DePaulia
The
2017 Pacemaker Award Winner/Best Weekly College Newspaper-SPJ
Volume #102 | Issue #21 | April 9, 2018 | depauliaonline.com
Forward thinker
JOSH LEFF | THE DEPAULIA DePaul’s 12th president, A. Gabriel Esteban, sits at the desk in his Loop offices to get some work done. The first lay president of the university, Esteban makes plans for the future of DePaul.
Esteban has plan for enrollment, endowment; hope for athletics By Jonathan Ballew, Benjamin Conboy & Shane René News Editor, Managing Editor & Sports Editor
For the first time in its 119-year history, DePaul University has a president who is not a Vincentian priest. President A. Gabriel Esteban, 55, brings a fresh vision to the university after the resignation of Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M. last fall. Esteban represents a shifting focus for the university, transitioning from a traditionally faith-based ethos in the wake of concerns about the university’s long-term viability and competitiveness. The DePaulia’s Editorial Board sat down with Esteban in his Loop offices on Wednesday, March 30 to talk about his plans for the future of the university. Esteban is a quiet, soft-spoken man. He moves slowly but deliberately and chooses his words carefully. Being the first lay president has presented some unique challenges, but overall, he says he’s adjusting well. Of the 9 Catholic universities in Illinois, none of them are led by members of the clergy. In the early days of his time at DePaul, he says he’s caught people starting to address him as “Father.” “To some degree, there’s a bigger campuswide transition that has to occur,” he said. “They’re used to seeing a priest, a Vincentian.” He lives near the Lincoln Park campus with his wife, Josephine, where he has relocated from New Jersey. He said he and his wife used to vacation in Chicago, so the transition has been easy. In the summer, he and Josephine stroll the Sheffield Neighbors neighborhood in the evenings.
“But not as late as some of you (students). By 9 o’clock it’s bedtime for me,” he said. With a recent uptick in crime in the Lincoln Park area, specifically armed robberies and carjackings, he says the university is looking at trying to find new ways to make students safer. He said there is a possibility that they will look at increasing Public Safety foot patrols, or possibly increasing the numbers of cameras on campus. “The only thing about cameras: they are only there after the fact.” Esteban assumed power in September 2017, at a time when DePaul is at an existential crossroads. Enrollment has been declining while tuition costs continue to rise. But he says he is determined to correct the path that the university is currently set on. Esteban, formerly the president of Big East competitor Seton Hall University for six years (he was also the first lay president there in the 25 years preceding him), he helped the university overcome a lot of problems not unlike the ones that DePaul is currently facing. At Seton Hall, he helped the men’s basketball team become March Madness regulars, as well as growing enrollment and endowment numbers. Growing up in the Philippines, he developed an affinity for comic books and superheroes. Comic books were pricey there, so Esteban and his friends used to have to hang out near U.S. air bases so they could try and trade with the kids who lived there. In keeping with his roots as a fan of pop culture, his desk in Lincoln Park houses a collection of action figures Alongside his
See ESTEBAN, page 5
2 | News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
First Look The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.
ON A I
OW RN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Amber Colón eic@depauliaonline.com
PAULIA THE DE
PAGE 29
Podcast
MANAGING EDITOR | Benjamin Conboy managing@depauliaonline.com NEWS EDITOR | Jonathan Ballew news@depauliaonline.com
Tune in to episode 19 of The DePaulia’s official podcast “Page 29,” available on Soundcloud and iTunes.
ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Timothy Duke news@depauliaonline.com NATION & WORLD EDITOR | Carina Smith nation@depauliaonline.com OPINIONS EDITOR | Mackenzie Murtaugh opinion@depauliaonline.com FOCUS EDITOR | Zoey Barnes focus@depauliaonline.com ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Lacey Latch artslife@depauliaonline.com SPORTS EDITOR | Shane René sports@depauliaonline.com ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | Andrew Hattersley sports@depauliaonline.com
Check out our campus crime database, Crime Watch. This map is updated on a weekly basis with data made available to The DePaulia from the City of Chicago data portal and DePaul’s Office of Crime Prevention.
Check out The DePaulia’s content online at www.depauliaonline.com
THIS WEEK Monday - 4/9
Tuesday - 4/10
Wednesday - 4/11
Faculty artist series: Ian Ding, Eric Millstein and Cynthia Yeh
Book reading: Lifting as They Climbed by Mariame Kaba and Essence McDowell
Latinx potluck
Concert Hall
Arts and Letters Hall, 103
The O’Connell Building - The Latinx Cultural Center
8 p.m.
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday - 4/13
Saturday - 4/14
Thursday - 4/12
DESIGN EDITOR | Victoria Williamson design@depauliaonline.com
Three Sisters, play
Electric DePaul
New Music DePaul presents MoVE, violinists
DESIGN EDITOR | Ally Zacek design@depauliaonline.com
Theatre School - Fullerton Stage
Recital Hall
Recital Hall
7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
8 p.m.
8 p.m.
PHOTO EDITOR | Josh Leff photo@depauliaonline.com ONLINE EDITORS | Yazmin Dominguez, Gracie Saucedo online@depauliaonline.com COPY EDITORS | Brian Pearlman, Nikki Roberts
FOLLOW US:
facebook.com/TheDePaulia
twitter.com/TheDePaulia
thedepaulia
BUSINESS MANAGER | Kelsey Horvath business@depauliaonline.com ADVISOR | Marla Krause mkrause1@depaul.edu
CONTACT US depauliaonline.com GENERAL PHONE (773) 325-2285 OFFICE HOURS Thursday: 6-8 p.m. Friday: 10-6 p.m. Sunday: 10-5 p.m.
NEWS TIPS news@depauliaonline.com
ADVERTISING business@depauliaonline.com
RADIO DEPAUL Chicago's College Connection
Listen in at radio.depaul.edu or on the Radio DePaul App
thedepaulia
News
News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018 | 3
PHOTO COURTESEY OF FACEBOOK
Savannah Buik used her rock climbing blog to inspire people recovering from eating disoders. Buik’s blog touched the lives of many others who have expressed their sadness over her death.
Recent graduate killed in rock climbing accident By Benjamin Conboy Managing Editor
A recent DePaul graduate died in a rock climbing accident on Wednesday, March 28. Savannah Buik, 22, was climbing with the aid of ropes on the East Bluff at Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin when she fell. Lt. Mike Green of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the cause of the fall is still under investigation. Buik had just graduated at the end of the winter quarter with a degree in mathematical sciences. As a young girl, she struggled with an eating disorder, and grew to use rock climbing as an outlet to overcome it. Buik’s mother, Nina, said that the DePaul community has shown her family an overwhelming amount of support. She said they have received an outpouring of cards, text messages and positivity from DePaul students and families. “We thought we knew Savannah’s world, and sometimes you really get to know your child better when you meet their world,” Nina said. “We’re learning so much more about our daughter and the goodness she spread in her short 22 years in this world from (the DePaul community’s embrace).” Friends described Savannah as bubbly, friendly and kind.
“She was everybody’s friend, and her laughter was absolutely infectious,” her mother said. She recalled a time when they were on a family vacation when Savannah was still a young child. They were eating at a pizza restaurant, with Savannah sitting in a height chair. “Something tickled her, and she started laughing. It was when we first heard her incredible laugh,” she said. “After a couple minutes, every single person in the restaurant was laughing.” She was always very curious about the world around her, said her family. She was fascinated by the weather, always asking her parents about it. She was terrified by tornados, but she was also captivated by them. She was always glued to the Weather Channel, hoping that she could learn more about them. “She faced her fears so she could pursue them,” Nina said. She loved playing soccer. According to her mother, she was a young star. But after suffering one too many concussions, she had to leave the sport. It was then, around 2011, that she made her first foray into the climbing world. She created a blog to chronicle her climbing escapades. On it, she wrote about a trip to Yosemite National Park, a climbing rite-of-passage and the summer she spent in Colorado when she interned at the American Alpine Club, of which she co-founded a Chicago chapter.
“Shewaseverybody’s friend.”
Nina Buik
Savannah’s mother
PHOTO COURTESEY OF SAVANNAHBUIK.COM
Buik climbed all over the country, being partial to the Rocky Mountains, where she hoped to move.
But intertwined with her climbing narratives are other stories that tell of her continued recovery from an eating disorder. She sought to show others that even when it feels like all hope is lost, an eating disorder is not unbeatable. In a piece entitled “Quit Lying to Yourself,” she recounts the past summer’s events. “I was free to do what I wanted to,” she wrote. “Although at first this time I had to do what I wanted gave me apprehension, it was the unknown that led me to find inspiration for how I wanted to spend my life. ED (eating disorder) did not deserve to occupy my time.” Mike Foster, a graduate of DePaul’s mathematical sciences master’s program and now an adjunct math professor, said that Savannah introduced him to rock climbing. “She was really honest, primarily with herself,” he said. “She had an ability to talk about what she was going through. If she
was stressed, she would talk about it. If she was happy, she’d be willing to talk about it. She was just fully honest with herself and everyone around her.” Nina Buik remembers a moment from the early years of Savannah’s eating disorder, when she came home to find her very distressed. “Why did God do this to me?” she asked her mother. “I can’t answer that,” her mother replied. “I don’t know why God does the things he does or the plans he has in store for everyone. But if on just one day you change just one person’s life, this will all be worth it.” “Clearly, she has touched more than one. She’s left a legacy of love, acceptance and strength for the rest of us to hold.” A celebration of Savannah’s life will be held on Tuesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. in Cortelyou Commons.
4| News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Law professor has class canceled after using the N-word By Jonathan Ballew News Editor
After repeated use of the N-word during what he says was a teaching exercise, Professor Donald Hermann’s law class has been officially canceled by the Dean of the College of Law, Rosato Perea. Hermann remains adamant that the cancellation of his class was “completely inappropriate,” and that he has been treated unjustly by Perea. Hermann said that he is filing a grievance with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) under the provision of academic freedom. “I think there is a problem with the dean,” he said. “The fact that this was handled so poorly, I think, reflects the inadequacy of the administrative ability of the dean’s office.” Hermann said that he used the N-word during a lesson on provocation in order to illustrate the power words can hold. “I think their reaction to it is the very justification for the use of of it in this context,” he said. But some students say that context doesn’t matter, and that the N-word has no place in or out of the classroom. Carli Wright was a student in Hermann’s class that took issue with Hermann’s use of the word. “It was completely unnecessary for him to use the word in that context,” Write told The DePaulia after the initial incident. “We are all law students, we are smart people, we all have college degrees — it’s not hard for us to understand the impact of the word without him saying it.” Another student from Hermann’s class, who asked not to be named due to tensions within the law school, said that they thought Hermann was treated unfairly. “The DePaul College of Law has no backbone and provided a platform for easily offended students to rewrite the narrative of what happened, to the detriment of our education,” they said. The student said Hermann’s teaching exercise was appropriate because “lawyers are confronted with uncomfortable situations daily.”
our community,” Perea said. “Such language is disrespectful and unnecessary, and should not be tolerated. (...) The ethical training of effective lawyers does not include purposefully exposing students to hurtful speech and conduct, notwithstanding its existence in the broader society.” The statement from Perea also apologized to the students directly affected by the incident and said she hopes the law community can continue to make inclusion and diversity cornerstones of the law school. OIDE also issued a statement saying that their investigation into the matter was concluded and that the action is now in the hands of the dean’s office. Terry Smith, a professor at the DePaul law school, said that he supports Professor Hermann. He said that JONATHAN BALLEW | THE DEPAULIA low enrollment was a poor The College of Law is mired in debate as to whether the use of racial slurs belong in the classroom. excuse to cancel Hermann’s class and it was not in the “Like Professor Hermann canceled in the “best interest of best interest of all students. suggested, that word is used in the students.” Hermann said he “I think Dean Rosato’s police reports, court hearings, does not agree with the decision explanations smack of pretext,” he judicial opinions, etc., and lawyers and that he has said in an can’t curl up into a ball and cry taught classes email. “If racism every time they hear it,” the with far fewer she wanted student said. than 20 students. to respect Following the original incident, Additionally, s tu d e nt s’ students went on spring break but Hermann took sentiments were given the option to transfer issue with the on this cancellation of matter, his class before she would an investigation have also was concluded respected by the Office the wishes of Institutional of those Diversity and students Equity (OIDE). w h o The Dean’s wanted to office issued a be taught by statement to Professor The DePaulia on Hermann.” April 5, detailing B o t h the conclusion of PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL UNIVERSITY H e r m a n n an investigation Professor Donald Hermann and Smith by OIDE. The m e nt i on e d to a supplemental class created dean’s office said that since it is a that they believe the law school by Perea. On the first day back, personnel issue, they could not may be heading in the wrong Hermann’s class had shrunk from discuss further actions that may direction, and U.S. News’ annual nearly 80 students to around only arise. law school rankings seem to agree 20. “What I do want to make — DePaul has continued to fall in But after only one class, clear is my steadfast conviction recent years. Currently, DePaul Hermann and the students were that the college can in no way Law ranks at No. 128 while Loyola’s alerted by the dean’s office on condone the use of racial slurs that law school ranks at No. 74. March 15 that the class would be wound and denigrate members of
“I think there is a problem with the dean.”
