April 2, 2018

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Volume #102 | Issue #20 | April 2, 2018 | depauliaonline.com

POWER PLAYER

Former DePaul student sues ex-professor for sexual coercion

By DePaulia Investigation

Laith Al-Saud (above) argued that Christina Martalogu and he developed a mutual friendship and “there was chemistry between them.” Her response to his email invitation for a drink was, “Sure, let me know when you are free.”

Pulled from court documents

A lawsuit from a former DePaul student accusing a professor of coercing her into sex raises questions about dating between students and faculty at a university that has no explicit rules governing romantic relationships between the two.

Last June, former DePaul student Christina Martalogu filed a lawsuit against both DePaul University and Laith Al-Saud, a former DePaul professor in the Department of Religious Studies seeking more than $200,000 in damages.

She is suing on three counts: battery, the Illinois Gender Violence Act and negligence. On the first and second counts, Martalogu wrote that Al-Saud coerced her into sexual intercourse twice — once in his home after the two went out for a drink, and once weeks later in Al-Saud’s on-campus office.

The lawsuit raises questions about the propriety of students dating professors, often much older men, who can hold considerable power over their academic careers.

Al-Saud was 38 and Martalogu was 24 when they began their relationship.

No explicit policies regulate dating or sexual relationships between faculty and students, according to Karen Tamburro, DePaul’s Title IX Coordinator. Title IX is the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination and harassment in schools that receive money from the U.S. government.

While DePaul University was sued for negligence, a Cook County judge has since ordered the university be dismissed from Martalogu’s lawsuit. In its request to be dropped from the case, DePaul wrote, “an employer cannot be held vicariously liable for sexual assaults committed by an

employee.” An attorney for Martalogu, Jeffrey Deutschman, said his law firm is appealing the judge’s decision to dismiss DePaul from the case.

Upon request for comment from Martalogu, Deutschman said he would not allow his client to speak with The DePaulia.

The negligence count in the lawsuit says that the university “knew or should have known” that Al-Saud was the subject of many complaints for sexual harassment, unwanted touching and obnoxious behavior during work hours in full view of his students.

Al-Saud and his attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but court documents show they are contesting Margalogu’s version of events.

According to the lawsuit, Martalogu signed up to take a religious studies class with Al-Saud in the spring 2016 quarter.

One day, Al-Saud emailed Martalogu asking to get a drink after class. The lawsuit says she felt pressured to meet with him because he was her instructor in a current class.

In the lawsuit, Martalogu said that Al-Saud picked her up in front of a campus dorm and the two went to dinner, something he denies, according to court documents. Then, Al-Saud “plied” Martalogu with alcohol, the lawsuit says, and as they walked near an alley after dinner, he stopped to smoke some marijuana and kiss Martalogu. She said no and turned away.

However, during the drive back to campus, Al-Saud told Martalogu he wanted to show her his home, and Martalogu once again felt pressured to agree. After using the restroom in his home the lawsuit says, Martalogu came

See LAWSUIT, page 4

Some parts of this story may be upsetting or disturbing to readers, as the language used in court documents that The DePaulia recovered includes graphic sexual language.

2 | News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

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News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018 | 3

Wintrust conflict of interest remains in question By jonathan ballew, Shane René & Benjamin Conboy News Editor, Sports Editor & Managing Editor

No. 1 — The Follow Up DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban, responding to a story published March 12 in The DePaulia regarding a potential conflict of interest in the athletic department, said that Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto disclosed a conflict of interest form regarding her relationship to Wintrust Banker, Kandace Lenti, “out of an abundance of concern, just to make absolutely sure.” But Esteban contradicted a university statement from March 9 stating that Ponsetto “was not required to disclose a conflict of interest form.”

Although Esteban claimed the document exists, university officials have said that the disclosure form is “not public record,” and have refused to provide a copy to The DePaulia, after multiple requests.

Frank LoMonte, Director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida and the former

executive director and current senior fellow of the Student Press Law Center in Washington D.C., said that the conflict of interest form could “absolutely be disclosed.”

“There is no privacy or confidentiality law that makes a form of that kind private,” he said. “That is a document that the university could discretionarily disclose and they should disclose it, now that the existence of the document is at issue.”

On March 12, The DePaulia published a story headlined “The Lenti Connection,” involving ties between Athletic Director Ponsetto and her sister-in-law and Wintrust banker, Kandace Lenti. Due to the opacity encountered during the investigation, The DePaulia decided to publish the reporting process. Since then, we have followed up on the role that Ponsetto played in the Wintrust negotiations.

No. 3 Thursday, March 29

No. 4 Friday, March 30

Since Esteban said Ponsetto did in fact sign a specific conflict of interest form, we wanted to clarify why we were told, on March 9, that Ponsetto was not required to disclose a conflict of interest form.

The university response said that they apologized for providing “incomplete information on March 9.” They offered context, saying that “(...) the naming rights transaction was negotiated under the direction of Jeff Bethke, EVP and CFO, with the support of an external sports marketing firm (…).”

The university said that, “In her role as athletic director, Jean Lenti Ponsetto participated in the conversations and provided expertise, but had no vote.”

The university went on to say that Ponsetto completes an annual conflict of interest disclosure, as is “standard practice among university executives.”

“In addition, out of an abundance of transparency, Athletic Director Ponsetto submitted a supplemental certification in June 2017 — even though she was not required to do so because she was not the decision maker in the naming rights selection process nor does she have any involvement in the university’s banking relationship with the Wintrust. These disclosure forms are not public documents,” the university spokesperson wrote.

The DePaulia responded saying that, “We understand that the disclosure forms are not public documents. However, due to the nature of the story, we are formally requesting a copy.”

The DePaulia received a response from the university restating that “the disclosure forms are not public documents.”

The DePaulia responded, asking if the university was officially denying our request “to provide evidence that Jean Lenti Ponsetto signed a supplemental certification in June 2017.”

Although we had received communication earlier that morning, DePaul was closed for Good Friday, and we received an automated response saying that the official was out of the office until Monday.

We continued to reach out to the appropriate DePaul official by email and mobile phone, but never received a response by our Sunday deadline.

At the crux of this story, is a conflict of interest form. While we were told on March 9 that Ponsetto was not required to fill out a conflict of interest form, on March 29, Esteban claimed it exists on multiple occasions.

In the interest of transparency, we have asked university officials multiple times to provide us a copy of the conflict of interest form. The university refused to provide a copy of that disclosure form, at the time of time of publication.

“They should absolutely disclose the document,” LoMonte said. “Now the existence of the document is an issue of community concern.”

No. 2 President Esteban When The DePaulia sat down with Esteban, we asked, “In your opinion, did Jean Lenti Ponsetto’s connection to her sisterin-law Kandace Lenti present a potential conflict of interest?”

“No,” he said. “She wasn’t involved in any of the negotiations, whatsoever.”

Esteban denied claims made by our unnamed source, who said Ponsetto was involved with negotiations to include “price points and deliverables.”

Esteban said that “all individuals, including (Ponsetto)”, have been signing conflict of interest forms for a number of years, way before any of this, way before the topic of the Wintrust Arena came up.”

Esteban, again, said that Ponsetto did sign a conflict of interest form.

Background

In our original investigation, The DePaulia reached out to Ponsetto regarding her role in the Wintrust Arena naming rights deal. The deal is worth an estimated $22 million. We also reached out to DePaul Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Bethke, for clarification.

In both cases, we were routed through DePaul’s public relations department. We were told Ponsetto was too busy to speak with us and Bethke was away from his office for the week.

Ultimately, on March 9, the university said that Ponsetto “was not required to complete a conflict of interest form.”

4| News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

Continued from front page back out to a naked Al-Saud who began to “aggressively seek sexual relations” with Martalogu. She wrote the two had sexual intercourse at this time.

Several weeks later, Al-Saud asked Martalogu to come to his office on campus to talk about their previous meeting. According to the lawsuit, Al-Saud wanted to know why Martalogu did not orgasm with him. Then, when she refused to have sex in his office, he told her that she should “get on the floor and play with herself in front of him.” She said she felt compelled to do so because the commands were “at the direction of her university instructor.”

Al-Saud is not currently employed at DePaul, according to spokeswoman Carol Hughes. He began at DePaul as an adjunct professor in the fall of 2005, and worked as a full-time professor in the Department of Religious Studies from Autumn 2011 to Spring 2017. Hughes said she could not comment on Al-Saud’s reason for leaving DePaul.

Martalogu was a student at DePaul for just over a year, from the beginning of the Autumn 2015 quarter until the end of the Autumn 2016 quarter, according to Hughes.

In his rebuttal, Al-Saud said that Martalogu was a “non-traditional” college student at the age of 24, having already been married and divorced.

Al-Saud argued that Martalogu and he had developed a mutual friendship and according to his own account, as detailed in court documents, “there was chemistry between them.” Her response to his email invitation for a drink was, “Sure, let me know when you are free,” and she also sent Al-Saud her phone number even though he had not asked for it, according to his written version of events.

Al-Saud admitted to engaging in sexual intercourse with Martalogu in his defense statement, but said no alcohol was consumed by either on that day. He says that she consented to engaging in a sexual relationship with him

The lawsuit illustrates the complexities of dating between students and faculty, particularly since university policies are vague.

DePaul does not have any blanket prohibition against romantic or sexual relationships between students and professors.

DePaul’s Sexual and Relationship Policy does acknowledge the difficulties that relationships between individuals in inherently unequal positions (such as professor and student) can bring, but there is no written university policy outlining any limitations.

DePaul states it is committed as a university to providing an environment free from harassment, including sexual and relationship violence. In its written policy, it notes consensual romantic or sexual relationships may provide grounds for complaint and that consent may not be considered a defense against a charge of sexual harassment.

Martalogu is not the only student Al-Saud dated while he was a professor at DePaul.

Rebecca, a former student of Al-Saud whose name has been changed by the editor to protect her identity, shared details about her relationship with him.

When she refused to have sex in his office, he told her that she should “get on the floor and play with herself in front of him.” “(Al-Saud is) not scared to talk about sensitive topics, like relationships or sex, and not in a gross way,” Rebecca said.

“If he was talking about sex or relationships, he would talk about the philosophies behind the power dynamics or stereotypes about different relationships and different religions.

Very philosophical, very political.”

Rebecca said she had class with Al-Saud twice while attending DePaul, in her sophomore and senior years. She described herself as an inquisitive student, which led Al-Saud to notice her. She described him as charismatic and personable. During her senior-year class with Al-Saud, when she was 22, Rebecca says their dynamic turned and they began to date.

“I was looking at master’s programs and I was at a crossroads, so I asked him for advice,” she said.

Rebecca said she asked Al-Saud to grab a coffee after class to further discuss her future academic career. He accepted the invitation.

“We met on campus and talked about my master’s degree for a little bit and randomly started talking about other topics,” Rebecca said. “At the end of the conversation he said, ‘Why don’t we grab a drink at the end of the quarter?’”

According to Rebecca, the interaction over drinks was more personal and there was a mutual connection. She told The DePaulia her relationship with Al-Saud was entirely consensual.

“He never made me uncomfortable. He would always ask before he wanted to kiss me, before he wanted to do anything, and if I said no at some point, he would be like ‘Okay, that’s not a big deal.’”

In her lawsuit, Martalogu accuses Al-Saud of abusing his position as professor by coercing her to have sex, and says she felt pressure to do so in order to get an A. But Rebecca, who dated Al-Saud, said he gave most of his students A’s as long as they attended class and participated.

“The first thing he said on the first day of class is, ‘I don’t believe in grading. If you show up to my class you’re going to get an A.’ He cares about discussion, being engaged and having deep conversation over her assignments.

According to Rebecca, DePaul officials approached her after a fellow student reported concerns about her relationship with Al-Saud.

News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018| 5

DATA COLLECTED VIA SURVEYMONKEY VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA

“I was contacted by the Title IX Coordinator at DePaul about my relationship with (AlSaud). I think a friend of mine thought (AlSaud) projected himself on to me and thought I was uncomfortable. I told her (the Title IX coordinator) I’ve never felt uncomfortable around him, he is not that type of person.”

Rebecca said she was initially surprised to find herself dating a professor, “ (...) but then I thought, we were just two people attracted to each other who just happened to meet on campus.”

She and Al-Saud are no longer in a romantic relationship, but continue to speak as friends.

Holly McNally took a class with both AlSaud and Martalogu in Spring Quarter of 2016.

Because it was a 9:40 a.m. class in Lincoln Park, McNally said she usually sat in the back of the classroom wearing sweatpants and didn’t often interact with Al-Saud. However, she said other girls in the class seemed to have more “intimate” relationships with the professor, and that Laith engaged more frequently with his female students than with his male students.

“He is an attractive guy,” McNally said. “He’s one of those people who knows he’s attractive and uses that to his advantage.”

When told of the lawsuit, McNally said she feels it makes sense.

