DePaulia 9-19

TheDePaulia

“We have to do everything”

DePaul president addresses recent assaults, campus future

By Erik Uebelacker & Nadia Carolina Hernandez

Robert L. Manuel has reached 50 days as DePaul University’s president. Those 50 days were filled with shaking hands, mak ing speeches, and acclimating to the De Paul community. Now, the real work has begun.

Manuel will release a strategy at the end of fall quarter with his vision for the uni versity.

He previously served the helm of the University of Indianapolis since 2012 be fore his move to DePaul this summer. Now

that Manuel finds himself leading a bigger school in a bigger city, he said he’s not rush ing to make sweeping changes before un derstanding the community.

“Every day is a series of getting out, meeting people around the community, talking with students, faculty, staff, alum ni, board members, community members, to try to figure out what is really important about DePaul,” Manuel said. “It is learning Chicago, learning DePaul, learning what is really important about DePaul’s people, then trying to craft that into a strategy.”

Manuel met with The DePaulia for an in-person interview at his office last week in Arts & Letters Hall in Lincoln Park. He

discussed his blueprint for developing a leadership plan and spoke on several issues pertaining to the DePaul community early into the school year.

He said his strategy thus far has been to be as accessible as possible. Manuel attend ed numerous Welcome Week events, and invited students and staff to give feedback.

“It has been an interesting time because we are coming back out of severe isolation,” Manuel said. “There has been a lot of trau ma with the last two and a half years of Covid, so the requests are interesting.”

Unfortunately, even with Covid-19 re strictions loosening citywide and students returning to in-person learning, this trau ma Manuel speaks of can emerge in other ways. The DePaul community was alerted on Sept. 1 of two sex offences that took place on campus on the nights of Aug. 29 and Aug. 31, according to a university-wide email from Public Safety.

“We have to do everything,” Manuel said in response to these reported offens es. “The conversation has begun about how to educate everybody about the realities of being in an urban setting, and get support for the folks who were assaulted, as well as a very deep and quick investigation into the person who did them is underway.”

Manuel could not directly state wheth er the Chicago Police Department is inves tigating these offenses.

President Manuel discusses DePaul future with Faculty Council

See page 6

“Sometimes it goes right to CPD be cause of the nature of the infraction, and sometimes it is a Student Conduct Policy,” he said.

Following these on-campus incidents, The DePaulia ran an anonymous op-ed on Sept. 12 from students that criticized the University’s Title IX policies and response to sex offences.

Manuel said that he read the op-ed, and plans to address these criticisms within his administration.

“We need to make sure that we are ac tive, supportive, quick, and that we’re com plete in that process as well,” Manuel said. “I think there is a desire to re-engage the intellectual curiosity, the spirit of curiosity that everybody has, in connected ways. I hear everybody talk about the DePaul they expected, which was a connected commu nity that knew how to engage with people’s aspirations. We have got to design that.”

Manuel also released a campus climate survey conducted by IRMA on Aug. 30. Ad junct faculty, full-time faculty and staff were surveyed about feelings toward executive

See MANUEL, page 7

Chicago aldermen collect donations for Texas migrants

By Vanessa Lopez Asst. News Editor

With busloads of immigrants being transported from Texas, Chicago officials are seeking volunteers and donations to help the migrants.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot stated that the city is coordinating with local organiza tions, but that they will need help to sup port the migrants.

Chicago has set up a website for those who want to volunteer, help migrants or donate items such as clothing, toiletries and other necessities.

“As a welcoming city, we know Chica goans are ready to show their generosity and are looking for ways to support these individuals,” the city’s website states.

Many Chicagoans have been collect ing donations for the migrants. The city has designated some aldermanic offices as drop-off locations for donations.

Ald. Michael D. Rodriguez (22nd) has been collecting donations and transferring them to the Illinois Coalition for Immi grant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and oth er community organizations.

Carlos Gamboa, the 22nd Ward’s chief of staff, said that as soon as they learned that the governor of Texas was sending migrants to Chicago, they needed to act quickly to provide resources to their peo ple.

See MIGRANTS, page 4

To read in Spanish, see page 17

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul President Robert L. Manuel sits down with members of The DePaulia staff in his office in Arts & Letters Hall in Lincoln Park on Monday, Sept. 12. Manuel has now been in office for 50 days.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Donations are being collected at 22nd Ald. Michael D. Rodriguez’s office, 22nd Ward

First

The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Erik Uebelacker eic@depauliaonline.com

PRINT MANAGING | Nadia Carolina Hernandez managing@depauliaonline.com

ONLINE MANAGING | Patrick Sloan-Turner online@depauliaonline.com

MULTIMEDIA MANAGING | Amber Stoutenborough multimedia@depauliaonline.com

NEWS EDITOR | Kiersten Riedford news@depauliaonline.com

ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Vanessa Lopez news@depauliaonline.com

NATION & WORLD EDITOR | Ruchi Nawathe nation@depauliaonline.com

OPINIONS EDITOR | Samantha Moilanen opinion@depauliaonline.com

FOCUS EDITOR | Una Cleary focus@depauliaonline.com

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Lilly Keller artslife@depauliaonline.com

ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Jonah Weber artslife@depauliaonline.com

SPORTS EDITOR | Tom Gorski sports@depauliaonline.com

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | Preston Zbroszczyk sports@depauliaonline.com

ART EDITOR | Alicia Goluszka art@depauliaonline.com

ASST. ART EDITOR | Maya Oclassen art@depauliaonline.com

PHOTO CHIEF | Quentin Blais photo@depauliaonline.com

ASST. PHOTO CHIEF | Erin Henze photo@depauliaonline.com

COPY EDITORS | Amber Corkey | Kara Zubo copydesk@depauliaonline.com

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | Lily Lowndes social@depauliaonline.com

ADVISOR | Marla Krause mkrause1@depaul.edu

CAMPUS CRIME REPORT

Sept. 7, 2022 to Sept. 13, 2022

La DePaulia es el noticiero oficial estudiantil en español de la Universidad DePaul, enfocado en proveer una voz para la comunidad latinx. Nuestras opiniones no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones de la administración, facultad o personal de la universidad.

JEFA DE REDACCIÓN | Jacqueline Cardenas eicladepaulia@depauliaonline.com

GERENTE EDITORIAL | Santiago PosadaJaramillo managingladepaulia@depauliaonline.com

EDITORA DE OPINIONES, ARTE Y VIDA | Andrea Juárez Hernández opinionesladepaulia@depauliaonline.com

EDITOR DE MULTIMEDIA | Frankie Perez multimedialadepaulia@depauliaonline.com

PRODUCTOR DE PODCASTS | Geovani Camarena gcamare3@depaul.edu

EDITOR DE COPIA | Rodrigo Melgarejo a20181375@pucp.edu.pe

EDITOR DE DEPORTES | Santiago Gonzalez Tijerina sagotijerina@gmail.com

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

Drug & AlcoholAssault & Theft Other

Lincoln Park Campus Crimes: Sept. 7

1) A Theft report was filed regarding a phone taken from a cart at Wish Field.

2) Public Safety received information regarding a report of Stalking and Harassment by Electronic Means which took place in October 2021.

3) A Simple Battery report was filed regarding an incident that occurred in the Quad. Incident involved unwanted physical contact.

4) A Simple Battery and Harassment report was filed regarding unwanted physical

contact on the Lincoln Park Campus.

Sept. 10

5) An Illegal Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor report was filed for a person in the Quad. Person was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital by Chicago EMS.

Sept. 11

6) An incident occurred on the 2300 block of North Sheffield. It was reported to Public Safety and the Chicago Police Department, who currently describe it as

a Simple Battery.

7) A Theft report was filed regarding items taken in Seton Hall.

Sept. 13

8) A Theft report was filed for a wallet taken from the fifth floor of Schmitt Academic Center.

LOOP CAMPUS

SOURCE | DEPAUL CRIME PREVENTION OFFICE

Loop Campus Crimes: Sept. 8

1) A Disturbance report was filed for a person yelling in the DePaul Center. Sept. 9

2) A Fight was reported in the DePaul Center Dunkin Donuts. Chicago Police were called to the scene. Sept. 12

3) A Theft report was filed for a backpack taken from the Barnes & Noble inside DePaul Center.

4) A Simple Battery report was filed regarding an incident that occurred at the entrance to the DePaul Center.

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LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

Look 2 | News. The DePaulia. Sept. 19, 2022 Public Safety

‘I would be homeless and [living] outside’

DePaul students facing homelessness find relief through Dax program

By Samantha Moilanen & Patrick Sloan-Turner Opinions Editor & Online Managing Editor

In DePaul sophomore Fiker Shimels’ home country of Ethiopia, receiving an education comes with barriers foreign to U.S. students. An ongoing civil war makes attending school nearly impossible, which is why Shimels knew she had to leave.

“At universities, people are dying; you see young teenagers being raped. It’s very dangerous,” Shimels said. “My parents were like, ‘you need to get out.’”

When Shimels finally made it to the U.S. in 2021, the international student found herself navigating a new struggle threatening her dream of a college educa tion, the financial barriers of attending an American university.

“I came here alone, so I am figuring it out [alone],” Shimels said. “I have to pay my tuition myself and I was struggling.”

With few options, no job and a family almost 8,000 miles away without the means to support her financially, Shimels found assistance through Depaul USA’s Chicago Dax program.

Inspired by the Vincentian mission, Depaul USA first began its Dax program - named after the city in France where St. Vincent De Paul was born - in 2014. When a student comes to Dax in need of help, the program first identifies a living situation that will be a good fit.

Currently, Dax is providing homes for 11 DePaul students between the program’s two Chicago residences. One of Dax Chica go’s homes is in Ukrainian Village, while its newest residence, the Cecilia House, is lo cated in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.

While Depaul USA’s work focuses on fighting various types of housing insecu rity, the organization created its Dax pro gram to combat this issue amongst college students, a problem that might not be at the forefront of the public’s mind, even though an estimated 58,000 college students are homeless in the U.S.

“[People] just assume they’re in school, so they have money to be housed, and that’s really the rub,” said Chuck Levesque, president and executive director of Depaul USA. “[Students may] have money for tui tion, but they end up not having the mon ey to cover their housing costs, and that’s where they get into trouble.”

Levesque said there are various reasons why students find themselves in a housing insecurity situation. In one instance, an immigrant student couldn’t pay for their education or board because her family’s re ligious beliefs said that a woman shouldn’t be in school.

“People don’t know about the prob lem,” Levesque said.” [Homeless students] could look like you. You can’t really tell. It’s not a problem that presents itself physically as clearly as chronic street homelessness.”

While in the Dax program, students must be enrolled at a partner college or uni versity full-time, maintain a 2.0 GPA and work a minimum of 10 hours a week to pay the $150 rental fee for their housing with Dax. To assist students towards achiev ing their college degree, Dax provides case management, counseling services, food sti pends, transportation, textbook assistance and educational reimbursements with the goal of helping students toward indepen dent living.

In Chicago, program expansion is an ongoing focus for employees at Dax. Re cently, Dax began a partnership with some

of the area’s city colleges to widen its reach across Chicago.

“We are trying to get more buildings on the South Side to accommodate three of the seven Chicago city colleges that we now have a partnership with,” said Stacey Bra nham, director of Depaul USA Dax pro gram.. “[We want to] expand the program to help as many students as we can, because there is truly a need.”

For a non-profit like Depaul USA, fi nancial challenges are paramount. The ac quisition and opening of the Cecilia House wouldn’t have been possible if not for a $1 million donation from a donor who re quested anonymity in the story. Securing gifts like these is a crucial ongoing task for Dax’s leadership.

Having the resources readily available is crucial, as students in desperate times can’t afford to wait for help, according to Branham.

“[They’re] running out of resources, running out of options, [asking] what do I have?” she said. “It can go from an exciting time of just being accepted into a program to the most stressful time of your life.”

Branham said financial challenges are an ongoing issue for not only students coming into the program but also those who are fighting their way through to even tual graduation.

“People have this preconceived notion of [since] you got into college, and as long as you stay on campus, you’re good. What happens when dorms are full, and they have nowhere to go, or they don’t have any family [here]?”

For Shimels, being an international student came with additional struggles that might be unknown to the average DePaul student.

Shimels began her time at DePaul living in the dorms, but because student housing rates at DePaul can cost close to $6,000 per quarter, she found herself unable to pay for her housing or living expenses.

At DePaul, international students like Shimels are required to pay the full bal ance of their tuition fees for the quarter a month before classes begin. This makes their financial situation even more precar ious. In addition to the stress of having to pay upfront, international students cannot apply for federal student aid and have ad ditional barriers to receiving private loans in the States.

If she hadn’t found the Dax program, she would not have been able to contin ue her education at DePaul, according to Shimels.

“I would be homeless and [living] out side. . . because I couldn’t pay the bills, or I would have to go back home,” she said.

Some might think taking time off from school is a good option for students facing extreme financial hardship like Shimels was. In Levesque’s experience, this route isn’t viable as many students worry they won’t return to their studies after taking a leave of absence.

“Every single student [we asked] said if ‘I leave, I’m not coming back, I can’t stop going to school.’” Levesque said. “That’s when we decided we wanted to do a pro gram that would help these students.”

The program’s goal is to give students facing housing insecurity the means to ob tain all the possibilities that coincide with receiving a college education, according to Levesque.

“This program changes the trajectory of people’s lives,” he said. “We believe if they graduate and connect to the world of work, they are unlikely to have an economically driven episode of homelessness again.”

For Shimels, the Dax program goes be yond providing the financial support need ed to achieve her degree. It also allows her to have the type of college experience that every student deserves.

“The things I’ve gotten from [the Dax Program] are more than just housing,” She said. “It’s a family for me.”

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

The Dax program’s new “Cecilia House” in Lincoln Square officially opens on Nov. 8. The unit will house 10 DePaul students in need of housing.

Donation drop-offs

Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th)

Ward Office, 10500 S. Ewing Ave.

Ald. George Cardenas (12th)

City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th)

Ward Office, 2242 S. Damen Ave.

Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26th)

Ward Office, 2511 W. Division St.

Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30th)

Ward Office, 3559 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Ald. Felix Cardona, Jr. (31st)

Ward Office, 4606 W. Diversey Ave.

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd)

Ward Office, 3001 W. Irving Park Rd.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th)

Ward Office, 2934 N. Milwaukee Ave., Unit C

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th)

Ward Office, 6560 N. Fullerton Ave., Suite 118-A

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th)

Ward Office, 5620 N. Western Ave.

City Clerk Anna Valencia

City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., 1st Floor

“It’s unfair and unjust that the Governor of Texas is shipping them to multiple cities across the United States with absolutely no resources or a plan,” Gamboa said. “We will always help someone, regardless of their immigration status. We will treat everyone equally.”

“I think that many second, third, and even fourth generation Mexican Ameri cans are more aware of what is going on and want to make a difference by making it easi er for immigrants to go through the process because they have family who have gone through the same suffering,” Gamboa added.

Rodriguez’s ward office is accessible from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at 2500 S. St. Louis Ave in Little Village.

Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th) added when people donate to their ward, they are making a bigger difference in the community than they realize.

“It’s the most vulnerable communities do ing the government’s job, which is a shame,” Sigcho Lopez said. “Its those who do not have much who help those who do not have any thing, and we need support, and this needs to be the talk of Chicago, because not a single person who arrived on a bus deserves this.”

Chicago non-profits and community groups helping immigrant communities, such as The Resurrection Project, have also stepped in to help with donations.

Laura Mendoza, immigration organiz er at The Resurrection Project, said they are there to help with anything from interpreta tion to handing out essentials that people will need.

“We put together hygiene kits, which include items such as deodorant, shampoo, and hand sanitizer, as well as other basic ne cessities that people would require for them selves,” Mendoza said.

“Helping them is important because they will become contributing members of our community,” Mendoza said. “We just need to give them that little push with donations to help them be steady and stable. Then they’ll be able to thrive as many other immigrants have in the past.”

