The DePaulia 1/24/2022

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Volume #106 | Issue #11| Jan. 24, 2022 | depauliaonline.com

‘It is not normal or safe’ ART BY MADDY MAES

DePaul will not extend virtual learning to high-risk students

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

It all came to a realization that students, boosted or not, would all be in person starting last Tuesday to sophomore Lilly Keller when the university released their updated Covid-19 policies.

Keller is immunocompromised and is more likely to experience a severe case of Covid-19.

“They are handling Omicron as if it has simply become a matter of when rather than if,” she said DePaul will not offer accommodations for disabled, immunocompromised and chronically ill students after returning in person on Tuesday. The university also has not extended the deadline to drop or add classes without financial and

academic penalty.

The Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) will not be able to extend remote learning for in person classes to students who are at high risk for Covid-19.

CSD confirmed to The DePaulia that they could not provide accommodations for students due to not being able to interfere with the mode of instruction.

“The CSD has accommodations to support students whose conditions may occasionally impede their ability to attend class or meet deadlines for assignments,” said CSD Director Gregory Moorehead in an email to The DePaulia.

“The CSD also works with professors/ departments who have determined that their courses may be effectively taught remotely. However, course modality is a

pedagogical decision that’s made by faculty and not the CSD.” DePaul reaffirmed on Thursday, Jan. 13, that they would be returning to in-person classes. Students’ last day to add classes was Jan. 9, while the deadline to drop winter quarter classes with no penalty and a full tuition refund was Jan. 16, according to DePaul’s academic calendar.

If a student chooses to drop an in-person class, they would not be able to add a remote section. Students would also take a withdrawal or “W” on their transcript and pay full price. A four-credit class at DePaul costs about $2,000.

In an email obtained by The DePaulia, a student who wishes to stay anonymous reached out to CSD asking for remote accommodations due to them

being high risk. CSD had responded with a similar statement about their inability to get involved. “[My previous email] means that making courses that are not designed to be taught online to switch modality and delivered to you online is not an accommodation that can be provided at this time,” Moorehead said in the email to the student on Jan. 13.

CSD accommodations are issued individually, according to the CSD homepage. They offer course selection consultation, faculty consultation and priority registration.

There are nine staff members total in CSD. Ash Flackus, a third-year registered student with CSD, was unaware about

See CSD, page 8

University releases new housing guidelines amid Omicron variant

By Nadia Hernandez & Lawrence Kreymer News Editor & Editor-in-Chief

As Covid-19 cases remain high but classes, jobs and student’s social lives remain in person, exposure or infection might seem like an inevitability.

DePaul Housing has shortened the required isolation time following a positive Covid-19 test for students on campus based on updated Center for Disease Control (CDC) quarantine guidelines, announced in December.

In a departure from fall quarter, DePaul Housing is now allowing students to leave their isolation rooms, which is part of a separate building on campus, after five days if they are no longer experiencing symptoms and receive a negative test.

This follows the new guidance, which was announced over DePaul’s winter break. The CDC currently recommends Covid-positive people isolate themselves for just five days if they are asymptomatic or have no symptoms and wear a mask around others for another five days. Previously, there was a mandatory 10-day isolation period, regardless of vaccination status.

“However, if a student remains symptomatic or tests positive on day five, they must then stay in isolation housing for the remaining five days for a total of 10 days,” said Rick Moreci, director of DePaul housing, dining and student centers.

Housing will deliver food to quarantining students daily. Students are required to isolate in a single room with a full bathroom.

Along with these updated isolation guidelines, DePaul will also require students to receive their Covid-19 booster in order to attend in-person classes. Testing is only required when a student is experiencing symptoms or during their isolation.

“I think it’s insane that [DePaul] first says they’re going to require a negative test, and I emailed them and they responded ‘We highly encourage it,’” sophomore Natalie Lara said.

DePaul does offer free on-campus testing; however, the university does not require students to provide proof of a negative test to be on campus.

The university had been talking about

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul students are walking into BeldenRacine, a dorm in the Linoln Park campus.

See HOUSING, page 8

2 | News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

First Look

CAMPUS COVID-19 CASES

Dec. 10, 2021 - Jan. 28. 2022

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

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Lawrence Kreymer eic@depauliaonline.com PRINT MANAGING | Nika Schoonover managing@depauliaonline.com ONLINE MANAGING | Nate Burleyson online@depauliaonline.com NEWS EDITOR | Nadia Hernandez news@depauliaonline.com ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Josephine Stratman news@depauliaonline.com NATION & WORLD EDITOR | Jackson Healy nation@depauliaonline.com OPINIONS EDITOR | Erik Uebelacker opinion@depauliaonline.com FOCUS EDITOR | Kiersten Riedford focus@depauliaonline.com ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Amber Stoutenborough artslife@depauliaonline.com ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Brandon Sun Yechout artslife@depauliaonline.com

SOURCE: COVID-19 DASHBOARD | DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

Visit the Covid-19 Dashboard for information on how to report positive cases on campus.

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News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 3

DePaul students wear a variety of types of masks around campus including surgical, cloth, and KN95 masks.

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul University’s Recommended Masks

DePaul mask mandates confuse students, faculty

By Kiersten Riedford Focus Editor

DePaul’s updated mask requirement announcement left some students with a bad taste in their mouth.

The announcement alerted students, faculty and staff that they are required to wear medical-grade masks like a KN-95 mask or an N-95 mask, or to double mask with a cloth and surgical mask.Tight-fitting surgical masks are also okay to wear.

The news came out Jan. 13, less than a week before in-person classes resumed.

Students and faculty were not made aware of the update to the mask requirement before then.

Sophomore Benny Wong said he was also not expecting the update to the mask requirement.

“It was a little bit of a surprise, I thought we would stick with being able to wear a cloth or surgical mask,” Wong said. “I didn’t have to [go out and buy a new mask] because my parents already had some so they gave me some to use, but I was lucky.”

Freshman Maia Palomar was glad to see the university implement an update.

“I definitely agree with updating the mask requirement, and I personally hoped it would happen,” Palomar said.

“I’m also glad that boosters are now required, I think it’s just one more way of helping keep everyone safe.”

Freshman Humna Farid said she was surprised when she received the notification about the mask requirement changing. She didn’t know updating the mask requirement was possible.

“I wasn’t aware it was going to happen until we all got that email,” Farid said. “It was unexpected for me and kind of surprising, because I didn’t know they could change the mask policy, and I had never heard of that happening before.”

Although she was happy about the new requirement, Farid said she wished the update was mentioned sooner rather

than later.

“I think they should have notified us about it sooner,” Farid said. “I feel like they updated it to make it safer for us to be back on campus, so I’m fine with it being updated, I just wish we were notified sooner and had more time to find the masks.”

Medical-grade masks are expensive and are sold out in many stores around the country, so people are relying on online purchases and deliveries. KN95 masks can average $38 for a pack of 25 masks and N95 are $60 for a pack of 25 masks. Medical-grade masks can be worn a maximum of five times, then are suggested to be thrown away and traded for a new mask.

To counter the lack of medical-grade masks a student may have, DePaul is giving away KN-95 masks for free at specific locations on both campuses. These masks can be found on the Loop Campus at the Public Safety desks in the CDM Center, the Daley Building at both entrances, the Lewis Center and DePaul Center. On the Lincoln Park campus, masks can be found in the Holtschneider Performance Center at the Public Safety desk in the lobby, the Schmitt Academic Center in the Parking Services office in Room 177, the 2400 N. Sheffield Ave. Building in the lobby and the Student Center lobby.

Farid said despite the new requirements, she noticed students and professors in her classes that still wear their masks incorrectly or will not double mask.

“There are always a few students who only wear a surgical mask, don’t double up, and they keep it below their nose,” Farid said. “I think that’s disrespectful to your classmates who are following the rules. I don’t care if people agree or disagree with the new rule, however, they should be following it and respecting their peers and professors.”

Alternatively, Palomar wants to see faculty and other students holding indi-

viduals accountable if they are wearing their mask incorrectly or not meeting the mask requirement.

“I fully support professors enforcing the mask policy, especially in settings with smaller, more crowded classrooms,” Palomar said. “I think it’s as much of their responsibility to enforce the requirement as it is for people to follow it, everyone has to do their part in keeping others and themselves safe. Two of my professors are very clear about enforcing the requirement, one professor will call students out if they aren’t wearing their mask properly and remind them to pull it up. If a student refuses to do so, they said they have no problem asking them to leave.”

Palomar is concerned about in-person classes as Omicron rapidly spreads.

“I was genuinely concerned to be returning to in-person [classes] given the current spike in cases, and although the new mask requirement has provided some comfort, it doesn’t make me feel entirely safe,” Palomar said, adding that in her lab classes she has noticed less social distancing in the seating arrangements.

“As a person who has classes such as lab which require me to be in person and my grade would be affected by attendance, it adds a greater pressure for me to make sure I stay as safe as possible. It frustrates me because my health could be the determining factor of whether I pass a class, and it feels like being in person, or allowing this to happen, isn’t the smartest choice.”

Farid said if there are going to be in person classes where participation matters, classes should not be filled up to maximum capacity.

“I don’t feel safe because not everyone follows the new mask requirement,” Farid said. “They should stop filling up classrooms with the max capacity, so that students can be spaced out from each other for social distancing.”

N95

N95

KN95

KN95

DOUBLE MASK

SURGICAL MASK LILY LOWDNES| THE DEPAULIA

4 | News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

Vaccine rates in South and West sides lag behind Samantha Moilanen Contributing Writer

In an effort to counter low vaccination rates in South Shore, Ernest Sanders, executive director at South Shore Works, sent a team of “street wellness fellows” to distribute masks and hand sanitizers to community members in South Shore every day. The fellows also shared their own, unscripted experience with the vaccine to neighbors.

“That free gift is a way to get people to listen to you and to open up,” Sanders said.

Sanders and his team at South Shore Works distributed around 38,000 masks and hand sanitizers, he said. But it didn’t seem to make a difference.

“I thought I was making progress, and then quickly you just find out you are not,” Sanders said. “We were once ranked the community with the highest number of [Covid-19] fatalities back in April of 2020, and just yesterday, I was aware of our rate rising again at about 13 percent.”

Not only does the South Shore community have some of the lowest vaccination rates in Chicago, but it also has some of the highest fatality rates. City data shows prevalent disparities: Black people are consistently dying from Covid-19 at a higher rate than any other population in the city.

Despite South Shore Works’ efforts to bring the vaccine to the community and dispel misinformation, only about 49 percent of the community has completed the vaccine series, according to Sanders.

“49 percent is a big difference from about 63 percent, so I have my work cut out for me,” Sanders said, referring to the city’s then-overall vaccination rate.

As of Sunday, the zip codes in Chicago with the lowest vaccination rates are all on the South and West Sides of the city in primarily Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Only 65.5 percent of the current population is fully vaccinated, according to city data as of last week.

One of the reasons many minority communities in Chicago have the lowest vaccination rates is the lack of accessibility and a plague of misinformation surrounding the vaccine controversy, according to Oscar Sanchez, the director of youth and restorative justice programming at Alliance of the Southeast (ASE).

“It stems from inaccessibility to true care from people in the medical profession, inaccessibility to information about the pandemic and even then, inaccessibility to vaccines,” Sanchez said.

In addition to lack of accessibility to the vaccine, Latino communities are battling generations of distrust and fear of the system, he said.

“It’s the reality of having to navigate insurance, having to navigate who is paying for it, having to navigate hospitals and authority figures because they’re undocumented and scared of being deported,” Sanchez said. “Parents then passed down that generational trauma and fear into their children, which makes sense because they want to protect their families, but now they’re not getting the proper treatment.”

Despite facing struggles with being undocumented or lacking health insurance, the threat of misinformation is prevalent.

“I got vaccinated recently,” said

South Side resident Jesus Sanchez. “But I’ve heard that others don’t want to get vaccinated because they’re afraid of being injected with a disease that may come out in the future.”

The city has been struggling to overcome systematic racial inequities for years. With the help of coalitions like ASE, it has begun combating misinformation and accessibility issues surrounding the vaccine in minority communities.

To increase racial equity in the vaccine distribution in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot implemented the Protect Chicago Plus Program, where canvassing teams went door-to-door to encourage residents in 15 targeted communities with the lowest vaccination rates to get vaccinated against Covid-19. This program aimed to dispel misinformation about the vaccine and educate residents on where, how and why they should get vaccinated, but left out under-vaccinated minority communities like South Shore, which still has some of the lowest vaccination rates in Chicago despite the city’s efforts.

Regardless, nonprofits like South Shore Works are actively trying to bring more vaccines to South Side communities that the city has neglected during vaccine distribution.

Even though South Shore was not included in the initial program, South Shore Works was able to expand the initiative themselves with their own team of community volunteers.

“I’m trying everything under the sun to bring our vaccine numbers up, but if I don’t have people’s trust, then my work is really in vain,” Sanders said.

Lightfoot’s vaccination mandate that went into effect on Jan. 3 does not account for gaps based on race and location in less-vaccinated communities.

The mandate requires every person aged five or older to provide proof of vaccination and a valid government-issued ID if older than 16 when entering bars, gyms, restaurants or entertainment venues where food and drink is served.

City officials hope the new mandate’s added restrictions from restaurants, bars and other indoor facilities will motivate the city’s youths to get vaccinated. However, there is still controversy regarding whether this mandate will be effective and if it will unintentionally dissuade unvaccinated Black and Latino Chicagoans from receiving services or seeking employment.

Even though the mandate may have unintended consequences, “we absolutely support barriers because our health depends on it,” Freeman-Wilson said.

Sanchez considers the mandate necessary, to an extent. However, he believes a more efficient way of increasing vaccination rates in South Side communities is for the city to hire local community doctors to talk to residents and explain the importance of the vaccine, dispelling much of the present concern.

“You have to have people from the community talking about the vaccine, people they recognize, so it’s not just Dr. [Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison] Arwady,” Sanchez said. “Who says she has my best interests? When other organizations have said she is approving things we don’t agree with.”

INFORMATION & GRAPH FROM ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

SAVE THE DATE Rise to the challenge!

Visit challenge.depaul.edu to learn more and make a gift.

News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022| 5

DePaul hires four temporary part- time counselors at both campuses

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

Four temporary part-time counselors will start at University Counseling Services (UCS) starting between the end of January and early February, UCS Director Tow Yau said.

Three counselors will provide 17 hours in Lincoln Park and one counselor in the Loop for 5 hours.

“We have five candidates who will be joining us this week, and next week, for the full-time position,” Yau said. “So it is busy in the month of January and most likely is going to go into February, as we are actively recruiting, getting the part-time counselors on board and doing training to provide services for our students.”

Yau envisions returning to full staff in the fall of 2022.

In the meantime, Yau is working towards hiring the open full-time positions.

My Student Support Program, or My SSP, will continue to be a resource for students through the end of the academic year.

The Office of Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW), Office for Multicultural Success, the Office of Student Involvement and International Student & Scholar Services have available resources to support students.

“Our professional staff provides individual support which includes gen-

“We will not have session limits. [Students would have] to pay a certain fee for the ongoing counseling, those are going to be waived right now.”

Tow Yau

Director of University Counseling Services eral wellness meetings, such as finding a therapist, psychiatrist, connecting to on-campus resources, survivor support advocacy, a confidential resource, and nonjudgmental screenings that help students to learn more about their relationship with substance use,” Director of HPW Christine Augustin said.

Students are still disappointed with the lack of resources relative to what they’re paying for tuition.

“When I called for UCS back in August, they said they were closed for the whole academic year because they needed to structure UCS,” said sophomore Kate Winston. “We pay thousands of dollars a quarter to have access to academics and their services.”

Yau said he wants to take this time to reform counseling services to provide a “time-limited, goal-focused and collaborative approach.”

He will implement some changes: no session limits for students, waiving of

‘Consider your life’s blueprint’ Stanford professor presents at DePaul for MLK Day

By Andy Thompson Contributing Writer

Although speaking to a faceless crowd, current Stanford University social psychologist Claude Steele, may as well have been standing in a packed auditorium while delivering his energy-packed talk at a DePaul University Zoom event last Tuesday.

The seminar was centered around the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with Steele booked as the main event, among other speakers from across the country alongside DePaul’s own faculty. University staff generally hold this annual event in-person, but ongoing concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19 forced the 2022 gathering online.