Donald Hermann Law professor
News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018| 5
ESTEBAN continued from front page obligatory Dibs bobblehead, he has Superman, Flash, Thor, and one of his alltime favorites, Captain America. But given the opportunity, he said he wouldn’t want a superpower for himself. Maybe, he said, he would want something like “super-wisdom.” “That way I wouldn’t make any mistakes.” Esteban grew up under the brutal dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. After a terrorist bombing that killed 9 and injured almost 100 people at a political rally for the Philippines Liberal Party, Marcos tamped down. Historians agree that the bombing was perpetrated by Marcos as a pretext for him to declare martial law, which he did in 1972. “As a college student, I grew up under martial law, under a dictatorship where JOSH LEFF | THE DEPAULIA there was no such thing as free speech,” Part of President Esteaban’s duties involve staying connected with alumni. He often writes personal letters of congratulations to graduates. Esteban said. “(You could) disappear because you protested.” As the president of Seton Hall, he led the and better basketball prospects. Students at DePaul have had a starkly But that isn’t what happened during Wintrust’s different college experience. The Milo effort to reintroduce a medical school to the university. The Bureau of Labor Statistics inaugural year. Yiannopoulos incident in 2016 saw student Attendance was underwhelming and protestors effectively shut down the unpopular projects that healthcare related employment will rise 26 percent by 2022, disappointing. The men’s speaker with no backlash. Earlier this year, and DePaul is missing out basketball program is students opposed to Charles Murray’s speaking watching players walk invitation from the DePaul College Republicans on those students who are going elsewhere for their out the door. protested in the rain outside Courtelyou medical degrees. Still,Esteban remains Commons with police standing nearby. “It’s difficult to see a optimistic. He insists Esteban still says that “universities are future of DePaul that did that big changes to the supposed to be a place where we listen to things men’s program won’t which may be contrary to our beliefs,” but says not include an expanded presence in the health happen overnight, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. For him, says he sees a brighter that line only exists when the safety of students and medical science field,” Esteban said. “What shape, prospects in the near cannot be guaranteed. form or format that takes, future. “The number one thing to me is (...), ‘Is the Seton Hall finished safety of the community at risk?’ If at any time I that’s to be decided.” DePaul would have construction on a new get recommendations from Public Safety or CPD arena of their own saying they can’t guarantee the safety, then (we some tough competition from the competitive and shortly after Esteban’s won’t allow the speaker to speak),” Esteban said. popular medical programs at Northwestern arrival too. Six years after it opened, they made After Yiannopoulos, DePaul formed a speaker review committee that approves or denies student and University of Chicago, which rank 20 and the NCAA tournament for the first time in 10 groups’ funding for guest speakers. Esteban 18 nationally, according to U.S. News & World years. Esteban is hoping that it won’t take six years promised not to interfere in the process. “If my Report. After DePaul spent $82.5 million on the new for Wintrust to start attracting solid basketball role is to circumvent the process, then I might as Wintrust Arena, there was hope that a brand-new prospects. well make all the decisions,” he said. stadium would attract alumni, more students In the wake of numerous controversies within the Athletic Department, he praised the good work of DePaul’s student athletes, saying that they are “student athletes,” and not “athlete students.” “Last year our student athletes had a 3.45 cumulative GPA. Can you think of any other group of students who have that GPA?,” he said. “I understand the desire for our men’s basketball program to be good. But it’s not just about men’s basketball. The more we push men’s basketball, the more we also diminish the success of all the other sports.” Esteban has set some ambitious goals for the university. Growing DePaul’s endowment to $1 billion by 2024, expanding university programs, increasing enrollment and creating a more attractive athletics program are among them. But seeing what Esteban did at Seton Hall, the DePaul community is hoping he will be the shepherd that DePaul needs to navigate the coming years.
“They’re used to seeing a priest, a Vincentian.” President Esteban
JOSH LEFF | THE DEPAULIA
President Esteban enjoys his office but says it is one of the only buildings in DePaul’s loop campus that the university doesn’t own.
6| News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Demand for female voice-over actors growing By Varvara Makarevich Contributing Writer
Even though the glass ceiling has not yet been broken, women are getting there. They won the battle over their right to vote, to obtain high-level positions and to compete with men on the same level. Today, they are actually the ones shaping the market by being the principal consumers. This economic reality influences all industries, especially the advertising one. “Women drive 70 to 80 percent of all consumer purchasing, through a combination of their buying power and influence. Influence means that even when a woman isn’t paying for something herself, she is often the influence or veto vote behind someone else’s purchase,” says Bridget Brennan, the author of the book “Why she buys?,” in her Forbes column. According to the latest research conducted by Voices.com, the number of female job postings in the voice-over industry is growing and the trend will continue. The internal data of the global service linking companies to voice-over professionals shows that over the past five years the number of job postings seeking a female voice over actress increased by 24 percent,whereas the number of postings for men went up by only 16 percent. The study predicts that by 2025 the demand for female voices will surpass the demand for male. It will happen mainly due to the economic reasons and changes in the modern society. Boston Consulting Group data proves this point and estimates that women control $4.3 trillion of the $5.9 trillion in U.S. consumer spending, and 73 percent of household spending. Moreover, it is women who are making consumer decisions for
their kids and often buying on behalf of the elder members of the family. Thus, they become multiple markets in one, so to say. Vo i c e s . c o m Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie Ciccarelli, points out that even smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, feature female voices. “The conscious selection of female voices has created a more balanced representation in an industry that directly impacts culture and buying patterns,” she says. “This speaks to who has influence CODY CORRALL | THE DEPAULIA in the marketplace, Women are set to surpass men in voiceover careers as early as 2025. a combination of the buyers and sellers.” “People like to hear their contemporaries, Another factor for female voice-overs they like to hear themselves,” says Eva gaining popularity is the rise of peer- Bongiovanni, an instructor in public to-peer marketing, meaning that the relations and advertising. However this consumer is more likely to buy a product wasn’t always the case; back in the day, if the commercial he hears is voiced over people wanted to hear a reassuring male’s by someone who sounds like a member voice. But now, Bongiovanni says, women of his community. People of different are believable and, moreover, 80 percent of ethnic backgrounds tend to be influenced all consumption is done by women. by ads that are using actors with accents, Notably, the data shows that the female millennials want to hear a professional voice-over is becoming more in-demand, voice-over actor who sounds the same age as not that male voice over is becoming less they are, and women, well, they most likely in-demand. “We are still seeing a growing will be engaged by a woman’s voice.
demand for male voice overs, but at a slower rate than that of females,” says Julianna Lantz, manager of talent sales at Voices. com. The results of the survey demonstrate that voice-over is a crucial element of an ad today. 88 percent of the respondents agreed that “even if all the elements of my project come together perfectly, but the voice-over isn’t good, it can prevent me from achieving my intended objectives.” Nathaly Shammo, a DePaul junior majoring in psychology and a Radio DePaul host, believes that female voice-over professionals have a cadence in their voices that people find personable and trustworthy. However, the “réactance theory” might also take place. Generally, the reactance theory means that the more you want someone to do one thing, the more likely they will do the opposite. “It’s possible [that when] people hear more of a demanding tone with male voice-over professionals, they feel less inclined to buy the product that was so abrasively introduced to them,” says Shammo. “They might feel less pressured and more inclined to buy a product if it’s described in a ‘just-like-me’ tone with females.” The main advice that Bongiovanni has for both aspiring voice-over professionals and commercial casting managers is to keep abreast of trends. “If you want to go in marketing and advertising, you need to know what’s going on,” she says. Follow the trends and make your target audience believe you and resonate with the voice you use in an ad. “When a woman speaking the same way my mother speaks tells me about a bar of soap, I’m going to trust her and buy that bar of soap,” says Shammo.
News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018| 7
Social media engagement doesn’t translate to polls By Brian Pearlman Staff Writer
While platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow users to express their political opinions, it doesn’t always lead to political engagement. Sam Ellerbee, a prospective DePaul student and social media user, says that while he often sees his friends post about what they do and don’t like about certain candidates, almost none of them actually go to vote during elections. “I think it shows that my generation likes to talk a big game, but at the end of the day they just don’t care enough to really get out there and turn their words into actions,” he said. In the wake of the recent statewide primary elections in Illinois, some jumped on the fact that only 3 percent of those ages 18-24 came out to vote. But even in a tense race that included nationwide coverage of old guard Blue Dog Democrat Dan Lipinski battling progressive businesswoman Marie Newman in the 3rd Congressional District, the youth just didn’t end up turning out. In a 2017 joint study between Yale, the University of California Riverside, and the London School of Economics, the researchers concluded that “voters view candidate selection as more difficult, and their decisions as less meaningful, both of which alter the calculus of voting in a way that makes voting in primary contests less likely than in other types of elections.” While their findings were inconclusive, they also suggested that people don’t feel as much pressure in general elections, with most folks being willing to defer to those who know more about the candidates and the issues; this seems to jibe with the simple notion that binary choices in a general election are easier to navigate than multiple candidates from the same party in a primary election. In the wake of the elections, Doug Klain
JOHN LOCHER | AP
Despite talking a big game on social media, only 3 percent of registered millenial voters actually voted in the recent Illinois primary elections.
from the DePaul College Democrats said that “Few campaigns have figured out the formula to get young people to turn out, and clearly even an über-progressive like (Daniel) Biss wasn’t enough of a motivator.” He added that the race for Illinois governor in November will “probably feel for a lot of young people like a decision between two not-great options.” Kristen Smith, a 20-year-old Chicago student who voted for Biss, says she agrees. “I think that, for my friends who are more on the progressive side, people are going to be disheartened by all the headlines of how much money is being poured into this election,” she said. “It’s going to be, yet again, a choice between two evils.” In a recent analysis of U.S. Census
data by Pew Research, it was reported that Millennials (defined as those ages 20-35) made up 27 percent of the voting eligible population in 2016, with their numbers on track to surpass that of Baby Boomers (ages 52-70) by 2019. The analysis reiterated that when looking at millennial voting rates, demographics are less important than factors such as who the candidates are and how satisfied they are with the economy. Still, even though they were almost 30 percent of the electorate in 2016, only 51 percent of eligible millennial voters turned out to make their voices heard. There would’ve had to have been a 61 percent Millennial turnout in order for their “voting clout to match their share of the electorate,”
Pew Research noted. And a wide-ranging 2015 meta-analysis of 36 current studies about the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) and voter turnout ultimately concluded that, as expected, correlation simply does not equal causation: just because someone is engaged with politics online does not necessarily mean they will be motivated to go to the polls – and those who do in fact participate politically in both the virtual and physical realms may be motivated by some previous cause, like an interest in politics, anyway. “The lack of turnout our generation is known for disappointing,” said Ellerbee. “But our generation is more progressive, so I’m hoping we’ll get better at it, as well as make our voice heard in other ways.
CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: March 28 - April 3, 2018 f
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS
LOOP CAMPUS
University Hall 1
Corcoran Hall
5
3
Daley Building
3
4
DePaul Center
Student Center
7
3 8
2
6 4
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS MARCH 30 1) A smell
of marijuana report was filed in University Hall. No drugs were found.
MARCH 31 2) A harrassment by electronic means report was filed for a person receiving threatening messages via Facebook.
APRIL 3 3) An illegial
Assault & Theft
Drug & Alcohol
consumption of alcohol by a minor report was filed in Corcoran Hall. Person was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital for treatment.
Other
LOOP CAMPUS
MARCH 28 4) A battery
report was filed regarding an altercation outside of the Daley Building. Chicago Police were called to the scene and the offender was taken into custody.
MARCH 29 5) A motor vehicle theft was reported outside of the University Center.
6)
A theft was reported in a University Center retail space.
MARCH 31 7) A Criminal
Trespass report was filed for a disturbance in the Barnes and Noble at the DePaul Center.
8| News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Photo of the Week: esports Gaming Center By Timothy Duke Asst. News Editor
COMMENTARY After much anticipation, The Eports Gaming Center opened at the DePaul Center in the Loop. Following Robert Morris University’s lead, DePaul began making preparations for the gaming center two years ago. DePaul says they hope the center will attract students to the university as esports programs at other universities have done in the past. The space is open to other students who wish to host a tournament as well. DePaul will provide snacks and drinks to students looking to hold their own gaming events. The esports prorgram features two popular competitive games: Rocket League and League of Legends, with plans to expand the gamelist in the future.
ANDREW HATTERSLEY | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul opened a space to house the eSports program, the eSports Gaming Center. The center is equipped with gaming computers and racing chairs
Check out the backpage of the sports section for The DePaulia’s coverage of DePaul’s new esports program.
HALL CRAWL Visit Apartments Wednesday, April 11 4-6 p.m.