For those who are interested in donating, The Resurrection Project only accepts mone tary donations.

“We have a large team of volunteers working with the migrants to provide re sources because we care,” Mendoza said. “We want to give them resources because they are important to the city of Chicago. They are human beings.”

A list of items that are needed and can be donated to the alderman’s offices or other organizations can be found here.

“Chicagoans should donate because they [migrants] have nothing,” Gamboa said. “They didn’t ask to come here. All they want is a better life.”

Donations are also being collected by other members of the City Council’s Latino Council.

Donations for migrants coming to Chicago from Texas are currently being collected in various aldermen’s offices. Some donations that have been collected include non-perishable foods and beverages, toys, clothing and housing items.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

The donation drop off table in the office of Ald. Michael D. Rodriguez (22nd) is now overflowing due to an overwhelming amount of community donations.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Donations consisted of children’s clothing and toys for youth of all ages.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

MIGRANTS, continued from front page

West Side residents hold 7th People’s Fest opposing Riot Fest to remove festival from Douglass Park

By Jackie Cardenas La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief

West Side residents hosted the Peo ple’s Music Fest at the corner of Cermak and Marshall Blvd. as a part of their on going efforts to remove Riot Fest and other mega festivals from Douglass Park.

Residents have voiced their con cerns throughout the years, including at a Chicago Park District open forum in August where many stated the mega fes tivals lead to heightened traffic conges tion, trauma hospital disruption, lack of access to the park, public safety worries and the displacement of local soccer leagues.

At the People’s Fest, communi ty members listened to live music, ate snacks and painted while mingling near lawn signs that read “NO MEGA FESTS IN DOUGLASS PARK!”

Riot Fest is an annual Chicago punk rock festival with headliners such as My Chemical Romance and the Original Misfits who performed this year.

Emily, a community resident who did not wish to disclose her last name, said she attended the People’s Fest be cause “we’re here to fight for our com munity and our youth.”

North Lawndale and Little Village resident’s opposition to Riot Fest be gan in 2015 when it was relocated from Humboldt Park without community in put.

Douglass Park holds two additional festivals in the summer, Heatwave and Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash, making the park inaccessible for 47 days out of the summer each year, according to residents.

Brianna Tong, one of the muscisians who performed at the People’s Fest, said

her punk song lyrics expose governmen tal officials’ lack of care of community members.

“The money [Riot Fest] raised goes back to the aldermen” she said.

The Chicago Reader reported that Riot Fest gave tens of thousands of dol lars to political action committees tied to alderpeople whose wards include Doug lass Park, such as Ald. George Cardenas (12th) and former Ald. Michael Scott Jr. (24th). Since 2019, Cardenas has accept ed $18,000 in political donations from music festival companies.

Beyond the acceptance of political donations by local alderpeople, Chica go Park District records shows that Riot Fest only paid $233,508 out of $2.35 mil lion in permit fee dues in 2015. The park district applied a roughly 90% discount, according to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) obtained by The Reader.

The Chicago Park District did not respond to questions about the reduc

tion of permit fees in time for publish ing.

Ana Solano, member of Unete La Villita, a West Side organization which disapproves of mega festivals, said the large discounts the park district gave Riot Fest is money not being put back into the community.

“Who are these festivals really for?” she said. “They are not for us.”

Juan Otalora, a Riot Fest staff mem ber said he supports the mega festivals because it provides him with job oppor tunities.

“The pay is great, but the networking opportunities are even better,” he said. Of the multiple festival events he works throughout the year, “it’s my favorite event to work,” he said.

Riot Fest provides jobs to local res idents for the duration of the three-day festival each year.

Edith Tovar, a member of Little Vil lage Environmental Justice Organiza

tion (LVEJO) said despite the jobs Riot Fest offers, the community continues to be disinvested.

“To have concert promoters dan gle temporary jobs is a joke,” she said. ”That’s not economic improvement. That’s not going to help our community and our neighbors get out of poverty,” she said.

Nicole Delgadillo, another supporter who attended Riot Fest and resident of Brighton Park, said she has attended the festival four times and has never had a bad experience.

“It’s one of those festivals that doesn’t get out of hand, it’s a nice environment” she said.

Riot Fest brings in around 45,000 people daily and donates tickets every year to the community.

Emily said her frustration within the community goes beyond the disruption mega fests are causing.

“We are consistently fighting for clean air, community resources, health care, housing and safety,” she said.

Amid increasing pushback from the community, park district leaders announced on Sept. 14 during a board meeting they will be changing their code, making it so the mandate board must sign off on events with more than 10,000 daily attendees, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Riot Fest needs to understand that they are not welcome here, they were never invited by the people and our peo ple can do without big festivals coming in here,” Emily said.

Riot Fest is the last mega festival held in Douglass Park this summer.

FRANKIE PEREZ | THE DEPAULIA

A musician crowd surfing while playing a keyboard during a Riot Fest performance. The West Side residents are protesting against mega festivals, like Riot Fest, being held in Douglass Park

Riot Fest goers walk past garbage in Douglass Park. West Side residents say Riot Fest has heightened traffic congestion, trauma hospital disruption and lack of access to the park.

FRANKIE PEREZ | THE DEPAULIA

SGA committees to advocate for disabled students, mental health issues

By Claire Tweedie SGA Beat Writer

DePaul’s Student Government Associa tion (SGA) approved two new committees, the mental health committee, and the dis abled student’s committee, after their pro posals on Sept. 15. The two decisions were unanimous.

While it is not new for SGA to address these topics relating to student health, these committees signify a more centralized task force in listening to the student body and holding the administration accountable for their promises pertaining to these issues.

“I know there is always room for im provement, especially in the goals we are tackling right now,” SGA vice president Ma goli Garcia said. “I am very grateful that we have people in SGA who are conscious of these issues and are ensuring these commu nities are represented.”

SGA senator for fourth and fifth-year students David Hupp and SGA senator for disabled students Chloe Crosby both identify as disabled students and proposed committees to help students feel supported in their communities. Crosby says the dif ference between the two committees is that issues facing disabled students are more identity oriented while mental health faces more generalized health concerns.

“Under the umbrella of disability are mental health issues, but it’s also something that can affect anyone,” Crosby said. “It’s good to have an advocate, which is what we’re trying to be.”

For the disabled student committee, Hupp says he wants to see a more central ized resource for students to learn about accessibility at DePaul outside of just the

Center for Students with Disabilities. From the committee, Hupp also wants to create a disabled cultural center to help bring to gether disabled students with proper cultur al programming.

“I’d like to see our high-level adminis trators research what the gaps are,” Hupp said. “What are we missing when it comes to disabled students? It’s one thing for us to complain about x, y and z but I want them to properly research it and create a plan.”

The mental health committee hopes to work on student engagement and listen to what the community at DePaul has to say while emphasizing multicultural students and their specific needs. Crosby particular ly wants to see more therapists of color and LGBTQ+ therapists hired to make students feel identified with those they are seeking help from.

“This continues to be something very important as mental health gets more awareness,” Crosby said. “Especially for col lege students, because this environment is so stressful, people need more aid.”

Both committees are ad hocs, meaning they were created for a specific purpose and have a clear beginning and end, which will be the end of the school year. While the mental health committee is a new ad hoc to SGA, the disabled student’s committee is a continuation of the previous year’s ini tiatives. As ad hocs, they are also open for all students to join and can be reached by emailing sgadisabledstudents@depaul.edu.

“Obviously we will not reach utopia overnight,” Hupp said. “By having a com mittee though, with the ability to coordinate for these specific issues, it makes us as SGA more effective in advocating for students to the administration.”

Manuel shares thoughts on DePaul’s future with Faculty Council

By Patrick Sloan-Turner Online Managing Editor

When it was time for DePaul’s new President Rob Manuel to speak at Wednesday’s Faculty Council meeting, he approached the whiteboard at the front of the room to write down and un derline the word “value.”

“We have to solve this question at the university,” Manuel said.

While the first Faculty Council meet ing of the 2022-2023 academic year in cluded much of the usual procedure, such as refining policy language and discuss ing academic program requirements, the last hour felt out of the ordinary. This pe riod was reserved for a dialogue between Manuel and attending faculty members.

After presenting attendees with the question of “value,” Manuel explained further that, to him, DePaul’s value didn’t necessarily mean the school’s monetary worth, but rather its academic prestige and the value of the education it provides.

Manuel’s predecessor, A. Gabriel Esteban, emphasized growing DePaul’s endowment, or an aggregation of the University’s assets assigned a monetary value. During his tenure, Esteban in creased DePaul’s endowment by 80% to $900 million.

At Wednesday’s Faculty Council meeting, Manuel brought up DePaul’s standing amid a current financial goal to raise $500 million. He explained that the university is about halfway to this end goal, but he pondered the usefulness of

fundraising if it doesn’t lead to substan tial improvement.

“I don’t know that the first $225 mil lion has done anything to better the uni versity,” he said.

Still, Manuel expressed that raising the university’s “value,” as he defines it, will bring in money anyway. He went on to explain the importance of faculty’s role in raising funds for the university.

“The higher our value is, the more opportunity there is to take revenue and donations and give it to those who can’t pay tuition,” Manuel said. “Donors give because they had a faculty experience that made them want to give. We’ve got ten too far from that.”

Manuel practiced transparency with faculty members in attendance, even sharing his early thoughts of what his plan for the university would entail once it’s unveiled. Involving faculty in con versations surrounding the university’s direction could come as a relief, as the university’s recent faculty climate survey showed nearly two-thirds of faculty felt that university executives did not consid er employee feedback in decision mak ing.

Multiple faculty council members in attendance told Manuel they were “heart ened” by his effort to make faculty a part of the conversation. Towards the end of the meeting, Manuel expressed his inter est in attending the next council meeting in October.

Esteban did not attend a Faculty Council meeting in the final 16 months

of his tenure, according to archived meeting minutes.

At Wednesday’s meeting, various fac ulty members voiced their opinion that there is a need for more tenure track positions within some of the programs at DePaul and that enlarging the pool of tenured faculty would better the univer sity if the board of trustees was to allow it.

Manuel explained how he views his role in this effort.

“The board doesn’t always under stand that tenured faculty contributes to the school’s value and the strength of academic programs,” he said. “My job is to show them why [those things] are im portant.”

He didn’t shy away from expressing to faculty that adding tenured lines should be seriously considered.

“I see no problem in thinking about how new lines can be tenured and how to convert term faculty to tenured,” Manuel said.

While both parties have important roles in constituting change at DePaul, faculty government and Manuel un derstand that one party cannot achieve much without the support and collabora tion of the other. At Wednesday’s meet ing, Manuel told faculty in attendance that his plan can’t be achieved without their support and collaboration. He also told faculty that getting DePaul to where he wants it to won’t be easy.

“Give me a little time,” he said. “This is a massive redesign. . .the execution of how we do this is going to be really dif ficult.”

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA Magoli Garcia, DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) vice president, said SGA is always looking to improve DePaul’s community - specifically student life.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul President Rob Manuel hands an award to a faculty member at the academic convocation on Sept. 1.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

David Hupp, SGA senator for fourth and fifth-year students, said he wants DePaul’s administration to prioritize researching the needs of disabled college students.

Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan fails to impress students

By Ruchi Nawathe Nation & World Editor

Americans are in more than $1.7 trillion of student debt.

President Biden announced his plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt on Aug. 24, 2022.

According to the Federal Student Aid Office, the plan covers federal student loan holders with an annual income of less than $125,000 per year or a married couple or head of household’s income of less than $250,000 per year. Only those with a pell grant qualify for $20,000 in loan forgiveness, while the re mainder qualify for $10,000.

The plan was proposed as a solution to the ever-growing student debt crisis, but many individuals have concerns surrounding the plan.

Shoshana Grubin, a DePaul student from Milwaukee, was valedictorian at her high school. She is a peace, justice and con flict studies major and has taken out a loan for $27,000 per school year and qualifies for $10,000 in debt forgiveness.

“This is a really expensive–city–and 10,000 is not going to do me justice for the differences I’m paying for living here,” Grubin said.

Grubin comes from a middle-class household, but even with her scholarship, her parents could not afford her tuition.

“I tried my hardest to get loans in my own name but there’s no possible way that I could afford tuition,” Grubin said.

Michael Miller, DePaul professor of eco nomics, said that between 60% and 70% of those who will be impacted by Biden’s pro posal will be in the middle class or higher.

“There’s almost nothing you can do for the fact that most of the people who are ben efitted are people on the upper half of the in come distribution,” Miller said.

However, there is no certainty that the proposal will be implemented at all. Biden has forgiven loan payments until December, but he does not have the authority to cancel the debt entirely. The debt will have to be can celed through Congress, where many mem bers are opposed to Biden’s proposal.

Politicians across the political spectrum disagree on the fairness of Biden’s plan, as well as the numerous economic issues that could arise.

Biden introduced the Inflation Reduc tion Act in Aug. 2022, with the intention of

PRESIDENT, continued from front page

leadership.

“Similar to full-time faculty and staff, adjunct faculty results show a declining trust in our leadership and struggle with work-life balance,” Manuel said in an email to adjunct faculty, full-time faculty and staff on Sept. 13. “On a positive note, adjunct faculty indicate increased appre ciation of our faculty and academic lead ers. These trends align with the previously shared faculty and staff results.”

However, Manuel initially did not in clude adjunct faculty. In an update from Aug. 31, Manuel addressed the omission and declined to comment on this issue.

“This was the first time we broadly distributed the climate survey results and not including the adjunct faculty data was an oversight, which I very much regret,” Manuel said in the email.

One of Manuel’s top priority areas for his first 125 days is shared governance. The IRMA survey also revealed that from 2019-2022 satisfaction of executive lead ership from full-time faculty decreased, according to the survey.

Manuel met with the Faculty Council for the first time last week. He will also

The debt relief plan will cost between $400 billion and $800 billion, and for every dollar put into the plan, the economy will grow between 8 cents and 25 cents, according to Miller.

“This will more than completely offset everything that was gained in the Inflation Reduction Act,” Miller said.

Another economic issue that this propos al may cause is that people may begin taking out greater loans than they can afford on the assumption that the government will forgive their debt in the future.

“It’s called a moral hazard,” Miller said.

Despite the financial strain that attend ing college can lead to, many people feel as though they have no choice but to attend.

“I was definitely forced into college; I didn’t really ever see another option,” Grubin said.

Evan Mueller, a DePaul economics and political science student, also feels like college was the only option for him.

“I personally went to college because I didn’t see any other pathway for me,” Mueller

said.

After graduating, Mueller hopes to work in a high paying position. According to Forbes, the median salary for economics ma jors in their early careers is $50,000 per year.

“I feel sadder for other majors that are not as lucrative right out of college,” Mueller said.

Grubin, who hopes to work in nonprofit management, does not expect to earn a high salary at all.

“I don’t think I could do nonprofit man agement work without that degree,” Grubin said. “Tuition’s really high and it’s not a high paying industry.”

Income can also impact someone’s ability to attend the college of their choice. Mueller had been accepted into more highly ranked universities than DePaul, but had to decline them because he had more financial aid at DePaul.

Grubin had similar difficulties despite being valedictorian at her high school.

“I’m from Milwaukee, which is a low in come area, my school’s report card dramati cally affected my college acceptance and got stuck with no free admissions and no free of fers,” Grubin said. ”If I were a valedictorian at

any other school, I could have gotten there.”

According to Miller, college tuition has risen three times faster than the cost of living in the last 25 years, and he feels that govern ment financial help is largely to blame.

“People are willing to spend lots of mon ey to go to these schools, and the government makes it possible by making these loans avail able and providing grants to people, which has allowed universities to raise their tuition faster and faster,” Miller said.

Miller’s solution to making education ac cessible is to make community college free.