Before introducing Steele, President A. Gabriel Estebanposed a question not unlike one King himself posed to a group of Philadelphia junior high school students in October 1967. Esteban invited attendees to consider their life’s blueprint, and offered King’s own framework as food for thought.

“First, [maintain] a deep belief in your own dignity and worth,” Esteban said. “Secondly, [you must have] the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. And third, make a commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love, and justice.

At the onset of his keynote presentation, Steele presented a philosophical dilemma which he feels every African-American citizen has considered at some point in their life. He says abandoning the history of a society, and putting trust in a newly-integrated or

recently-integrated version of it, places strong tension between remembering and forgetting.

“Do I remember stereotypes and use that to interpret what’s happening to me in this immediate situation?,” Steele said. “Or do I decide to forget the past and take the situation at face value? When you put it that way, you can start to see what the struggle is of being a member of an integrated community.”

Steele focused on the theme of Black trust in societal institutions throughout his presentation, drawing several times on an experiment conducted during his tenure at Stanford University. A white professor was asked to provide feedback on a professional writing assignment in several different forms, ranging from short direct comments to complimentary comments up front.

The purpose of the study was to see if the feedback would be taken “at face value,” and the results, Steele says, were astounding.

“For the African-American students, that critical feedback comes in and they don’t know whether it’s coming from their work or just how the feedback giver perceives the abilities of their group,” Steele said. “There’s ambiguity there, and because of that, it’s difficult to whole-heartedly trust that feedback…and they didn’t.”

Steele added that what he found most concerning was not rooted in that unique experiment, but what it likely says about education systems as a whole.

“If you can’t trust the feedback you get from your professors or teachers, you can’t learn from them or benefit from their advice,” Steele said.“That

additional session fees and specialized counseling for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students.

“Second initiative is that there is no cause for students to come to see us on a kind of a regular basis,” Yau said. “[Students would have] to pay a certain fee for the ongoing counseling, those are going to be waived right now.”

UCS and HPW will work with students to outsource help that require specialized services.

“We cannot do long-term work or work that requires a higher level of care, so we may work together to provide a better referral for students,” Yau said.

“The other thing within that scope of services, we’re going to have a kind of what we call trauma care focus for students, which means that we are able to provide trauma work for survivors of sexual assault, interpersonal violence and stalking.”

HPW will also hold workshops and

MICKY BRAEGER | THE DEPAULIA

Director of UCS Tow Yau presents at SGA. programs for relationship and sexual violence, substance abuse and stress management.

Yau emphasized that it will take the entire DePaul community to create what he calls “a culture of care.”

“Mental health does not just lie on one person, or one department like Counseling Center,” Yau said. “For example, the whole campus, the faculty, the staff members and also the students here to be part of this community base to create a culture of care [and] well-being.”

PHOTO FROM CLAUDESTEELE.COM

Stanford professor Claude Steele focused on the theme of Black trust in societal institutions throughout his presentation. ideal often goes on to become a condi- of Civil Rights advocate Alice Walktion of life rather than just happening er by current DePaul student Jaslynn once.”

Hodges, encouraging attendees to defy However, as he delivered his closing the aforementioned stereotypes preremarks, Steele offered a note of hope sented by Steele. for how he believes we can all find faith “‘I’m a gift to the human race, I’m in each other. the woman with the blessed dark skin, “Intuitions about how to build trust I’m the woman with teeth repaired, I’m are strongest in those who listen and the woman with the healing eye, the learn from what they hear, and respond ear that hears. I’m the woman, dark, rein a helpful way to people who give paired, healed, listening to you,’” Hodgthem a clear, supported path forward es said. in life,” Steele said. “Listen to people, maybe listen twice, and learn in that process what a different perspective is.”

The program closed with a reading

6 | News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: Jan. 12, 2022 - Jan. 18, 2022 LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

LOOP CAMPUS

1150 W Fullerton 2 3

Clifton Parking Garage

4

Fullerton & Halsted bus stop

Munroe Hall 1

4

DePaul Center 5 5

7

Jackson Red Line stop 6

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS Jan. 12 1) A Possession of Cannabis report was filed for items removed from Munroe Hall.

Jan. 17 2) A Criminal Trespass report was filed at 1150 W Fullerton.

Jan. 18 3) A Theft of Labor Services report was filed for a person leaving the Clifton Parking Garage without paying.

4) A Simple Battery report was filed for an incident that occurred at the

11

Assault & Theft

Drug & Alcohol

bus stop on Fullerton & Halsted bus stop.

Other

LOOP CAMPUS Jan. 12 5) A Theft was reported at the DePaul Center.

Jan. 13 6) An Aggravated Battery and Robbery report was filed regarding an incident that occurred on the Red Line platform at Jackson & State. A Safety Alert was issued regarding the incident.

Jan. 18 7) A Disturbance was reported at the DePaul Center.

News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 7

8 | News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 HOUSING, continued from front page requiring the booster shot for “awhile,” DePaul Vice President of Student Affairs Eugene Zdziarski said, but DePaul first needed to make sure it could track the information coming in from faculty, staff and students regarding them receiving their booster shot.

“Everything that we are talking about is a database and a simple and easy way to upload this information,” Zdziarski said. “Some systems we can control directly, others are through outside organizations. The systems that we use for faculty and staff is through an external company, we needed to be sure that they were up and ready to collect that information.”

Dorms have been open since the start of the quarter, Jan. 3, although classes remained virtual until Jan. 18.

Positive on-campus cases have been on the rise, with about 90 positive student cases since Jan. 3.

An anonymous student who tested positive and was in isolation at DePaul explained how effective these new protocols were.

“On day five, students are given an antigen test and were told if they tested negative they could be taken out of isolation, but will still be required to wear a mask at all times in [their] apartment until 10 days were up,” the student said.

The student did have to wait for their antigen test results before they could leave.

“My antigen test case came back positive and honestly got me wondering if anyone in isolation so far this quarter has gotten the shortened isolation time,” they said. “I think the university probably felt pressured to offer a cop-out, even if it might be unrealistic to obtain, because of the CDC’s loosening guidelines.”

If students test negative on the fifth day of isolation, then they can return to their dorms, but have to wear a mask for

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

Students can cut their isolation time in half if they test negative and have no symptoms on their fifth day of isolation. an additonal five days.

Students can return to class after their shortened isolation time. All students are required to comply with DePaul’s mask mandate.

“I’d like DePaul to keep the 10-day isolation so that immunocompromised people on campus still feel safe participating in person, but outside pressures may make it difficult to uphold those standards since the rest of the city is loosening their guidelines,” the student

DePaul plans in-person commencement for 2022 graduates

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

DePaul announced its 2022 commencement ceremony will be held in person. This will be the first in-person ceremony in two years.

The commencement ceremony will be held at Wintrust Arena on June 11 and 12 while the College of Law will be at the Chicago Theatre on May 21.

Both ceremonies will be in person and live streamed as well. Despite both options being offered, DePaul cautioned the community that things could change.

All guests 5 years and older must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask at all times at the ceremony. This will change only if the City of Chicago changes its protocols.

“Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, DePaul will continue to monitor the situation,” according to Newsline.

“Commencement plans may change as needed to promote the safety and health of the DePaul community.”

Students can also reserve up to six tickets for their guests. However, they must apply for degree conferral via Campus Connect by April 27 for June ceremonies and April 13 for law graduates.

Loyola University also announced they would hold their 2022 ceremony in person as well. Northwestern has yet to release any plans.

Graduates will also have to purchase regalia through Herff Jones again. Last year, Herff Jones experienced a cyberattack, causing DePaul graduates’ bank accounts to be hacked.

Students For more updates about other deadlines like student speakers and degree conferral, visit DePaul’s commencement page.

said.

Illinois adapted the CDC’s new guidelines back in December.

“I personally think we should be online for longer,” Lara said. “I love being on campus, but the winter is going to be brutal for Covid-19 numbers and hospital beds are already filling up in the city.”

Due to the Omicron variant, Covid-19 cases and deaths are increasing in Chicago. DePaul recommends that students who are vaccinated get

tested if they start to experience symptoms.

“With Omicron, we’ve reached a point where whether you’re an on-campus or off-campus student, you have to assess for yourself what you’re willing to do to keep others safe,” the student said.

CSD, continued from front page

dent at DePaul,” Keller said. “I desperately wished DePaul would have mandated the booster before we all arrived on campus because you truly have no clue who has it and who doesn’t even though it is such a necessary form of protection against this increased variant.”

However, individual professors are making an effort to provide accommodations.

“My microbiology professor let any of us who chose not to go in person to decide to stay online if we wanted [or] needed to,” Flackus said.

The CSD will continue to offer remote services for students amid the pandemic.

“This population continues to grow and is one in which we will all find ourselves as we become older,” Moorehead said. “Thus, developing our programming, curricula and facilities with that population in mind increases the opportunity for students with disabilities to fully participate in the life of the university, and contribute to the learning and co-curricular experiences that are all part of a DePaul education.”

DePaul has reported more than 80 on-campus cases of Covid-19 since Jan. 3.

“I’m disappointed with that decision as well, seeing as disabled students are just as important to the school as non-disabled students and deserve accommodations,” Flackus said.

the lack of accommodations for remote learning.

“People’s lives are at risk,” Flackus said. “We cannot keep going back to school as if everything is normal; it is not normal or safe.”

Due to the Omicron variant being more transmissible, disabled, chronically ill and immunocompromised students are more at risk to get infected, according to the Center of Disease Control.

“It’s an isolating experience to live in fear knowing that a mild case is not likely with my immune system, and on top of that how unwilling professors are to make online accommodations for their classes, which in the long run only encourages ill students to come to class,” Keller said.

DePaul requires that all students submit all proof of a Covid-19 booster shot by March 1. In the meantime, disabled, chronically ill and immunocompromised students are hesitant to remain in person.

“By DePaul not requiring boosters until March 1, and cases rising and rising each passing day, chronically ill and physically disabled students will be at an even higher risk,” Flackus said. “Without the accommodations to stay online, DePaul could be risking people’s lives.”

Keller said she wanted to see DePaul mandate the booster before any return to campus. Other Chicago schools like Northwestern University are requiring a booster by the end of January.

“Overall, I think it’s a disheartening time to be an immunocompromised stu-

9 | News. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

Nation & World

Blitz or Bluff?

Russia weighs options in Ukraine ANDRIY DUBCHAK | ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Ukrainian soldier walks in a trench at the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 10, 2022.

By Jackson Healy Nation & World Editor

As military tensions build between Russia and Ukraine, so do questions over whether an attack is imminent.

Currently, over 127,000 Russian troops stand guard near the Ukrainian border, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Russia has been gradually evacuating its Ukrainian embassy since the beginning of January. The British government on Saturday accused the Kremlin of plotting to install a pro-Russian government in Ukraine. And on Jan. 13, a top foreign official in Russia floated the idea of dispatching military infrastructure to Venezuela or Cuba if tensions with the U.S. over these measures rise.

Whether these statements and actions serve as ploys or preparation is anyone’s guess, but the prospect of a Cold War-esque proxy war has not gone unnoticed by the international world. The U.S. has threatened to impose a dizzying array of financial, technology and military sanctions against Russia if it were to invade Ukraine, adding that Washington would arm Ukrainian insurgents against a Russian occupation if necessary.

To understand how this conflict has spiraled into what it is today, you’d have to look back to 1990 —before the Russian Federation even existed.

In Feb. 1990, U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met to discuss what NATO’s role would be in the then-newly unified Germany. According to Russian officials, this conversation included a verbal agreement that NATO would not expand into Eastern Europe. According to the U.S., no such promise was ever made. These two fundamentally contrasting positions have largely defined Russia’s relationship with NATO since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

“The Russians have made clear what they want,” said David Gibbs, history professor at the University of Arizona. “And what they want is enforcement of the 1990 agreement, an iron-clad promise not to

incorporate Ukraine into NATO. The U.S. has flatly refused to consider that, at least publicly. They insist Russia has no say over whether Ukraine joins NATO or not. The Russian position is, the U.S. had already agreed to this in 1990, and they just want the U.S. to enforce that prior agreement.”

Since 1999, 14 Central and European nations have joined NATO. And in 2008, the alliance’s Secretary General stated that Ukraine would one day become a member as well, further infuriating Russian officials as the alliance’s borders drew closer to the Kremlin and solidifying a tense relationship between the two former Soviet states.

David Marples, Russian history professor at the University of Alberta, suggests the presidency of Joe Biden — and a perception in Moscow that he may be less inclined to promote NATO expansion as previous administrations — as a possible reason for Russia’s recent provocations along the Ukrainian border.

Marples also notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin might view a successful attack on Ukraine as an opportunity to deflect attention away from rising unrest in and around Russia, including recent protests against pro-Russian governments in Belarus and Kazakhstan, as well as domestic concerns over Moscow’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which the country has seen its largest ever population decline during peacetime.

“Putin sees this going on all around,” Marples said. “He sees these as Western-inspired uprisings or mass protests against the leaders, but against him personally to ultimately undermine his regime in Russia. Some kind of foreign success, in the past, has gotten Putin out of complex situations. When he annexed Crimea in 2014, it was a very popular move. His popularity went sky high after that.”

U.S. and Russian officials have met on several occasions in attempts to diffuse the conflict, but talks have continued to stall.

Russia demands a ban on Ukraine entering NATO and for NATO to withdraw its forces to Soviet era borders. In response, the U.S. has repeatedly refused these pro-

posals, referring to them as “non-starters.”

Despite talks failing thus far to de-escalate the conflict, Dick Farkas, political science professor at DePaul, suggests an attack on Ukraine is extremely unlikely.

“I have a belief that this is about signaling,” Farkas said. “My sense is that any genuine military activity by the Russians in eastern Ukraine would be a disaster.”

Farkas lists several reasons as to why Russia would want to avoid armed conflict in Ukraine. For starters, he notes the impact such a conflict would have on Russia’s international image — an increasingly important factor in an increasingly globalized world.

“It would be a bloodbath on both sides,” Farkas said. “If Vietnam was bad in terms of the impact on the American public, if there were military conflict in Eastern Ukraine, the world would respond to the heinous quality of the killing, the maiming. It’d just be horrendous.”

On top of this, Russia has experienced several separatist movements within its own borders since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with multiple ongoing calls for independence. Farkas notes that actively engaging in pro-Russian separatist movements in Ukraine’s Donbas region could consequently stir up separatist tensions within Russia itself. “[Russia has] at least a dozen segments in its own territory in which there are pressures for autonomy,” Farkas said. “It’s got China on its border which is eager to possess some of the Russian cities in the Far East. There’s a lot of sensitivity to Russians about their own territorial integrity.

If they become known as the violators of sovereign boundaries, the whole system is called into question.”

Farkas adds that even without internal worries, Eastern Ukraine would not be a particularly lucrative prize for Russia: a 2020 study estimated that it would, at minimum, cost $21.7 billion USD in order to repair damages caused by the separatist war in Donbas.

“What would a Russian middle-level leader think about the Russian system investing in the Donbas when it’s not agree-

ing to invest in a part of the Russian federation that exists today?” Farkas said. “The implications are dramatic, and there’s a ripple effect. The bottom line is, they don’t have resources just to piss away. And the Donbas would be a sucking pit into which they’d have to throw massive amounts of resources.”

Former U.S. Army brigadier general and former defense attaché to Russia believes that Moscow agrees an invasion of Ukraine would be foolish. However, he worries that Russia may have played its hand too far just to fold.

“The Russians have boxed themselves in — they’ve been so aggressive that they’ve almost put themselves into a point of no return,” Zwack said. “I think there’s a bunch of [Russian officials] who feel they’ve taken this about as far as they can go, but they can’t back out now. So there’s a very real fear that they double down.”

As is the case with conflicts between nuclear powers, Zwack notes that with any move against one another, both the U.S. and Russia risk catastrophic consequences.

“I worry very much about an accident, an incident or a provocation in these highly tense, distrustful times, where decision cycles are much shorter than they used to be,” Zwack said.

While the world waits, Ukraine and the U.S. prepare.

In Ukraine, government and private military groups have begun combat training civilians in the event that the Ukrainian military falls — a result that even the country’s commanders expect in the event of a Russian invasion. And in the Southeastern U.S., the CIA has been covertly training Ukrainian paramilitaries as well, according to Yahoo! News. Whether Ukraine will need these measures is to be seen.

