August 29, 2018

C O L L E G E O F D U PA G E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R — 2 9 A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 — V O L U M E 5 3

NEWS

College of Dupage welcomes new Provost p6

FEATURES

Are we burying our dead wrong? p12

OPINION

Four-day school weeks are selfish, not sensible p14

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North Central will be at College of DuPage on:

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29 August 2018

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NEWS

INDEX Courier's New Editor-in-Chief: New Job, Now What? p4

FEATURES OPINION SPORTS COFFEE BREAK

Are we burying our dead wrong? p12

Working on campus for the win! p14

Weekly sports schedule p17

Crossword and sudoku 18

ON THE COVER New Student Orientation by: Alison Pfaff

Editor-in-Chief Tessa Morton Features Editor Reanna Comiso Opinion Editor Kimberly Wilson Sports Editor Miguel Contreras Reporter Joey Weslo Head Photo Editor Alison Pfaff Photo Editor Julie Connelly

The Courier is published every Wednesday when classes are in session during the fall and spring semester, except for the first and last Wednesday of each semester and the week of spring break as a public forum with content chosen by student editors.

One copy free, additional copies available upon request.

The Courier does not knowingly accept advertisement that discriminate on the basis of sex, creed, religion, color, handicapped status, veteran or sexual orientation, nor does it knowingly print ads that violate any local, state or federal laws.

Social Media Manager Trinity Jefferson

Deliver all correspondence to SSC 1220 between regular office hours or mail to the Courier, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL. 60137.

Newsroom 630-942-26893

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Adviser Jim Fuller fullerj103@cod.edu

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Tell us and we’ll correct it.

Send an email to editor@cod.edu.

“I am looking for before school and after school care for my two daughters ages 11 and 13. Both girls attend District 204 schools. Hours are from 7-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Perfect for students looking for part-time work! Pay is good and the girls are very independent.”

Please text Beth at 773-919-5271 if interested 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 3

NEWS Courier’s new Editor-in-Chief New job, now what?

Tessa Morton · Editor-in-Chief I have big shoes to fill, and challenges ahead I have never faced before and had never anticipated for myself. I neither feel prepared nor knowledgeable enough.

What I do have is determination, a willingness to turn up and put in the necessary hours, and faith in my team. I almost have adequate faith in myself.

Being my own toughest critic, adequate faith is an impressive start.

This fall semester, we have more than just a new editor-in-chief. We also have two other new staff members, with more new team members to come.

Only two members of the spring Courier team remain in their previous positions. The shake-up means the fall will be a fresh start for most of us and the paper as a whole.

Becoming the editor-in-chief was not something I envisioned in January when I started at the paper and at College of DuPage. I am an adult student, with an undergraduate degree and a resume largely consisting of teaching English as a second language and traveling. I love to write, but journalism was not going to come as easily as I had imagined.

The learning curve was steep and humbling. I have so much to learn. The blind leading the blind may be too cliché, but I was just figuring out my job as a reporter. Now I am responsible for guiding those who are slipping their feet into new shoes I myself have not worn in.

Taking advice from coworkers a decade younger than myself was a swift introduction into what 4 codcourier.org —

the Courier is all about: Growth. You don’t come here to excel, or to receive praise or to achieve recognition from those you write about or for. You come here to learn… and fast. I now know what it feels like to be thrown into the deep end over and over again, with advisers and team members encouraging you and saving you from drowning. The very next week you start the cycle all over again. By the end of the experience, I felt accomplished, not because I won anything, but because I got better at treading water.

I am thrilled to be leading the Courier team this semester, but I am in no way a champion swimmer yet.

Just like Courier staff of the past, we will be putting this paper together as a team, or not at all. We all sink, or we all swim, and my objective this semester is to keep us more than just afloat but to create a synchronized team.

My greatest strength is my willingness to admit what I don’t know. My greatest fortune is the paper’s support system and professional advisers. At the end of the day, what makes the difference is the hard work and contributions of those I work with.

Opinion reporter Kimberly Wilson is a writer I know I can rely on to turn chaos into consolidated ideas. Every week she sits back and absorbs the barrage of biased, un-formed or uninformed opinions and constant unrelated segues from the Courier staff.

Somehow, week after week, Wilson produces an opinion piece that communicates our collective view.

Alison Pfaff is moving to a larger role here on staff, by accepting the much-de-

29 August 2018

Photo by Alison Pfafl served lead photo editor position. Not only is Pfaff an excellent photographer, but she worked alongside our former photo editor, Hannah Davis. Together they have been responsible for curating all the photos, pictures and graphics used by the Courier both in print and online. This semester Alison will be working with our new assistant photo editor, Julie Connelly. Pfaff ’s continued presence also ensures the Courier will know all the latest memes, gifs and trending videos. As the dinosaur of the office, I rely on her to keep me abreast of these pertinent developments.

Reanna Comiso and I joined the Courier at the beginning of last semester.

I am not too big to admit she was always much more adept at staying up-to-date on campus events. As the

features editor, Comiso writes about music, theater and art, but her ability to think outside of the box has allowed the paper to include far more voices and views. Having Comiso onboard for another semester is fantastic. I am so excited to see what other activities, events, performances and people she will write about this fall.

Joey Weslo will become the general assignment reporter for the paper, my old role. As our former sports editor, he faced inclement weather, double-bookings and constant cancellations all to bring us stories about the different sporting events taking place on campus. His real passion and strength lie in his indepth coverage of topics he is passionate about.