“Within community colleges, not only do they do something like an associate’s degree, but they also teach truck driving in many cases,” Miller said. “They teach welding and bookkeeping and they go into the market, and they get almost middle class jobs.”

The majority of college students come from higher earning families, leaving many lower income people without an education.

“If you’re trying to help people of lower income, would you be better off supporting education at DePaul or Harvard, or would you be better off supporting education at the city colleges of Chicago?” Miller said.

host formal listening sessions for students.

“How can the university be proactive in supporting the questions here so that

we feel like there’s a network of support should something occur?” Manuel said.

“My first kind of order of business is to

look into what that network of support is and whether or not it’s appropriate for the time that we have.”

EVAN VUCCI | AP

American University student Magnolia Mead hangs flyers near the White House advocating for student loan debt forgiveness in Washington D.C. reducing the negative economic impact from recent inflation..

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

President Rob Manuel makes a point to discuss the importance of addressing the issues with Title IX with his administrative cabinet. As stated in his message to the university, one of Manuel’s goals is to improve the Title IX office.

Vice President Kamala Harris visits

Chicago ahead of November midterm

By Jake Cox Contributing Writer

Vice President Kamala Harris made her way to the University of Illinois at Chi cago in support of the Illinois Democrats Get Out The Vote campaign ahead of the November midterms 53 days ahead of the midterm.

In addition to Harris, prominent figures of the Illinois Democratic Party and other local activists took to the stage to discuss the importance of voting in the upcoming midterms and the impact this election will have on many hot-button issues.

The most discussed issue was repro ductive healthcare.

“Roe-vember is coming,” a reference to the landmark SCOTUS decision to over turn Roe v. Wade,” Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch said at the rally.

While the right to choose is enshrined in Illinois law, it is still an issue on a lot of voters’ minds. Illinois is now one of few states remaining in the Midwest with pro tected abortion access. On the tail of Sen ate Republicans introducing legislation to effectively ban abortion, democratic voters are aware that the house and senate are not guaranteed this election.

One of these voters is UIC public policy student and activist Ellison Radek.

“I hope to get the promise of federal policy change to finally codify reproduc tive rights,” Radek said when asked what she hoped to hear from Harris.

Radek’s advice to other students who are interested in getting involved and pro tecting reproductive rights was this: get in volved.

“Vote, work with your school’s Planned Parenthood, protest, organize,” she said.

This sentiment regarding the impor tance of voting is amplified by Harris.

“This [Chicago] is the home of hope and change, and so we need you to get the vote out this November because truly, truly this election I do believe will determine the future of not only your home state but our home country,” Harris said.

While this event focused on invigorat ing Democratic support, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul also made a plea to Republican and Independent Voters.

“I believe there are some sound-minded Republicans and Independents in our great state, and I want to appeal to them,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at the rally. “And I want to see if they’re willing to distance themselves from audacious and divisive extremists who want to undermine our democracy... I do think there are some Republicans and Independents who have a conscience. I just want them to vote their conscience this fall. I want them to vote for our Democrat candidates up and down the ballot to preserve our democracy.”

State Treasurer Michael Frerich took aim at Republicans’ policy positions, call ing them “just plain mean” and called for constituents to “vote for love and not hate,” at the rally.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke

“So make no mistake,” Lightfoot said at the rallt. “Trump is on the ballot. His name is Darren Bailey, and we need to send him back to the farm.”

To close out the rally, Harris gave a final message of support to Illinois voters.

“So from now until Nov. 8, it is up to all of us to build on the momentum, and over the next 53 days, if you believe in the promise of America, if you believe in free dom, equality, justice, vote for Democrats,” Harris said. “Voting in Illinois starts in two weeks, and in 53 days, we will determine our future. Let’s fight like we know how to because when we fight, we win.”

ANTHONY VAZQUEZ | CHICAGO SUN-TIMES VIA AP

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about issues that will be up for debate come Election Day during a rally held on the University of Illinois Chicago campus on Sept. 16.

ANTHONY VAZQUEZ | CHICAGO SUN-TIMES VIA AP

Vice President Kamala Harris (center) along with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (left) and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (right) raise hands in support of one another during the rally. about Governor JB Pritzker’s gubernato rial opponent, Darren Bailey, specifically, Bailey’s association with former President Donald Trump.

Nation & World

Supreme Court to hear affirmative action lawsuits against top universities

By Una Cleary Focus Editor

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear two cases against Harvard and Uni versity of North Carolina in an affir mative action lawsuit on Oct. 31. These two lawsuits are brought by the anti-af firmative action group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA). The lawsuit’s goal is to overturn the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger case, where the court ruled the consid eration of race in college admission is legal.

The term “affirmative action” was coined in 1961 by former president John F. Kennedy in an attempt to protect workers against racial discrimination.

“It was designed to promote equity when it came to educational opportuni ties for those who had been historically disenfranchised,” said DePaul adjunct instructor Mitzi Ramos.

Affirmative action was not only cre ated as an educational effort but as an employment effort to help minority groups access opportunities.

“History is a very important part of this conversation when we think about the impact of segregation,” said DePaul adjunct professor Christina Steed. “We can look at that in the creation of his torically Black colleges and universities where those institutions had to be creat ed because Black people couldn’t go to universities that were established.”

The University of Michigan (UM) and the University of California system stopped using affirmative action admis

sions 15-years-ago. 2021 data shows that only 258 students out of 6,931 at the University of California at Berkeley are Black students, according to The New York Times. The same study shows UM’s Black enrollment as 4% of the student body.

“The flagship campuses in California and Michigan have been unsuccessful in enrolling members of marginalized ra cial groups,” said Justin Driver, a Yale law school professor.

SFFA is using what is happening at these highly competitive universities for their lawsuit. They stated in a brief posted last month that, “Overruling it [Grutter] would improve diversity on their campuses (because they could bet ter compete with universities who cur rently use race).”

In an article posted on the organi zation’s website, they argue that Asian

Adriana Antunez

Americans are being hurt the most by affirmative action.

“But the legal argument is not that affirmative action is unnecessary. It’s that it causes schools to actively dis criminate against Asian applicants. The evidence is strong,” the article said.

They include statistics from a 2009 Princeton study that lists Asian Amer icans having to score 140 points high er than white applicants on the SAT to have the same chance of admission to selective colleges.

Affirmative action continues to be argued in many different environments.

“We have been quick to attack and eradicate affirmative action without ad dressing educational inequality and the broken education pipeline that impacts students of color,” Ramos said. “It’s in teresting how we attack preferential treatment when it impacts students of

color and not when it favors children of donors or legacies to name a few.”

Many students at DePaul have felt this broken education pipeline and the personal effects of racial discrimination in our education system.

“Nowadays, it’s getting harder not to notice that I am the only Latina out of 11 students in my master’s program and that’s with affirmative action put in place,” said DePaul graduate student Adriana Antunez.

“Affirmative action was there as a flimsy shelf against it all, but now it is being dangled over our heads just like Roe v. Wade was,” Antunez said. “We need more people of color in positions of power to truly reflect the world that we live in rather than the narrow view we’ve been given thus far.”

Universities around the nation are continuing to push for efforts around diversity and inclusion, whether or not that be for their own image and gain.

“Universities will need to continue to be clear on their narrative and goals around diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” Steed said. “So their stu dents, faculty, staff and the student pop ulation consider attending the univer sity, so they understand and know that the institution is valuing them and their contributions.”

Justices will hear the UNC case first beginning at 10 a.m. Oct. 31. The court will hear the Harvard case later that day.

ZACKLUR| CREATIVE COMMONS

“Nowadays, it’s getting harder not to notice that I am the only Latina out of 11 students in my master’s program and that’s with affirmative action put in place.”

Graduate student, DePaul University

The U.S. Supreme Court has heard many landmark cases in recent months, and their next case could impact thousands of universities nationwide, including DePaul.

Railroad strike averted, workers receive pay increase

By Nadia Carolina Hernandez Print Managing

Amtrak workers reached an agree ment with railroad workers on Sept. 15, averting the impending strike.

The agreement includes a 24% wage increase over a five-year period from 2020 to 2024, according to the Associa tion of American Railroads (AAR). Pres ident Joe Biden got involved with unions to discuss compromise.

“The industry would like to thank all unions involved in negotiations for their efforts and dedication to reaching agree ments throughout this process,” AAR said in a statement Thursday morning.

Metra canceled several service lines for Thursday night in anticipation of the strike, but they resumed as scheduled. DePaul did not make an announcement to commuter students about service dis ruption.

Students commuting to North, North west and West suburbs could potentially not be able to return home from campus. Lines were expected to stop running after 5 p.m.

Amtrak and Metra reached a negotia

tion after discussions overnight Wednes day.

“We are happy to report that in the overnight hours a tentative agreement was reached between freight railroads and their unions, averting a strike that could have started tonight and halted service on the BNSF and three Union Pa cific lines,” Metra said in a statement.

The canceled strike would have cost the transportation economy $2 billion per day, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

“Failure to act could idle more than 7,000 trains daily and trigger retail prod uct shortages, widespread manufacturing shutdowns, job losses and disruptions to hundreds of thousands of passenger rail customers,” AAR said in a statement.

The agreement will affect 600,000 workers in the transportation industry.

“The industry thanks the Biden Ad ministration, especially Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Trans portation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and the mem bers and staff at the National Mediation Board, for their leadership and assistance in reaching these settlements,” AAR said in the same statement.

Patagonia founder gives company away to environmental trusts

By Matt Ott & Glenn Gamboa Associated Press

Outdoor gear company Patagonia says “the earth is now our only share holder” after transferring the company’s ownership from founder Yvon Choui nard and his family to two nonprofits es tablished to fight climate change.

In a letter posted on the 50-year-old company’s website Wednesday night, Ch ouinard said Patagonia would transfer 100% of its voting stock to the Patagonia Purpose Trust, created to uphold the val ues of the company long known for its environmental activism. All of its non voting stock will go to the Holdfast Col lective, a nonprofit “dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature.”

“While we’re doing our best to ad dress the environmental crisis, it’s not enough,” Chouinard wrote. “We needed to find a way to put more money into fighting the crisis while keeping the com pany’s values intact.”

Patagonia estimates that after rein vesting some profits back into the com pany, about $100 million annually will be distributed to the Holdfast Collective as a dividend, depending on the health of the business.

Grace Chiang Nicolette, The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s vice presi dent of programming and external rela tions, said this unusual move by the Ch ouinard family may become a blueprint for company founders looking to donate their businesses to causes important to them.

“Business owners are often faced with fraught decisions on the future of their company when it’s time to sell,” said Nicolette, who also co-hosts the “Giving Done Right” podcast. “The very wealthy are also faced with the fact that their net worths are growing faster than they can conceive of giving it away. This plan makes the company’s social impact its guiding principle and I think we’re going to see more donors pursuing this approach.”

Chouinard said other options for the

Ventura, California, company to dedicate itself to protecting the planet — selling the company and donating the proceeds; or taking the company public — were not viable for Patagonia’s ultimate goals.

“Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, we’ll use the wealth Pata gonia creates to protect the source of all wealth,” Chouinard wrote.

Chuck Collins, the Institute for Pol icy Studies director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good, said Chouinard’s actions reflect a personal connection to the environmental crisis and a desire to back up his beliefs with his wealth.

“It shows that somebody who has substantial wealth is responding with the kind of scale needed to address the problem,” he said. “He’s working with the

tools that he’s got. And it’s a pretty good response.”

Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert said in a statement that the Chouinards chal lenged him and others at the company to develop a new ownership structure.

“They wanted us to both protect the purpose of the business and immediate ly and perpetually release more funding to fight the environmental crisis,” Gellert wrote. “We believe this new structure de livers on both and we hope it will inspire a new way of doing business that puts people and planet first.”

Brian Mittendorf, a professor of ac counting at Ohio State University who focuses on nonprofit organizations and their financial statements, said the new Patagonia structure is similar to the one Paul Newman created for his salad dress ing company, Newman’s Own. The prof

its from the business go into the New man’s Own Foundation, which donates to nonprofits supporting children facing adversity.

The difference is that the Holdfast Collective is organized as a 501(c)4 cor poration, according to the New York Times, which first reported the owner ship change. That allows it to lobby pol iticians, which a public benefit charity like Newman’s Own Foundation is not allowed to do.

“What I don’t think is getting enough attention here is that the tax advantages of choosing a donation to a charity over a social welfare organization just aren’t that pronounced in this particular case,” said Mittendorf. He noted that the gift tax the Chouinards will pay is on their initial in vestment in Patagonia, not on its current worth, estimated at $3 billion.

“I kind of just view it as a desire to retain control over the company while ensuring that the resources that the com pany generates are used for a particular goal,” he said.

Patagonia makes outdoor clothing, gear and accessories for everything from skiing to climbing and camping. The company said it will continue its previous charitable donations, including donating 1% of its sales each year to grassroots ac tivists and remaining a B Corp, a desig nation for companies that prioritize so cial and environmental standards as well as profits.

Chouinard said he never wanted to be a businessman and started Patagonia as a craftsman, making climbing gear for himself and his friends.

Marsh, the Laguna Woods pastor, says the shooting in his church and oth er recent massacres have inspired him to have “more serious conversations about this issue” in his community. He would like to see diverse faith communities or ganize marches in local seats of govern ment to push legislators to act.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “We need to stop using Christianity as a ve neer to deny reality.”

Nation & World. The DePaulia.

CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | ASSOCIATED PRESS

AL SEIB | LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

An Amtrak passenger train leaves Chicago headed south on Sept. 14. Union Station in Downtown Chicago hosts Amtrak and Metra lines that would have been impacted.

Yvon Chouinard in the original Chouinard Equipment blacksmith shop in Ventura Calif.

Opinions

Why I mourndidn’t the death of the queen

By Siona ChiBBer Contributing Writer

Queen Elizabeth Windsor II died at Balmoral Castle, U.K Thursday, Sept. 8.

As the longest reigning female monarch, she served 70 years on the throne, living through multiple historical events rang ing from World War II, where she served as a medical nurse, to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For better or for worse, she repre sented her country through many global events and caused quite the controver sy throughout her life. Many people, specifically those in the U.K., feel a sense of pride and patriotism as they contin ue their support and advocacy for the monarchy. The queen’s family legacy has survived the modern age and is not cur rently in a place to cease its ruling and position. Many British citizens as well as others worldwide have complicated thoughts about an outdated system such as the monarchy continuing in such a modern world.

As it is, her political and govern ment stance over her nation does not hold as much weight compared to other sovereign powers globally. This begs the question: Should her legacy be praised for her progress or should the end of her tyranny be celebrated?

When I first heard the news of her passing, I was shocked but not as upset as many of her supporters may have been. As someone who has been raised by South Asian immigrants, I grew up cognizant of the awful history involving British imperialism in India. This long line of British monarchs benefited from the systemic exploitation of my people. Fast forward to when the Queen took the throne, many were still upset with her actions and lack thereof. Reparations were not and are not currently being

made to this country.

The queen was involved in forcing independent colonies from staying within the Commonwealth. As some might have learnt, the famous Kohinoor diamond, which originally belonged to India, was stolen years ago from British rulers. It had been shaved down and tampered with and to this day, worn by the current queen. It is a very significant part of Indian history and has never been brought back to its rightful nation and its people.

“I initially saw on Twitter that the Royal family was concerned about her health, and as the day progressed, I heard the news of her official passing,” said Georgeena Mathai, a DePaul South Indian sophomore. “I was shocked when the news broke. What was most surpris ing to me was the fact that my parents were unamused to see me celebrating over this news.”

There is a wide array of reactions to this news from different generations of Indians. Many younger, first generation South Asian Americans seem to have stronger feelings towards the monarchy as a whole and how this news should not be something to mourn. Many older folks seem to feel a sense of indifference or even sadness at the news of her death. After hearing of her passing, Prime Minister Modi called her, “a stalwart of our times.” Seeing a person of power in a nation that faced such hardships, division and violence from British rule certainly appears contradictory to what many Indians stand for. Regardless of how people responded, it is important to note that India wants to move forward as a democratic nation by dismantling colonized beliefs and values that did not match that of a true Indian nation.