“The Russians are at the brink right now,” Zwack said. “They have the option to jump into the void or not. They’re going to have to figure out a narrative, and the West needs to give them a way to ease back out of this without giving up our principles. We’ve got to find a way.”

Nation & World. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 11

Youth’s overdose death renews pleas for Narcan in schools

By Dave Collins Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The death of a 13-year-old student who apparently overdosed on fentanyl at his Connecticut school has drawn renewed pleas for schools to stock the opioid antidote naloxone, as well as for training of both staffers and children on how to recognize and respond to overdoses.

The seventh grader was hospitalized Jan. 13 after falling ill at a Hartford school that did not have naloxone on hand. City officials vowed Wednesday to put the antidote in all city schools, as part of a wider drug use and overdose prevention strategy.

“Naloxone should be available in all schools, and there should be education on signs and symptoms of overdose and how to use this,” said Dr. Craig Allen, vice president of addiction services for Hartford HealthCare’s Behavioral Health Network. “Unfortunately, a horrible incident like this happens and suddenly everyone’s vision is 20/20.”

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said that because of the student’s young age, an opioid overdose did not immediately come to mind when the school nurse and first responders, who did have naloxone, treated him.

That’s why city officials are also proposing more training and curriculum changes aimed at educating staffers, students and community members in substance use awareness and prevention, he said.

In response to the student’s death, advocacy groups are repeating calls they’ve made for several years for schools to stock naloxone — often delivered as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan — and train educators, support staff and students to recognize signs of opioid use and overdoses, especially because younger people are falling victim more frequently.

The powerful opioid fentanyl has been showing up in marijuana, illicit pills and other substances accessible to schoolage children, experts say. Fatal overdoses in the U.S. are at record levels, fueled by fentanyl, and have been increasing among younger people, national data shows.

The National Association of School Nurses has advocated for naloxone to be in all schools since 2015 and for school nurses to help educate their communities about the signs and symptoms of substance abuse.

“It’s a very unfortunate outcome,” Lin-

MARK MIRKO | THE HARTFORD COURANT VIA AP

Students at Sport and Medical Sciences Academy return to school, Jan. 19, 2022 in Hartford, Conn. da Mendonca, the association’s president, said about the Hartford student’s death. “It brings us back to school preparedness and response plans. Having those in place is really critical.”

The association created a “tool kit” for school nurses that includes information on administering naloxone and educating the community about opioid problems.

The kit has been downloaded from its website more than 49,000 times, the group said.

Ethan’s Run Against Addiction is one of many advocacy groups that weighed in on social media about the Hartford student’s death. It is named after Ethan Monson-Dupuis, a 25-year-old Wisconsin man who died of a heroin overdose in 2016.

“This tragedy is unbearable. Our nation’s opioid crisis has reached into the lives of children, into places where we want to assume that they are safe,” the group said in a Facebook post Thursday.

“ALL public places, including schools, must have Narcan available. We need to educate kids on how to recognize someone who is overdosing and how to use Narcan.”

In addition to a nasal spray, naloxone can also be given as an injection. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says it is a safe medicine and side effects are rare but warns it doesn’t reverse overdoses from other drugs. Training is needed, the agency says, because sometimes more than one dose needs to be given and people who receive the drug can experience immediate withdrawal symptoms.

It’s not clear how often overdoses happen in U.S. schools, but experts and advocates say they are not common.

In late November, two school resource officers and a school nurse were given naloxone after being exposed to the synthetic opioid carfentanil, which was in a piece of paper found in a student’s vape pen at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, Tennessee, according to local media reports.

The officers and nurse became lightheaded but recovered.

In 2019, high schools in the Tucson, Arizona, area began stocking naloxone in response to a student overdosing on opioids while in school. Emergency responders, who were carrying the antidote, revived the student, media reports said.

There also is no national data on how many schools have naloxone or drug use awareness training programs that include recognizing the signs of an overdose.

In a survey of Pennsylvania school nurses conducted in 2018 and published in 2020, more than half the 362 nurses who responded reported having naloxone in their schools, according to the journal Public Health Nursing.

About 5% of the nurses said naloxone had been administered in their school or at a school-sponsored activity. The most common reason for not having naloxone in schools included a lack of support and the belief it was not needed, the survey showed.

Drug use prevention is taught in many schools. And there are an array of overdose awareness and naloxone administration programs offered by local health departments and advocacy groups.

In eastern Tennessee, the Carter County Drug Prevention group has trained hundreds of children, some as young as 6, on how to use naloxone via after-school

programs and other extracurricular gatherings, in response to rising overdoses, The New York Times reported.

Twenty states had laws allowing schools to possess and administer naloxone, and seven others required schools to have naloxone-use policies as of August 2020, according to the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, a nonprofit research and policy advocacy group. Most of the laws require training on administering the antidote.

In response to record drug overdoses, the national Office of National Drug Control Policy in November released a model law for states to consider, aimed at expanding access to naloxone, including in schools.

The Hartford student fell ill at the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy and died at a hospital two days later, on Jan. 15.

The teenager’s name was not released. Two other students recovered after apparently being exposed to fentanyl and becoming ill, officials said.

Hartford police said they found about 40 small bags containing fentanyl in the school. Police are still investigating the overdose, and the fentanyl’s source remains unclear.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 15-to-24 age group saw the largest percentage increase in drug overdose death rates from 2019 to 2020, at 49%, but had the second-lowest overall rates among age groups.

For the first time last year, U.S. overdoses deaths topped an estimated 100,000 in a one-year period, with many of the deaths linked to illicit fentanyl.

Beijing district orders mass virus testing ahead of Olympics

By Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — People in a Beijing district with some 2 million residents were ordered Sunday to undergo mass coronavirus testing following a series of infections as China tightened anti-disease controls ahead of the Winter Olympics.

The government told people in areas of the Chinese capital deemed at high risk for infection not to leave the city after 25 cases were found in the Fengtai district and 14 elsewhere.

The ruling Communist Party is stepping up enforcement of its “zero tolerance” strategy aimed at isolating every infected person as Beijing prepares to open the Winter Games on Feb. 4 under intensive anti-virus controls.

On Sunday, Fengtai residents lined up on snow-covered sidewalks in freez-

ANDY WONG | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Volunteers chat with each other at an information booth for the Beijing Winter Olympics Games at Qianmen Street, January 23, 2022. ing weather for testing.

The Chinese capital must “take the most resolute, decisive and strict mea-

sures to block the transmission chain of the epidemic,” a city government spokesman, Xu Hejian, told a news conference.

“In principle, personnel in risk areas shall not leave Beijing,” Xu said.

Nationwide, 56 new confirmed infections were reported in the 24 hours through midnight Saturday. The National Health Commission said 37 were believed to have been acquired abroad.

China has reported 4,636 deaths out of 105,603 confirmed cases and seven suspected cases since the pandemic began.

The Olympics are being held under strict controls that are meant to isolate athletes, reporters and officials from the outside world. Athletes are required to be vaccinated or undergo a quarantine after arriving in China.

Other outbreaks prompted the government to impose travel bans on the major cities of Xi’an and Tianjin.

12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

Opinions

Do Americans really want another term of Joe Biden?

By Isabelle Earl Contributing Writer

For many, a vote for Joe Biden back in 2020 was a plea for normalcy. When placed next to Donald Trump, Biden looked like a saving grace.

Cue 2022, the Biden administration continues to disappoint its constituents.

Record Covid-19 numbers, the highest inflation rates since before my lifetime and strikingly low approval ratings are a few garnishes to the long list of the Biden administration’s failures.

An obvious top-of-the-list shortcoming of Biden’s first year in office is his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020, establishing a better grip on the pandemic was a priority of his campaign. However, with the record high numbers of positive cases underneath Biden, Americans are questioning: What has this administration done in response to Covid-19?

Biden has encouraged people to get vaccinated from the get-go, and the administration celebrated a big win of 200 million people getting at least their first shot within Biden’s first 100 days. Still, millions of Americans remain unvaccinated, making herd immunity for the United States far from a reality. We now know that an additional booster shot is most effective in protecting against the Omicron variant, but only 35 percent of Americans have received their booster.

The rise in Covid-19 cases has left many Americans feeling unsafe. Last year, Biden announced that vaccinated people should “enjoy the holidays,” despite Omicron rearing its ugly head across the nation. Many DePaul students, including myself, can attest that Covid-19 was everywhere — even in many fully vaccinated households — over the holiday season.

The lack of accessible and affordable at-home Covid-19 testing kits only heightened the problem that Biden encouraged. Americans can now order four free at-home testing kits per household through USPS. So, my household of five is entitled to four tests. Thanks, Joe Biden.

Despite Biden’s impending promise of 500 million testing kits and the new insurance coverage for the costly test kits, I argue his response was too little, too late. Experts are saying that many places in the United States, including Chicago, have peaked. While these athome tests are crucial for social safety going forward, they are well past overdue. Where were these when Americans needed them most?

Wayne Steger, political science professor at DePaul, argues that the economy is a dominating factor in determining whether Biden will run for reelection in 2024.

“On one hand, economic growth has exceeded expectations, unemployment is low, wage gains are strong,” Steger said. “On the other [hand], inequality continues to increase. The bigger problem, for a bigger number of voters, is inflation, which erodes standard of living for people whose incomes are not rising as fast as inflation.”

However, Steger argues it is still too early and too complicated to determine

SUSAN WALSH | ASSOCIATED PRESS President Joe Biden listens to a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022

what 2024 will look like.

With the highest inflation rates the country has seen in over 30 years, Americans are conflicted: Who’s to blame? Critics of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) noted that if passed, inflation rates would rise. Their argument, as described from the Economic Policy Institute, was that the ARPA would drastically affect the fiscal impulse, causing the output gap to flip from negative to positive. Thus, sparking inflation.

This did not happen. The output gap remained negative. So, despite the administration’s bill, why has the inflation rate increased? The Economic Policy Institute places its blame on the pandemic — “Covid-19 never went away.” The administration’s failures in handling the pandemic have amounted to record high positive cases, overwhelmed hospitals and dramatic financial burdens on Americans.

Kyle Asta, president of the DePaul College Democrats, wonders, “Is [Biden] going to be able to deliver for voters?” in 2024.

Biden has yet to do that in this term. Biden promised voters on his campaign trail that he would cancel at least $10,000 in student debt per person. Here we are in January of 2022, with no progress toward debt cancellation, and Biden is avoiding questions on the subject altogether.

Biden’s recent failures in the Supreme Court further highlights his failed commitments to the American people. His vaccine mandate failed in a 7-2 vote earlier this month, except for vaccine mandates for healthcare workers at facilities that accept federal funding.

While Biden expressed his disappointment in the high court for shutting down “commonsense” and “life-saving” policies, this should not have come as a surprise. The governmental overreach in his policy was more than obvious. His efforts should go toward cooperation across the aisle, rather than proposing bills and legislation that will knowingly be killed.

Last year, Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan was not only disastrous, but also highlighted the priorities of this administration. Biden pulled out

troops without a clear plan to evacuate American citizens and American allies — forcing troops to be sent back to Afghanistan. Despite the reengagement of troops in Afghanistan, not everyone was able to be evacuated. Biden left Americans in Afghanistan.

Whether or not fighting global terrorism remains an American priority, I assure that enabling terrorist organizations is not in any American’s interests.

Once soldiers were out of Afghanistan, just under $10 million in weapons were left behind — ultimately, for Taliban use. Going against military officials’ advice, Biden’s frightening decision to pull out of Afghanistan leaves speculation and concern for the future of American military activity.

A creeping concern of another term with Biden is his age. If Biden were to serve another term, he would be 86 by the end of his presidency. “Biden’s age creates an enormous unknown,” Steger added.

An 86-year-old cannot accurately represent America, where a significant number of his constituents would be decades younger than him.

America should be concerned about Biden’s health. This opinion does not stem out of ageism, but rather from genuine worry. Biden is already 10 years past the average life expectancy.

Anxiety around his health is not farfetched. While his health is a private, individual matter, I argue that it is an issue bigger than him. This affects Americans and therefore should remain a factor when questioning a second term for Biden.

Asta says the biggest concern amongst the DePaul College Democrats in 2024 is Biden’s health.

“Mental health and physical health is what we’re looking at in the next two years,” he said. “If he isn’t doing well in those categories, we will look at endorsing someone else.”

The most prominent argument surrounding Biden’s age is his competency.

Prejudice and ridicule over his stuttering should not be entertained; his capabilities are distinct from his word stumbles.

Biden’s public addresses have proven to not only be a bit slow, but also difficult to follow. During the Demo-

cratic debates in 2019 and 2020 he often forgot questions, went on tangents and overall didn’t always make sense. A single example from the ABC’s presidential debate, Biden was questioned on the legacy of slavery in America, yet he somehow concluded his answer by talking about record players. A competent and coherent face of America is imperative — and Biden has proven to not live up to these standards. Another four years of this would be a mistake.

The numbers don’t lie — America simply does not approve of the Biden administration. A reelection campaign would not be a guaranteed win for Democrats. Asta said that as of now, Biden is not doing a “great job amongst his party in certain issues,” but that a reelection bid is still worth considering. He cited former President Barack Obama’s presidency, as he experienced significant loss in his first midterms and came out to win a second term.

Even so, Obama’s approval rating never sunk as low as Biden’s first year in office.

The 2016 election was not long ago — must we forget what happens when Democrats don’t like their nominee?

Biden running for reelection would be much too risky for Democrats. Biden winning reelection would be much too risky for America.

Steger is also weary of this. “Democrats, particularly progressive Democrats, are not happy with the lack of progress on a relatively liberal agenda,” he said.

Albeit not as low as Trump’s, Biden’s approval rating after his first year in office sits at a disappointing 42 percent.

Biden “beating” Trump’s approval rating is simply the bare minimum and the American people deserve better. In fact, we deserve a president we want — not a lesser of two evils.

Biden has broken his promises. As a politician, this is not uncommon. However, Biden’s first year in office is more than just broken promises. It’s more than politics. He campaigned to lead America out of one of the most horrific and tragic years in the last century. He took advantage of vulnerable voters. He saw an opportunity, and he grabbed it at the expense of America.

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

Opinions. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 13

University administration should focus Does anyone more on student needs than fiscal strength else miss online quarters?

By Erik Uebelacker Opinions Editor

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA Students walking in and out of DePaul’s Lincoln Park Student Center, which houses the Lincoln Park Student Center.

By Micky Braeger Contributing Writer

In the 2020-2021 President’s report, President Esteban laid out 6 parameters by which the university administration judges its own successes and failures. The first metric listed is “Mission” and the last on the list is “Fiscal Strength”. This would seem to be the proper order of priorities for a mission based institution, but recent events regarding student resources may indicate that, in practice, those priorities are flipped.

On Nov. 11, 2021, the Student Government Association hosted a special meeting at which the new Director of University Counseling Services, Tow Yau, presented his plan for the future of the department in light of the controversy surrounding a lack of services available to students at the beginning of the school year. The DePaulia covered this meeting to expand on previous stories and I was the contributing photographer present.

The meeting that proceeded led to an outpouring of emotional testimony and questions from student government representatives expressing their frustration with the department. Most of this was directed at Yau, which led to frustration from him in return, with The DePaulia in particular, as he felt that previous reporting from the paper had misrepresented his work in the department.

Nothing ever got out of hand. Both Yau and the SGA senators should be commended for making the effort to meet and civilly discuss a topic as important as mental health services for our students, but for both parties, the target of their grievances may likely have been misdirected. Throughout the question and answer portion of the meeting, there was one topic in which clarity seemed to elude both Yau and the SGA, the funding for his department.

While Yau did not go into detail about any issues with funding for his department, he did in several instances plead with the SGA senators for their assistance by petitioning the school administration for more resources to be directed to the UCS. These resources would, in theory, be beneficial in the process of hiring new full-

time staff to replace those who had left the department during the initial phase of the pandemic. So far in the 2021-22 school year, the department has been able to hire four part-time counselors to replace them.

What seems to be the case here is that there is an identifiable problem, a lack of counselors and possibly a lack of funding for the UCS, but not an easily identifiable solution. This is further complicated by the fact that it is only viewable on the surface level. In a previous statement to The DePaulia, DePaul Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Zdziarski said, “The university does not provide unit-level budget information.”

