4/18/2016

Page 1

You know nothing

WHICH IS WHICH?

How hot dogs, tacos and wraps stack up in the sandwich debate. Arts & Life, page 16

DePaulia

Weighing in on the new season of “Game of Thrones.” Focus, page 14

The

Pinnacle award winner, No. 1 College Weekly Newspaper

Volume #100 | Issue #20 | April 18, 2016 | depauliaonline.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHICAGO 2016

WHAT IF In 2009, Chicago made a bid to host the 2016

Summer Olympics. Here’s what could have been. By AJ Karolczak

would have been the site of a velodrome for cycling competitions. DePaul political science professor Larry Bennett suggests that out of all of the city’s neighborhoods, Washington Park would have been impacted the most. “But in terms of the velodrome in Douglas Park, it’s very specialized,” Bennett said. “It’s not an easy thing to convert. You can’t play basketball in a velodrome, so I’d question its long term impact on the area.” One of the bid’s selling points was the considerable amount of existing venues and facilities. McCormick Place would have been utilized for weightlifting and judo competitions, and Soldier Field would have played host to soccer matches. But the Olympics can bring more than just the construction of sporting venues. A more controversial aspect of Chicago’s bid surrounded the proposed site of the Olympic Village, which would have housed the majority of athletes. Originally, the plan was to build the Olympic Village near McCormick place. But the city did an about-face when the site

Contributing Writer

With less than six months until the Olympic cauldron is lit in Rio de Janeiro, it seems odd to consider how close Chicago once was considered to be in the same position. Thought to be an early favorite, Chicago’s Olympic aspirations for 2016 were cut short when the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro in 2009. One thing is for certain: a victory for Chicago would have meant major changes and projects would have been nearing completion by this point. Some of these changes would have altered neighborhoods in considerable ways. The center for the games would have been a new 80,000-seat track and field stadium in Washington Park. The stadium would have also played host to the opening and closing ceremonies. Also proposed for Washington Park was an aquatics center that would have hosted swimming and diving events. After the Olympics, the main stadium was to be deconstructed and replaced with a smaller 10,000-seat venue. On the city’s West Side, Douglas Park

CAROLYN DUFF | THE DEPAULIA

See OLYMPICS, page 26

Freshman tuition up 3.8 percent for 2016-17 school year By Brenden Moore News Editor

A tuition increase, raises for university employees and contingency funds set aside for the still-unfunded state MAP program are among the many provisions in the $556 million 2016-2017 university budget passed last month by the board of trustees. The budget reflects the university’s conservative budgeting philosophy, which takes into account its dependency on tuition dollars for revenue. Projected

revenue is just over $566 million for an operating margin of $10 million, leaving room in case of fluctuation. Most of the cash, $345 million, will be allocated for salaries and benefits for university employees. And in addition to a 2.5 percent raise in the compensation pool and an increase to accommodate a higher minimum wage, the university will once again increase its contribution into employees’ 403b retirement plan. Budget documents show the university anticipating slight declines in enrollment,

especially among transfer students and in the Law School. To make up for it, tuition rates for incoming freshmen will increase by 3.8 percent, 2.5 percent for continuing undergraduates, and between 1.6 and 2.5 percent for graduate students. The starting rate for freshmen will be $37,020. “DePaul is a highly tuition dependent institution and we strive to be sensitive and responsive to affordability concerns while continuing to invest in improving the outstanding quality of our educational

offerings,” said university controller Sherri Sidler. To offset some of the increased costs, the university has also upped financial aid by 7 percent. Overall, the rate of financial aid to tuition revenue is projected to remain stable at 45 percent. And, as was announced in February, DePaul will honor MAP awards through next year no matter the outcome of the state budget crisis. While the budget

See BUDGET, page 6


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