DELILAH’S 2771 North Lincoln * Chicago USA
Punk Rock DJs Every Monday $1 Beer, $2 Jim Beam & Free Pool
Burger Time, Pool & Stern Star Wars Pinball
Sun 4/15 - DJ Vinyl Richie
Iggy Pop’s B-day
(come and go as your schedule permits)
++++++++++ Every First Tuesday
More Info: go.depaul.edu/roomsel
All are welcome!
Metal Shop
Wednesday Night DJs
Thursdays
4/18 - The Dyes Garage DJ Lil Lisa 4/25 - Garage Rock DJ James
4/12 - Pop & Punk DJ Smiths Tony
4/19 - 70’s On The Rox DJ Scot 4/26 - Ska & Reggae DJ Chuck
Check Out More Delilahschicago.com
News. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018 | 9
DePaulia
The
The DePaulia is seeking passionate students to join our award-winning news team for Winter Quarter 2018.
A I L U A P E D E TH
Interviewing applicants now for the following unpaid positions: Sales Staff Staff Writers Social Media Managers Contributing Online Reporters Videographers
Interested in writing, social media, reporting or photography? Apply on our website:
depauliaonline.com/editor-application/ Interested in business, advertising or sales? Send us your resume:
business@depauliaonline.com
10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Nation &World
The trade war begins
CHINATOPIX VIA AP Containers are loaded onto a cargo ship at the port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province. China vowed to fight the U.S. "at any cost" after President Donald Trump proposed additional tariffs on Chinese goods in an escalating trade dispute between the world's two largest economies.
By Evan Sully Staff Writer
The U.S. has engaged itself in yet another international conflict, but this time around the conflict is a trade war with international powerhouse China, whose economy is the second largest in the world with an $11 trillion GDP compared to the U.S.’s $19 trillion GDP. It all started at the beginning of March when President Donald Trump proposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from China – totaling $60 billion in Chinese goods – as a means to punish China for what his administration considers to have been unfair trade practices. Trump also wants to crack down on what he says is China’s theft of U.S. companies’ intellectual property. “The real question that needs to be answered is why are U.S. companies importing Chinese steel rather than using domestic steel, or why are Chinese companies more competitive? Some say it is because Chinese companies are subsidized by their government, and that without subsidies, Chinese steel would not be as competitive,” said Sébastien Mary, an economics professor who teaches a course on international trade. “The U.S. often complains
about this, but meanwhile implements similar policies in other sectors: Think about Boeing or the agriculture sector; in some ways, the U.S. is somewhat hypocritical with respect to its trade policy.” The trade talks with China also served as an integral part of Trump’s 2016 campaign to bring jobs back to the U.S.; Trump has previously blamed China’s trade practices for the closure of 60,000 factories that cost the U.S. around six million jobs. The tariffs are not immediately going into effect and in fact might not ever get fully implemented. Domestic corporations have until May 22 to raise any objections they have to the tariffs, and after that date the U.S. will have 180 days to decide whether or not to move on with the tariff proposal. Currently, it’s difficult to predict the winner and loser of the tariff, as they are “unlikely to have large effects on both countries,” Mary said. “Tariffs rarely benefit the country that implements them. In practice, the impacts depend on the importance of U.S. demand for the products, and whether higher costs for companies in the U.S. that use steel will be passed on to consumers via higher prices. Given the current data, it is likely to have small effects.” But the issue goes beyond economic theory, as Trump is widely seen to be heavily
basing these policies on political ideology. “In the present case, they fulfill a different objective,” Mary said. “In Trump’s case, it is a political signal to people who have voted for him, especially as the midterms are coming soon (...) this problem is more philosophical than practical.” Even though it might not be easy to predict the holistic effects of the tariff on both the U.S. and China, it is possible to predict some of the damaging economic effects the tariff could have across different American industries, especially where steel and aluminum are concerned. Maureen Sioh, an associate professor of geography and sustainable urban development, doesn’t believe that the tariff would fulfill Trump’s goal of bringing jobs back to the U.S. “In any case, for job creation, the complex supply chains that American multinationals rely upon mean that any gains might be offset by job losses downstream in the industries that do use steel and aluminum, such as the auto industry, which will be impacted by more expensive steel,” Sioh said. “As for bringing jobs from those industries back to the U.S. because steel and aluminum imports from China would no longer be competitive, it is worth noting that we import more steel from Canada and Mexico.” Another reason Trump is
proposing the tariff lies in his desire to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China by $100 billion. China is the largest trading partner to the U.S., with the trade deficit at the end of 2017 standing at a little over $375 billion. That’s because U.S. exports to China were around just $130 billion, while imports from China were approximately $506 billion on a nominal, non-seasonally adjusted basis, according to the U.S. Census foreign trade database. On April 1, the Chinese government announced that it would be placing tariffs worth $3 billion on 128 U.S. products. As expected, Trump didn’t take this lightly. As a form of retaliation, the Trump administration on Tuesday published a list of 1,300 Chinese exports that could potentially be targeted for a 25 percent tariff. The U.S. plans to apply those tariffs to nearly $50 billion worth of goods that include software and other technologies, but they could prove costly for Trump’s anti-theft agenda in the long run. “Trump’s second goal of stopping intellectual property theft by China, mostly through what he sees as enforced technology transfer, is not supported even by the companies which are trying to reduce the degree of technology transfer to which they have to agree in order to access the Chinese markets,” Sioh said.
And the trade war didn’t stop with the technology products – it only escalated. On Wednesday the Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded with another retaliation, this time involving a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of 106 U.S. exports that include soybeans and chemicals. The soybean tariff will likely hit the U.S. the hardest, with farmers especially bearing the brunt of the damage. In 2017, per China’s customs bureau, soybeans totaled $13.9 billion in U.S. exports. “Farmers export meat, soybeans, fruit and other products to China that have been targeted by China,” said Jeff Rios, treasurer of the DePaul Democrats. “With less demand because of the higher prices of the tariff, farmers will be left with a surplus that will drive down the price in the U.S. and make it difficult for farmers to stay solvent.” Not to mention, the tariffs would negatively impact China’s trading partners such as Japan, South Korea and Australia in terms of export sales. Overall, the trade war shouldn’t halt U.S. trade negotiations with other countries. “For now, even coming across as a bad or unreliable trade partner won’t mean that other countries will be discouraged from trading with us,” Sioh said.
Products that are being affected Batteries
Fruit
Plane Parts
Steel
Soybeans
Large SUVs
Nation & World. April 9, 2018. The DePaulia | 11
Nation&Worldbriefs
SYRIAN CIVIL DEFENSE WHITE HELMETS VIA AP This image comes from a video by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets. It shows medical workers giving toddlers oxygen in Syria through respirators after an alleged poison gas attack on Sunday, April 8.
Content written by the ASSOCIATED PRESS Compiled by Carina Smith | THE DEPAULIA
MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV| KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP KHALIL HAMRA | AP Russia's President Vladimir Putin (left) and Russian metals A Palestinian protester hurls stones at Israeli troops during a magnate Oleg Deripaska, right, walking to attend the APEC massive protest that happened on April 6 at the Gaza Strip's Business Advisory Council dialogue in Danang, Vietnam in this border. Nov. 10, 2017 photo.
Alleged chemical attack strikes Syria
U.S. sanctions attack Putin's allies
Douma, Syria An alleged gas attack killed at least 40 people in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, local responders said on Sunday. Syrian state media, meanwhile, reported that rebels there have agreed to give up their last foothold in the area. First responders and a relief organization said they found families suffocated in their homes and shelters in the besieged town of Douma, with foam on their mouths. They did not identify the substance used, but the Syrian Civil Defense and the Syrian American Medical Society said survivors treated at clinics smelled strongly of chlorine. The reports, which started circulating late Saturday, could not be independently verified, and the government denied allegations it had used chemical weapon in its assault on the town. Meanwhile, state news agency SANA said the Army of Islam group agreed to leave Douma on Sunday, after three days of intensive government shelling and bombardment. SANA said buses had been sent to the town to pick up prisoners released by the militants and to transport rebel fighters to opposition-held territory in north Syria. The Army of Islam could not be immediately reached for comment. In recent weeks, government forces have recaptured villages and towns in the eastern Ghouta suburbs of the capital. Douma is the only town left holding out. A joint statement by the Civil Defense and the Syrian American Medical Society, a relief organization, said that more than 500 people, mostly women and children, were brought to medical centers with difficulty breathing, foaming at the mouth, and burning sensations in the eyes. It said patients gave off a chlorine-like smell. Some had bluish skin, a sign of oxygen deprivation. It said the symptoms were consistent with chemical exposure. One patient, a woman, had convulsions and pinpoint pupils, suggesting exposure to a nerve agent.
Washington D.C.
Gaza border protest brings deaths and injuries to protestors Khuzaa, Gaza Strip Israeli troops killed four men Friday in the second mass protest in a week along Gaza's volatile border, as Palestinians torched piles of tires to create a smoke screen to block the view of snipers. Friday's deaths brought to 26 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire over the past week, including 20 protesters. Gaza's Health Ministry said 922 people were taken to hospitals and field clinics, but did not provide a breakdown of those injured by live fire, rubber-coated steel pellets or overcome by tear gas. It said 19 people were in serious condition. Among those hurt were eight women and 40 minors, the ministry said. Friday's march was the second in what Gaza's Hamas rulers said would be several weeks of protests against a decade-old border blockade of the territory. Israel has accused the Islamic militant group of using the protests as a cover for attacking Israel's border, and has warned that those approaching the fence put their lives at risk. On Friday, thousands of Palestinians streamed to five tent encampments that organizers had set up, each about several hundred meters from the border fence. In one camp near the border community of Khuzaa, smaller groups of activists moved closer to the fence after Friday's noon prayers. Associated Press video showed demonstrators torching large piles of tires, engulfing the area in black smoke meant to shield them from Israeli snipers; the faces of some of the activists were covered in black soot. Israeli troops on the other side of the fence responded with live fire, tear gas, rubber coated steel pellets and water cannons. The Israeli military said protesters on Friday hurled several explosive devices and firebombs under cover of smoke, and that
several attempts to cross the fence were thwarted. The military said it brought in a huge fan to disperse the tire smoke. After the first tires started burning, several young men with gunshot wounds began arriving at a field clinic at the camp. An Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, described the protests as "riots," and said Hamas organizers are trying to use them to "insert terrorists into Israel." "If they are actively attacking the fence, if they are throwing a molotov cocktail that is within striking distance of Israeli troops or similar activities, then those persons, those rioters, become, may become, a target," he said. Israel has drawn sharp criticism for its open-fire orders along the border, including its warnings that those approaching or trying to damage the fence would be targeted. Rights groups have branded orders permitting the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters as unlawful. A leading Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, issued a rare appeal to Israeli soldiers this week to refuse the "grossly illegal" open-fire orders. In all, 25 Palestinians were killed in Gaza over the past week, including 19 protesters, according to Gaza health officials. The six other deaths included three gunmen killed in what Israel said were attempts to attack the border fence and three men who were struck by Israeli tank fire. The turnout has apparently been driven by the organizational prowess of Hamas as well as the growing desperation of Gaza residents who live in what has been described as the world's largest open-air prison. The crowd size was seen as a test for Hamas, which seized the territory in 2007 from its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, after winning legislative elections the previous year.
