FALL’S TV EXTRAVAGANZA
Vol. # 95, Issue # 3
September 26, 2011
Arts & Life, Page 18
EDITORIAL
‘There is no justice in this’
Money talks Revenue prompts Big East realignment By JULIAN ZENG Assistant Sports Editor
DePaul senior Frankie Valencia was shot and killed at a Halloween party in 2009. In this photo taken June 20, 2009, Valencia works with children during a service trip in Colombia.
Gang member guilty in Frankie Valencia murder By RACHEL METEA Editor-in-Chief Victor Valencia said he was overwhelmed with tears of happiness, anger and sadness on Friday, Sept. 17 when gang member Narcisco Gatica was found guilty for the murder of his brother, DePaul honors student Francisco “Frankie” Valencia. Gatica, 21, was found guilty of firstdegree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. When Gatica was convicted, Victor Valencia said he was “genuinely happy.” “It was one of the first times I had
been happy in a long time,” the 19-yearold brother said. “But at the same time, I was overwhelmed by depression and sadness, and even more so by anger,” he said. “Anger because reality sets in. Anger because of the fact that they gave no defense. Anger because it doesn’t make life any better ... and it doesn’t make this any easier.” “In some respects, I was relieved,” he added. I didn’t have this sitting on me anymore. The air felt thinner, it felt lighter. It felt like things weren’t so dark anymore because he was found guilty on all charges.” Frankie Valencia was murdered at a Halloween party in 2009 after gang members were asked to leave
the private party. Gatica, along with self-admitted Maniac Latin Disciple Berly Valladares, 23, left the party and returned with a TEC-9 semiautomatic handgun. According to Chicago police, Valladares gave the gun to Gatica, who then open fired, shooting Frankie Valencia twice in the chest and once in the arm and wounding Daisy Camacho, a good friend of his. Frankie Valencia was pronounced dead later that morning. In a video taped interview with police two days after the murder, Gatica changed his story several times, first denying being at the scene. See VALENCIA, page 7
Recently, the Big East Conference underwent a bit of a shakeup, losing both the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Two of the stronger athletic programs in the Big East, Pitt and Syracuse will be held to their 27-month contractual exit obligations, according to Big East commissioner John Marinatto. This would mean the departing programs would not be able to leave the conference until June 2014. While collegiate athletic conference realignment is nothing new historically, the circumstances with which these changes are taking place are mainly influenced by money, an issue that was not as prevalent in years past. In a traditional sense, conferences and universities have always prided themselves on strong geographical ties and the intense, age-old rivalries that would form between teams, for example Georgetown vs. Syracuse. More recently, however, tradition has been ditched in favor of pursuing more lucrative television offers and the exposure that comes with those deals. “If you wanted to be a traditionalist, you would say ‘well, shouldn’t colleges go together in conferences that are supposed to be geographically and academically homogenous?’” said DePaul economics professor Anthony Krautmann. “Ten or 20 years ago that was the case, but now considering the amount of money floating around in the pockets of the top 20 football revenue teams, it may not have anything to do with academics.” Krautmann cited gaining exposure for powerhouse Division I football programs as one of the leading causes for schools to jump ship to garner more lucrative offers from major TV networks like ESPN. “The one thing that drives all of these talks is revenue – when you look at See MONEY TALKS , page 26
Student Government Association begins elections By PAIGE WAGENKNECHT News Editor Polls opened Monday, Sept. 26 at midnight for Student Government Association (SGA) elections. Students met their prospective representatives at a meet-and-greet event on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Park Student Center atrium. Votes can be cast online at sga.depaul. edu or at an EOB polling station in the
Lincoln Park Student Center, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All polls will close Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. and election results will be posted on Sept. 29 in the Lincoln Park Student Involvement Office and on SGA’s website. “I think for the new people, SGA is a different type of way to be involved,” SGA President Anthony Alfano said. “While most organizations fall under Student Affairs, SGA is a part of the University’s administration and is one of three governing bodies, including Faculty Council and Staff Council. Everyone is friendly but the main goal is to service and
represent DePaul students.” Candidates are vying for open Senate seats in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, which has two vacancies, the College of Commerce and the College of Communication. They are also campaigning for positions like Senator of First Year Students, Senator of Transfer Students and Senator of Graduate, Law and Adult Students. “This is really going to shake things up, and bring a bigger voice to students,” Alfano said of the prospective group of See ELECTION, page 7