DePaulia 1.23.23

TheDePaulia

“This is what we’re supposed to do”

Biggest win in three years brings life to dormant program

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

As the clock hit zero, the Blue Crew’s chants cried out near the Xavier bench. This was what fans have long-awaited. Relevance. Though it was just for one night, DePaul finally put the college basketball world on notice Wednesday, taking down an AP top-ten opponent on national television.

It was a light in the dark of a program’s quest to move forward.

When head coach Tony Stubblefield arrived at DePaul in April 2021, the expectations were always going to remain high with him in charge. But what many did not expect was how early he would have an impact on the program.

“This is what we’re supposed to do,” said Stubblefield on upsetting No. 8 Xavier. “This is the reason I came here. This should be the norm. I’m very appreciative of the win. I’m glad our guys came out and got it, but this is what my expectation was coming into this year.”

Men’s basketball has not sniffed the NCAA tournament since 2004 and have

since gone through three coaching carousels without much sense of stability. Stubblefield has changed the culture since his arrival; the team has seen a growth in popularity and had success in the transfer portal.

Before transferring to DePaul, graduate guard Umoja Gibson spent three years with North Texas and two years with Oklahoma, but his newest team’s win over Xavier on Wednesday resonated with him as one of the most significant of career.

“Most definitely [it’s] one of the biggest wins that I’ve had since being in college,” Gibson said. “I spent some time at North Texas and Oklahoma and this is one of the best wins not only as a teammate, but as a team.”

DePaul improved to 9-10 on the season and 3-5 in Big East play. Wednesday’s victory marked the first home win for the Blue Demons against Xavier since 2015.

Taking down a ranked opponent as tough as Xavier is not the norm at DePaul, and certainly wasn’t expected with a short-handed Blue Demon team that was without senior center Nick Ongenda in the lineup.

(From left) Brendan Favre, Max Williams, Zion Cruz, Philmon Gebrewhit and K.T. Raimey celebrate during DePaul’s 73-72 win over No. 8-ranked Xavier on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Wintrust Arena.

Nelson drives on Xavier defender Jack Nunge in Wednesday’s win.

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1) A Simple Battery report was filed for an incident in which a person was kicked near Fullerton and Kenmore.

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Alcohol report was filed for a person outside the Ray Meyer Fitness Center. Person was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital for treatment.

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4) An Illegal Consumption of Alcohol report was filed for in Ozanam Hall. Person was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital for treatment.

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5) A Theft was reported at the Ray Meyer Fitness Center.

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Bill to protect sexual assault survivors from victim blaming passes unanimously

By Molly Tinkey Contributing Writer

This story contains mentions of rape, sexual assault and drugs.

Northwestern student Kaylyn Ahn was tempted to turn back, pretend nothing happened and continue to live the way they had been living for three months. After thinking about all the survivors in their life who never got any sort of justice, they decided to report their rapist.

Ahn, a sophomore, was a freshman when the incident happened.

Their decision led them to spearhead an amendment to the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act (SASETA) that added legislation that allowed someone accused of sexual assaulters to avoid sexual abuse charges if the victim was voluntarily under the influence.

SASETA is an Illinois law that protects survivors by assured healthcare, a statewide forensic evidence collection system and a reimbursement program for survivors not covered by private insurance or Medicaid, according to Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Ahn traveled to Skokie police station alone to report their sexual assault.

“This report is not about me,” Ahn said. “It is not about my feelings. It's not about how much money I have to spend in the Uber or how many hours I'm gonna have to spend in the police stations. It’s about this larger story of injustice that’s been happening over and over again.”

Ahn waited an hour to be seen by the police. They asked for a social worker. There was no social worker. They asked for a female police officer. The police said they did not have a woman police officer that day.

Ahn sat for two hours of questioning.

“The questions they asked were completely invasive, completely irrelevant,” Ahn said. “Like ‘how many times did you have sex with him after he raped you?’”

Ahn said they felt like they were being “lectured.”

Ahn called the Skokie Police days later requesting to press charges. After looking at their report, the police officer told her there was “no way that the prosecutor would ever pick up your case,” according to Ahn.

Because Ahn was under the influence of alcohol when she was sexually assaulted and in a relationship with the accused and had sex with him after the sexual assault, according to Ahn.

Under the previous law, who administered the drug to the victim was important. “Unable to give knowing consent” only regarded when the sexual assaulter gave the substance to the victim. In this amendment they included when a victim has taken a substance voluntarily and “this condition was known or reasonably should have been known by the accused.” Therefore if a victim was voluntarily drunk during a sexual assault, their intoxication will not automatically deter them from pursuing a case.

“There's a really insidious sentiment among the public that someone who chose to drink on their own somehow is less harmed by sexual assault than if someone is slipped a date rape drug,” said Madeleine Behr, policy director at Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE). “Because the perpetrator didn’t give you those drugs, it doesn’t count. That’s incredibly victim blaming.”

Victim blaming can be detrimental to a survivor’s healing from the sexual assault and “exacerbates survivor’s distress,” said

Megan Greeson, DePaul Community Psychology PhD Program Director. Victim blaming can lead to survivors restraining from speaking out, seeking help and/or pressing charges, she said.

“After all of this pain, after months of waiting and ruling over this decision, I realized that this decision was not going to be made by me, it was going to be made by the police,” Ahn said. “The entire process felt like every invasive question was always pointing the blame back at me as if I could’ve stopped him from assaulting me that night.”

When Ahn asked the police if there was another avenue they could go, she was told by an officerthe “only thing you can do now is try to not let it happen again and move on.” Ahn didn’t know what to do next. They emailed several people to share her story.

“It felt like a shot in the dark,” Ahn said.

This is not a rare occurrence in cases like Ahn’s. Around 80 to 90% of sexual harm reports to the Chicago Police Department from 2010 to 2019 did not result in an arrest, according to CAASE. Out of all sexual assaults that occur nationally, 68% are not reported to law enforcement, according to a study conducted by Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.