Seeing stories within stories, he was able to turn a piece about the Olympics

into a political exposé. A story about soccer became a deep look at the Syrian civil war. An in-memoriam on the passing of a sporting legend prompted an examination of celebrities and loss. In his new role, Weslo will continue finding ways to bring our readers stories about bigger and bolder topics.

Trinity Jefferson was hired over the summer and is the Courier’s social media manager. Jefferson has already started work on a Courier Instagram and is excited to revamp our social media presence with new ideas and more student engagement.

Being appreciative of the support I have and recognizing the structure in place to ease my transition from reporter to EIC is important to me. My goal is to build not just a great team of reporters, writers, pho-

tographers and designers. I hope to build a great team of friends. If I have learned anything from my time on the staff so far, it is how crucial communication and cooperation is amongst coworkers. If I learn nothing else this coming semester, I hope I learn what my coworkers need from me.

To all returning students and new students, on behalf of the staff here at the Courier, I welcome you to the fall semester of 2018 and to a new Courier team. I look forward to hearing from some of our readers this semester, whether it be letters to the editor, ideas for future pieces or just general feedback. Either way, you’ll hear from all of us!

NEWS NOTIFICATION OF STUDENTS’ RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution.) These rights include:

How to Use Student Print: Printers, copiers and scanners are located in Academic Computing Center (SRC 3001 and MAC 189), Library (SRC 2020) and all COD Regional Centers.

1.

The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day College of DuPage Office of Student Records receives a request for access.

A student should submit to the Office of Student Records written requests that identify the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2.

The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask College of DuPage to amend a record should write to the Office of Student Records, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If College of DuPage decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

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The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information or PII (not “Directory Information”) contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official may also include a volunteer or contractor outside of College of DuPage who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor or collection agent or a student assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for College of DuPage.

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4.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by College of DuPage to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605 NOTICE OF PUBLIC STUDENT INFORMATION

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Disclosure of Directory Information The items listed below are designated as “Directory Information” and may be released for any purpose at the discretion of the College. Under provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, you have the right to withhold the disclosure of the “Directory Information” listed below.

Please consider very carefully the consequences of any decision by you to withhold “Directory Information.” Should you decide to inform the College not to release any “Directory Information,” any future requests for such information from non-College persons or organizations will be refused.

The College will honor your request to withhold “Directory Information” listed below, but cannot assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission to release it. Regardless of the effect upon you, the College assumes no liability for honoring your instructions that such information be withheld.

Directory Information consists of the following: Name, community, college-issued email address, previous education institution(s) attended, major field of study, enrollment status, terms and dates of attendance, awards, honors and degrees earned, past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, height and weight of student athletes.

If you wish to withhold this information, complete the “Student Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information” form, available in the Office of Student Records, SRC 2150. If the completed form is not received, it is assumed the above information may be disclosed.

ADM-17-25349(8/17)

VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 5

NEWS

College of DuPage welcomes new Provost Kimberly Wilson · Opinion Editor

Mark Curtis-Chavez has been named College of DuPage’s new provost after a unanimous vote from the College of DuPage Board of Trustees. COD President Ann Rondeau created the position to aid in overall student success.

Curtis-Chavez, who is now officially the college’s chief academic officer, will be responsible for overseeing the educational programs as well as student services of the college.

After the vote on Aug. 16, Board Chairman Deanne Mazzochi welcomed Curtis-Chavez and stated, “We will very much enjoy seeing you here on campus and [are] hoping that we will be able to see our academic and student affairs program get even better.”

Rondeau also expressed her confidence in Curtis-Chavez. In a news article by Jennifer Duda posted to COD’s website, the college president said Curtis-Chavez’s “...proven leadership in student success and his prior experience at a number of larger institutions will be a fine complement to College of DuPage, its students, faculty and staff.”

Curtis-Chavez’s, who

holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Toledo, taught at Northern Illinois University, Purdue University-Calumet and Indiana University-Purdue. Curtis-Chavez also served as special assistant to the president at Texas’ Lone Star College-Cy Fair, where he was responsible for increasing enrollment and retention, among other duties.

Curtis Chavez also had previous roles at Lone Star College such as interim assistant vice chancellor for special initiatives, where he developed and oversaw the recruitment of more diverse faculty. At Cuyahoga Community College, he served as associate dean of Liberal Arts, where he supervised 41 full-time faculty and 20 part-time staff members.

He was also the division chair of Communications at Arizona Western College, where he spearheaded a 21 percent increase in enrollment.

The Courier looks forward to learning more about Curtis-Chavez’s role at the college and what he hopes to accomplish during our scheduled interview with him later this week.

To read more of the Courier's reporting on the search for the new provost, head to our website at: www.codcourier. org Photo provided by Jennifer Duda 6 codcourier.org —

29 August 2018

NSO: Recap

NEWS

Alison Pfaff · Head Photo Editor

From August 7-9, 1,050 new students and their families flocked to New Student Orientation (NSO) to learn more about life as a COD student. Orientation Leaders and Team Leads engaged students in various activities and 16 different workshops about COD’s library, student clubs and activities, campus diversity, honors programs and transfer information.