The United States punished dozens of Russian oligarchs and government officials on Friday with sanctions that took direct aim at President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, as President Donald Trump's administration tried to show he's not afraid to take tough action against Moscow. Seven Russian tycoons were targeted, along with 17 officials and a dozen Russian companies, the Treasury Department said. Senior Trump administration officials cast it as part of a concerted, ongoing effort to push back on Putin. Rather than punishing Russia for one specific action, the new sanctions hit back at the Kremlin for its "ongoing and increasingly brazen pattern" of bad behavior, said the officials, who weren't authorized to comment by name and briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. Above all else, Russia's attempts to subvert Western democracy prompted the U.S. sanctions, officials said, in a direct nod to concerns that the U.S. president has failed to challenge Putin for alleged interference in the 2016 election that brought Trump to power. To the dismay of Trump's critics and of Russia hawks, the president has continued to avoid directly criticizing Putin himself. Yet in recent weeks Trump's administration has rolled out a series of actions to increase pressure on Putin and those presumed to benefit from his power. "Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have," Trump said at a news conference on Tuesday. Those punished aren't necessarily involved in the Russian actions in Syria, Ukraine or elsewhere that have drawn consternation from the west. But officials said the goal was to put pressure on Putin by showing that those who have benefited financially from his position of power are fair game "Russian oligarchs and elites who profit from this corrupt system will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government's destabilizing activities," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Opinions Letter to the Editor: Lenti Ponsetto's accomplishments speak for themselves By Anna Frank & John McEnroe We write this letter with both pride and passion—pride in the accomplishments and quality of the athletics program as a whole and passion in response to what we believe is a disproportionate amount of accusations, negativity and reliance on questionable sources that have appeared in The DePaulia in recent weeks. While the Men’s Basketball program is the most visible of the fifteen intercollegiate programs, the entirety of the athletic program should be considered when assessing the Athletic Department and the Athletic Director, Jean Lenti Ponsetto. As Chair of the University Athletic Board and Faculty Athletic Representative to the NCAA for DePaul University, we respectfully write this letter as a voice for those who support Jean Lenti Ponsetto. We base our position on an understanding of the complexity of Division I Men’s Basketball, the specific issues surrounding DePaul University Athletics, and the role of the Athletic Director and her accomplishments. As Athletic Director, Jean Lenti Ponsetto has elevated the level of visibility and competition for the entire Athletic Department, including the Men’s Basketball program. Her individual accomplishments include: • During Jean Lenti Ponsetto’s tenure, fourteen of the fifteen programs have represented the school in NCAA championships, including four men’s basketball appearances (one NCAA and three NIT); sixteen consecutive NCAA appearances by the Women’s Basketball team; two trips to the Women’s Collegiate World Series in Softball; and trips to the NCAA Tournament by the Men’s and Women’s Soccer Programs after winning Big East Conference regular season titles. The Women’s Basketball and Softball Programs are perennial national contenders. • In the 2016–-2017 academic year, the Blue Demons lead the Big East Conference with six team championships. DePaul had never before captured six conference championships in a single season, and led the league in titles per sports played. • Academically, DePaul has led the Big East Conference in team academic awards for seven consecutive years. • A DePaul record total of 170 student-athletes were named to the Big East All-Academic Team for 2016–17, with a cumulative GPA of 3.45. • The goals for our Men’s Basketball program are to win games in non-conference competition as well as in the Big East Conference and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Our Men’s
Basketball program has improved in its third season under Coach Dave Leitao. Obviously, we all want more wins than losses. In this past season, the team had nine games that either went into overtime or were decided by five points or less with a 1-8 record in those games. Additionally, twelve games were decided by single-digit differences, with a 2-10 record in those games. With games this close, a change or two in possession leads would have easily resulted in a more desirable overall winloss record for the season. • Fundraising for athletics is at an all-time high, including an increase from 12 endowed scholarships in 2007 to the current mark of 43. Additionally, fundraising has supported new facilities for softball (Cacciatore Stadium), men’s and women’s soccer (Wish Field at Cacciatore Stadium), men’s golf (Ruffled Feathers Golf Club), men’s and women’s tennis (Lakeshore Athletic Club), men’s and women’s outdoor track and field (Lane Tech Stadium), and men’s and women’s basketball (Wintrust Arena). Cacciatore Stadium also serves the university and local communities for intramural athletics and education courses. • Jean Lenti Ponsetto currently serves on the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Board of Directors as Third Vice-President and is scheduled to be the NACDA’s President in 2021. • She has served the NCAA as a member of the Division I Men’s Basketball Academic Enhancement Group and Basketball Officiating Committee. Her knowledge in both men’s and women’s basketball circles is well respected. • She was selected to represent the Big East Conference in the NCAA’s new governance structure, the NCAA Council that manages the day-to-day issues facing the Division 1 membership. Currently, she is serving as Vice Chair of the Council following a two-year term as chair of the Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee. • Among numerous honors, Jean Lenti Ponsetto was awarded the 2015–16
Under Armour AD of the Year Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). She was awarded the same honor in 2008–09. These achievements and accomplishments are the result of the efforts of many—our student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, athletic academic advisors, University administration and, of course, our faculty and University staff. We acknowledge that many of these achievements are a team effort. However, the climate and tone have been established first and foremost by our Athletic Director, whose leadership is well documented. We would be remiss if our letter didn’t include our analysis and concomitant response to the article “Athletic Director’s relative played key role in Wintrust agreements,” The DePaulia, March 12, 2018. The account attempts to create an aura of wrongdoing on the part of Jean Lenti Ponsetto and her sister-inlaw. Specifically, it suggests that their relationship somehow influenced the decision to award the naming rights to the new arena to the Wintrust Bank. It is an erroneous premise to surmise that two major institutions with some of the nation’s most distinguished business leaders on their respective Boards of Directors would not employ the best business practices of their industry in negotiating both the naming rights and banking partnership deals. The article relies upon questionable sources for what is clearly not first-hand information. That said, students, faculty, staff alumni and friends of DePaul should know the facts: • The University’s plan to cover the annual operating cost of the arena through fundraising, ticket sales and naming rights has been achieved and the project is performing in line with projections- thanks to the hard work of the athletics staff and coaches under the leadership of Jean Lenti Ponsetto. • The University hired a sports
"It is an erroneous premise to surmise that two major institutions with some of the nation's most distinguished business leaders on their respective Boards of Directors would not employ the best business practices of their industry in negotiating both the naming rights and banking partnership deals."
marketing firm that specializes in naming rights to determine the fair-market value of the new arena’s naming rights and to prospect potential partners. DePaul received fair-market value and did not provide any discount for the naming rights for Wintrust Arena. • Jeff Bethke, EVP/CFO, was the University’s chief negotiator and served at the direction of DePaul’s President and Board of Trustees to negotiate both the naming rights and the banking partnership. • Jean Lenti Ponsetto was called upon by Jeff Bethke to share her expertise relative to the marketing inventory of the deal. • While Jean Lenti Ponsetto was not required to complete a conflict of interest form, as she was neither the decision maker nor the negotiator, she did so to document her sister-in-law’s relationship with Wintrust and be and provide completely transparency. • The news article’s authors offer an anonymous source in an attempt to establish how “involved” Jean Lenti Ponsetto and Mrs. Lenti were in many aspects of the naming rights negotiation. We would like to offer at this point that we believe that it is very likely that the insights of both women were indeed considered as valuable on both sides of the negotiation given their expertise in their respective areas, but those insights do not constitute a conflict of interest. Neither of them were the decision maker or the negotiator for their respective institutions. Again, DePaul and Wintrust Bank are major institutions both of whom execute best business practices at the CEO and CFO levels of their enterprises. This was a major deal that was executed at those levels. In summary, the facts are that Jean Lenti Ponsetto’s stellar leadership has led to Athletic Department accomplishments that surpass all of her DePaul predecessors combined in overall athletic success, academic success, fundraising, facilities constructed, athletic scholarships endowed, television exposure and revenues generated and her own accomplishments in national leadership positions held, honors earned for her contributions and service on a national level and in leadership in the formation of the Big East Conference, one of the best NCAA Division 1 conferences in the country are superlative in intercollegiate athletics and have benefitted the DePaul athletics program in honor and prestige. For these reasons, we feel compelled to provide a more balanced picture of the successes of both our athletics program and the role our Athletics Director has played in achieving success.
The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of The DePaulia staff.
Opinions. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018 | 13
Destiny of DACA: With deadline passed, millions are uneasy By Yamini Bangarusamy Contributing Writer
Easter festivities over the weekend were tinged with distress as President Trump tweeted “NO MORE DACA DEAL.” This tweet follows a series of unsuccessful negotiations between the two political parties over the future of DACA and the fate of over 3 million undocumented immigrants who came to America with their families at a young age. While there has been repetitive back and forth concerning the highly controversial DACA program, the current state of affairs does not look promising for the millions of undocumented immigrants who call America home. The first thing that immediately comes to mind when I ponder over the state of immigration is the quote on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This quote embodies the very essence of this country’s mission: to provide a sanctuary to those that wish to pursue happiness and equality. When contrasted against today’s anti-immigration rhetoric, I wonder woefully if politics will cloud the mission of this nation that was built on the backs of immigrants. “There are so many immigrants that live in this country, that have given themselves to this country, yet
those are the same people who are being stripped of their freedom and happiness due to this sentiment of them being ‘outsiders,’ ‘aliens,’” said Bismillah Tahir, DePaul student. “I believe America is the nation that gives you as much as you put in. Immigrants deserve to be here.” International student Sanjna Malik said the situation reminds her of a quote from the novel "The Windfall" by Diksha Basu, where a character wonders: "How come Americans get called expats but if we move to America, we're called immigrants?" This reveals a certain hypocrisy where we ignore the fact that the first European settlers were immigrants themselves. We have now resorted to classifying people as either natives or immigrants based on superficial factors such as the color of their skin or the language they speak. Regarding the current state of affairs regarding immigration, political scientist Neelam Raja said, “America has always been a melting pot of various cultures, the refuge for those who dream of a better life. It is the cornerstone of its culture. Immigrants have just as much to contribute to America as America does to them. Any immigration policy needs to be evaluated to ensure that the essence of this country’s purpose (to serve those that seek to be free) is not diluted.” While the true future of the DACA program and the millions of undocumented immigrants in the country under our current volatile political climate remains to be seen, the medium through which President Trump
PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
Supporters of the DREAM Act gather on Captiol Hill last month.
announced his decision to abandon negotiation efforts for DACA is crude and unbecoming. Millions of Americans are walking a tightrope, unsure of whether they will be allowed to stay in the only place they could call home. Furthermore, it is flippant for the president to dictate the fate of these Americans both on Easter Sunday and through a platform as informal as Twitter. It goes to show that modern day politics could use a whole lot more professionalism.
Eulogy for a fake populist presidency By D.K. Schwartz Contributing Writer
We are gathered here today to remember the 45th presidency of the United States. A one-term presidency born by a historic upset. A victory delivered by union democrats of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Voters who had handed these upper Midwestern states to Obama over Romney/Ryan in 2012 turned them red four years later in order to vote for what they thought was a different kind of Republican, a populist distinct from the corporate Romney/Ryan GOP types of old, a candidate who forgoed their stale bromides about “limited government” and tax cuts in favor of bashing NAFTA and endless foreign wars. But as president, the populist campaigner who had won 72 percent of the white working class vote – 44 percent of the electorate – compared to Romney/ Ryan's 64 percent, governed as if his base had shouted "cut the tax!" on the 2016 campaign trail rather than "build the wall!” Outsourcing his legislative agenda to Paul Ryan, a man wildly out of step with his own base, the policy-averse president devoted his crucial first year in office with full control of congress to pursuing the speaker’s wildly unpopular policy agenda of cutting taxes for the donor class whilst attempting to scrap entitlements for the working class (i.e. repealing Obamacare). This discrepancy between the way Trump campaigned and the way he actually governed, leaving aside the many tweet storms, eventually came to a head in March of 2018 with the passing of the omnibus spending bill: Trump's last chance before the blue wave of the 2018 midterms to make good on his signature “build the wall" promise. It was then, while the media was so engrossed in the Stormy Daniels story – wrongly believing it would rupture Trump's support amongst evangelicals
ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA
– that the self-proclaimed "master negotiator" signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill with money for a $60 billion tunnel in Chuck Schumer's district, $700 billion for the Pentagon to fight the forever war in Afghanistan he had promised to end and, most notably, not a dime for his border wall. However the bill, as if to mock Trump, did have border wall funding… for Jordan and Tunisia. The president was so browbeaten that Chuck Schumer's PR man, Matt House, couldn't resist mocking him via tweet: "I, for one, am tired of all the winning." And so, as the media obsessed in March of 2018 about the yawn-inducing Stormy Daniels saga, the omnibus bill did what Daniels and the Access Hollywood tape before it never could: It turned Trump's base against him.
All at once pro-Trump Twitter realized they were likely never getting their wall (nor e-verify, nor any reduction in immigration). Instead, Wall Street had gotten their tax cut, big business had gotten their deregulation, and Paul Ryan had gotten his agenda. But the Ohio union democrat who shouted “build the wall!" had gotten absolutely nothing. He had been taken for a ride after taking a socially and professionally ostracizing position in favor of the president. Trump's most fervent allies – from Ann Coulter to Mike Cernovich – took to Twitter to express a rage they had never expressed against Trump before. Fox’s Jeanine Pirro called the bill “a betrayal.” A representative pro-Trump account tweeted as Trump signed the omnibus, “I turned the television off! There’s no point
in listening to somebody LIE straight to your face. There is NO WALL!” Trump had run out of time to deliver to his populist base. Whether out of ignorance or intention, he had squandered the invaluable first year of his presidency to pursue the agenda of Paul Ryan, a man who had decisively lost the pro-union, pro-Trump democrats of the rustbelt with his anti-entitlement, anti-union message in 2012. He had spent seven months on a failed attempt to repeal Obamacare rather than send an immigration bill with wall funding or e-verify to the GOP controlled congress – an initiative that the pro-immigration, Ayn Rand devotee Ryan had zero interest in. Thus Donald Trump and the GOP lost the house in 2018. In a sign of things to come, a pro-union Democrat deep in a heavily pro-Trump Pennsylvania district, Connor Lamb, won an upset victory in a March special election. Tellingly, Lamb cast Paul Ryan as the Republican villain in his race rather than Donald Trump; he had realized, as the president had not, that however divisive Trump’s “build the wall” America-first messaging was in American coastal cities, it remained far more popular than Ryan’s “cut your grandma’s social security to pay for hedge fund manager tax cuts” governing philosophy. Ironically, the latter would be end up being the agenda that Trump would fatefully decide to actually enact as president. Blocked from building the wall or delivering any of his immigration promises beyond upping deportations, he would go on to lose in 2020 while trying to run on tax cuts and Paul Ryan Chamber of Commerce Republicanism. His blue-collar base would never recover their enthusiasm for the man who had promised them a wall, only to cut corporate taxes instead. Thus, an erratic one-term presidency, full of shiny and meaningless PR bluster, came to a close in a sad and dejected state.