Anthony Riccio, the Chicago Police Department’s former first deputy superintendent, said it was “almost impossible” to get charges on a sexual assault case where the survivor was voluntarily intoxicated because, to prosecutors, they were not a “winning case,” according to The Chicago Tribune.

Ahn took their story to the State Rep. Mark Walker of the 53rd District, her former employer. They formed legislation that closed the “loophole” on consent while intoxicated and proposed it to Gov. JB Pritzker

in the spring of 2022. Ahn testified in front of the House and Senate judiciary committee with Illinois State Senator of District 27 Ann Gillespie. The bill was passed unanimously.

The bill amends the SASETA to specify that someone is unable to give consent when intoxicated, even when the accused assaulter did not provide the substance that intoxicated them.

“I think a bill like this highlights the importance of making sure people know there are resources and laws that protect them and organizations willing to fight on their behalf,” said junior Sergio Godinez.

Advocates of the bill are hopeful that it will lead to more trauma informed and less victim blaming responses from law enforcement and prosecutors when survivors report their sexual assault.

“The law will require them to look past the issue of who chose to drink or who administered the substance,” Behr said. “It will matter how a victim was harmed regardless of how that person became intoxicated or impaired.”

Behr is unsure if the bill will lead to more arrests or more people coming forward because Illinois has “good laws” regarding sexual assault but not always “the best implementation.”

“We have good laws,” Behr said. “Is it what we see on the ground from our criminal legal system and all the agencies that are involved? Not really.”

Behr believes part of CAASE’s job is to remind people what the law is when advocating for their clients.

“The legal system on every single level is so corrupted,” Ahn said. “We could close this legal loophole but the fact is that my rapist is still completely free.”

STACEY WESCOTT | CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Kaylyn Ahn, sophomore at Northwestern University, testified before the House and Senate in Springfield in support of a sexual assault bill that makes it easier to prosecute cases like hers.

student tells her experience reporting assault in Illinois

Pritzker signs bill to expand abortion access in Illinois

By Samantha Moilanen Asst. News Editor

The 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22, caused some to mourn the loss of the reproductive rights women have held for decades, while others celebrate the end to abortion.

Now, six months after the United States Supreme Court overruled Roe in June, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a reproductive rights and gender affirming care bill into law on Friday, Jan. 13.

“When Roe v. Wade was overturned, I felt so helpless,” said DePaul junior Isabella Eckardt.

Months later, students like Eckardt no longer worry whether the Illinois state legislature will deny them rights to their own bodies.

Pritzker’s reproductive rights legislation protects health care providers and their patients from legal action and expands health care access across the state of Illinois, according to Pritzker’s press release.

The legislation also includes protections for out-of-state patients seeking a procedure in Illinois. According to the most recent data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, close to 10,000 abortions every year are from out-of-state patients.

Now, Pritzker says health care providers will no longer have to fear legal action from surrounding state governments for providing essential care, and out-of-state patients will no longer have to worry about their information being shared with state authorities where abortion has been outlawed.

"Here in Illinois, we hold certain ideals: abortion is health care. A medical decision should be made between a patient and their doctor — no one else," Pritzker said in the press release. "Last summer, when Roe v.

Wade was overturned, I made a promise that Illinois would remain a beacon of hope and an island for reproductive justice for all who seek it. This bill fulfills that promise."

To Eckardt, as a woman and a college student, the overturning of Roe was a violation to her fundamental rights.

“Not having rights to your own body is scary when you are a college student already struggling with life as it is,” she said. “This is not a political issue, this is a people issue that has unfortunately been conquered by politics.”

Although some find the bill promising, experts are concerned for those in states where abortion was outlawed following the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer.

“Because we are in this position of protected status, we need to work really hard for those who are not, who are being impacted by this, who are our neighbors,” said Laila Farah, a women and gender studies professor at DePaul. “We are in a great position to advocate because of our protected status within the state.”

According to the New York Times, at least 13 states have banned abortion including Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky, which all border Illinois.

With this new reproductive rights legislation, Pritzker aims to bolster Illinois as an “island of reproductive justice” with increased protections for those seeking the procedure from neighboring states.

To Farah, Illinois residents should use their protections to help those without autonomy over their own bodies due to conservative agendas in other states.

“There’s stuff we can do on the ground in Illinois to help folks get access to what they should already have as their constitutional, democratic right,” she said.

“We must remember there are many who may not be able to get to Illinois and we must get involved - contribute to building support, resources, and care to make it more accessible and to join with others in pushing for change across the country,” said Russo. “There are people streaming into Illinois for this care, and this will only increase.”

For Farah, abortion protections in Illinois do not address the issue on a national level.

“Although it’s great that folks like Pritzker…and legislatures such as the progressive one that we currently have in office [protect reproductive rights], it doesn’t address this on the national level,” Farah said.

Eckardt believes there is more people can do to help women all over the country. To her, although the legislation is a substantial feat, it is a small victory in a larger issue.

“We’re leaving a basic human right up to a matter of politics,” Eckardt said. Upon hearing about the bill, she said she thought, “Wow, this is the best we can do?”

Illinois is already facing backlash after the passing of the bill.

Two days after the abortion access bill

was signed into law, the Planned Parenthood location in Peoria, Illinois was set on fire by an unidentified perpetrator, according to ABC news.

After hearing about this attack, Farah believes abortion clinics and those seeking the procedure in Illinois should be cautious in upcoming months.

“I do think we need to be worried about violence, and I do think there will be [more] repercussions from those sorts of people who have no problem enacting violence,” she said. “[We] have to be very careful.”

Russo said she was not surprised by the attack, but believes everyone must work together to protect and support those in need of reproductive care.

“The attacks on abortion clinics, on those who provide abortions, and on those who get abortions will continue and have increased,” she said. “And this is not new at all. They have been subject to harassment and violence before this, and I can only imagine that that will increase as states empower police and citizens to be able to take action against those who get abortions and those who offer them.”