“That’s not surprising to hear about him,” she said.

According to McNally, Al-Saud was a laidback, joking professor — but those jokes often bordered on the line of flirtation. She said he was the most non-traditional professor she’d ever had, and he frequently tried to avoid direct involvement with the university.

He would give out his personal email to the class and tell students not to contact him through his DePaul email, as he was not as likely to respond there. A copy of the syllabus obtained by The DePaulia confirms that AlSaud encouraged students to use his personal email. He also asked all his students to follow him on social media, according to McNally.

Al-Saud would emphasize in class that even though he was teaching from an Islamic perspective, he himself is not a traditional Muslim. He would occasionally discuss his drinking and smoking habits in class, and imply that he’d had premarital sex when talking about his ex-girlfriend.

According to the lawsuit, Martalogu felt pressured to accept Al-Saud’s invitation for dinner and a drink because he was her professor in a current class. The lawsuit said she felt

similarly when he asked her to return home with him.

McNally says that students often took classes with Al-Saud because he was an “easy A.” He told students they would not be graded on attendance, she said, and he always showed up to class 10 or 15 minutes late himself. She says the only grade for the class she took with Martalogu was a group paper and debate.

According to the lawsuit, when Al-Saud asked Martalogu back to his office and sexually coerced her a second time, he told her that she would get an A and she wouldn’t have to take the final exam. Al-Saud denied those allegations in court filings.

One student on Al-Saud’s Rate My Professor page described his classes as “Easy-peazy nice’n-easy! Easy A.” It’s a sentiment that’s expressed across multiple anonymous entries.

One student also wrote, “Laith is very laid back. He respects students and in return is respected by them.” Users frequently refer to Al-Saud as “the man,” and find his classes entertaining.

In his defense statement, Al-Saud

“That’s not surprising to hear about him.”

Holly McNally acknowledges that he does not believe in grades.

In an online poll conducted by The DePaulia, 100 students were surveyed on their opinions of student-faculty relationships.

While 52 percent of respondents said that they think DePaul students and faculty should not be allowed to date, 80 percent of those 100 students said that they think DePaul “should have a clear policy about student-faculty relationships.”

McNally herself feels uncomfortable about relationships between students and professors.

She attended Marist High School in Mount Greenwood, a South Side neighborhood, where she said relationships between students and

teachers were common — especially among seniors.

McNally said she knew of two teachers who were asked to leave for having affairs with students during her time there.

“Even if it’s consensual and both parties are of age, it’s still weird to me because it feels like an authority figure taking advantage of the power they have over the student,” she said.

This story was a collaborative effort that features reporting by Amber Colón, Nesrine Charif, Megan Stringer and Dirce Toca.

6| News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

Photos by Benjamin Conboy Text by Timothy Duke During a Cinderella-style tournament run, Loyola’s men’s basketball fans took to bars around Chicago to cheer on the Ramblers in the Final Four on Saturday March 31.

The Loyola Ramblers competed fiercely in the NCAA championship, establishing themselves as the premiere Chicago collegiate basketball team.

The last time the Ramblers made it to the final four competing for the national title was 55 years ago in 1963. Loyola advancing to the final four makes them only the fourth 11-seed to come as close to winning a title.

In the week leading up to the final four game, Ramblers fans could be seen donning Maroon and Gold clothing around even DePaul’s campus and favorite bars.

As the game came to its conclusion and it became clear that Michigan would advance, growns could be heard from bars as the team Chicago collectively rallied behind bowed their heads and shook hands with the victors.

Loyola received the same treatment as the Chicago Bulls of the 90’s, with pop-up apparel stands surfacing throughout the loop and the rest of the city. Wrigleyville Cubs apparel stores placed mannequins in the windows covered in Maroon and Gold.

Many DePaul fans were left to wonder when it would be their turn to watch their team compete in March Madness.

McGee’s Tavern is a favorite bar of DePaul students, but on Saturday it felt like a Loyola bar as Ramblers emblems covered the windows.

Loyola fans storm DePaul’s campus, local bars

A Ramblers fan sports team colors walking through the SAC in DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus.

Kelly’s Pub joined other Lincoln Park bars by welcoming Loyola Ramblers fans and students.

Loyola fans were disappointed after losing a tough matchup to the Michigan Wolverines.

News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018| 7

Women in film production at DePaul doubles

By Brian Pearlman Staff Writer

In 2017, Film and Television was the most popular major for new DePaul freshmen, and 53 percent of the university’s total enrollment was female. Women accounted for about 28 percent of the College of Computing and Digital Media’s new freshmen and transfers.

Chicago has long been a hub for film and television production, but like the rest of the film and TV industry, it has fallen behind in terms of diversity and inclusivity. In particular, women continue to comprise about half the population while representing only a fraction of onscreen and behind-the-scenes talent.

Despite this, the last few years has seen a thriving cinema program at DePaul, with the number of women enrolled in the School of Cinematic Arts doubling in the last five years. The School of Cinematic Arts is one of three schools within CDM. “As I look back to the early days when the School of Cinematic Arts was founded and compare it to where we are today, I see the rise in female enrollment as happening very organically,” said JoAnne Zielinksi, an associate dean for CDM. She added DePaul has recently hired a number of female faculty due to need, with expertise in fields such as cinematography, direction and producing.

DePaul’s partnership with Cinespace has been a boon to the program as well.

The 32,000-square-foot facility in North Lawndale is used regularly by major networks for shows like “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.” and “Empire.”

DePaul currently leases three stages at the space, where students take classes and work on real independent productions in

a professional environment. Zielinksi says opportunities like the ones made available through Cinespace help in “breaking down a lot of the barriers that exist for women” in the industry.

“Offering the opportunity for our young women to take classes, create films and work in that setting is something unique that DePaul has to offer,” she said.

Erin Moreland, 20, a junior in the cinema program, says she has seen an increase in the number of women in the cinema school since she’s been on campus.

“I think that the female students are having more of a say in what goes on in the program (…) I definitely think there’s been a strong show of female leadership that’s increased over the years,” she said.

DePaul’s location allows for lots of collaborations that might not be available elsewhere, especially with Chicago situated among the top five film markets in the country. Last year, the city was even named the fifth best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America by MovieMaker Magazine.

The state offers a 30 percent tax credit to productions for money spent on Illinois goods and services, including wages paid to Illinois residents. And the Illinois Film Office says the state is the only one in the country to set a “diversity standard,” where productions have to submit a form articulating how they are going to ensure diversity on the their sets.

In a recent interview with Chicago Tonight, the director of the Illinois Film Office, Christine Dudley, said that Illinois film production activity comprises 60 percent for episodic television, and onethird each for advertising and movies.

And in January, the Film Office announced that women and minority hires made up 53 percent of reported

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Despite an overall enrollment decline, the number of CDM students has surged in recent years.

crew employees across almost 350 film, television and commercial projects filmed across the state. They also said the film industry generated 13,797 job hirings and $423 million worth of revenue for the state.

Still, barriers remain.

A recent study conducted by the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film out of San Diego State University found that, of 4,310 behind-the-scenes credits across every 2016-17 series on the broadcast, basic cable, premium cable, and streaming networks, women comprised

just 28 percent of creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and directors of photography.

For DePaul’s part, it will aim to continue its popular cinema program by creating connections with the city it calls home.

“In my opinion, the next big revolution in cinema will be one led by women and those that in the past have not been given voice or an opportunity to have their stories told. They are now being heard and it is a direct reflection of what is happening in our culture,” Zielinski said.

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8| News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

VPNs raise security concerns about user data

By Timothy Duke Asst. News Editor

In 2014 Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, posed as an academic research group and created a personality test on Facebook. The firm promised users a gift of one or two dollars if they completed the quiz.

Once users agreed to take this quiz, Cambridge Analytica did not just cheaply acquire personality quizzes from 270,000 users — they had access to all of those users’ “likes,” browsing data, physical locations, religious beliefs, photographs, phone numbers and email addresses. By agreeing to this quiz, Cambridge Analytica also had access to all of a user’s friends’ data too.

From one personality quiz that 270,000 people took, Cambridge Analytica was able to draw broad “psychographic profiles” on 50 million users. According to the New York Times, Cambridge Analytica used these profiles to influence voters in favor of President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

This is only one instance of potentially thousands where companies have allowed organizations to check the logs of users and use that data to influence people globally.

If a user wishes to have their data and identity hidden from these logs and data collection entities or to bypass country restrictions on a particular website, one popular option is a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Junior Neiko Rivera is a member of the DePaul Security Daemons, a network security club. Rivera says that while paid VPNs are generally considered more secure,

users should still be careful. He admits that Hotspot Shield, the paid VPN which he currently uses, logs its users’ data due to a contract the company holds with Comcast.

Rivera says using a free VPN brings on even further risks.

“Every time someone asks me what free VPN to use, I usually tell them ‘Don’t use one,’” Rivera said. “I’ve seen a bunch of cases where instead of them selling data … the VPN won’t be secure and it will leak user passwords and data.”

Rivera says hacking groups will target VPNs knowing that there are holes in which they can find users’ information.

“If someone wants something free to remain anonymous, which is impossible today, I usually recommend that they use TOR,” Rivera said, referring to a browser that automatically scrambles a user’s IP address.

VPNs work by allowing a user to take on the identity of a user from a different location, often a different country.

“Once a user connects to the VPN, the VPN sends back an IP address for maybe a German network, and then the VPN can send and receive communication as the German IP address,” Associate Professor Greg Brewster said. “By using a VPN a user can basically impersonate a person who is connecting from Germany.”

Naturally, users may want to find a free, fast and reliable service to help them remain private. There are many free VPNs that are utilized by millions of people every day. However, using these free VPNs may not be as secure and private as one would hope.

“One (danger) would be that the VPN

VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA

In countries where content is censored, using a VPN can help users bypass those restrictions.

server can copy anything that you send and receive,” Brewster said. “If you type in any passwords while using a free VPN, it can copy those types of things. If it’s a free service you have no reason to trust them.”

While free services have misled their users into thinking that they are private and that their data is secure, even paid VPNs do not always deliver the privacy they claim.

According to a joint 2015 study from Sapienza University in Rome and Queen Mary University in London, 13 of 14 VPN services lowered security and 10 also leaked user data such as browsing history, IP address, names and other personal information.

Senior, Aaron Atac, personally recommends NordVPN because he says

it meets his security criteria for a VPN provider. Still, he warns people to be wary.

“They are based in Panama and Panama is a gray area because they have no data retention laws,” Atac said. “Everything about this is trust. Even though they say that they are not logging, they still could be logging and you will never know unless you work for them.”

Atac is a member of the DePaul Security Daemons with junior Neiko Rivera. Atac says that using a VPN to protect one’s data is inconsequential in the grand scheme of data collection.

“You are (one) out of four billion people.

It doesn’t matter at all that they do not have your data,” Atac said. “They are doing just fine with all the other people.”

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News. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018 | 9

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The DePaulia is seeking passionate students to join our award-winning news team for Winter Quarter 2018.

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Interviewing applicants now for the following unpaid positions: Sales Staff Staff Writers Social Media Managers Contributing Online Reporters Videographers

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10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

Nation &World

Focusing on healthcare demand

World Health Day brings attention to medical needs

By Evan Sully Staff Writer

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the world’s 7.6 billion people lack access to essential health and 100 million people are pushed into “extreme poverty,” which is defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 per day in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms. PPP is an economic theory that is utilized to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries and across time by way of comparing different countries’ currencies through a “basket of goods” approach.

Equally gruesome, there are 800 million people, accounting for about 12 percent of the world’s population, that spent at least 10 percent of their household budgets in 2017 to pay for health coverage. Given these numbers, World Health Day, the universal day that emphasizes the importance of health issues across the globe, is using this year to bring up the debate on whether or not universal health coverage could turn out to be economically efficient. Despite the idea of universal health coverage looking good on paper, the issue has been criticized on many different levels.

Global health awareness has become an important topic of discussion throughout the years and has been on the forefront of many political and humanitarian conversations around the world, which has made World Health Day a more prominent part of global activism.

World Health Day first started in 1950 after the World Health Organization (WHO) held the first World Health Assembly in 1948. During that initial meeting, the assembly decided that April 7 would be the annual day of celebration.

Ever since its founding, World Health Day has been a global health awareness day under the WHO’s sponsorship, and it is also one of eight official global health campaigns put on by the WHO. The WHO’s responsibility for World Health Day is to organize international, local and regional events based on each year’s theme, and the theme tradition has been occurring since 1995, when the first theme was Global Polio Eradication in response to the virus' reaches across the world.

This year, the theme is “universal health coverage,” which has become a major topic of political discussion in recent times due the large number of global citizens without insured health coverage.

MAHESH KUMAR | AP A boy cries while standing next to a relative who is being treated for tuberculosis in Hyderabad, India on March 24. Tuberculosis is the world's leading infectious killer, and in India there is public healthcare that's offered to all those below the poverty line, while private healthcare reigns throughout the nation.