29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 7

NEWS

Chap Days welcome new students

Photo by Alison Pfafl

Photo by Julie Connellyl

"Even with the bad weather., we had a pretty good turn out," -Paolo Mazza, Student Life Event Specialist Photo by Alison Pfafl 8 codcourier.org —

29 August 2018

NEWS

Chap Days welcome new students

Photo by Alison Pfafl

Photo by Julie Connellyyl

Photo by Alison Pfafl

"We handed out about 1,000 ice cream bars throughout the week," -Mazza Photo by Julie Connellyl 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 9

10 codcourier.org —

29 August 2018

FEATURES New wedding planning certificate available to all students Reanna Comiso · Features Editor

Photo from flickr.com/virginiastateparksstaff

In the Fall 2018 semester, College of Dupage students can learn about the art, history and preparations for planning a wedding with the new Wedding Planning Management Certificate program.

The certificate was offered for the first time in the Spring 2018 semester to all students.

The program aims to teach students how to plan a wedding from the beginning leading up to the final event.

HOSP-2256 is the only course required to earn the certificate. The pro-

gram consists of only four-credits, all earned in one class, as part of the Hospitality and Tourism program.

Wedding planning was nationally recognized as an AACC 21st Century Best Practice, because of the growth and popularity of the profession.

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the meeting and event planning industry will see a significant increase in jobs over the next decade, with wedding planning being one of the

main areas of growth,” pating in case studies said Mary Beth Leone, and attending guest professor and program lectures. The program coordinator of hospi- will also include a focus on entrepreneurtality.

The class is meant ship, as many wedding to be an affordable, planners aspire to start accredited option for their own businesses, students interested in according to Leone. the wedding indus- “Millennials are gettry. Students learn the ting married at a later history of marriage, age, and they’re busy cultural and ethnic el- with their careers,” said ements in weddings, Leone. “Their parents consumerism, desti- often do not assist in nation weddings and the planning process, and they are in need stress management.

Students will then of quality planning on apply themselves by a budget. This makes interviewing industry the role of wedding professionals, partici- planners much more

important.”

No prerequisites are required to enroll in the program, “just a genuine desire to help families navigate through a very important day,” said Leone.

Since the course began, 25 students have been awarded their certificate, with 15 more students expecting to earn their certificate by the end of the semester. The course will eventually be offered online as well for students unable to make it to campus.

For more information on the Wedding Planner Certificate and other Hospitality and Tourism Management programs of study, visit http://www.cod.edu/ programs/index.aspx

29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 11

FEATURES

Are we burying our dead wrong?

Exploring “green” burials as a sustainable alternative Joey Weslo · Reporter

Photo provided by Marion Friel I picture myself, staring up, from down inside my satin-lined, stainless steel casket. Eyes sewn shut. Yet somehow, I can still see the silhouettes of those who loved me gathered above my bloodless body. Formaldehyde coursing through my veins, preserving my body, soon destined to disintegrate.

There has to be something more than this. Flesh to rot, bones to pile, littering my eternal prison-enclosed coffin.

Death cannot be a dead end.

Marion Friel is a funeral director and owner of Green Burials of Love in Chicago. She, along with an inspiring new wave, believes in the power of transferring one’s energy after death back into the environment.

12 codcourier.org —

“Green burials are centered on the ideas of reduce, reuse and recycle, all at the aim of reducing our carbon footprint. We use eco-friendly products to help the environment instead of hurting it. Along with the beauty of planting on top of grave-sites, we can make a wonderful difference,” said Friel.

Green burials place the deceased in sustainable, biodegradable caskets or urns, or wrapped only in a shroud. This enables the body to naturally break down, and the energy and nutrients of the deceased to transfer into the soil. From the soil, the nutrients and energy feed roots of flowers, vegetation or trees existing or planted on top of the gravesite.

Green and natural burials are a way to ensure the 29 August 2018

circle of life and the process of energy continue into the environment’s next generation.

In physics, the Law of Conservation of Energy states energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another.

Or as William Faulkner put it, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

However, as Friel explained, “With traditional burials, your energy stays within the box because everything is so well preserved inside the casket and the concrete-lined vault.

“In a traditional cemetery, you are buried in a vault made of steel, copper or concrete, with Strentex liner designed to keep the concrete from becoming porous.

Decomposition

takes sometimes more than 60 years to occur in these situations. At 60 years, there might be only a little bit of mold growing on the body.”

According to the Natural Burial Company, every year U.S. cemeteries bury along with deceased: -827,060 gallons of embalming fluid, 90,272 tons of steel (caskets), 2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets), 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults), 14,000 tons of steel (vaults), and 30-plus million boardfeet of hardwoods (often treated wood for caskets) In contrast, in a natural or green burial, the deceased can be buried in a shroud, or a biodegradable casket, made in varieties such as wicker, bamboo, seagrass, willow or untreated wood.

Adapting Jewish and Islamic Traditions Friel explained an adaptation on Jewish and Islamic traditions, “Refrigeration units are used instead of embalming to keep the body preserved.

A person can also be embalmed without replacing their pumped-out-blood with formaldehyde and methanol. Environmentally-friendly fluids can be used as an alternative.

“Natural burials can take place in traditional cemeteries, but green burials only occur in green cemeteries. They come with stricter environmental standards, such as using no artificial pesticides, and digging all graves by hand (without heavy machinery).

Green cemeteries often prohibit types of clothing

and jewelry the body can be buried with, trying to be cautious of every environmental impact.

