Lauv takes that to the next level. It’s like the cast of “The Bachelor”: pretty but painfully one-note and lacking in diversity.

The themes of loneliness, heartbreak, isolation and angst could have evoked some genuinely interesting music. Lauv is clearly drawing on his own experiences here but he doesn’t dig deep enough to offer insight into how he’s feeling. The lyrics “lonely eyes, she had those lonely eyes / I only know ‘cause I have them too” on the

song “Lonely Eyes” provide a solid basis but Lauv struggles to move beyond basic analogies and metaphors.

This is perhaps the most frustrating aspect about the album. To title an album “How I’m Feeling” and then deliver a string of emotionless songs is contradictory. The album has such potential as the songs sound good individually but when stuffed into an album of indistinguishable tracks, they fall flat.

“How I’m Feeling” sounds like elevator music. Each of the tracks clocks in at around the three-minute mark and if the listener isn’t checking, they probably won’t notice when one ends and the other begins. This album will work great for “chill” Spotify playlists, but listeners wanting an actually evocative album should look elsewhere.

The solid production and clean vocals keep the album afloat but Lauv doesn’t properly differentiate himself from his peers. Each of these songs would be a solid fit on modern radio, alongside Khalid and Billie Eilish. Rarely, though, do these songs offer a new take on the currently oversaturated subgenre.

Somehow even the BTS feature lacks energy despite the band’s usual vigor. “Who” is a fitting title for the song considering the boy band seems nowhere to be found on the track. To tap the K-Pop superstars for a track and deliver a mid-tempo song seems to be a missed opportunity.

Most of the choruses repeat themselves. For a singer-songwriter to have one- to two-line choruses is a major

misstep. Repetition can be powerful but often comes across as a crutch within “How I’m Feeling.” “Feelings” is the worst offender with its chorus repeating: “Hmm / Hmm-mm / Hmm / ‘Cause feelings are hard to find.”

The album has some standout tracks, though. Lead single “I’m So Tired…” is strong and it’s clear why it was chosen to head the promotional cycle. “Changes” also offers a refreshingly soothing song to tide through the lifeless predecessors.

Latin-pop track “El Tejano,” featuring Sofia Reyes, provides a necessary sonic shift. It’s perhaps the most energetic and fun song in the album. The track is bouncy, danceable and a necessary reprieve from the moodiness of the album.

The production stands out on some tracks, such as “Drugs & the Internet.”

The sonic repetition cuts this positive short, though, as most songs end up sounding too similar. This problem likely could have been helped by tightening the tracklist. Unfortunately, Lauv opted for 66 minutes of the same.

If Lauv wants to continue on a singer-songwriter path, he should evolve heavily from this album.

“How I’m Feeling” rarely, if ever, offers lyrical genius and is mostly derivative. The lyrics are forgettable and provide no imagery. He’s more of a Camila Cabello than Taylor Swift, to put it kindly.

“How I’m Feeling” is available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Courtesy of Lauren Dunn

Pop artist Lauv’s new album, released at the beginning of March, is ironically emotionless and lacks any sort of depth.

Courtesy of Ace Chisholm

Ace Chisholm, who won last year’s competition, wrote her graphic novel in Latin.

‘First Cow’ blends milk, mischief LUCAS NABER lnaber@luc.edu

A24’s clandestine cow-milking period piece “First Cow” is destined to be the studio’s latest critical darling, even if its strange tempo and melancholic atmosphere might alienate mainstream audiences.

The film, which releases in limited theaters March 6, primarily focuses on the fast-rising pastry business of timid baker Cookie Figowitz (John Magaro) and his unexpected business partner King Lu (Orion Lee), an enterprising Chinese immigrant.

Written and directed by Kelly Reichardt (“Certain Women,” “Night Moves”), the film sounds like a zany comedy on paper, but finds both humor and sorrow in unexpected places, starting with Cookie and King Lu’s introduction.

When the duo first cross paths, Cookie is the soft-spoken cook of a logging group traveling to Oregon Territory when he runs into King, who’s naked, frozen and starving in the woods.

King’s discovery is scary at first, then becomes awkwardly comical for a beat before Cookie realizes how helpless and endangered King truly is.