Universal health coverage, as described by the WHO, doesn’t necessarily mean that health coverage should be free. The term simply means that people and communities should be able to receive the health services that they need without suffering a financial burden. Also included in the WHO’s description of universal health coverage are quality health services like health promotion and prevention, as well as palliative care, health treatment and rehabilitation.

Fernando DeMaio, an associate professor of sociology and an expert in health disparities, believes that there is reason to be optimistic about global universal health coverage working out from a macroeconomic perspective.

“I would argue that it is not only economically possible, it is economically advantageous to expand health coverage around the world,” DeMaio said. “That was the key finding of a major World Health Organization Commission published in 2001, which argued that investing in population health was one of the most effective ways of reducing poverty.”

In fact, “the WHO model – developed by influential economists – showed that investments of about $60 billion per year in population health would produce a ‘return’ of more than $350 billion per year within a generation,” DeMaio said. As a result of the model’s findings, “the economic case for expanding (global) access to health services,

particularly primary care, is clear.”

While DeMaio believes that universal health coverage is economically possible, there could potentially be too many economical and political disadvantages that would outweigh its effectiveness. To that end, William Sander, an economics professor who teaches a course covering the economics of low-income countries, believes the exact opposite of what DeMaio thinks.

“It would technically be feasible to have some type of universal health coverage,” Sander said. “However, it would not be possible from an economic or political perspective (because) wealthy countries like the U.S. would not provide more resources for foreign aid.”

Therefore, he says, the idea of universal health coverage “is not popular politically.”

Aside from wealthier and developed nations potentially not wanting to provide the funds for lower-income countries, Sander mentioned that many low-income countries already have issues that would prevent the implementation of universal health coverage.

“In poor countries, there are two key issues. First, there has been an underinvestment in basic health care by governments although things have improved over time,” Sander said. “And second, one of the reasons for a lack of health care is poverty, especially in rural areas.

Households cannot afford to

demand healthcare, so health care providers don’t supply it.”

On top of poor countries already lacking the funds necessary for universal health care, scarcity often leads to long waiting times as health care shifts to being government-run instead of being controlled by the free market.

“The problem is one scarcity.

There are limited resources to deal with almost unlimited health care demands,” Sander said. For example, “in the U.K., the government pays. For some problems, there is a wait to be treated.”

And those waits can be up to a year and a half in nations that have universal health care.

Michael Miller, an economist, stated that the long waiting times prove to actually be costly for the patients seeking medical treatment.

“Countries that have government-run healthcare, they do it by quantity” instead of by price, like the U.S., Miller said.

“That’s why in England people are told ‘I’m sorry you’re too old, you can’t have this.’ And in Canada they’re told ‘yes, you can see a specialist – one will be available in a year and a half.’”

In addition, Miller pointed out that universal health coverage dismantles prominent economic factors such as incentives and self-interest.

“Without those two things guiding your decision making, when you’re spending other people’s money on other people,

you don’t care about quality and you don’t care about efficiency.

All you care about is getting a decision, and that’s not how it works,” Miller said. “It doesn’t work efficiently if you do that.”

Though World Health Day’s theme of universal health coverage could have economic and political consequences, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t solutions for health coverage to be made more affordable. In the case of the health care system in the U.S., it might need to be reevaluated altogether.

“The U.S. system, to be blunt, rations through discrimination.

We don’t all have the same access to the health care system in this country – we ration based on income, based on race,” DeMaio said. “We have a real urgent need to provide more equitable access to the health care system in this country,” that aids all socioeconomic groups.

Without a doubt, U.S. health coverage is expensive.

In December the National Conference of State Legislators reported that annual premiums reached a hefty cost of $18,764 in 2017, which is up three percent from 2015.

The final domestic conflict at hand is that the cost of U.S. private health insurance is based on risk, and “if healthy individuals don’t buy insurance, (then) average risk and the price of health insurance increases, making health insurance less affordable,” Sander said.

Nation & World. April 2, 2018. The DePaulia | 11

Nation&Worldbriefs

JOHN RAOUX | AP Artwork and signatures cover the fence that surrounds Pulse nightclub, the scene of the 2016 mass shootings in Orlando, Florida in this Nov. 30, 2016 photo.

Pulse nightclub gunman's widow acquitted for all charges

Content written by the ASSOCIATED PRESS Compiled by Carina Smith | THE DEPAULIA

VISAR KRYEZIU | AP HUSSEIN MALLA | AP Students of Mehmet Akif College in Kosovo protest the In this picture taken on Thursday, March 29, 2018, fighters arrest and deportation of five of their teachers who had from the U.S-backed Syrian Manbij Military Council stand behind a sand barrier as they look toward Turkish-backed been arrested by police in Kosovo's capital Pristina on Thursday, fighters' position at the front line of Halawanji village, north March 29, 2018. of Manbij town, Syria.

Lawmaker takes leave after sexual misconduct allegations

St. Petersburg, Florida The widow of the gunman who slaughtered 49 people at a gay Orlando nightclub was acquitted Friday of helping her husband plot the attack and lying to the FBI afterward, ending the government's nearly two-year effort to hold someone accountable.

Noor Salman, 31, sobbed upon hearing the jury's verdict of not guilty of obstruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization, charges that could have brought life in prison.

Relying heavily on an alleged confession from Salman, federal prosecutors had charged that she and her husband, Omar Mateen, had scouted out potential targets together — including Disney World's shopping and entertainment complex — and that she knew he was buying ammunition for his AR-15 assaultstyle rifle for a jihadi attack.

The government contended also that she knew Mateen had a sick fascination with violent jihadi videos and an affinity for Islamic State group websites, and that she gave him a "green light to commit terrorism."

But the defense portrayed her as an easily manipulated woman with a low IQ and argued that she signed a false confession because she was tired after extensive questioning and feared losing her young son.

And in a blow to prosecutors' case, the FBI itself found that receipts and cellphone signals showed the couple was nowhere near the Pulse on the day Salman said they were.

Mateen, the American-born son of Afghan immigrants, was killed by police in the nightclub attack.

David Weinstein, a defense attorney from Miami who was not involved in the case, said the lack of a recorded confession from Salman probably influenced the jury, which was shown only a written statement.

"As much as we don't want to admit it, this is the age of the cellphone. It's ingrained in the minds of jurors, if it's not recorded, it didn't happen," Weinstein said.

Pristina, Kosovo

Bomb kills troops from U.S. and UK in Syria Kobani, Syria A roadside bomb in northern Syria killed two coalition personnel, an American and a Briton, and wounded five others in a rare attack since the U.S.-led coalition sent troops into the war-torn country, the U.S. and British militaries and a U.S. defense official said Friday.

The military did not say where the attack took place or give the nationalities of the other casualties but it came hours after a local Syrian official said that a roadside bomb exploded in the tense, mixed ArabKurdish town of Manbij that is not far from the border with Turkey.

Manbij is under threat of a Turkish military operation. Ankara says Syrian Kurdish militiamen it views as "terrorists" and an extension of Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey are in control of the town.

The U.S. military statement said the attack happened Thursday night and that the wounded were being evacuated for further medical treatment. The statement said details were being withheld pending further investigation.

A Department of Defense official in Washington said one of the two killed was an American service member and the other was of another nationality.

No other information about the deceased American was immediately available. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because details had not yet been publicly released.

A U.K. defense ministry spokesman said the British armed forces member was killed during an operation against the Islamic State group. The spokesman added that an improvised explosive device killed the service member who was embedded with U.S. forces on Thursday.

The U.S. military member killed was the fourth American who has died in Syria

since the U.S. began attacking Islamic State militants there in September 2014, according to the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System.

Of the three previous deaths, Air Force Staff Sgt. Austin Bieren was specifically labeled by the Pentagon as a non-combat death. Another, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott C. Dayton, was killed by an improved explosive device. The third, Army Spc. Etienne J. Murphy, died in a vehicle rollover.

Earlier on Friday, U.S. military spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon couldn't immediately say who was behind the attack.

"There is an investigation under way to identify who they could possibly be. We have our initial assessment and thoughts on that but we won't provide until the investigation is complete," he said.

Dillon declined to give the nationalities of the dead and wounded as well as the location of the attack until next of kin notification.

Mohammed Abu Adel, head of the Manbij Military Council, an Arab-Kurdish group in the town backed by the U.S., said the bomb went off hundreds of meters (yards) from a security headquarters that houses the council just before midnight on Thursday.

The town has seen a number of small explosions, protests and an assassination attempt on a member of the Manbij military council in recent weeks. Local officials blame Turkey and other adversaries for seeking to sow chaos in the town that was controlled

by Islamic State group militants until the summer of 2016.

The military council has since been in control and U.S. troops patrol the town and area with troops based nearby.

Kosovo's prime minister on Friday fired both his interior minister and the country's intelligence chief for secretly deporting five Turkish teachers and a Turkish doctor without his permission.

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said Interior Minister Flamur Sefaj and the head of the country's intelligence service, Driton Gashi, had not told him about their decision. The six men were arrested, lost their Kosovo residence permits and deported on Thursday, and were arrested upon arriving in Ankara.

Addressing lawmakers, Haradinaj said he considered the deportations a "violation of the decision-making hierarchy." He said it was a bilateral operation of the intelligence services of both countries.

The Turkish teachers worked with schools owned by Fethullah Gulen, a cleric who the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for an attempted coup two years ago.

Gulen has denied the claims.

Tens of thousands of alleged Gulen supporters have been arrested or lost their jobs in Turkey since the July 2016 attempted coup. Many have proclaimed their innocence.

Erdogan on Friday hailed the role his country's intelligence police played in the deportations, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

"Our National Intelligence Organization brought six senior FETO representatives in the Balkans back to Turkey in cooperation with Kosovo intelligence," he said.

The deportations were criticized by rights groups, the U.S. ambassador and students in Kosovo.

Scores of students at the Gulistan Education Institutions in Kosovo protested Friday in Pristina, the capital, with banners supporting their former teachers.

Leutrim Syla, a lawyer for one of the deported Turks, said they have no information on the men since they were arrested in Ankara.

"We are really concerned about their welfare, or their life," he said.

12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

Opinions VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA

Vote for our lives

By Noah Levitin Contributing Writer

I spent my spring break in Washington D.C. where I had the pleasure of attending the historical March for Our Lives rally as part of an organized interfaith trip put on by the Jewish United Fund and Metro-Chicago Hillel. At 8:30 p.m. on Friday, myself and 100 other college students embarked on a 15-hour bus ride to our nation's capital. The bus let us out on the street adjacent to Pennsylvania Avenue, near the White House.

It is estimated that over 800,000 people gathered in Washington to demonstrate against the NRA, to critique political apathy of the right, and to demand tighter restrictions on gun control. Hundreds of thousands of student activists took to the streets, and the majority of them were not old enough to vote or even to drive a car.

Due to the sheer amount of people, the march stagnated from a planned march down Pennsylvania Avenue into a rally. Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg were there; these students-turned-activists, along with several other students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, became the iconic faces of the movement almost overnight. They delivered their speeches with such poise, intelligence and determination.

With tears streaming down their faces and fists thrown into the air, they demanded that the government take action on tightening gun control.

The culmination of the rally was when Gonzalez delivered her speech. Gonzalez was powerful, but it had nothing to do with her words per se. Her speech was only a few minutes long, with the majority of it a four-minute and 20 second-long moment of silence which signified the total amount of time it took for the shooter to kill all 12 students and two faculty members. Additional speeches came from survivors of the Sandy Hook, Columbine, and Pulse Nightclub shootings. Martin Luther King Jr.’s granddaughter stood hand-in-hand with the student body president of MSD and led the crowd in chant.

Although high school is years behind us, we as college students are not immune from gun violence ourselves. Recently the shooting at Central Michigan University turned into a double homicide. The shooting in Parkland is one out of 18 school shootings that have taken place across the United States since the new year.

What separates us from these high school students

is that we have reached voting age. Millennials are a politically charged demographic, and we have some of the loudest voices in the nation. But do we use them? Only 3 percent of millennials turned out to vote in the Illinois primary elections, an embarrassing turnout. We as college students who are of voting age need to lobby our members of Congress and use our voices as leverage. We currently have an administration that is apathetic to the issues of gun control. Several members of Congress have prioritized taking money from the NRA over tightening gun control in our country.

Being a college student in Chicago, I am not naĂŻve to the fact that gun violence is an epidemic plaguing our city. Mya Middleton and Trevon Bosley are two students from Chicago who gave speeches at the rally to draw awareness on how gun violence is a constant issue in Chicago. Middleton spoke about her experience of being held up at gunpoint at a Jewel-Osco, and Bosley talked about his brother Terell who was shot and killed leaving a church service in 2006. Black and brown youth in Chicago make up the most significant amount of victims from gun-related deaths in the city. In 2017, there were over 600 hundred people killed by gunfire. Chicago goes through every day. An organization called Ujimaa Medics that trains Chicago Public School students on how to attend to gunshot victims was recently covered by Vice News, which raises the question: has gun violence in schools become normalized in this country?