14 | Focus. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Focus
By Zoey B
Focus E
Willis Tower
The second building in the skyline is also the tallest building in Chicago and the 14th tallest building the the world; the Willis Tower is a Chicago staple. At its completion in 1974, the Willis Tower was the tallest building in the world, holding that record for 25 years before One World Trade Center in New York City beat it out. The tower is a popular tourist attraction because of Sky Deck and its appearance in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. The first 50 floors of the tower take up a full city block, before it narrows at floor 51. The building has 104 elevators and reaches a total height of 1,729 feet.
Chicago became the birthplace of the skysc Home Insurance Company building was bu were only five stories, so the building at the revolutionized architecture. Chicago has co and architecturally astonishing buildings, buildings. As a historically imperative city skyline, here is your guide to the 26 buildin
Chicago Board of Trade
CNA Plaza
Recognized as the giant red building in the Chicago Skyline, the building is home to CNA Insurance and is right next to DePaul’s Loop Campus. The building is only 601 feet tall, with 44 floors, but stands out with its red facade.
CN AP laz a
Ch Wi ica llis go To Bo we ard r of Tr ad e
311 SW ack er
Built in the 1920’s, the Chicago Board of Trade is one of Chicago’s oldest skyline buildings, as well as a classic example of Art Deco. Just like the Willis Tower, the building was the tallest building in Chicago at its completion.
To we r
311 S. Wacker is the first building in the skyline on the South Side of the city. At 961 feet to the tip of the building, 311 is the seventh tallest building in Chicago and the 22nd tallest in United States. The 67-story building was completed in 1990 and has 34 elevators.
A paper tour of th
Ch ase
311 S. Wacker
Cha
Chase Tower is the cago, located on Ma which consists of 61 in the building and building, which fea wall mural.
Focus. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018 | 15
he Chicago skyline
Barnes
Editor
Two Prudential Plaza
Two Prudential Plaza, located near the end of the skyline on the north side, is the sixth tallest building in Chicago and the 18th tallest in the United States. The building barely misses the 1,000 feet mark by five feet. Standing at 995 feet, the building was featured in the 1994 film “Richie Rich”.
875 NM ich iga n
Pla za
Tw oP rud ent ial
Co mm un ica tio ns Bu ild ing
ninth tallest building in Chiadison Street. The building, 1 floors, is known for the curve d the public space outside of the atures a plaza and a ceramic
Built in 1983, the building is an iconic skyscraper across the street from Maggie-Daley Park. The building is known for its rhombus shape, declining roof and how it looks split down the middle. The building sometimes features slogans across the building supporting sports teams, elections and parades or marches.
Cr ain
ase Tower
Crain Communications Building
Aon Center
Situated right next to Two Prudential Plaza, the Aon Center is the tall, all white building nearing the north part of the skyline. The building overlooks Millennium Park. The building is the third tallest in Chicago and seventh tallest in North America. With simplicity in structure and color, the Aon Center reaches about 1,200 feet, and has earned a quiet spot in the skyline.
Ao nC ent er
craper when the whopping 10-story tall uilt in 1884. Prior to that year, all buildings he corner of LaSalle and Adams ontinued to create visually interesting and is home to four of America’s 10 tallest in the creation of the modern day city ngs of Chicago’s skyline.
875 N. Michigan
875 N. Michigan, otherwise known as the John Hancock Center, recognizable for the all black exterior, subtle slope and two antennas at the top, is an iconic building in the skyline. At the opposite end of the Willis Tower, the building is a product of its time. Built in the 1960’s, it’s a classic example of Chicago architecture. The building is the fourth tallest in Chicago and the eighth tallest in North America.
16 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Arts & Life Roseanne's Return GRAPHICS BY VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA
A look at the polarizing reboot By Emma Oxnevad Contributing Writer
With the seemingly never ending supply of reboots flooding our movie theaters and television screens, it can often be challenging to keep track of which of our favorite franchises or series is up for a “reimagining.” However, one reboot has had no trouble garnering attention: “Roseanne.” While the public reception to the beloved series’ revival was initially positive, controversy arose when star Roseanne Barr revealed the titular character would be portrayed as a Trump supporter. “Roseanne,” which originally ran from 1988 to 1997, has often been praised for its realistic portrayal of a working-class family, in a television era chalked with glamorous depictions of wealthy families. The show dealt with a variety of social issues, including abortion, gay marriage and the struggles of blue-collar workers, among many others. Despite the myriad of political topics discussed on the series’ original run, Barr remained opposed to having the show incorporate an overt political agenda; in 1992 she told The Los Angeles Times, “We’re not going to talk about who the Conners are going to vote for. I think people would turn us off real quick.” However Barr, an avid Trump supporter, felt it appropriate to incorporate her controversial political beliefs into the series in order to display “a realistic portrait of the American people,” namely white, working-class Americans who voted for Trump. In an era of rampant media backlash against the president and the controversial policies by which he stands, is the “Roseanne” reboot simply an opposing viewpoint in a sea of liberal programs or pro-Trump propaganda? It's hard to say. While Barr has made headlines for her Trump and “QAnon” conspiracy theories, tweets comparing Islam to Nazism, and transphobic
comments regarding gender-inclusive bathrooms, the reboot includes storylines involving mixed-race families, gender nonconforming children, and the conflict between family members with opposing political views. The reboot’s dissonance regarding the politics of its star and its tentative humanization of marginalized people seems to have its viewers, as well as mass media, at something of a stand-still. And in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-showrunner Bruce Helford urged viewers to understand Roseanne the actress and Roseanne the character as two separate entities. “I don't discuss her politics, that's her private business," said Helford. "There's Roseanne Barr and then there's Roseanne Conner. There are some similarities and plenty of differences." It appears no one knows exactly what to make of “Roseanne.” The ambivalence regarding the politics of “Roseanne” is near eclipsing the initial excitement surrounding the reboot. “As a Sociology major, I can understand why a character like Roseanne Conner would be a Trump supporter; she meets the voter profile and demographic,” said Amanda Stocchetti, a DePaul sophomore. “However, I feel like there should be some separation from art and artist in order to have a more open dialogue in these politically and socially tumultuous times.” The media frenzy surrounding the reboot has caused some to question if Barr included a political edge in order to reinforce her conservative views, rather than a compelling storyline. “I don’t think the reboot was made solely to push a conservative agenda or elevate status, but I'm sure a large part of it was to give Barr a platform to state her conservative viewpoints,” said Isabella Brock, a DePaul freshman. “I also think there was a gap in the marketplace for a show like this.” The attention and discussion regarding “Roseanne” has lead many to wonder if this will inspire a new trend of television
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB
Roseanne Barr and John Goodman reprise their roles with the return of "Roseanne." programs and other forms of media in favor of conservatism. “The ratings success of the “Roseanne” reboot is very interesting,” said Colleen Dudgeon, a journalism professor at DePaul. “(It) wouldn’t shock me if other entertainment companies try to capitalize on Trump’s popularity with certain segments of our country.” Other fans who have viewed the reboot find the media outrage to be unwarranted. “I think that if people did their homework and read stuff about the show or Roseanne herself they wouldn't have been so up in arms about the show. I know that I was not surprised by anything I saw,” said Tyler Gatz, a DePaul freshman. “The show has always pushed boundaries, that's one of the main points of the show.” In an era when political tensions are at an all-time high, mass media seems to have responded with adopting a critical – some would say liberal – point of view, making both direct and indirect jabs at Trump. This begs the question: should points of view be
shunned from the media, even if they’re incredibly divisive? “I think it's important that shows with characters like the one Roseanne is portraying are put on the air because it shows that ‘those types of people’ do exist,” says Gatz. “Although I do not agree with Roseanne Barr's and Roseanne Conner's political views, it is important to hear what she has to say.” With the “Roseanne” reboot boasting massive ratings for it’s back-to-back premiere, and having recently been approved for an 11th season, it looks like the Conners are here to stay. While the reboot has been the source of outrage, happiness, indifference, and uncertainty depending on who you ask, it has accomplished what “Roseanne” originally did best back in the ‘90s: It made millions of viewers tune in and care about the day-to-day life of a working class-family. If you have doubts about the quality or ethics of the latest iteration of the beloved sitcom, the best course of action is to view the series and decide for yourself.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018| 17
Beatrix Market brings variety to Loop campus
PHOTO COURTESY OF MACKENZIE BORN
The main area in Beatrix Market, a new dining option for DePaul students in the Loop campus. It features a salad bar, hot food bar, sandwiches and much more.
By Mackenzie Born Contributing Writer
DePaul students now have a new food option at the Loop campus after the Tuesday opening of Beatrix Market . Part of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Beatrix Market has presented the perfect mix of convenience and variety for DePaul students and staff. Directly across the street the DePaul Loop campus on East Jackson, Beatrix Market offers a salad bar, hot food bar, sandwiches, pizza by the slice, coffee and sweets. And, for those of drinking age, there is a bar. “We want to be part of the neighborhood,” said Marc Jacobs, executive partner and divisional president of Beatrix Market. “We want to be a meeting place for the students, for the faculty, for people who work in the neighborhood. That’s our goal,” he said. Jacobs is the president and partner of popular spots around the Chicago area including Antico Posto, Ema, Beatrix, Foodlife and Mity Nice Bar & Grill, and he brings with him years of experience in the food industry. Plus, he has a close connection to DePaul, which he says is one of the reasons he chose this specific location. “DePaul was a big part of that – the density of both students and workers in the neighborhood is tremendous,” said Jacobs, who has been an active member on the board for the DePaul School of Hospitality for over five years. “We are always looking for great talent in our business, and to be able to drive and pull from the school by being right here on campus was a great idea,” he said. Although still relatively new to the
Loop, Beatrix Market is already populated with DePaul students. Anthony Wong, an undergraduate finance major, was there Wednesday for the second time since Beatrix Market opened. “It’s really convenient and I like the environment,” said Wong, who sat on the downstairs level with his laptop, textbooks and a plate of food taking up most of his table. “I think I’ll be coming back here a lot more because the food is really good,” he said, motioning at his mostly eaten meal. Rebecca Akli, a DePaul undergrad from the College of Computing and Digital Media, sat with a friend near the window as they ate pizza by the slice. “I love it here,” she said. Its proximity to her classes where she spends most of her days studying animation with a concentration in game art doesn’t hurt either. “I will definitely be back for this pizza by the slice,” Akli said. The street level of Beatrix Market houses the trendy grab-and-go restaurant, filled mostly by its food and coffee bar, walls of premade snacks and meals, and some scattered seating for customers. But on the level below, accessible only by a wooden staircase in the corner, is a larger seating area and fully stocked bar, creating a very different ambience from the busy market above. “By being an all-day meeting place, we’re open for breakfast, lunch and everything in between, and we also have a little bit of that after-work and after-school vibe with the bar downstairs,” Jacobs said. “We’re hoping to capture all the meal periods and just be a place where people feel comfortable, love the food, the drink and the community.”
“We want to be a meeting place for the students, for the faculty, for people who work in the neighborhood. That’s our goal.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN TAYLOR
“Emmys GF Coffeecake” has been the most popular sell among the bakery options.
Marc Jacobs
Divisional President of Beatrix Market
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY RUTHERFORD
A wall mural outside the new Beatrix Market, located directly next to DePaul Center.
18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Krasinski's new must-see horror film By Garret Neal Staff Writer
Almost every horror film has a moment where one of the protagonists is trapped in the same room as the monster/psycho and the audience collectively holds its breath, seemingly trying to avoid making any sound that might tip off the on-screen assailant to the hero’s whereabouts. Now imagine that scene, but stretched out to over one hour and 35 minutes. You would all die. All morbid metaphors aside, this heightened tension is what makes John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” such a stellar example of the horror genre.