It is crucial to remember that this monarchy affected many nations by

colonizing them and altering their histories forever. The pain and suffering as a result of this reign can be felt globally. These reasons alone are why many who were negatively impacted are celebrat ing the end of her rule.

“In a country like India, you continue to see the long-term ef fects of Britain’s divide and rule politics,” said Kalyani Menon, a De Paul religious studies professor. “The British not only set Hindus against Muslims in the colonial period, but also their scholarship, their narratives and their policies very much exacerbated these divisions and tensions.”

Unfortunately, the years of harm from colonization cannot be undone. In fact, Indian citizens still argue about the warped idea that these people somehow influenced positive change within Indians and their culture. Shockingly, some put the Indian flag at half mast out of respect for her passing. This truly shows how deep colonization’s effects are felt today. We hope for a future that involves healing and the dismantling of this monarchy and the power it holds over so many.

“The new king is set to inherit mil lions from his mother, an inheritance on

which he will not pay any tax,” Menon said. “This wealth was built and consol idated through colonialism, slavery and violence, for which there has been no apology and no reparations. Expressing “sorrow” does not even come close to redressing the devastation wrought on people through colonialism and slavery.”

The opinions in this section do not necessarially reflect those of The DePaulia staff.

FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE | COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMON

Queen Elizabeth II at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London in 2012. It marked the last official engagement of her Diamond Jubilee year where the British Antarctic Territory was named ‘Queen Elizabeth Land.’

SAMANTHA MOILANEN | THE DEPAULIA

Student loan providers should protect borrowers from identity theft

By Samantha moilanen Opinions Editor

This summer, over 2.5 million students borrowing loans from Edfinancial Services or Oklahoma Student Loan Authority (OSLA) had their information compromised during a data breach. Nelnet Servicing, a Ne braska-based student loan servicer that both Edfinancial and OSLA use for their web portals was the target of the breach. Students’ names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers were compromised.

I was one of the 2.5 million students impacted by the breach discovered July 21. I was not notified until Aug. 26 through a letter from Edfinancial sent to my residence.

The letter claims, “The confidentiality, privacy, and security of our customers’ infor mation is one of our highest priorities.”

If this is so, then why was I not notified until over a month after the breach was discovered?

With the announcement of President Joe Biden’s student loan relief plan, students affected by the data breach are at even more risk of future social engineering or phishing campaigns targeting borrowers exploited by the recent data breach.

Not only am I, along with the other 2.5 million student borrowers, facing crippling debt once we graduate, but now we have to spend the next couple years monitoring our credit and accounts to ensure we are not the unassuming victims of identity theft. To make matters worse, my loan servicer did not notify me until a month after my information was compromised, and it may already be too late.

Cyberattackers could leverage the recent breach to target student borrowers through fraudulent correspondence with emails, phone calls or deceptive text messages.

DePaul junior Sophia Mocarski, who was also affected by the breach, said she was angry and panicked when she first heard that she was an unsuspecting victim of data theft. One of her primary concerns was the amount of time her information has been compromised without her knowledge.

“My Social Security number has been on the internet for almost a month, and they didn’t inform me until I got back to school,” Mocarski said. “That was probably the worst part about it. They should have sent that email when they found out.”

Although the breach did not compro mise student borrowers’ financial infor mation, students are still concerned about their Social Security numbers being used for identity theft.

Mocarski said she is worried about her Social Security number being used to take out loans or open credit cards under her name because she doesn’t have a credit score yet.

“You’re handling millions of students’ financial information,” Mocarski said. “We have these loans we have to pay back, and not only that crippling us, but now we have to be concerned about identity theft. It doesn’t make you feel very secure with where you’re taking money out of.”

Students impacted by the breach are offered two-years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection from Experian’s credit reporting and identity protection service, IdentityWorksSm, according to the letter.

Mocarski said she doesn’t believe two years of credit monitoring is enough time to ensure she is protected from identity fraud. She plans on continuing to pay for the ser vice after her free subscription is over.

There are a multitude of ways loan com panies can protect their borrowers from data theft. David Habich, an adjunct professor at DePaul in the cybersecurity and criminology departments, said he is not sure how the information was breached from Nelnet, but there should have been protections in place to prevent data theft.

“I think any entity which stores data containing personal identifiable information should safeguard that information to the greatest degree possible,” Habich said.

There are steps both individuals and

SOPHIA IQBAL | THE DEPAULIA

companies can take to avoid being a data breach victim, according to Habich. This includes education or training on cybersecu rity and social engineering attacks, the use of strong credentials and multi-factor authenti cation, patching and updating software and the use of encryption.

Nelnet now faces a class action lawsuit as a result of the delay in notifying the depart ment of education and the families affected after they became aware of the unauthorized access.

“I definitely would still like to pursue legal action,” Mocarski said. “You don’t really have a choice… [they] put me at risk for identity theft, and I still have to pay back my loans.”

Op-Ed: Title IX support at DePaul

This Op-Ed was sent by DePaul Vice President of Student Affairs, Eu gene L. Zdarski, Ph.D.

The Office of Gender Equity (OGE) supports all members of the DePaul community. Its staff’s work is guided by the following principles: care, trau ma-informed response, due process, equity and privacy. Information recently shared in The DePaulia reminds us that, despite our best prevention efforts, sexu al violence and harassment still occur on college campuses around the nation.

The start of the school year is a critical time of year when more cases of sexual violence are reported on college campuses. DePaul highly encourag es all individuals impacted by sexual violence to report to the university so they can receive the support they need. The Title IX website offers several ways for individuals to submit a report: via a webform, phone or email.

What happens after a case is report ed? I hope the following information sheds more light on DePaul’s process.

It is important for the campus com munity to know that the OGE responds to every report received with a letter either through DePaul’s conduct man agement system or via email. Outreach is sent multiple times if a student does not open the initial letter, including through email and, at times, text messaging.

An invitation to meet with OGE staff is offered to discuss options and choices as well as a direct referral to confidential support resources in the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness. Throughout the process individuals will have the opportunity to choose their level of involvement, even if it means not to

participate.

The intake process is in depth and includes learning more about the inci dent and sharing what the investigative process looks like.

This includes discussing the follow ing steps:

Drafting Allegations : Working col laboratively with OGE’s Case Manager to draft an allegation that accurately reflects the experience.

Notice of Investigation : A letter will be sent to the complainant and the respondent to inform them that OGE has initiated an investigation regarding an alleged violation of one of DePaul’s policies under the purview of OGE.

Investigative interview : Both parties will be invited to meet with one or both OGE investigators to provide a narrative interview. Both parties can also recom mend witnesses and provide evidence. Prior to the start of an investigative interview, the interviewee is required to review and sign an overview and expectations document that outlines the details of the process. In addition, before an interview is concluded, it is standard procedure for the investigator(s) to ex plain the next steps in the process to the interviewee.

Investigative File Review : Both par ties may review the investigative file and provide a response.

Determination : In employee cas es, the Title IX Coordinator makes a determination about whether a policy was violated utilizing the preponder ance of evidence (more likely than not) standard. Complainants are informed of the outcome of the case. For student cases, the Dean of Students Office, often through the University Hearing Board, is responsible for making a determina

tion of whether there has been a policy violation through the Student Conduct Process. It is not within the scope of the OGE’s responsibilities to impose correc tive action following a determination.

OGE staff are committed to monitor ing and overseeing overall campus-wide implementation of Title IX at DePaul. They are an important resource at De Paul and serve the university’s faculty, staff and students with professionalism and care. The Title IX site has many resources for students, including confi dential reporting resources and details on the rights and options for survivors of sexual violence, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.

On Campus Resources

Office of Health Promotion & Wellness: 773-325-7129 or email hpw@depaul.edu.

University Counseling and Psy chological Services: 773-325CARE

Dean of Students Offices: 773325-7290 or email deanofstu dents@depaul.edu

DePaulia Staff

DePaul’s Title IX office is located at the university’s Lincoln Park campus.

Meet

AI bridges communication

By Laura Katherine Tooley Staff Writer

“Paula,” the AI avatar was created at Depaul 15 years ago, revolutionizing communication for the deaf and hard of hearing. The technology has been used for American Sign Language (ASL) translation, in everyday experiences and times where a translator is not available.

SThe start of September marks the start of Deaf Aware ness Month: a time to celebrate the history and culture of the Deaf community. Sign lan guage is used by 70 million deaf people worldwide, according to the United Nations. At DePaul American Sign Language, ASL, is taught at multiple levels for students interested in connect ing and communicating with the Deaf community.

“The bridge of communi cation is very important,” PHD student Maria Saenz said when talking about DePaul’s Amer ican Sign Language Avatar Project. Saenz has been a part of the team working on the project since her first year.

Paula, is “a non-invasive technology to bridge the gap between the two communities especially in times of need like, for example, PSA announce ments or public works, traveling or maybe as an intermediary tool.”

The project was founded in 1999 by Rosalee Wolfe and Dr. John McDonald at DePaul.

The American sign language avatar project has been working on their avatar “Paula,” since information and ways to get involved scan the QR code.

everyday life or instances where a translator is not accessible for a brief interaction.

One of the most important goals of the Avatar project is effective and accurate communication technolo gy using American Sign Language, ASL. It also utilizes the important constructs of the language, including

are so important for. They are there not just to interpret what was said, they are also interpreting emotion and engagement,” Saenz said. “How do you get a whole human in an avatar? How do you range, how do you show happiness, how do you show mouthing. How do you show sadness, not just through

Meet Paula: communication gap

corporate our avatar in spaces that we can assist.”

ASL is taught at DePaul, and available to students interested in the language and Deaf culture. Dana Demeter, the American Sign Language Program Director, has been teaching ASL at DePaul since 2012.

“My upbringing as a Deaf per son has a profound impact on why I teach. Communication barriers are something I experience often and I find that when I teach ASL, it helps make the world a better place, not just for myself but other Deaf people,” Demeter said. “It is rewarding when students learn to appreciate and respect the diversity of the language and culture.”

Demeter also talked about the importance of Deaf Awareness Month. She said it is a time to bring awareness to deafness and deaf culture.

“It can help us create a more inclusive world,” Demeter said.

When asked about the resourc es for Deaf and hard of hearing students at DePaul, Demeter has stated that most students have had a positive experience when it came to resources.

Saenz said the project will likely not reach an end date but will be changing and improving. Many students have worked on the project across many majors, including com puter science, animation, and others.

“I think this project will always be evolving and we need to continu ously be working on it being ac cepted by the people who are going to use it and the people that they are serving,”

Saenz said, “So I do not think it will ever be done, we will just try to in

Demeter described The Center for Students with Disabilities, or CSD, as being very helpful, keeping in contact with students and mak ing sure they have all the accom

modations they need.

Demeter said the improvements she would make would include sensitivity training for instructors for better accommodation.

“I believe that with more awareness and training, the expe rience could be improved for the Deaf/HH students,” she said.

In celebration of Deaf Aware ness Month, many organizations are hosting events to bring awareness to the Deaf community and ASL. One of these events was hosted on Zoom by Highland Park Public Li brary, titled, “A Conversation with Marlee Matlin.” People attending witnessed actress, activist, author, oscar and golden globe winner Marlee Matlin share her journey of activism and advocacy for the Deaf community.

She also shared the roles she has played and the projects she has been a part of, as well as behind the scenes information from these roles.

For students interested in learning more about Deaf Aware ness Month and the Deaf commu nity, they can take ASL classes at DePaul, the ASL club, or exploring Deaf Culture, a class offered under the First Year Program.

ASL: By the numbers

According to the United Nations:

since 1999. The tool is used by deaf and hard of hearing students in everyday situations. For more

THE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AVATAR PROJECT

La DePaulia

El amor por México inunda el centro de Chicago con la llegada del desfile de la independencia

Latinos de toda la ciudad cerraron State Street el 16 de septiembre para conmemorar el Día de la Independencia de México. Las banderas ondeando, los autos tocando la bocina y la música simbolizaron el orgullo de México a lo largo de 1,700 millas desde el centro de Chicago.

Varios países latinoamericanos como Nicaragua y Guatemala celebraron sus fiestas de independencia a partir del 15 de septiembre. Esto también marca el inicio del Mes de la Herencia Hispana.

Cientos de autos inundaron State Street ondeando la bandera mexicana mientras sonaba música a todo volumen. A pesar de estar muy lejos de la frontera, eso no impidió que los mexicoamericanos celebraran la ocasión.

“[Celebramos] al hablar activamente sobre nuestras experiencias, apegarnos a los valores y creencias, pero lo más importante al abrazar nuestra herencia”, dijo Anjelica Rodríguez, una estudiante de tercer año de DePaul. “Ya sea nuestra comida, música, baile y arte, todo es una colección de quiénes somos”.

Alrededor del 17.4% de los habitantes de Chicago son latinos, según el Instituto de Estudios Latinos. Muchos de ellos viven predominantemente en los lados sur y oeste.

Las celebraciones también recorrieron barrios latinos como Pilsen y La Villita. En la calle 18, los residentes de Pilsen disfrutaron de bailes folklóricos mexicanos en vivo. Más de 300 estudiantes participaron en la presentación de diferentes organizaciones latinas.

“Nos enorgullecemos no solo de ser una escuela de baile, sino que también queremos que nuestras futuras

generaciones aprendan más sobre su cultura y ayuden a continuar todos los aspectos de esta: comida, idioma, baile”, dijo Ofelia Guerra, directora ejecutiva de Ballet Folklórico de Chicago. “Sientes un sentimiento de orgullo bailando y representando nuestra cultura, y quiero que todos nuestros estudiantes sientan eso y lo proyecten cuando estén bailando”.

La celebración provocó un gran tráfico en la noche del sábado. Muchos vecinos expresaron su frustración por la falta de control del desfile; sin embargo, muchos residentes en Twitter apuntaron a que los latinos son disruptivos.

“Por lo que noté en línea, vi muchas quejas y microagresiones”, dijo Rodríguez. “Demasiadas personas se sienten cómodas y son racistas. He visto a personas llamarle salvaje a los mexicanos y, en general, decirnos que escondamos nuestro orgullo mexicano”.

El Día de la Independencia de México crea una oportunidad para que los latinos preserven la cultura mexicana en todas partes.

“Como hija de dos inmigrantes, creo que es necesario preservar el orgullo y la cultura de los países de nuestras familias”, dijo Magoli García, estudiante de tercer año de DePaul. “Cuando se trata de celebrar los días de independencia de otros países, eso mantiene vivos los lazos culturales, especialmente los lazos familiares que tenemos con esos países a miles de kilómetros de distancia. Un día al año, podemos sentirnos realmente conectados con esos kilómetros de distancia”.

El Ballet Folklórico de Chicago tiene como objetivo preservar la cultura

mexicana a través de la danza tradicional. Si se pierde, compromete lo que las futuras generaciones aprenderán sobre la historia.

“Siento que estamos perdiendo esos aspectos mientras las futuras generaciones siguen evolucionando aquí en los EE. UU.. Así que quiero hacer que el folklórico sea divertido para nuestros pequeños y no presionarlos demasiado en términos de expectativas de desempeño”, dijo Guerra.

Participar en prácticas tradicionales expresa el orgullo que los latinos tienen por sus respectivas culturas.

“Hablando activamente sobre nuestras experiencias, apegados a los valores y creencias, pero lo más importante, conectando con nuestra herencia”, dijo Rodríguez. “Ya sea nuestra comida, música, baile y arte, todo es una colección de quiénes somos”.

Guerra describe que los padres están invirtiendo en la educación de sus hijos sobre su herencia a través de la escuela.