This issue is not going to end unless we do something concrete. Since the Parkland shooting, numerous gun control bills have been proposed to the Senate, and all have failed. This is a bipartisan issue, yet our legislature cannot find common ground. Background checks for purchasing a firearm need to be expanded. We are now living in a time where our nation has become the most polarized and politically turbulent in our nation’s history. We will not stand for additional political apathy from the government, and we need to demand that our voices are heard.

When does enough finally become just that? Arming teachers is not going to solve this problem. More guns are not going to solve this problem. Our government is too embarrassed to admit that they have done something wrong. As we head into the midterm elections, millennials need to familiarize themselves with their district and state representatives. Casting one's vote is, in fact, the biggest power of protest.

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

Opinions. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018 | 13

The unspoken American dream of first-generation musicians PHOTO COURTESY OF BERTO MARTINEZ

Members of the band Lettering find themselves at odds with their familial expectations.

By Mackenzie Murtaugh & Lili Trifilio Opinions Editor & Contributing Writer

Stepping into the basement that is your local DIY music space, you can practically visualize who you’re going to see. Congregations of straight white males wearing Vans Sk8-His and cuffed pants take center of the space. It’s evident that, like other creative fields, many talented individuals are often under or misrepresented because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc. Many DIY spaces have answered the call by taking a new initiative to highlight POC and LGBTQ+ musicians in response to the systematic invisibility that has long been apparent in the indie music scene.

One such venue is Side Street Studio Arts in Elgin, Illinois, a multipurpose music and arts space that features theater, art shows, music and more. Here, the thriving music and art scene features voices that often go unheard in their scene, and in popular media as well. Some unheard voices include those of firstgeneration Americans attempting to share their music and art. One Saturday night’s focus was on this with performances by POC and LGBTQ+ musicians, the rock band Lettering whose members are firstgeneration Americans.

For background, immigrants and their U.S.-born children make up approximately 86.4 million people in the U.S., or 27 percent of the entire U.S. population, according to the 2017 Current Population Survey.

Lettering members Kristine Medriano and Jinno Redovan talked about their struggles as artists in a first-generation families. Many parents come to this country with the typical fantasy of the American dream in mind, so finding

out that their child wants to be an artist instead of a doctor or a lawyer often creates conflict.

“It’s a weird struggle because your parents always dream that when they come to America, you’ll become that doctor and buy them cars and stuff like that,” Medriano said.

As she got to the end of high school and had to decide her career plan, she chose the arts. “‘But what about the hospital,’” Medriano jokes, imitating her parents’ reaction.

“It’s a weird struggle because your parents always dream that when they come to America, you’ll become that doctor and buy them cars and stuff like that."

Kristine Medriano

Lettering member

After some serious deliberation, her parents allowed her to study the arts in college. It didn’t come easy, though her parents eventually accepted it. Now, she ensures to give back to the community by volunteering for events and booking shows to prove to her still-skeptical parents that this is something she deeply cares for.

Redovan shares a similar story to

Medriano, in that his parents wanted him to achieve greatness by becoming a medical professional or something else in the technical field. Though it wasn’t necessarily what he wanted, Redovan went ahead and got his Master’s degrees, so that his parents could have peace of mind. Since his parents are satisfied with his educational background, he says his parents are now open to letting him do what he wants.

The notion that first-generation Americans must adhere to their parents’ fantasies of the American dream isn’t just a stereotype; it’s often a real expectation.

Many will follow their parents’ guidelines to live a successful life – successful meaning affluent. Asian-American families, like Medriano’s and Redovan’s, often place a high value on education. As of 2015, Asian men earn the most out of any race and gender in the United States at a median of $24 an hour, compared to black men earning $15, Hispanic men earning $14 and white men earning $21, according to a study from the Pew Research Center.

Brown University economist Nathaniel Hilger claimed in a Washington Post article that the stereotype of low-income Asian-Americans in the 1960s rising into the economic success of today may stem from their “extraordinary investments in their children’s education.” AsianAmerican families, along with other firstgeneration Americans, place a deeper emphasis on education for financial stability, and in many cases, to ensure their children have more opportunities for social mobility than they did.

Redovan followed this ethnic social norm to provide his parents with an assured state-of-mind, but music was kind of the guiding force that eased him through the trials of college degrees.

“Growing up, especially in high school,

being involved in music was definitely the escape; that is the generic answer of everybody,” Redovan said.

But his answer couldn’t have been more truthful, as often times college students, in this case first-generation American ones, need a creative outlet to fully thrive through the stress “I wanted to do something that I feel like was important and inspires me,” said Roberto Martinez, creative director at Side Street Studio Arts. “I wanted to fight back (against) the idea of doing something in (...) some sort of industry.”

Martinez’s goal was to prosper as a photographer in the music scene, and he eventually achieved that as one of the creative directors. Now he’s on to bigger music-related endeavors – he joked that he doesn’t have to book shows in “crummy basements” anymore.

Though this speaks centric to musicians in small music scenes, their stories nonetheless speak loudly to firstgeneration Americans who may feel pressured into living the life their parents wish for them.

The American dream manifests itself in a variety of ways, and it’s possible for different cultures view it differently. The parents of these artists see it financially, with making the most money and having the most prestigious job being the emblems of success. But Medriano, Redovan and Martinez put their determination, hard work and initiative into their art to fulfill an underrepresented side of the American dream. Sometimes the dream people come to America to find isn’t always founded in affluence; sometimes it is found in the artistry that creates and contributes to something bigger than themselves.

14 | Focus. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

Focus

Feeding the hom Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight, volunteers come from different backgrounds to the basement of the Downtown Islamic Center to prepare bags of food. The project Forward Humanity prepares approximately 100 healthy and nutritious meals for the homeless on the streets of downtown Chicago.

Forward Humanity volunteers prepare bags Downtown Islamic Center (DIC), that contain sandwich and salad. They put inspirational homeless people in the Chicago Loop.

T Asif Shaikh, a DePaul Student at the College of Computing and Digital Media and one of the volunteers for Feed Hungry, distributes bags of food on State Street.

By Yousef alamer Contributing Writer

he Islamic center is located right next to DePaul University's Loop campus and a number of DePaul members participate regularly. By feeding the hungry, these students not only fulfill the mission set forth

by St. Vincent DePaul, but they also seek to bridge a gap between faiths and between the university and its neighbors.

The project adopted the motto, “Fighting Hunger, Spreading Peace, and Sharing Blessing,” to strengthen social cohesion by encouraging volunteers to reach out to disadvantaged groups and also to achieve poverty reduction.

“Feeding a hungry stomach is the noblest thing you can do for a human,” said Asif Shaikh, a DePaul grad student in the College of Computing and Digital Media. He has been volunteering at DIC since June 2017. “I feel humbled and blessed to have this opportunity. It gives me immense contentment and I got to meet new people from different faiths and learn about their culture”.

An assistant director of Religious Diversity and Loop Ministry, Abdul-Malik Ryan, explained that United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA) has several social and service activities as a part of the Vincentian Community Service in DePaul. “These activities seek to empower students to promote the inherent human dignity of all people, especially marginalized communities, by educating students to cultivate relationships rooted in service, faith, and justice, as it describes itself,” Ryan said.

In the basement of the Downtown Islamic Center (DIC), Esmer-

Focus. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018 | 15

meless

Esmeralda Lopez, who is a volunteer with the project Feed Hungry, designs stickers.

s of food in the basement of the n a banana, water, peanut butter stickers on them before distributing to alda Lopez, who is a volunteer with the project Feed Hungry, prepares stickers that will hang on homeless people’s bags of food for the purpose of spreading the spirit of hope, such as “Your smile is beautiful.”

“The best deeds are those done regularly, even if they are few,” Ryan said. In addition to Forward Humanity, about 15-25 DePaul students also volunteer twice a week with Bridging the Gap and Inner City Muslim Action Network on the South side of Chicago.

Shaikh highlighted some challenges that face the project, such as consistent leaders to educate new volunteers or running out of inventory. While Ryan thought that challenges of social activities are “a budget constraint, balancing volunteer and school commitments, coordinating different efforts at DePaul and others, and consistency to keep projects going,” He continued, “By coordination, we can figure out that we have a capacity for multiple activities at the same time.”

To combine and coordinate the project’s efforts with DePaul projects in the name of one goal, Ryan demonstrated that DePaul supports many humanitarian activities and has a good relationship with the Muslim community, though there are some challenges in terms of budget. The university tries to commit to making community service priority as a part of its identity and social activities, and recognizes its significance and continuing to facilitate it.” Shaikh also confirmed that DePaul works on various social activities, but it should support more interfaith projects and collaborate with others outside the university to bridge the gap with the Muslim community, and other, because this will help students to connect with working professionals.

Because of increasing discrimination against Muslims, the building does not have a sign to distinguish it.

Forward Humanity volunteers outside of the Downtown Islamic Center (DIC) talk with each other preparing to distribute the bags of food to homeless people.

16 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

Arts & Life

"Game Over, Man!"

“Workaholics” stars discuss new Netflix action-comedy

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Comedians and friends Blake Anderson, Anders Holm and Adam Devine star in the new Netflix action-comedy "Game Over, Man" that they also wrote and produced.

By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor

They were a staple of Comedy Central for seven years as the stars and creators of “Workaholics,” a show that followed the antics of three slacker best friends.

Now, Adam Devine, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm, three of the four members of the comedy group Mail Order Comedy, celebrate the release of their first collaborative feature film “Game Over, Man.” The group’s fourth member, Kyle Newacheck, directed the film. The comedy started streaming on Netflix on March 23.

“Game Over, Man” is a big-budget action comedy that follows the three guys as best friends working as low-ranking hotel custodians. Before they know it, they become the targets for foreign spies that have taken over the hotel. In typical “Workaholics” fashion, the film is rife with both physical comedy and countless cameos from big name celebrities including R&B artist Shaggy and Steve-O from the “Jackass” franchise.

While there were some moments during the seven seasons of “Workaholics” that featured big, wild set-pieces, the minds behind the film wanted to capitalize on the opportunity to make something even bigger. “We wanted to make the movie feel much larger than anything you've seen from us," said Devine.

In that, they succeeded. The film includes epic action sequences as well as some standout moments that highlight the grand scale of the production, including an instance where the guys dangle at least 15 floors above ground on an ironing board after their makeshift zipline fails.

"We were coming from seven seasons of

a show on TV, so it was kind of refreshing to have all those freedoms that a movie allows you to have," said Anderson. He plays Joel, the “smart one” of the group.

With financing help from Netflix, “Game Over, Man” allowed the guys to fully realize their vision for the story. The absence of pressure from concession sales and traditional ratings further highlights the creative freedom that the streaming service allowed. The film has in fact been in the works for years, and now it is finally being released.

"Anders handed in the first draft (of the script) about six years ago. But then we'd been working it and reworking it and changing different stuff, and then we finally shot this last year at about this time," said Devine. “We've been done with it for awhile now, and we're excited to actually have it come out for everyone to see."

For many, the prospect of being handed millions of dollars to go out and make a movie with your best friends would be both awesome and overwhelming.

Luckily for Anderson, Devine, Holm and Newacheck, their experiences in charge of “Workaholics” provided all the preparation they needed.

“We were the bosses when we were 25 or 26 years old, so to be the bosses for seven years, by the end of it, we got pretty comfortable steering the ship,” said Devine.

"If we would've done this movie (during) season one, two or three, we might've been overwhelmed,” said Holm.

“I think we got to this movie at the perfect place in our lives and careers to where we were able to just go in and do it and not have it feel like too much."

Their time working on this movie was also a new experience when it came to their responsibilities. They all served as the

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

After seven years together on "Workaholics," this is the guys' first collaborative film. creators, writers and stars for the entirety of the “Workaholics” run, which could get hectic at times.

"We were involved in pretty much every aspect of the show so toward the end of the seasons you’re reading scripts for the episodes, you’re acting in the show, etc.

A lot of stuff can really back up on you,” said Anderson. “But in the movie business you really get to focus on each thing individually. You have a lot more time to live in the scenes and mind the comedy."

As the comedians workshopped the story ideas, they realized they would have to differentiate themselves from their well-known characters on “Workaholics.”

For Holm, who was in charge of actually writing the script, it didn’t take long to figure out what made the movie characters different once he started “from the ground up.”

“When you start writing for actors, because you know that their strong suits are in certain places and not in others, you can still play to their performing strengths (while) putting a different point of view and a different perspective in the dialogue of the story,” he said. “All of a sudden, you've got a new man.”

While seeing them play completely different characters together might be odd at first, it doesn’t take long to get immersed in their lives and the story of the film.

