10/25/16 Independent Fall Issue #5

Independent

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Northeastern Illinois University

www.neiuindependent.org

Vol. 36 Issue 5

Instructor-student confrontation caught on video Page 2

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News Tuesday, October 25, 2016

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Teacher’s outburst turns physical Grace Jene Leonard (left) gives her account of events to Officer Tricia Garcia (right) after a physical confrontation with Professor Kate Harris. | Pablo Medina

Brett Starkopf A communications instructor was caught on video cursing at and pushing a student Oct. 19 in the F-Building.

Kate Harris left her class to go to to the University Commons where students were having discussions with members of an anti-LGBTQA group.

There, Harris, who was described by her student Emily Hosman as being “liberal” and “offended by the group,” began shouting at and confronting students after the individuals already left.

“By the time I got there … I just saw her in someone’s face kind of by the door and obviously really frantic and freaking out,” Hosman said.

Harris confronted Grace Jene Leonard, a senior, and began swearing and asking students for their student IDs. “We were just outside talking to these people who were preaching basically against homosexuality,” Leonard said. “I showed her my ID and she called me a ‘b----’ and told me to go, ‘f---’myself.”

Once Leonard heard Harris was an in-

structor, she and a group of students followed her from the Commons to her classroom in the F-Building.

According to NEIU police Lt. John Schulz, the two-minute video shows Harris “fleeing” from the confrontation.

“The other people weren’t satisfied with the answer that she gave and they continued to follow (her) and they were yelling at her and she was yelling back,” Schulz said, describing the footage.

There was another confrontation between Harris and Leonard before reaching the F-Building.

“She continued to swear at me and call me a b---- and she was giving us all the finger,” Leonard said.

Once inside the F-Building, Leonard attempted to enter the classroom but Harris didn’t let her.

“She tried to slam the door and basically just pushed me out of it and pushed me down,” she said.

Schulz said the students who followed Harris back to her class used “poor judgment.”

“My advice to any student or professor is

if you see something you feel is not right or unwarranted that you bring it to someone in authority’s attention. Bring it to the police’s attention,” Schulz said. “Or if it’s a professor that you think has said something that is out of line then go to the administration and say, ‘Hey, I had this encounter with one of your professors, this is what was said and this is how they acted’ and investigate and do it that route.

“You wouldn’t have had this prolonged confrontation; you wouldn’t have had the finger pointing and the swearing and the slamming the door and the news story that followed that turned into me sitting here talking to you,” Schulz added.

As of Oct. 21, NEIU police and administration are looking into the matter and no charges have been filed against Harris.

“At the moment, the University considers this a personnel matter and what I can say so far is that university will deal with this in accordance to procedures as well as the collective bargaining agreement,” said Chief Communications Officer Mike Dizon. “We are going to have to follow procedure.”

Harris agreed to speak to the Independent

on Oct. 20, but only after she finds out what the university is doing regarding the matter. In an Oct. 21 email, Harris stated that she is “still waiting for my initial meeting with the University.”

NEIU University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 President and Philosophy and Political Science Professor Sophia Mihic declined to comment.

“The union has a legally defined responsibility in this investigation and process,” Mihic wrote in an Oct. 22 email. “Our role is to help foster fairness and must at this time be confidential.”

Schulz confirmed the matter is still under investigation and does not think she will be charged.

“At this point, I don’t think so,” Schulz said.

“It’s still being reviewed.”

Before the incident with Leonard occurred, Hosman claimed that Harris grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her to class.

While Hosman, who is in Harris’ “Voice for the Stage” class, was trying to figure out what was happening, she audibly voiced her displeaContinued on page 3

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sure of the situation to a man in the Commons.

“I was talking with him and then I was saying, ‘we’re two minutes into my class and I’m paying to come out here and watch my professor yell at somebody, I feel like that’s a waste of my time. Like, why are we here now?’” Hosman told the man.

She wasn’t sure if Harris had heard her complaints but that’s when Harris grabbed Hosman’s arm and started to pull her down the hallway.

“She pulled me down the hall and she’s like, ‘c’mon, let’s go” and I stopped her from pulling me … because I was uncomfortable with the fact that she was touching me or trying to make me move,” Hosman said. “I’m not her daughter.”

Harris left then returned and attempted to pull Hosman to class again. Hosman said she felt “pressured” and told Harris she wasn’t going to class.

Kyle Burke, director of the Student Union, Events & Conference Services, also witnessed Harris grab Hosman.

“She did grab her arm, but let go pretty quickly,” Burke said. “Emily was shaken. This is someone she knows. I didn’t see an aggressive grab. It was more like a, ‘c’mon Emily, let’s go.’”

Burke, who was on the quad at the same time Harris began confronting students, called the event “strange.”

“I didn’t hear what was going on initially.

What I did see was people around saying, ‘Who are you? You can’t talk to us like this,’” Burke said. “I did see (Grace) show Professor Harris her ID and I was like, ‘Who is this person? I

don’t get it.’ I didn’t know who she was. With some of the way she was asserting herself it became clear she wasn’t a fellow student. It was very strange. The whole thing was strange.”

Though Harris is well received by her students, Hosman said “her behavior in the classroom was definitely inappropriate at times.”

“In terms of violent outburst, no. I’ve never seen anything like that,” Hosman said. “She’s a highly opinionated professor...She can get inappropriate with some of the stuff she says, like slang for body parts and she swears a lot.”

Hosman added that she didn’t see Harris angry with other students in her class and that she liked her class.

As of Oct. 21, Harris has not been disciplined and her classes will proceed as normal while the investigation is ongoing.

Although proper disciplinary action was offered by Leonard.

“I think she should be fired. Absolutely. And arrested for assault,” Leonard said. “Beyond the physical of what she did, I think that the things she said to me and other students and her behavior in general is abhorrent, inappropriate and it’s hypocritical of the school to employ people like that and then expect students to live up to some kind of ridiculous student code of conduct that teachers aren’t following.”

Dizon called the incident “atypical” and said, “this is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen at the university often.

“It’s also highly inconsistent with our university values,” he said.

Police Blotter The following offenses occurred at NEIU’s main campus between Oct. 4 and Oct. 19: Oct. 4 – Off Campus: An unknown offender stole a victim’s keys, wallet and debit cards while shopping off campus.