“A green cemetery does not use traditional headstones. There are boulders or arranged flagstone to memorialize the deceased.

Families can also plant a tree, flowers or beautiful ground cover above the gravesite to personalize the person’s resting place. Some green burials sites even have a memorial wall with the names of those in the park, with GPS locating to help find the gravesite.

“Biodegradable caskets only take a couple of years to break down. It takes 1220 years for the whole body to disintegrate, leaving only the bones of the deceased, while the body’s energy and nutrients are free to move on,” said Friel.

College of DuPage Biology Professor Lynda Randa explained, “A green burial may not only enable us to expedite our return to the earth but can reduce our environmental impact if we avoid (harmful carcinogenic) embalming chemicals and encasement in traditional vaults and caskets.”

Elaborating on Friel’s reduce, reuse, recycle mantra, Randa explained, “Living organisms transform energy while incorporating and releasing various materials from the environment. The process of decomposition affords us a final opportunity to recycle some of the materials we assimilated during life. Nitrogen, found in DNA and proteins so necessary to life on Earth, is one key element we can recycle in this way.”

There is a biological flaw inherent in traditional burials, as College of DuPage Professor of Microbiology Karen Persky explained, “Microbes decompose all dead bodies of plants and animals. In a world devoid of bacteria and fungi, nitrogen would be tied up in the bodies of dead matter and be unavailable for new life.

The nitrogen cycle would cease.”

Accommodating to different types of ecosystems, Friel explained, “A new trend in the industry is the burial of bodies deep inside woodlands on forest preserves. Workers pile on new dirt to help keep the ground level, and it helps preserve the ecosystem of the forest preserve. It will be interesting to see if Illinois ever considers this idea given the vast amounts of land in our forest preserves (popular in the United Kingdom).”

Professor Randa believes, “In many environments, certain kinds of flies and beetles accelerate decomposition.”

Unfortunately, a problem

with green burials is the scarcity of available green cemeteries. There are currently 37 green or hybrid cemeteries located in 23 states.

However, Friel explained, “For clients who already purchased a traditional grave, in a traditional cemetery, there are eco-friendly options.

“Every traditional cemetery requires a grave-liner, which is a concrete box which goes inside the grave to keep the ground level. This creates the vault.

The ground is kept level to prevent headstones from tipping. There are no concrete grave-liners in a green cemetery. However, this is prohibited in a traditional cemetery because of the heavy-equipment driving overhead to dig new graves.

The grave vaults help keep the ground from collapsing under the immense weight and keep pressure from causing the caskets from rupturing under the ground.

“Environmentally-conscious people in traditional cemeteries can choose a vault not designed to preserve the body, but with a porous-concrete-liner only designed to keep the ground level.”

She also explained, “For clients who wish for a greener cremation, there is the eco-friendly process of alkaline hydrolysis.”

Traditional cremation burns fossil fuels, emits mercury when a person’s dental amalgam fillings are burned, and releases dioxin into the atmosphere when the plastic bag holding the body is consumed in flame.

However, Friel explained, “Alkaline hydrolysis uses water and alkaline instead of fire to degrade the body.

Therefore, pollution isn’t emitted into the atmosphere. The skin and tissue will come off the body, however, even in traditional

cremation, the bones need to be pulverized. Users claim the ashes from alkaline hydrolysis are whiter than traditional cremation because they haven’t been put through flames. These purer ashes can be spread into the environment, or placed in a biodegradable urn. I’ve even seen biodegradable urns made out of a type of sand. Biodegradable urns are fantastic; however, you cannot get them wet, for obvious reasons.

“The bones and ashes of the body in cremains can aerate and provide nutrients to the soil.

“Other eco-innovations include placing the body in a mesh-shroud placed directly under the roots of a tree, or even, soil injections allowing cremains to be directly fed into the roots of an existing tree,” said Friel.

The ability to think outside the box can inspire both public efforts and city planners to help conserve more natural land.

Friel stated, “Green burial cemeteries come to resemble a forest preserve.

They are beautiful. You can walk around, meditate, or just enjoy nature. I personally would love to begin a new green cemetery. Maybe repurpose an old cornfield, which already has the proper drainage, and create it into something beautiful.

“Clay in the soil is a necessity for green burials. It absorbs anything potentially bad from the bodies. The nutrients are fed through the clay into the soil, allowing new life to grow.”

With the continuance of life, people feel a greater connection with the place their loved one was laid to rest.

Solace is about reaching a greater existential understanding and appreciation for the person’s life and the cycles that flow through our existence.

Friel reflected, “If some-

FEATURES one can tell me at the end what a beautiful service it was, it’s an amazing feeling.

It’s wonderful to help people in need and help them feel comfort in a trying time. People come to me in tears but leave with a feeling of reassurance on life.

“I once had a family who told me they just wanted to have a celebration-of-life party. They needed the solace of having a place to celebrate and being together with loved ones and family.

“Most people aren’t always sitting in the funeral home crying. Death can bring people together who have been apart for a long time. When we see all these loved-ones come together, it becomes a celebration for people to embrace. It honors the life of the deceased.”

Emily Dickinson once wrote of death as, “The sweeping up the Heart, and putting Love away.”

As I stand before my grandmother’s final resting place. A mausoleum.

Trapped behind a wall of marble and concrete. A woman who loved flowers and adored sunshine. I can’t help wondering, what divine transcendence has been lost?