For Farah, although the bill is a step in the right direction, there is still much to be done for those who continue to live without access to abortion services.

“We have a long [road] ahead of us,” she said.

PAT NABONG | CHICAGO SUN-TIMES VIA AP

Gov. JB Pritzker signs House Bill 4664, legislation that will protect reproductive health care providers and patients who are seeking care in Illinois on Friday, Jan. 13.

PAT NABONG | CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

VIA

en’s Center and professor in the Women and Gender Studies department, said Illinois residents should use their protections to partner with organizations like the Chicago Abortion Fund and the We Are Jane nonprofits to assist those without access to abortion services.

43rd Ward race mirrors other city elections with heavy focus on crime

By Patrick Sloan-Turner Online Managing Editor

“Public safety, public safety and public safety.”

43rd Ward candidate Brian Comer said these are his campaign’s three points of emphasis in front of an audience of more than 100 at the aldermanic forum on 1/17.

It was a sentiment echoed by each of the other five candidates who joined Comer on stage inside the Lincoln Park Student Center, and a point of emphasis in nearly every race in the city as Chicago’s Feb. 28 election day swiftly approaches.

Housed inside Chicago’s 43rd Ward is Lincoln Park, which has long been one of Chicago’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Although the ward, which stretches from Lincoln Park to the Gold Coast, does not see the amount of violence as North Lawndale or West Garfield Park, Tuesday night’s forum proved that safety is the dominant issue on voters’, and especially candidates’ minds, as the six contenders pitched their plan to make the ward safer.

“Crime in the city is running rampant as we all know, and as a lifelong Chicagoan, I know how it's changed in this neighborhood in particular,” said candidate Steve McClellan, a board member on the local school council at LaSalle Language Academy.

“The things I want to focus on are prevention, training, recruitment and retention.”

Candidate Wendi Taylor Nations, a public affairs consultant, shared a personal story of being molested by a man on the Brown Line in 2021. Taylor Nations, who has received an endorsement from former alderman Michelle Smith, said she would start by reforming the Chicago Police Department (CPD) through supporting a mayor’s removal of the department’s leader.

“As Alderman I would do there were several things I would do, first of all, accountability matters,” Taylor Nations said. “I think Police Superintendent David Brown needs to go. His strategies aren't working.”

Every candidate on stage echoed the support for the removal of Superintendent Brown.

In races throughout the city, candidates are pledging to fix the low staffing of CPD officers. The department employed roughly 1,600 fewer officers in 2022 than it did three years prior. While each candidate touched on the importance of recruitment Tuesday night, some spoke to the importance of other strategies as well.

After assuming the role by mayoral appointment in September, Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) employed the use of street cameras in the ward as a strategy to combat crime. The youngest member of the city council, who hopes to retain his seat in February, believes that allocating funds into strategies like these is just as important as adding officers on patrol.

“One thing I did right away was reallocate our [budgets]… in order to supply

more cameras into the ward,” Knudsen said. “These cameras are good eyes and ears on the beats when [CPD] doesn’t have the staff to fill them.”

Through his first 120 days in office, Knudsen said he’s built a strong relationship with the area’s CPD commanders, something he believes is crucial to make the 43rd safer and sets him apart from the other candidates.

"The second thing I got right to work doing was making sure I had as strong a relationship of trust as possible with our police commanders,” Knudsen said. “That was important to me because without that knowledge base and stream of information coming from the commander’s office, we're on an island of our own.”

Every candidate spoke to the importance of police throughout the ward Tuesday night, but a few also pitched alternative strategies to curb crime.

Knudsen spoke about the role in which increased mental health resources would help curb crime city-wide and within the ward. Fellow candidate Steve Botsford, a former Notre Dame football player who has worked in the finance industry, also thinks mental health resources go hand-in-hand with crime reduction and said, “not every 911 call needs to be answered with a gun.”

Rebecca Janowitz, a retired attorney, and ward resident who ran for the seat in 2019, said she sees commerce as an important role in a community’s safety and – if elected –would push to make the ward safer with full restaurants, bars and storefronts.

“I would work very hard to keep the street lined with people and a flow of activity throughout the community,” Janowitz said. “The best safety in the neighborhood is when the neighbors are providing the safety. Your real security guards in any community are your neighbors.”

Notably, Janowitz said she’s used roughly $750,000 of her own money on her campaign, vastly outspending any other candidate on the ticket.

The six hopefuls also touched on issues like public school funding, the controversial Lincoln Yards development, property taxes and more. Still, safety dominated the talking points.

Though crime is on the minds of ward residents who will cast their ballot for the next 43rd Ward alderman on Feb. 28, the community has seen a reduction in several violent crimes in recent years. According to the Chicago Data Portal, Ward 43 had less than half the shootings in 2022 than it did the year prior, and exactly half the shootings than it did in 2020.

Nevertheless, Lincoln Park residents care most about crime, considering it received the most attention Tuesday night. Demographically, the neighborhood is 80% White with a median household income of $117,000, according to 2022 Chicago Metropolitan Agency and Planning data. With the topic of crime being the emphasis at the forum, whichever candidate convinces vot-

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

Candidates running for the position of Alderman in the 43rd Ward respond to questions of public safety and education.

“The best safety in the neighborhood is when the neighbors are providing the safety. Your real security guards in any community are your neighbors."

Rebecca Janowitz

Retired attorney who is running for 43rd Ward Alderwoman

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

The Aldermanic forum was held in the DePaul Student Center on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The event was open to the public.

Lightfoot solicits CPS students to volunteer for mayoral campaign for extra credit

By Lily Lowndes Social Media Editor

When professor Nick Kachiroubas logged into his DePaul Outlook account, he was surprised to find an email from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s re-election campaign team.

“As the race heats up, we’re looking to enrich our office with some amazing volunteers!” a Lightfoot staffer wrote in the email. “Could you please share this opportunity with your students?”