King explains he’s trying to evade a group of Russian beaver trappers who claim he killed a member of their group. Cookie is skeptical, but King explains his murder was vengenace for a friend of his who the Russians executed based on falsified accusations.

While suspicious, Cookie takes King at his word and decides to help him. Cookie is nothing if not creative, and he’s able to conceal King in his group’s supply wagon long enough for him to escape.

Reichardt’s earlier eco-terrorism film “Night Moves” is a beautiful example of building organic tension, and King’s escape scene proves Reichardt’s still got her chops. Reichardt packs an absurd amount of weight into two newly introduced characters’ escape efforts, and provides a benchmark for the film’s tone.

Shortly after King’s escape, the pair meet again in a small Oregon Territory settlement. Expressing his gratitude, King invites Cookie back to his cabin for a night of drinking. This drunken bonding session leads to a nighttime milk raid on wealthy landowner Chief Factor (Toby Jones), who owns the only milk cow in town.

Stolen goods attained, Cookie puts his superior baking skills to work. One delicious butter cake later, King has formed a plan: the duo will use Factor’s milk cow to bake and sell the best-tasting pastries in the Oregon Territory.

In the hands of a lesser director, the film’s exploration of masculine ambition and class division might take a backseat to the hilarity of watching

two men repeatedly execute nighttime raids centered around milking an adorable, completely indifferent cow.

Instead, the opposite is true. The duo’s nighttime raids are quite funny, but milking a cow is tough, noisy work, and the film’s quiet frontier setting makes the process even more nerve-wracking. Still, the film offers more than some mild laughs and 19th century thrills.

Reichardt’s depiction of 19th century America and eclectic supporting characters leave the film with a melancholic languor — the natural result of revisiting a bygone era so heavily marked by ambition and uncertainty.

Once again, the film displays Reichardt’s directorial savvy by acknowledging this inevitability early on and allowing viewers to appreciate it themselves.

As expected, the film raises its stakes as the duo’s business grows.

John Magaro (“The Big Short,” “Carol”) and Orion Lee (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Skyfall”) portray Cookie and King respectively as having a natural chemistry tainted only by the inherent mistrust of their recent introduction, and watching their business succeed is the film’s biggest delight.

However, there’s reason to believe neither man is the person they present themselves as — Lee’s King has a friendly exterior, but also possesses a sinister layer matched only by the hidden determination Magaro imbues the outwardly timid Cookie with. Reichardt’s movies tend to be populated by nuanced, hard-to-quantify characters, and this film is no exception.

Too often, giving characters “hidden” personality traits is a onestop shop for lazy twists and wildly out-of-character choices, but Magaro and Lee’s performances here display a nuance and realism rarely executed this precisely. Reichardt knows most real people disguise and conceal parts of their personalities, so she allows her characters to do the same, preferring to let her stories force those traits to the forefront organically.

The film’s ability to blend an unorthodox sense of humor with high quality drama is commendable, but neither element would work without Reichardt’s precise characterizations, or Magaro and Lee’s performances as those characters.

Reichardt’s latest masterpiece, “First Cow” is an expertly written, quirky thriller, but it’s also a forlorn depiction of ambition’s futility and a touching bromance. Few directors are capable of balancing the amount Reichardt does here, and those who do usually aren’t blessed with two lead performances of this caliber.

“First Cow,” rated PG-13, comes to Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark St.) on March 6.

MARCH 11, 2020

A&E 12

I think we should see other countries... how I got dumped by Rome AMANDA MAURER amaurer@luc.edu

As I was waiting in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica during my last full day in Rome, I met a group of students from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh who were in my same shoes.

“It feels like a breakup,” one of them said. And she was spot-on.

Leaving Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) and the city of Rome almost two months early really did feel like a breakup. And it certainly wasn’t a mutual one.

Everything was going smoothly for the first month and a half or so. I was experiencing things I had never experienced before, looking at the world in a completely new way and I was the happiest I had ever been.

But, inevitably, things got a bit nasty toward the end.

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the student body was called to a mandatory meeting where JFRC officials first informed us about the severity of the coronavirus.