“Creo que una de las razones por las que nuestra organización se ha vuelto tan grande es porque los padres y los

estudiantes aceptan nuestra misión, así como el fácil acceso a recursos, y quieren ver a nuestros niños continuar con ese sentido de orgullo en su cultura”, dijo Guerra.

El Mes de la Herencia Hispana continuará hasta el 15 de octubre.

STEPHANIA RODRIGUEZ | LA DEPAULIA

Una persona toca el sousáfono durante el desfile de la independencia.

La gente ondea sus banderas con orgullo durante el inofficial desfile de la independencia mexicana el 16 de Septiembre en la calle State en el centro de Chicago.

DONALD CROCKER | LA DEPAULIA

By Nadia Carolina Hernandez & Stephania Rodriguez Gerente Editorial y Escritora, La DePaulia

DONALD CROCKER | LA DEPAULIA

16 | La DePaulia. The DePaulia. Sept. 19, 2022 Mujeres toman parte de un baile folklórico en Pilsen y calle 18.

Donde puedes ayudar a los inmigrantes llegando a Chicago

By Vanessa Lopez Asistente Editora de Noticias, La DePaulia

Con los autobuses llenos de inmigrantes que fueron transportados de Texas a Chicago, funcionarios de la ciudad de Chicago están buscando voluntarios y donantes para ayudarlos.

La alcaldesa Lori Lightfoot afirmó que la ciudad está en colaboración con organizaciones locales, pero que necesitarán más ayuda para apoyar a los migrantes.

La ciudad de Chicago ha puesto en marcha un sitio web para el público que desea ser voluntario,o donar bienes como ropa, artículos de aseo y otras necesidades para ayudar a los migrantes.

“Como una ciudad acogedora, sabemos que los habitantes de Chicago están listos para mostrar su generosidad y están buscando formas de apoyar a estas personas”, dijo el sitio web de la ciudad de Chicago.

Aunque muchos habitantes de Chicago han estado recaudando donaciones para los inmigrantes, la ciudad ha designado algunas oficinas de concejales como lugares de entrega de donaciones.

Ald. Michael D. Rodríguez, del distrito 22, ha estado recolectando donaciones y transfiriéndolas a la Coalición de Illinois por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes y Refugiados (ICIRR) y otras organizaciones comunitarias.

Carlos Gamboa, el Jefe de Gabinete del Distrito 22, dijo que en cuanto supieron que el gobernador de Texas estaba enviando inmigrantes a Chicago, ellos decidieron actuar rápidamente para proporcionar recursos a su gente.

“Es injusto que el gobernador de Texas los envíe a varias ciudades de los Estados Unidos sin absolutamente ningún recurso ni un plan”, dijo Gamboa. “Siempre

ayudaremos a alguien, independientemente de su estatus migratorio. Trataremos a todos por igual”.

“Creo que muchos mexicoamericanos de segunda, tercera e incluso cuarta generación están más conscientes de lo que está pasando y quieren marcar la diferencia facilitando que los inmigrantes pasen por este proceso, porque tienen familiares que han pasado por el mismo sufrimiento”, agregó Gamboa.

Se puede acceder a la oficina del distrito de D. Rodríguez los lunes de 9 am a 7 pm, y de martes a viernes desde las 9 am a 5 pm en 2500 S. St. Louis Ave.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) agregó que cuando la gente hace donaciones, están haciendo una diferencia más grande en la comunidad de lo que se dan cuenta.

“Son las comunidades más vulnerables las que hacen el trabajo del gobierno, lo que es una vergüenza”, dijo Sigcho-Lopez. “Son los que no tienen mucho los que ayudan a los que no tienen nada, y necesitamos apoyo, y esta debe ser la charla de Chicago, porque ni una sola persona que llegó en un autobús se lo merece”.

Organizaciones sin fines de lucro y grupos comunitarios de Chicago, como The Resurrection Project, que ayudan a las comunidades de inmigrantes, también han intervenido para realizar donaciones.

Laura Mendoza, organizadora de inmigración en The Resurrection Project, dijo que están allí para ayudar con cualquier cosa, desde traducción hasta la entrega de los elementos esenciales que la gente necesitará.

“Armamos kits de higiene, que incluyen artículos como desodorante, shampoo y desinfectante para manos; así como otras necesidades básicas”, dijo Mendoza.

“Ayudarles es importante porque se convertirán en miembros contribuyentes de nuestra comunidad”, dijo Mendoza.

Solo necesitan que les demos un pequeño empuje con las donaciones para que se encuentren estables. Luego ellos serán capaces de superar este proceso al igual como otros inmigrantes lo hicieron en el pasado.”.

Para aquellos que estén interesados en donar, The Resurrection Project acepta donaciones monetarias.

“Tenemos un gran equipo de voluntarios que trabajan con los migrantes para brindarles recursos porque nos preocupan. Queremos darles recursos porque son importantes para la ciudad de Chicago. Son seres humanos”, dijo Mendoza

Se puede encontrar una lista de bienes que se necesitan y se pueden donar a las oficinas del regidor u otras organizaciones aquí.

“Los habitantes de Chicago deberían donar porque ellos [los inmigrantes] no tienen nada. Ellos no pidieron venir aquí.

Todo lo que quieren es una vida mejor”, dijo Gamboa.

La alcaldesa Lori Lightfoot afirmó durante una conferencia de prensa que desde el 31 de agosto, cuando llegó el primer autobús lleno de solicitantes de asilo, alrededor de 500 migrantes han llegado a Chicago. Lightfoot anticipa que ese número seguirá creciendo.

Escanea para ver puntos de donación

Residentes del lado oeste realizan el People’s Fest en oposición al Riot Fest

By Jacqueline cardenas Jefa de Redacción, La DePaulia

Los residentes del lado oeste de Chicago organizaron el People’s Music Fest en la es quina de Cermak y Marshall Blvd. como par te de sus continuos esfuerzos para eliminar Riot Fest y otros mega festivales de Douglass Park.

Los residentes han expresado sus preocu paciones a lo largo de los años, incluso, en un foro abierto del Distrito de Parques de Chica go este agosto. Allí muchos afirmaron que los mega festivales causan una mayor congestión del tráfico, interrupción de hospitales de trau ma, falta de acceso al parque, preocupaciones de seguridad pública y el desplazamiento de ligas de fútbol locales.

En People’s Fest, los miembros de la co munidad escucharon música en vivo, com ieron bocadillos, y pintaron mientras conviv ian cerca de señales clavadas en el césped que decían “NO MEGA FESTIVALES EN DOU GLASS PARK!”

Riot Fest es un festival anual de punk rock en Chicago con grandes bandas como My Chemical Romance y Misfits que actua ron este año.

Emily, una residente de la comunidad, que no quiso revelar su apellido, dijo que asistió al People’s Fest para “luchar por nues tra comunidad y nuestra juventud”.

La oposición de los residentes de North Lawndale y Little Village contra Riot Fest comenzó en el 2015 cuando fue reubicado de Humboldt Park sin consultarle a la comuni dad.

Heatwave y Summer Smash, de Lyrical Lemonade, son dos festivales adicionales que se llevan a cabo en Douglass Park, lo que hace que el parque esté restringido durante 47 días del verano, cada año, según los residentes.

Brianna Tong, una de las cantantes que se presentó en el People’s Fest, dijo que las let ras de sus canciones punk exponen la falta de atención de los funcionarios gubernamental es hacia los miembros de la comunidad.

“El dinero recaudado [por Riot Fest] vuelve a los concejales”, dijo.

The Chicago Reader informó que Riot Fest entregó decenas de miles de dólares a comi tés de acción política vinculados a concejales cuyos distritos incluyen Douglass Park, in cluido Ald. George Cardenas (12) y ex Ald. Michael Scott Jr. (24). Desde 2019, Cárdenas ha aceptado $18,000 en donaciones políticas de compañías de festivales de música.

Más allá de la aceptación de donaciones políticas por parte de los concejales locales, los registros del Distrito de Parques de Chicago muestran que Riot Fest solo pagó $233,508 de los $2.35 millones requeridos en cuotas de permisos en 2015, un descuento, aproximadamente, del 90% de acuerdo con

la Ley de Libertad de Información (FOIA, por sus siglas en inglés) obtenida por The Reader.

El Distrito de Parques de Chicago no re spondió las preguntas sobre la reducción de las tarifas de los permisos a tiempo para esta publicación.

Ana Solano, una integrante de Unete La Villita, una organización del West Side que desaprueba los mega festivales, dijo que los grandes descuentos que el distrito de parques le dio a Riot Fest es dinero que no se devuelve a la comunidad.

“¿Para quién son realmente estos festivales? No son para nosotros”, dijo.

Juan Otalora, un miembro del personal de Riot Fest, dijo que él apoya los mega festivales porque le brinda oportunidades laborales.

“La paga es excelente, pero las oportuni dades de establecer contactos son aún me jores”. De los múltiples festivales en los que trabaja a lo largo del año, “este es mi evento

favorito para trabajar”, dijo.

Riot Fest ofrece puestos de trabajo a los residentes locales durante los tres días del fes tival, cada año.

Edith Tovar, una integrante de la Orga nización de Justicia Ambiental de La Villita (LVEJO), dijo que a pesar de los trabajos que ofrece Riot Fest, la comunidad sigue sin reci bir alguna inversión o mejora.

“Que los promotores de conciertos ofrez can trabajos temporales es una broma, eso no es una mejora económica, eso no va a ayudar a la comunidad y a nuestros vecinos a salir de la pobreza”, dijo.

Nicole Delgadillo, otra seguidora que asisti al Riot Fest y residente de Brighton Park, dijo que ha asistido al festival cuatro veces y nun ca ha tenido una mala experiencia.

“Es uno de esos festivales que no se sale de control, es un ambiente agradable”, dijo. Riot Fest atrae alrededor de 45,000 personas diarias, y dona entradas cada año a la comu nidad.

Emily, que se opone a Riot Fest, dijo que su frustración dentro de la comunidad va más allá de la interrupción que causan los festiva les..

“Luchamos constantemente por aire lim pio, recursos comunitarios, atención médica, vivienda y seguridad”, dijo.

En medio de un creciente rechazo de la comunidad, los líderes del distrito de parques anunciaron el 14 de septiembre, durante una reunión de la junta directiva, que cambiarán su código, por lo que esta debe aprobar los eventos con más de 10,000 asistentes diarios, según el Chicago Tribune.

“Riot Fest necesita entender que no son bi envenidos aquí, nunca fueron invitados por la gente y nuestra gente puede prescindir de los grandes festivales que vienen aquí”, dijo Emily.

La oficina de Michael D. Rodríguez, concejal del barrio 22, es una de las ubicaciones designa das para recibir donaciones para los migrantes.

KIERSTEN REIDFORD | LA DEPAULIA

FRANKIE PEREZ | LA DEPAULIA

Los miembros de la comunidad se sientan en un banco en la esquina entre Cermak y Marshall Blvd para ver presentaciones en vivo.

Arts & Life

DEPAUL DANCES IN THE NAME OF DURGA DEVI

South Asian students honor Ma Durga during Navratri celebration

By Ruchi Nawathe Nation & World Editor

For nine nights and ten days, Hindus across the globe celebrate the nine forms of the goddess Durga and her epic bat tle with the devil Mahishasura. Navratri, directly translating to “nine nights”, is a Hindu holiday beginning on Sept. 26 and ending on Oct. 5.

Each night of Navratri, the goddess Durga takes a different form, called a rupam or a swarupa, and fights the devil Mahishasura.

“[Mahishasura] has a blessing with Lord Brahma… no one can kill him, so those nine days, Ma Durga fought with him, and finally at the end of the last day… she killed him,” said Urja Parikh, volunteer at the Shree Ganesh Temple of Chicago.

Navratri is mostly defined by dancing garba and eating various types of sweets. Ishika Bhatt, social media chair at De Paul’s South Asian Student Association (SASA) described what the dance sym bolizes.

“A garba is basically a traditional Gu jrathi dance where people kind of dance in circles, and usually around an idol, in this case would be the goddess,” she said.

At garbas, people will dance both the garba and dandiya.

Dandiya is like garba with ornate handheld wooden dowels that are hit against each other in place of clapping.

While garba and dandiya dances can be complex, most of the dances seen at garbas are very simple. Even for the sim pler dances though, there is a learning curve.

“If you ask someone, they will prob ably show you. People who do garba are very passionate about doing garba, and they will include as many people as they can in what they are doing,” Bhatt said.

The traditional dresses worn for gar ba are called ghagra cholis. Ghagra cholis are a short blouse and a long skirt, both multicolored and heavily embroidered with mirrors and beads.

The skirts are designed to billow and glitter as the dancers twirl around the idol.

The nine nights of Navratri correlate to a different rupam of Durga, a differ

ent prasad, or food that has been blessed by god, and a different colored saree for Durga’s murti, meaning idol.

DePaul’s SASA plans to celebrate Navratri as well.

“At DePaul, we are throwing the garba on September 30, and there we are going to have everybody in traditional cloth ing,” said Pooja Parikh, the marketer at SASA.

“We have Indian food, we are going to be doing aarti there with the murti in the center.”

Aartis are mass prayer ceremonies with singing and clapping.

DePaul’s garba is not restricted to only Hindus and South Asians.

“It’s not going to be super super reli gious, it is more so something that we are celebrating, like we are celebrating the goddess, and while it is still a religious event, we would invite anybody who would like to attend,” Bhatt said.

SASA is not a religious organization, but they aim to celebrate as many South Asian holidays as they are able to.

“Navratri’s a more religious event, I know,” Pooja Parikh said.

“We are going to try to have some thing for Eid as well.”

“Whether you are from North India or South India, it does not matter. As long as you are from South Asia, we try to cover events,” Kush Shah said, secre tary at SASA.

“This year our plan is to hold a Di wali banquet with maybe other schools and try to hold small events like movie nights.”

Due to the pandemic, SASA has been unable to host as many events as they would have hoped, but the board mem bers hope to change that this year.

“Basically, we are trying to culturally connect everyone at DePaul with South Asian culture,” Shah said.

The Shree Ganesh Temple will be hosting festivities every day of Navratri, including free nightly garbas and daily aartis.

DePaul’s garba will take place on a Friday at the Cortelyou Commons in the Lincoln Park Campus.

Admission is $8 and the link to pur chase tickets can be found on DePaul SA SA’s Instagram page.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

A murti of the goddess Durga at the Shree Ganesh Temple located on W Devon Ave.

AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA

Ghagra cholis are traditionally styled with a long shawl called a dupatta.

Jhumkas, traditional bell-shaped earrings worn across South Asia, can be seen in Hindu art as far back as 300 B.C. Bangles are another popular form of jewerly worn by dancers.

AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA

PUBLISHING THE PEOPLE

DePaul work shown at Printers

Row Lit Fest

By LiLLy K eLLeR &

The prospect of being officially pub lished can be thrilling to even those who never considered themselves to ever be au thors. From gaining credibility, to person al satisfaction, being published in college allows for individuals to not only bulk up their resume, but also express their inter ests and creativity through writing.

Last Saturday, Big Shoulder Books, DePaul University’s official publisher, launched two new anthologies, “Virus City”, edited by Rebecca Johns and Robin Hoecker, and “American Gun”, edited by Chris Green.

Each anthology features the work of graduate and undergraduate students alike, as they offer an intimate perspective of Chicago through the eyes of those who call it home.

Told through 28 perspectives, “Virus City” illustrates how the coronavirus pan demic impacted Chicagoians and affected the stability of day-to-day life.

Ironically, prior to the pandemic, “Vi rus City” was originally going to be about life in incarceration, where students put together brief narratives highlighting pris oners’ experience within Chicago prisons.

“It made sense that the pandemic itself would become the subject of the book,” Johns said.

As an associate professor and director of the graduate program in writing and publishing, Johns taught four classes on interviewing and producing narratives to generate content for the book.