The scene is set an indeterminate amount of time in the future after an alien race has come to Earth and laid waste to society. We meet our main characters, the Abbott family, scavenging for some supplies 89 days after the aliens’ arrival. It becomes clear that these creatures are quick, tough,deadly and also blind. If there is a louder noise in the area than you you’re safe; if not you’ll be deader than the dodos. We follow the family over a series of days as they try to scrape by and hopefully find a way to strike back at the creatures. Krasinski does an excellent job establishing his character in a film that has
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
John Krasinski directs and stars along side his wife Emily Blunt in "A Quiet Place."
only two or three scenes with any talking all. Instead, the film uses plenty of sign language; If you don’t know American Sign Language be ready to read lots of subtitles. Be sure to keep an eye on the actors too, because “A Quiet Place” picks up where “The Shape of Water” left off, showing just how much emotion can be conveyed through gestures. The tone of what is being said comes through in the length of a motion, its repetition, its forcefulness and the expression that accompanies it. It is a credit to this film that with all the characters using ASL, the audience never has to think twice about what is being said. Millicent Simmonds also stands out as the deaf daughter of John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s characters. Her relationship with her father is at the crux of several of the more moving moments in the film, and she proves herself up to the task each time. Her decision-making is clear in every moment, and even when she does something questionable she is able to convey her motivations through actions and expressions alone. Additionally, writing a deaf character (Simmonds is deaf in real life as well) in a film all about sound was a great narrative choice. It lends itself to some wonderfully frustrating dramatic tension, creating some great moments of contrast. Every so often we hear the film through Simmonds’ perspective, bringing into focus how much sound is actually created by stepping on sand paths. It often makes the louder sounds pop violently when the film cuts to them after moments of silence. Most horror films have you meet the group in the beginning and then let the tension gradually rise as more and more
things go wrong. Here, that tension is present throughout the film, so that it fills even the family bonding moments. The film plays with this in some ways, making the audience feel safe before reminding them what is always just around the riverbend. For example, the film continues to put the characters in harsher and more noiseinducing circumstances, culminating in the moment when Emily Blunt’s character must give birth. It could’ve slipped beyond the point of believability, but it becomes one of, it not the, most memorable scene. This moment comes only about halfway through the film, but the movie is able to keep the stakes high enough that the audience can never quiet relax – particularly as we get closer glimpses of the strange alien creatures that are attacking our heroes. The creature designs are wonderful, giving the aliens a recognizable but enticingly strange look. The most important thing about them is their sound design. We spend most of the film hearing them rather than seeing them, where they give off eerie clicking sounds (reminiscent of the zombies in “The Last of Us,” for you gamers out there) as they constantly drag their limbs across furniture and walls. It creates immediate sense of dread whenever it is heard. This film is a must-see for any horror fan, but it goes a bit beyond that. It doesn’t radically defy genre conventions in any way, but it also succeeds as a family film, albeit a terrifying one. And as a piece of cinema that is just so well made, it is hard not to appreciate it from san artistic perspective as well.
"Isle of Dogs" tells heartwarming tail By Isabella Brock Contributing Writer
Wes Anderson’s newest film, “Isle of Dogs,” was released in Chicago on March 23. Set in Japan, the film depicts a dystopian future where dogs are banished from the country to nearby “Trash Island,” and the young boy who bravely attempts to save his dog. The film has a star-studded cast including frequent Wes Anderson collaborators Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Frances McDormand, among others. The film tells the tale of the dogs of the fictional Megasaki City, Japan who have been forced to leave their families under the order of mayor Kobayashi. Months later, Atari Kobayashi, adopted son of the mayor, comes to the island searching for his dog Spots. A pack of dogs, lead by stray Chief, help Atari find Spots while evading capture from government officials. Meanwhile, a group of students in Megasaki City lead a counteroffensive to save Atari and once again allow dogs into the city. The film is currently under fire for alleged cultural appropriation and stereotyping due to Anderson’s Eurocentric depiction of Japan. The film is also under criticism for its inclusion of a white character as the heroine in an Asian locale, which some critics have deemed an instance of “white saviorism,” a term which refers to a white character being introduced in order to save minority characters from their problems. Most notably, critic Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times directed heavy criticism at Anderson, writing, “Bluntly put, does this white American filmmaker's highly selective, idiosyncratic rendering of an East Asian society constitute a sincere
act of homage, or a clueless failure of sensitivity?” While the film’s press has been overshadowed by controversy, overall critic and audiences reviews have been positive. “Isle of Dogs” is a heartwarming tale, and like Anderson’s 2009 animated film “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” reclaims the genre of animation for an adult audience. It doesn’t shy away from serious issues or dark humor. The film is both lightheartedly humorous and brutally honest in a way which tugs at your heartstrings but leaves you with a smile. It is Anderson at his very best: delightful with rough edges. The stop motion animation is breathtaking, each shot filled with extensive detail. The animation was done over a period of two years, creating a spectacular result similar to that of “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.” It is one of the most ambitious stop motion films ever created, and has set the bar for future animation projects by Anderson and other filmmakers. “Isle of Dogs” is worth a watch for the characters alone. The dogs themselves are an eccentric and endearing bunch. Each dog is independently loveable and humorous and feels absolutely true despite the fantasy of the film. Anderson gives real life to these dogs, thereby finding genuine ways to connect our own lives to the stories of man’s best friend. You will see the best parts of yourself and the best parts of your dog in these characters. Most memorable is Chief, voiced by Bryan Cranston, the singular stray dog in the film who is rough around the edges and generally unlikeable in the early stages of the story. Although it may not seem so at first, Chief becomes the sole canine hero of the film. His transformation is slow and imperfect but feels especially true and
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
Anderson's new film is being touted as one of the most ambitious stop-motion projects. human-like in the best way a dog can be. The characters are simply irresistible, as they are in all Anderson films, and even the faults in the narrative are easily bridged by the strong characters. The sheer number of characters leaves little room for extensive character and plot development. There are many subplots that bring up questions left unanswered, or are hastily brought together at the end of the movie. At 101 minutes the film feels long enough, but it is still clear that Anderson needed more time in order to tell the story he had envisioned. Some of the human characters in the film feel slightly onedimensional. The human characters speak in Japanese without subtitles, while the dogs speak in English. There is a handy interpreter for very complex moments
involving humans, voiced by Frances McDormand, but otherwise the audience is left to understand through facial expressions and tone alone. This choice, while the right one for the film, leaves a disconnect between the humans, the dogs and the audience. “Isle of Dogs” is a completely original film, one I imagine may spark more films with more complex animal characters as heroes. Anderson expertly combined a devastating story with plenty of heart, making it suitable for a wide range of audiences. It’s tough to resist the heartwarming story of a boy and his dog, and “Isle of Dogs” puts a new spin on the genre which makes it well worth watching.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018. | 19
Bill Hader gets in touch with his dark side for "Barry"
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
Bill Hader and Sarah Goldberg, who plays his main love interest Sally Reed, in a scene dressed as Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman from the film "Doubt."
By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor
What if the thing you were best at was slowly killing you? What if the only way to be happy was to do something you’re terrible at? These were the questions in the minds of Bill Hader and Alec Berg as they were crafting the new HBO comedy “Barry.” Hader is perhaps best known for his work as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for eight years, creating and playing hilarious sketch characters on live television. But what may come as a shock to many is that Hader actually struggled with the pressure that came along with the job. “When I was on SNL I had this ability to do impressions and faces but I was not very emotionally or mentally equipped to be doing live television. It was really bad for my anxiety and I ended up having a lot of panic attacks,” said Hader. “I just thought it was funny that the thing that you’re good at is slowly killing you.” In collaboration with Alec Berg, one of the most accomplished comedy writers today with shows like “Seinfeld,”“Silicon Valley,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” under his a belt, they were able to craft one of the best new shows on television right now. “Barry” follows Hader as the titular character, a depressed Marine veteran who earns a modest living as a hitman. As he follows his current mark, he stumbles into an acting class and decides that acting, rather than killing, is his true calling. From then on, the show follows Barry as he tries to navigate both of these aspects of his life as he tries to become an actor. The only catch is, he’s not all that good at it. That premise allows for what might be Hader’s best performance yet, where a man that has proven himself highly skilled at playing zany characters now must convincingly act as a man that is bad at acting. What’s even better is that Hader is amazing at it. Prior to filming, Hader watched plenty of examples of bad acting to prepare for the role. “I watched true crime shows and I watched a lot of reenactments because the
acting in that is usually terrible,” Hader said, laughing. “I like to underplay it a bit and be a little more subtle.” Behind the scenes, the creation of this show is exhaustive and sometimes dark. As the writing staff was writing the more violent scenes, prior research was needed in order to ensure authenticity. In order to do that, they watched real videos of people being shot or tortured. While this may not be what many people have in mind coming from the writers room of a half hour comedy, “Barry” is able to perfectly balance the comedy and drama within the world that has been created. In the context of this show, that is no small task. “It all comes back to, what is the story? Is it about something real? It's really just structure and story and a lot of experimenting,” said Berg. “Sometimes you have to cut really good stuff because that part doesn’t work in the whole.” That mentality explains why “Barry” is one of the tightest-written and structured shows on air right now. Each line of dialogue is carefully written and performed, always quickly moving the story forward within the 30-minute runtime. “We want to make sure everything is causal. You want that to happen thematically too,” said Hader. “I view the show not so much as episodes but as one big story.” Throughout the first few episodes viewers can begin to tell that each individual episode is only one part of a much larger narrative. Berg says that is by design. “We zoom out to look at the whole season as one movie,” said Berg. While the world is just becoming familiar with “Barry,” the writers and producers are already working on the second season of the show. Essentially, “Barry” boils down to the question about what direction to go in with your life. “It’s about being very gifted at something that you hate and loving something that you’re terrible at,” said Berg. “Which one you should go with?”
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
Hader strays from his sketch comedy background and portrays a cutthroat hitman.
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
Steven Root plays Barry's partner in crime, manager and family friend Fuches.
20| Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
Look to the stars
The move from organized religion to astrology
GRAPHICS BY ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA
By Katie Adams Contributing Writer
Not too long ago, astrology seemed as if it was only a practice used to appease middle school-aged girls who read horoscopes in magazines. Now the study, which uses celestial bodies to interpret human activities, has gained prominence as a useful practice, especially among young people in urban centers. According to a study from the Pew Research Center, young people have been distancing themselves more and more from organized religions in the past few decades. They are, on the converse, also taking more interest in astrology. This may be evident to anyone following millennials on social media or regularly attending social gatherings with them. Young people are creating an influx of astrology-themed social media pages, using the study as a basis to understand themselves and their relationships, and wearing their sign’s pride as some would honor a hometown sports team. Kate Harrington, 22, a DePaul University student who lives in Lincoln Park, believes astrology is a beneficial way to understand the world around her. She hosts a radio show at DePaul titled “Astro Power Hour” and runs a Twitter account called “Yr Local Virgo.” “I really like using it as a tool for self-reflection, as well as selfimprovement,” she said.
Harrington became interested in astrology when she read a friend’s book on the subject. After reading the book’s Virgo chapter, she thought the information it provided resonated with her and wanted to learn more. Like most people, she thought she belonged to a single zodiac sign, based on the 30-day window when she was born. However, most people who use astrology in their everyday lives do so based on their natal charts. These charts use a person’s birthday, birth location, and time of birth to determine their various astrological placements. Each placement rules a different aspect of your life, and many astrology fans argue that the natal chart needs to be looked at as a whole in order to understand the practice. A person’s placements can give them insight into the way they act and feel. More and more young people are using online generators to discover their natal charts. It is also commonplace for some young people to analyze natal charts with their friends and loved ones. “I use it as a tool to help put words to how I’m feeling and the ways my friends act. It helps me better my relationships with people,” said Harrington. Beth Coyle, 19, a DePaul University student who lives in Buena Park, follows “Yr Local Virgo,” Harrington’s astrology Twitter page. After seeing an increase in astrology
social media pages and discovering her birth chart, she has subscribed to astrology as something to keep in mind when going about her daily tasks. “Whenever I watch a show, even a scripted show, I try to guess all the character’s signs,” said Coyle. Astrology is categorized mostly as a spiritual practice, but usually not a religious one. Each generation becomes more religiously unaffiliated, and this current group of young people might be the most secular yet, according to Pew research. Astrology, to many, may seem like a favorable substitute for institutionalized religion. Lisa Poirier, who holds a Ph.D. in religious studies and works as a professor at DePaul University, says she has noticed a trend of young people being denied lessons involving basic religious literacy in their schooling. “Religion is associated with problematic politics and hot button issues,” she said. Poirier also noted that religious traditions are typically tied to cultural backgrounds. As more people in the United States become unable to trace their specific ancestral origins, they become more alienated from religious tradition. If a religious tradition cannot be found in a young person’s family, it is up to them to find their own religion or spiritual practice, she said. “Religion is all about constructing a
cosmos. It’s about making sense of the universe,” said Poirier. Young people want to understand the world around them, but they do not necessarily want to adhere to an institutionalized practice in order to do so. Astrology also contains an element of esotericism that is appealing to young people. Since people have to do a bit of research in order to understand astrology, they uncover new knowledge that others might not have. “Everybody loves a secret,” said Poirier. The research needed in order to understand astrology is also attractive to young people because it can transform into somewhat of a hobby. “It’s just fun,” said Coyle. Young people are also in the stage of their lives that is arguably the most selfcentered. This makes them apt to pursue research in the astrological field because it is a practice that is highly individualistic. A natal chart is determined based off of a person’s unique birth, and the report they receive will be specific to them as an individual. “People want to understand the cosmos with themselves at the center,” said Poirier. Astrology, even though it is an ancient practice, appeals to young people in a way that is new and exciting. “You can use it for whatever you want, and we use it for good,” said Harrington.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018. | 21
The beauty of Lorde
IMAGE COURTESY OF FACEBOOK, LORDE
Lorde performing during one of her tour stops earlier this year. Her concerts have become the subject of great excitement and are relatively rare for a star of her standing.