Because of its presumed origins in Wuhan, China, the disease had always felt distant and unrelated to us, but suddenly it was very close and very serious.

In the minutes leading up to the

meeting’s start, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen was playing through the room’s speakers. Nearly every student sang along, and the line “I don’t wanna die” felt a little too real.

This meeting was really the moment our relationship with Rome began to crumble. It’s here JFRC students first learned that quarantine was a potential consequence of traveling to another country since Italy was considered a hotspot. Administration also decided to cancel the school-sponsored weekend trip to Sicily because the first case in Palermo had been confirmed that morning.

Over the next week, confirmed cases in Italy jumped from around 300 to over 1,000 and the entire student body seemed constantly on edge. It seemed like at any given moment you could find someone on the phone with their parents.

Between the cancelation of the Sicily trip and the general fear of leaving the country — not to mention the upcoming midterm exams — no one was quite sure how that weekend was going to play out. Excitement for another weekend of traveling the continent turned into fear of not being able to leave the country — or worse, not being able to return.

As the week progressed, we heard rumors of other universities sending their students home, including New York University’s program in Florence and many of the programs in Milan.

Conversations between students al-

ways seemed to start with, “How are you doing?” and other niceties but always seemed to end with, “Do you think they’re going to send us home?”

The answer was almost always, “No, I doubt they would do that.” Until Saturday, Feb. 29. I was sitting at dinner with a group of other students and our conversation was inevitably headed toward that one dreaded question.

And this time the answer was overwhelmingly, “Yeah, I just don’t know when.”

Between the previous day and that conversation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had raised Italy from a Level 2 Alert, which encourages enhanced precautions, to a Level 3 Warning, which advised against any unnecessary travel. A Level 4 would mean no one could enter or leave the country.

Just a few hours later, we got the dreaded email. Everyone’s phones vibrated at the same time and just a few seconds later, wails and sobs echoed throughout the building. Even though most of us seemed to know it was coming, it was never real until that moment.

That night and the next few days turned into a mad rush of sorts — we all wanted to squeeze in our last bit of sightseeing and final goodbyes.

Everyone wanted just one more bite of pasta, and one more glass of wine because soon it wouldn’t be legal. We wandered Rome for one last look at the Colosseum, one more museum

visit because there are so many we never saw, and one more coin toss into the Trevi Fountain (I did three) just to be safe.

Meetings were held and (some) questions were answered, but everyone could tell the faculty were just as sad to see us go as we were.

Each day campus grew emptier and emptier as more and more students boarded flights back to the States. I was on the last group flight out of Rome on Wednesday, March 4.

So yes, Rome dumped me. My last few days were full of all the typical post-breakup feelings — the wouldhave/should-have/could-haves, the wishing for more time, the realization that you took it for granted.

Rome didn’t even get to meet my parents.

But there is one thing the JFRC faculty kept reassuring us — we are Romans now, and we’ll be back.

So Rome may have dumped me, but I’m not going to let her go that easily.

Amanda Maurer The Phoenix

A&E writer Amanda Maurer took one last trip to the Piazza Navona before leaving.

I can finally — and publicly — admit I genuinely like boy bands MARY GRACE RITTER mritter3@luc.edu

I remember the exact moment One Direction blew up. I was 13 years old, scrolling on the iTunes homepage of my gen-one iPad. I saw a photo of the soon-tobe world-famous One Direction — fluffy hair, striped shirts, suspenders and all. At that moment I knew everyone would be talking about them at school the next day so I picked a favorite (it was Harry Styles.

Even tiny Mary Grace had taste).

But I don’t think I told anyone at school my new favorite boy-band member. Boy bands weren’t “my thing.”

In 8th grade I’d just discovered My Chemical Romance and wore those double layer Converse — you know, the ones where it looks like a slightly bigger shoe is eating the one you’re wearing.

I wasn’t actively against the boyband craze like I was with Justin Bieber a year prior. Some of my best friends were obsessed so I learned all the ins and outs of the “1D” fandom. But I couldn’t admit how much I actually liked One Direction. Not until it was too late.