Oct. 4 – P.E. Building: An unknown offender stole a victim’s backpack with keys, books and cell phone inside.

Oct. 5 – The Nest: An unknown offender stole $130 USD from victim’s room.

Oct. 11 – FA Building: An unknown offender stole two art pieces on display inside plexiglass cases.

Oct. 12 – The Nest: An underage, non-NEIU student was found intoxicated on campus. The student was transported home by NEIU Police.

Oct. 15 – The Nest: A student was inappropriately touched by another student. A report was taken but the student who made the report refused to sign complaints.

Oct. 18 – LWH: A student’s backpack was left unattended and went missing when the student returned to class.

Oct. 19 – P.E. Building: A non-student punched a P.E. staff member in the shoulder after a foul in a basketball game. Victim refused to sign complaints.

Oct. 19 – F-Building: A professor and student were involved in a confrontation over a student protest. Video footage of the incident was shared on social media.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

NEWS

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NEIU students tell lawmakers to fund education Cast your

ballot at NEIU

Terrie Albano Halloween came a few weeks early for NEIU students. Donning masks of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner, students snapped photos to tweet and Instagram with the hashtags, #ReclaimOurSchools, #FundOurFuture, #LostWithoutMAP and #BruceBetterHaveOurMoney, highlighting the scary state of public K-12 and higher education.

As part of the Oct. 6 nationwide Day of Action, sponsored by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, faculty, staff, union members, students and community-based activists sponsored tables where students could register to vote, sign postcards to their state lawmakers demanding full funding for education and get their photo taken with or without a scary Rahm or Rauner mask.

Alexis Hall, 23 and a freshman, stopped by to register to vote. The cuts to public universities and the state budget crisis have pushed her to the brink of leaving the state to return to her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Because of lawmakers and the governor’s inability to reach a compromise on the budget, Illinois has entered its second year without one.

A stop-gap appropriations bill to allocate some funding for higher education was passed to avert total calamity befalling the state’s public universities.

For Hall, that meant her Monetary Assistance Program — called MAP grants — was cut in half.

“I had to pay for tuition and books, and I work a minimum wage job. You can only imagine how many books I had to pay for with four classes,” she said. “You know it’s not easy with a minimum wage job. Everything is so expensive here. It’s also disheartening. I thought they would find a way to retain students.”

According to Crain’s, professors are leaving the state by the droves and students are too. “Nobody wants

Danny Montesdeoca

Terrie Albano

Dr. Nanette Potee interacts with students who gathered and signed their names to support the rally’s cause.

to touch Illinois with a 10-foot pole right now,” said Tanya Cofer, an NEIU math teacher. She and her husband and colleague, Isidor Ruderfer, are leaving the state to take jobs in Georgia.

University administrators have worked with faculty and staff unions, lobbying lawmakers for full funding.

NEIU Interim President Richard Helldobler opened the afternoon rally for education, welcoming union members, students, faculty and staff “in the spirit of solidarity.”

He said whether it is “elementary, secondary or higher education, there is one thing we share in common.

That is dedication to our students and the state of Illinois.”

Part of the day’s theme was solidarity with the Chicago Teachers Union and K-12 public schools. Many thought the union would be forced to strike, but a tentative agreement was reached just before the Oct. 11 strike deadline.

John Miller, president of University Professionals of Illinois, drew a sharp contrast between the higher education community and the governor.

Despite Rauner’s praise for the budget band-aid called the stopgap

measure, Miller said it was a failure because it actually slashed higher education funding.

“They have voted to cut every single public university, every college by 40 percent,” he said. “And guess what they left out of that bill. Your MAP funding for the current academic year.”

Miller said the state has lost a lot of students and enrollment has plummeted by 25 percent or more in some higher education institutions.

Melanie and Valerie Gorny are studying social work. They said they are not among the 130,000 MAP grantees statewide, yet the funding cuts and budget crisis still affects their education and future.

“Lack of a budget would shut down our school,” Valerie Gorny said.

“It affected teachers who had to take furloughs. It affected class times and scheduling and therefore our learning,” Melanie Gorny said.

Political action was a major theme throughout the day. Chaelecia Cooper, an AFSCME board member, NEIU employee and mother of four, urged everyone to get out and vote Nov. 8.

“At what point are we going to say, ‘Enough is enough!’ When are we

going to get off of our duffs and do something? We need to have people in office that actually can relate to the importance of an education and speak for the people. We cannot keep cutting services, and we cannot keep closing schools,” Cooper said.

In addition to presidential candidates and congressional representatives, state lawmakers will be on the ballot this November. “You can make a difference. Do your research. Be informed about your legislators and what decisions they are making on your behalf,” Cooper said.

State Rep. Will Guzzardi echoed Hillary Clinton’s platform to create tuition and debt-free education and announced a new campaign to make state colleges and universities free.

“We have a plan to pay for it.

Raise taxes on the very wealthy in Illinois and close corporate loopholes,” he said.

“Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump and all the rest of those guys who think they’re so smart for not paying taxes, we hold them accountable to pay their fair share and use the billions of dollars to lift up everyone.”

Disclaimer: A rendition of this article was originally published on peoplesworld.org.

Early voting began on Oct. 24 at NEIU’s El Centro campus and will continue until Nov. 7, the day before national elections.

Early voting and registration will open on Nov. 2 at NEIU’s main campus and end on Nov. 4. Students can register and vote in the Student Union during this time. UIC is also an early voting location on Nov. 2.

Citizens are welcome to visit any location that is convenient for them to cast their early vote. Local residents of the 39th Ward can visit the North Park Village Administration Building located at 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. Early voting locations are not designated polling place for the presidential election on Nov. 8.

Illinois also provides election day registration at your local polling location. You will need to bring two forms of ID, one of which must be a picture ID. A complete list of acceptable forms of identification can be found at chicagoelections.com.

Early voting is only done via electronic voting booths. Residents can find their nearest early-voting poll location and polling station for Election Day on Nov. 8 by visiting elections.il.gov.

Paper ballots will not be administered until Nov. 8.

For those who wish to vote via mail, applications must be mailed to the County Board of Elections or Board of Election Commissioners and received no later than Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. Voters do not need a reason to vote by mail.