Observing this whole situation in person and watching it all play out in print and on social media, I found myself wondering why it was that our university administration could not efficiently address the concerns and mental health needs of its students and would not “provide unit-level budget information” to its student newspaper to give clarity to the issue. This prompted a look into the school’s budget records to see what level of budget information could be viewed if not the “unit-level” (a term which, in this case, refers to the expenditures and budget of a single unit or small department).

If someone within the DePaul community wants to examine the operating budget of the university, the process is relatively easy and worthwhile for anyone with a campus connect login and a curiosity for how their tuition money is spent.

All that one needs to do is go to their financial affairs page and check under the “reports” tab. Be wary of what you do with that information though, because before students can even view the operating budget reports of the institution to which they or their families pay tens of thousands of dollars to, there is a sharp disclaimer under the “reports” tab which states that “Re-publication or external use (outside the university)” of that information is strictly prohibited.

I will not discuss any exact financial figures here in this article, but what I will say is that it can be reasonably deduced from the budget information that the university, if it so chooses to, could easily fund for its students a class-A counseling

services department including both telehealth options (like the MySSP program we started the year with) as well as in-person counselors for students who may need a more personal experience. To put it into perspective, based on the data in the budget report, a $100,000 single-year salary would equal less than 0.1% of the unrestricted funds the endowment is expected to have on hand at the end of 2022.

How much of a financial burden then would several full-time college counselors’ salaries be?

There is indeed a shortage of college counselors nationwide, and a surplus of openings for those positions, this is not under dispute. What is under dispute though is the university’s ability to attract counselors who want the best compensation for their work that the market can offer. DePaul pays our men’s head basketball coach over $1 million a year because it has been deemed that the university needs his services urgently. There is no good reason why this logic which applies to our athletics department should not also apply to the university’s mental health professionals. If our university community is “Grounded in Mission” as the 2020-21 President’s Report states, then this administration must ask itself as it asks of us, “What must be done?”

What is apparent from all of this is that there is a disconnect between mission and action on behalf of our university’s administration, and it is manifesting in negative outcomes for students. This is not just a problem with the UCS, and the former paragraph is not an indictment of the dedicated work of the athletics department.

Rather, it is an inquiry into the priorities of the administration which manages our budget and the priorities of our school.

We are now two years into what is likely the most unprecedented period in the history of this university, and our students’ mental health is suffering because of it, and yet we only have four part-time counselors (For an undergraduate student body of over 11,000) to show for it. Meanwhile, in the last three years, the university’s endowment has grown by $359 million; I implore them to use it wisely.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but after the first week of in-person learning, I actually miss online classes.

I understand I may be in the minority on this issue. I, too, experienced the cabin fever of sitting at my desk for hours on end, Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting.

And, of course, I miss being able to sit close to my friends during classes, or make new ones, maskless and worry-free.

But after experiencing in-person classes again last week and all of Fall quarter, I’ve concluded that live classes during Covid-19 don’t scratch the same social itch they did pre-pandemic. I think I’ve made more friends using Zoom chat than I have in any live classes during this Covid Era. And I’m certainly not learning any better — lectures feel identical live as they do online, and most work is done outside of class, anyways. Overall, the experience has been so sporadic and impersonal that I’d rather keep learning online.

Part of this is timing. We’re currently hitting historic highs for new infections, and knowing little about the emerging Omicron variant is largely to blame.

Omicron appears to be better at evading antibodies in the vaccinated, causing more breakthrough cases than ever. In response, DePaul University updated their masking policy for live classrooms, requiring students either double-mask or wear higher quality alternatives like N95s and KN95s.

To be clear, I’m personally not concerned about catching Covid in the classroom; the mask requirement and smaller class sizes should prevent that. In fact, one of my classes has just three total students.

We sit on opposite corners of the room all class, (how engaging).

But students and professors are bound to get sick elsewhere given the meteoric rise in infections at the moment. When they do, this will add more unneeded disruption to the classroom. Is the weekto-week attendance status of professors and classmates really better than learning consistently online? I don’t think so.

Additionally, I can’t help but scoff at DePaul’s new double-masking guidelines for live learning. Regardless of the mask type, the risk of getting Covid in the classroom pales in comparison to that of the CTA, most students’ primary form of transportation, and where the mask policy is so loosely enforced it may as well not exist. When we arrive at campus, we still pile into the 14 East elevators like sardines to get to class on time. I know there’s nothing DePaul can realistically do about the logistics of getting to class, but it’s all the more reason I’d rather just stay online for another semester.

I hope to be surprised this quarter. I hope my classmates and professors will stay healthy, and the courses will run smoothly. Maybe I’ll grow used to this new type of in-person learning, just as I grew accustomed to online classes.

But for now, I’m just not convinced that sitting on opposite ends of the room from classmates, with a masked professor, and increased risk of infection, is a much better experience than learning online.

The past two years have been unpredictable enough; returning to in-person classes now seems like more trouble than it’s worth.

14 | Focus. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

Focus

By Kiersten Riedford Focus Editor

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Wedding Bells & Textbook Bills students assess value of marriage in college

January 24, 2022 1 E. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604

COURTESY OF ANALY DELGADO | PHOTO

Seniors Analy Delgado and Lenin Plazas stand in front of City Hall. Plazas and Delgado got married in 2018 at 18-years-old.

Many people dream of having a relationship like those in film and TV, but it is hard to achieve. But seniors Analy Delgado and Lenin Plazas have a love story that is nothing short of a real-life romance movie.

Delgado and Plazas met when they were 14, just freshmen in high school. Around the age of 16, when they were sophomores, Donald Trump was elected president. Plazas was concerned because of his potential to be deported, especially because of the threats Trump made to deport undocumented immigrants. Plazas and his family researched different ways to remain in the country and avoid deportation, but the only clear and definitive one was marriage.

Luckily for Plazas, two people can be married at the age of 16 with parental consent.

Soon after determining he had to get married, Plazas proposed to Delgado and she accepted. Plazas said he didn’t want to marry anybody, so he would rather marry Delgado because she was the only person he had loved until then, aside from his family.

After a couple of months, the threat of being deported died down. Plazas said after coming to the realization that they lived in a democratic state, he was less likely to be deported than those in a red state. The couple decided to hold off on their marriage, viewing the engagement ring more as a promise ring until they were seniors in high school.

Following their graduation, Delgado’s father became ill with terminal cancer. This played a big role in their decision to get married two months after their graduation.

“I remember in high school, she lived with him and she was really close with him,” Plazas said. “So I asked myself, ‘If he’s getting out of the picture, who is she going to be with?’ That’s when I realized I really love this woman and she loves me back and I want to look after her. So, I promised her father on his deathbed that I would take care of her. That was the moment when I became a husband, when I said ‘Yeah, let’s get married so I can take care of you during this horrible process.’

So we got married on Aug. 3, 2018, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Though the love story of Delgado and Plazas is a rare instance, they are not the only married undergraduate students. As of December 2021, 7 percent of undergraduate students are married. Most traditional undergraduate students — students that start college at 18 or 19 years old and finish around 22 or 23 years old — wait to get married until they have graduated.

DePaul professor Alyssa Westring said she decided to wait to get married until after graduating college. Westring met her husband at the age of 18 while at her freshman orientation her first year at DePaul.

“We didn’t even talk or think about the idea of getting married while we were in college, I don’t think either one of us even really considered that an option,” Westring said. “We weren’t financially independent, we were living in dorms — I don’t think it even crossed our minds.”

While the concept of marriage can be exciting for some, Westring said whether someone should get married during college depends on who they are as a person.

She said a person can decide to get married for many reasons, whether it be for a familial or religious reason, or because they are maturing and are ready for the next phase of life with their partner.

Plazas said a part of his decision to get married was pushed by his family because

Focus. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 15

DONALD CROCKER | PHOTO

Seniors Analy Delgado and Lenin Plazas sit on their couch studying. The couple said despite them both being busy with schoolwork they still make time for each other throughout the day, mostly in the morning and at night when they do not have classes. his parents got married young too, but it “I just took students on a study abroad hopefully going to want to be in that also came from a time when he and Delgado trip to Spain and some of them got tat- marriage 20 years from now. So, be really were ready to step into the next phase of life. toos while we were there,” Westring said. thoughtful about if this is going to grow Westring said the weight of the decision “I thought that’s really bold to, at 21 or with you and be thinking if you’re makto get married can be a lot to commit to so 22, put something on your body with the ing decisions that are still going to give early. Westring said before getting married, assumption that you’re going to want it you room to grow.” a person should think about if the marriage there 20 years from now. So when you’re Plazas said he agreed there is imporis what they would want in 20 years. making that decision for marriage you’re tance in having the ability to grow as a

person. He added that there is also no need to rush into a marriage, or even a relationship. He said most people do not even know who their lifetime partner will be until later in life.

“Not everyone meets their other half early on in life,” he said. “They can meet them later on in life when they’re 30 or 40, or even later than that.”

But, if a person is wanting to get married during college, Plazas said there has to be an effort made for the marriage to last.

“To keep a relationship going, to keep a marriage going, it is going to take effort,” he said. “Sometimes there’s going to be some disagreements but that’s why we have communication. Some couples can last a lifetime if they put in the effort and the work and they realize that there’s going to be some disagreements. But if they love each other, they have to put their pride aside, give it some time. And if that relationship is capable of doing that, then I would suggest that relationship move forward.”

Delgado said she agreed. She said keeping a marriage going can be difficult, especially after a long time.

“You both have to put in 110 percent effort because if not it’s just going to be biased,” Delgado said. “You also have to at least have similar goals. For instance, let’s say that Lenin didn’t want to have kids and I did. That’s going to become a huge factor later in the future. You also have to be supportive of what the other person wants. I will always be supportive of what he wants to accomplish and what dreams he has even if they’re really big.

You have to be supportive of each other no matter what.”

DONALD CROCKER | PHOTO

Seniors Analy Delgado and Lenin Plazas hold hands, displaying their wedding rings, over their textbooks, notebooks and other academic materials.

16 | La DePaulia. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

La DePaulia

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Profesores y estudiante de las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago protestaron la decision de volver a clases presenciales justo luego de un nuevo pico de Covid-19 en la ciudad.

Padres, maestros y estudiantes continúan presionando a CPS después de volver a clases presenciales

By Erika Perez Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

Las clases presenciales están de regreso, pero los padres, maestros y estudiantes aún se preocupan por la seguridad del uno al otro. ¿Será suficiente el acuerdo entre las escuelas públicas de Chicago (CPS) y el Sindicato de profesores de Chicago (CTU)?

Las negociaciones entre CPS y CTU duraron cinco días, dejando a los estudiantes sin comunicación con sus maestros y muchos padres con prisa buscaban dónde podrían quedarse sus hijos mientras se pasaban las clases presenciales.

Según cifras de CPS, entre la semana de enero 16-22 hubo 659 casos reportados entre adultos y 2,201 entre estudiantes, incluido están registrado pruebas realizadas dentro de una escuela y los autoinformados fuera de una escuela.

También el 22 de enero se reportaron 968 adultos y 22,057 estudiantes bajo cuarentena/aislados.

Durante las negociaciones entre CPS y CTU, los padres y estudiantes se sintieron excluidos de la conversación.

“Se debe tomar en cuenta la opinión de los padres porque nuestros barrios son menos favorecidos”, dijo Luz Maria Flores, una madre de un estudiante de la escuela Seward Elementary. “CPS y CTU deben tomar las medidas de seguridad necesarias que permitirán que nuestros estudiantes regresen a clases de manera segura”.

Flores dijo que su familia fue impactada fuertemente por el Covid-19 ya que su papá murió.

“Hemos pasado por un tiempo difícil”, dijo Flores. “Tuvimos un poco de dificultad en decidir si iba a regresar mi hijo a las clases presenciales”.

Flores dijo que su familia tomó la

“ Yo voté [con total transparencia] en contra del acuerdo porque sentí que deberíamos haber seguido negociando”.

Omar Ramirez

Decano de Richards Career Academy y miembro de CTU de decisión vacunarse y así sentirse más segura de que su hijo regresará a las clases en persona.

“Es la única opción que tenemos si queremos combatir el Covid-19”, dijo Flores. “La vacuna es por decisión propia, pero cuidarlos es de todos”.

El sitio web de CPS brinda información sobre la vacuna y dónde obtenerla. A Flores le gustaría ver más información sobre los estudios realizados para la vacuna para impulsar una comunidad segura.

“Me gustaría que las escuelas pudieran facilitar talleres sobre la ciencia de las vacunas”, dijo Flores. “Así más padres se sentirán bien con que sus hijos regresen en persona”.

Aunque los miembros de CTU votaron a favor de aceptar el acuerdo tentativo con el equipo de negociación de las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago y la alcaldesa de Chicago Lori Lightfoot el 12 de enero, los miembros de CTU dicen que se puede hacer más.

El acuerdo incluye un aumento en el suministro de máscaras KN95 proporcionadas por el distrito a las escuelas, métricas sobre casos del Covid-19 y pasos operativos para cambiar la instrucción de aprendizaje en persona a aprendizaje remoto e incentivos monetarios para contratar sustitutos

adicionales.

Omar Ramirez, decano de Richards Career Academy y miembro de CTU, dijo que la lucha no ha terminado; el sindicato continuará exigiwendo medidas de seguridad mientras continúa la pandemia del Covid-19.

“Yo voté [con total transparencia] en contra del acuerdo porque sentí que deberíamos haber seguido negociando”, dijo Ramírez. “Hay más por hacer… No estaba contento con el acuerdo”.

Ramírez menciona específicamente que en Richards Academy debe haber mejores pautas en términos de lo que se requeriría para cambiar al aprendizaje remoto.

También menciona que debe haber una mejor manera de acceder a maestros sustitutos cuando sea necesario.

“Necesitamos mano de obra para operar o solo estamos acogiendo niños”, dijo Ramírez.

Una de las pautas establece que si al menos el 40 por ciento de la población de una escuela está en cuarentena, la escuela se volverá remota.

Ramírez dijo que las métricas de CPS para cambiar de aprendizaje en persona a remoto son inconsistentes.

“Por lo que sabemos, podemos estar detectando una fracción de los casos”, dijo Ramírez. “Nos estamos quedando

con nuestros propios recursos, uno sin la capacidad, las herramientas o la experiencia para realizar un seguimiento de los que están en cuarentena o dan positivo por el Covid-19.”

Según el futuro, Ramírez espera que la presión y el empuje por un aprendizaje seguro no se detenga ahora.

“Me gustaría que mi sindicato no baje la guardia en cuanto a que esto será un proceso continuo y por eso tenemos que mantener la presión contra CPS”, dijo Ramírez. “En el momento en que bajemos la guardia, el alcalde y CPS implementarán las cosas unilateralmente”.

En términos de ver algo diferente en la lucha por espacios de enseñanza y aprendizaje más seguros es también clave tener concejales locales para estar en el lado correcto de la historia.

“Creo que para avanzar es importante que también ejercemos presión sobre nuestros concejales”, dijo Ramírez. “Sentí que muchos de ellos estaban en silencio”.

En un esfuerzo por hacer oír su voz, los estudiantes de CPS dijeron estar presentes.

Organizado por Radical Youth Alliance de las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago (ChiRADS), estudiantes de CPS abandonaron sus clases en respuesta a la decisión del distrito de regresar a los cursos en persona durante la altura de la variante Omicron, sin escuchar las necesidades personales y académicas de los estudiantes.

Yasmine Tarr, senior de Whitney Young, dijo que siente que los jóvenes de CPS no están siendo considerados en las negociaciones en curso que, en general, también los afectan directamente.

“Tenemos relatos de primera mano”, dijo Tarr. “Siento que, debido a nuestras experiencias, deberíamos opinar sobre lo que está sucediendo”.

La DePaulia. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 17

Un mensaje de los editores: Dos años de La DePaulia

By María Marta Guzmán Jefa de Redacción, La DePaulia

Hace dos años, los estudiantes de periodismo de la Universidad DePaul, Hillary Flores, Jonathan Aguilar, Izabella Grimaldo y yo, lanzamos el primer periódico estudiantil latino de Chicago — La DePaulia.

Todos de diferentes orígenes y raíces, teníamos una pasión que nos unía: nuestra misión de establecer una plataforma en español que nos brindara el espacio para reportar sobre la comunidad latina de DePaul y Chicago.