The chemistry between the actors is still there, allowing them to work off of each other comedically and capitalize on the unique dynamic they're known for. While the film is definitely a departure from the work they’ve done in the past, “Game Over, Man” is still sure to attract “Workaholics” fans and newcomers alike.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018| 17

“Pretty Woman” entertains, but fails in the era of #MeToo

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW MURPHY

Samantha Banks (Vivian) and Steven Kazee (Edward) on stage in "Pretty Woman: The Musical," the world premiere Broadway adaption of the beloved film "Pretty Woman."

By Mackenzie Murtaugh Opinions Editor

The adolescent fantasy of a tanned and blonde prince saving a down-on-her-luck maiden from a tall tower has muddled the minds of young girls for years – often due to the prevalence of Disney films such as “Cinderella” and “Rapunzel” in pop culture.

These animated girls – and I do mean “girls,” since the origins of these Disney films often showcase children in adult situations – live their desolate days in a tower, dreaming of the moment when their man will rescues them from their sorrows.

Though these stories sometimes succeed, as they harken to issues surrounding domestic abuse and economic disparities (though they habitually involve white women), most of these animated girls ultimately lose the game of freedom. They lose control of their destinies once they are “saved,” because they now must change their modest outlook on life to match that of a rich prince.

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” reaffirms this narrative by way of Hollywood Boulevard prostitute Vivian Ward, excellently played by Samantha Banks of “Les Miserables” fame. She must change herself in order to fall in love with tooserious-for-words businessman Edward Lewis, played nonchalantly by Steve Kazee of “Once.”

The classic 1990 film the musical is based on sprouted the career of the then up-and-coming Julia Roberts, with her electrifying and captivating performance as the witty, yet, flawed Vivian. These character traits are somewhat further explored in the musical with numbers like “Anywhere But Here” and “Look At Me Now.” Vivian wants more from her life than the tired and dangerous game of turning tricks on Hollywood Boulevard, but it’s unclear that she is totally committed to change until the number “I Can’t Go Back” in the last 20 minutes of the production.

She’s experienced the high life: the penthouse, expensive dining and the opera.

Her immediate but questioned induction into the bourgeoisie comes at the expense of her freedom from the suppressive and imperious men she wishes to rid herself of by escaping the street corner. The irony sets in with Edward’s number “Freedom,” when Vivian’s tragic state as the “manicpixie-dream-girl” has created an abrupt shake-up in his white-collar life, and he’s the one who truly “can't go back.” Edward has the privilege of not changing a thing about his comfortable life at the top of the metaphorical penthouse, which is something that Vivian cannot understand.

The film and the musical both fail in their disappointing ending when the two rekindle. Before, Vivian decided she wanted to live her life outside of Edward’s

suppression and refused to be his sugar baby. The experience did change her though, as she attempts to escape from the street corner in Hollywood to San Francisco so that she can get a job and finish high school. This plan is shoved under the mat when Edward, who will not accepted any answer outside of an affirmative one, recreates her fairy-tale fantasy and, literally, sweeps her off her feet. There’s no mention of her recent existential rumination, or if she still wants to better herself outside of a relationship after she realizes her worth. She doesn’t necessarily accept his offer to be her sugar baby, but the difference in power leads the audience to speculate that she would.

The musical fails here, especially in the age of #TimesUp and #MeToo. The hint of feminist progress from the original story in Vivian’s powerful and independent numbers is completely forgotten because of her compliance. She knows she can do better than the street corner, but does she feel empowered enough to ensure Edward doesn’t keep her in the high tower like a princess who wants to escape?

One change the musical does right is in the attempted sexual assault scene with Vivian and Edward’s lawyer Phillip.

He meets her in the penthouse her and Edward have shared during their week together after Edward hurt their business deal. Phillip drinks and intimidates Vivian,

putting her down and minimizing her relationship with Edward. He then attacks her, but Vivian successfully escapes and punches him. Only after the punch does Edward show up and kick him out, without a physical altercation between the two men.

The scene in the film leads the audience to believe Phillip would have assaulted Vivian if Edward hadn’t saved her. The musical version of Vivian doesn’t t need Edward to save her from an abusive man because it is implied that she has probably dealt with many other men as aggressive as him. This scene gives her more depth and character outside of the “hooker with a heart of gold” archetype, and it tries to incorporate the recent influx of sexual harassment discussions in Hollywood in an effective way.

Samantha Banks’ Vivian isn’t a feminist icon, just as Julia Roberts’ isn’t either. For a production to selectively and effectively represent the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements is asking a lot, especially a production flaunting the power distance of a boring, disgustingly wealthy businessman and a vulnerable, ill-fated prostitute.

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” tempts the conversation but doesn’t embody it. It remains on middle-ground: releasing the princess from her high tower for a fleeting moment, only to place her right back in with the taste of freedom still fresh on her lips.

Henry Winkler stops by to talk "Barry"

By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor

Legendary actor Henry Winkler, best known for his role as “The Fonz” on “Happy Days,” stopped by ArcLight Theater last Thursday for a special screening of his new HBO show “Barry” and a moderated Q&A with the audience.

The show follows Bill Hader as a disillusioned hitman who attends an acting class while pursuing a target and becomes convinced that acting is his calling. Winkler plays the acting coach Gene Cousineau, who teaches Hader’s class of modestly talented hopefuls.

Throughout the event, Winkler IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB excitedly recounted his experiences Henry Winkler and series co-creator and star Bill Hader in a scene for HBO's "Barry." working on “Barry” as well as his initial Winkler, the son of German immigrants “The Waterboy,” Dr. Saperstein on “Parks inclination to work with series co-creator who came to America to escape the horrors & Recreation” and Barry Zuckerkorn on and star Bill Hader, whose performances of the Holocaust, has found great success “Arrested Development” among many, he’d enjoyed on “SNL” for years. He even in show business with a remarkably many others. disclosed that he got some help from his consistent career from the outset. He has In addition to his extensive son, an up and coming director, when played such iconic roles as Coach Klein in filmography, Winkler is the author of 34 preparing for his audition for the show.

children’s books, many of which focus on a dyslexic 4th grade boy named Hank Zipzer.

He based the series on his own experiences overcoming dyslexia to succeed as an actor.

In high spirits, Winkler mingled with the attendees in the theater lobby before entering the room for the screening.

Following the first two episodes of “Barry” which concluded with roaring applause from the audience, Winkler went into a Q&A session that was moderated by Erik Adams, the TV Editor at “The A.V. Club.”

With a reputation as one of the nicest men in Hollywood, Winkler did not disappoint as he entertained the excited crowd by telling anecdotes and sharing advice about succeeding in life. Tenacity was the overall message of the night as Winkler repeatedly reinforced his claim that sheer tenacity will almost always lead to some form of success.

All in all, Winkler was able to deliver a night of comedy and conversation that provided an excited audience with a rewarding and entertaining experience.

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

"Ready Player One" rife with easter eggs

By Garret Neal Staff Writer

Easter weekend is never complete without an egg hunt and “Ready Player One” delivers the most cinematic one ever.

Director Steven Spielberg takes audiences on a visually stunning journey into the not too distant future where the Earth’s resources have been mostly used up. To paraphrase the film, people stopped looking for ways to solve problems and looked for ways to avoid them. That avoidance took the form of the “Oasis,” a massive virtual reality game where anyone can be and do anything. And it’s free.

It becomes so big it develops its own economy comparable to that of Earth’s. In fact, many people spend more time in The Oasis than in reality. The creator of the game, James Halliday, dies five years before the beginning of the film. He leaves a video message saying that there is an easter egg hidden inside the game, and the first to find the three keys and get to the egg gains control of the Oasis. Now, as the films starts, someone has found the first key. Our heroes, the “High Five,” must find the egg before the evil corporation, IOI, does and save the Oasis from destruction.

Diehards of the Ernest Cline book the film is based on will likely come away with a bit of a sour taste due to the many departures this film takes from its source material. Though, if anyone was expecting a perfect transformation they were kidding themselves. Length aside, the book contains references that would leave most people digging out their phone in the theater to try and figure out what they just saw (PSA: Don’t be that person. Phones in the theater are never okay.). Additionally, the plethora of easter eggs in the book is simply not possible on the big screen due to copyright issues.

Still, the movie uses the brands it was able to license as best as it can. For example, we don’t get a run through of the 1983 sci-fi film “War Games,” but we do get

to see the High Five placed in the universe of an equally notable film. While the book took a deep dive into the 1980s, Spielberg instead takes a shallow dip into several decades. To broaden the audience we get references from “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” to “Halo” to “Overwatch.” While it is still a spectacle seeing characters from these properties fight side by side, it may take away the glamor from those who loved the book for its intense and niche ‘80s focus.

The characters mirror that shift of focus to a wide audience. Parzival/Wade Watts becomes an everyman hero instead of a chubby, awkward guy. Same goes for the female lead, Art3mis/Samantha. While this may bother those who related to the characters in the book, the bigger problem for the movie is that the characters have little to no depth. For a film all about pop culture, we learn very little about what these characters’ favorite movies or games or shows might be. There is nothing that distinguishes them from any of the others searching for the egg. Wade is a classic hero that saves the day just…because.

Characters tell him he’ll be the one to find it because “they can feel it” or “he’s special,” but the audience doesn’t really get that feeling.

There is a romance between the two leads because, of course. It plays perfectly into the tropes of the hero genre. They have probably been together for a week at most and by the end of the movie they can’t get the camera out of their room fast enough, so they can start having some non PG13 action. Two members of their group, Daito and Sho, get absolutely shafted in the character department. The film touts them as part of the High Five but they scarcely grace the camera and even in the scenes they are in they make an insignificant impact. None of the main characters are outright boring; rather, they are just like many other heroes we have seen before.

Still, one could argue that it was never

IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB

Olivia Cooke stars in Steven Spielberg's new epic film set in a virtual reality. the plot or the characters that made the book a New York Times best seller. It was this idea of a fully realized virtual world, the infinite possibilities and – let’s be real – sometimes we all need a good, cheesy story.

When it comes to these aspects, Spielberg delivers in full. The Oasis is brought together in a visually stunning way. The effects take a perfect angle, being obviously fake and yet still believable in every way.

The Oasis doesn’t just seem cool, it really feels like somewhere you could spend the rest of your life. The moment when Wade first enters the game is a truly memorable moment, especially when underscored by Alan Silvestri’s (“The Avengers,” “Back to the Future”) music.

Seeing so many properties crammed together becomes an easter egg hunt on its own, as viewers can try to figure out how many outside influences they can spot.

Ranging from the incredibly obvious to the nearly imperceptible, they are everywhere.

After all, It is hard to be annoyed with poor characters when you are watching Gundam and the Iron Giant double team Mechagodzilla.

This movie may be hard to enjoy for those not interested in the video game and film culture this movie is trying to represent. It would become all to easy for it to become just another sci-fi heroes tale, with characters who are supposedly experts on this game constantly explaining how it works to each other. But for those looking for a pop cultural-filled visual orgy, "Ready Player One" delivers in full on that promise and is well made enough in its other facets to make it a truly enjoyable experience, if maybe not quite as good as it could have been.

The Band CAMINO, Night Game rock Subterranean

By Cailey Gleeson Contributing Writer

Fans anxiously waited in the frigid March weather outside of the Subterranean to hear The Night Game with opening act The Band CAMINO. The Night Game is a Boston-based rock band that is comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Martin Johnson and lead guitarist Kirin J. Callinan. Shockingly — CAILEY GLEESON | THE DEPAULIA given Johnson’s past as former frontman of Boys Like Girls — The Night Game doesn't The Band CAMINO performing as the show opener at the Subterranean. have any emo-pop music in their set, but on the group’s success while reflecting on only exemplified the anticipation for the instead exude serious ‘80s-style new wave the size of the crowd – a sizable increase main act. pop vibes despite their alternative rock from the 17 people that attended their first While setting up, guitarist Callinan classification.

Chicago show. attempted to auction off his jacket to the As a part of their American Nights Next up was “Berenstein” — the band’s crowd — with Johnson quickly joining in Tour, The Night Game took the stage at most recent release and a featured song on as an additional auctioneer. the Subterranean on March 29th with Taylor Swift’s “Songs Taylor Loves” Spotify The hilarious charisma between band The Band CAMINO, a Memphis-based playlist. Their set showcased the group’s members quickly transferred to audience alternative group. The Band CAMINO impressive variety of music — balancing members. Callinan truly stole the show was formed in 2015 by vocalist and lead their collection of slower songs like “I with a series of funky dance moves — guitarist Jeffrey Jordan, vocalist and Spend Too Much Time In My Room” and somewhat reminiscent of the onstage guitarist Spencer Stewart, bassist Graham “My Thoughts on You” with more up beat mannerisms of English rock band The Rowell and drummer Caleb Hughes. bops like “2 / 14.” The vocal talents of both 1975’s front man Matty Healy’s — when he Arriving in Chicago just an hour before Jordan and Stewart were apparent as the wasn’t strumming his guitar. their set, band members descended the entire live performance sounded exactly “Once In A Lifetime” was one of the spiral staircase illuminated with red string like their recordings. opening songs in The Night Game’s set and lights onto the stage and opened with “For The charisma between the band and immediately established the group’s sheer a While.” the audience was undeniable and lasted talent — with strong vocals from Johnson Although The Band CAMINO is still even after they departed from the stage. As that didn’t waver throughout the entire relatively indie, they’re quickly gathering The Night Game prepared for their set, the night. a following. Front man Jordan commented tunes exuding from the venue’s speakers Later on, pink lights illuminated

the Subterranean as “Kids In Love,” a collaborative ballad with Kygo and Maja Francis about lovers growing apart, played, creating an idyllic scene that felt straight out of an ‘80s teen movie.