They’ve all broken up now so my deep love of absurdly catchy boy-band pop won’t get the satisfaction of a live show anytime soon. But that won’t stop me from being vocal about it. If you get me started talking about my favorite boy band, Big Time Rush, I absolutely will not be able to stop.

Honestly, it’s just something that makes me happy. I know, that’s soft, but what’s wrong with loving something simply because it sparks joy. Marie Kondo would be disappointed in all you boyband-shaming people. As one of our writers recently wrote, you shouldn’t feel guilty about so-called guilty pleasures.

I mean, One Direction was a cultural phenomenon that dominated the pop culture sphere for years. Its debut album even made The Phoenix’s list of

top albums of the decade (OK, yes, I added it).

Big Time Rush even had its own Nickelodeon hit show called — you guessed it — “Big Time Rush.”

That show was an anomaly of the early 2010s, recounting the fictional origin story of a real boy band. It gave fake last names and exaggerated personas to the real members. Yet the show was still self-aware — one episode acknowledging the British invasion with competing boy bands One Direction and The Wanted.

I watched all four seasons of “Big Time Rush” this past summer to distract me from the heat of my air-condition-less Chicago apartment and let me tell you, it was beautiful. It was the perfect combination of nostalgia and lighthearted teen romance drama — the exact strength of boy bands.

Do I want to think about the fact that the majority of these boy band friendships are manufactured by big money-making organizations? Absolutely not. Believing the constructed narrative is half the fun.

But even if their stories aren’t completely authentic, the songs’ messages are. We’ve all felt the longing love of One Direction’s “More Than This” — the boy band just vocalized it so we don’t have to. I still hype myself up with Big Time Rush’s title track when they sing, “Go and make your luck with the life you choose / If you want it all, lay it on the line.”

Whether you’re just owning up to your love of boy bands at 22 or you’ve loved them since Louis loved carrots, don’t be afraid to express that love. As Big Time Rush once sang, “It’s the only life you got so you gotta live it big time.”

Courtesy of Lunchbox Studios

Kendall Schmidt, Carlos Peña, James Maslow and Logan Henderson were Big Time Rush.

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MARCH 11, 2020

Sports

PAGE 13

RAMBLER RUNDOWN WATSON NAMED NACDA ATHLETICS DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Loyola athletics director Steve Watson was one of 28 athletics directors in the country named National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) athletics director of the year, it was announced March 3. Watson is set to head to Las Vegas in June to receive his award.

SB: RAMBLERS GO 5-6 AT THE SPRING GAMES

ARCH: Ramblers’ season ends early at Arch Madness

The Loyola softball team played 11 games over spring break, going 5-6 at The Spring Games in Florida.

It was the final tuneup for the Ramblers before conference play begins March 14-15 against Bradley in Peoria.

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Members of the Loyola student section react during the Ramblers’ 74-73 loss to Valparaiso in the Arch Madness quarterfinals at Enterprise Center in St. Louis March 6.

continued from page 1 “We’ve been skating on thin ice for many, many games with this free throw shooting,” Moser said. “Tonight, it caught us.”

Valparaiso managed to score 10 points in possessions directly following a Loyola missed free throw.

Loyola led 36-22 at halftime and stretched the lead to 18 points with 15:44 remaining in the second half.

Valparaiso caught fire late in the second half, going on an 11-2 run in

the final 2:50 of regulation to force overtime despite never leading in the second half.

In overtime, the Crusaders outscored the Ramblers 6-5. Valparaiso won on a layup by Eron Gordon with three seconds remaining. The Ramblers missed their final nine field goal attempts in overtime after firstyear guard Marquise Kennedy hit a jumper to start the period.

Junior guard Keith Clemons led Loyola with a career-high 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting. No other Ram-

bler scored in double figures, but junior center Cameron Krutwig finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

The Ramblers held Javon Freeman-Liberty — who earned AllMVC First Team honors — to just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Freeman-Liberty fouled out with 3:52 left in overtime.

“He’s obviously a little bit under the weather,” Valparaiso head coach Matt Lottich said. “He looks like a young man that hasn’t practiced.”