The email continued to note that “students are eligible to earn class credit” through the program.

Kachiroubas teaches at DePaul’s School of Public Service, focusing on topics including ethics, local government administration and public policy.

He said he did not know how the campaign sought out his contact information, and although it was surprising, he did not feel compelled to take any kind of action.

“As a professor, I don’t mind getting those kinds of emails,” Kachiroubas said. “But I don’t feel it’s appropriate in my role to tell students they have to do this.”

Kachiroubas sent the email to his trash folder and thought nothing of it until a report came out from WTTW Chicago that turned the email into a bigger story.

Kachiroubas was just one of many educators across Chicago to receive an email, including Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers. According to Kachiroubas, there is a difference between soliciting volunteers from college professors at private institutions like DePaul and soliciting volunteers from public school teachers. He said it was “not appropriate” for the mayor’s campaign to use public city-owned emails for private interest.

One day after WTTW broke the story about the ethical dilemma, Lightfoot held a press conference addressing the emails.

The mayor said that she did not know about the emails until after they were sent. Lightfoot said she found out the

staffer sent the emails to CPS teachers after news outlets reached out to her campaign for comment.

Lightfoot said that only one staffer was involved in sending emails and both the individual and the rest of the campaign were briefed on why CPS teachers’ public emails should be left out of campaign efforts.

“The outreach to the CPS teachers via their emails was a mistake, [it] should not have happened and it's not going to happen again,” Lightfoot said in the conference.

She continued to add that engaging young people was an important part of her campaign, but this was not the correct way to reach out to the youth.

“Obviously, I knew that there were efforts being made to recruit volunteers… and certainly if I had known that there were CPS emails being used, I would’ve put a stop to it before yesterday,” Lightfoot said in the conference.

R. Craig Sautter is a professor at DePaul’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and an expert in elections

and political media.

Sautter believes that this mistake will not hurt Lightfoot in the long run. He said that it was important for the campaign to be called out for the ethics dilemma. It was not clear whether the Lightfoot campaign coordinated with schools to create a program for students to earn class credit and it was unethical to promise or suggest as such.

However, after Lightfoot hosted her press conference, Sautter said it was clear the mayor wants to move on and separate her campaign from her public office.

According to Sautter, it was easy for the news media to pick up and run the story about Lightfoot’s campaign emails. He feels that news outlets should focus more on covering policy.

“There are big issues that the media should be talking about, and pressing the campaigns and pressing the candidates about,” Sautter said. “This happens in almost every campaign where some irrelevant issue rises to the top and takes a lot of press time for a couple of days.”

Another outshoot of the email scandal

is the importance of young people getting involved in their local elections.

Both Kachiroubas and Sautter said that they would encourage students to get involved in a campaign as a part of civic duty, to learn and to make connections.

Suzan Arab is a political science student at DePaul who volunteers for mayoral candidate Ja’Mal Green’s campaign doing phone banking, talking to voters and helping people find voting locations.

She joined the campaign by messaging its social media pages and asking how she could get involved.

According to Arab, young people should get involved with campaigning no matter their major or passion. Arab said there are many different roles within a campaign and that students have opportunities to learn about areas outside of politics and law as well.

Arab says that volunteering for a campaign is a part of having your voice and values heard. It is not something that only helps the volunteer or the candidate, but it helps the community.

“When you become more involved in your community, your community benefits from that and communities thrive off of civic participation,” Arab said.

She said she hopes that rather than soliciting educators and providing incentives to volunteer, candidates should reach out to young people to explain why their participation matters.

“When you explain to them the importance of volunteering and doing your civic duty, then naturally, they'll be inclined to join because this does affect them,” Arab said.

Chicago still has a wide field of mayoral and aldermanic candidates running. If students want to get involved, they can contact the campaigns of their choosing.

Early voting begins Thursday, Jan. 26 and the Municipal Election will be Feb. 28. If no candidate yields a majority of the vote, a runoff election is slated for April 4.

PAT NABONG | CHICAGO SUN-TIMES VIA AP

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a press conference in the Greektown neighborhood, of Chicago, Sept. 14, 2022. Lightfoot is one of nine candidates running.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA Suzan Arab, DePaul political science student, who volunteers for mayoral candidate Ja’Mal Green’s campaign.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

DePaul professor Nick Kachiroubas received an email from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s re-election campaign team.

City Council honors DePaul for university’s 125th year

Patrick Sloan-Turner

Online Managing Editor

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city councilmen spoke in honor of DePaul at Wednesday’s meeting at city hall, after the council proclaimed Jan. 25, 2023 will be known as “DePaul Day” in Chicago.

Four current DePaul students attended the meeting alongside university president Robert L. Manuel to accept the proclamation. Manuel, who began leading the university last spring, said it was an honor for DePaul to be recognized by the city’s elected officials and speaks to a strong bond.

“It's a reminder of how powerful of a relationship there is between DePaul and Chicago,” Manuel said. “It's a reminder that no matter what we do in the future, we have to preserve that relationship and benefit each other.”

Several aldermen spoke in favor of the resolution to honor DePaul on Jan. 25. DePaul alumnus and city council members Roderick Sawyer, Maria Hadden, Anabel Abarca, Michael Rodriguez and Edward Burke spoke to the body in congratulations of DePaul’s esteemed status as a fixture in Chicago.

Other members spoke as well, including Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), whose ward neighbors DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus. Speaking to Manuel and DePaul students in attendance, Hopkins shared his view of DePaul as synonymous with the city of Chicago.

“I think in many ways DePaul and the city of Chicago grew up together,” Hopkins said. “You are not just resident in the city, you are woven into the fabric of the city of Chicago.”

Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd), whose ward houses DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, spoke in strong favor of the resolution to honor DePaul. Knudsen, who participated in an aldermanic forum at the university a night prior, shared fond memories after the forum of his connection to DePaul prior to leading the ward it calls home.