Applications must be requested via mail or online by visiting chicagoelections.com.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

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Board of Trustees meeting Laura Rojas

Courtesy of NEIU/Joe Davis and Wikimedia Commons

NEIU’s main campus and UIC are two of the sites conducting early voting on Nov. 2.

After receiving your ballot application, it should be signed and sent no later than Nov. 3.

You can also turn in your ballot in person to the County Board of Elections or Board of Election Com-

missioners. The office is located at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 600.

For more information about early voting, voter registration or voting laws in the state of Illinois, visit elections.il.gov.

The NEIU Board of Trustees Finance Committee discussed the implementation of tuition hikes and increased fees that would go into effect fiscal year 2018.

The proposed increases made on Oct. 20 would average out to an extra $900 a year for new freshmen and transfer students according to Interim President Richard Helldobler and Board Chairman Carlos Azcoitia.

This proposition, after consensus, will be brought up again to the board during their November meeting.

“I strongly believe that the work we do as part of this community, as part of our board and also the administration is key to ensuring long term financial success and stability of Northeastern Illinois University,” said Trustee Omar Duque. “But also, and possibly even more important, ensuring that we have the financial resources and human capital resources to ensure student success at Northeastern Illinois University.”

One of the larger increases in fees will be a $4.55 increase per credit hour towards campus recreation, followed by a $1.00 increase for student health services. The greatest increase proposed will be for computer resources, which Helldobler said has been in the red, There is also a debate on whether the tuition will be raised 3 to 8 per-

cent. These increases are all below the amount required to level out the school’s budget, which would be 11.4 percent — referencing back to the last time NEIU received state appropriations from fiscal year 2015 — but this does not make up for the complete shortfall in budget which would require a 21.5 percent hike in tuition Helldobler said.

Public universities have been in distress due to Illinois’ budget impasse. Some universities even closed while others, including NEIU, had to make significant budget cuts and dip into reserves to stay afloat.

There is still great uncertainty about when Illinois will finally settle on a clear and true state appropriation.

“The bottom line is we just don’t know,” Helldobler said. “Or when we will actually get our next round of stop-gap funding.”

NEIU only received $13.1 million of the $19.6 million the university was supposed to receive for fiscal year 2017.

Helldobler explained that in years past roughly 70 percent of the school budget was from government funding and the other 30 percent from student tuition. In the last couple years these statistics have nearly reversed.

Several committee members were in favor of increasing tuition fees, while a few select members voiced

their opinions against the increase.

“Why does the cost and increase in tuition have to be on the burden of our students,” said Trustee Darlene Ruscitti. “It’s never us, it’s them.”

However, she said that she understood why the university took certain measures to reduce costs including spending freezes.

Helldobler said some of those concessions were to eliminate non-instructional positions and set mandatory furlough days.

“I think you’re right,” Duque said in response to Ruscitti’s concerns.

“And I think the university has been responsible at cutting costs. At what point, though, do you cut at the expense of student success—student experience?”

“But we’ve been raising tuition every year, even when things were better, financially,” said Chair Azcoitia. “Every year — except one — I’m just wondering, ‘Will we ever stop that?’”

“To me, I look at it as this is an investment, this isn’t an expense, and that’s how I think our country should look at it. Otherwise if we don’t believe as a country in higher education, where are we all going?” said Trustee Jonathan J. Stein.

Ultimately the majority of the committee agreed with bringing the proposal of the increase in fees and the eight percent tuition hike to the higher board for further review.

Voting 2016: a short how-to list Registration check: Residents must be registered to vote in the state of Illinois. Those who wish to vote can check their registration status at ova.elections.il.gov.

Types of ID necessary: If an Illinois resident is not registered to vote or has moved since the last time they voted, they must register online at the above website and use up-to-date information and a driver’s license. If a resident does not have a driver’s license, they can bring two types of identification, one being a picture ID, which includes a passport, student or employment ID and a second piece of mail that reflects the voter’s name and current mailing address (utility bills, pay stubs or bank statements).

Registering in person: If a voter wants to register in person instead of online, they can look up six Cook County Clerk offices including one within the city of Chicago to suburban Chicago areas.

Voters can look up their closest Cook County Clerk’s office by visiting cookcountyclerk.com.

Voting by mail: Residents can vote by mail by filling out an application from either their nearest county clerk’s office or board of election commissioners, see elections.il.gov. The completed application must be mailed to the election authority containing the voter’s home address so that a mailing ballot can be mailed. Voting by mail starts 40 days prior to the election but mail-in balloting ends Nov. 3.

Things voters can take into the polling booth: Voters can bring notes for candidates on the ballot with them into the polls as a guide for the choices they want to make. Voters how have children under the age of 18 may bring them into the booth. Federal anti-discrimination laws prevent polling locations from denying a service-animal from accompanying a voter with a disability.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Opinions

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Brett Starkopf

www.neiuindependent.org

A glimpse into anxiety and depression Courtney Munson

Managing Editor Robin Bridges Production Editor Pablo Medina News Editor Rut Ortiz

Symptoms: Depression - lost interest in things you used to enjoy, experience extreme sadness or hopelessness, or began heavy drinking or drug use to cope with the feelings.

Anxiety - anxious or worrisome thoughts on a daily basis, plagued by fears other perceive as unfounded or irrational, avoid everyday social activities because they cause fear, sudden heart-pounding panic attacks, or if you feel your school or work life are affected.

Opinions Editor Courtney Munson Sports Editor Spencer Jones Arts & Life Editor Jason Merel Online Editor Christian Gralak

Independent Staff

Student Health and Counseling Services

Copy Editor Desiree Dylong Dovid Bulgatz John Cummings Rabica Qazi

Location: D-024 Phone: 773-442-4650

Production Staff Danny Montesdeoca

Suicide hotline

Writers Laura Rojas Aaron Schiffman Idoia Solano Cristian Munoz Hashim Tillawi Carlo Varquez Terrie Albano Cartoonists GN Sly Photographers Elena Molloy Johua Aponte

Depression/Anxiety Among College Students: Depression and anxiety are common issues faced by students due to stressors in the college environment. Worry about meeting academic expectations, financial struggles, and troubles with interpersonal relationship contribute to the high rate of illness. According to the self-care website Healthline, 1 out of 4 college students suffer from depression, and 4 out of 5 who contemplate or attempt suicide show clear warning signs.