En el momento de lanzamiento, poco sabíamos de las puertas y bendiciones que La DePaulia nos abriría.

Dos años después, La DePaulia ha invitado a nuevas caras y voces a nuestra sala de redacción para continuar la misión.

Durante el año pasado, nuestra cobertura abarca desde historias sobre el racismo ambiental de La Villita, la muerte de Adam Toledo, la huelga de trabajadores de El Milagro Tortillas y el fallecimiento del amado mexicano Vicente Fernández.

Mientras conmemoramos nuestro segundo aniversario, agradecemos a quienes nos han apoyado a lo largo del camino: Marla Krause, asesora de la facultad de The DePaulia y La DePaulia, Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad DePaul, sala de redacción de The DePaulia, Sandra Guy, Robin Hoecker, Jessica Villagomez y los editores y escritores de La DePaulia.

A nuestra comunidad latina y público, gracias por estar con nosotros estos últimos dos años. Sus historias y sus voces son la razón de que nuestra misión y nuestra plataforma continúen.

Erika Pérez, Gerente Editorial, dijo, “Ser parte de La DePaulia ha sido una gran experiencia. Se siente como si fuera parte de una familia. Trabajar con el equipo definitivamente me ha hecho una mejor escritora. Escuchamos las ideas de los demás que han dado lugar a grandes historias. Hemos cubierto muchos temas como la educación, la justicia social y la cultura. Tenemos perfiles escritos de personas de la comunidad latina tanto a nivel local como nacional. A través de La DePaulia he podido conocer diferentes individuos que me enseñan cosas nuevas en cada entrevista. Estoy orgulloso del trabajo que hemos hecho que continúa reportando

MARIA MARTA GUZMAN| LA DEPAULIA

sobre la comunidad latina, desde sus luchas diarias y celebraciones de la vida”.

Bryan Matthew López, ex editor de Opiniones / Arte y Vida, dijo, “Fue un honor trabajar en el equipo editorial de La DePaulia. Aunque no estudié periodismo, yo pude fortalecer mis habilidades periodísticas y mi escritura en español. Trabajar en La DePaulia también fortaleció mis habilidades para trabajar en equipo con otros latinos apasionados. Me encanta escribir y contar historias, por lo que poder continuar con esas pasiones en las secciones Arte y Vida y Opiniones fue realmente gratificante. Lo que La DePaulia hace y representa es verdaderamente único.

Después de cada edición, me aseguraba de guardar una copia para mis bisabuelos que solo hablan español. Recibir sus llamadas telefónicas desde Colombia sobre cuánto disfrutaron nuestras historias fue un recordatorio continuo de lo especial que es La DePaulia”.

Santiago Posada-Jaramillo, Editor de Opiniones y Arte y Vida, dijo, “Los latinos en los Estados Unidos enfrentan muchos desafíos: crisis de identidad, discriminación, miedo, barrera del idioma, sentirse fuera de lugar, además de tener que enfrentar otros problemas en este país. Al tener que luchar con todas estas barreras,

es fácil sentir que nuestras voces no son escuchadas. La DePaulia tiene como misión cambiar eso, brindando un espacio donde las voces latinas se pueden escuchar, alto y claro”.

Julie Atencia, Editora de Multimedia, dijo, “Hace dos años sabía que quería estar involucrada en una de las organizaciones de medios de DePaul, pero me sentí abrumada por las opciones. Un año después, asistí a una reunión de la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos en DePaul (NAHJ) con la esperanza de recibir crédito adicional por un curso. Me desconecté de la reunión hasta que la ex jefa de redacción Hillary Flores comenzó a hablar acerca de la publicación. Estaba asombrada.

Hablé con Hillary sobre un artículo que quería escribir, antes de darme cuenta, me recibieron como una nueva escritora. Sigo asombrada por La DePaulia, no solo porque me ha ayudado a crecer como periodista bilingüe sino por el esfuerzo colectivo de defender esta plataforma para amplificar las voces latinas. Ha sido hermoso ver el crecimiento de la publicación y de nuestro equipo. Espero que La DePaulia siga creciendo con el futuro equipo editorial”.

Jocelyn Diaz, Asistente Editorial de Multimedia, dijo, “Empecé a trabajar para La DePaulia al comienzo de mi último

año en DePaul y, sinceramente, desearía haberme unido al equipo antes. No he tenido nada más que el mejor momento trabajando con personas de ideas afines que se dedican a servir a la comunidad Latinx en DePaul y Chicago. Aprendí sobre temas que nunca hubiera conocido si no hubiera sido por nuestro equipo y sus increíbles reportajes.Trabajar en La DePaulia me ha ayudado a redescubrir mi amor por la escritura y diría fácilmente que trabajar en La DePaulia ha sido uno de mis mejores momentos en la Universidad DePaul”.

María Marta Guzmán, Jefa de Redacción y Co-fundadora, dijo, “La DePaulia ha sido un sentido de hogar y familia para mí estos últimos dos años.

La DePaulia comenzó de un grupo de colegas que se han convertido en más que amigos pero mí familia. De alguna manera, considero haber crecido junto con la publicación, primero trabajando como Gerente Editorial y ahora Jefa de Redacción.

La DePaulia no solo me ha ayudado a desarrollar mis habilidades periodísticas, sino también mis habilidades de liderazgo y administración. Como estudiante de último año, La DePaulia es uno de mis logros más orgullosos en mi carrera universitaria. Mi historia de inmigraciónde de Nicaragua a los Estados Unidos es una de las razones por las que estoy siguiendo una carrera en periodismo. Los desafíos que mi familia y yo enfrentamos como inmigrantes recién llegados solo me inspiraron a contar las historias de la comunidad latina. A través de La DePaulia puedo hacer precisamente eso y brindar una plataforma para los latinos en Chicago”. ¿Qué sigue? En cuanto al futuro, mi mayor esperanza y meta para La DePaulia es que la publicación continúe mucho después de que se gradúe el equipo editorial actual. La DePaulia se creó con la misión de brindar una plataforma para las voces e historias latinas en toda la ciudad. Según datos de la Oficina del Censo, revelan que los latinos son el segundo grupo racial más grande de Chicago. Por lo tanto, tener la publicación descontinuada debido a la falta de liderazgo o estructura administrativa sería un perjuicio para los latinos. Más que nunca, Chicago necesita publicaciones en español y bilingües que puedan informar con precisión sobre la diversidad de la población latina.

OPINIÓN: Es importante apoyar a los negocios pequeños para amplificar el talento latino

By Andrea Juarez Hernandez Escritor contribuyente, La DePaulia

Cuando uno quiere comprar un regalo uno va al centro comercial y compra de compañías grandes y no de los negocios propios de nuestra comunidad. ¿Pero sabías que las pequeñas empresas suelen tener una gama más amplia de productos o se especializan en ofrecer experiencias de cliente únicas o personalizadas?

Las pequeñas empresas también crean nuevas posibilidades de empleo y toda empresa grande empieza como una pequeña.. Los negocios pequeños ayudan proporcionando crecimiento e innovación a la comunidad donde están ubicados.

Es importante comprar de los negocios pequeños porque el dinero se devuelve a la comunidad local. Tuve la oportunidad de hablar con propietarios sobre la importancia de comprar localmente.

Christian Pizano, un joven de 18 años, empezó su negocio al principio de la pandemia del Covid-19. Él creó una línea de ropa llamada “St. Judas” y anunció su negocio en sus redes sociales, específicamente Instagram.

“El nombre San Judas fue creado en base a varios factores. Cuando estaba en el proceso de creación de mi marca, quería explorar las ideas de la religión y lo que significa para mí como persona”, dijo Pizano cuando se le preguntó por qué

eligió el nombre San Judas para su marca de ropa. “Sentí que la historia de Judas tiene una conexión notable con lo que quiero explorar en mi marca y me sentí apto para ser el nombre de mi marca.”

Cuando Pizano comenzó su negocio, no sabía nada sobre cómo hacer ropa. No fue hasta su segundo año que fue a un festival de música y habló con propietarios de marcas locales sobre cómo empezar el proceso y cómo iniciaron su negocio.

En ese punto es cuando comenzó a interesarse más en crear algo propio. Sabía lo que quería hacer y la visión que quería perseguir, pero todavía estaba un poco perdido acerca de cómo empezar. No fue hasta un año después que conoció a Diego Audiffred, un diseñador emergente y amigo cercano, quien le ayudó a imprimir un lote de camisetas y le enseñó el proceso de serigrafía. De ahí su negocio ha crecido.

Iraís, Diana e Itzel Elizarraraz son tres mujeres latinas que tienen también un negocio de ropa llamado “Sin Título” que se enfoca en el poder de ser latino. Le pregunté sobre el nombre del negocio y por qué lo eligieron.

“En realidad, era un nombre temporal mientras descubríamos el posicionamiento de nuestra marca. El nombre se traduce como Sin Título, que es lo que éramos cuando comenzamos el chat grupal,” dijeron las hermanas Elizarraraz. “Después de que nos dimos cuenta de que todos

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Negocios locales ubicados en la calle 18th en Pilsen. nuestros diseños no estaban clasificados únicamente en un grupo específico de temas, sino en temas ilimitados, pensamos que Sin Título era perfecto”.

Sin Título ha logrado crecer como negocio y han expandido su colección de ropa.

Aparte de los dueños de los negocios un artista de Chicago, Caitlin Cortez, compartió sobre su negocios locales favoritos: “Algunos de mis locales favoritos para apoyar serían: Taco Sublime, Claü, y

El Secreto del Sabor”.

Estos son unos de los pocos negocios asombrosos que Chicago ofrece. Muchos negocios pequeños y locales pasan desapercibidos y merecen ser tratados de la misma manera que cualquier empresa grande. Es importante comprar localmente porque necesitamos poder apoyar a nuestra comunidad de cualquier manera que podamos.

Arts & Life

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

New social media aesthetic accentuates the beauty of everyday moments

By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor

Bending over to take a picture with his iPhone, DePaul student Luke Herman snaps a photo of a used Dunkin coffee cup destroyed by snow on the sidewalk. Herman then gets up to take another photo of the busy street of Fullerton Avenue, a normally mundane street view of cars stuck in afternoon traffic. Neither of these photos would typically be considered art, but for Herman and many other young adults, it’s part of their instagram feed — and a new trend creating beauty in everyday items.

Herman has had an online profile since he was writing Harry Potter fan fiction in fourth grade. His online presence later expanded to Instagram, which showcased his daily life. From school dances to graduation, his online community got to watch the important moments right along with him.

“I feel like social media in general for my generation is a very consistent part of your life that’s hard to ignore,” Herman said. “I used to have a really curated Instagram, like I would get really excited about Homecoming Week and the perfect Homecoming photos. And then as time went on, really when Covid happened, that changed things a lot for me as far as, like, posting because I wasn’t doing anything anymore.”

The idea of going out and traveling was no longer possible for many during the pandemic, and because of that the use of Instagram needed to change for some users. Adapting to the new reality, people started posting day-to-day photos instead of milestone moments.

Included in this is collections of ambiguous and slightly confusing photos compiled into one curated post.

“I feel this new style throws away the past vanity trend of Instagram models, with FaceTune and VSCO being the most important part,” said Herman.

“The idea of putting effort into your Instagram was considered too extra, which nobody wants to be seen as anymore.”

With this new outlook of sharing your life, many people have opened up to expressing themselves in ways not normally presented on social media.

The expectation of Photoshop and filters were thrown out the door to make way for a new trend of casual photos and random screenshots.

“What I really like about Instagram is you are in charge of how you are perceived,” Herman said. “I was using Instagram as a form of validation and I finally became self aware of how it made me feel.”

For Herman, this meant tuning into different art styles and being able to share more personal parts of his life.

Throughout his profile you can see collections of party outfits, restaurants across campus and vague snaps of the

COURTESY OF @SARAH_HUTH INSTAGRAM

Some photos included in Sarah Huth’s casual Instagram asthetic profile, showcasing color themes of 2021. train. Along with these photos include portrayals of recreating Marilyn Monroe portraits and detailed sceneries with rainbows, all personalized to the profile it was created for.

“I have a specific poem that resonates with how I feel moving to college and I added that as part of my collage of different photos representing fall quarter,” Herman said. “I feel like including more personal parts of myself along with busy ambiguous pictures truly shows more of me than beforehand.”

When asked how he feels he is perceived on instagram, Herman expresses a very common explanation of how instagram displays a more outgoing personality than truly expressed.

“I feel the way I am perceived is a lot more extroverted than I am. It’s hard to share a quieter version of yourself but I feel this new style of posting can expresshow introverted by the type of photos

“I use to be so preoccupied with what I looked like even outside of Instagram. So I think I’ve looked at using Instagram casually as a way to take the narrative back”

Angie Raney

Senior at DePaul your post,” Herman said.

The term “casual Instagram” is defined as posting whatever you want and feel in the moment instead of what is usually presented through a fake persona. The recent terminology has been coined by Gen Z and has become a new

opportunity for making a statement.

DePaul freshman Kaia Pierce, reflects throughout the years of how much Instagram has changed since she created a profile before fourth grade.

“I used to post memes and things that I thought were funny and like fourth and

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022| 19

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

LUKE HERMAN | THE DEPAULIA

Point of view from Herman’s phone, shot of a busy Fullerton Avenue. fifth grade were filled with cute pictures of cats and dogs and with mustaches,” Pierce said. “But then, you know, high school started and it transitioned to be more about me and my friends and more of what it is now.”

Since she first got an Instagram compared to now, Pierce feels casual Instagram is more about getting older and maturing and less about a new trend.

“I think that over time, especially as like our generation gets older, it’s really just gonna start getting less and less about how other people view, our online presence. By default, it’s just going to keep getting more casual,” said Pierce.

“There’s always gonna be people who care and like putting the effort because they like it to be a certain way. But I don’t see people going back to the full time of everyone trying to be an Instagram model thing.

For some people, being yourself on Instagram isn’t anything new. For DePaul senior Angie Raney, Instagram has always been more of a private connection between personal friends than a display of public life.

“My profile is private so people have to request to see my photos, I don’t want my audience to be everyone,” Raney said.

“I don’t think people have a right to see everything that’s going on in my life.

And I think I get the right to choose who to share it with.”

For Angie’s Instagram, she used to never post as she felt she didn’t fit in with the specific style of edited and curated photos from before.

Her pictures are filled with inside jokes, collections of happy people and funny memes at the end of the photo carousels.

To her this is using Instagram in a way that’s better for her mental health.

“I like these pictures and I love using Instagram to be funny,” Raney said.

“I used to be so preoccupied with what I looked like even outside of Instagram, like I used to really put a lot of thought about weight and how other people were perceiving me. So I think I’ve looked at using Instagram casually as a way of taking the narrative back.”

Growing up with Instagram can affect your perception of confidence and self, and created the idea of editing yourself in photos. Seeing only the good parts of people’s lives and the aesthetic of celebrities’ bodies can create insecurities of body image. Even today celebrities online form a whole separate life displaying their fortunes and expensive style.

A study done in Computers in Human Behaviours reports social media sites are associated with disorder eating and poor

Luke Herman takes a photo of Fullerton Avenue for his casual instagram.

AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA

COURTESY OF @KAIAPIERCE INSTAGRAM

Photo included on Pierce’s Instagram captioned “little moments of joy in 2021” body image outcomes for young adults.

For many people, Instagram is not a true portrayal of who you are as a person.

The level of security through a screen can be edited to curate a specific persona not always seen in person. For DePaul sophomore Gracie Heneghan, Instagram portrays a rather accurate image of who she is in person.

“I’ve never really thought about it but I feel my profile gives a good indication of who I am. If someone looks at my profile you can easily see that I’m a DePaul student who lives in the city,” said Heneghan. “I also don’t heavily edit most of my pictures but I do feel I do think there are some things that go on in my life that I don’t post about, so I feel like for that reason it might not really show

who I am truly.”

Henegan also feels that how people post about their lives still reflect only a level of who you really are compared to in person.

“I feel that my instagram only shows the positive times, such as when my friends and I go out, selfies and family pictures,” said Henegan. “I try not to post too much but when I do it’s only the happy times and I only post pictures if I feel really confident about it.”

The difference in what people post can also be affected by occupation and presence online. Raney holds a distasteful opinion on the idea of judgement towards each other just through a post online.

“I don’t think it’s fair to judge people

on what they post because if that brings you joy, if that brings you confidence, I’m not going to tell you not to do it,” Raney said.