Unfortunately, Johnson didn’t break out any Boys Like Girls classics — like “Love Drunk” or “The Great Escape” — but performed a brilliant cover of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”

This unexpected portion of their set only intensified the energy between the crowd and the group — and completely set the stage for the final group of songs in their set.

The band’s breakout single, “The Outfield,” was next. The nostalgic ‘80s vibes from this song are so reminiscent of The Outfield’s “Your Love” that it almost made it feel like the venue was taken back to one of the band’s ‘80s performances. The energy from this anthem caused the singing from the audience to almost overpower the band itself.

The ‘80s vibes only continued as the group closed their set with their most recent single, “Bad Girls Don’t Cry.” This groovy song perfectly ended the night and set the stage for The Night Game’s debut album release, which is scheduled for later this year.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018. | 19

Snapchat's update unrest

Angry reactions to new format unlikely to manifest in usage decline

NIKKI ROBERTS | THE DEPAULIA

A confused Snapchat user attempts to make sense of the recent update to the app’s user interface, specifically the new "Discover" page that is focused on paid content.

By Nikki Roberts Copy Editor

When Snapchat launched as an iOSonly app in 2011, it was not the app that users know and love today. Over the past seven years, Snapchat has updated, rebranded and added a multitude of social media features that have altered how users interact with the app and their Snapchat friends. What once began as an idea created in co-founder Evan Spiegel’s father’s living room is now a picture messaging app appraised at $22.7 billion.

Much of Snapchat’s popularity is due to its assortment of basic, easily accessible features. In a sense, Snapchat simplifies the features offered on many other social media platforms. Users can send pictures and messages to their Snapchat friends just as they can on other platforms, but on Snapchat, the sender can set a time limit ranging from one to 10 seconds for how long the receiver can view their message.

Snapchatters can post pictures and videos on their “stories” section, which their friends can view for the next 24 hours.

Users can also track their friends’ location on the new Snap Map, which features animated characters called Bitmojis that represent their friends’ whereabouts.

Other notable features include decorating pictures with digital “stickers,” creating a customized Bitmoji character and using Snapchat’s facial recognition technology to take pictures with interactive filters.

Snapchat’s latest update, which has been in the works since November 2017, launched on Feb. 6. The update did not add or remove any features, but rather, altered the layout of the app’s user interface. The new interface kept Snapchat’s recognizable three-screen layout, but changed which screen many of its features can be accessed from. These changes have prompted a growing trend of dedicated Snapchatters taking to social media to air their complaints.

“I don’t like that (Snapchat) has now become messy, unorganized and cluttered,” Ariana Abonce, a self-professed frequent Snapchatter said. “It’s harder to find messages I have with my friends because I have to scroll past the new stories to find

the person I was messaging; I don’t like having the people I talk to mixed with the people I don’t talk to.”

In addition to voicing discontent with the new interface, many users have also used social media to express their considerations about dropping the app completely. For many, the changed interface seems too drastically different to ever acclimate to.

Anger directed towards changes to social media platforms is a common trend that has almost never manifested in largescale change. While it may be popular to voice an opinion over a recent update or new social media feature, few users change their online habits to align with the views they express in their posts.

“I think people are complaining because it’s such a big change to get used to,” said Reed Dale, a casual Snapchat user.

“I think that in a couple of weeks everyone will be over it and have adjusted to it by then. It’s not the first time Snapchat has changed their user interface and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

Similar social media trends include the online uproars that occurred when Instagram and Facebook launched their own version of 24-hour Snapchat stories in August 2016 and September 2016, respectively. Compared to Snapchat’s 158 million daily users, the social media giant Facebook is used by 1.4 billion people daily, according to Facebook’s Newsroom.

However, neither app saw a decrease in usage, and Snapchat did not suffer because of the competition, either. Instead, many angry social media users simply adapted to the new features and now use them regularly. According to Buffer, more than 150 million people around the globe use the Instagram story feature daily.

“It’s pretty much the same uproar that doesn’t have much backing to it, and that people get over quickly,” said Mae Krell, a professional social media editor. “Everyone was mad about Instagram stories, but now, everyone uses them because their algorithm makes it hard to have reach otherwise. I honestly think people want to get mad about everything when it comes to social media, and there usually isn’t a real reason to be.”

IMAGE COURTESY OF TWITTER

An angry user expresses their frustration with Snapchat after the update.

IMAGE COURTESY OF TWITTER

A user's tweet hints at a potential decline in usage due to the update.

Many infrequent Snapchat users have welcomed the interface update because they view it as separating the unwanted “fluff ” and advertisements from the app’s most basic features.

“I think it was a good move to put stories adjacent to who you were talking to and separating the ‘ads’ from your social life,” said Dale. “It’s just nice to have your conversations and stories in almost one spot. You can still access everything else the same way you used to.”

This acceptance may be an indication of why social media apps prevail, even when under public scrutiny. For casual users, changes to the interface, or the removal or addition of features, are unlikely to affect their usage trends because they are not committed to one app. For more dedicated users, such as Abonce, simple changes to their primary social media app can elicit

more emotional responses.

“It’s sad that the place where the stories originally used it be is just news and gossip about celebrities,” said Abonce. “I never liked the news stories to begin with. It just seems like so much advertising now, and it’s losing what made Snapchat special.”

Social media makes it easy to voice discontent over trivial matters, such as minor changes to an app’s user interface.

Not only does it give users easy access to an audience, but it allows them to see and mimic their friends’ angry posts as well. The trend of expressing anger towards social media platforms seems to fluctuate according to changes within the apps themselves, but so far, social media companies don't seem like they're interested in revoking their updates just to appease the angry posts.

20| Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

By Marty O'Connell Contributing Writer

From Aug. 2 to Aug. 5, thousands will flock to Grant Park for another edition of Chicago’s biggest music festival, Lollapalooza. The festival is in its 27th year (its third after expanding to four days in 2016), and has delivered yet another star-studded lineup. With a festival this big, it can be hard to work out a plan of who to see out of the 150-plus artists.

Luckily, we here at The DePaulia have some suggestions for who you can see to make your weekend worthwhile.

The National

Fresh off the release of their Grammy-winning seventh studio album “Sleep Well Beast,” The National will return to Grant Park this summer for their fourth Lollapalooza appearance. These first-time headliners should not be underestimated; despite the quiet appearance they give off, they always deliver a fierce and passionate show. You can expect singer Matt Berninger to jump into the crowd, scream his head off and drink plenty of wine. The National might look like a band of unassuming English professors, but they sure can rock.

IMAGE COURTESY OF NPR

The National will make their fourth appearance at Lollapalooza this summer.

CHVRCHES

This synth-pop band out of Scotland had one of the best performances of Lollapalooza 2014, and this summer Chvrches will return on the heels of their third studio album, “Love Is Dead.” The singles on their upcoming album have seen the band delve more into the pop world and working with pop producer Greg Kurstin on certain tracks, but the songs still hold the spark that has helped the band stand out since their early days. The trio of Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook are sure to liven up a late evening in Grant Park with a wonderful set of tunes.

St. Vincent

Believe it or not, there is a DePaul connection here - Annie Clark took her stage name from a Nick Cave song that references St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York, named after none other than St. Vincent DePaul. This is just one of many reasons you should not miss St. Vincent when she graces the stage at Lollapalooza for the very first time. Her new album “MASSEDUCTION” inspired a show for the ages, as she traveled across the country with a career-spanning show and wild production. Clark is sure to match that craziness this summer when she finally hits Grant Park.

IMAGE COURTESY OF NPR

CHVRCHES will travel to Grant Park following the release of their third album.

Alex Lahey

Another great act from down under, Alex Lahey released her debut record, “I Love You Like A Brother,” last fall on Dead Oceans. The record is full of hooks that instantly get you singing and tapping your foot along. Lahey writes with such honesty and vulnerability that you can put yourself right in her shoes, whether she’s singing about familial bonds or taking care of yourself. Her music is perfect for playing in a small dive bar or basement show, but on a sunny day in Grant Park it’ll still sound pretty darn good.

LL Cool J

One of the joys of music festivals is that there is always a blast from the past that arrives completely unexpected. This year, LL Cool J takes that crown. The star of “NCIS: Los Angeles” and host of “Lip Sync Battle” will be at Grant Park to revisit the catalog that made him so legendary. He’ll be joined by his touring DJ since 2012, DJ Z-Trip, and is sure to draw a large crowd to whichever stage he plays. If you haven’t listened to “Mama Said Knock You Out” in a while, it’s the perfect time to dust those hits off.

IMAGE COURTESY OF BILLBOARD

St. Vincent will make her first appearance at the festival this year.

IMAGE COURTESY BILLBOARD

Legendary artist LL Cool J will stop by Grant Park to revisit some of his iconic hits.

IMAGE COURTESY ALEX LAHEY, INSTAGRAM

Australian artist Alex Lahey is expected to perform songs off her debut album.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018. | 21

Zoe Knight exemplifies young artist culture

By Katie Adams Contributing Writer

As the sun pours through the huge front windows of their third-floor Lincoln Park apartment on a Friday afternoon, Zoe Knight lies stretched on the floor. Their small frame is covered by a baggy thrifted sweater over a pair of denim overalls that they are proud to say they purchased from Target’s kids section. With the light coming in so bright, the fading of the green dye in their short hair is made clear, and the mix of yellowish, bleached tones and lime hues are reminiscent of a Sprite commercial.

Knight is stretched on the floor because they are rummaging through their own personal zine library. Dozens and dozens of booklets of different colors, sizes and thicknesses lie in Converse and Doc Martens shoeboxes. These little booklets in Knight’s old shoeboxes are noncommercial publications that usually focus on nonconventional matter or artistic expression. They are independentlyproduced and an opportunity for artists to freely say what they want to say.

Defining the oftentimes bizarre and surely original subject matter of zines is tough, since a zine can really be about anything that the artist wants. The zines in Knight’s collection vary widely in terms of thematic content, ranging from Marxism to worms to Radiohead to personal essay collections.

Zines are not just something they collect, though. Knight has been producing their own zines since they were a junior in high school back in Denver, Colorado.

When they started, the process was simple.

“I was doing some doodles and folding some paper,” they said.

Now, as a DePaul University sophomore, Knight still makes zines and attributes their zines’ creative process to being incredibly beneficial to their mental and social health. As a Writing Rhetoric and Discourse major at DePaul, their penchant for writing has driven them to be a person who creates and expresses themselves.

Knight describes themselves as someone who is always writing. Before turning to zines as a creative outlet, they did not always have a place to put their writing. They cite having some physical compilation of their work as a huge motivator behind their zine practice. “It made me feel kind of sad that my writing was just sitting in my notebook,” they said.

Currently, Knight is working on the winter installation of their seasonal zine series. Their fall zine was put out in November and featured personal essays, poetry and collages. Knight’s seasonal zines differ a bit from the others in that they are collections of work that they had produced for themselves over the course of a few months, rather than containing work that was produced specifically for the purpose of making up a zine.

Knight is hoping to publish their winter

zine in late February. It is something they have been working on for a couple months now. They made another zine this past weekend, but that one took only a couple days. They began it during the Zlumber Party at Quimby’s Bookstore, an annual Wicker Park event where artists can spend all night at Quimby’s working on their zines. “People come to Zlumber Party to be inspired by a creative space and creative people” said manager Liz Mason.

A year ago as a freshman new to the city, Knight attended the Zlumber Party alone; now they have a wealth of new friends in the Chicago zine community. Knight described the group of zine producers in Chicago as people who were very excited, both to share what they were making and learn about what others were making as well. “I feel like we make zines based on what communities we’re in and how we want to express ourselves,” said Madeline Happold, a fellow DePaul student and young zine maker.

Now fully emerged in the Chicago zine scene, Knight feels at home as an artist.

As a teenager in Denver, most of the zine makers they saw were older and already established in the community. In Chicago, the zine community is reflective of the city’s diverse and creative population, and people are accepting to newcomers. This has served as a source of inspiration for Knight. “It’s really nice to see people my age who are constantly producing,” they said.