Call 1-800-273-8255 Available 24 hours everyday Online chat is also available at Chat.SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

Common Mental Health Issues: • •

Anxiety Depression

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About Us

Effects on Life: Depression and anxiety can have a huge effect on your quality of life. It is a common issue for young adults. Seek help before it becomes a bigger problem.

The Independent is a public forum for the university and community around Northeastern Illinois University. The Independent is completely student run and receives no prior review of its content by anyone other than its student editors.

The Independent is published approximately every other week except during summer and semester breaks.

Deadlines are ten (10) days prior to the issue in which a contribution is to appear. Views expressed in letters are those of the university community and not those of the Editorial Board.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the content of the Independent, and views presented do not neccessarily represent those of the administration, faculty or students.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

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American and Spanish politics: a comparison Idoia Solano The political system of a country is one of the key elements when it comes to shape a country’s society.

Politics permeate every aspect of social life, influencing our daily lives more than we expect.

Within the western countries all political systems seem to be quite similar, as they are all known for being democratic at some level.

Historical events, tradition, socioeconomic differences or the belonging to supranational organizations are some of the factors that make these two western democracies quite unlike, despite the basic features all regimes considered to be democratic share.

The United States of America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, so the decisions its government makes effect not only American citizens, but many other people, in many other places around the globe.

How the American government is organized and the way it works differ a lot from other western democracies, such as the european ones.

The US government system is presidential, this is, the head of the government is also head of state and leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch.

Traditionally, the American democracy has always been two-party predominant, being the Democrat Party and the Republican Party the main political groups, always alternating their power in the government.

Currently, with the upcoming elections in the US, we can clearly see the struggle between these two main parties between both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.

As surveys show, this presidential election is actually going to be one of the tightest in recent times, with the American society clearly polarized after eight years of Democrat Barack Obama’s term. Economic crisis, im-

migration, foreign policy are some of the factors that make American society deeply divided, at some level dissatisfied with both of the current candidates and their proposals for these issues.

However, America is not the only country suffering a social and politi-

inance of two ideological opposite parties, one conservative (PP) and one socialist (PSOE).

These two groups have ruled the country since the Spanish system finally turned democratic, going through both prosperous and hard times.

At this point, current political forces have arisen in the country bringing back hope and enthusiasm to Spanish society, traditionally highly politicized.

In this context, Spain faced its last elections, celebrated on Dec. 20, with a whole different mind, because

Graphic by Brisa Becerril

cal crisis.

Spain is currently witnessing one of the largest socio-political crises of its young democracy. The Spanish political system is, in contrast to the American, a parliamentary system.

This means the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from the legislature (parliament) and is also held accountable to that legislature.

Since its harsh beginning in 1975 after 40 years of fascist dictatorship, the Spanish democracy has always been characterized by the predom-

However, when a political party has history running the country for a long time, it is more likely to have several corruption cases within its members, bringing down all the credibility and regard that they could once have.

This is exactly what has happened in Spain in recent years, when society has finally found out how corrupt and unfaithful both of the historical parties are, discovering the corruptive practices they have been implementing for decades, behind Justice’s and society’s back.

of this multi-party new situation.

Scepticism, intrigue and a bit of fear permeated the Spanish society that day, as the two newly released parties seemed to beat the traditional ones, what would create a completely new situation in which the ones that have always held the power would suddenly lose it.

Finally, the two new parties didn’t get more votes than the old ones, as people voted with the influence of the fear factor, consciously spread by the traditional power holders, that of course were not willing to lose their

power.

However, the new forces got a relatively significant amount of the votes, forcing the old traditional parties to negotiate with each other, facing a situation to which they are not used to at all, as they had always occupied the role of either the government or the opposition.

As expected, all the parties were not able to effectively negotiate in the parliament and get to an agreement about who would be the one running the government, so a second round of elections was needed. Spanish society voted again on June 26, getting similar results to the ones in the first round, and forcing all the parties to negotiate, talk to each other and reach a consensus again. In other words, to actually do their job.

None of the members of the parties seems to change their mind, yield or reconsider some of the proposals after this second round. So they are still stuck in this situation, reaching a highly probable third round of elections.

This blockade is increasing the anger and impatience of Spanish citizens, that are lacking a proper government since last Dec. due to the failure of its politicians when it comes to do their job.

The American and Spanish current political situations side-by-side, we realize some of the traditional western democracies are having trouble facing social changes.

It shows that they might not be as strong as they seem during boom periods.

Despite the differences between these two systems, we can see a common feature in them. How their current politicians and their behaviors and attitudes towards society, towards each other and towards the issues they are supposed to face, are making both country’s citizens lose hope, interest and faith in their governments and their capability just to name a few.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Opinions

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Death to imperialism: a fight for Kashmir

Danny Montesdeoca The imperialist practices of capitalist countries should no longer be tolerated by The People. India and Pakistan have been in dispute over Jammu and Kashmir since 1947.

Recently, the tension between the two countries has risen to nuclear proportions.

“Once known for its extraordinary beauty, the valley of Kashmir now hosts the biggest, bloodiest and also the most obscure military occupation in the world,” Indian scholar Pankaj Mishra said.

The military occupation of Kashmir by the bourgeois Indian state stems back to 1947 when Britain gave India and Pakistan their independence. Kashmir, at the time, was governed by Hari Singh, a Hindu with Indian sympathies, while the

majority of Kashmir was – and still is – a Muslim majority state.

The same year, Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, which formally acknowledged Kashmir as part of India. The consequence of this was the First Kashmir War of 1947.

Two more wars have been fought since then.

Today, Kashmir is host to a plethora of protesters and parties that are in conflict with the oppressive Indian state. The protests are a reaction to Indian military force. Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, the leader of Kashmir’s secessionist movement, earlier this year. Shortly after his death, protesters in Kashmir took to the streets calling for a secession from India.

These protestors have been met with Indian military force resulting in over the death of 80 people and thou-

sands more wounded, per the NY Times. Jammu and Kashmir police forces have also illegally arrested human rights activist Khurram Parvez in mid-September, as reported by The Wire.

India’s attempts to justify their continued occupation of Kashmir are baseless. Activist Arundhati Roy has questioned Kashmir’s importance to India and said that historically it has never been an integral part of India.

She also said India “became a colonizing power soon after its independence from British rule.”

