TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019
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VOLUME 38 ISSUE 13
NEIU’s new masters program: public health PAGE 6
Photo by Luísa Soares
INSIDE NEWS NEWS
Sanders presidential campaign stops in Chicago SEE PG. 3
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For Women’s History Month, check out this issue’s features on the women of NEIU. SEE PAGE 4
OPINIONS
Do international politics matter? SEE PG. 10
ARTS AND LIFE
Marvel Studio’s first female led film - is it any good? SEE PG. 13
POLICE BLOTTER
Check out the newest version of the police blotter. SEE PG. 5
LET US KNOW! Next issue is out March 26 Our office is located in E-049 at the main campus.
2 News |MARCH 12, 2019
Independent Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Robin Bridges News and Co-Managing Editor Nicole F. Anderson Opinions and Co-Managing Editor Amaris E. Rodriguez Arts & Life Editor Robert Kukla assistant News editor Rebecca Denhem assistant Opinions Editor Will Jones assistant arts and life editor Alejandro Marroquin Online Editors Daniel Rosendo Amaranta Arcentales social media editor Andrea Cordova Perez Marketing and Advertising Director Frannie Mendoza Payroll Manager Francisco Sebastian contributing Writers Charles Sipps Victoria Hong LuÍsa Soares Kenisha Hoskins Photographers Jae Kim Cartoonist Johanna Valkin Samuel Heibert The Independent is a public forum for all of Northeastern Illinois University’s campuses and surrounding community. The Independent is entirely student-run and is published bi-weekly, except during summer and semester breaks. The editor-in-chief is responsible for the content of the Independent, and views presented do not necessarily represent those of the administration, faculty and students. The Independent is a member of the ICPA, CMA and ACP. For further details email: TheNEIUIndependent@gmail.com.
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Brazilian professor lectures at NEIU Luísa Soares Writer A professor from the University of São Paulo traveled thousands of miles and hours to NEIU to discuss mathematics theories with students, staff and other community members. On March 8, University of São Paulo professor, Felipe Pait, gave a presentation titled: “The Barycenter Method for Direct Optimization: An Overview, with Applications to Estimation of Switched Linear Models.” The event was organized by NEIU’s mathematics department but required help from many people ranging from several departments, including students and faculty members. In his lecture, Pait showed the properties of his recently developed barycenter method for direct optimization that is used in controlled applications such as in an oil company. “So, the workers of this place are drilling and need to pump for several different wells. They only have a certain capacity for transport, so they need to be careful in pumping. “Basically, they have to choose how much oil to pump up from each of the wells. It’s an optimization problem that has practical restrictions,” Pait said. According to the Brazilian professor, the new method is another way to solve optimization problems. Pait says it depends on the nature of the issues trying to be figured out because which one requires different techniques. “You have to choose which is
Photo by Luísa Soares Professor Felipe Pait lectured on complex mathematical methods to NEIU students. appropriate. Barycenter method is useful when you don’t really know the mathematics or you don’t really have a well-defined model for your process,” he explained. The lecture also covered the equivalence of the method’s batch and recursive formulations that can be used to show that it has descent-like properties, despite the fact that no derivatives are used, and that it is robust to noisy measurements and lack of differentiability. The theory even showed how flexible and easy it is to be implemented in mathematics, incorporated with other techniques or not. The name of the method came up after analogies in mathematics, once
it referred to the barycenter or center of mass, although no gravitational physics is involved, as stated by Pait. He says that it is merely an average of the points, “each of them considered as many times over as the mass or weight attributed to the point.” Regarding the lecture, Pait said it was great once people were interested and engaged. “They had questions and confronted me with other possibilities that maybe I had not thought of, so it was very good. “I was presenting here as a working process. It’s something that maybe people can contribute to if they find it interesting or worthwhile.”
Pait was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1963 and received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of São Paulo in 1985 as well as a doctorate from Yale University in 1993. In the same year he graduated, he worked in the development of real-time control systems until 1987. From 2002 to 2004, he was with Alphatech, Inc. in Burlington, Massachusetts, working on the development of algorithms for tracking, sensor fusion and cooperative control. Now, he teaches at Northeastern University of Boston between December and June, and in the University of São Paulo in the other months.
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March 12, 2019 | news 3
Sanders campaign trail stops in Chicago
Nicole F. Anderson
News & co-Managing Editor NEIUNewsEditor@gmail.com
More than 12,000 people traveled to Chicago’s Navy Pier on March 3 to hear Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) speak to the masses about his ideals, values, activism, presidential candidacy and to call to action: “...real change never takes place from the top on down. It always takes place from the bottom on up,” Sanders said. The visit in Chicago was one of the many stops for his 2020 presidential election campaign. During Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, Sanders appeared on a New York radio show, The Breakfast Club, said his run he was “criticized for being too male. That was a correct criticism. That was a correct criti-
Photo by Alec Thorsen cism.” Sanders promised the radio show that things would be different this campaign. “We’ll have a much more diverse campaign,” Sanders said. Before Sanders’ speech, Destiny Harris, an 18-year-old self-took the stage and said, “I am a black, queer, low-income, artist, poet, woman, resistor from the West Side of Chicago… And despite how young I might look in comparison to everyone else here, including Bernie, I am in fact 18 years-old and of voting age.” Harris’ activism started before 18; she became involved in the No Cop Academy campaign, an organization against the $95 million police training academy which Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided would be
built in the “Chicago neighborhood with the lowest per capita income.” That neighborhood is where Harris calls home. She said, “This is the neighbor-
stating that the police officers need better training. “Let’s remember a building is not the same thing as curriculum… I did not know economic development
Real change never takes place from the top on “down. ” -Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vermont)
hood that I live in. This proposed police training academy comes years after the closing down of 50-plus schools under the claims of the city not having enough money to invest in dilapidated, discarded schools.” The police academy academy was the mayor’s response to Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke murdering teenager Laquan McDonald,
looked like more investment in jails, policing, and mass incarceration.” Harris said. Sanders was a political science major at the University of Chicago in the 60s. While at the university, Sanders and other organization members held a sit-in to protest the discrimination and racism of the apartment building and the university.