“The working thesis we came up with as a group was that the pandemic was ex acerbating inequalities that already exist ed,” said Johns. “With that kind of thought in mind, I sent them out via Zoom into neighborhoods mostly on the South and West Sides, we were looking for under represented voices and people who do not normally get their stories told in the media and wanted a chance to explain how the pandemic has been affecting them.”

Interviews within the book range from business owners, parents, teachers and health care workers, allowing for an array of broad experiences within the city to be told.

Similarly, students were given loose guidelines when it came to locating inter view subjects.

“For the most part, students came up with the subjects themselves, which ended up being really wonderful. They brought their own experience and understanding to the topics and to the people they were

talking to,” said Johns.

One unique aspect to the anthology is its surplus of footnotes, allowing readers an intricate glimpse into the atmosphere of Chicago in 2020.

“I was very conscious with this book being a historical record of the time peri od and so I wanted to document what cer tain things were like the Chicago Teachers Union threatening to strike, or one subject talks about General Iron relocating to the south east side,” said Johns.

Burrowed in the middle of students’ transcriptions lie photos documenting how photojournalism students coped with both the pandemic and tumultuous social and political climate.

Amy Do, a recent graduate of DePaul explained how she got involved with the anthology after her photo journalism and environmental justice class went online.

“So what ended up happening was she changed all of the assignments to docu ment our personal lives and basically take pictures of what we were doing and what we were eating and where we were working out and what kinds of interactions we were having,” Do said.

It was not until Do graduated from DePaul’s masters program that Hoecker reached out and asked if she wanted her photos to be featured in the book.

“This was my first experience seeing my work in print, so it is really cool to have something you know in this digital age that you can hold in your hand and share with family and friends. I also think it is a really cool way to show the skills I accumulated over my years at DePaul,” Do said.

Do’s photo collection is titled “Finding Beauty In New Places,” and features six images ranging from Vietnamese cooking, yoga and two young boys playing in a pud dle.

“It is a community history, a collective work of normal people coping with the ab normal during a really unfortunate time in world history,” Do said.

Johns passed out hard copies of “Virus City” and “American Gun,” anthologies from Big Shoulders at Lit Fest.

“American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chi cagoans” in 2020, but the themes of gun violence still persist. 100 Chicagoans from all over the city, particularly the South and West Sides, contributed to the poem.

Chris Green, Big Shoulders editor and DePaul senior professional lecturer, used poetry to personalize those affected by gun

not represented in the media.”

Poet Ana Castillo was featured in the poem and reflects about how vio lence should be addressed.

“Our immediate needs could be rural, urban and address this issue and at some point this country has to come to some realistic terms that translate into action for the sake of our youth and our families,” Castillo said.

Green utilized the stanzas and compo sition called pantoum to create a statement about the themes.

“The form of the pantoum is such that

every line in the

ed twice,” Green said. “Lines two and four from one stanza that become lines one and three and the following stanzas on and on.”

The poem’s beat mimics a

ingly endless round of gun deaths in the city,”

By creating the anthology al’s by this one issue, it becomes personal

“I hope that [readers] see that gun violence is a personal issue,” he said.

“That their actual per sons are not just statistics that are dying from gun violence. I think because of this ability to pay at tention to the kind of nuanced detail and imagery that people deserve in these kinds of extreme situations.”

AMY DO| THE DEPAULIA

Nadia ca RoLiBa h eRNa Ndez

"American Gun" explores the impact of gun violence in Chicago. The poem depicted in this graphic was written by Dawson Larriuz.

GRAPHICS BY LILLY KELLER | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul graduate Amy Do's contribution to "Virus City," an anthology about the pandemic.

Above graphic inspired by poem 101 in "American Gun" by Elise Fong and Anujin Batbold.

I

Am Not Defined

By LiLLy K eLLeR Arts & Life Editor

DePaul junior Katie Holloway was wading into the depth of another sleep less night when the phrase ‘I am not de fined’ came to her.

"It was 4 o'clock one morning and I couldn't sleep because my hips were being irritated, and I was on my phone thinking of titles [for the podcast] and came up with “I Am Not Defined," Hol loway said.

Holloway's restless inspiration would take center stage in the following weeks when Disability at DePaul, a student-led group created through the University's Academic Growth and Innovation Fund (AGIF), unveiled their latest project.

The podcast "I Am Not Defined," hosted by Holloway and DePaul junior Emma Salgado-Diaz, released its first full-length episode last Friday, highlight ing a conversation with T.C. Schneck, the associate director for DePaul's Center for Students with Disabilities.

For Holloway, the podcast was more than a way of starting the conversation regarding accessibility and equity for dis abled students at DePaul.

It stood as a challenge against the harmful characterizations that have plagued marginalized communities for too long.

"If you think about it, a lot of commu nities deal with labels, and in the disabili ty community, we always tend to be faced

with labels,” Holloway said. “As a person who's been mostly labeled all her life, I am not defined by what the labels are."

DePaul public policy professor and former supervisor of Disability at DePaul Kelly Tzoumis pitched the idea for the podcast during spring quarter last year. It took almost two months of planning to get the podcast up and running.

"Kelly was the one who originally cre ated AGIF, and she was doing research and found that more people are into pod casts," Holloway said. "When she was my old employer, she wanted to have a pod cast built into AGIF so that those who don't have social media can tune in and hear what resources DePaul has to offer."

As of 2022, 37% of Americans listen to at least one podcast per month, a 5% increase from 2019, making it one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment.

The uniqueness of "I Am Not De fined" resides within the formulation of each episode.

Where some shows stick to a repet itive format, "I Am Not Defined" deliv ers its content through a combination of interviews with members of the DePaul community, segments on the history of activism within the disabled community and accessibility on campus.

"The first episode was the trailer, and from the trailer we went with interview ing T.C., [who] was the new. . .head of CSD,” Holloway said.

“The next episode is going to be the history behind the capital call, and the

504 sit-in, and its importance, followed by our reaction to it and how we person ally feel.”

For co-host Salgado-Diaz, the pod cast was a way to bridge the gap between incoming students and those with more knowledge and experience on campus.

"When I first joined the team in March, they had talked about being more involved when it came to student engagement, more involved in talking to students and finding platforms to make it very much student led, so incoming stu dents as well as current DePaul students know that they can come to students in stead of feeling overwhelmed with pro fessionals," Salgado-Diaz said.

While Salgado-Diaz herself is not dis abled, she is no stranger to witnessing the hardships the community faces.

"You can very much hear Katie open up about her experiences with disability, and [my outside] perspective, because I have a disabled father and my brother is autistic,” Salgado-Diaz said.

“Though I do not have a disability, I have always been surrounded by people who do and can see how unaccommodat ing the world can be.”

Since the first episode aired, Salga do-Diaz remained steadfast in the pod cast's primary goal of starting the conver sation on accessibility at DePaul.

"I feel like starting the conversation is having a platform to start it,” Salgado Diaz said.

“At the end of the day, you can always start a conversation, but if nobody is say ing anything out loud, then nothing will be accomplished.”

Highlighted throughout the first ep isode was the perception of equity for disabled students and the importance of understanding the purpose of academic accommodations.

"Accommodations are not advantag es,” Salgado Diaz said. “People like to assume - like T.C. said in the interview - that you could give me more time in a math test, but if I don't know math, I'm still not passing.”

While the podcast is still in its infan cy, its themes of perspective, community and education invite listeners to challenge their biases and understand that individu als are not defined by their disability.

Katie Holloway

"I will never experience what my father experiences or my brother, but what I can do is learn my part and use my voice to advocate with them," Salga do-Diaz said.

Tzoumis explains her inspiration be hind the idea of a podcast.

"As part of our research we did find that high school students and transfer students were listening to more and more podcasts," Tzoumis said.

Tzoumis, alongside Driehaus College of Business instructor Kent Klaus, led AGIF through phases one and two of the grant, which they used to reach out and enlist future disabled students to attend DePaul.

"I hope, and this was the goal of AGIF and now CSD, that we reach out to stu dents outside of DePaul and that the high school and transfer students know that DePaul is a place that they can come to and be supported," Tzoumis said.

Schneck, also assistant director at the Center for Students with Disabilities, expressed his excitement for overseeing Disability at DePaul's progress alongside the growth of "I Am Not Defined."

"I'm more of an adviser to them, just having somebody who they can run their content through for feedback and sugges tions," Schneck said.

Schneck participated in the first ep isode of the podcast as an interviewee, answering questions relating to how stu dents can apply to receive accommoda tions and the difference between equality and equity.

"While they don't work for CSD and are not part of CSD, their hope is to get the word out to students with disabilities inside DePaul and outside of DePaul that DePaul is an option and DePaul can ac commodate students who have different disabilities," Schneck said.

New episodes of "I Am Not Defined" will be released every Friday and are available on Spotify and on Disability at DePaul’s website, with transcripts of the episodes.

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

"As a person who's been mostly labeled all her life, I am not defined by what the labels are"

DePaul Junior

New student podcast encourages students to re-think what they know about disability

Like a good poem, you’ll want to keep coming back

DPAM exhibitions in conversation with Krista Franklin and Ionit Behar

By LiLy Low Ndes Social Media Editor

For artist Krista Franklin, surrealism is more than an artistic movement. It is a way of seeing the world, a way of living life.

Rather than creating surrealist art, Frank lin weaves the surrealist lifestyle into her books, poetry, collages, murals, performances and other creations.

“It's not necessarily always like, ‘I'm going to set out to make this thing that's surrealist,’ you know,” Franklin said. “ It's more like, ‘I'm going to live my life in a way that completely resists any forces that seek to destroy, or un dermine, oppress.’”

The DePaul Art Museum (DPAM), locat ed just off of the Fullerton Station, is hosting two exhibitions that showcase the liberating themes of surrealism: “Solo(s),” Franklin’s first solo museum exhibition, and “A Natural Turn” featuring artists María Berrío, Joiri Minaya, Rosana Paulino and Kelly Sinnapah Mary.

“The two exhibitions are really in con versation with each other,” said Ionit Behar, the associate curator of DPAM and curator of the two exhibitions. “Questioning these ideas of stereotypes and identities and communi cating a message that's not necessarily direct, but leaves room for people to have their own perspective on what they're actually seeing as opposed to being assigned with a particular point of view.”

Franklin said that the exhibitions show case a different side of surrealism.

“I feel like there's a lot of work being done in both exhibitions around recovery and around speaking the things that cannot be said,” Franklin said.

DPAM’s current exhibitions feature Latinx and BIPOC artists, showcasing surrealism that is not often shown in the art world, despite its long tradition and cultural history.

“When people show you surrealism in books, they don't show you Black surrealism, you don’t see African surrealism,” Franklin said. “You see, for the most part, European surrealism, French surrealism. And so I'm very excited about that exhibition, also, be cause I feel like it ties in that love that I have for African Diasporic and the international reach [of surrealism] that transcends and precedes Europe.”

Museum-goers are invited into a visceral experience when walking into the exhibitions.

“I love that about both of these shows, that you go into these rooms, and you become a part of these worlds that are being built,” Franklin said. ”You are suddenly immersed.”

By Va Nessa Lopez Asst. News Editor

Chicago has a long history of excellent cuisine, but where can college students find inexpensive food? Although many Chicagoans can afford fine dining es tablishments, there are also places where college students can find high-quality food on a budget.

Unless you really know what you are looking for or decide to give it a try, you might miss these underrated Chi cago restaurants. Here are some worth seeking out restaurants near the DePaul campuses.

Allende Restaurant

2408 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Lincoln Park's own Mexican restau rant, which opens for breakfast and clos es well after midnight. A quick stop for delicious comfort food, including a va riety of tacos and the cheesiest nachos. At this DePaul late-night hangout, prices range from $2 to $8.

When walking into Franklin’s exhibition, “Solo(s),” viewers are greeted with walls filled with collages. A mixtape of audio recordings featuring writers and artists reading their fa vorite passages and poems on love fills the room. In the corner, the installation “Library of Love” invites visitors to write love letters or read through a collection of books on love in a time when we need more.

There is an overwhelming amount and breadth of work in “Solo(s).” The artist’s two favorite pieces, however, were installations that were collaborative and new.

Franklin described “Lift Off” in collabo ration with Gloria “Gloe” Talamantes and the sculpture “In the Dream I was Introduced to Myself,” in partnership with Marcos Mercado and Flor del Monte as her favorite pieces.

“My two favorite pieces right now are defi nitely the sculpture, as well as the mural, be cause they're new,” Franklin said. “They're new babies. Of course, when you have a new baby, you're like, ‘Yay, it's a new baby.’ You want to hold it up to everybody and show it off.”

In addition to the exhibition, Franklin and DPAM Associate Curator Ionit Behar co-cu rated four public events in conjunction with “Solo(s).” The events, beginning with an online conversation on Wednesday, Sept. 28, explore nuanced aspects of the show.

“For both Krista and I, programs are so important,” Behar said. “It's not an after thought in terms of first exhibition, then pro grams. They both really inform each other and are part of ongoing discoveries. It's almost like research. It reveals nuances, conversations that are throughout the exhibition, but it's an op portunity to kind of dig deeper.”

Franklin said that the events are an op portunity to open up a new side of herself to the public.“I'm very excited about all of [the events] because, for the most part, these are people that I haven't had public conversations with yet, although our relationships go far back,” Franklin said.

“So I think for me, it's an opportunity to share with other people parts of my life that had been fairly private.”

DPAM’s new exhibits and events celebrate the freedom and liberation associated with surrealism. Franklin urges everyone who is able to come visit “Solo(s)” and “A Natural Turn.”

“Come to these exhibitions,” Franklin said. “Experience them, sit in them, come back again and again. I really think about both of these exhibitions being highly poetic shows and I feel like with any good poem, you want to keep coming back, you want to re-enter it.”

Chowin' on a budget

ever find yourself in the loop campus, Lotus Banh Mi is the place to go. This restaurant serves dishes like house pork salads, curry chicken, and banh mi sand wiches, with prices ranging from $9 to $12.

Pasta Palazzo

1966 N. Halsted, Chicago

Fresh pasta, sandwiches, salads, and specials? A college student's dream. Pasta Palazzo serves authentic Italian cuisine that is both "innovative and traditional." With a variety of pasta options and even some healthy alternatives. The prices range from $5 to $12.

Yummy Yummy Asian Cuisine

2901 N Broadway, Chicago

Chicago’s Dog House

816 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago

Hot dog stands are a staple in Chi cago, especially Lincoln Park. A small restaurant with a heart named Chicago's Dog House, sells many specialty hot dogs from "Snoop Dog" to "Alligator sausage, aka Chance the Snapper.” Plenty of meat-

free options are available at the restau rant. There is a lunch special and a "Blue Demon Dog" for DePaul students, with prices ranging from $5 to $10.

Lotus Banh Mi

166 W Washington St, Chicago

Looking for tasty Vietnamese food like banh mi sandwiches and pho? If you

A large menu with many vegetari an options, as well as many smoothies and boba. A small restaurant ideal for a dinner for two or a quick bite on the go. Menu prices range from $6 to $14 and in clude tasty rice, noodles and soups.

Museumgoers appraise the artwork of Krista Franklin at the DePaul Art Museum.

UNA CLEARY| THE DEPAULIA

LILY LOWNDES| THE DEPAULIA

In her art, Franklin explores a variety of mediums such as collage, writing and sound.

UNA CLEARY| THE DEPAULIA

Franklin's showcase will be available for public viewing until Feb. 19 2023.

TYLER OCAMPO THE DEPAULIA

DePaul's sick kicks on campus

By JoNah weBeR Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Sneakers, boots, clogs and Crocs, these shoes are a quintessential part of any outfit and DePaul students are bringing the shoe flex this autumn quarter. Whether the stu dents are traveling between classes in the Loop, or working on the Quad, these shoes fit every occasion.