Knight's process of creating a zine is not complicated. They type up their written work, scan their art if need be, and use online guides for formatting. If they need colors in the zine, they will send it to the UPS printing service, and if not, they will just print and staple in DePaul’s library.

The straightforward process of creating zines has allowed Knight to put their creativity toward something meaningful.

This practice has both helped their mental soundness as an artist and also has given them a whole new circle of artists that they can interact with.

Since they know firsthand how accessible the process of creating a zine is, Knight believes more young people should dabble in the art of zine making. “I think young people should be exposed to zines earlier because it’s a good motivator for them to be creative in their own way,” they said. “Truly anyone can make a zine,” they added.

As Knight’s zines lay strewn across the shoeboxes on their living room floor, their backpack full of schoolwork could be seen lying against the room’s huge front window.

Even though Knight is learning about the creative process in all of their major classes at DePaul, they are pursuing the same learning experiences about creative processes every time they make a zine or take a trip to Quimby’s. The universal selfdriven process of zine making is something that they said will stick with them no matter what work they pursue in the future.

KATIE ADAMS | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul sophomore Zoe Knight uses zines to express themselves creatively.

Are you shy?

• Are you overly concerned that you may do or say something that might embarrass or humiliate yourself in front of others?

• Do you fear that you will act or look anxious in social situations?

• Do you avoid social situations?

If you are between 18 and 64 years of age and feel that these problems interfere with your goals or to enjoy life fully, you may be eligible for a study at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Rush University Medical Center.

Participation in the study is completely voluntary. If you qualify, you will receive a medical evaluation, study-related medication and transportation at no cost.

For more information, call (312) 563-6687.

22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

We saved your spot!

DISCOUNTED PARKING for DePaul students, faculty, and staff Now available at the Adams & Wabash Self Park garage (17 E. Adams)

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Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018 | 23

what’s FRESH on HGTV

Fixer Upper

Flip or Flop Vegas

One of my all time favorite shows and one of the most beloved shows on HGTV, “Fixer Upper” finds a way to make living in Waco, Texas seem enticing. It follows the husband and wife team of Chip and Joanna Gaines as they renovate and personalize rundown houses for their clients.

In classic Las Vegas style, this edition of the HGTV classic show “Flip or Flop” is reinvented to incorporate the grandeur of the Vegas aesthetic in the real estate market. It perfectly balances the flashiness of the city it’s set in without making it feel like too much.

The show episode by episode is fairly formulaic but the often unexpected problems that arise during the renovations work to keep the show fresh and entertaining. In addition to that, the dynamic between the couple is endlessly lighthearted and endearing.

This show provides the audience with another renovation power couple at the helm. This time, it follows former MMA fighter Bristol Marunde as the handyman while his wife Aubrey is a real estate agent with an eye for interior design.

Without Chip and Jo, “Fixer Upper” wouldn’t have the dedicated following that it does. Their very authentic relationship and the frequent cameos featuring their young kids truly makes the show feel family oriented.

The design style utilized is a bit more on the adventurous side so if you're eye for design is more tame, this might not be the show for you. But, if you want an opportunity to judge said design style, this is a great option.

If you’re looking for a relaxing and interesting show that still feels warm and inviting, “Fixer Upper” is for you. Settle in and prepare to become ridiculously invested in your newest HGTV soulmate.

This show is essentially just a reinvention of the original “Flip or Flop” so audiences familiar with the concept already know exactly what to expect.

“Flip or Flop Vegas” is the best option if you’re looking for a new take on a well-known classic.

LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA

LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA

In theaters and upcoming film releases March 23 “Pacific Rim: Uprising” A new Kaiju threat is faced as Jake Pentacost reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of pilots.

Stars: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny

April 6 "Blockers" A group of parents tries to prevent their children from having sex on prom night.

Stars: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz

March 29 “Ready Player One” The creator of the virtual reality world called OASIS offers his fortune to the first player to find an Easter egg he left behind.

Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke

April 6 "A Quiet Place" The threat of creatures that hunt by sound forces a family to live in silence.

Stars: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt

March 30 "Tyler Perry's Acrimony" When her husband's betrayal is revealed, a faithful wife becomes enraged.

April 6 “Chappaquiddick” The cinematic depiction of the events that unfolded during the fatal 1969 car accident involving Ted Kennedy.

24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 2, 2018

St.Vincent’s

DeJAMZ

“Spinning fresh beats since 1581”

1 4 1

22

3

4

Find this and all our DeJamz playlists on depauliaonline.com and on our spotify account

By Zoey Barnes Focus Editor

With the rain, wind, and below-40 degree weather, it does not quite seem like we are a week into spring. But just because the weather might not scream it, you can always enjoy songs that embody the season. Acoustic, airy sets with nostalgic-yethopeful lyrics help give off that distinctive spring aura. If you want to hype up for summer, but have a laid back spring, here are four songs I’ve found to help me enjoy March, April and May.

1. “Gone" - The Head and the Heart From The Head and the Heart’s second album, “Gone” has all the essentials to make it a great song for spring. With a strong undertone of acoustic guitar and piano, and lyrics about how “gone are the days,” the Head and the Heart know the perfect way to embody a feeling of nostalgic change. The song even includes musical breaks with an interesting collision of violin and drum, before entering the last minute of their song pleading with listeners to forget their fear of change and to just explore the world.

Crossword

2. “Sleep on the Floor” - The Lumineers “Sleep on the Floor” is one of those songs that makes me want to pack everything into my car and go on a cross-country drive.

With a beautiful music video to accompany the song, “Sleep on the Floor” has proven to be one of the Lumineers’ most well-known songs. “Cleopatra,” the band’s second album, created a persona of wanting and wishing with a strong percussion sound. “Sleep on the Floor” is the debut song on the album, making it the perfect introduction to spring.

Across 1. It may be rigged 5. Like some humor 10. Three of a kind 14. “May I get you anything __?”

15. Slow tempo 16. Chicken part 17. Roll the dice 20. Napkin’s place 21. Aces, sometimes 22. Follow on the heels of 23. “Idylls of the King” character 24. Wall Street news items 26. Entangling quagmire 29. Confronts 30. Andy’s radio partner of old 31. Even if, briefly 32. Vientiane citizen 35. What gamblers hope for 39. Before-time link 40. Carry away, in a way 41. Length x width,

3. “Everything Now” Arcade Fire “Everything Now” starts with a lively piano introduction and immediately introduces the idea that we have everything now, at our fingertips, as long as we go get it. The song itself continues throughout with piano interludes combined with a chorus of voices begging for “everything now.”

The liveliness and aspirational tone of the song makes it a great tune to play when driving, riding the metro, or trying to finish homework.

for a rectangle 42. Sports figures 43. Inexpensive diner 45. Fingernail polish remover 48. It’s behind the alter 49. Harbor structure 50. Much 51. What a wife is called 54. It could be a lifesaver 58. Employs 59. Blood-loving worm 60. Biblical birthright seller 61. Microscope component 62. Aquarium structures 63. Chinese secret society Down 1. Unload, as stock 2. “Guilty” e.g.

3. “... and make it fast!”

4. “Sedona” - Houndmouth “Sedona” came out in 2015 and almost immediately put Houndmouth on the folk music charts. With a strong guitar sound and a stagnant beat, the song relies on its lyrics and the mix of vocals used throughout.

From whispering certain lyrics to almost yelling a few, the song wraps you in and does not let go until the final beat. It’s a fun song to have a dance party with or to sing out loud during a sunset, making it a solid song for spring.

4. Clerical nickname 5. Some pancakes 6. Judged, as a film 7. Food scraps 8. In times past 9. Grumpy’s comrade 10. Jew’s-harp sounds 11. Shampoo bottles’ final dictum 12. Acquire, as expenses 13. S-Shaped moldings 18. Millions of years 19. “... upon reciept __” 23. One way to go 24. Photo choice 25. It has the last word 26. Sudanese Republic, now 27. Don’t keep in 28. Decomposes 29. Imitates Tinker Bell 31. Decrease in intensity 32. Finishing bait 33. Slam-bang tennis

server 34. “I’ll go along with that” 36. Acquit 37. Enthusiastic flair 38. When repeated, like some shows 42. Kind of fracture 43. Particular periods of history 44. ___ Spumante 45. More than bad 46. Persue wild geese 47. Consumed 48. Smart ___ (wise guy) 50. Words before “of thieves” 51. Japanese soup 52. Horse color 53. Like a bug in a rug 55. Final (abbr.)

56. Somewhat vast grassy area 57. Collector’s collection

Sports

Big East announces rules recommendations For years the NCAA, schools, athletes and coaches have debated how to handle a corrupt and broken system littered with coaches paying athletes or their families to secure a commitment to their school.

The conversation dramatically changed on Sept. 26, 2017 when the Department of Justice announced that fraud and corruption charges had been brought against 10 people related to college basketball, including four assistant coaches from Arizona, USC, Auburn and Oklahoma State.

Shortly thereafter, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced he was putting together the Commission on College Basketball comprised of leaders from higher education, college sports, government and the business world, as well as former student-athletes. The commission’s stated goal is to examine the culture of corruption in college sports and provide recommendations on ways to fix the system in a way that benefits institutions, coaches, fans and student-athletes.

The commission says it is focused on the relationship between the NCAA, colleges, coaches, players, sponsors, agents, as well as the organization’s ties with the NBA. In response to the commission, the Big East conference released a series of suggestions designed to reform the recruiting process in men’s college basketball and restructure the pathway for its elite players in the U.S. The recommendations include the following: Modification of the NBA draft rule: The NCAA should urge the NBA and NBA Basketball Players Association to create a "none or two" draft eligibility rule to afford players greater flexibility to explore their professional options out of high school.

Players electing to enroll in an NCAA institution would become eligible for the NBA draft following their second NCAA season.

New summer recruiting model: The new model should launch in the summer of 2019 and allow for centralized control and efficient evaluation of pre-draft collegiate prospects.

Modified apparel company relationships with universities: Apparel company contracts should require that income for coaches and administrators be paid through the unvierstiy rather than by apparel companies directly. The NCAA should also mandate specific disclosures from apparel companies before they can enter into contracts with NCAA institutions.

Sports. April 2, 2018. The DePaulia | 25

Roster rollover

Blue Demons' leading scorer enters NBA draft without agent

By Paul Steeno Staff Writer

DePaul redshirt junior forward Max Strus has taken an important step on his journey toward realizing his NBA dream.

The university announced via a press release Wednesday afternoon Strus’ intention to declare for the 2018 NBA draft.

He has not hired an agent, meaning he has until June 11 to decide if he wants to keep his name in the draft or return to school.

“After talking with my family and coaching staff, I’m entering my name into the 2018 NBA draft to test the waters and get feedback,” Strus said. “In order to get a true sense as to where I stand in the eyes of the NBA, this is the best route to get direct communication with NBA teams.”

Strus has garnered praise for his motor, competitive edge and athleticism. He finished 11th in the Big East Conference in scoring average (16.8 points per game) despite commanding the attention of the opposition’s best defender and frequently facing double teams. He’s also a good rebounder for his size averaging 5.6 boards per game.

Strus exploded for a season-high 33 points on two occasions, against Northwestern on Dec. 21. and also Xavier on Dec. 30. He scored in double figures in 26-of-31 games, including 10 games of 20 or more points. The 81 3-point field goals he poured in this season was the second highest single season total in school history.

If Strus is opts to keep his name in the draft he would join a group of departures that already includes Marin Maric, Tre’Darius McCallum, Joe Hanel, Peter Ryckbosch and sophomore guard Brandon Cyrus who recently announced his intention to transfer from DePaul.

But nobody is worrying about next season for now.

“This will be a great experience for Max," DePaul head coach Dave Leitao said.

"We’re excited for the opportunity in front of him to not only get feedback from NBA teams, but also compete against some of the best players in the sport of basketball,”

Sophomore guard Cyrus becomes eighth transfer of Leitao era

By Andrew Hattersley Asst. Sports Editor

Regulated role for advisors and agents: The NCAA should allow basketball student-athletes to retain the services of certified agents and advisors in a regulated framework to provide advice about their futures and guide them in their decisions about whether to enter the NBA draft.

Beefed up enforcement resources (or an independent enforcement agency modeled after USADA) and more significant penalties for egregious rule violations: The NCAA should also promote more aggressively the importance of ethical conduct as a core value.

Collaboration with USA Basketball, the sport's national governing body, to improve the organizational structure and standards for pre-collegiate, non-scholastic basketball.

Elite Player Unit within the NCAA to focus on areas highlighted by the commission's charge: The new management unit should provide oversight of recruiting, agents and advisors, apparel company relationships, ethical conduct and branding strategies.

KATHY WILLENS | AP

Junior guard Max Strus throws down a dunk in DePaul's first round loss in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

KATHY WILLENS | AP

Brandon Cyrus became a regular starter after fellow sophomore Devin Gage was sidelined by an ankle injury.