“My four years here in Chicago was an extraordinary moment in my life and very much shaped my worldview and what I wanted to do,” Sanders said, “I should also say while the University of Chicago was, and is, an excellent school, the truth is that I learned a lot more off campus than in my classrooms. Now, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go to your classes… “As someone who came from a working class family that didn’t have a lot of money, Chicago provided me for the first time in my life the opportunity to put two-and-two together in understanding how the real world worked, to understand what power was about in this country and who the people were who had that power.”
4 News | March 12, 2019
Meet the women of NEIU
Wanda Dukes has dedicat-
Jenn Lee writes creatively for herself and others, particularly her younger self, many of her topics focus on trauma “It’s thinking what I could have read when I was 12, 16 or 19 and wrestling with any of these traumatic events - what I could have read that would have helped me feel less alone,” she said. Lee has been published in different literary journals such as SEEDS
Photo by Amaranta Cuesta Article by Victoria Hong
ed more than 25 years of her life to helping women that suffer with mental health and substance abuse. Dukes is a McNair Scholar. She graduated Cum Laude from NEIU with a bachelor’s degree in both inner city studies and interdisciplinary studies. “When I came to NEIU in 2005, I started out at the north campus. There I received most of my gen eds. When I found out about the Carruthers Center and how it was teaching about the heritage of African Americans, family and lifestyle; and that the degree focused on that, I came to the Center.” Dukes is a Certified Pearson Vue Test Administrator at the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS).
Since 2015, she has administered more than 3,000 tests. Dukes is a mother, grandmother and very passionate when it comes to learning and teaching. “When I came to NEIU, I was a returning adult student. Everything I’ve learned, I’m taking and passing it on to my children with hopes of them passing it along to their children. Before I started having my kids, I always wanted to go to school; but because I had my kids at a young age, I had to make sure they got through school before I went.” Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Dukes was born in the ‘60s, during the civil rights movement. She grew up around the time of the riots and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dukes came to Chicago because her father was a musician and during the time of their move, Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood was known for its jive artists and live music. Those who migrated seemed to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Black Metropolis. “My dad was a musician, he’s amazing. He liked to sing. He sang behind the OJ’s. Everyone on my father’s side was musically inclined. So we did a lot of traveling around.” Dukes believes everyone has an assigned purpose in life, “I believe my creator has put in my path what he has in order for me to grow into the woman I am today.” When asked the first time she had the urge to help someone she said, “When my son was in preschool,
Literary and Visual Arts Journal, The Tiny Tim Literary Review, and Bending Genres. She has also participated in the 18th Annual City Wide Undergraduate Poetry Festival which is hosted by Columbia College Chicago. She says that being called a professional writer was something she resisted for a long time. “I thought around it, I would say that I write but I wouldn’t say that I was a writer
and I think it mimics survivorship in a similar way - to worry not in that trauma, but in that writing is traumatizing. For a long time I didn’t claim that I was a survivor. I claimed that I survived. Claiming that it’s easier to say that you do something [rather] than you are something.” Her message to NEIU women is: “Show up. Be loud, ask questions, take up space. Don’t let people talk over you, talk over them. You’re pay-
ing to be here, with your money and your time and energy and the things that you’re sacrificing to be here. So, you get what you need out of it. And if that means that you are loud and annoying, you talk too much and you’re bossy. Well then, good.” Lee is an English major finish up her final semester at NEIU. Photo and article by Robert Kukla
Jennie Lasko was raised in a world of adversity and diversity. As immigrants from the Philippines, her parents worked day and night in order to raise all five of their children. Lasko remembered how her mom would work two or three jobs, usually taking the night shift, before returning home at 8 a.m. to take care of them. Her dad started at the bottom of the ladder but now runs the company today. Together, not only did they send all five of their children through university, but they taught Lasko how to use her love, determination and ambition for her family to push through and reach her goals. Her parents and
their work ethic are still a big part of her today. Lasko is an Administrative Nurse II in charge of informing the NEIU community of the new immunization policy as well as collecting the forms. A NEIU alumni, she has been a nurse here for the past 10 years. However, it was a journey to get where she is today. Before arriving at NEIU, Lasko worked at a corporation where she managed and coordinated the building of surgical centers. As a nurse, she was in the perfect position to point out and create new clinical procedures. She worked with both admin-
istrators and physicians on implementing federal and state clinical procedures and programs, eventually maintaining more than 70 facilities. Wanting to have more patient contact, she came to work at NEIU. Other than using her coordination skills to advertise the Student Health Center’s many free services, she loves talking with the students. From teaching students about nutrition at the food pantry to seeing them as patients, she enjoys seeing how different everyone is and how students influence her. With a mission to help and support every student on campus, she is currently working on spreading the
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there was little boy. You can tell he wasn’t being fed in the morning. There was something in my heart that said when I see him tomorrow when I bring my son to school; I’m going to bring some extra food for him. I was about 19 or 20.” When asked what it is like to be a black woman in academia, she said, “I feel empowered. When I wake up, my creator is there breathing life into my lungs and allowing me to be happy. I was born black. I had to work for the academia. I had to work for both of my degrees. The academia part is a bonus. Because I am unapologetically black, it doesn’t matter that I am a black woman in academia. Overall, it is amazing.” Photo and article by Kenisha Hoskins
word about their many free services such as check-ups, medicine and women’s health. As a woman, Lasko is proud of her caring and empathetic nature. For her, emotions and empathy are not weaknesses, but strengths that add fuel to the fire in her soul. Lasko’s passionate messages helps encourage female students. “So as far as being a woman, does it feel like you might have to work harder than a man? Yes. But the thing is, you can. And that’s the best part about it - not letting that be a barrier. So think about the contribution that you want to make and make that impact,” says Lasko.