This was the third meeting be-

tween Loyola and Valparaiso, with the Ramblers winning the first two games by a combined five points. Lottich said he focused on limiting the Crusaders’ turnovers and not allowing Loyola to run in transition.

“I think when you do play teams as much and you play them for a third time, there’s some familiarity of really how they’re trying to attack you,” Lottich said. “I thought we put in some wrinkles. We tried to take them off their rhythm. They’re a great rhythm team.”

Longer offseason lies ahead for men’s basketball NICK SCHULTZ nschultz@luc.edu

With 15:44 left in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal, it looked as though Loyola was coasting to a semifinal appearance. The Ramblers led by 18 points and looked poised to move on in what many thought had just become a wide-open tournament after No. 1-seeded University of Northern Iowa lost earlier in the day.

Then, that lead vanished as the Ramblers missed 13 free throws and eventually lost to No. 7-seeded Valparaiso University 74-73 in overtime — making them the first No. 2 seed to lose in the quarterfinals since 1998. Now, discussions have begun about the offseason.

Loyola is expected to return 10 scholarship players, only losing senior guard Bruno Skokna to graduation. That includes the entire starting lineup, one that went 16-7 after junior point guard Keith Clemons returned from knee surgery. Most of the bench is also slated to return, including 2020 MVC Sixth Man of the Year Marquise Kennedy.

The Ramblers are also set to get sharpshooter Cooper Kaifes back to the rotation after he missed the season with a torn labrum in his hip.

They’re also expected to have another three-point threat join the rotation in guard Braden Norris, who had to sit out this season after transferring from Oakland University.

On top of picking up another good outside shooter in rising first-year Baylor Hebb, expectations could be heightened in 2020-21. But with early exits the last two years, fans could also still have those on their minds when look-

MGOLF: JOHNSON TIES FOR FIFTH AT BASH AT THE BEACH Junior Devin Johnson tied for fifth individually at Bash at the Beach as the Loyola men’s golf team finished ninth out of 15 teams March 9-10.

WGOLF: LOYOLA FINISHES 11TH AT JACKRABBIT INVITATIONAL The Loyola women’s golf team recovered from a rough second round to finish 10th place out of 14 teams at the Jackrabbit Invitational in Boulder City, Nevada March 9-10.

UPCOMING EVENTS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MARCH 12-15

@ MEN’S VOLLEYBALL MARCH 13 AT 7 P.M. Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Loyola redshirt junior guard Tate Hall prepares to check in as coach Porter Moser walks up the sideline at Arch Madness March 6.

ing to the future.

Either way, it doesn’t sound like anyone on the team is worried about what’s next after the way the final game of the year ended.

“That’s not what we’re going to talk about right now,” said head coach Porter Moser. “These guys were ready. I thought we did a lot of things we needed to do to be up 18.”

This season didn’t have the high outside expectations of last year, the first after Loyola took the nation by storm during that magical run. The Ramblers were picked to finish fourth out of 10 teams in this season’s MVC preseason poll, meaning their No. 2 seed at Arch Madness was better than they were predicted to finish. After all, they only finished one game behind

league-leading Northern Iowa, which won its first outright MVC regularseason title since 2010.

But that 18-point lead made it feel as though the Ramblers were going to make it back to the big dance because Northern Iowa was out of the picture.

Visions of a Selection Sunday watch party danced in Ramblers fans’ heads.

Although the expectations were lower than years past to start the season, they started rising throughout the year before going sky high, shortly before tipoff against Valparaiso.

“We didn’t live up to our expectations and our standards,” said junior center Cameron Krutwig in the postgame press conference. “Coach always talks about standards. Our standards for ourselves and as a program. This

season, we didn’t live up to them.”

If the Ramblers decide to forego postseason — they could decide to join a pay-to-play tournament such as the College Basketball Invitational or CollegeInsider.com Tournament — it’ll be their longest offseason in three years.

As they get set for next year, Krutwig echoed a sentiment from last year’s press conference after Loyola’s season-ending loss to Creighton University in the NIT. “I’ve said this the last three years: The faces change, but the expectations don’t,” Krutwig said. “The good thing for us is we don’t have a lot of faces changing next year.”