Pakistan, meanwhile, has been accused of taking sides with Kashmiri insurgents by providing them with military training. According to the BBC, training camps have been spotted along the Pakistani-occupied portion of Kashmir. However, we must question Pakistan’s true inten-

tions if they are helping the Kashmiri insurgents.

Is Pakistan genuinely interested in the well-being of Kashmir or will the Indian elite merely be replaced by Pakistan’s elite?

The U.S. — a strong economic partner with India — has expressed an opinion on the matter with its silence. It should not come as a surprise, however, if the U.S. has plans of its own for Kashmir as it sits in a convenient geographical location between Pakistan, India and China.

China has expressed its support for Pakistan, according to The Indian Express, The Consul General of China has said in the case of any foreign aggression, China will lend its support.

Sentiments in Kashmir are divided. There are the Indian nationalists who faithfully serve the Indian elite

and those who wish to stay with India but ask for a bit more say in the Indian government. The secessionists are also divided. Some wish to join Pakistan, and some call for complete autonomy from both India and Pakistan.

Whatever the case, Indian occupation of Kashmir must end. It seems to be nothing more than a conflict meant to establish dominance between two nuclear countries. With the threat of nuclear war looming around, it is absolutely imperative that India releases its stranglehold of Kashmir and grant it its deserved autonomy.

As long as radical military action is taken by India, it will always be met with radical opposition on the part of the Kashmiris, whose only wish is to be granted the respect and dignity every person so rightfully deserves.

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A&L

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

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Day of the Dead at El Centro Photo Courtesy of Luis Ortiz

(Left to right) Alicia Rivera, Adrian Hernandez, Eddie Bocanegra, Jesse Huerta and Jadirah Sanchez at last year’s Day of the Dead at El Centro

Jason Merel El Centro is hosting the 2nd annual Day of the Dead celebration, Oct. 25 from 6-9 p.m. in room 110.

The celebration includes music and free food.

There will also be a canned food drive benefitting the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and guests are encouraged to bring donations.

The main feature of the celebration will be 30 pieces of artwork created by students from “Imago Dei,” an

after-school program based out of St. Agnes of Bohemia Catholic Church in Little Village.

The artwork theme is titled “Pieces of Me” and focuses on personal topics for the artists.

Ten students will be on hand to discuss their artwork and there will be a silent auction of the work open Oct. 25 - Nov. 2, benefitting “Imago Dei.” Proceeds will be used for art supplies.

Last year’s auction collected more than $900 for the program.

The celebration is sponsored

by NEIU, the Department of Social

Work and the Alliance for Student Social Workers.

The artwork submissions and selections are coordinated by ASSW Treasurer Martha Armenta Robles, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work at NEIU, and Jesse Huerta, who graduated NEIU in 2015 and now works with “Imago Dei.” The event is coordinated by Robles and Luis Ortiz, professor of social work and NEIU alumnus.

“In the Mexican community they celebrate departures instead of mourning them,” Ortiz said.

The Day of the Dead — or Dia de los Muertos — is a Mexican tradition that honors and remembers loved ones who have passed. It traditionally lasts from Oct. 31 - Nov. 2.

“It happens right around Halloween but Day of the Dead is more about being connected with your loved ones who aren’t here any more,” said Robles. “During the celebration it’s like the ones we lost are still here with us and their memory continues.”

A major part of the celebration is the building of personal altars, called ofrendas, where the dead are

honored with favorite foods and beverages.

“One student brought in a picture of his grandfather and a bottle of his grandfather’s favorite liquor last year,” said Ortiz. “We had to empty it of course, before going on the altar, but it was his grandfather’s favorite so why not?”

Several altars will be available for visitors to bring pictures of loved ones as well as offerings to honor their memory. The altars and artwork will be on display until Nov. 2, the traditional end of the celebration.

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A&L

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

www.neiuindependent.org

Netflix review: Marvel’s Luke Cage Aaron Schiffman Marvel has really stepped up their game in the last few years. Aside from movies, Marvel has been taking Netflix by storm with its shows “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil.” Both set new standards for superhero shows with mature themes. That’s where the new series “Luke Cage” comes into play.

“Luke Cage” tells the story of a man with superhuman abilities in Harlem, N.Y. Played by Mike Colter, Cage loves the community and the community loves him.

Harlem is being destroyed by a gangster known as Cottonmouth, played by Mahershala Ali. Cottonmouth’s cousin, played by Alfre Woodard, is a councilwoman trying to rebuild Harlem. However, she’s been under scrutiny for her connections to Cottonmouth.

Cage is framed for murder and has to figure out who set him up while trying to save Harlem from the gangsters.

Rosario Dawson is also in the show, reprising her role as Claire Temple, from “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil.” Dawson and Colter have an amazing chemistry.

What I love about the Luke Cage

Photo Courtesy of Nettflix

Luke Cage premiered on Netflix on Sept. 30, 2016. Mike Colter’s portrayal of Luke Cage is a another subtle demonstration against social injustice.

character is that he may be virtually indestructable on the outside but he has deep emotions and sometimes questions his own actions. He often says that nobody should have the powers that he has.

What makes the show interesting

is the subject matter it explores — a closer look at what many black males have been facing in their lives for years.

In the show Luke Cage wears a hoodie. According to Mike Colter, he’s wearing the hoodie in tribute

of Trayvon Martin. There’s a scene where police stop someone just for wearing a hoodie, thinking it’s Luke Cage.

Method Man of Wu Tang even has a cameo in the show and his own song about Luke Cage called “Bullet-

proof Love,” which talks about why police target unarmed black men.

What the show does well is make Harlem itself into a character.

In many ways, the area of Harlem is the main character because the show talks a lot about its history and why it’s important to African-Americans.

It also talks about why some traditions must be preserved, and why certain things should not be destroyed. Harlem is essentially the main character while the gangsters living there are the antagonists.

The show has some notable technical aspects. The cinematography is gorgeous, and shows another world that’s different from Hell’s Kitchen.

The fight scenes are well choreographed and very entertaining.

The lack of action in the show is compensated with great character development and fantastic writing.

“Luke Cage” is an excellent addition to the different series Marvel has on Netflix.

It’s a good introduction for the upcoming “Defenders” series, which will team Luke Cage with Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Iron Fist (whose series is coming in 2017) to fight an evil that is plaguing New York.