Photo provided by Marion Friel

Photo by Jennifer Kurz, Joey Weslo

Photo by Wikimedia 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 13

FEATURES

Are we burying our dead wrong?

Exploring “green” burials as a sustainable alternative Joey Weslo · Reporter

Photo provided by Marion Friel I picture myself, staring up, from down inside my satin-lined, stainless steel casket. Eyes sewn shut. Yet somehow, I can still see the silhouettes of those who loved me gathered above my bloodless body. Formaldehyde coursing through my veins, preserving my body, soon destined to disintegrate.

There has to be something more than this. Flesh to rot, bones to pile, littering my eternal prison-enclosed coffin.

Death cannot be a dead end.

Marion Friel is a funeral director and owner of Green Burials of Love in Chicago. She, along with an inspiring new wave, believes in the power of transferring one’s energy after death back into the environment.

12 codcourier.org —

“Green burials are centered on the ideas of reduce, reuse and recycle, all at the aim of reducing our carbon footprint. We use eco-friendly products to help the environment instead of hurting it. Along with the beauty of planting on top of grave-sites, we can make a wonderful difference,” said Friel.

Green burials place the deceased in sustainable, biodegradable caskets or urns, or wrapped only in a shroud. This enables the body to naturally break down, and the energy and nutrients of the deceased to transfer into the soil. From the soil, the nutrients and energy feed roots of flowers, vegetation or trees existing or planted on top of the gravesite.

Green and natural burials are a way to ensure the 29 August 2018

circle of life and the process of energy continue into the environment’s next generation.

In physics, the Law of Conservation of Energy states energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another.

Or as William Faulkner put it, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

However, as Friel explained, “With traditional burials, your energy stays within the box because everything is so well preserved inside the casket and the concrete-lined vault.

“In a traditional cemetery, you are buried in a vault made of steel, copper or concrete, with Strentex liner designed to keep the concrete from becoming porous.

Decomposition

takes sometimes more than 60 years to occur in these situations. At 60 years, there might be only a little bit of mold growing on the body.”

According to the Natural Burial Company, every year U.S. cemeteries bury along with deceased: -827,060 gallons of embalming fluid, 90,272 tons of steel (caskets), 2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets), 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults), 14,000 tons of steel (vaults), and 30-plus million boardfeet of hardwoods (often treated wood for caskets) In contrast, in a natural or green burial, the deceased can be buried in a shroud, or a biodegradable casket, made in varieties such as wicker, bamboo, seagrass, willow or untreated wood.

Adapting Jewish and Islamic Traditions Friel explained an adaptation on Jewish and Islamic traditions, “Refrigeration units are used instead of embalming to keep the body preserved.

A person can also be embalmed without replacing their pumped-out-blood with formaldehyde and methanol. Environmentally-friendly fluids can be used as an alternative.

“Natural burials can take place in traditional cemeteries, but green burials only occur in green cemeteries. They come with stricter environmental standards, such as using no artificial pesticides, and digging all graves by hand (without heavy machinery).

Green cemeteries often prohibit types of clothing

and jewelry the body can be buried with, trying to be cautious of every environmental impact.

“A green cemetery does not use traditional headstones. There are boulders or arranged flagstone to memorialize the deceased.

Families can also plant a tree, flowers or beautiful ground cover above the gravesite to personalize the person’s resting place. Some green burials sites even have a memorial wall with the names of those in the park, with GPS locating to help find the gravesite.

“Biodegradable caskets only take a couple of years to break down. It takes 1220 years for the whole body to disintegrate, leaving only the bones of the deceased, while the body’s energy and nutrients are free to move on,” said Friel.

College of DuPage Biology Professor Lynda Randa explained, “A green burial may not only enable us to expedite our return to the earth but can reduce our environmental impact if we avoid (harmful carcinogenic) embalming chemicals and encasement in traditional vaults and caskets.”

Elaborating on Friel’s reduce, reuse, recycle mantra, Randa explained, “Living organisms transform energy while incorporating and releasing various materials from the environment. The process of decomposition affords us a final opportunity to recycle some of the materials we assimilated during life. Nitrogen, found in DNA and proteins so necessary to life on Earth, is one key element we can recycle in this way.”

There is a biological flaw inherent in traditional burials, as College of DuPage Professor of Microbiology Karen Persky explained, “Microbes decompose all dead bodies of plants and animals. In a world devoid of bacteria and fungi, nitrogen would be tied up in the bodies of dead matter and be unavailable for new life.

The nitrogen cycle would cease.”

Accommodating to different types of ecosystems, Friel explained, “A new trend in the industry is the burial of bodies deep inside woodlands on forest preserves. Workers pile on new dirt to help keep the ground level, and it helps preserve the ecosystem of the forest preserve. It will be interesting to see if Illinois ever considers this idea given the vast amounts of land in our forest preserves (popular in the United Kingdom).”

Professor Randa believes, “In many environments, certain kinds of flies and beetles accelerate decomposition.”

Unfortunately, a problem

with green burials is the scarcity of available green cemeteries. There are currently 37 green or hybrid cemeteries located in 23 states.

However, Friel explained, “For clients who already purchased a traditional grave, in a traditional cemetery, there are eco-friendly options.

“Every traditional cemetery requires a grave-liner, which is a concrete box which goes inside the grave to keep the ground level. This creates the vault.