By Zoey Barnes Focus Editor
At 17, Ella Yelich-O’Connor, also known as Lorde, released her first album “Pure Heroine.” Also at 17, Lorde became an international success story off of songs about her lonely teenager years. She took four years to create a new album, making sure it would be a work of art. When “Melodrama” came out last year, it immediately topped charts and struck fans with its emotional brilliance. Her Melodrama World Tour, a work of art in itself, embodies feelings that every person in her audience experience. Lorde exposes herself to her own vulnerabilities, making her a powerful player in the music world. The brilliance behind Lorde is not only in the lyrics that ring painfully and artistically true, but in her performances. She begs the audience to give her all the emotion they can muster – all their voice to sing along, all the happiness and pain that comes with being an adolescent. The Melodrama World tour strategically tells a story, brilliantly weaving together her first and second album to show the extreme highs and lows of growing up. While “Pure Heroine” told a story of growing up as a teenager, being at once lonely, nostalgic and hopeful, “Melodrama” gives her fans the essence of being in love. Lorde, is not afraid of telling the truth or being vulnerable. She is happy to tear herself apart and break into the deepest parts of her feelings to give her fans the music she believes they deserve. In “Pure Heroine”, she begs for an out, she cries out to anyone and everyone about her loneliness, but no one comes to help. She sings of being in love for the first time, then losing that love. She puts all her emotions into her album, something that many artists refuse to do. “Melodrama” refuses to be secretive about love. She refuses to hold back her emotions, and she screams to the world that she is not afraid to be in love. With an essence of heartache, Lorde relives her pain. Lorde is not afraid of going back to her darkest times to attempt to heal the audience. Lorde relives her most tragic
experiences for millions of people around the world. And she does it every single night. At 21 years old, Lorde can make every single member of the audience feel welcome and at home. While the show itself is her, a glass box, a broken screen, and a few backup dancers, Lorde uses her two hours of stage time to tell a story. A story of love, loss and all the crazy events that happen in the world every single day. She creates a melodramatic show, intending her audience to feel everything she felt while writing the songs. She brings the world of “Melodrama” to life in an incredible way. She dances, sings, cries and laughs throughout the entire set. She hears the audience screaming to her lyrics that she thought no one would like, and smiles. She empowers herself through her pain, her lyrics and her art. Every night she puts herself into a place most people refuse to go to. She puts herself in all her pain and solitude to tell a story that everyone should hear. She creates magic through her lyrical prose. Not afraid of being alive and lonely, she incorporates her emotions in her music to show all the teenagers that feel older than their years, that it is okay. She asks for the audience’s full attention and full emotion to experience her shows. While the young artist has millions of fans, she writes for herself, and herself only. She wrote “Melodrama” to heal from the emotional turmoil of growing up. She did not write the album to sell out arenas, or to see her face on shirts. She wrote both her inherently personal albums on the basis of not feeling pain, putting herself in an uncomfortable and liable position. She asks for love, but does not expect it. Lorde proves to be an artist beyond her years. And it is the very fact that she is so young which makes her so adored. She is not recalling and remembering the years of her youth because she is still living them. She wants to be appreciated, loved and respected; She wants the world, just like everyone else. However, unlike everyone, she is not afraid to ask for it. And that is the beauty behind an artist that is growing up at the same time her fans are.
Make your degree count more!
INFORMATION SESSION for the Undergraduate Accelerated Bachelors/Masters of Science in Economics & Policy Analysis and Graduate Masters of Science in Economics & Policy Analysis April 19, 2018 4:30-6:00 PM Econ Dept. DPC 6200 Food will be served
RSVP: gbucci@depaul.edu 312.362.6787
Economics
22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018
WHERE
FRESH & FAST MEET ®
WE DELIVER! VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. April 9, 2018 | 23
what’s FRESH in HBO Documentaries
King in the Wilderness
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling
This new HBO documentary takes a fresh look at the final years of the life of the prolific civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peter Kunhardt, the director of the film, had previously noted that while researching King’s life and accomplishments, the bookend usually occurred with his “I Have a Dream” speech. With “King in the Wilderness,” he attempts to look at King’s life after that.
This new documentary explores the life of legendary comedian Garry Shandling. It features interviews from nearly four dozen friends and colleagues recounting the life and career of the iconic star, as well as some of Shandling’s personal writings.
After finally achieving the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in 1964 and 1965 respectively, King’s career took a turn as he became increasingly scrutinized for his opposition of the Vietnam War and his focus on economic issues. This film paints a new and perhaps unfamiliar picture of King as he loses longtime friends and allies and becomes increasingly conflicted.
Shandling might be best known for his role as the director,writer and star on “The Larry Sanders Show” as well as his many performances as a stand-up comic. The star revealed very little about his personal life while keeping himself out of the public eye, which makes this documentary even more intriguing. Told in a conversational style with producer Judd Apatow conducting the interviews, this film is more of a verbal recounting of fond memories of Shandling, rather than a simple retelling of his career accomplishments.
“King in the Wilderness” adds another layer to who exactly this complex leader was. This documentary effectively tells a much more dynamic story of King’s life and experiences by highlighting some of the much less talked about years of his life and career.
Two years after his sudden death in 2016, thanks to the work of Apatow and many others, Shandling is getting a documentary that many people think he deserves. “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling” succeeds in highlighting not only Shandling’s talent as a comedian and writer but also who he was on a personal level from the perspective of the people that knew him best.
LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA
LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA
In theaters 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 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 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 9, 2018
St.Vincent’s
D e JAMZ “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 Yazmin Dominguez Online Editor
Let’s take a minute and hit pause on the mainstream airwaves and let’s press play on some house. House music was born in the ‘80s right here in Chicago and flourished throughout the city’s underground nightclubs. house is as Chicago as Vitners and softball, so much so the city dedicated Jefferson street to the legendary, “father of House” DJ Frankie Knuckles. Since the '90s, sub-genres of house have come to be such as tech, acid house and many more, below are just a few samples.
1. “Let Me Show You Love" - Romanthony Romanthony, was an American house DJ from New Jersey who joined the underground movement in 1992. Like many American house DJs he found more success in Europe than America where he remained an underground classic in the growing electronic scene. Romanthony received world wide recognition after he provided the vocals for Daft Punk’s “One more time.” Though not a cult classic, “Let Me Show You Love” is a bop true house heads recognize for its passionate vocals and catchy beat.
Crossword
2. “Love Can't Turn Around” - Farley Jackmaster Funk Like many house songs, DJ Farley Jackmaster Funk’s iconic cover of Isaac Hayes’ “Love Can’t Turn Around” places love front and center. Funk himself sings and produced the remix, which made it into the U.K.’s top ten most played hits the same year. Farley began his career as a DJ when he was a teenager in the early ‘80s and played alongside the father of house Frankie Knuckles. Funk brought house into the limelight after being part of the “Hot Mix 5” team, the legendary WBMX-FM DJ team which mainstreamed the genre.
Across 1. Increased 6. Person of action 10. Fairy-tale beast 14. Anklebones 15. “Cogito, __ sum” 16. Face-to-face exam 17. How some lay it on? 20. Tailor-made line 21. Sporty headgear 22. Pats down 23. Type of alcohol 25. Sugar bowl marchers 26. ___ von Bismarck 28. Matching audio to video 32. Zoo heavyweight, briefly 34. Goals 35. It’s on the streets 38. Tremendously, slangily 42. Bonanza find 43. Feature of 32-Across 44. Coach 45. Insomniac’s
3. “Preacher Man” - Green Velvet Unlike his fellow house prodigies, Curtis Jones, aka Green Velvet, is still keeping the old style genre alive by producing major tech house hits. Fitting into the Chicago mold, Green Velvet was born and raised in Chicago’s South Side and created his own record label to give a platform to other local house and techno artists. Creator of the classic song “Percolator 2000,” Green Velvet headlined in Chicago’s well-established summer music festival Mamby on the Beach in 2017 where he mixed a live version of “Preacher Man.”
symptom 48. ____ - European 49. London hoosegow, once 51. Class reminders 53. Resolve, as a dispute 55. “____ little spice to your life” 56. Word with “jam” or “roll” 59. It’s overwhelming 62. Very thin, as a line 63. Computer info 64. Dine at home 65. Perfect place 66. Use a coffee spoon 67. Brins about, biblical style Down 1. Ogden’s state 2. Blanched 3. Watchful hours? 4. Low or high end? 5. Abandon 6. With all one’s heart 7. Down bowl bits 8. It might need a
4. “Music Sounds Better With You” - Stardust Perhaps the most popular of modern house song, “Music Sounds Better With You” was released in 1998. French house producers, otherwise known as Stardust, received the “DJ award for track of the season” after it was one of the highest selling singles of ‘98 in the U.K. after its release on Daft Punk’s French house label, Roulé. “Music sounds better with you” also reached Billboard’s Dance Club Songs Chart the same year.
boost 9. Good vantage point 10. Showing awe, perhaps 11. Matter for the mill 12. Sets up, as pool balls 13. Moose cousins 18. __ down a bunt (sacrifices) 19. Word with “mass or “rapid” 24. Vocal sound 26. About 27. God with a hammer 29. Mary Poppins was one 30. Oft-mooched item, briefly 31. “This tape will self distruct ...” org 33. Desdemona’s man 35. Exchange words? 36. Battery contents 37 Nevada city 39. Coal carrier
40. Anger 41. A Great Lake 45. Definitely not ripe 46. Ingratiate oneself 47. Creates an instant lawn 49. Ice cold 50. Pay reparations 52. Sealed as a package 53. Strongbox 54. Discontinues 55. Not backing 57. Name on elevators 58. Dapper fellow 60. Cereal morsel 61. Doctor in a 1964 movie
Sports
Young
Sports. April 9, 2018. The DePaulia | 25
Studs STEVE WOLTMANN | DEPAUL ATHLETICS
After bursting onto the scene as a freshman, sophomore pitching sensation Missy Zoch has nine complete games this season.
Softball's young team continues to dominate the Big East By Andrew Hattersley Asst. Sports Editor
After a tough road schedule to open the year that featured matchups against No. 1 Washington and No. 5 Oklahoma, the Blue Demons have got off to a hot start in conference play against Seton Hall and Villanova. The Blue Demons are currently 11 games over .500 and won six games in a row to open conference play. DePaul head coach Eugene Lenti said the team is playing at a high level in all facets during this recent hot streak. “We always say there is a formula to being successful: You have to have good pitching, play solid defense and have to have timely hitting. That’s really what it’s been all about,” Lenti said. “Our hitting has been really, really solid and we’ve been able to throw a different pitcher every game, so not every team we play in the Big East has the luxury of throwing three different starters against us.” During DePaul’s six-game winning streak, the Blue Demons won four in a row via the run rule, including all three games against Villanova. “We were able to get into the bullpens pretty early in (both) series,” Lenti said. “So by the time the second and third game came around, we had seen pretty much the whole staff, whereas vice versa they had only seen one of our pitchers each game, so they really didn’t have the opportunity to see a pitcher more than one time.” Pitching has been one of the keys to the win streak as they hadn't allowed more than four runs in a game prior to their series against Georgetown since March 16 against Cal State Fullerton. Led by freshman Pat Moore, sophomore Missy Zoch and senior Kennedy Garcia, all have attacked teams in different ways. Zoch said having such a deep staff has relieved the pressure on all of them. “I think it just boosts all of our confidence,” Zoch said. “Say I have a bad day. I know that there is someone there to back me up and go pick me up when I need to, or (if) someone else is having a bad day I could be there to help them. I think it just brings a whole bunch of confidence to all
of us.” Zoch, who’s lowered her ERA from 2.98 to 1.63, attributed her sophomore jump to the experience she’s gained over the last year and a half. “I think I’m just more confident in myself, as well as my team,” Zoch said.