“Luke Cage” is a must see show.

www.neiuindependent.org

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

11

Courtesy of NEIU

Olivia Cronk’s poetry book is a portrayal of her personal life.

Instructor releases second poetry book Grace Yu SEEDS Literary and Visual Arts Journal hosted a poetry reading in celebration of the publication and release of “Louise and Louise and Louise” by NEIU English instructor Olivia Cronk, on Oct. 4. Named for her daughter, “Louise and Louise and Louise” is Cronk’s second published book of poetry. It was released in August by The Lettered Streets Press.

The new book is a shift from her first publication and from a more conventional style of poetry. In the new book, Cronk engages in exploration of genres, hybrid forms and lyric poetry. In part, the genre-shifting she employs in creating the new collection of poems is inspired by the life-changing phases of childbirth and childrearing.

In “Louise and Louise and Louise,” Cronk works primarily with “pulp” genres such as fantasy, science fiction and horror. Her poems indulge in visual and aesthetic pleasures such as fashion — she especially loves detailing materials, colors, and period styles — and in tokens of nostalgic childhood.

“Middle Mars” was one of the po-

ems Cronk shared with her audience that plays with the fantasy genre. It also relates a narrative of childhood in suburbia through the perspective of an invented character named Jeanie. One activity the characters engage in, trading paperback books, is a memory Cronk has of her father, who passed away.

“Taupe House” utilizes elements of science fiction and horror inspired

by Cronk’s pregnancy anxiety around the almost alien changes her life was undergoing. For example, a “sage entity” in her poetry is reminiscent of attending birthing class, midwives, and the various pre-birth parenting advice she received.

“This (pregnancy) is not possible,” Cronk said. “I found it very disturbing, as exciting as it was.”

Cronk’s work consistently deals with matters of her life, making the poetry deeply personal. She is interested in surveillance, self-interrogation, and in possession of a personal “gaze” such as an examination of one’s own privilege.

On writing poetry, Cronk no longer thinks so much about single, isolated poems so much as bigger projects and goals.

Courtesy of Frank Manno and Tom Hilton via Flickr

Kaskade (left) and deadmau5 (right) released the latest version of “Beneath With Me” on Oct. 7.

Review: Kaskade and deadmau5 collaboration Cristian Munoz The wait has finally come to an end! The collaboration that the electronic dance music world has been anxiously awaiting was dropped Oct. 7 by Kaskade. The collab featured iconic DJ, deadmau5.

The last time these music icons collaborated was 2008. They produced a tune called “I Remember,” which was undoubtedly one of Kaskade’s stronger tracks. It has since become an anthem in the electronic dance music community.

In April, Kaskade and deadmau5 announced that they had been working together on a project named, “Beneath With Me.” Fans of the artists say that the making of this song took longer than it should have. This song has actually been released three other times by Kaskade and deadmau5.

“Version four is very, very close to version three.” Kaskade said in an interview with Revo TV. “I had some other things I wanted to tweak on it, so I fixed it up and got it all done.”

The fourth and final version of

“Beneath with Me” surfaced, unannounced, on Kaskade’s Facebook and Soundcloud accounts on Oct. 7. Kaskade then took to Twitter to announce that the song was officially released.

When I first heard the song, I had mixed feelings about it. I think it sounds a lot like deadmau5’s other songs with slower tempos and a focus on instrumentals rather than vocals. I was expecting Kaskade’s style to have a bigger influence on the track.

Kaskade’s songs are usually upbeat and have a quicker tempo, and bass drops that give your body an adrenaline rush.

“Beneath with Me” is a slower song that keeps a steady, chill beat with only a few drops.

To everyone’s surprise, Kaskade also posted a music video alongside his announcement. The music video might explain why he took so long to release the song. The song featured Skylar Grey whose mellow voice was fitting for the new version of the track.

The song has a creepy and haunting feel to it that is also portrayed in

the music video, which features Grey as a bloody woman in the aftermath of a bad car accident.

Her car is overturned and she’s struggling to get out while her boyfriend lies motionless face down on the ground several feet away.

When Grey finally pulls herself out of the car she heads toward a distant bright light, which probably means that her boyfriend died or that they both did.

I think that the video compliments the song well. The song has a creepy feel and the video captures that theme well. I think that the video would have been more entertaining to watch if they added different settings. I got bored watching it halfway through because it just focused on one scene of the car.

Overall, I think the song is OK. I don’t think that the song is going to be nearly as big as their last collaboration.

Maybe this track will give Kaskade and deadmau5 a reason to go on tour together. I would love seeing these DJs spinning together on the same stage.

www.neiuindependent.org

Sports

NEIU Intramural sports are heating up Hashim Tillawi & Carlo Varquez It is intramural season here at NEIU. The flag football season has already started and basketball started on Oct. 18. Flag football takes places on the field behind the P.E. Complex Tuesdays and Thursdays during activity hour. For basketball, games take place at the P.E. Complex on Sundays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

On opening day of the basketball season, four teams competed to start 1-0. The four teams enrolled in the league are the Eagles, DABAH, Threat Level Midnight and Untitled. The first game took place with a matchup of the Eagles versus Untitled.

Eagles took the first win of the season with a score of 45-32 . The second match up between Threat Level Midnight and DABAH quickly followed after. DABAH was able to start the season with a win with a final score of 59-44.

Ibrahim Saeed, 24, is a justice studies major on the winning team, DABAH. He has been playing intramural basketball at the university for the past few years. When asked why he joined intramural basketball, Saeed said, “I love to ball, and the game.”

In addition, Saeed said, “I want (to) build leadership, create team chemistry, and to get better overall.“ Lastly, Saeed commented on what Threat Level Midnight brought to the court stating, “They pushed and challenged us. They were good competition.”

The P.E. Complex offers a variety for the fall semester. The sports and activities include: flag football, co-ed volleyball, co-rec soccer, table tennis, video game tournaments and basket-

ball. Flag football playoffs are starting soon. The table tennis tournament started Oct. 20. A golf scramble event happened Oct. 21. Volleyball and soccer will begin Thursday, Oct. 27 .

Norris Narsa is a current graduate assistant that works in the PE Complex. He is the head of intramural sports and student development.

Narsa is very proud of his work and what it represents.