March 12, 2019 | news 5 Cyndi Moran was assigned to edit a commercial for a Chicago hockey team approximately 25 years ago, a time when the field of video production and editing was considered male dominated. She faced adversity in that situation because “women couldn’t possibly know about sports.” Now Moran is the associate chair and full-time professor for the NEIU communications, media and theatre (CMT) department. She has worked on documentaries shown on the PBS series “P.O.V.” as well as several national and international festivals over the course of her career. A part of her successful career is rooted in her family and childhood. She grew up with brothers and
learned early on to be communicative and competitive. While some women face difficulty being forthright and honest in the professional world, “it never occurred to [her] to not negotiate salary.” With that tenacity, Moran says that she had great leaders and good experiences with both male and female leaders and role models in her workplaces. At one of her video houses, she was one of four female employees, so she did not feel alone in her endeavors and growth. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (USDoL) there were 74.6 million women working in the civilian labor force, making up 47 percent of the nation’s workers in 2017. Moran has been teaching at
NEIU for 16 years. She believes that the CMT department “has a good balance of sexes and genders.” Through this balance, she found a sense of comfort. “There are places where people have to be cautious and careful about their needs…[at NEIU] I felt like I could really be honest about my needs as a human, as a woman and as a mother,” Moran said. That being said, there is still room for growth and improvement. At her previous places of employment, Moran noticed that while she “generated the second highest revenue of the editors,” her salary was lower than all of her male counterparts. Though this situation might be dismissed as being indicative of older times, it was mentioned that even
at NEIU, Moran and her immediate colleagues, as an institution, are being paid less than their counterparts at other institutions. Moran said, “We often feel a need to work harder and longer hours than our male counterparts, especially if we have kids; almost to overcompensate for our gender.”According to the USDoL, in 2018, 70 percent of women with children under the age of 18-years-old actively worked in the labor force and numbers are predicted to continue to rise. In this Women’s History Month, consider the steps that women have taken as a success, but remember how far we still have yet to go. Photo and article by Rebecca Denham
2/21/19: Bryn-Mawr Property Officers investigated reports of possible squatters living inside Bryn-Mawr Property Apartments. Mattress, pots and pans located, but no occupants found.
2/26/19: The Nest Officers responded to call of suicidal student with cuts to palms of hands. Victim transported to hospital.
3/1/19: Parking Lot A Fire department responded to call of employee’s vehicle smoking in lot. Reason unknown – there were no injuries reported.
2/27/19: NEIU Officers attempt to deliver a cease and desist order to a former student’s home after several instances of harassment of staff over e-mail, phone and voicemail.
3/2/19: Building B Employee reports vending machine dispensed a lot of coins after snack became stuck. All coins turned in to police and inventoried. Vending department notified.
2/27/19: Parking Lot A While backing out of a parking spot, offender’s vehicle struck victim’s car. No injuries reported. Crash report completed by officer.
3/3/19: P.E. Building While responding to 911 hang up call, officer discovered 4 year old accidently locked in locker by another child while playing. Child is okay.
2/28/19: Information Desk During routine patrol, welcome desk gate and three of four doors found unsecured. Nothing appeared disturbed. Area was secured by officer.
3/4/19: Lech Walesa Hall Officers responded to call of someone bathing inside women’s washroom. Contact made with student. Student will be referred to dean of students.
3/1/19: Library Student came to station to report an individual she believes is stalking her. Police want to talk to him. She was provided emergency numbers.
These are incidents reported to the NEIU police department from 2/21/19-3/4/19.
2/21/19: Fine Arts Building Student accidently set off fire alarm when he rested his hand on fire pull station on wall. 2/23/19: CCICS Alarm company reported three burglar alarms at CCICS. They were accidently set off by employee who arrived early to work. 2/23/19: 6059 N. Lincoln Ave. Officers initiated traffic stop for failure to signal. Driver may also have been involved in minor road rage incident. No citations were issued. 2/24/19: Parking Garage Officers observed an intoxicated male on camera wandering in garage and not dressed appropriately for the cold weather. Fire department transported him to hospital.