The 2020-21 regular season is scheduled to begin in November, meaning it could be eight months before Loyola returns to Gentile Arena.

vs.

MARCH 15 AT 2 P.M.

vs.

SOFTBALL MARCH 14 AT 12 P.M. & 2 P.M.

@ MARCH 15 AT 11 A.M.

@

PAGE 14

SPORTS

PAGE 15

Wild weekend puts the ‘madness’ in Arch Madness Loyola was upset in its first game of the tournament, but that was far from the only chaos that ensued in St. Louis this past weekend.

KYLE BROWN kbrown16@luc.edu

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Loyola center Cameron Krutwig looks down the court before the ball is inbounded.

This season’s Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) men’s basketball tournament lived up to its name: Arch Madness. The tournament had a historically wild weekend and featured many upsets, including a Loyola loss in the quarterfinals.

The tournament featured an unprecedented level of upsets and chaos.

For starters, the University of Northern Iowa was the heavy favorite but got bounced in its first game by Drake University and its MVC All-Tournament team honoree Liam Robbins in the quarterfinal round March 6. That was the first time in the tournament’s 33-year history the No. 1 seed had failed to reach the semifinals.

And the madness only increased from there. Later that night, No. 7-seeded Valparaiso University used a furious second-half comeback to upset No. 2-seeded Loyola. The Ramblers became just the second No. 2 seed to not reach the semifinal stage, joining 1998 No. 2 seed Creighton University.

After the game, Loyola head coach Porter Moser blamed the loss on the team’s poor free throw shooting. The Ramblers shot 14-for-27 from the foul line against the Crusaders — a 51.9 percent clip. This was well below their

regular-season average of 65.6 percent, which ranked last in the MVC by more than 5 percent.

“It’s tough because now you’ve got to go in the offseason with that taste in your mouth,” Moser said. “But we’ve been skating on thin ice for many, many games with this free-throw shooting, and tonight it caught us.”

No. 3-seeded Indiana State University also lost in the quarterfinal stage, falling to No. 6-seeded Missouri State University 78-51. This is the first time in the history of the MVC Tournament that all of the top three seeds failed to advance to the semifinal stage.

The Crusaders’ improbable run didn’t stop with their win over Loyola.

Valparaiso edged out an 89-82 victory over Missouri State to secure a spot in the Arch Madness championship game March 8. The Crusaders became the first team in MVC history to advance to the championship game after being in the play-in games to get to the quarterfinals.

Valparaiso was led by sophomore guard Javon Freeman-Liberty and senior guard John Kiser — both of whom were named to the All-Tournament team. Freeman-Liberty averaged 16.8 points per contest in the four tournament games while Kiser averaged 10.8.

Joining them in the finals was No. 4-seeded Bradley University.

The Braves knocked off No. 5-seeded Southern Illinois University and No. 8-seeded Drake on the way to the championship.

In the final matchup between Valparaiso and Bradley, the Braves defeated the Crusaders 80-66 to win backto-back MVC titles for the first time in program history.

Senior guard Darrell Brown averaged 21.6 points in the Braves’ three tournament games, including 21 against the Crusaders. Brown was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Bradley junior forward Elijah Childs was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in the tournament.

Despite the loss, Valparaiso head coach Matt Lottich said he was proud of the run his team made. He downplayed the impact that fatigue had in the game against Bradley, but said tired legs definitely made an impact.

“Anytime you lay it out on the line like they did, you give your hearts into something and it doesn’t work out, it hurts,” Lottich said. “Some of the adversity that we had to face to make this run, obviously, the four [games] in four [days], that’s difficult.”

Bradley is awaiting its NCAA Tournament seeding, which will be announced during Selection Sunday March 15 at 5 p.m. on CBS.

Emily Rosca | The Phoenix

A young Bradley fan celebrates during the team’s championship game against Valparaiso. The Braves won the game to seal their second straight Arch Madness title for the first time in program history.

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Bradley’s bench celebrates a foul called in the Braves’ favor during their semifinal game against No. 8 seeded Drake. The team beat Drake 76-66, securing their advancement to the NCAA tournament.