Sammy Billy is a senior, and was in the Loop campus last week and she had on a pair of New Balance 550s. Originally coming out in 1989, the 550s were not the most popular basketball shoe, considering the popularity of Jordans and Reeboks. They were off the map for decades. After being relaunched in 2021, the 550s have dominated the sneaker world. Billy has had her pair since July and they are a constant in her rotation.

“They're everyday sneakers. I wear them when I’m walking around, walking my dogs, running errands. They work with every thing,”Billy said.

Billy was drawn towards the 550s for their durability, sleek look and dynamic style.

of run their course,” Billy said. “I really love New Balance. I think they’re the sneaker of our generation.”

who is currently a city planner major, but thinking about taking up a fashion major.

week with a pair of brown, leather cowboy boots. The boots were paired perfectly with

when I needed them the most.”

Auerbach was drawn to the square toe boots for an authentic reason.

“The square toe is a little more true cow boy, I feel like the pointed toe is a little over done,” Auerbach said.

Being from Louisville, Kentucky, this

are a shoe that covers the whole foot, but leaves the back open, for easy on and off abil ity. The Birkenstock Bostons have become

ALICIA GOLUSZKA | THE DEPAULIA

Nancy Batsukh rocks a pair of Retro Jordan One's while studying in the SAC.

“I think anyone who wants to stand out as an individual in Chicago, Illinois should have a pair of cowboy boots,” Auerbach said.

JONAH WEBER| THE DEPAULIA

What’s Fresh

By etha N M atteus Contributing Writer

Perhaps no intellectual property is more prized than “The Lord of the Rings.” Simi lar to a huge serpent, the trilogy has coiled around almost all of Western culture and re arranged many of the classic archetypes the imaginarium of the public associates with the fantasy genre. When Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of the books came out in the early 2000s, they were received with such praise that one would be forgiven for think ing Jackson was JRR Tolkien reincarnate.

However, ever since “The Return of the King’s” 2003 release, every effort to adapt a Tolkien property has gone downhill. “The Hobbit” movies are considered the epitome of a corporate cash grab. For years, a filmed version of “The Silmarillion” has been em broiled in a copyright court case, as reported by Screenrant, so thorny that it would be a miracle if even a single second of footage is ever shot.

“The Rings of Power,” Amazon’s new se ries set in the world of Middle-earth, con tinues this downward trend. Even though it might be one the most expensive television series ever made, costing around $465 mil lion, its fastidious writing comes at the ex pense of other crucial story elements. The show’s technical prowess cannot save it from faulty storytelling and ideology.

Set about 5,000 years before the films, the plot of the show is relatively dense and follows a Leo Tolstoy-esque structure where numerous independent plot lines eventual ly converge for some grand catharsis. Gal adriel, an elven warrior, takes it upon herself to hunt down the malevolent Sauron who killed her brother. The elf Arondir suspects a deep evil is lurking in the section of Mid

dle-earth he has sworn to protect. A race of Hobbit-like creatures known as the Harfoots live peacefully until their world is disrupted by a comet that crashes next to their village.

Finally, Elrond, an elf who has aspirations of political success, attempts to climb the social hierarchy through a series of schemes.

If this seems incredibly intricate and somewhat indecipherable, you would not be mistaken. The biggest failing of the show is its prioritization of self-referentiality. While the original books drew upon a wealth of extratextual influences, from the poetry of Siegfried Sassoon to the novels of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the series's sole inspiration is itself. Any political subtext that Tolkien originally wrote about, namely the rise of totalitarianism after World War I, has been flattened by Jeff Bezos’s marketing team in an effort to make the show more profitable.

For example, the first three episodes are purely expository. Their only function is to set up future conflicts while also aggressive ly reminding the audience they are watch ing a show about “The Lord of the Rings.” In comparison, Peter Jackson’s films never fail to have a clear thematic throughline and swiftly establish the stakes and goals, despite the long run times. Even in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” which takes a fair amount of time getting off the ground, everything is precise and the audience has no problem following the dynamics at play. In the first three episodes of “The Rings of Power,” with each episode running just over an hour, the only clear detail is that a nebulous evil lurks nearby.

Even the show’s efforts at post-racial casting fall short. The works of Tolkien have an undoubtedly complicated relationship with race, and the bioessentialism in his

'Barbarian':

By cLaiR e tweedie SGA BeAt Writer

This year’s horror line-up may have a new first place after “Barbarian.” The film left viewers screaming in terror, both from the actual movie monsters and the accurate caricatures that made even the most satirical situations all too realistic.

Purposefully misleading marketing for the movie and an effective charac ter-driven narrative creates an immer sive experience that pulls the viewer past the unknown, into a story you can’t help but keep watching.

As you are flung into a story that while fictional and thankfully impossi ble, has just enough reality sprinkled, the fear is all too present.

“Barbarian,” in its most basic form, is about Tess Marshall, a young woman who finds out the AirBnB she rented for a job interview already has an occupant after being double-booked. With no where else to go in the desolate part of town, she reluctantly stays and slowly befriends the stranger.

Upon the discovery of a concealed door in the basement leading to a net work of equally haunting tunnels, she must fight for survival amidst the secrets of the house.

This movie is not at all what you ex pect after seeing a trailer or making as sumptions off of the first ten minutes. The genius marketing, with misleading advertising and ambiguous trailers, is probably what makes the movie so pow

The drastic twists and turns through

out also keep you on the edge of your seat, uncertain of what else may be lurk ing in the dark.

To spoil this movie would be to com pletely ruin it because the unknown, paired with the jarring realization of what is actually happening, is what gives the viewer whiplash and glued to their seat for more.

Wading through the uncertainty and taking the audience along for the ride is protagonist Tess Marshall, played by Georgina Campbell.

In true final girl fashion, Campbell has you rooting for her until the bitter end. Her performance is supported by

books deserves interrogation. Naturally, one might applaud the progressive decision to diversify historically white roles. The cen tral issue is that the show’s association with Amazon undermines this very experiment. When a company that has squashed any at tempts for its employees to unionize tries to reimagine itself as a purveyor of progressive ideology, something is surely amiss.

In terms of the politics in “The Rings of Power,” this is the methodology: a perpet ual hint at political ideas that never form. JA Bayona, the director of the first two ep isodes, creates more than a few stunning images, but his claim that the show tackles topics such as Francoist fascism does not hold weight. The conflicts presented are so broad – portrayed in stereotypical terms of good versus bad – that a political reading from either side of the spectrum can be pro jected onto it. It lacks specificity.

Despite these shortcomings, “The Rings of Power’s” visual style is impeccable. On a purely aesthetic level, there are a number of striking scenes, and the first few episodes aptly synthesize fantasy and horror iconog

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

raphy to create a few genuinely unsettling scenes. The reliance on practical effects, particularly the makeup and prosthetics of the Harfoots and Orcs, are notable and cre ate a genuinely tactile world. Even the use of CGI, an effect that is frequently derid ed when it is used in shows of this magni tude, accentuates the cities and landscapes of Middle-earth effectively. Sadly, these inspired moments cannot overcome the show's failings.

Ultimately, any political or creative po tential “The Rings of Power” had has been squandered. To some extent, its very cre ation by Amazon doomed it to a cultural ly liminal space where its ambitions could never be fully realized. Many of the systems it could interrogate were a part of its cre ation, and its writing is too obsessed with the notion of intellectual property to craft an engaging story. With every new installa tion in this universe, the chances of success fully recapturing Tolkien’s past ambitions become less and less likely.

new terrifying success

mances are, what makes them so worth while is the dialogue. The screenplay, written by director Zach Cregger, crafts these characters into three-dimensional beings within this fictitious world. Every single one of their actions and choices makes sense on such a humanly-flawed level and is justified as hints and char acter traits are sprinkled throughout. You may need to dissect it a little bit, but there is enough explanation within the ambiguity that it just makes sense.

The only potential issue within the movie is what makes it oddly unique: the shock and awe factor. For a firsttime viewer, it is utterly horrifying as the sudden information being thrown at you culminates in a lot of effective jump scares in an already tense situation. To be clear, jump scares are absolutely nothing original to the genre, but the way they are done within this context gives an overload of epiphany and adrenaline that leaves you reeling.

Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long. Both deserve praise for their performances though Skarsgård’s slightly creepy char acterization may simply be from the au dience's continual perception of him as the clown from “It.”

As for Long, his character, who is thrown against the horrors of the house with Campbell, is such a scum-bag that all you can do is hate him even when he shows a glimmer of redemption.

It is honestly impressive how much you can despise him even in comparison to the movie’s villain, forcing the audience to question who the real antagonist is.

No matter how great these perfor

If horror is your genre, this mov ie is definitely one of the best thus far this year, though it is not for the faint of heart. A word advice for the next viewer though: go in blind. Uncertainty is your ally even as it clouds your judgment and raises your heartbeat. Conversely, take a moment to process what just happened when the lights turn back on. The ending gives whiplash like no other. While “Bar barian” may not have been a blockbuster, it has proven to be an audience favorite and a truly terrifying experience.

Georgina Campbell and Justin Long star in Zach Cregger's new horror film "Barbarian."

PHOTO FROM IMDB

Out of Power: 'The Rings of Power' lacks the inspiration of the original

D e JAMZ

“Spinning freSh beatS Since 1581”

By LiLLy K eLLeR Arts & Life Editor

We've all been there, sitting in silence beside your parent, listening to the song you hand-picked to play. Unfortunately, you never truly realized how question able your masterpiece's lyrics are until this moment as you recognize precisely how loud silence can be.

It is no secret that musicians use their art to amplify political messages and crit icize religion. Still, it begs the question of whether or not a song can go too far with its intended meaning and become inap propriate to play. Love or hate them, con troversial pieces have the power to make or break an artist and spark a debate that will probably outlive us all.

Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell Williams

Starting with none other than the one-hit wonder Robin Thicke with

“Blurred Lines.” Are the lyrics atrocious? Absolutely. Will I skip this song when it comes on shuffle? Not a chance. I feel like women can enjoy this song unprob lematically since there are probably more songs out there that share similar dubi ous and overall objectifying themes than not. With that being said, if a man ever says he likes this song, turn in the oppo site direction and never look back.

Dear God – XTC

This was one of my favorite songs in the epitome of my youth. While I am not religious, this piece makes it onto my controversial song list solely because if my Grandma heard it, she would con vulse on the spot. Anyways, no matter your beliefs, you can't deny that the lyrics "Did you make disease and the diamond blue? Did you make mankind after we made you?" go incredibly hard.

Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the Peo ple

I don't think I need to explain this

one. Spanning from this song's 2010 re lease to 2019, over 400 school shootings have taken place across the country. While Foster the People announced that they are considering retiring the song, I don't believe this anthem will ever fade from music, especially when it unites a generation of students who turned from an “if” to a “when.”

Beds are Burning – Midnight Oil

Few things are better than this po litical ballad that demands white people relinquish their stolen land. "Beds are Burning" is an unapologetic appeal for Indigenous justice in the face of West ern colonization that took the lives of over 200,000 aboriginal people from their homeland. Today, as few as 30,000 Australians possess legitimate claims to Indigenous descent throughout the con tinent.

Ur So Gay – Katy Perry

If I'm being honest, I'm pretty sure I found out what being gay was through

this song. Honestly, I have to give it to Perry; this song is another that I could listen to on repeat. From the cultural snapshot of the early 2000s to the final lyric stating, "no you don't even like pe nis," this song makes me crack up every time I hear it. It's iconic, a masterpiece and I hope this song continues to fore shadow the lives of other curious youth.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKI

DePaul releases basketball schedules for 2022-23

Men to host Loyola MD in opener Women face Marquette on Jan. 4

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

The 2022-23 DePaul Blue Demons men’s basketball schedule is now officially finalized. This year’s schedule includes 31 games with 15 of them taking place at Wintrust Arena.

Tony Stubblefield will be entering his sec ond year as head coach of the Blue Demons after leading them to a 15-16 overall record last season, which was their best since 2019.

The Blue Demons will be featured eight times on network television, six on CBSSN and two on FOX. One of their two FOX net work games will take place on Christmas Day, when DePaul takes on conference rival Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska at 3:30 p.m. CT.

The season opener on Nov. 7 will feature full game coverage on the FoxSports App. DePaul will host Loyola (MD.) at Wintrust Arena, with 6:45 p.m. tip off scheduled. The Blue Demons and Greyhounds both finished with the same 14-16 record a year ago.

DePaul is set to have 11 non-conference games which include Loyola Maryland on Nov. 7, Western Illinois on Nov. 11, Minne sota on Nov. 14, Santa Clara on Nov. 18, USF/ Oklahoma State on Nov. 20, Texas A&M on Nov. 25, Samford on Nov. 30, Loyola Chicago on Dec. 3, UTEP on Dec. 10, Duquensne on Dec. 14 and Northwestern on Dec. 17.

DePaul’s games against Santa Clara and USF/Oklahoma State will be taking place in Nassau, Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship tournament. Both games will be network televised games on CBS.

The Blue Demons toughest non-con ference game this season will be when they travel to Loyola Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 3.

The Ramblers finished last season with a 26-5 record and were eliminated by Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

DePaul is set to have 20 Big East con ference games starting on Dec. 7 when the Blue Demons travel to St. John’s on FS1 at 5:30 p.m. The remaining conference games include Creightom on Dec. 25 and Mar. 4, Georgetown on Dec. 29 and Jan. 24, Prov idence on Jan. 1 and Jan. 21, Butler on Jan. 4 and Feb. 22, Villanova Jan 10. and Feb. 8, Seton Hall on Jan. 14 and Feb. 5, Xavier on Jan. 18 and Feb. 18, Marquette on Jan. 28 and Feb. 25 , UConn on Jan. 31 and Mar. 1 and St. John’s on Feb. 14.

The Blue Demons most challenging Big East conference foe this season will most like ly be Villanova even with Jay Wright stepping down as head coach. Villanova decided to stick to in-house and promote assistant Kyle Neptune, so the Blue Demons won’t see too much change. Villanova made it all the way to the Final Four last season after finishing with a 30-8 overall record and securing a Big East title.

The Blue Demons are heading into their most anticipated season in recent memory and head coach Tony Stubblefield’s message to the fans is to stick with them, they won’t be disappointed.

“Just stick with us, the team has been working extremely hard,” Stubblefield said in an interview with the DePaulia. “I think the [fans] will like the fight in our guys and they are going to go out and compete for 40 min utes every night, our style of play of getting up and down the floor, playing hard and being aggressive. Stick with us and come out and support these guys, I am sure they won’t be disappointed.”

By Preston Zbroszczyk Asst. Sports Editor

As the 2022-23 women’s basketball schedule gets released to the public, the high ly anticipated season is now 51 days away from tipoff for head coach Doug Bruno and his team.

After last season’s First Four loss to Day ton in the NCAA Tournament, Bruno will apply his newly acquired players with his re turning players and look to make noise in the Big East.

The Blue Demons will open the season with their portion of non-conference oppo nents at Wintrust Arena against American University on Wednesday Nov. 9.

This season DePaul will be participating in the Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-off in Florida. The three day event runs Nov. 25 to 27 just after Thanksgiving. The Blue Demons will match up against the University of Mary land, University of Pittsburgh and Towson University.

Following the Fort Myers trip, DePaul will travel to Butler University where they will start the Big East portion of the schedule. Last season the Blue Demons had the Bull dogs number, In the two meetings DePaul was victorious by a win margin of 34 and 37 points.

On Dec. 18, DePaul will host its Big East

home opener against Georgetown, another team the Blue Demons have had recent suc cess against under Doug Bruno.

Wednesday Jan. 4 will be the first time the Golden Eagles of Marquette meet Bru no’s Blue Demons since the Big East tourna ment meeting last season. The Blue Demons against Marquette last season were 1-2 in those three meetings and left a bitter taste in their mouth following a 85 to 105 loss to end the Blue Demons season.

Geno Auriemma and the UConn Hus kies will meet twice with the Blue Demons. The leaders of the Big East for the last 20 plus seasons look to continue its dominance.