Instagram’s update of posting stories and multiple photos pushed the perspective of personalizing everything about your profile. And this also created a new opportunity of turning normal items into pieces of art.

“Everyone is an artist now. I feel like art is really personable and finding beauty in the little coffee cups or romanticizing all the parts of your life is vital,” Herman said.

Art is presented differently for many people. Sarah Huth, a junior at DePaul uses Instagram as a way to express herself through her love of photography and colors.

Huth uses her major in film as well her style with clothes to create color blocks for each photo carousel. At the beginning of 2022, Huth compiled photos from the past year and grouped them into colors to create posts matching a specific color, putting a whole new idea on reflecting 2021.

“I really like colors and my closets are really colorful, and I really like colored things and I just think when I see things like that it’s just very stuck in my mind and [gives] a Wes Anderson vibe,” said Huth.

Huth prides herself on how different and fun her profile is to previous years.

From her days of putting together a fake barbie account in middle school to taking enough pictures to fill a rainbow, Huth uses instagram to always express who she really is. One art piece she posted was of a fake wedding photoshoot with a friend to poke fun on how the two of them are commonly though of to be together.

“I bought this wedding dress. I was surfing and I bought this wedding dress and it was super big and complex wedding dress. And I set the scene when it was snowing outside and created a full photoshoot with my friend,” said Huth.

“The colors together created such realistic photoshoot but it didn;t fool anyone that we actually got together.”

The transition of Instagram to become a self-expressive platform from the pandemic has created a whole new perspective of social media. From something that was once considered a harm to mental health and body image, this new trend is exploring a way to connect art to everyday lives.

20 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

ART BY ALICIA GOLUSZKA

Romance novels aren’t just for your grandma anymore

By Maddey Martin Contributing Writer

Content Warning: “The Love Hypothesis” contains explicit content, including instances of sexual harassment, adult language and consensual sex.

A decade ago, romance novels sat shamelessly on the table next to your grandma’s La-Z-Boy — paperback covers would feature Fabio and a beautiful, dark-haired woman whose white gown was in a very convenient (but precarious) position.

But now, the romance novel landscape is changing. Powered by TikTok, quarantine and a growing number of younger consumers, romance novels are being marketed towards Gen Z and Millennials.

According to Fortune in August of 2021, romance novels were among the “most popular and best selling genres over the past year and a half.”

One of the most popular romance books of late, “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood ranked among the top 10 books on the New York Times bestseller list. As of the week of January 16, it has spent 15 weeks on the list.

TikTok and its BookTok community are partially responsible for the book’s skyrocketing popularity. There are 108.1 million views on videos under #thelovehypothesis on the app.

First time author Ali Hazelwood used writing as a form of escapism from her PhD studies, even though she said she “really should have been working on [her] dissertation.”

Her stories take place in academic settings. During the pandemic, BookTokers and casual readers alike picked up “The Love Hypothesis” to escape from endless Covid-related news.

“BookTokers are seriously the most creative people in the world and I love them all — we as a society do not deserve them,” Hazelwood said.

Hazelwood said that she hopes others find an escape, too, when they read her book.

“What I love most about romance novels — and what allows me to escape inside them — is the knowledge that no matter what happens to the characters, there will be a happy ending,” Hazelwood said via email. “Everything will be alright.”

Ria Bhagwat, a DePaul senior, agreed that romance novels helped her escape

during the pandemic.

“I read a lot more romance novels in quarantine than I ever had before because they distracted me from everything else going on,” Bhagwat said. “Romance novels take you out of your current situation without making you think too hard, which I needed at the time.”

“I couldn’t read any apocalyptic or other chaotic narratives because it felt like we were living it in real life,” Bhagwat said of her time in quarantine. “Romance novels became a part of coping for me — to remember that these simple and human moments still exist despite everything going on.”

Geoffrey Durso, an assistant professor of marketing at DePaul who focuses on social psychology, said that there is “a sense of escapism” surrounding romance novels.

“There’s a lot of missing social connection and especially deeper social connection — a romantic sense. So it makes a lot of sense to me why there would be a potentially even larger interest in this than there might have usually been preCovid,” Durso said.

Durso said that he can see why romance has been marketed to a younger audience.

“When we think of romance novels, we have a stereotype — in what we might call in our field schema of who the romance novel reader is,” Durso said.

For example, older women have typically been the stereotype of romance readers.

“In marketing, they have the demographic — defining who those [readers] are — and they target their efforts into that,” Durso said.

But now that younger consumers have shown an interest in romance novels, “it just takes a combination of that creative risk-taking and the will of authors — and thus also readers — to meet them there and say ‘we would pay you money for a lot more interesting stories, because young people also like romance and escapism,’” Durso said.

“The Love Hypothesis” strikes a balance between realistic issues in academia and warm, romantic escapism. For example, the protagonist Olive desperately needs to find a new lab with better funding to finish her PhD. But she’s also developing an unexpected crush on the “unapproachable” Dr. Adam Carlsen, a young professor in

her program with a hostile reputation.

Hazelwood plays on romance novel and fanfiction tropes to weave a familiar and comforting narrative. Hazelwood said that she has “always loved romance novels, even when I was very young and should not have been reading them.”

“All I hope is that people who read my book will feel even a tenth of what I felt when I was 12,” Hazelwood said.

“The Love Hypothesis” and novels

like it provide escape for a generation whose 20s have been bogged down by the pandemic.

“Falling in love is such a simple and human concept,” Bhagwat said. “I think romance novels honestly provide a lot of hopefulness for the people who read them.”

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 21

PHOTO BY MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

Senior Hayden Pfeifer flips through some Spiderman comics at his favorite local comic store: Graham Crackers Comics, which has a Loop location at 77 E Madison St.

DePaul’s Marvel fans react to upcoming 2022 projects

By Brandon Tejeras Contributing Writer

Beware! Spoiler and theory territory awaits you.

Whether you’re looking for more adventures into the mystic arts with Doctor Strange or a perilous and riveting tale of the Black Panther, Marvel Studios will keep us coming again and again in 2022.

On the heels of box office hits like “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “ShangChi,” “Black Widow” and “Eternals,” Marvel movie fans have much to look forward to in 2022. Three movies are slated for the 2022 Phase Four installment: “Doctor Strange 2,” “Thor 4” and “Black Panther 2.”

On the Disney+ side, several shows are expected to drop this year: “Moon Knight”, “She-Hulk,” “Secret Invasion” and “Ms. Marvel.”

“Marvel got rid of their two central characters — Tony and Cap,” Hayden Pfeifer, a bonafide Marvel fan said. “And now they’ve got a chance to really explore other characters more in depth, before they go onto their next big crossover project.”

Blair Davis, an associate professor for media and cinema studies at DePaul, thinks the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is about to dramatically change.

“I love where the MCU is at, for the way that it has allowed torches to be passed to a new generation of characters like Shang Chi and Kamala Khan, while at the same time expanding the scope of the stories being told with the use of the multiverse,” Davis said.

Critics raved about the attention to detail applied to movies like “Shang-Chi” and “Black Panther,” movies with POC leads that drew upon rich cultural backgrounds. Another one of the highly-anticipated POC characters is Kamala Khan, set to make her debut in the Ms. Marvel TV series. Being a young, Pakistani-American finding her way in New York, Khan’s story will bring POC voices and lives to the forefront of the future of Marvel.

The first of the Marvel movies to premiere on the big screen will be “Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness” May 6th.

Doctor Strange, alongside Scarlet Witch and Wong, will team up to fight

PHOTO FROM UNSPLASH

back the consequences of Doctor Strange’s botched spell that wrought havoc in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Alternate-universe cameos may be potential consequences of Strange’s actions. Characters from other famous superhero groups outside the MCU will be seen. Allegedly, a mind-reading, wheelchair-bound mutant will be one of those crossing over.

Part of the excitement for viewers is seeing variants of heroes we already know of.

“The multiverse holds so much potential for the expansion of cultural representation,” Davis said. “It can open up so many versions of the same character from other universes, representing a vast array of different identities.The multiverse has strong antiracist potential to allow well known characters to be embodied by a much wider range of identities.”

While excitement is abound for fans, concerns for how “Doctor Strange 2” will handle the multiverse concept remain.

“The comic books make you read this to understand this book and that book,” Pfeifer said. “The multiverse can be a confusing concept.But I think the Loki series and ‘Spider-Man:No Way Home’ did it right by really clarifying who is who.”

Besides the appeal of a multiverse of heroes recast and reimagined, fans are still excited to see their old favorites return to the big screen.

“I love Scarlet Witch,” fourth-year student Phoebe Unzueta said. “[‘Doctor

Strange 2’] is going to be one of the biggest things to come out of Marvel. And seeing all of these plots come together is so cool.”

Fans lauded the arrival of a teaser trailer for the new Doctor Strange movie, but Kevin Feige might be pulling a fast one on the loyal fans.

In the trailer, Mordo, a former friend of Doctor Strange, blames Strange for the chaotic state of the multiverse. However, keen viewers suspect the blame is aimed at Scarlet Witch instead. At the end of the Disney+ show “Wandavision”, Scarlet Witch aka Wanda Maximoff is distraught after losing her home, husband, and family. While reading the Darkhold, an insidious and magical book, in the hopes of finding her kids in alternate universes, Scarlet Witch may inadvertently destroy the multiverse. If any of those multiversal cameos do show up, we can only hope they’re not in her way.

Another Marvel movie slated for the summer is “Thor: Love and Thunder,” premiering July 8th. Chris Hemsworth returns alongside Natalie Portman. Christian Bale will make his Marvel debut as the villainous Gorr the God Butcher. Taika Waititi also returns in the Director’s chair and the voice of Korg.

Not much is known about the plot of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” but Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster allegedly may get a thunder-summoning hammer of her own. Tessa Tomphson, who portrayed the fan-favorite Valkyrie in “Thor: Ragnarok,”

also returns. Thompson has stated that the character’s bisexuality will be explored in the film. Many fans are excited because of the growing LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU. “I’m not worried about ‘Thor 4.’ I loved ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ so I trust [Taika Waititi] to make a great movie,” Unzueta said.

Last but certainly not least, the second Black Panther movie, directed by Ryan Coogler, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will premiere on Nov. 11. The death of Chadwick Boseman stunned the world in Aug. 2020. Black Panther aka T’Challa will reportedly not be recast, but the movie will move forward by passing on the mantle of Black Panther to someone new.

Danai Gurira will return as Okoye, the leader of the all-women Dora Milaje.

Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, and Leticia Wright will all return as well. Despite this highly-anticipated sequel, controversy and delays ran rampant on the set, after Leticia Wright halted production due to her refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccines.

Allegedly, she spread vaccine disinformation to her co-stars. Her role in the film has many fans wondering what direction this movie will take.

For those of us who wait until the exact hour Disney+ drops new episodes of our favorite Marvel shows, there are many things to be excited about as well. Davis is particularly excited for Ms. Marvel, “I’m really excited to see Kamala Khan make her MCU debut in Ms. Marvel…She’s such an engaging, relatable character to so many people.”

“I’m really nervous to see how they [Marvel Studios] integrate the movies and the tv shows. There have been hints in movies like ‘Doctor Strange 2’ to tv shows, like Wandavision” Pfiefer said. “I’ve grown up with Marvel, so I haven’t missed a beat, and I’ve kept up. But for new fans, now you’ve got another thing to watch. I hope Marvel can strike a balance.”

For the newbies to the ever-expanding world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, now is as good a time as ever to catch up on the grand adventures these heroes have taken thus far. This 2022 is full of Marvel movies and Disney+ content, so strap in, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime.

22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

Let me plan your date: Cozy night in

By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor

Virtual Date: Homemade pasta and movie With school online, dating life for many has become slim to none. But zoom doesn’t have to be just for class.

This weeks date idea accommodates to those not ready to meet in person quite yet but still want a real date experience. Want an in person date? No worries, this can also qualify for a cozy night in.

Vodka sauce Pasta and Wine This is my favorite pasta meal that is easy to put together, don’t worry it’ll still look like you put a lot of effort into it. I personally love farfalle noodles with this sauce, but rigatoni is also very common with this dish.

Prep time: 15-20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 1 medium onion 4 Garlic cloves 4 Oz. parmesan Cheese 2 tsps virgin olive oil 4.5 oz tube double concentrate tomato paste ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes 2 oz of (Cheap) vodka 1 cup of heavy whipping cream 1 package of farfalle noodles Basil leaves Start: Fill a large pot with three-quarters full of water and heat over high. Sprinkle some salt into the water and wait for it to boil before putting the pasta in.

While waiting, cut up the onions and garlic and set another pot on the stove with medium heat. Drizzle Olive oil on the pot then put the chopped onions in before the garlic. After both are in consistently stir until the onions brown around the edges. Afterwards put the entire 4.5 oz container of tomato paste and red paper flakes. Then continue stirring until the onions are completely coated and the paste is deep red.

Add the two ounces of vodka and stir together while reducing the heat to low. After this scoop out ¼ of the pot’s boiling water before adding the whipping cream. This will add a nice,thick texture. Stir in the cream until fully mixed in then add salt, pepper, paprika and italian seasoning — I like to add more spice for some heat but this is not necessary.

Taste test your noodles to make sure they are your preferred softness and take a ½ cup of the pasta water to put into the sauce for additional flavor.

After you drain the rest of the pasta, mix it with the sauce followed by adding parmesan cheese and basil leaves to the top for the final look.

I like to pair the dish with a sauvignon Blanc wine but your favorite barefoot from 7/11 will suffice. After this, get cozy for a dinner a movie. To watch the movie virtual with someone there are a couple ways such as skype, zoom or Houseparty that allow you to watch the movie while also seeing each other on the screen. While I think rom-coms make the best date movies, a preference to different genre won’t kill the date mood and picking one of your own favorite movies can add a level of comfort and great conversation piece — if you can handle talking during the movie that is.

BRANDON SUN YECHOUT | THE DEPAULIA

The cast of the DePaul Theatre Union’s production of “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom” after their Thursday show.

Student-run DePaul Theatre Union stages creative, minimal productions

By Brandon Sun Yechout Asst. Arts and Life Editor

Who says you need to be an acting major to enjoy acting? The DePaul Theatre Union is a student organization which pays no mind to any such snobbery. Students of every discipline take part in DTU productions — everyone from tangential majors such as communication to the far reaches of STEM has a hand in staging each play.

Noah Simmons is a film and television major and senior at DePaul. He’s also the director of the DTU’s latest production, “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom,” which centers around a popular video game that mysteriously encroaches upon an unassuming suburban neighborhood.

As players approach the game’s end, the line between fiction and reality grows unclear. The production was performed three times at the Cortelyou Commons over the weekend.

“This was my first time ever directing a play, so needless to say I was very nervous going into the process,” Simmons said. “I had to learn a lot as I went, but I pulled a lot from other directors I had worked with in the past — specifically my high school theater director.”

“It’s honestly just a really unique show that diverts from what I think people expect to see in a play,” said Cassidy Delahunty, a health sciences major and president of the DTU. “It’s a play about zombies and video games, which is definitely unusual, and it also has a lot of horror elements, which isn’t something you see a lot in theater.”

Simmons said that a production of “Neighborhood 3” was unanimously agreed upon, as the play’s minimalist nature would be best suited to DTU’s resources. “We have a cast of just five people, a production team of four and a crew of four,” Simmons said. “Each of the actors play multiple roles, and there was a lot of character work done to help each actor differentiate their characters.”

“I’ve never had to play three different characters in one play,” said Sophia Klevit, a communications and media major and “Neighborhood 3” cast member. “It was unique as an actress to have to switch

characters in moments. I’ve never had to do that before. I loved it though — it was so challenging.”

“I think people will enjoy the darker themes [of the play],” said Catalina Reyes, a health sciences major and “Neighborhood 3” cast member. “It’s more like multiple mini-plays within a play that all connect. While this show has been [staged at DePaul] before, I think we definitely bring a new and fun spin on it.”

“This play is all student-run, it’s contemporary, it’s low budget but well put-together — all homemade music and graphics,” Klevit said. Additionally, every DTU performance is free for all to attend.

“We do encourage people to make donations at the front-of-house, but that’s the only money that gets put back into the organization,” Simmons said. “I like to call our process ‘low budget, high effort.’”