6 News |March 12, 2019
NEIU’s new masters program: Public health Luísa Soares Writer
Students now have the possibility to join the new two to three year program of Master of Public Health (MPH) in the beginning of fall 2019 in Northeastern Illinois University’s El Centro campus. Through a broad range of current and future topics and issues in the area, the program offers the opportunity to pursue terminal degrees in behavioral health, epidemiological or environmental health sciences, as well as health-related law and policy, health care administration and health communication. The Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, Michael Stern, helped to turn the program into a reality since its 2014 conception. He said the community health
bachelor’s degree is growing quite rapidly because people are interested. “The field is getting bigger and there is a lot of potential careers and opportunities to explore,” Stern said. In order to prepare students to lead, conduct research in and serve collaborative efforts dedicated to public health, the MPH of 42 credits will utilize a generalist and a interdisciplinary approach, via class and online learning. Associate Professor and Community Health Program Coordinator, Jennifer Banas, said the faculty will encourage who is studying to take electives in other programs. “If I am interested in Human Resources Development in Health, I might take my classes in that segment, tailoring my Master’s based on my interests and professional goals,” Banas said. The MPH wants to prepare them
to work in public and private careers, such as health researcher, community health worker, health communications specialist, public health analyst and public health policy administrator. As stated by Health Sciences and Physical Education Department Chair, James Ball, he said this is possible because the faculty is prepared to teach them about those different aspects. “This will benefit students once there will be professors of all departments helping them. All of us have a bunch of experiences in different areas of the profession, so it’s going to be really positive,” Ball said. The new program will focus on marginalized communities with specific and attention to the intersections people experience, including race, ethnicity, gender and age. Through this, students will
explore research areas, apply for internships, collaborate in public health settings and improve their resumes. “Besides, if you want to make change for a population, you need to work with them, so that’s one of our main points of this MPH,” Banas said. Applicants are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA in a major related to biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, behavioral sciences or social sciences. They will need to submit two letters of recommendation and an essay addressing what public health means to the them and which parts interest them and how a degree in MPH will support or advance their career goals. If you are interested in the program or have any questions, please contact Health Sciences and Physical Education at (773) 442-556.
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March 12, 2019|OPINIONS 7
Who shall we buy today, Mr. Kraft?
Chuck Sipps Writer
I
t’s always struck me as odd that a person can decide to sleep with ten people in a single evening and it’s legal. However, if two consensual adults agree to a transaction of sex for money, suddenly, it’s illegal. What two people decide to do in private is their business, so long as it’s consensual. Despite all that, prostitution is illegal, and yet the world’s oldest profession is still a multi-billion-dollar business. According to humanrightsfirst.org, an estimated 24.9 million victims are trapped in modern-day slavery. Of these, 4.8 million (19%) were sexually exploited. That is nearly 5 million people who are forced into sex trafficking, usually under false pretenses with the promise of housing and jobs to desperate people. These numbers are alarming and frankly disgusting. Enter Robert Kraft, the owner of the New
England Patriots, with his net worth estimated to be 6.2 billion dollars. Kraft, 77, was charged with two counts of soliciting sex as part of an investigation into prostitution and suspected human trafficking in Jupiter, Florida. Kraft is said to have visited a spa called Orchids of Asia, a small storefront business in a strip mall. Kraft has categorically denied these charges, even though police claim they have video evidence for each person they have charged. One of the many disappointing aspects of this story is that this case wouldn’t have received anywhere near the same level of attention if not for Kraft’s involvement. Need proof? Look at the headlines, and all they talk about is Kraft’s involvement but nothing of the other 200 men who have been, or will be, charged in these crimes. Nor is there much talk about what is being done to help these women, nor cries to stop this modern-day slavery epidemic. It is sickening that Kraft garners more
attention than those he helped victimize. For those who want to argue, “How was he supposed to know that these women were sex slaves?” Well, My Life My Choice, a Boston nonprofit, works to end sexual exploitation. Kraft donated $100,000 to My Life My Choice in 2015. Kraft is well aware of the dangers of sex trafficking, so much so he was willing to pledge his own money to abolish it. It is ironic than that he would also spend his money to further the profits of this heinous and illegal industry. Furthering the irony, Kraft has long portrayed himself as the defender of the NFL’s reputation, and he has penalized players and other owners for actions that have tarnished the league. Now we stand at a crossroads where Kraft’s actions have undoubtedly tarnished the shield he has so adamantly defended. What repercussions will he face, being that he is one of the NFL’s leaders and owns one of its most profitable teams? A fine? What is money to a billionaire?
But one of the things that upsets me the most about this story is the reactions I have heard from several peers. The consensus I’ve heard most often is, “A man that rich can get any woman he wants. Why would he need to pay for it?” That is extremely sexist. This implies that every woman on the planet can be bought, if the price is right. Follow that line of thought: how much money would it take for Kraft to “have” your significant other, sister, or mother? Why bother to spare a thought for the people forced into slavery? Instead ponder the financial decisions made by another rich old white dude. In all likelihood, the most punishment Kraft will face will be a fine and a slap on the wrist. He will remain the owner of the New England Patriots and his net worth will continue to grow. And as long as men like Kraft, the uber rich elite who feel like they can buy whatever they want, continue to treat people like products, then the number of sex slaves will also continue to grow.
as ear infections that can lead to permanent hearing loss, pneumonia, and encephalitis which is swelling of the brain. In 2000, due to the very high rate of measle vaccination, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S., yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), 159 individual cases of the measles have been confirmed in 10 states from Jan. 1 to Feb. 21 this year alone. For public health concerns, states require children to have proof of vaccination to enter school. Exemptions include medical reasons such as allergies, weak immune systems, religious, philosophical, or personal beliefs. Although most states have gotten rid of the exemptions for philosophical and personal beliefs, some parents believe that the diseases that we vaccinate against don’t exist in the U.S anymore, vaccines are unsafe, or that vaccines don’t work. Although measles, whooping cough, polio and other childhood diseases are not prevalent in the U.S, they occur in other countries. It is very easy for a traveller to bring the disease
here and for an unvaccinated child to get sick. This is already occurring, as in the case of the reintroduction of measles to Costa Rica after an unvaccinated child and his parents vacationed there this past February. Costa Rica’s health ministry reported that the last time a Costa Rican citizen caught measles was in 2006 and the last case of imported measles was in 2014. Due to the new worldwide “vaccine hesitancy” trend, measles is now back in action there after five years. Here’s another reason the CDC gives to vaccinate your children: by vaccinating your children, not only are you protecting your kids, but people with cancer who cannot get certain vaccines, other children who can’t get vaccines due to medical reasons, and babies too young to be vaccinated. To those who are vulnerable to disease, vaccinated people act as a shield that keeps disease away. By protecting yourself and your children, you also protect your neighbors and community from any outbreaks of contagious, deadly diseases such as measles.
Vaccines are very safe. In fact, according to the CDC website, the U.S currently has the safest vaccines supply in its history. Vaccines undergo strenuous testing that can last as long as a decade. The pros of being vaccinated against serious diseases outway the minor side effects. Although the news and social media play up one in a million bad side effects, that’s just what they are: a one in a million chance of something going wrong. On the CDC vaccine safety website, it says vaccines and their ingredients do not cause autism. The nine research studies completed since 2003 collaborate this statement. Vaccines train children’s bodies to resist and kill off the germs easier and faster than those whose bodies are encountering the disease for the first time. Think of it as training your body for a mini-marathon. The vaccine helps children not contract and gets rid of diseases. Parents who object to vaccines due to
Plague Inc.: Please vaccinate your children Victoria Hong Writer
T
here’s a cell phone game called Plague Inc. that both fascinated and horrified me. In this game, you are a disease of your design and your goal is to kill all 8 billion people on Earth. On easy mode, (no one washes their hands, research doctors don’t work, and sick people are given hugs) I’ve annihilated the human race in less than two years. Even though the entire world doesn’t follow easy mode conditions, simply watching the rising numbers of infected people and deaths sent chills down my spine. The game also realistically portrayed today’s globalization well, letting me watch as a sick person boarded a plane or boat to spread the disease. There are vaccines for 26 diseases available in the U.S., including the very contagious measles. The symptoms of measles are similar to a supremely intense flu that lasts two weeks. It can also lead to secondary diseases such
Plague Inc./ page 11
8 OPINIONS|mARCH 12, 2019
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“Yeah, I think I can. My art is very different from who I am. I guess it depends on the kind of artist. Andy Warhol lived a very crazy lifestyle but his art, while cliched, was mass produced. Someone like Jussie Smollet, I don’t think so because an actor, while technically an artist, absorbs things that someone else gives them and it’s not actually coming fully from them.” -Katrina Ramirez, Senior
Golden Perspectives
“Can you seperate an artist from their art?”
“I would say no because what a person does influences their work as well. I don’t see an artist being separated from their work because everyone is linked to their work and what they do.” - Jeanette Mazur
“I believe that art is a very human thing and a very healing thing, no matter who is participating in it. The part of you that makes art is the part of you that wants to connect to and help people. I don’t think that judging the art based on who made it is always helpful.” - Abbey Kruse, Junior
WANT TO WEIGH IN? Find us for the next Golden Perspectives : Do you think companies should have to tell you how much your coworkers make?
March 12, 2019|OPINIONS 9
Nike and Serena Williams call for “crazy women” Amaris E. Rodriguez
Opinions Editor & Co-Managing Editor NEIUOpsEditor@gmail.com
N
ike is still riding the train of controversial ads, first with Colin Kaepernick and now with Serena Williams’ whose new commercial calls out the biases placed on strong women. In the “Dream Crazier” commercial, which aired during the Oscars on Feb. 24, Williams narrates a script starting out with “If we show emotion, we are called dramatic,” while videos of female athletes crying shows moments in sports where women have been critiqued. One of the women featured is sabre fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while representing the United States in the Olympics. The ad is a great representation of what a commercial aimed at women should be like. It stars Serena Williams, world famous tennis player, who often gets represented and called out for her behavior on the tennis court. Williams is often the protagonist in a “angry black woman” narrative by judges and critics for her behavior when she gets emotional on a court. The same criticism is rarely placed on male athletes, even the soccer players who fall down crying while faking an injury in those viral videos we all laugh at. Nike has been changing the direction of their ads and taking on social political controversies that have been in the media lately. Their past ad, featuring Kaepernick, made national headlines for resurfacing the issue of kneeling during the national anthem. Their “Dream Crazier” ad tackles the issue of how women athletes are perceived and valued. The video features the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team, who have won three World Cups and four Olympic medals, who made more headlines in 2016 for their fight against the U.S Soccer Federation for equal pay compared to the men’s soccer team. Equal pay has always sparked a feminist movement, as women clearly deserve to earn the same as men, especially if they have brought the U.S three World Cups compared
Why are we blaming Jordyn Woods?
Robert Kukla to the zero titles the men’s soccer team has brought home. The video also shows female athletes, such as American-Israeli basketball player Sue Bird, behaving in a manner that many critics would deem “unlady” like. The idea of an athlete being considered unlady like while playing a sport is extremely disturbing. It plays back to the idea that women exist solely for men to enjoy watching them. Women exist for themselves, no one else. I didn’t play a lot of sports growing up but in my twenties I did play rugby for a couple of seasons until a back injury took me out of the game. During my time in rugby, I learned a lot about myself and the value of being an athlete. No one on my team cared if I didn’t act like a lady, they needed me to play hard so that we could score. I tackled other players into puddles of mud, chugged water and spit it back out to wash out the dirt from my mouth, and I went seasons without wearing makeup because I was too tired from practice and games. In fact after spending time with them I realized that I spent a lot of time caring how other people perceived me. The stereotypes placed on certain sports can also discourage girls to play. When I first joined a rugby team I heard a lot of crackling from my friends, joking if this was my way of coming out. To their surprise I wasn’t the only straight player on my team. This isn’t the first time a woman playing a “rough” sport is stereotyped. But sports don’t belong to only one sexual orientation, just like I don’t belong to one specific gender. The word “crazy” is used throughout the ad to describe different aspects of how female athletes are perceived. If they show emotion, crazy. If they play a sport that has long only been associated with men, crazy. Just like Williams says, let them call you crazy. Peoples opinions are always going to be there but they are never going to really matter. As long as you are doing something that you love, who cares if people think you are crazy.
Arts & Life Editor
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nother celebrity scandal going viral on the internet, this time it’s cheating allegations involving Jordyn Woods and Tristan Thompson, Khloe Kardashian’s ex-boyfriend. It was reported that the Kardashians had severed ties with Woods as a result of her alleged affair. They, along with their fans, have also publicly dragged Woods all over social media slut shaming the reality star. Yet I haven’t seen the same treatment towards Thompson. Shouldn’t he be the one taking the bulk of the heat since he is the one who had a child with the famous Kardashian sister? Why is it that whenever an affair occurs, whether it’s between celebrities or not, the girl involved is blamed more than the man? We see it all the time, girls getting into fights with the girl that their partner cheated with and making excuses for their partner. In an interview with Jada Pinkett Smith on her show “The Red Table Talk,” Woods recounted the events that took place on the night of the alleged affair. Based on her side of the story, I believe she did nothing wrong because Thompson was the one who kissed her. Woods also said that her first mistake was going to the party in the first place, and quite frankly, this bothers me because this is a narrative we hear all the time whenever an affair is exposed. We cannot expect women to not participate in events simply out of fear that a situation might occur and they will be portrayed in a negative light. According to an article from Teen Vogue, “The model has been labelled “the other woman,” a role that society considers threatening, shameful, and worthy of mockery. Time and again, we’ve seen celebrity cheating “scandals” gain a life of their own in the headlines, with media fueling the fire by sensationalizing the “other” woman’s sexuality while rarely mentioning the committed man involved and his actions, thus seemingly pardoning him through silence.” Blame is very seldomly placed on the man involved in the center of an affair, and
this is due to the patriarchal system that fuels our society’s way of thinking. This notion of needing to keep your man from other women because she might steal him from you is a direct reflection of society’s perceived gender roles. Women are seen in society as seductive, sexual objects and that feeds into the way women are treated in the midst of a scandal like this. They are often slut shamed for where they go, what they wear, who they talk to, how much they drink, etc. No one stops to think maybe the man should have just kept his hands to himself. The article goes on to say, “We need to let go of the idea that the “other woman” is the only one responsible for cheating. While betrayal can feel horrible to those involved, it also doesn’t strip anyone of their humanity; Jordyn is still a person, as is Tristan. We need to take a step back and remember that cheating — in any capacity — is rarely simple or easily defined with a headline or a tweet. It’s complex. It’s messy.” A cheating scandal is messy, and just because it involves celebrities doesn’t mean that they deserve to be the subject of ridicule, humiliation or death threats. Whether you believe Woods or not, no one deserves to be publically dragged the way she has been on social media. We need to change the way we view women in the center of cheating scandals and start placing blame on the man involved as well. Honestly, women need to stop fighting women over a man and start harnessing that same energy in calling out their own significant other for cheating on them. In the cases where “the other woman” doesn’t even know the man is in a relationship when an affair occurs why blame them for it? Are we expecting them to be mind readers? The media needs to do better in reporting these stories also. We all know that as humans, we love a juicy headline, but maybe we should start transitioning to respecting the privacy of celebrities involved in scandals like these so that they don’t have to go through the ordeal of extreme backlash like what Woods is currently going through.
10 OPINIONS|mArch 12,2019 Photo By Luísa Soares
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A whole new world: Why international politics matter Luísa Soares Writer
As an exchange student and a person who has lived outside the United States almost my whole life, I believe it’s really important to pay attention to what’s going on in the news around the world. In Brazil, we usually compare ourselves to the “American way of life” because it’s a pattern followed by a lot of countries in several aspects such as entertainment and politics. Being aware about US elections, Democratic and Republican parties, is basic knowledge to have, especially if you want to become a journalist.In the U.S when I talk to people about Brazil, I have to explain a lot of the time that we speak Portuguese and not “Brazilian.” I feel a void sometimes and in order to
explain what’s going on in my country, I always use American references. For example, to talk about the new president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, I refer to him as the “Brazilian Donald Trump,” so in this way, people will understand how terrible he is. I speak with people in this way because I am not sure if they think Brazil is important in the world scenario, since we are not the biggest economy or country. A study by National Geographic in 2016 with 1,203 young adults between 18-to-26year-olds, who attend or have attended a twoor four-year college in the U.S., helps address my point. According to the survey, most young Americans couldn’t pass a test with 75 questions about geography, current events, and economics and trade. The average score was
just 55 percent, which means a failing grade in most U.S. classrooms. The research also showed gaps between what they understand about the world and what they need to know about it. As an example, there is a grasp on concepts like the importance of the U.S. dollar and the structure of the United Nations. It’s hard to pay attention to everything that is going on around the world because we have so many ways of keeping ourselves updated. In the past, we didn’t have social media and presidents speaking through this channel like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro do now. In the past we counted on press releases or newspapers to do that. Nowadays, there is a huge amount of information, so sometimes we don’t know where to
look or which source is more reliable. This leads us to another issue named “fake news.” As a journalism student, I try to help friends and family to distinguish what’s true and what’s not. The problem is that several of my friends who are not part of a media degree don’t believe when I say some media companies are good and others are bad. This deficit in knowledge and trust in the media’s role can reflect a person’s political decisions in election period. No one can ignore what’s going on in the world because it affects us on topics such as global warming, access to clean water and poverty. We might not see the impacts right now but they are there and sometimes worse than before.
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Plague Inc. Continued from 7
religious reasons usually do so because of how vaccines are made. Islamic tradition forbids having pork in your diet however, gelatin made from pigs are an ingredient of some vaccines. Technically, you aren’t eating pig but injecting medicine with highly processed pig parts. But how did the choice to vaccinate get linked to the freedom to express your religion? Most religions were established before vaccines existed, so there can’t be a rule saying don’t vaccinate. It comes from how people interpret and express their religiosity. You are allowed to exercise and express your religion in your own way. However, my argument is that not getting vaccinated does not have to be considered religious. You can take the religious
meaning of vaccines away and view them in a scientific way. Scientific knowledge and religious knowledge are only two of many different kinds of knowledge. There’s scientific, moral, religious, emotional, and more. While equal, each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Each can be more or less useful in different situations. “Street smarts” are very useful when wandering around a city while “book smarts” are useful at school. Just as some recipes require more sugar than salt or more salt than sugar, you can view vaccines through a lens of, let’s say, 75% scientific knowledge and 25% moral and religious knowledge. Diseases such as measles and polio are scary and if there was a way to help prevent catching them, I would take it for me and my family. Here’s to raising the vaccination rate so that we don’t get wiped out in a Plague Inc. like scenario.
March 12, 2019 | arts & life 13
Marvel strikes gold, once again Alejandro Marroquin Assistant Arts & Life Editor Neiuartslifeeditor@gmail.com
At this point, Marvel can announce a movie based on rocks and they’ll automatically have my money. That’s how much I trust Kevin Feige, producer and creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Announced back in 2014, Captain Marvel was set to become the very first female led superhero movie, under the Marvel Studios moniker. Unsurprisingly, expectations were high for the film, and given that it released in Women’s month, it does the month justice. Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, is an adopted
Kree warrior that goes by the name of Vers. Having suffered from memory loss and gaining superpowers in the process, she is found by Yon-Rogg, played by Jude Law, and is trained to fight for the Kree. Her involvement with the Kree drags her into their war with the Skrulls, a shape shifting alien race. After a mission goes wrong, she ends up back on Earth where she is forced to rediscover her forgotten past and stop the Skrulls with the help of Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the film delivers to MCU faithfuls and women who had longed to see a female led Marvel film.
Strong performances from Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and Jude Law help further the film’s quality. A strong point of the film is that it tackles the challenging theme of identity as Carol struggles to accept who she really is, a Kree or a human being. Themes such as war and deception play a huge role in the film and is threaded into the story in the best way possible. Admittedly, I had a hard time enjoying the first half of the film, as I felt that the film was lacking any fluidity. I felt the pace was all over the place, and that too much was going on for me to enjoy the film. Despite that, Captain Marvel
(Colm Feore). For what purpose? Well, to save the world, of course. By forming a group of elite superheroes called the Umbrella Academy. When we come to present day, we learn that the Academy has been disbanded for some time. Half the fun of the show is figuring out what caused the rifts, what the relationship dynamics are and just what their “father” meant when he told them that one day, they would save the world. It is clear from early on, Sir Reginald isn’t particularly interested in his wards’ emotional wellbeing, he simply names them One through Seven. Each of the seven carry their own baggage. Whether it’s the super strong Number One (Tom Hopper) who isn’t strong enough to handle his own self doubt, or Number Seven (Ellen Page) who is born without powers in a family full of supers. Each member of the Academy struggles and grows as the season goes on. While each of the seven are
brilliantly brought to life, Number 5 (Aidan Gallagher) is the standout. Number 5 is a cantankerous time traveler who through some shenanigans, gets stuck in the future, where the apocalypse has destroyed the world. He grows old in the post-apocalyptic world, until he finds a way to return to the past in the hope that he and his family can prevent the coming apocalypse. Unfortunately, due to some miscalculations, he gets trapped in his 15-year-old body, but at least he gets to experience puberty all over again. Yay! Gallagher is so committed to the role that in no time you will buy that this 15-year-old is actually a world-weary man in his 50s. Like most super hero tales, this upcoming cataclysmic event will end the world as we know it. The struggle to stop it won’t be the reason you will become enthralled by ‘Umbrella Academy’. The constant twists, turns, reveals and
With a family like this, who needs super villains? Chuck Sipps Writer
“On the 12th hour of the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began.” With those words, viewers are launched into the mysterious world of “The Umbrella Academy,” where each answer only garners more questions. Each of these 43 children are born with superpowers and we are left to wonder, what purpose do the 43 serve? We may not learn that answer yet, but we do have a direct answer to Netflix and Marvel ending their superhero partnership. Umbrella Academy stands alone as an intriguing twist on the now wellworn superhero story. Umbrella Academy is at its best when it focuses on the inherent family drama. For you see, seven of those 43 children born on October 1st, 1989 were adopted; well, actually they were bought by eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargraves
Umbrella/ page 16
pulls a hail Mary and manages to recover my interest. I get it, although Captain Marvel takes place in a larger universe that involves the Avengers, Boden and Fleck have to build and explain Carol’s origin, which could make or break the movie. While I think the film could have been better, I know it could have been much worse. Storywise, I believe the directors did a great job in keeping me invested and as a comic book fan, they did an amazing job with their twist. The thing about being a fan of the comics is that I came in with a pre-conceived notion of what was going to happen, but what they did here was pretty spe-
cial and I never saw it coming. Since it takes place in the 90’s, they also do a stellar job of incorporating what life was like back then in the most humorous way possible. Overall, the film is a must see as it introduces the MCU’s most powerful and cunning hero. The film is filled with 90’s references and easter eggs that involve what has been established in the MCU. Thanos better watch his back because Captain Marvel is coming and she is someone he does not want to cross. What a time for people who have been marginalized in society to see themselves be represented on the big screen.
14 arts & life | March 12, 2019
NEIU Jazz Combo Performance Performers included: Nikko Frani: Alto Sax Mayo Tiyana: Trombone Zen Hsu: Piano Freddy Quinteros: Double Bass Tim Jones: Drums Brian Horn: Guitar Photos by Jae Kim
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Indy Comic Corner
MARCH 12, 2019 | arts & life 15
Comic By JOHANNA VALKIN
DO YOU LIKE TO DRAW? SUBMIT YOUR COMIC AND WE MAY FEATURE IT IN OUR NEXT ISSUE.
COMIC BY SAMUEL HEIBER
SEEDS CORNER: Zahra Sajwani. For the full collection visit NEIUIndependent.org
16 arts & life | March 12, 2019
Umbrella
family drama will be what keeps you surprised and delighted throughout. This world is full of history and intrigue and it is worth exploring. Continued from 13 The show is also super stylized. There is a kinetic feel to the fights that never overwhelms. A common trope of the genre is having a bunch of CG characters in poor lighting fight it out, as it feels impossible to keep track of the action. That’s not the case with ‘Umbrella Academy’ as each fight feels intimate and is punctuated by a bad ass soundtrack. While some superhero films rely on cool songs that don’t really fit their scene’s tone, I’m looking at you ‘Suicide Squad,’ ‘Umbrella Academy’ handles this flawlessly. The songs perfectly set the tone for the upcoming fight and this is the best use of soundtrack since ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. All this adds up to create fights that are super stylish and bad-ass. Speaking of bad-ass, I’d be remiss to not mention Hazel (Cameron Britton) and Cha-Cha (Mary J. Blige), two time traveling assassins employed to hunt down Number 5 and preserve the timeline. While these characters may seem style over substance at first, as the season goes, they rise above their henchmen status into something far more intriguing. Like most of the character arcs on the show, they take a surprising and rewarding journey. Without going into spoilers, there are some genuinely gut-wrenching scenes for our characters, as they struggle with relationships, their choices, and their purpose in life. Number 4 (Robert Sheehan) particularly goes through the emotional ringer, and he is as funny as he is tragic. As dysfunctional as they may be, and trust me they are, The Umbrella Academy is a family and that familial bond shines throughout. Between its humor, heart, and style ‘The Umbrella Academy’ is a breeze to watch and leaves you chomping at the bit for season 2. The world ending threat may leave something to be desired, but the family drama is more than enough to carry you through. Even if you’re not a fan of super heroes, ‘Umbrella Academy’” might just surprise you. be desired, but the family drama is more than enough to carry you through. Even if you’re not a fan of super heroes, ‘Umbrella Academy’” might just surprise you.