Though the alderman did not attend DePaul, he said it played a role during his college years in providing a safe space and

Timmy Knudsen

43rd

Ward Alderman

welcoming community for those like him who identify as LGBTQ+.

“In the past that DePaul is where I took the train, when I was an undergrad, to where I could go to the city and be gay, with my friends at DePaul,” Knudsen said.

“So, I'm going to keep screaming for DePaul from the rooftops.”

On Wednesday in front of city council, Knudsen’s words echoed what he said Tuesday night, commending the institution for its inclusivity.

“[It’s] a university at its core values that stands for diversity, equity, inclusion and public service,” Knudsen said. “As someone who grew up in a [college town] that was called one of the least LGBTQ-friendly universities in the country, in [contrast] DePaul is consistently one of the most LGBTQ-friendly universities in the country.”

Lightfoot capped remarks in the chamber with words of her own. Like Knudsen, the mayor spoke to DePaul’s inclusivity but also thanked DePaul for its commitment to partnerships with area public schools. Following the mayor’s comments, Manuel and members of the DePaul community in attendance received ovations from those present in the chamber.

Manuel sat through each speaker in the chambers’ box, joined by four DePaul students. Jaylen Johnson, Tommy Le, Erick Quezada and Julianna De Leon are all products of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which was why Manuel asked them to join him Wednesday, as their presence spoke to

DePaul’s symbiotic relationship with Chicago.

“They're all CPS graduates and they all represent in — different ways — the mission applied to their lives,” Manuel said. “What they're doing is exemplary of what we hope our students would get as a result of being at DePaul.”

Both campuses will hold celebrations this week honoring DePaul’s 125 years, in-

cluding Blue Demon Challenge, DePaul’s annual day of contribution on Wednesday. Chicago’s skyline will be illuminated with blue and red throughout the week in homage to the nation’s largest Catholic institution.

“The city of Chicago is aligned with the mission of DePaul,” Lightfoot said. “The futures of DePaul University and the city of Chicago are inseparable and intertwined.”

Man charged with burglary after stealing thousands from Lincoln Park church

By Vanessa Lopez Asst. Social Media Editor

After a devastating holiday for the parish, a man has been charged with burglarizing the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Lincoln Park.

Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers arrested Hannibal Kerry, 27, at the 2200 block of North Sheffield Ave., outside the church that was burglarized, on Jan.18, according to reporting by Fox 32 Chicago.

Kerry allegedly broke into the church on Dec. 26 around 8 p.m. At 8:16 p.m., a man was seen exiting the building, according to the church's lead pastor, Father Joseph Williams.

The perpetrator gained access to the safe after prying open a church window and gaining access to where the parish held its Christmas collection. The burglar then took an estimated $10,000 in

donations and money from the church sacristy used for candle funds. Fr. Chris Williams, the church’s lead pastor, recently told The DePaulia that the perpetrator broke through multiple doors inside the building to steal the funds.

The burglary undoubtedly impacted the church, prompting the parish to find a way to replace the lost funds, as the parish said Christmas Day is regularly biggest in terms of donations received.

The church established a GoFundMe fundraiser, which raised over $11,000 in less than two days and over $18,000 in total. Earlier this month, a church official told The Depaulia that the parish intends to use the extra funds for outreach programs, building maintenance, and new security measures.

There are significant damages to the church and repairs are underway. Parish leaders said that improvements to the building’s security measures are coming,

KATIE WRIGHT | THE DEPAULIA

St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church Rectory office is installing security after burglary. thanks in part to the contributions they have collected following the incident.

The 27-year-old Kerry was charged with two felony counts of criminal trespassing and burglary to a place of worship, and a misdemeanor charge of possessing burglary tools, according to the

CPD arrest report. A bond amount has yet to be listed for Kerry in CPD arrest data.

After his arrest in connection with the holiday heist, Kerry is scheduled to appear in Cook County Bond Court on Jan. 26.

JACQUELINE CARDENAS | THE DEPAULIA DePaul President Robert L. Manuel (middle) supports a resolution, created by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, to make Jan. 25 "DePaul Day" in celebration of the university's 125th anniversary.

“I'm going to keep screaming for DePaul from the rooftops."

JACQUELINE CARDENAS | THE DEPAULIA DePaul students (left to right) Julianna De Leon, Erick Quezada, Tommy Le and Jaylen Johnson attended the City Council meeting with Manuel on Wednesday.

Activists call on lawmakers to pass cumulative impact legislation

By Samantha Moilanen Asst. News Editor

Between the South Side of Chicago and Gary, Indiana, lies one of the most polluted waterways in the United States, the Calumet River. The 8-mile stretch of river is home to industries like metal manufacturing, cement production, material waste, recycling plants and more.

Maria Maynez, the youth organizer for Alliance of the Southeast’s (ASE) youth leadership council who has grown up on the Southeast Side of Chicago most of her life, recently took a boat tour along the murky river where she witnessed firsthand how much industry affects the area near her home.

Maynez lives in South Chicago near the western Indiana border and said there is a metal shredding facility a few blocks away from her home on 106th. Until she went on the tour, she said she never realized how sizeable the mounds of metal were.

“When I look at it from maybe a block away, it kinda just looks like one little mountain of metal,” Maynez said. “But there’s always something happening there, there’s always a fire, there’s always an explosion, especially in the summer when it gets really hot.”

According to Maynez, there are countless more piles of scrap metal from various manufacturers in a span of two miles near her home.

Maynez is not the only Chicago resident burdened by the environmental impacts of industry. Environmental hazards mark the landscape of Chicago’s South East and West side communities, where residents experience the effects of industrial pollution in their land, water, and even air, breathing in the toxic fumes from diesel trucks and factories daily.

Maya Rodriguez, an outreach coordinator for Illinois Senator Robert Peters (D-13), said South Side residents have dealt with the impacts of industry for years, yet it seems like people have only started to care in recent years.

“I think there’s a sense of hopelessness that exists in people who live over here sometimes,” Rodriguez said. “You’ve been consistently let down by the city, by the state, by the federal government. [The] fight for environmental justice has existed for many, many years, and only feels like people care about it now because it’s going to change the neighborhood and revitalize it.”

According to an air quality and health report conducted in 2020, residents on the Southeast Side breathe some of the city’s dirtiest air contaminated with particulate matter that has detrimental health effects.

Pollutants overwhelm the Southwest Side too. A city planning report from 2019 found

that South Lawndale encounters a higher burden of air pollution relative to the rest of Illinois. Additionally, 95% of the Illinois population experiences equal or less exposure to PM 2.5, a harmful particulate matter caused by diesel pollution, than those in southern Chicago.

Exposure to toxic pollutants and heavy industry also has detrimental effects to resident’s health. The city health report shows exposure to increased levels of pollutants such as ozone and PM 2.5 is associated with increased risk of respiratory problems, asthma, cancer and even early death. PM 2.5 is also found in the exhaust of diesel vehicles which is prevalent in the Southeast Side.

Despite city data that acknowledges the South Side as environmentally overburdened, activists claim that these areas continue to experience the harsh effects of discriminatory zoning and land-use policies.

“The South and West sides of Chicago are heavily impacted by toxic industry, and not coincidentally, those are also minority neighborhoods,” Amalia NietoGomez, the executive director of ASE said. “Minority neighborhoods in the city of Chicago are overwhelmingly environmentally burdened compared to majority white areas.”

In April 2020, Hilco Redevelopment Partners faced a lawsuit after it demolished the former Crawford Power Plant smokestack causing a particulate dust cloud from the implosion that engulfed the homes of Little Village residents.

Following the implosion, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a letter to Hilco demanding action to clean up the area around the site.

Now, a 1.3 million-square-foot Target distribution center resides at the former Crawford coal plant site.

In 2020, community activists filed a complaint claiming the city perpetuates environmental racism by intentionally pushing industrial polluters from wealthier, North Side neighborhoods to low-income, minority communities on the South Side.

The complaint prompted a two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after General Iron Industries, a scrap-shredder with a long-history of polluting problems on the North Side, was set to leave Lincoln Park to relocate to the Southeast Side in 2020.

Although the city denied the permit for General Iron to relocate on Feb. 18, 2022, NietoGomez claims it took three and a half years of community organizing efforts and a hunger strike for this to happen.

According to NietoGomez, this was due to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agen-

cies’ (IEPA) lack of investigation into General Iron’s history of violations and noncompliance during the permitting process. She said the IEPA also did not provide translation services or take into account the total amount of pollution already existing in the Southeast Side.

In July, a letter to Lightfoot showed HUD sided with the advocates. If the city failed to reform its zoning and land-use policies, which HUD determined are racially discriminatory, the agency could withhold millions of dollars of federal funding.

NietoGomez believes cumulative, impactful legislation is the first step in ensuring environmental hazards preexisting in South and West side communities are taken into consideration during the permitting process. Although she said it is not enough to ensure the Southeast Side does not continue to have to fight environmental injustices.

“It’s a really important policy that we need, but it’s really not groundbreaking,” NietoGomez said. “If the [General Iron] permit had been denied, then we would not even be dealing with the permit at the city level. If this could be decided earlier in the process, we wouldn’t have had to have these fights.”

House Bill 4093, also called the Environmental Justice Act, advanced to the Illinois Senate in March 2022. If passed, the law would reform antiquated zoning and permitting processes for industrial facilities in the state.

To Rodriguez, cumulative impact legislation will assist Chicagoans in the fight for environmental justice, even if there are not visible changes right away. She believes it is not about the people alive right now but is for the next generation, and will create a better way of life for all families in the South Side.

“What is the point in trying to inspire your kids, the younger generation to expect better if you, yourself, continue to give up?” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said she continues to fight for environmental justice because giving up is not an option when people have the ability to combat these injustices.

“I do not think that you or I deserve to continue to live like this,” Rodriguez said. “Do you really want to choke on this air? Do you really want to be concerned about things in the ground, things in the water? We can use [cumulative impact legislation] to make sure it stops, and yes it may take time, but it's better to do this than do nothing. We can’t let it affirm a sense of hopelessness.”

Environmental justice activists believe the bill is promising as it would ensure the IEPA reviews the history of a company including whether they have past violations or a history of compliance before approving a permit.

It also requires the IEPA to look at the cumulative impact or how much pollution already exists in the area of relocation, along with providing translation services if required and making sure a third party has standing in the permitting process.

According to NietoGomez, one of the primary benefits of the act is the resulting community input given during the permitting process. Right now, the only people that can file a lawsuit is the IEPA itself or the company applying for a permit.

“The community currently does not have standing to file a lawsuit,” NietoGomez said. “The community needs to be at the forefront of deciding whether or not this makes sense. There needs to be a process where the community can advocate for themselves.”

During the fight to block the General Iron permit, Southeast Side communities conducted their own Health Impact Analysis (HIA) to prove how industrial waste was affecting their communities.

“For General Iron, we had community scientists [and] we became our own researchers because the IEPA wasn’t providing it [and] the company certainly wasn’t providing it,” NietoGomez said. “We have high rates of cancer, we have high rates of asthma, we know it’s affecting us.”

During the HIA process, there were three community meetings and only one where residents were allowed to give input. The amount of attendees was also limited, according to NietoGomez.

“We can’t keep fighting this development by development, and it’s not fair to the communities that keep having to have the same fight over and over again,” NietoGomez said.

The ASE, along with other environmental justice organizations, continue to fight the permits for the relocation of industrial developments on the Southeast Side.

“Many times this community has been promised stuff and it has been failed,” Rodriguez said. “Something needs to be done about environmental justice in this area, and if cumulative impacts are going to help that, then…people need to understand because it's all of us, not just me believing in this…it’s everyone. It isn’t about giving up.”

Currently, NietoGomez said the ASE has been fighting the Confined Disposal Facility, located on the lakefront near Calumet Park at the mouth of the Calumet River where they pull toxic dredgings from the waterway. The group is also battling The Invert, an underground mining project proposed by construction materials company Ozinga Bros. Inc. on a toxic site located near area residences. As of now, NietoGomez said both proposals are moving forward.

“You keep putting toxic developments here, stop it,” NietoGomez said. “We thought when we had the General Iron victory that would change things, but since then, Sims Metal is still moving forward, MAT Asphalt is still moving forward. This is not okay and this needs to stop.”

SAMANTHA MOILANEN | THE DEPAULIA

Trash bags litter the ground outside a trailer repair service on S. Lawndale Ave. The cumulative impact legislation aims to hold the city accountable for environmental injustices.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

By Kiersten Riedford News Editor

Arbin Smith, DePaul alum and current Chief of Staff, attended Thursday’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting to answer the representatives’ questions about DePaul President Robert L. Manuel’s plan for the future of the university.

SGA Vice President Magoli Garcia said that she and Kevin Holechko, SGA president, are focusing on giving the SGA senators and general student body the opportunity to match “a name to a face” this quarter.

“We do plan on having several deans of colleges come and visit, and use that as an opportunity especially like our senators have, like different colleges to meet with their direct link to the administration,” Garcia said. “So I think we're really excited to see President Rob coming in within the next few weeks.”

“It's really just so we could have a more effective and positive working relationship with the school administration, but also, I think it does, like it kind of humanizes the administration,” Holechko said.

Smith said at the beginning of the meeting that he never intended to get into higher education. He said he originally came in to meet with Manuel to discuss strategies of how to improve the university from a business perspective. After their meeting, Manuel asked Smith to be his Chief of Staff.

Sergio Godinez, Student Government Association (SGA) EVP of Academic Affairs, points out the importance of inclusion at DePaul during a meeting on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Fast Facts

70.2% DePaul's acceptance rate as of 2020.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

When describing his role as Chief of Staff, Smith said “two days are never the same” when it comes to planning how to better the university.

Smith said a large part of Manuel’s goals come down to a couple of things: diversity, equity and inclusion, retention and “making DePaul the standard of higher education.”

“[We need to ask] what does the university need to look like for more people to want to be students here, the enrollment we need to have to be a magnet for faculty and students,” Smith said. “The cornerstone of what Rob will be building is around interdisciplinary studies, the studies have to be really strong.”

Smith said Manuel’s cabinet is looking to create student leaders who are flexible and agile “so when it comes to critical thinking, they get a competitive edge.”

But along with creating that “competitive edge” comes a need to make the enrollment process slightly more rigorous, which is a difficult task, especially with an upcoming population decrease.

Nathan Grawe, an economist at Carleton College in Minnesota, told The Hechinger Report that he predicts that the college-going population will drop by 15% between 2025 and 2029 and will continue to decline by a couple more percentage points following that timeframe. This population decrease is a large result of the 2008 recession which caused many people to stray from having children, Grawe said.

But, even with this percentage drop, the top 100 elite universities are looking to continue having high demand according to The Hechinger Report. This is a large reason why many universities are pushing to increase in competitiveness over the next couple of years.

Manuel, as a result of the top 100 universities not being affected by the upcoming college population decrease, is aiming to make DePaul more competitive and challenging so it can accomplish the title of being in the top 100 universities.

“That cliff is real, there will be winners and losers in that process...you are going to have more seats than there are people,” Smith said. “We need to have a compelling reason

Smith said another aspect of making DePaul appealing to prospective students is having people in the administration who understand the needs of students.

“We need to have a person in the chair who understands the need and is responsive to the need,” Smith said.

But to promise leadership that is present and willing to respond to the needs of students feels too good to be true for a lot of students, especially because DePaul leadership was absent for much of the pandemic.

Garcia said even though it has been a couple of rocky years for the student-administration connection, she thinks that improvement will happen especially since there is more of an approach change rather than simply a leadership change.

“One thing I can really appreciate about President Rob's approach is his approach to improve things based off of the connection he has with people,” Garcia said.

She said she appreciates how Manuel meets people with an emphasis on relationship building as opposed to looking only at the numbers or financials.

“Although [those are] important in running a school, President Rob, he takes the time and he takes the commitment,” Garcia said. “[He forms] relationships with people and remembers small things about people. Lord knows how he remembers, considering how many people he meets a day, like, gosh. But out of all the interactions that I've had myself with him…[I've] just been met with grace and humanity.”

Holechko is firm in his belief that Manuel will stick true to his word.

“I have no reason to believe that this President will not stick to his word and give it his all,” Holechko said. “I think he's demonstrated in the short time he has been the president of this institution that he is more than willing to go out of his way to advocate not only for students, but for staff, faculty, and really just for DePaul, in general.”

Garcia said she is excited to be around for the beginning process of the university improvements.

“I want to be able to leave the university and be proud of my alma mater,” Garcia said. “And, you know, knocking on wood, fingers crossed, and maybe whether it be in five or 20 years, I'll be able to look back and say ‘Wow, I graduated from that university.’”

71.2% graduation rate as of 2020. 83% retention rate as of 2020. News. The DePaulia. Jan. 23, 2023 | 9

Garcia and Holechko said there are going to be more university administration personnel coming to SGA meetings throughout the quarter. For students that are interested in connecting with administration, Garcia said that anyone in the student body is welcome to attend the meetings and participate in the sessions. SGA meets on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in McGowan South 105.

DePaul Chief of Staff attends SGA

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY | JEFF CARRION Arbin Smith, DePaul Chief of Staff and university alum, was appointed to the role by Manuel in Oct. 2022.

SGA President Kevin Holechko (right) said he has no reason to believe that DePaul President Robert L. Manuel won't stick to his promises about university improvements.