Some students complain about how the school isn’t divisional competitive athletically compared to other universities.

“Do we want our school to be remembered for pumping athletes or pumping out future world leaders?”

Narsa asked. “We pump out future leaders of the world, everything else after that is just a reward.”

Narsa added, “A student can get involved with rec sports by simply being a student with an ID. He or she can play open rec sports, utilize all amenities, be a part of group classes, use the swimming pool and fitness center.”

Narsa goes on to say, “If there is an interest, we will go above and beyond to make it work. Now that the Nest is here and people live on campus, we have a reason to accommodate to our students and promote healthy lifestyles along with community.”

If you are interested in more information of activities and program, visit the PE complex at the school’s recreational websiteIf you are interested in joining intramurals, please visit the following link and register atwww.imleagues.com/neiu Follow NEIU Campus Recreation on Facebook page to stay posted on upcoming games and updates.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

13

NEIU Perspective: What makes the Cubs special?

Christian Gralak The Cubs are going to the World Series for the first time since 1945 and will be facing the Cleveland Indians after defeating the Dodgers in Wrigley Field on Saturday night.

The Independent went out and asked some NEIU students about the team and how they feel about this special year.

Eddie Pedvin, Senior Independent: How long have you been a Cubs fan?

Eddie Pedvin: “All my life man – 25 years’ man, s---.”

I: Who got you into the Cubs?

EP: “That’s a good question, you know neither of my parents were really huge Cubs fans, I think it was the kind of thing where, you know I liked baseball when I was younger and being from the North side you root for the Cubbies and that’s how it worked out.”

I: Who is your favorite Cubs player?

EP: If the World Series is won on a game-winning home run, I want it to be Addison Russell ... Something about that kid since the moment he came into the league … he’s one of those player’s man … he’s got a special vibe to him too. … Addison for sure.”

I: What is so special about this years’ Cubs team?

EP: (Big sigh) “I don’t know, it’s on the level where I’ll be watching them sometimes and it just feels different. I mean I’ll even still be saying like, oh man, yeah we can’t say that they’re gonna’ win until they’re gonna’ win, right? But, there’s something else … there’s clearly … I brought up the fact that … it’s interesting to me that there’s parallels between Phil Jackson and Joe Maddon in terms of the very Zen aspect of the way they

coach and I almost wonder if that’s sort of what it is. I think that Joe is bringing some Zen to the Cubs and I think that’s what we’re sensing from them is that … all this is coming from a place of Zen ­— of we know what’s up, we know what we’re doing … we’re confident in it, we have faith — ­ that’s what they have, you know. It’s faith but it’s … a different type of faith than maybe … has been in the past.”

I: How many games do you think it will take to beat the Cleveland Indians?

EP: (Big sigh) “I know it’s going to take ... less than or equal to seven games ... I have absolutely no idea.

Cleveland’s looking very strong this year especially considering they kind of slowed down right before the playoffs and then just came out guns-blazing in the playoffs. I feel like they could be a very tough opponent.

They certainly are another team with a curse to break in a certain way so it could be a very interesting series on that and I think both teams are going to be playing their hardest.”

Eric Stauffer, Junior I: Who is your favorite player on the Cubs?

ES: (Exhales) “That’s tough, probably, actually Kyle Schwarber.

That guy can just play ball, he can just hit that ball wherever he wants to, whenever he wants to. He’s the man.”

I: Are you pretty disappointed about the injury he suffered earlier this season?

ES: “I actually remember watching that play live and I saw him rolling around on the warning track and I was like devastated, I was like no, no, just please be like a high ankle sprain or something like that.”

I: What is your favorite thing about this year’s Cubs team?

ES: “It’s just, really just fun to watch again. I missed baseball, I

missed watching good baseball and it’s cool to have one of your teams be that freaking good. It’s just so much fun to watch.”

Naiim Saddiqi, Senior I: Who is your favorite Cubs player?

NS: “Ben Zobrist.”

I: What’s special about Ben that makes you like him so much?

NS: “I’ve always liked Ben Zobrist, he is a dude who can play everywhere…and play well everywhere on the diamond, so that’s one thing I really like about him. He’s like had MVP caliber seasons while playing solid defense at, you know, four or five positions and that’s just something you don’t see in the game nowadays.”

I: Who got you into the Cubs?

NS: “Uh nobody, I hate the Cubs.”

I: Any reason for your hatred against the most lovable losers who are now the lovable winners?

NS: “Yeah, I grew up a Cardinals fan in St. Louis and… therefore I don’t like the Cubs. It’s just the way the rivalry in sports work.”

I: What is so special about this year’s’ Cubs team?

NS: “Well, you know they’ve got a great young core … they’ve got Joe Maddon who is, you know, who came over last year … is one of the best managers in the game … possibly, probably maybe the best manager in the game. … He took a lot of really good, well, he took a lot of mediocre Tampa Bay Rays teams to the playoffs including (chuckles) Ben Zobrist. So you know, with a young core and a really good Cubs team it’s not surprising that this team does very well with, you know Bryant and Rizzo at the three and four and then obviously a solid defense and solid offense all around … it’s not any surprise that this team, just has made it as far as it has.”

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Sports

www.neiuindependent.org With the help of veteran newcomers Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, the Bulls will hope to contend in the East.

The season begins Oct. 27 against Boston | Graphic by Spencer Jones

Grabbing the East by the horns Spencer Jones This off-season has been bittersweet for Chicago Bulls fans.

Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are settling in with the New York Knicks and the key additions of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade are proving that their age isn’t a factor.

Jimmy Butler is the face of the team now, something that multiple sources felt he wanted.

In the trade with the Knicks for Rose, the Bulls received Robin Lopez and Jerian Grant. Lopez is expected to give the same amount of production offensively as Pau Gasol and the defensive tenacity of Joakim Noah.

He’s also younger and cheaper for the Bulls’ payroll.

Grant, nephew of Bulls legend Horace Grant, faces a tougher road of getting into the rotation. After struggling to find a legitimate backup point guard to play behind Rose, the Bulls now have a log jam at the point.

Rondo is starting, and Michael Carter-Williams was acquired via a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. Isaiah Canaan is probable for the next man

up. That totals four point guards including Grant. The bright spot in this situation is that the league has gone to smaller lineups. Golden State’s Draymond Green is a center playing in a small forward’s body. Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg could experiment with a lineup of Rondo, Carter-Williams, and another point guard.