conference play. One of the key figures in this recent offensive surge has been sophomore outfielder Angela Scalzitti, who said that, after missing last season with a torn ACL, she is playing every game like it’s her last. “I was actually injured all last year,
STEVE WOLTMANN | DEPAUL ATHLETICS
After tearing her ACL freshman year, sophomore center fielder Angela Scalzitti leads the team with 24 runs scored. “Being a freshman (I) was new to the team, just being one of the youngest ones out there, (but) just being older and more mature.” Lenti cited Zoch’s outing against Seton Hall where she gave up two early runs before settling down the rest of the game as an example of where she’s improved in her sophomore year. “I think it’s just maturity. You’re just a year older, you’ve been through it one time already, so there are no surprises at this point,” Lenti said. “She’s commanding multiple pitches, she can throw at different speeds, she’s not rattled if things don’t go her way.” Behind improved plate discipline and timely hitting, DePaul has been scoring over nine runs per game to begin
so I’m coming out (the) first week of conference play so excited to be on the field,” Scalzitti said. “I know that injuries happen so fast, so I’m playing every game like it’s my last, every at bat, so I’m coming out guns blazing.” Scalzitti was named Big East Player of the Week after driving in six runs and finishing with three doubles in DePaul’s sweep of Villanova. The sophomore outfielder was excited to be recognized by the conference. “That’s incredible, I was very excited. Anytime you get recognized by the conference it is a big deal,” Scalzitti said. “I was very happy, it was exciting and cool to hear.” While offense and defense have been clicking in recent weeks, the team
chemistry has been strong all season after a 10-day trip to Europe and fewer newcomers – there were just four freshmen this year as opposed to seven a year ago. “I think everyone is so confident, really knows each other,” Scalzitti said. “The four freshmen really mixed in well with us. We went to Europe this summer which was incredible — all of us. The thing with traveling across the country for 10 days, you really get to know people and I think that really built our team chemistry to what it is now.” As the DePaul team gets ready to defend its Big East Tournament title in just under a month, Lenti says the team is constantly trying to improve their pitching and hitting, but hopes the defense stays right where it is. “You never really want to stop improving at anything you’re doing,” Lenti said. “The biggest aspects of the game are hitting, hitting with power, running, catching, throwing, the pitching, the defense (and) the base running, so there really is a lot of stuff to focus on a daily basis to get better.” Zoch said this year’s mindset will be different as they try to win the Big East tournament knowing they already got over the hump a season ago. “I think now we know that we are easily capable of doing it,” Zoch said. “So I think we have more confidence as a team going in there, not like we have to win to beat last (place), but we’re just saying that we need to claim what we want and keep the tradition going now.” Lenti also added that staying in the moment, as they have much of the season, will also be important. “It’s really about having a one pitch at a time focus, you really have to have that. You can’t play this game looking ahead,” Lenti said. “The most important thing to us is this Georgetown series, and it’s the first game of that series and when we get to gameday of that series it’s the first pitch of that series.” The Blue Demons dropped a 2-1 series agaisnt Georgetown this weekend, the final game ending 8-6 for the Hoyas in extra innings.
26 | Sports. April 9, 2018. The DePaulia
Welcome to Augusta By Andrew hattersley Asst. Sports Editor
COMMENTARY The 2018 Masters was one of the most talked about in recent history with Tiger Woods’ return to form intersecting with many of the game’s new stars including Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy already winning this season. While Woods was largely a non-factor on the weekend, the Masters did not disappoint with McIlroy surging to second place after a third-round 65.
This set up a final round pairing of Patrick Reed and McIlroy, who lit up the golf world with a thrilling singles match during the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Reed defeated McIlroy 1-up. Behind Reed and McIlroy sat two top 10 players in Rickie Fowler and John Rahm who trailed by five and six respectively entering Sunday. Both were in search of their first majors. Regardless of who wins on Sunday, the Masters gave viewers one of the greatest shows in sports for the 82nd year in a row. Tiger Woods opens with a par during the final round of the 2018 Masters.
MATT SLOCUM | AP
Rory McIlroy closes with a birdie on the 18th hole of the third round to finish three shots behind Patrick Reed heading into the final day.
DAVID J. PHILLIP | AP
Rory McIlroy escapes from the azaleas behind the 12th green during the third round of the 2018 Masters.
DAVID GOLDMAN | AP
Tiger Woods crosses the Nelson Bridge during the second round of the 2018 Masters after taking a drop on the 12th hole.
CHARLIE RIEDEL | AP
JASON GETZ | AP
Patrick Reed chips in for eagle on the 15th hole during the third round of the 2018 Masters.
Sports. April 9, 2018. The DePaulia | 27 ESPORTS, continued from back page certain number of people.’” James added that students will benefit from having the gaming center in a centralized location where they don’t have to be apprehensive about going into buildings that might not be a part of their major, while also learning about other opportunities open to them at DePaul. “This place can turn into a hub of student activity, places to connect,” James said. “Now they can come down here and learn about opportunities at the DePaulia they can connect with the esports Gaming Center (…) this is where DePaul students can go to connect, we want to create spaces that do that and this is one of them.” Currently DePaul is competing in "League of Legends" and "Rocket League" but has plans to feature other games as well. "Rocket League" is a physics-based game, with three people on each team trying to score a ball into the goal, similar to soccer. Each player has their own car, with a rocket attached to the back allowing players to fly around in a manner similar to Quidditch, from the Harry Potter series. The goal is to use the car’s momentum against the ball’s momentum to score the ball into the net. Each game is five minutes long, and the team with the most goals in that span wins. Esteban Perez, a senior accounting major who assisted Yang in getting the center started, said he believes "Rocket League" is appealing as a spectator sport, where fans don’t need to have played the game to understand it. This is unlike "League of Legends," which requires a lot more background and technical skill to fully grasp. “The moment you see it for a minute you start to understand the game, you start to understand what is going on and the objectives,” Perez said. “Because of the fastpaced nature of the sport and the skill that can translate into some really cool plays and the team aspect of the sport, it’s going to attract a lot of people really quickly.” As DePaul began to explore the idea
ANDREW HATTERSLEY | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul's newest breed of student athletes take in the new gaming center in the concourse of the DePaul Center in the Loop. of esports, one school they reached out to was Robert Morris University (RMU), who founded an esports program of their own four years ago. Jose Espin, a Program Coordinator at RMU and current DePaul MBA student, said he is excited to see the school embrace esports and mold it into something that fits the school. “The thing I really liked about DePaul (is that) they want to take their own approach because everyone is very willing to help,” Espin said. “They kind of molded it to what they wanted it to be, (and) from what I’ve heard from them when I talked to them, they’re definitely on the right path, and I just think it’s really great.” Since RMU founded their program, they have used it as a marketing and recruiting tool for prospective students. James said DePaul recently met with Team Liquid and talked about the life cycle
of gamers. What they learned was kids traditionally become interested in gaming around the age of nine when they get an Xbox or Wii. Between the ages of 13-17, however they become more interested in computer-based gaming, which James said fits their target market. For James, seeing the popularity of esports in the Midwest is another area they plan to market. “There are roughly 70 different colleges that offer esports scholarships,” James said. “So I think in order for us to be competitive with those, maybe not a scholarship, but just to have a space to say ‘Hey, you can come and have a space to do this here’ and a space that they’ll see on their tour that they’ll know is open to them, I think it could potentially have an impact on student’s decisions too.” For now, James sees an opportunity to compete against schools like RMU, Loyola,
Northwestern and the Big East, where students now have a great foundation to compete against other top players. “I think (it is) not only Robert Morris and DePaul,” James said. “Like we’re doing here with the Big East, these students are playing against seven or eight different schools depending on which game it is, and I think if they keep winning there will be a certain amount of swagger and pride that comes along with that.” James added that DePaul could also serve as a great place to host tournaments in the future, potentially attracting students looking at graduate school or DePaul’s game design program. The program certainly couldn’t have asked for a better start, opening at a combined 10-0 between "League of Legends" and "Rocket League" and advanced to the Final Four on April 14 and
respond positively to NCAA Tournament runs are responding poorly to continued struggles from the men’s basketball program. Some disgruntled alumni have publically refused to donate money to the university or the athletic department until sitting athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto resigns or is terminated, notably going as far as taking out an advertisement
in the Chicago Sun-Times calling for her dismissal. According to professor Kallen, the two main contributors to the financial success of an athletic department are revenue generating sports and alumni giving. Some of that giving is ear-marked directly to the athletic department and some is donated to the university at large out of pride for their universities athletic programs.
GRAPHIC BY SHANE RENE
MONEYBALL, continued from back page Meanwhile, DePaul’s roughly $500 million endowment continues to eb and flow with the stock market and president A. Gabriel Esteban doesn’t seem set on following in the footsteps of schools like Loyola and VCU, saying the economic effect of an NCAA Tournament run is only temporary. “I was talking to the president of Villanova after they won the national championship, or a few months after it happened.” Esteban told the DePaulia’s editorial board. “And we talked about fundraising and this and that. He said (with) fundraising it really doesn’t make a big difference. It’s really in enrollment and so on
since winning the national championship.” Esteban says he is committed to the status quo in DePaul’s athletic department and remains confident that Wintrust Arena — the school’s $82.5 million investment in the South Loop — will put DePaul on the best path toward NCAA, and thus, economic success. When Esteban took over the reigns at Seton Hall in 2011, the Pirates had just moved into their new basketball arena in Newark, New Jersey. In 2016, they qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since they built their new facility. Esteban says he thinks that progression will be faster for DePaul. Both before and since Esteban took office, the alumni that are supposed to
Harper College is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status or sexual orientation. 24049 TC 2/18
Summer sessions start MAY 21 and JUNE 4. View popular transfer courses and register: harpercollege.edu/summerDePaul
Sports
Sports. April 9, 2018. The DePaulia | 28
Moneyball
Now that the NCAA Tournament has passed and Sister Jean has taken some time to rest, Loyola University Chicago is waiting to cash in on a spectacular dance through March. So what exactly is the value of an NCAA Tournament run? By Shane René Sports Editor
Every year in March, 68 of the nations top Division I men’s basketball teams compete in the NCAA Tournament not only to win championships and impress NBA scouts, but to be a billboard for the academic institutions that pay their bills. There is no doubt that the most elite strata of players are also playing for themselves — the NCAA, after all, is effectively a farm system for the NBA — but the success of each program is often reflected in the wallet of the university at large. In 2011, No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) — a school with a $350 million endowment — took down No. 6 seed Georgetown, No. 3 seed Purdue, No. 10 seed Florida State, and, spectacularly, No. 1 seed Kansas on their way to the Final Four. They lost in the Final Four to No. 8 seed Butler, but just two years later, the school’s endowment had grown to $1.321 billion dollars, according to an annual study by the National
ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA
Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). “(To understand the value of an NCAA tournament run) I think you have to look at Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason, two schools that were a little bit under the radar screen prior to their NCAA Tournament runs and then afterwards have much more visibility,” Robert Kallen, a NCAA expert and visiting professor in DePaul’s economics department, said. This year it was Loyola-Chicago, the little-discussed Jesuit school from the Missouri Valley Conference with a 98-year-old nun as their biggest star that earned the most
sought-after exposure in college sports. With each upset victory, the No. 11 seed earned another chance to play in front of millions of people with the hopes of making them remember the name “Loyola-Chicago Ramblers.” “It’s been well documented in regards to the increase in applications that occurred at both (VCU and George Mason),” Kallen said. “If you get an increase in applications, you get a higher quality student body, at which point, sometimes, equates itself with more alumni development and alumni participation.” Kallen says he expects the same to happen with Loyola.
See MONEYBALL, page 27
DePaul unveils new gaming center, launching esports program By Andrew Hattersley Asst. Sports Editor
After almost two years of planning, the Big East welcomed their seventh esports team to the Big East Conference when DePaul opened their new gaming center on Saturday. DePaul’s esports community had gathered in the Gameplay Lab on the fifth floor of the CDM Center for years, and the space was not visible to most students. Nicole Yang, a 2013 CDM graduate and now full-time Information Services staff member, said she sensed a need approximately two years ago, and so she began researching what would be needed to make the move. From there, she said the plans came together quickly. “They gave us the layout of the room and said, ok, give us how you want everything to be put together,” Yang said. “What equipment do you want, put a budget together. Everything was so lightning fast, but it was all super exciting.” During the process, Yang said she worked with Associate Vice President Betty
ANDREW HATTERSLEY | THE DEPAULIA
An esports player’s screen during a “League of Legends” match. Shanahan,Director of Student Involvement Courtney James and others to help bring the project to life. “(Betty’s) not a true gamer, but she’s done her research and has been digging deep into what is each game, how does
this go,” Yang said. “She has created a lot of excitement in general. A lot of parties (were) involved in this, Courtney James was definitely a huge aspect of this as well.” James said she has worked in conjunction with the Executive Vice
President’s Office, Information Services, Student Affairs and the College of Digital Media. Her role is centered on getting the word out and brainstorming ways to brand the space to DePaul students both inside and outside of CDM. “We know we have an audience that is going to naturally fall here,” James said. “The students that are here now, they are going to naturally come to this space. We have a lot students that identify as gamers that may not be through CDM, so my role was also about how to create opportunities to connect with them with the Esports Gaming Center.” One of the ways James plans to do this is by making the center open to students who may be interested in hosting a tournament with a group of their fellow classmates. “We’re going to be doing pre-packaged events where you can say, ‘I want to come and I want to have a tournament,’” James said. “We’ll say ‘Great, here’s how you can do that, here’s free popcorn, free Pepsi products. We can get you pizza if it’s over a
See ESPORTS, page 27