The ground is kept level to prevent headstones from tipping. There are no concrete grave-liners in a green cemetery. However, this is prohibited in a traditional cemetery because of the heavy-equipment driving overhead to dig new graves.

The grave vaults help keep the ground from collapsing under the immense weight and keep pressure from causing the caskets from rupturing under the ground.

“Environmentally-conscious people in traditional cemeteries can choose a vault not designed to preserve the body, but with a porous-concrete-liner only designed to keep the ground level.”

She also explained, “For clients who wish for a greener cremation, there is the eco-friendly process of alkaline hydrolysis.”

Traditional cremation burns fossil fuels, emits mercury when a person’s dental amalgam fillings are burned, and releases dioxin into the atmosphere when the plastic bag holding the body is consumed in flame.

However, Friel explained, “Alkaline hydrolysis uses water and alkaline instead of fire to degrade the body.

Therefore, pollution isn’t emitted into the atmosphere. The skin and tissue will come off the body, however, even in traditional

cremation, the bones need to be pulverized. Users claim the ashes from alkaline hydrolysis are whiter than traditional cremation because they haven’t been put through flames. These purer ashes can be spread into the environment, or placed in a biodegradable urn. I’ve even seen biodegradable urns made out of a type of sand. Biodegradable urns are fantastic; however, you cannot get them wet, for obvious reasons.

“The bones and ashes of the body in cremains can aerate and provide nutrients to the soil.

“Other eco-innovations include placing the body in a mesh-shroud placed directly under the roots of a tree, or even, soil injections allowing cremains to be directly fed into the roots of an existing tree,” said Friel.

The ability to think outside the box can inspire both public efforts and city planners to help conserve more natural land.

Friel stated, “Green burial cemeteries come to resemble a forest preserve.

They are beautiful. You can walk around, meditate, or just enjoy nature. I personally would love to begin a new green cemetery. Maybe repurpose an old cornfield, which already has the proper drainage, and create it into something beautiful.

“Clay in the soil is a necessity for green burials. It absorbs anything potentially bad from the bodies. The nutrients are fed through the clay into the soil, allowing new life to grow.”

With the continuance of life, people feel a greater connection with the place their loved one was laid to rest.

Solace is about reaching a greater existential understanding and appreciation for the person’s life and the cycles that flow through our existence.

Friel reflected, “If some-

FEATURES one can tell me at the end what a beautiful service it was, it’s an amazing feeling.

It’s wonderful to help people in need and help them feel comfort in a trying time. People come to me in tears but leave with a feeling of reassurance on life.

“I once had a family who told me they just wanted to have a celebration-of-life party. They needed the solace of having a place to celebrate and being together with loved ones and family.

“Most people aren’t always sitting in the funeral home crying. Death can bring people together who have been apart for a long time. When we see all these loved-ones come together, it becomes a celebration for people to embrace. It honors the life of the deceased.”

Emily Dickinson once wrote of death as, “The sweeping up the Heart, and putting Love away.”

As I stand before my grandmother’s final resting place. A mausoleum.

Trapped behind a wall of marble and concrete. A woman who loved flowers and adored sunshine. I can’t help wondering, what divine transcendence has been lost?

Photo provided by Marion Friel

Photo by Jennifer Kurz, Joey Weslo

Photo by Wikimedia 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 13

OPINION A 4 day school week is selfish, not sensible Reanna Comiso · Features Editor

Photo by Julie Connelly It is no secret that many public schools in America are severely underfunded. Now, more and more schools going to extreme measures to save a quick buck, putting the success of the students on the backburner.

Around 560 districts in the nation have decided on a four-day school week, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The most recent to decide on the shortened school week was district 27J of the Denver metropolitan area because of underfunding issues. Instead of having a fifth day, students will be in school longer Tuesday through Friday.

Many schools over the past few months have sought ways to cut corners, as it is well known that public schools in America do not always receive adequate funding. Schools are taking drastic measures 14 codcourier.org —

to save money and keep teachers, and they hope removing a whole school day from the week is the answer to the problem at hand.

When I was a kid, a fourday school week sounded like a dream. As I grow older and plan to pursue a career in education, this reality does not feel as exciting as it once did. Instead, it creates a narrative that school districts will put the needs of the children last while doing whatever it takes to save money.

Schools plan to save money on bus routes and transportation.

Shorter weeks also save money by cutting back on hourly wages to employees like custodians or cafeteria staff.

Savings from the shortened school week are minimal, though, with schools hoping to save just 2 to 3 percent of the overall school funding.

While students are not in 29 August 2018

school for the fifth day, the school is still open for fulltime employees to conduct their work. Teachers can use the free day to plan, grade and attend meetings.

So while the school is free of students that day, they are not actually saving any of the teaching cost it takes to keep the school open.

The message appears to be what these schools really can’t afford is the only reason they exist - students.

Many of the schools that implemented the four-day school week claim teachers and other faculty prefer the shortened week, enjoying the extra time to get their work done. Parents, on the other hand, have strong opposing opinions.

These students now have a three-day weekend, despite most families working a full, five-day week. Parents must now spend more money on childcare, which can place a large burden on

those families. The average cost for one day of childcare is anywhere from $30 to $40, according to TIME, which can add up quickly throughout the school year.

For low-income families, affording this new necessity can be next to impossible.