The wing positions for the Chicago Bulls are going to be the most entertaining to watch this season.

Wade and Butler are known to leave it all on the court defensively, but the concerns are their offensive output.

They both can get to the rim and finish with the best of them, but they’re not a legitimate threat from behind the arc. Butler is still improving and Wade finished the preseason shooting above 40 percent from three. If the Wade/Butler tandem doesn’t have it going, third year players Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and rookie Paul Zipser could fill the void.

Taj Gibson is now the longest tenured player on the team, and he will finally get the chance to start, now that Gasol and Noah are gone. Teaming with Lopez will give the Bulls one

of the better defensive frontcourts in the league, and the Bulls are sure to be among the best in the league in rebounding and blocks. Their backups are slated to be Cristiano Felicio and Bobby Portis. This young duo is not afraid of the pressure and they are ready to step into the starting role in case of an injury. Felicio and Portis can knock down the mid-range shot consistently, but could also do the dirty work in the paint.

Though this team has a lot of upside, there’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered. This team has struggled to find an identity under the direction of Hoiberg. Last year they settled for a mediocre approach to the season, and we saw a lack of commitment on both sides of the ball. They did get younger and more athletic, but LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t slowing down anytime soon either, and the Eastern Conference is only getting better as the days go on.

The Bulls are playing in arguably the best division in the NBA that could have otherwise sent all five of its teams to the playoffs.

www.neiuindependent.org

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

15

NBA early season contender predictions Spencer Jones

Today, basketball fans are in for the start of arguably one of the most interesting NBA seasons to date.

Kevin Durant parted ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder to form a juggernaut of a team in Golden State, hometown hero Derrick Rose was traded to the Mecca of basketball in New York to play for the Knicks and Dwyane Wade left the Miami Heat with three championships under his belt to join forces with Jimmy Butler on the Chicago Bulls. There’s been plenty of player movement, but only one team can take home the Larry O’Brien trophy .

Main Contenders: Cleveland Cavliers Lebron James has been to the NBA finals for a consecutive six straight years.

This feat is unmatched by any single player, excluding those who were members of the Boston Celtics in the 1960s. James doesn’t have a player like Bill Russell on his team, but this year’s roster is arguably more talented. The addition of Mike Dunleavy, via a trade with the Bulls, gave them another veteran forward who isn’t afraid to shoot. Rookie guard Kay Felder will have a few years to develop behind Kyrie Irving and Jordan McRae. They also have one of the best benches in the league, which will help them to another 60 plus win season.

Golden State Warriors NBA general managers and sports analysts have the Warriors winning it all this year and it’ll be hard to disagree with that. They signed one of the best small forwards in league history ,Kevin Durant, to play alongside Stephen Curry, Klay

Thompson and Draymond Green.

Though this team will be special offensively, their lack of depth will be exposed by the right team. Their bench was crucial in last year’s record 73 win season. They were able to maintain backup point-guard Shaun Livingston, but lost Andrew Bogut (Mavericks), Festus Ezeli (Trailblazers), Leandro Barbosa (Suns) and Marreese Speights (Clippers). At this point, the Warriors are playing a risky game of “Russian Roulette”, and if one of their key players gets injured, their season will be put in jeopardy.

San Antonio Spurs The Spurs lost Tim Duncan to retirement.

Replacing the greatest power forward in league history is a tough task, but the additions of Pau Gasol and David Lee should suffice for now. Gasol gives the Spurs the same offensive punch that Duncan did, but isn’t as keen to playing defense; especially in the pick-n-roll situation.

There are rumors that power forward Lamarcus Aldridge could be on his way out after reports surfaced that he didn’t like playing second fiddle to Kawhi Leonard. If these are rumors, and the team can find a way past them, they could find themselves back in the Western Conference finals after being eliminated by the Thunder last year.

Could-be Contenders: Toronto Raptors The surprise team last season was the Raptors.

The duo of Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry lead this team to a 56 win season.

The roster is relatively the same other than a key loss of Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic).

They have shooters and defenders but no identity.

Last season, fans saw a lot of isolation ball from this squad, and head coach Dwane Casey doesn’t fix that, this year we could see LeBron and company ease back into the finals.

Los Angeles Clippers It seems that the Clippers are always projected as title contenders but they never live up to the hype. They bolster one of the best starting lineups in the league, with a top tier point guard in Chris Paul at the head of it all.

Deandre Jordan has gained more experience playing for team USA over the summer, and Blake Griffin should be fully recovered from his hand

injury. This team could fight for the second seed in the West, ultimately avoiding Golden State until the Western Conference finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant is gone and his pairing with Russell Westbrook is in the past. The Thunder organization is left with a lot of questions, but they’re still in a good spot.

Westbrook has proven that he could carry the team, as he went on a historic feat last season without Durant due to injuries. The Thunder will also see an upgrade at the shooting guard position after trading away veteran big man Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo, sharp shooter Ersan Ilyasova and rookie Domantas Sabonis. If things click at the right time for this team, then expect a deep postseason run out of them.

Under-the-Radar Title Contenders: New York Knicks One of the most surprising moves made this offseason was the trade the Knicks made for Derrick Rose. Soon after, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings signed on.

This team has one of the better starting fives in the league, but their main downfall is health. Rose and Noah each has a history of injuries, and Jennings is coming back from an ACL injury. If Rose can put his legal issues behind him and show flashes of his earlier MVP season, this team could be a legitimate threat to the Cavaliers.

Houston Rockets All-star center Dwight Howard left the Rockets to play for his hometown, the Atlanta Hawks. The team traded starting point guard Jeff Teague away in hopes that Dennis Schroder will be ready to lead the team back to the playoffs. They lost Al Horford to the Celtics and are relying on Howard and Paul Millsap to man the middle. They lost depth, but, in the Eastern Conference, anything is possible. Kyle Korver, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kent Bazemore are their main three-point threats, and Thabo Sefolosha is their best perimeter defender.

The Hawks’ season is heavily leaning on which Dwight Howard they’re getting. If he’s happy, then it’s back to the productive “Defensive-Player-ofthe-Year, Orlando Magic” Howard. If not, then you’re getting the toxic locker room that his past teammates know all too well.