Emily Rosca | The Phoenix

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Missouri State forward Tulio Da Silva throws down a dunk against Indiana State.

Illinois State guard Zach Copeland shots the ball against Drake.

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Bradley junior forward Elijah Childs puts up a shot against No. 7 seeded Valparaiso in the final round.

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Loyola guard Tate Hall drives against Valparaiso March 6.

Emily Rosca | The Phoenix

Drake sophomore forward Liam Robbins goes up two block a shot against Illinois State March

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Bradley senior center Koch Bar celebrates with his teammates after No. 4 seeded Bradley took home their second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference tournament title for the first time in program history.

16 | SPORTS

WBB prepares for MVC Tournament

KYLE BROWN kbrown16@luc.edu

The Loyola women’s basketball team (15-14, 6-12) is winding down with the Missouri Valley Conference ( M V C ) w o m e n’s b a s k e t b a l l tournament coming up March 12-15.

The No. 8-seeded Ramblers are scheduled to play No. 9-seeded Indiana State at 4 p.m. March 12.

Loyola beat the Sycamores twice during the season, winning on the road by seven points and by 10 at Gentile Arena.

Loyola’s regular season was a rollercoaster. The Ramblers had a historically good start, opening their season 9-0. They were also the first Division I women’s basketball team to be 8-0 on the road this season.

Ho w e v e r, L o y o l a s t u m b l e d through its conference schedule. It finished 6-12 and is currently riding a seven-game losing streak heading into Hoops in the Heartland — the MVC women’s basketball tournament.

Loyola head coach Kate Achter said she thinks her squad has been playing some of its best basketball of the season despite the stretch of loses. In 10 of their 14 losses this season, the Ramblers have held a lead or been within a single possession of their opponent in the fourth quarter.

Achter said “success isn’t a straight line” and that the team has been able to improve through the tough loses.

“For us, it’s just about continuing to understand the situations where we’ve made mistakes,” Achter said.

“We’ve lost games on possessions when other teams have made great plays to beat us. We’ve lost games where we’ve made mistakes.”

Over the Ramblers’ last 10 games, senior guard Tiara Wallace has averaged a team-high 15.7 points per contest. This includes a pair of 26-point performances, the first

coming against the University of Evansville Feb. 8 and the next coming five games later against the University of Northern Iowa March 1.

“Tiara Wallace has been absolutely unbelievable for us,” Achter said. “A part of her game that she’s really s t r u g g l e d w it h w a s ju s t b e i ng consistent. … I’ve had other players that have really grown over the course of the season, but I couldn’t be more proud of what Tiara’s done for us.”

Indiana State enters the tournament with a 5-25 record — including going 3-15 in conference play. Head coach Vicki Hall said the team’s focus has been working on its offense. The Sycamores had the second-lowest points per game average in the league, scoring 59.8 points per contest.

“I just think it’s important that we play for 40 minutes and value every possession,” Hall said. “That’s what we’ve really been working on in this last month of the season. … And then working on our execution, especially offensively, and being able to make sure we can create opportunities for ourselves to score easy baskets.”

Achter said there are similarities between the Loyola and Indiana State programs. Achter has been guiding Loyola through a rebuild since her arrival and said Hall and the Sycamores have been going through a similar process.

“We have a lot of respect for what Coach Hall is doing down in Terre Haute,” Achter said. “It’s something that we’ve been immersed in for the last three years as a staff. … They don’t stop fighting and I know they’re going to give it everything they got this weekend, as are we.”

Achter and the Ramblers are scheduled to face off against the Sycamores March 12 at 4 p.m. in Moline. The game will open the Hoops in the Heartland tournament.

MARCH 11, 2020

You may now call me sports reporter

Courtesy of Nick Schultz

Zack Miller, Nick Schultz, Emily Rosca and Kyle Brown pose together after covering Arch Madness in St. Louis March 5-8.

Emily Rosca | Managing Editor erosca@luc.edu

Zack Miller | The Phoenix

Senior guard Tiara Wallace drives to the basket against Indiana State Feb. 6.

I never thought I would say or write this, but I like college basketball.