DePaul nearly achieved their second win all-time against the Huskies when they fell short 78 to 80 in overtime. With star guard Paige Buekcers likely to miss the whole sea son with a torn ACL, the Blue Demons could look to capitalize off the absence.

The regular season will conclude on Feb. 27 against Marquette on Fox Sports 1, and on March 3, the Big East Tournament will begin.

Bruno since taking over in 1988 has an overall 731-357 and has only had two seasons where his team did not achieve a .500 record or better.

DePaul will look to make it back into the NCAA Tournament and the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

DePaul snaps losing skid, beats Lindenwood 3-1

By Max Rayman Contributing Writer

Goals have been hard to come by for De Paul’s women’s soccer, scoring a meager four goals through the team’s first six games. Yet, in their 3-1 win over Lindenwood University, they were able to get on the board early and often.

“Obviously, I’m always happy to win,” head coach Michele O’Brien said. “Our team needed a good win. To score three goals in the first half is great. I’m definitely proud of the team for that. We had a pretty good firsthalf performance, executed, and stayed on top of the game,”.

Led by graduate captain Sydney Parker and sophomore forward Katie Godden, De Paul’s offense was too much to handle for Lin denwood. The duo got DePaul on the board in the fourth minute with Godden setting up Parker on a corner kick, whose header buried the ball deep into the net. Kept off the board through their first six games, this was Parker’s first goal of the season.

“We played the corner short, and Katie put a perfect serve in, and I just put a header in,” Parker said. “It was a great ball by Katie.”

In the 31st minute Godden tallied his second assist, this time to sophomore for ward Susie Sodderstrom. With the goalie running out to stop the pass, Sodderstrom was able to beat the keeper, keep her momen

tum, and score all in one fluid motion. Nine minutes later, Parker scored her second goal of the day, this time off a free kick from junior defender Grace Phillpotts.

After being shutout in the first half, Lin denwood was able to get on the board in the 48th minute, thanks to junior forward Mag gie Weller. Despite the early second-half goal, DePaul senior goalie Elena Milam remained calm, keeping Lindenwood off the board for the rest of the game.

“Milam had a solid performance. She did not get tested too much, but did deal with what she had to deal with and handled it well,” O’Brien said.

DePaul’s defense was able to stifle Lind enwood throughout the game, holding them to six shots, with only two on goal.

“Our defense is super solid,” senior goal ie Elena Milam said. “Every single day they pull up and are ready to work hard and put their body on the line. I have a lot of respect for them. We can’t be as successful as we are without our back line…”.

Lindenwood’s senior goalie Erika An stine started the game, allowing all three goals, before being subbed out for senior Sam Blazek at halftime. In the second half, DePaul took their foot off the gas.

“We lowered [ourselves] to their stan dards,” Godden said. “Going into Big East play, we need to up our standards a lot.”

Godden was not the only one who was

honest about the team’s second-half perfor mance.

“Second half we let up,” O’Brien said. “We should not be allowing a goal off a set piece in the first five minutes of the half. That is not the standard we hold our team to. Disap pointed about that. We should have absolute ly looked to get a shutout in this game. Then not being able to execute and generate a goal in the second half was disappointing…”

The offense took their foot off the gas.

“We were not making the right decisions in the final third,” O’Brien said. “We were dribbling too much when we should have been passing. Shooting into players when

there was not a clear look. Not the right de cisions.”

DePaul (2-5) will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Wish Field against their conference rival Marquette (4-3-1), for their first Big East game of the season. First touch is set for 4:00 PM CST.

“Any Big East team comes in with a very aggressive approach,” Milam said. “The Big East is a very competitive conference. We are going to need to lock in this week and focus on staying composed under pressure. Under [the kind of] pressure, specifically, that Mar quette is going to bring on us. They do every year.”

DePaul freshman Lina Dantes dribbles past Lindenwood defenders during Thursday’s 3-1 victory.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Volleyball looks to conference play after Chicago Cup

By Preston Zbroszczyk Asst. Sports Editor

Coming in with a three-game win streak, DePaul volleyball looked to make it six wins in a row ahead of Chicago Cup, but a tough task stood in their way.

This marked the fourth consecutive season that the Chicago Cup has been the final send off for the teams involved before individual conference play begins.

After last week’s impressive sweep at

DePaul Invitational, the Blue Demons traveled a short five and a half miles to this season’s host of the Chicago Cup, the University of Illinois Chicago.

Here, they met with local Chicago teams like the Northwestern Wildcats and the Loyola Ramblers.

The Blue Demons were faced with a challenge early. They opened the Cup on Friday Sept 16 against Northwestern, who came in with only one loss.

Head coach Marie Zidek believes her team is well-prepared and ready to go up

against tough teams.

“I think we are battle tested,” Zidek said. “[In] our preseason, we have battled [high-quality] teams that play really good volleyball.”

With that preseason experience, DePaul picked up where they left off last week.

They stood their ground in the first set. DePaul messed with the flow of Northwestern’s offense in a back-andforth set. The Blue Demons ultimately came away with a 25-23 win.

Fortunes changed for the next three sets. As the Wildcats got more comfortable, they showed they were the better team.

The Blue Demons had a hard time against Northwestern junior setter Alexa Rousseau, whose left-handed ability allowed for unexpected setter dumps and kills that the Blue Demons weren’t prepared for.

“Against Northwestern, we battled, and they were a little bit better in the long run,” Zidek said. “I just reminded my team we are battle tested, and we can close out sets as well.”

The Blue Demons had to quickly put the loss behind them and start fresh for the next match against the Ramblers.

Getting back to their winning ways, the Blue Demons looked like themselves again against Loyola. Junior Jill Pressly led with 17 kills and was second with 10 digs.

Pressly’s consistent play and threat on the offense opened windows for other Blue Demon hitters to duplicate the same success Pressly had.

“It really allows other hitters on our team to be able to get up and take their own swings,” Pressly said. “[Throughout] the match, I know we had a lot of people open at the net, so it gave them the opportunity to find themselves and I think it really allows our team to become more diverse.”

DePaul was able to win the first set 25-17 against the Ramblers to put themselves ahead early. After dropping a

nail biting second set, the Blue Demons had some players step up big-time, leading them to a 3-1 match victory.

Senior Bailey Nelson was a force on the attacking end, along with stabilizing an effective block at the net. She finished the match with 11 kills and three blocks.

“It is just going out and doing the best I can,” Nelson said. “Obviously it’s my last year, so I just want to have the best year that I can have. So having that mindset that my time is running out, I just have to use every opportunity and capitalize on it.”

Zidek did some switching around in the lineup in the later sets against Loyola and had junior Julia Nagy playing backrow rotation, which led to her two aces in the set.

The result was not the same against UIC for the Blue Demons. The recurring theme of DePaul winning the first set played out again in this match, but the all-around performance from the Flames was too much for DePaul. They fell three sets to one in the final match of the Chicago Cup.

“UIC plays very rhythmic volleyball,” Zidek said. “They play fast, and they have fun. They have no fear and have a good setter that has both of their outside hitters hot right.”

As the schedule now shifts to Big East play, the Blue Demons look to use this gained experience and apply it towards a very competitive conference that opens next week.

The Blue Demons will travel to Milwaukee on Wednesday, Sept. 21 to play against the No. 21 ranked team in the country, the Marquette Golden Eagles.

DePaul will open at McGrathPhillips Arena on Friday, Sept. 23 with their Big East home-opener when they host the Butler Bulldogs.

DePaul huddles together during their game against UIC at the Chicago Cup Invitational on Saturday. The Blue Demons went 1-2 overall during the weekend tournament.

MARY GRACE BLAKE| THE DEPAULIA

Hockey shines in sweep over Bradley

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

DePaul men’s hockey had a strong start to their season after defeating Bradley with a clean two-game sweep. The Blue Demons offense erupted for 13 goals in their open ing weekend series led by senior defense man Michael Helf and junior defenseman Chris Lee, each scoring two goals.

“I think that we showed that we are capable of a lot of great things,” assistant coach Oliver Freij said. “We obviously score a lot of goals and have good depth this year but also showed that we’re taking way too many penalties. Overall, we showed a lot of promise and this group is really strong.”

DePaul won Friday night’s game against Bradley by a score of 9-5 in a one-sided matchup at Johnny’s IceHouse. The Blue Demons scored seven unanswered goals in the first two periods, which ultimately de cided the game.

The first period of the game was full of offense. Bradley scored the first goal within minutes of the opening faceoff, but DePaul struck back after Chris Lee scored and tied up the game at 12:13.

The Blue Demons offense controlled the entire second period, scoring four goals by four different players. DePaul scored three of their four goals within a three-minute span, which were recorded by defenseman Michael Helf (12:13), center Jackson Lep tish (10:46) and sophomore winger Matt Newton (9:46)

“I just shot it, to be honest,” Helf said about his two-goal night. “I probably should’ve buried a few more, but what are you gonna do? As long as we keep moving our feet, they’re not going to beat us.”

The third period of the game was all Bradley, but they proved to be too little, too late. Bradley scored three goals against junior goalie Asher Motew after he only al lowed two goals prior to the period. Lucki ly for the Blue Demons, DePaul had a com fortable lead.

“That’s not on our goalie, Asher [Motew] was excellent,” Freij said about Motew’s third period performance. “I think there was only a two shot difference in the

game and they had a lot of quality chances, but Asher was great tonight. ”

Anytime a goalie allows five goals in a game, it wouldn’t be seen as an encour aging performance, but Friday’s game was like no other due to an offensive explo sion from the Blue Demons. Both teams combined for nearly 60 shots on goal, and Motew was lights out during the first two periods.

“I thought overall I had a good game,” said Motew. “At the end of the day, when we take 13 penalties, you’re gonna get a little tired, but over the scheme of things, when you’re up by that much, sometimes [goalies] just check out.”

The Blue Demons were able to secure a win on Saturday in a closer matchup after defeating Bradley in a close 4-1 game. Up

2-1 in the final minutes of the game, De Paul tacked on two late game-sealing goals once Bradley pulled their goalie.

“I think it’s a learning experience be cause we came out flying yesterday,” senior goalie A.J. Grzbek said. “This is the type of game you need early on in the season, so it doesn’t happen later. You smoke them game one and go into game two thinking you’ll do it again and then they come out flying, and next thing you know, you’re tied heading into the third period.”

Bradley, similar to Friday night, got out ahead against DePaul on Saturday af ter scoring a power play goal at the 9:48 mark to take a 1-0 lead. The Blue Demons were shut out in the first period after scor ing four goals in period one the night be fore.

DePaul struck back early in the sec ond period when senior winger Brock Ash scored the tying goal at the 18:59 minute, assisted by sophomore winger Danny Mannarino.

A majority of the action took place in the third period. The Blue Demons were able to take advantage of a power play, and junior winger Billy Paschen scored the goahead goal at the 11:19 minute.

The Blue Demons landed 22 shots on goal compared to Bradley’s 12, and goalie A.J. Grzbek only allowed one goal in 60 minutes of ice time, playing a key role in DePaul’s opening series win.

DePaul (2-0) will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Johnny’s Ice Rink West against Northern Illinois at 3:30 p.m. CDT.

DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA

Senior defenseman Michael Helf scores one of his two goals against Bradley during Friday night’s 9-5 victory.

DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA

Junior Winger Billy Paschen skating up the ice against Bradley during Saturday’s 4-1 victory

Sports

Whispers at Wintrust Men’s basketball looks to up attendance from last in Big East

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

The DePaul men’s basketball team is on the verge of returning to relevance, whether that starts off with winning the Big East, landing highly-touted national recruits, or even solidifying a sustainable winning culture under second year head coach Tony Stubblefield.

DePaul is a basketball school, so the last thing the team should want to see is a repeat of underwhelming attendance fig ures seen a year ago.

DePaul men’s basketball’s 2021-22 home attendance figures are hard to ig nore, especially when they are astronom ically low compared to nearly every other school in the Big East conference.

“We know the numbers, it is not like it was a surprise,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy. “There were a lot of factors that went into the actual number, not saying whether or not we were going to be last in the Big East, but we are in a great league with a bunch of attendances that were season ticket holder bases bigger than ours. We have also had a tradition of five straight losing seasons before last year, a lot of factors went into it.”

DePaul’s home attendance figures from last season finished at 58,616 at Wintrust arena, which averaged out to 3,256 per game. Creighton led the con ference with 249,158 and outside of De Paul, Georgetown was the second lowest with 93,927.

“I am very appreciative of the fans that did come out,” said Stubblefield. “I just want to thank the fans for com ing out and supporting us. Obviously, in these situations you would like for that to grow and I think it will grow over time, but we are just very very appreciative of the ones who did support the team last year and make it a great home court ad vantage at Wintrust [Arena].

One of the biggest concerns regard ing DePaul’s home attendance, is the fact they are in the biggest market compared to their rivals. Wintrust Arena is located in the heart of downtown Chicago.

“I would not be here as Athletic Di rector if that was not an issue,” Peevy said. “Obviously, we need to get basket ball back to being Chicago’s team. There is a lot of interest, a ton of graduates in Chicago and people love DePaul. They have an interest and they follow it. They just are not coming to the games right now because there is not a fear of missing out yet.”

No other team in the Big East plays in a comparable market except for St. John’s, who play in Queens, New York. St. John’s still managed to average 6,273 fans per game, which was 3,017 more than De Paul last season.

A lot of factors came into the play, especially regarding DePaul’s marketing staff. At this time a year ago, DePaul had no plans in place regarding basketball marketing because the department lost its top two staff members to other jobs.

At the beginning of the basketball season last November, they had no marketing team in place.

“We had nobody,” Peevy said. “Just to get through the season, I felt blessed, so by the time we got to the end of the year, hiring Kassidy Brown and Jessica Dorsey were on board in February, we were at a chance to put things in place and learn a lot of what we were doing. Now, we’ve hired Jessica Leah, who was one of our grad assistants from last year, to fully compliment our three-person staff. We are ready to attack this year and I think both men and women’s basketball will benefit greatly, just because we have plans in place on how do we get people’s butts in seats.”

Kassidy Brown joined DePaul’s mar keting team mid-season, right around the start of conference play. She wanted to see things through before coming up with any plans on her own, but now that it’s the start of a new season, she has a better understanding of what needs to be done.

“Something that I realized was that there was such a misconception on De Paul students not caring about sports,” said Brown. “I do not think that is the case. We are trying to do things 365 [days] year round and get kids more in volved in wanting to go to events. We have met with a ton of student groups on campus and they want to see more game specific promotions.”

DePaul’s marketing plan going for ward to increase attendance for the up coming season will solely be focused on enhancing the game day experience. DePaul will be bringing back Billy Blue Demon night and the speed painter auc

tion for students. The goal is to find more unique fan experiences that will draw students and fans to games. Something that is also being explored is bringing in local musical artists to sing and perform the national anthem.

“We are working really heavily with our marketing student interns, who have a very good feel of what the student body wants,” said Brown. “Mainly geared to wards our students, but also from a sea son ticket holder perspective, we want to make sure they’re valued as much as they are. So we will be hosting more exclusive season ticket holder events for them.”

The Blue Demons have high expecta tions heading into the upcoming season. Tony Stubblefield believes that when you start winning, you are then building the right culture for what you are trying to do when it involves building a successful basketball program.

“Wintrust Arena is one of the best arenas in the country,” said Stubblefield. “It’s a great home-court advantage. We saw that last year and when you even just have four to five to even six thousand people it can get very loud. Being suc cessful will bring the fans out to Wintrust Arena.”

NATE BURLEYSON | THE DEPAULIA

Spectators watch during DePaul’s 71-59 loss against Creighton at Wintrust Arena on Feb. 17.

DePaul Men’s Basketball coach Tony Stubblefield watches his team in an exhibition matchup against Montevallo in 2021.

DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA