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Volume #98 | Issue #11 | January 20, 2014 | DePauliaonline.com
the Polar Express
Revised plans for hospital revealed
Public Safety Escort Service used heavily in winter
By Tom Fowkes Contributing Writer
Since Children’s Memorial Hospital moved its operations from the former Lincoln Park campus location to Streeterville in June 2012, 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith and area residents and organizations have repeatedly rejected the reconstruction plans for the site. DePaul’s Lincoln Park Student Center hosted the fourth community meeting concerning the future of the development conducted by Smith on Tuesday. Chairman and CEO Dan McCaffery and his colleagues, of real estate developer McCaffery Interests, Inc., presented an amended plan that he stated stemmed from consideration of “virtually every comment we received from everybody and by everybody” on their prior proposals. The project promises new shops and parks, senior and affordable housing along with apartment and condominium units and a projected $3.5 billion in total economic impact at what architect Joe Antunovich deemed the “crossroads of Lincoln Park.” In an auditorium overflowing with attendees, the altered
See HOSPITAL, page 6
Emily brandenstein | the depaulia
Public Safety’s Escort Service gave 13,394 rides to students last winter, almost double the 7,932 that were recorded the previous autumn.
By Jasmine Armand Staff Writer
With temperatures well below freezing to kick off the quarter, it’s reassuring to know that students can get a ride within the campus from DePaul’s Public Safety Escort Service. Data from winter quarter 2013 and autumn quarter 2013 show a major increase in rides during the winter months. 7,932 rides were given during
the autumn quarter, which is less than half of the 13,394 rides given last winter. During the academic winter quarter, the least number of rides given in one week was 813 and the most was 1,443, compared to autumn quarter when the least was 306 with a high of 1,022 rides in one week. Robert “Bob” Wachowski, director of Public Safety, has worked at DePaul for 30 years and presides over the escort service, which is available from
6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 365 days a year. “It’s one of the nice benefits for the students while at the university, keep them safe while they’re on the campus,” Wachowski said. “(The number of rides) can triple on some nights and unfortunately, a lot of those are just due to the bad weather more than for safety but we don’t differentiate,” he added. “We don’t ask people why they’re taking it if they ask for the service. We just pick them up
and take them where they want to go.” The service is only for locations within the Lincoln Park campus and also includes the Fullerton ‘L’ stop and 1237 W. Fullerton Ave., which is one of the furthermost points of the campus and home to several DePaul students. At all times there is at least one patrol officer in a vehicle dedicated solely to escorts, with additional patrol
See ESCORT, page 8
Vape no more: e-cigarette use faces new regulations By Kirstin Onsgard Contributing Writer
Those who use electronic cigarettes will now need to vape outside and away from buildings beside traditional tobacco smokers. The City Council approved an ordinance last Wednesday that will prohibit the devices from being used in restaurants, bars and other indoor public spaces under the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance. It will also require retailers to stock the products behind the counter to prevent underage use. Mayor Rahm Emanuel first pushed for the ordinance last December. It failed to pass largely because it allowed for the use of non-nicotine vaping devices indoors and several aldermen argued that it would be impossible to tell the difference. The movement comes after the City Council voted to increase the tax on tobacco cigarettes by 50 cents to $7.17 per
pack late last year. The higher tax went into effect Jan. 10. Electronic cigarette use has been prohibited in DePaul buildings and residence halls since the previous smoking policy was revised to include them in 2011. The university does not allow for the use of any device that “emits smoke, gas, vapor, steam or mist” indoors. “It’s nonsensical and impractical,” Luke Halleran, a junior majoring in mathematics and economics, said of the ban. An e-cigarette user himself, he believes that the law will be difficult for business owners to enforce because users do not need to exhale small puffs. The mayor and other advocates argue that it is a matter of public health. “I am thrilled that a product that essentially is a nicotine delivery system will be regulated in the same way other tobacco products are regulated,” said Dr. Karen Larimer,
See E-CIGARETTES, page 8
Dai Sugano | MCT CAMPUS
E-cigarette use is now prohibited inside public spaces, like restaurants, under the city’s Clean Indoor Air Ordinance. Since 2011, DePaul has banned e-cigs inside its buildings.