According to NPR, 30.3 million students receive free or reduced lunches. For some students, the meals they receive at school are the only meals they will get that day. While there are select perks to come from a shortened school week, such as decreased absences or better-rested students, the decision adds strain to low-income, working families. No perk is worth a child going hungry when it could be avoided.

The longer days may also hurt younger students who do not have the stamina to concentrate for a longer school day. Young children also have a natural inabili-

ty to sit still, and expecting them to sit in their desks longer than they already do goes against their physiological nature. These young students are more prone to lack the focus needed to retain information, harming them in the long run.

Parents also worry their children will no longer have time to fully participate in extracurricular activities because of a longer school day. The ability to partake in sports and clubs allows students to gain skills they otherwise would not obtain.

The long-term academic impacts of this schedule have yet to be investigated.

Some studies claim academic performance may slightly increase for a time after the shorter week is implemented. That improvement is short lived.

Declines in performance soon follow.. Other studies state there is no change at

all in student performance.

Before potentially putting the student’s academic growth at risk, these implications should be studied and analyzed before implementation.

Despite any perks to a shortened week, the decision to remove one whole school day from the week is not a decision made with the students or their families in mind.There is a new price to pay with burdens to their already difficult lives. Short school weeks save money for the people on top without truly addressing the issue at large.

The ones paying the price will be the students by giving up their future success.

We take away their recess. We restrict their access to up-to-date, adequate textbooks. Now, we are taking away classroom time. What more can we possibly steal from our students?

OPINION Working on Campus for the Win! Kimberly Wilson · Opinion Editor A 2015 study conducted up and you need to study.

by Georgetown Universi- Working on campus may ty’s center of Education and just be the perfect way for Workforce found that over you to avoid all that un70 percent of college students healthy drama! work while attending college. The days of worrying If you’re looking for a job about your school and work or to earn some extra cash, schedule clashing will be in working on College of DuP- the past. On-campus jobs age’s campus might be the understand school is your best option for you. COD has top priority. They’ll be willaround 60 student employee ing to work with students’ opportunities according to schedules to ensure they’re Human Resources, and about able to put their school 300 student workers accord- work first. Students are Photo by inAlison ing to Vanessa Thede the alsoPfaff only allowed to work Office of Student Financial 20 hours per week, so you Assistance. can be certain you’re not Especially at a community neglecting your class recollege, many students don’t sponsibilities. All student really consider on-campus employees are also eligible employment when they are for discounts at the Follett searching for work, but the Bookstore here at COD. plethora of benefits of work- Working on campus will ing on campus has the poten- also provide the opportunitial to make a student’s life a ty to meet new people and lot easier. make new friends. Having Perhaps the most obvious people you can count on benefit to be derived from is an important part of an working on campus is that it enriching college experiwould work well with your ence. Meeting new people school schedule. There would and making connections be no need to race home after can be especially hard at a classes to change or to wor- commuter college, but you ry about being late for work. might just meet your new You’d only be a walk away BFF or an influential menfrom clocking in. tor at your new on-campus We’ve all had or heard job. about that one boss who just It might also be the best stares at you when you tell way to go if you already them you can’t work that day have a job but are looking because exams are coming for extra cash. Another

job somewhere else might eventually want you to work 30 hours on top of the job you have now and school.

This would almost certainly lead to your school work suffering along with your sleep schedule and overall mental health.

It’s not advisable to work more than 20 hours a week if you’re a full-time student, but many students do it regardless. A job on campus at least has that 20-hour cap and will have managers or faculty advisors who care about your wellbeing.

From Starbucks to the Office of Student Life, there’ll always be somewhere on the COD campus looking for student workers. College is stressful enough as it is, so if avoiding that added pressure of working outside of campus is something you can do, you should really consider giving it a try.

To learn more about job opportunities for students at COD, visit Cod.edu/humanresources

The Courier is searching for graphic design editors!

•Opportunities to be creative •Paid Position •Experience with Adobe InDesign and other Adobe Software preferred

Email editor@cod.edu for more information on the position

Photo by Julie Connelly For breaking news and campus updates, follow us on Twitter: @CODCourier Like us on Facebook for links to our stories and more: www.facebook.com/CODCourier Follow us on our new Instagram account for student profiles and spotlights on student fashion @CODCourier 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 15

OPINION Welcome Message from Vice President of Student Affairs and Institutional Advancement, Earl Dowling Welcome to Chaparral Country! Did you have your bagel at [student life?] Did you get your free ice cream courtesy of Student Life? Found the library? Favorite study area? Have you sat in the comfortable furniture in International Hall? Have you joined the Fitness Center? Remember, free to students and a tremendous way to stay in shape.

As the New Student Orientation Leaders urged during NSO, explore all that College of DuPage has to offer.

Whether you are fulltime or part-time; online or in-person; the first in your family to go to college; a returning student after a several-year break; or some combination of that, we are ready to help you succeed here. You have a place here! In addition, we want to share the experience with you.

Did you know that over 400 College of DuPage employees were, at one point, Chaparrals just like you? Yes, over 400 of our alumni ELECTED to stay here. They found their place just as you will one day.

I know that our New Student Orientation Leaders gave you many useful tips. One of those was to you to ask questions. If you “do not get it”, College of DuPage faculty will help. They 16 codcourier.org —

believe that teaching and learning are critical to your success. They want to be full partners in your educational journey. Take advantage of their expertise. Talk to your classroom teacher!

Take advantage of the entire College of DuPage experience. Remember, this is YOUR College and you will make it whatever you want or need. Take advantage of the resources and offerings with the Student Affairs Division. A link to available resources may be found at http://cod.edu/ student_life/index.aspx.

We developed these resources with you in mind.

I ask you to take advantage of the resources, services and programs offered. I also invite you to check out the ChapLife website at chaplife.cod.edu. On this one website, you will have contact information for all 90 student clubs and organizations as well as all the events happening on campus. In addition, to help you make the move to a job or to a four-year school, ChapLife is where you will find co-curricular transcript, a resource intended to set you apart from the crowd.

And if you see me in the Atrium near Campus Central (where I am several times daily), stop and let me know how you are doing. Have fun, stay safe, and have a great semester!

29 August 2018

Photo provided by Jennifer Duda

Weekly Sports Schedule

SPORTS

Monday August 27: Home Women’s Soccer Scrimmage vs. Morton 4:00PM Tuesday August 28: Home Volleyball vs. Rock Valley 6:00PM Thursday August 30: Home Men’s Soccer vs. Bryant Station at 4:00PM Friday August 31: Home Men’s Soccer vs. Harper at 4:00PM Friday August 31: Home Volleyball Chaparral Invite at 3:00PM and 5:00PM Saturday September 1: Home Volleyball Chaparral Invite at 12:00PM AND 2:00PM Sunday September 2: Home Football vs. Wisconsin White water 12:00PM COD Newsroom Flickr

29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 17

COFFEE BREAK

Theme: Sports

Clues ACROSS 1. Hunk 5. Cough syrup amt.

8. “Scene one, ____ one” 12. Grand theft target 13. Broflovski of “South Park” 14. Polished surface of gem 15. Simpleton 16. A in A = b x h 17. Tarzan’s swing rope 18. *Dream football destination 20. Medley 21. Olden-day Celts 22. *Mo. of NFL preseason games 23. Confine a river 26. Khufu’s resting place 30. ____ Tsu 31. First little piggy 34. List of chores 35. First black head coach to win Super Bowl 37. Computer network acronym 38. Rank 39. “... happily ____ after” 40. *Team conference 42. Dress like Ancient Greeks 43. What’s left 45. *NFL teams play at least 8 games here 47. Slow-witted 48. Like Cinderella’s ball gown 50. Blade in Litchfield 52. *Worth 6 56. “Madama Butterfly,” e.g.

57. Mythological hominid 58. Annette Castellano on “The Mindy Project” 59. Evil one 60. ____ gum on a list of ingredients 61. Pains 62. Site of original sin 63. Operations 64. Fountain order

18 codcourier.org —

29 August 2018

DOWN 1. Cul de ____, pl.

2. Lululemon on NASDAQ 3. At the apex 4. Hispanic grocery and wine shop 5. Innsbruck’s province 6. Lots and lots 7. Sound of thunder 8. *What fans do before the game 9. ____ bowl, Brazilian dish 10. Bingo-like game 11. 7th letter of Greek alphabet 13. Japanese theater 14. Miller’s product 19. Went past 22. Sailor’s “yes” 23. Village V.I.P. 24. Shade of violet 25. Fox crime drama, 2005-2017 26. “On Golden ____,” movie 27. *”Go Pack Go” to Green Bay Packers?

28. “Pulling my leg,” e.g.

29. Evade a ball 32. It binds 33. Little bit 36. *Playing field 38. “Bring back!” to Fido 40. Refrigerator sound 41. Jousting match participant 44. Parlor piece 46. Monster with nine heads, pl.

48. Get overcast 49. Saintly glows 50. Hightailed it 51. Blood component 52. Pizza for home, e.g.

53. *Home to Bengals 54. Join by heating 55. U.S. space agency 56. Schiller’s poem

COFFEE BREAK

Achieve More.

Together.

• 80 undergraduate majors • Adult accelerated degree completion programs • Counselors on-site to make the transfer process easy Our most popular transfer majors include computer science, criminal justice, education, nursing, healthcare leadership, business and aviation.

Learn more about our on-site undergraduate programs: • 3+1 Computer Science degree • 3+1 Criminal Justice degree • Enhanced 2+2 Teacher Education degrees (Early Childhood Education with Endorsements in Special Education and ESL, Elementary, Special, and Combined Elementary/ Special Education)

Scheduled On-Site

3+1 Advising Session

Dates and Room Locations: cod.edu/academics/transfer_programs/ 3plus1_advising_sessions.aspx

(815) 836-5250 • admission@lewisu.edu

lewisu.edu/transfers 29 August 2018 — codcourier.org 19

Fall Open House

It’s amazing to be needed.

Aric ‘14

Healthcare needs you.

This is the Open House that can open the door to an amazing career

FALL OPEN HOUSE

in healthcare. At Resurrection University you can earn the degree you need to build the future you want. Whether you choose to pursue Nursing, Radiography or the rapidly growing field of Health Information Management, you’ll find the flexibility and support to succeed in the classroom and in your career.

Come to our Open House and find out what ResU can do for you.

Explore bachelor degree programs in • Nursing • Radiography • Health Information Management Saturday, September 29 Stop by anytime between 10am – 1pm

1431 N. Claremont Ave. • Chicago, IL 60622 • ResU.edu/openhouse

20 codcourier.org — 08 March 2017