With minimal resources, DTU members hope it’s the fiery passion behind each production that will keep audiences coming back. “When people think DePaul theater, I think that they think of the

Theatre School, which is very different from the kind of shows we put on,” Delahunty said. “We don’t have the budget or resources that the Theatre School has, so I think our productions make up for that with a lot of creativity and a lot of enthusiasm from everyone involved.”

“DTU is all about making theater accessible, no matter what that means to you,” Delahunty continued. “We get a lot of emails from people asking whether or not they can participate in our shows without being a theater major, and the answer is: Absolutely. Most of us aren’t theater majors — I’m studying biology and health sciences, which is probably about as far away as you can get from studying theater. You don’t need experience, you don’t need a portfolio and you don’t need to have any special skills. As long as you love theater — or you want to learn — we’d love to have you!”

Auditions for the DTU’s spring musical, “Next to Normal,” begin this week.

‘Swifties’ anticipate Taylor Swift’s next steps

By Mackenzie Cowan Contributing Writer

Taylor Swift, winner of 11 Grammys, holder of eight number one songs, and one of the best-selling female music artists of the decade, is the queen of pop, but is also the queen of surprises. Swift released her 8th studio album, “Folklore,” with only 24 hours’ notice to fans in the middle of the pandemic. But that’s not the only surprise Swift has had up her sleeve recently. Swift is in the process of releasing new versions of her first six albums and is a closely held secret as to which she is going to release next.

Swift is systematically re-releasing new versions of her prior albums to escape Scooter Braun. When Braun’s Ithaca Holdings LLC acquired all of Big Machine’s music assets, this included the rights to Taylor Swift’s music which meant he was receiving all of the royalties every time a Swift song played. Braun owns her first six albums which include “Fearless,” “Red,” “Speak Now,” “1989,” and “Reputation.” Swift offered to buy back the master recordings for her albums, but Braun refused. The only albums she owns are “Lover”, “Folklore,” and “Evermore.” Her most recent re-release was “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in November, and now fans are speculating which album she is to re-record next.

Swifties, or Taylor Swift fans, have an interesting theory that the music video for “Lover” holds the clue to the order Swift is going to release her next re-recording. The “Lover” video portrays Swift in a house with different colored rooms which fans feel represents her albums.

She released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” first which corresponds to the color yellow, then “Red (Taylor’s Version)” which corresponds to the color red, and according to the fan theories, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is next which corresponds with the color purple.

Originally, fans thought “1989” was next with the release of “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version),” which premiered in the animated

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022| 23

movie “Spirit Untamed.” But many Swifties still hold out hope for “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” even if the clues may be pointing toward “1989 (Taylor’s Version).”

Avid Swiftie and DePaul sophomore Evan Mueller offered his two cents. “A lot of people have been saying ‘1989,’” said Mueller, “but I feel like that album fits better with the summer and ‘Speak Now’ fits better with the winter.”

Similarly, DePaul freshman Claire Rooney, another self-proclaimed Swiftie, agrees. “Personally, I think Speak Now is coming next,” she said, “because [Taylor] made an Instagram story with a lyric from ‘Speak Now’ a while ago, and I think it makes the most sense with the albums that are left to re-record.”

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA Swift trolled her fans with clues that “Speak collection of Taylor Swift albums and Now” was to be released this January. First, the Third year student Jessica Forristall shares how her the years. over grown has merchandise Empire State Building TikTok account posted a video on Dec. 29 featuring her song “22” off Version).” In her song “Innocent,” off of the and creativity with it, and her team is probably of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” album. This would “Speak Now” album, Swift sings the lyric “32” even planning clues for us to decipher right be fine normally, but the top of the Empire and still growing up now” — an interesting now.”

Now that fans believe “Speak Now” is comState Building was purple, the main color of coincidence, given that she turns 32 this year. with account official an @TaylorNation, Next, the question is: When is it coming? The @ ing, the Speak Now album. Then, TikTok creator @ relations public s Swift’ by run knowledge inside administrator has a theory that the flighthouse mrperfectlyfine13 noticed that the release date of boomerang a posted teams, marketing and on Feb. 22, because Swift dropping is album of “Speak Now” had been changed on Apple creator TikTok Starbucks. drinking Swift Taylor about her song “22” videos posting been had Music and Spotify from its original date of Oct. trick to trying is Swift believes @flighthouse This could December. of month entire the for 25, 2010 to Jan. 1, 2010. Finally, creator @thethis with next is “1989” believing into fans her coming was 2022 year the because be course of thriftyswiftie noticed the images on Spotify for long a “got lyric the thought fans because video it for a did she believe to like Swifties but up, her albums were changed to confetti dropping, of list long a “got actually was ex-lovers” of list the also is and Wednesday, a is 22 Feb. reason. causing everyone to believe that Speak Now “Blank song “1989” her from lovers” Starbucks “Fearless” the posted Swift week the of day same (Taylor’s Version) was going to be a New Year’s Space.” She pointed out three G’s at the bottom and “Red” vault tracks. It also happens that @ present.

January 1, 2022 came and passed with no of Taylor’s Starbucks cup and said: ”Wanna TaylorNation posted a TikTok with the caption “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” and fans were know what song starts with three G chords? It’s “Wednesday Mood.”

Some of these theories may be a stretch, but surprised. DePaul junior Holly Dodd, however, ‘Speak Now.’ And you wanna know what her Additional” ’ Now. ‘Speak s It’ was? album third Swift is a master planner and knows how Taylor was not. s (Taylor’ “Red from Again” “Begin song the ly, people out, so fans will always be suspifake to “She’s not known to drop holiday albums @flightand video, the in playing was Version)” what she posts on social media. of cious or songs, except for her 2019 Christmas song. It of beginning the at hinting is this believes house has always been sneaky about mu“Taylor just felt like people were hopeful and convinced era.

Now” “Speak the as a Swiftie, I always read between so releases, sic themselves that it was going to happen without leaving been Swift Taylor has only “Not social media,” Rooney said. her of lines the enough evidence,” Dodd said.

DePaul said ” career, entire her throughout clues are many clues as to what there While However, people still believe that the album marketing a from “but Forristall, Jessica junior will be, only the queen of re-release next s Swift’ will be coming in 2022 because there are still and attention more her gives also it perspective what’s next. knows herself surprises other clues that point to “Speak Now (Taylor’s buzz. I think she has a good amount of agency

‘Belle’ is a dazzling fairytale for the digital age

By Brandon Sun Yechout Asst. Arts and Life Editor

Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle” is among the most breathtaking animated films I’ve ever seen. This arresting adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” was released first in Japan in 2021, but only recently did it make its way to American audiences. It’s a modern retelling, forgoing the traditional setting of the Disney adaptation — “Belle” is a fairytale for the digital age. The great filmmaker Orson Welles once said that the opening scene of a film must seize the audience like a “riderless horse.” But “Belle” careens into the audience like a whole stampede, exploding off of the screen with kaleidoscopic color and awe-inspiring animation. A floating whale carries the superstar diva Belle through an impossible virtual metropolis, tens of thousands of avatars trailing behind her. But this isn’t the beginning of her story.

Following an impressive opening musical number, we’re introduced to a meek high school student named Suzu.

Residual anxieties from childhood trauma roughly a decade prior have left her highly unsociable and unmotivated. She

registers with “U,” a popular metaverse platform, and manages to amass a staggeringly large following as a singer known to the world only as “Belle.” At her largest concert, with every eye in U fixed upon her, a mysterious delinquent known as the “Dragon” crashes the show, earning the audience’s ire but stealing Belle’s attention. As the situation grows dire, Suzu must race to uncover the true identity of the Dragon in order to protect him — not from a virtual mob which fears a fake monster, but from the very real monster which brought about his persona.

As I mentioned earlier, the animation here is simply of the highest caliber.

The film’s fantastical setting allows for a seemingly unending stream of remarkable images — “Belle” embodies “every frame a painting” like few films can. The songs are admittedly hit-or-miss, though that’s entirely on account of my own preference — I can’t deny the quality, and you’ll probably enjoy them more than I did. They lean a little too far into modern pop stylings for my liking, though they’re also in equal parts musically bold and sung with a stunning precision by

PHOTO FROM IMDB

Kaho Nakamura (I should clarify that I watched the film in Japanese, subtitled).

And as for the story — you know the story. It’s “Beauty and the Beast.” What I will say, though, is that as far as adaptations of timeless stories go, I think that “Belle” is an absolutely ingenious modern reinvention of the tale — it uses its metaverse framing to great thematic effect.

The film is centered around personas — Belle and the Dragon exist as facets of their creators made manifest in virtual space. I’ve been juggling a web of internet personas for close to three-fourths of my life, and I’m very well-acquainted with the nature of online communities.

The more I examined the film, the more I was shocked to see a lot of what I’ve

observed through my own experience reflected in it — not with respect to the broad-strokes story, but more so the way it captures the subtleties of the persona in the virtual space.

Like my favorite animated film, Hayao Miyazaki’s “Porco Rosso,” its depth is masked by a dizzying charm. In my notes is a list of many things in the film which I took issue with, but I couldn’t even be bothered to mention them here. None of my nitpicks could inflict anything more than a papercut upon this anime colossus — it’s a film which is difficult not to enjoy. As the first film of Hosuda’s which I’ve seen, I’m now eager to explore his filmography. “Belle” is outstanding, and one of my easiest recommendations.

24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKI

“Spinning fresh beats since 1581”

By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor

Since it’s the new year and the first couple of weeks are all about reflection, I thought I would base this DeJamz on time. Normally a bittersweet thought, this year in particular has been more bitter than anything. I tried to find songs that mirrored how I felt DePaul students were expressing without becoming too much of a sob story by adding cheesy favorites. Enjoy my collection of remembering 2021 songs.

Time moves Slow by BADBADNOTGOOD, Samuel T. Herring This was one of my top songs in 2021.

It portrays the feeling time gives when looking back on the year. Moving past something difficult, reflecting on what you lost, this song perfectly describes it

with the turning of a new day.

Ribs by Lorde I was unsure if I should put this one on here. An anthem from my teen years it feels strange coming back to this. Funny enough the lyrics still resonate with my life now soon turning 22, “it feels so scary getting old.” Still a perfect song to express the weird connection of growing up and the excitement of becoming someone new each year.

Where’d All the time go? by Dr. Dog For everyone who feels 2021 didn’t go as planned, this is for you. We all thought Covid would be long gone by now and we could go back to our lives. Instead we struggled along with a relative similarity.

We went back to in person school feeling the ghost of years before. For me this song rang through when going back to in person classes, somehow trying to pick

Crossword

up where we left off.

Time of Our Lives by Pitbull, Ne-Yo This song in particular was to cut the deJamz depression level in half with an almost ironic Pitbull comeback. Probably one of my only favorite songs from Mr. Worldwide as he preaches his prior knowledge of past struggles and the importance of moving on. “Been there, done that, but everyday above ground is a good one, remember that.”

Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault) by Taylor Swift (feat.

Phoebe Bridgers) This song is a killer. From Taylor’s recent album we get one from the vault, with Phoebe Bridgers included. After this song came out in November it took social media by storm as every twenty something felt the knife of the lyrics hitting a little too hard on topics only discussed ACROSS 1. Suitable 4. Sculptor’s piece 8. Breakfast staple 12. Informal greeting 13. “Hang ___ your hats” 14. Gallop 15. Bank amenity, for short 16. Go wild 17. Fairy tale fiend 18. Kind of bean 20. Made comfortable 21. Common flag symbol 23. Go on a shopping spree 25. One of the Barbary States 27. Created a lap 28. Battering device 31. Misused 33. Longfellow’s equestrian 35. Sweet potato 36. Apprentice 38. Breaks in relations 39. Fajita filler 41. Luxurious 42. Southern breakfast dish 45. Dressed to the ___ 47. Delicate fabric 48. Glazier’s item 49. Austrian peak 52. Perched on 53. Expires 54. Get prone 55. Staffs 56. After the hour 57. Resting place

when drunk and alone with friends.

“How could a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22?” Cheers to DePaul’s seniors this year, hopefully we can make it the next two quarters.

DOWN 1. Revelation response 2. Cat or canary 3. Eardrum 4. Brought into being 5. Hand and foot 6. Bends over 7. New walker 8. Vast 9. ___ to riches 10. Field measure 11. Grant basis 19. Flower with a bulb 20. Become a contestant 21. Doggy directive 22. Marching band member 24. Listener 26. Splinter groups, often 28. Rejections 29. Crafts partner 30. Fine screen 32. Rightful 34. Offensive 37. One of a bunch 39. Measures 40. Varieties 42. Rock genre 43. Pro follower 44. It’s clicked on a computer 46. Home, informally 48. Spirit 50. Pouter’s protrusion 51. Royal insomnia cause

Sports

Sports. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 25

Grad transfer Javan Johnson finds fresh start in Chicago

By Ryan Taylor Staff Writer

Through the midst of coaching staff and roster changes under the umbrella of a new athletic director, the DePaul men’s basketball team added another late piece to the roster — Javan Johnson.

A graduate transfer from Troy and Iowa State University, DePaul announced his transfer on Nov. 5 and he made his debut on Dec. 29, 10 games into the Blue Demons’ season. Johnson had to clear academic responsibilities with Iowa State before becoming eligible to play for the Blue Demons.

Johnson is originally from Decatur, Alabama, where he showed off his skill set in high school as a lengthy wing that can score the ball in a multitude of ways, pass the ball effectively and play defense.

With offers from small Division-one schools like Murray State, South Alabama and East Carolina, he chose Troy to begin with.

In his second season at Troy, the then-sophomore Johnson entered the starting lineup and averaged 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in nearly 30 minutes per game.

After redshirting his first season at Iowa State, Johnson averaged 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in his second season. He started 18 of 21 games for the Cyclones, missing three due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.

The Cyclones went through a disappointing 2-22 season last year, winning zero conference games in the BIG 12 and ultimately parting ways with their head coach, Steve Prohm, after six seasons with the team.

According to Johnson, that didn’t play a factor in his transfer.

“I just wanted to be somewhere dif-

BEN ZEBROWSKI | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul men’s basketball forward Javan Johnson looking on against Xavier on Jan. 19. ferent,” Johnson said. “Just felt like I needed a fresh start after the last two years.”

Johnson found that fresh start in Chicago, admiring the culture the men’s basketball team established and enjoying the presence of his teammates.

How did Johnson decide on DePaul?

The DePaulia reached out to former Blue Demon and Johnson’s former Cyclone teammate, Jalen Coleman-Lands, to find out.

“First of all, Javan’s a great guy,” Coleman-Lands said. “Relaxed, chill, always got your back. That’s the type of person he is. Even as a teammate, he’s somebody that you love playing with because he’s a playmaker and capable of filling the basket up. Dynamic scorer.”

Johnson and Coleman-Lands had a fun relationship, according to Coleman-Lands. He even referred to him as “J-Toven” during their time in Ames.

During Johnson’s desire for a “fresh start,” he asked Coleman-Lands about DePaul, where he played for two years during his junior and senior seasons before transferring to Iowa State.

While it wasn’t the main factor, Coleman-Lands contributed to his decision to become a Blue Demon, according to Johnson.

“He [Coleman-Lands] told me all about DePaul and gave me a lot of good insight,” Johnson said. “All positive things, even outside of basketball, just connections and meeting people. Being in the city, beyond basketball as well.”

Johnson, this season, is averaging 17 minutes per game and 4.8 points per contest.

It’s been a fast adjustment, according to Johnson, since he has to learn plays and the systems of the team. But, he is commended for his versatility on both sides of the ball.

“Javan has been behind the eightball because he wasn’t here for the fall,” head coach Tony Stubblefield said. “It’s like jamming for a test, giving him all the information. But, he’s been great at taking it all in and being very coachable.

What’s helping him is his basketball IQ, so he picks up on things very quickly.”

Already three to four weeks into his time with the Blue Demons, Johnson said he’s feeling “comfortable” and that “it’s time to produce.”

Johnson has lofty goals for the Blue Demons and intends to contribute as much as he can on both sides of the ball.

He plans to do whatever Stubblefield has in mind for him to help the team.

“Get to the [NCAA] Tournament, that’s the main goal,” Johnson said.

The Blue Demons are 10-7 so far this season and have recorded one conference win over their first seven conference games.

They will likely be looking for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, with an emphasis on improving their conference record.