Sophomore guard Brandon Cyrus announced in a tweet Monday evening he is transferring from DePaul after two seasons with the program. He is the eighth player to transfer in Leitao’s second stint with the Blue Demons that began in 2015.

“I would like to thank DePaul University, coach Leitao, staff, and fans for giving me the opportunity to compete as a student athlete these last two years,” Cyrus said.

“After much thought and consideration from my family, I have decided to transfer and explore other opportunities.”

Cyrus started 23 of 31 games a year ago and averaged 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. As a freshman, Cyrus also started all 32 games averaging 6.3 points per game in just over 26 minutes.

The sophomore guard was one of the Blue Demons better perimeter defenders and improved offensively as the year went along. Cyrus scored a career-high 20 points against No. 3 Xavier in DePaul’s final home game of the season.

Per NCAA rules, Cyrus will have to sit out next season before returning for the 2019-20 season where he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

26 | Sports. April 2, 2018. The DePaulia

DePaul continues perfect start to Big East play

By Andrew hattersley Asst. Sports Editor

After almost two months on the road, DePaul (23-11, 6-0 Big East) opened the home portion of their schedule with a sweep of Villanova (10-13, 0-3 Big East) outscoring the Wildcats 34-6 over the series. The wins helped the Blue Demons extend its winning streak to six games, with the last four coming via the run-rule.

After being swept at Villanova last year while making 13 errors, DePaul head coach Eugene Lenti said the team’s strong showing in the series, coupled with improved defensive play and only a single error, shows how far his team has come over the last year.

“It’s got to feel good for (the players), they beat us pretty badly last year,” Lenti said. “We did get them in the conference tournament, which was sweet revenge, but this was just as sweet or sweeter — just to have everything clicking like this (and to) throw a different pitcher each day, and for them to have the offense going like it is … it says a lot about how far we’ve come.”

The Blue Demons put pressure on the Wildcats' early by loading the bases in the first inning of each game, while forcing them to use five pitchers over the course of the first two games. Over the course of the weekend, seven players drove in two or more runs in at least one of the games. Lenti said getting contributions from everyone was a key reason for sweeping the series.

“It’s invaluable to your team because you don’t have to worry about one person

KONRAD MARKOWSKI | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul won its sixth straight game and fourth-straight via the run rule. having to carry the load,” Lenti said. “All had some kids come off the bench in the through the lineup anyone can hurt you, last couple of days that had quality hits and and that is what our goal has been: to build some RBIs.” as strong a lineup as we can. We’ve even DePaul’s pitching staff also threw well

PRESSURE cont. from back page are.

Yes, Dr. Esteban, yes you

DePaul’s increasingly angry fan base is sick and tired of hearing this, frankly, stupid question. Men’s basketball — or football for schools with major football programs — should absolutely be the priority for any athletic department.

Football and basketball are the sports that people care about and people watch. All of that interest translates into potential revenue streams and helps to raise the academic profile of the institution.

“We always have to keep in mind that these are studentathletes not athlete-students," Esteban said. "And sometimes I think we forget the student part (...) We've been retaining and graduating our student-athletes at rates that are higher than the national average. Having said that, I understand the desire for our, imparticular, men's basketball program to be good."

New day, same bullshit.

In fairness to Lenti Ponsetto and Esteban, DePaul Athletics has to strike a balance between men's basketball and all the other sports at DePaul. But "balance" doesn't mean "equal," and some sports are worth catagorically more to a university than others. To treat all of your sports the same is just ignorant — and I'm sure some golfers and volleyball players would agree.

Lenti Ponsetto brought her program to the Big East — a “basketball first” conference — to compete against the best and attract the most talented high school prospects looking to play in a league worthy of national exposure.

ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA

Now Loyola is making noise from the comfortable confines of the Missouri Valley Conference — not a conference built to attract the nations most elite talent.

But the Ramblers got it done anyway.

They went out and bought themselves a hungry, young head coach and created a culture worthy of big wins on a national stage.

A mid-sized Catholic university from a mid-tier conference that the nation forgot about in 1964 just ousted DePaul as Chicago's college basketball team and we should all be alarmed. If losing a city worth of potential fans doesn't force change, nothing will.

over the course of the weekend, limiting the Wildcats to just six runs, while each of the Blue Demons’ three starters — Missy Zoch, Pat Moore and Kennedy Garcia — pitched complete games. Garcia said getting early run support greatly helped all three of them on the mound.

“I love when we score first,” Garcia said.

“It’s like a weight that lifts off of you, like ‘Ok, so we have insurance in case we make an error or I make an error.’ It just gives you more leeway and makes you more comfortable on the mound (and) have more fun. You’re not stressed, you’re not tight — just play your game.”

When the Blue Demons have scored first, it has usually led to wins as DePaul improved to 21-2 in 2018 when they score first.

After playing their first 31 games on the road, sophomore Angela Scalzitti said it was great to finally play at home.

“So exciting, so nice to sleep in your own bed before the game,” Scalzitti said.

“Just being at home and seeing our parents in the stands, it’s a great feeling — very excited.”

This comfort level, Scalzitti said, likely attributed to one of their best offensive outputs of the year.

“I think that’s part of the reason our bats came alive,” Scalzitti said. “That’s, I think, the most hits we’ve had all year — quality at-bat hits.”

The Blue Demons continue the homestand against Loyola Chicago on Tuesday before hosting Georgetown for three games next weekend.

Sports. April 2, 2018. The DePaulia | 27 HOT & COLD, continued from back page winning seasons, calls for accountability have fallen on deaf ears.

When former DePaul President Dennis H. Holtschneider left the university at the end of the 2016-17 academic year, there was some optimism that the new administration of A. Gabriel Esteban could take a hard look at the athletic department and call for a change of leadership. But after watching another failed basketball season, Esteban didn’t pull the trigger.

“When I hear reports that (Lenti Ponsetto) is on the hot seat, that is surprising because of the success of our athletic programs,” Esteban told The DePaulia, citing the successes of nonrevenue generating sports and studentathlete academics. “Am I supposed to ignore student athlete success in other sports all at the expense of men’s basketball?

So does (Lenti Ponsetto) have my support?

Of course she has my support.”

While Lenti Ponsetto enjoys the verbal support of a new administration, the support of students and alumni continues to wain and the program continues to take hits. Sophomore guard Brandon Cyrus became the eighth player in Leitao’s second stint with the Blue Demons to transfer away from the program early last week. Day’s later, Max Strus — DePaul’s leading scorer — declared for the NBA draft. And Tyger Campbell notably flirted with the program but eventually chose greener pastures at UCLA. Esteban preaches patience, much as Lenti Ponsetto did after coming under fire for another lackluster season. He says that, in comparison, Seton Hall didn’t reach the tournament until 2016, despite their new stadium being built in 2010. This year marks the Pirates third straight NCAA tournament appearance.

“I don’t think we are on the six-year plan, if you ask me,” Esteban said. “I think we are on a shorter plan just because of what I’ve seen. Look at the team we’ve played, look at the games we’ve played, how close its been (...) those are things which you look at.”

DePaul lost seven games by five points or less this season, but that may not exactly point to growth. The Blue Demons lost a number of close games to top-25 teams over the course of the 2016-17 season as well, but the team was still lacking in talent.

In contrast, the 2017-18 roster was full of raw talent in players like Strus, Marin Maric and Eli Cain, but close losses still dominated the season narrative.

“There are two parts to a team,” Leitao said. “And you mentioned results, and we’re in a results-based business. But I look at reasons. And so the definition of a win, when you see it on the ticker at night, is sometimes results-based and sometimes reasons-based. And there’s a lot of reasons to be very, very proud and to be very, very optimistic about not only what we just completed as a season but as the five seniors move on, what lies ahead.”

The greatest struggle for the Blue Demons outside of winning has been attendance. Freedom of Information Act requests revealed that turnstile attendance (the number of people actually attending

Loyola Ramblers celebrate their Elite Eight win over Kansas State for the team's first Final Four birth since 1963.

DAVID GOLDMAN | AP

Porter Moser embraces Ben Richardson after win over Kansas St.

DAVID GOLDMAN | AP

KATHY WILLENS | AP

Dave Leitao yells at his players during the Big East Tournament.

each game) averaged under 3,000 people with just a handful on games remaining in the season. Student attendance has been even worse. A glance toward the new elevated – and empty – student section shows just how strong the student body’s apathy for DePaul Athletics has become.

Loyola’s rise into the national spotlight and the NCAA Tournament wasn’t helped along by a new arena. This year, the Ramblers played their home games on campus in the Joseph J. Gentile arena, just as they have since it opened in 1996.

And by the end of the year, attendance was not a problem for Chicago’s second largest Catholic University.

“It’s humbling. ‘Please, we have a game tonight. Come, have a hot dog.’ We’ve done that a lot,” Moser said the team told Loyola students. “It’s grass roots. It’s paid off.

Slowly but surely, we’ve got it here.”

KATHY WILLENS | AP

Eli Cain and Tre'Darius McCallum exit the court after losing in the Big East Tournament.

Sports

Sports. April 2, 2018. The DePaulia | 28

Red Hot, Ice Cold

Enjoying little success over the last two decades, both DePaul and Loyola were racing to bring the Windy City back into the college basketball scene. This March, Loyola won that race.

By Shane René Sports Editor

Loyola-Chicago’s men’s basketball program ended their spectacular NCAA tournament run Saturday night with a 69-57 loss to No. 3 Michigan in the Final Four, and the DePaul Blue Demons watched from home for the fourteenth consecutive year.

That drought was even longer for the Loyola Ramblers, who won the Missouri Valley Conference championship game on March 4 to earn the program’s first NCAA tournament berth since 1985. After DePaul’s men’s team ended the 2004 season in the second round of the NCAA tournament and then sunk to the bottom of the Big East in 2005, the association between the Windy City and college basketball began to fade.

Over the last decade, the Blue Demons and the Ramblers have been racing to forge a path back to the NCAA tournament and into the national spotlight. This past fall, DePaul announced that the Wintrust Arena era would mark a new direction for the men’s basketball program, but the Blue Demons once again found themselves at the bottom of the Big East standings. Loyola on the other hand crashed the Big Dance, becoming one of the most captivating teams in the nation.

“They have so much to be proud of,” Loyola head coach

ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA

“Does (Lenti Ponsetto) have my support? Of course she has my support.”

Developing story:

NCAA investigates DePaul Athletics

By Shane René Sports Editor

The NCAA is investigating DePaul University’s athletic department for violations of NCAA rules and regulations, according to sources close to the men’s basketball program.

The precise nature of the investigation and the conduct being investigated is currently unknown. Sources say current and past players and coaches have been questioned by NCAA officials.

DePaul’s Office of Public Relations and Communications did not confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation, but issued the following statement: “DePaul is committed to NCAA rules compliance, and regularly provides

A. Gabriel Esteban

DePaul University President

Porter Moser said to the press after the Final Four loss.

“They changed the perception of a program, they changed the perception of when you say ‘Loyola Chicago.’”

Meanwhile, the perception of DePaul men’s basketball program has gone unchanged — and it has arguably grown worse. Losing season after losing season has created frustration among fans and alumni, many of whom point to a series of poor hires by sitting athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto. After 16 years and a mere handful of

Loyola’s NCAA run should put pressure on Esteban, JLP

By Shane René Sports Editor

educational programming for its studentathletes, coaches and athletics staff, and when appropriate self-reports rules violations and takes corrective action accordingly.”

During the preliminary phase of an investigation, the national office works with the school and parties involved to conduct interviews and determine the facts in the case.

From there investigators will determine if any violations have occurred and provide the school and individuals involved with a written notice of allegations before they would appear in front of an infractions committee.

The DePaulia will continue to follow this story as it develops.

See HOT & COLD, page 27

COMMENTARY The DePaul University community is a Chicago community. If you walk around the Loop or Lincoln Park campus and ask students why they chose to become Blue Demons, they will likely say “the city.”

After all, “The city is your campus” is one of DePaul’s favorite pitches to prospective students.

That is why the DePaul community is genuinely happy for their neighbors, just a few stops north on the Red line. A win for Loyola is a win for Chicago — a city known across the globe for its rich basketball culture, even if it hasn’t seen a winning college program in well over a

decade.

“Congratulations to Loyola and their success,” President A. Gabriel Esteban said.

“It’s a great run and I think it’s great for the city of Chicago.”

But we, the DePaul Blue Demons, can and should be that program. And that is why Loyola’s meteoric rise to NCAA fame should increase the pressure on Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto and push President Esteban to make the changes necessary to bring DePaul men’s basketball into the winners circle.

“Am I supposed to ignore student athlete success in other sports all at the expense of men’s basketball?” Esteban said to The DePaulia when questioned about the state of the men’s basketball program and his support for Lenti Ponsetto.

See PRESSURE, page 26