“Free throws are free” is the mindset I’ve acquired this past weekend, and I blame it all on The Phoenix’s sports editors.

I’ve poked fun at Nick Schultz, our sports editor, for years now about his obsession with Loyola sports, namely the men’s basketball team. I’ve stayed away from sports my whole life — save for my stint on my high school’s powderpuff team. There’s no reason for it beyond simply having no interest or knowledge on the matter.

I relate to concert-goers who crave being in crowds and moshpits. I get the rage people express about politics. I’ve never understood people’s response to sports — until this weekend.

A couple weeks ago during The Phoenix’s production night, I sat down next to one of our sports editors, Abby Schnable, and we started chatting about spring break. She was traveling down to St. Louis with a few other editors to cover the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball tournament — “Arch Madness” as it’s most commonly referred.

She jokingly asked if I wanted to come down with them. The conversation was picked up by others in the newsroom, and next thing I knew Abby was game-planning getting

me credentialed. Not even 24 hours later, she texts that I’m approved.

Despite Loyola making it to the NCAA Final Four when I was a firstyear in 2018, I’ve never been to a Loyola basketball game. I didn’t know much beyond the fact free throws (which, yes, I knew were worth one point) aren’t the Ramblers’ strength.

So the fact I was going down to cover a major sporting event made me laugh.

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. And despite the long days, the crazy weekend of madness was exactly what I needed. I was in the best hands with our sports editors Ky le Brown, Abby and S chultz (who’s referred to in the newsroom exclusively by his last name), who passed down some of their vast basketball knowledge. Our on-staff photo guru Zack Miller indulged my life and music dis c ussions while helping me hone my sports photography skills.

There was no better way to rectify my virtually nonexistent basketball knowledge than by sitting through nine games in four days.

Arch Madness — the precursor to the NCAA tournament known as March Madness — is the sports equivalent of covering Pitchfork or Lollapalooza music festivals. I’ve covered those, but something about the St. Louis tournament hit differently, something even Schultz acknowledged.

The event was highly organized, the fans were loud and energetic, and the 10 teams put their hearts and souls into games. And for a first tournament, I don’t think there could’ve been a better one to attend and cover.

The weekend, full of upsets, made history on several occasions.

No. 1 - s e e d e d Un ive r s it y of Northern Iowa was overcome by No. 8-seeded Drake University in the quarterfinal round Friday. No. 2-seeded Loyola was knocked down

by No. 7-seeded Valparaiso University the same day. It was the first time in tournament history the top two seeds were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The Valparaiso Crusaders, who

competed against Bradley University in Sunday’s championship game, were the first to ever play in all four days of the tournament. The Braves, who won the game 80-66, are going dancing for the second year in a row after winning back-to-back Arch Madness titles.

And throughout it all, I sat next to some of my favorite people who taught me about the sport, the tournament and the many quirks of sports.

You may now call me a sports reporter. Photographing basketball is such an exciting experience, and writing gamers isn’t nearly as difficult as I imagined. When plans for this weekend unfolded, our editor-inchief joked I might have a knack for sports reporting. I wouldn’t call it that exactly, but I’ve uncovered a desire to write some sports stories, a desire I never would’ve fathomed.

With sports reporting though comes the “sports diet,” as Schultz calls it. It’s as terrible as you might imagine it to be: chips and soda (neither of which I frequently consume). I’m not sure where to begin to fix my regime after this weekend, but I console myself with the fact we laughed so much this weekend that we probably burned a lot of those unnecessary carbs doing so.

The epitome of the weekend was dinner with our pal and fellow Phoen Mary Grace Ritter — a St. Louis native and expert. We indulged in $3 burgers and mozzarella sticks at a late-night, retro diner. And everyone let me document the night on 35mm film without complaining. That’s how you know you’ve found high-quality people.

Much to his chagrin, Schultz was more often than not the butt of jokes and criticism. He grew up in a small central-Illinois town that only has one McDonald’s within its borders.

He doesn’t eat tomatoes. He has a networking laugh that we can’t help but cackle at.

“The love from you three is ‘Ow,’” Schultz said in the car ride home. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

It’s a sentiment felt across the board — we wouldn’t have had it any other way.