As for the future, Johnson plans to keep things in Chicago.

“Most definitely,” Johnson said when asked about playing at DePaul next season. “I just like the culture they’re building here, the family atmosphere. I just like everything about it.”

Johnson’s transfer to DePaul can provide a few takeaways about the newlook Blue Demons.

Outside of the strong recruiters on the Blue Demons’ coaching staff, they can rely on their external network to speak highly of the program, as Coleman-Lands did.

“That’s something that we’re open to at DePaul,” Stubblefield said. “Just knowing that network is there, how highly people speak of DePaul, is just more exciting and good to know.”

Men’s basketball: DePaul stumbles in loss to Creighton

60-47

By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor

The DePaul men’s basketball team took on Creighton University on Saturday in a matchup that usually goes the Blue Jays’ way.

Coming into the game, Creighton had won the last 14 games against DePaul, and that streak was extended on Saturday when the Blue Demons fell to Creighton 60-47.

The Blue Demons entered this game coming off a 68-67 loss to No. 20 ranked Xavier University on Wednesday and were without their top scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty again.

The team needed other players to step up offensively, but struggled to find that offense down the stretch when it was needed most.

Even though Brandon Johnson opened the scoring in the game, the Blue Demons started off slowly. The team struggled to make some big shots while the Blue Jays were connecting on the court.

However, there seemed to be a shift at the midway point of the first

half when Javan Johnson tied the game at 15, while Creighton went over six minutes without scoring a basket. The Blue Demons were soaring, with every shot going in and every pass meeting its target.

From there, the Blue Demons took the lead and pulled ahead from efforts

by Courvoisier McCauley and David Jones to make the score 32-23 by the end of the first half.

Jones finished the half with nine points, while Jalen Terry led with five rebounds.

Entering the second half, the Blue Demons continued to shine as Brandon Johnson made a layup to give DePaul a 10-point lead while Creighton was struggling offensively.

However, the tides changed again when DePaul hit 38 points. None of the Blue Demons’ shots were going in and the team was not connecting, while Creighton regained their confidence and the lead back.

The Blue Jays rapidly pulled ahead and went on a 17-point run. Meanwhile, the Blue Demons were stuck at 38 points for over seven minutes before Johnson

DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul sophomore forward David Jones looks to attack the basket. snapped drought with a layup.

From there, the second half was all Creighton, who dominated with different scoring streaks while DePaul continued to struggle with scoring and failed to catch up to the soaring Blue Jay team.

The Blue Demons seemed to get frustrated at different points in the game, and as a result, struggled with fouling.

Jones was leading in points and a huge factor to DePaul’s success late in

the first half, but had to be regularly subbed out due to foul trouble.

With Freeman-Liberty out of the lineup and his time of return unknown, the Blue Demons will need the offense to show up, especially towards the end of the games when their opponents begin to challenge the Blue Demons’ early leads.

The Blue Demons head to Villanova University on Tuesday before returning home for Alumni Day against the University of Connecticut on Saturday.

26 | Sports. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022

DePaul dance team competes at Nationals during busy basketball schedule

By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor

In the midst of coordinating a busy DePaul basketball schedule, the DePaul dance team placed 20th at the Universal Dance Associations College Nationals on Jan. 14-16.

The dance team competed in the Division I Jazz performance and finished with a raw score of 96.7 and an event score of 84.087.

With consideration toward this being the first year of balancing performance practices as well as game nights, Shannon Lersch, DePaul’s spirit director, reflects happily on their success and is open to a bigger future of Nationals.

“Last year, our first competition was a smaller setting with Covid regulations and restrictions for a lot of schools,” Lersch said.

“This year, I feel like it was our first time really stepping into that giant world of competition. They got their feet wet and I can only see much more growth in the future.”

Last year the dance team placed 5th in the nation for Division I jazz at the UDA nationals — a huge triumph for their first time ever competing and a milestone toward a new chapter for the program.

Toren Ives, a junior at DePaul who’s been on the dance team all three years, felt this year was their actual first time of really competing, since last year didn’t include other variables like basketball games or competition size.

“Covid changed a lot for us including the fact we didn’t have games, obviously. So we tried out with Nationals last year because we didn’t have anything else,” Ives said. “That was our very first time competing at DePaul, a couple years previous they did NDA nationals but it was our turn to introduce ourselves and decide if this was something as a whole team we wanted to continue.”

Performing their jazz routine during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Xavier on Jan. 19, fans got a chance to show appreciation for the hard working spirit squad.

For most students on the team, dancing has been a part of their whole lives and didn’t want that to end when they chose their university.

Marissa Cooper, a senior on the DePaul dance team, majors in mathematical science and decided to continue her career in dance at college.

“I’ve been dancing since I was 5, [I did] studio and dance in high school,” Cooper said. “When I came here I just couldn’t imagine not dancing. So it’s just been a wonderful experience meeting a lot of people being involved with the college and just being at all these events.”

While the competition only lasts for one weekend every year, the team’s schedule is

BEN ZEBROWSKI | THE DEPAULIA

The DePaul dance team performing at halftime of the DePaul men’s basketball game against Xavier University on Jan. 19. filled with practices and basketball games.

Everyone on the team is only allowed to miss two basketball games the entire season and are expected at every practice including over the summer training and recruiting for the next year.

Ives majors in film with a concentration in editing. On top of school and dance she also works a part-time job as a hostess. Ives says one of the hardest things about dancing in college is the time management.

“I would say a general schedule for me is class during the day with practice from 6 to 10 p.m. some nights. On nights I don’t have practice, I work, but when you add in games, that usually happens at least twice a week,” Ives said. “Sometimes we have games on days we also have practice, so it’s a full day of just dance.”

While the dance team is appreciative of the growth in recognition the past years from DePaul, many hope this is just the beginning for the connection between the team and its classmates.

DePaul University has a specific struggle of a large commuter base, making the task of maintaining school spirit just a little harder.

While both Cooper and Ives are grateful for the positive environment at DePaul, they wish the student body would recognize all the hard work the dance team does for school spirit.

“I would just say, like, our main goal is to like entertain and to make it look easy,” Cooper said. “Basically, we just want everyone to have like fun at the games and come on out and support us and support the teams.”

“We worked really, really hard. I think if

people saw us in practice, they’d think differently,” Ives said. “I’ve done so many sports and dance has always been the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically, mentally and financially.”

While the team isn’t getting paid, the spirit director brings up the importance of intentional community with a shared love.

“They love the aspect of performance and showcasing their talents,” Lersch said.

“DePaul unfortunately doesn’t have a major or minor in dance, so this gives a lot of dancers who came to DePaul because of an educational focus, the ability to still do something that they love and they’ve excelled in throughout their lives.”

Updates from the weekend Women’s tennis -Defeated Bradley University 4-0 on Friday, swept in singles and doubles competition -Fell 4-3 to Army on Sunday.

-Yuliya Kizelbasheva, Kaya Rand and Valentina Martin won in singles.

Men’s tennis

-Defeated North Dakota State University 7-0 on Saturday, swept in singles and doubles competition -Lost 4-3 to Wisconsin University on Saturday.

-Vito Tonejc and Marino Jakic won in singes and together in doubles; Luuk Wassenaar and lars Peder Minsaas were victorious in doubles.

Track and Field

-Olivia Borowiak set a new program record for the 3000m race with a time of 9:43.76 -Casey Mulvey won women’s shot put with distance of 15.30m.

-Jetta Mays placed first in women’s 60m dash with a time of 7.59.

-Cameron Attucks placed first in men’s 60m dash with time of 6:86.

-Kiersten Walker won the women’s 400m dash with a time of 55.52.

-Michael Stanley placed first in men’s 200m dash with time of 22.04.

Sports. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 27 DEE BEKELJA, continued from back page “She’s kind of an all-around player and sometimes it goes unnoticed because maybe she’s not making all these flashy plays, but when she’s on the court, she’s very impactful,” Held said.

“She definitely does a lot for her team that maybe doesn’t show up on the stat sheet or maybe isn’t going to make the top ten plays of the nation, but when she’s playing, she’s doing nothing but good for our team.”

This season, the Blue Demons have seen consistent success from the team, which has increased the competition for playing time and a position in the starting five.

As a result, Bekelja has transitioned back into playing a key role for the team off the bench.

“For a fifth year to come back, and she didn’t have to come back but she chose to come back, and for her to come back and then come off the bench, I truly believe she’s the sixth player of the year in the league,” Bruno said. “And to come off the bench and give us the energy, vibrancy, the shot in the arm off the bench that she gives us, she’s really been one of our most valuable players.”

While she has not started this season,

Bekelja has played in 16 of the 18 games for the Blue Demons this season while averaging 6.4 points.

“Dee, she does a great job of just focusing on the things that she needs to focus on, and it’s great having her on the court, somebody with the same amount of experience, more experience,” Morris said. “She just wants to win too; she’s got a passion for the game and love for the game and that takes you a long way.”

Bekelja is still deciding what her next steps in life are when her time at DePaul comes to an end. She is currently studying to get her master’s in psychology and thinks she may want to continue school to earn a PhD. Now, Bekelja has another obstacle to face – she is out of the lineup and with a boot on her ankle and is unsure when she will return.

“I have two months left of playing basketball in my whole life, I’m just trying to stay in the moment and just take everything day-by-day and not let things bother me,” Bekelja said. “I can’t do anything about the health issue, it’s issues that I’ve had and it’s not going to do me any good to worry about as long as I’m with my team and still in this atmosphere.”

DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul guard Dee Bekelja dribbling the ball past a Texas Southern player on Nov. 9.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, continued from back page The Blue Demons extended their lead with free throws by Deja Church and a layup by Morrow, but Xavier soon caught up and tied the game at 19 points.

However, late baskets by Kierra Collier and Morris gave DePaul a four-point lead to finish the first quarter.

Morrow ended with 13 points and five rebounds, while Morris followed with six points.

Morris opened up the second quarter with a jumper, followed by a layup by Morrow and a jumper by Darrione Rogers to give DePaul a 10-point lead over Xavier, who was stuck at 19 points.

The Blue Demons were struggling with 3-point shots, something that typically comes easily to the team, until Lexi Held sank their first halfway through the second half.

However, after Held opened the scoring for 3-point shots, Rogers made a 3-point jumper of her own to give DePaul an 18-point lead.

The Blue Demons reached the 50-point mark with two free throws by Morrow, who hit 21 points off those two baskets.

Collier extended the lead with a 3-point jumper, and while Xavier closed out the half with a buzzer-beating 3-point jumper, the Blue Demons finished leading 53-37.

Morrow closed out the half with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Morris had 12 points.

Xavier opened the scoring in the second half, but Morris responded right back with a jumper. Rogers added to DePaul’s lead with a 3-point jumper, while Morrow knocked in a layup to make the score 62-43.

Xavier began to pick up speed halfway through the third quarter, while the Blue Demons struggled with turnovers and scoring.

Xavier went on a 9-0 run before Morris made a 3-point jumper to break DePaul’s point drought and make the score 67-52.

While the Blue Demons continued to hold on to their lead, there was a shift in their offensive production. Baskets that were going in smoothly in the first half fell short or bounced off the rim in the second half.

After nearly three minutes without

Upcoming Events

Men’s Basketball: -Jan. 24 at Villanova, 6 p.m.

-Jan. 29 vs. UConn, 5: 30 p.m. (Alumni Day)

Women’s Basketball: -Jan. 28 vs. St. John’s, 6 p.m. (Alumni Day) -Nov. 21 vs. Northwester, 5 p.m.

-Jan. 30 at Seton Hall, 3:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul women’s basketball guard Sonya Morris moving past Xavier players on Dec. 5. a basket last in the third quarter, Morris made a layup to give her 23 points, tying her with Morrow for the team lead in the game. She extended that point total to 25 with a layup to give her the team lead.

However, Xavier outscored DePaul 23-20 in the third quarter, and pulled within 13 points of the DePaul lead to make the score 73-60 at the end the third quarter.

Morrow opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a free throw, followed soon after by a layup, which gave Morrow 26 points in the game.

That point total, combined with her 10 rebounds, earned Morrow her 12thstraight double-double and her 15th on the season.

The final minute of the fourth quarter was all Xavier, but the efforts of the Blue

Demons secured a 20-point lead for DePaul as the game came to an end.

While Morrow and Morris led the Blue Demons in offense by a large margin, the whole effort of the team is what led the Blue Demons to their victory over Xavier.

Rogers finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Collier had 12 points off the bench.

With the victory, the Blue Demons go to 16-4 overall and 8-1 in Big East play.

The team returns home on Friday to take on St. John’s University and celebrate Alumni Day.

-Jan. 28 vs. Wisconsin, 1:30 p.m.

-Jan. 30 at Michigan State, 10 a.m.

Men’s Tennis -Jan. 30 vs. UIC, 4:15 p.m.

Club Hockey: -Jan. 28 at Purdue Northwest, 7 p.m.

-Jan. 29 at Purdue Northwest, 3 p.m.

Sports

Sports. The DePaulia. Jan. 24, 2022 | 28

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul women’s basketball graduate student guard Dee Bekelja standing ready to defend against an Xavier player in the Blue Demons’ 103-85 win over Xavier on Dec. 5.

Dee Bekelja provides spark off the bench for the Blue Demons

By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor

When asked about Dee Bekelja, the first things that her long-time teammates – senior guards Lexi Held and Sonya Morris – brought up was the joy Bekelja brings to the team and the energy she has on the court.

On the court or not, Bekelja always works hard to light up her team. Whether it’s by doing something goofy to make her teammates laugh or throwing herself down on the court to make a play, she gives a spark to the DePaul women’s basketball team.

Bekelja joined the team as a freshman on a competitive team where playing time was tight and starting spots

were limited. As a result, Bekelja learned to stay patient and trust in the coaching staff, her teammates and herself.

Now, in her fifth year with the team, Bekelja has become one of the strongest players off the bench for the Blue Demons while serving as a spark for the team on and off the court.

For the guard from Solon, Ohio, basketball has always been a central part of her world. Bekelja’s father, Kevin, played basketball, and he shared his love for the sport with Bekelja, her older sister and two younger brothers.

“It’s been a blast seeing Dee progress through the years,” Kevin said. “I’ve been watching her play competitive basketball since she was in 2nd grade. I am very grateful that I’ve been able to

watch her take each step throughout her career.”

Her love for the sport was what drew Bekelja to play at DePaul. She knew the success DePaul had achieved under head coach Doug Bruno and the rest of the coaching staff, and wanted to be a part of it.

In her first three years on the team, the Blue Demons won three-straight Big East Championships, and made the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2019.

However, her DePaul basketball journey has not been smooth. And while she powered forward, her confidence had cracked.

“You come from high school and you’re not playing as much and you feel like you’re doing everything wrong, so

those were definitely really hard years,” Bekelja said. “It was a struggle but I’m so glad I stuck with it, and I feel like I’m definitely reaping the benefits now that I’m an upperclassman.”

Bekelja found her stride as an upperclassman. In her junior year, she played in all 33 games and started in eight of them, while also playing a big scoring role for the Blue Demons off the bench.

As a senior last season, she started in all 24 games, where she averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. She had a season-high 24 points against Texas A&M University in the team’s season opener on Nov. 28.

See DEE BEKELJA, page 27

Women’s basketball: Morrow and Morris dazzle in victory over Xavier

94-74

By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor

MADDY MAES | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow jumping up to make a shot against Xavier on Dec. 5.

While the rest of the DePaul women’s basketball team was competing against Xavier University on Sunday, Sonya Morris and Aneesah Morrow were battling each other for the team lead in points.

Together, the two combined for 59 points to help push the Blue Demons to a 94-74 victory.

Morrow finished with 32 points and 15 rebounds, earning her a 12th-straight double-double, while Morris finished with 27 points.

The Blue Demons entered the game coming off a 103-69 win over Butler University on Friday, in which Morrow had a

33-point performance.

Points were going back and forth from tip off in the first quarter. DePaul opened the scoring with a jumper and free throw by Morrow, but Xavier responded immediately.

A jumper by Morris added to DePaul’s lead, but Xavier took the lead and pulled ahead. Morrow tied the game with a layup, but Xavier ran away with the lead and forced the Blue Demons to catch up.

Layups by Morrow pulled DePaul within two points of Xavier, tied the game and then took the lead to make the score 15-13.

See WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 27