“I want to be able to leave the university and be proud of my alma mater."

Magoli Garcia Student Government Association vice president

for [prospective students] to come. There are a lot of success stories that come out of DePaul and we have to do better at communicating those.”

Nation & World

Israel’s re-election of Netanyahu has caused a ripple effect

By Max Rayman

Despite being under a cloud of corruption charges, Benjamin Netanyahu recently won a tight race to become Israel’s Prime Minister again.

Sworn into office for an unprecedented sixth term on Dec. 29, Netanyahu leads the farthest-right government in Israel’s history.

He makes his return after 18 months of being out of office, having previously been Prime Minister from 1996-1999 and from 2009-2021.

Many say that his new coalition, which includes the Religious Zionists Party, has its eyes set on drastic changes.

“They are already pursuing plans to restrict the rights of minorities, alter the system of governmental checks and balances, hollow out the Israeli judiciary, exert influence over the army and security forces, and allow harsher treatment of Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories,” Shira Rubin wrote in an article in December for The Washington Post.

Netanyahu’s reelection has led to mixed reactions, with many fearful of the damage his farright coalition can cause.

Thousands of Israelis have already taken to the streets to protest, as seen on Jan. 7 in Tel Aviv.

The protests led to streets being blocked by the massive crowds, angering the new coalition — specifically National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvi.

Gvi responded by authorizing the police to begin cracking down on the protestors and even accused them of using “kids gloves.”

But it’s not just in Israel where people are vocally opposing the new government, with the United States worried about their

long-time ally.

Some of Netanyahu’s far-right partners want to weaken the Israeli Supreme Court, putting the Biden administration on edge.

On Jan. 4, Yariv Levin, Israel’s Justice Minister, released the government’s plan for “judicial reform.” Barak Ravid, a journalist for Axios, recently wrote about Levin’s new plan and how it will weaken the Israeli Supreme Court.

“The plan includes passing a law that will allow the governing coalition to override Supreme Court rulings by a simple majority of 61 votes in the 120-member Knesset,” Ravid said. “According to Levin’s plan, only a special chamber of all 15 Supreme Court judges will be able to review laws. It will need at least 12 judges to rule against a law in order to strike it down.”

Jewish students on campus at DePaul have made their thoughts clear on the new coalition.

Despite feeling a strong connection to the state of Israel, they are disheartened by where matters can potentially head.

“I have to disagree with the majority of his policies,” said Emily Fridland, president of DePaul Chabad Jewish Student Club.

“Statistically, every time there is turmoil in the Israeli government or some of the more far-right religious groups

are more in power, there is always more antisemitism being directed to the Jews in the diaspora which includes the U.S. This makes me worried.”

Fridland isn’t the only student to voice her worries.

“As Jewish students outside of Israel, all we want to see is peace between everyone there,” said Justin Fisher, vice president of DePaul Chabad. “We don’t want to see constant violence.”

Some of the farther-right parties of the new coalition have been vocal about passing laws that would allow discrimination against LGBTQ people.

However, Netanyahu has spoken out against those comments, rebuking his own party.

“What you are seeing is an attempt to form a coalition to have a stable government,” said Ezra Balser, the campus rabbi for Metro Chicago Hillel. “So, people are making trades and compromises. The Prime Minister said there will be no threat to LGBTQ rights in Israel. He even named Amir Ohana, the Speaker of the Knesset, who is the first openly gay speaker of the Knesset and a member of his Likud party.”

Another main focus of Netanyahu’s new coalition is to increase construction in the Western Bank, which is near the coast of the Mediterranean.

This raises a major issue. Israel seized the Western Bank in 1967 during the Six Day War, and it is already home to over 500,000 Israelis.

Yet, Palestine and its supporters still

view that land as their own and vie for its return.

Additional construction can potentially lead to more violent conflicts with Palestine.

“Netanyahu’s plan to expand tourism in the Western Bank is just a cry for violence for everyone living there,” Fridland said. “The tourism minister recently referred to the Western Bank as their local Tuscany, which I think makes matters so much worse. There are more peaceful ways to go about this, and this is not one of them.”

Only back in office for two weeks, Netanyahu’s new coalition is already encased in negative publicity.

As more potential conflicts between Israel and the Palestinans loom, the effects will continue to be felt globally.

“We aren’t Israeli, so we don’t get affected directly by what Netanyahu does in Israel since we live in the U.S.,” Fisher said. “So, for us, it’s about what we can do to help people in Israel as well as what we can do ourselves by advocating and speaking out about what’s going on in Israel.”

ODED BALILTY| ASSOCIATED PRESS

Contributing Writer

“They are already pursuing plans to restrict the rights of minorities, alter the system of governmental checks and balances, hollow out the Israeli judiciary, exert influence over the army and security forces, and allow harsher treatment of Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories,”

Shira Rubin

The Washington Post

Protesters rally against the government’s plans to overhaul the country’s legal system, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. They were met with police resistance.

MENAHEM KAHANA| POOL PHOTO VIA AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem.

Kim Jong Un calls for mass production of missiles

By Ruchi Nawathe Nation & World Editor

Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, North Korea has been seeking to unify the peninsula under their authoritarian regime.

At the end of December, the North Korean Workers’ Party met for a five day meeting not long after a North Korean surveillance drone was spotted in South Korean Airspace. At the conference, Kim Jong Un called for the mass production of short range nuclear missiles to be used against South Korea and the production of a long range ballistic missile to be used against the United States, according to the New York Times.

Hyejin Kim, DePaul public relations and advertising professor, grew up in South Korea and is used to the North Korean threat.

“The threat we receive from North Korea has been pretty aggressive recently, so it gives me some concerns but it’s actually not really new to Koreans,” Kim said. “We’ve been dealing with this for 50 plus years.”

Despite the ever-present threat that Kim grew up with, she had noticed a shift in North Korean attitudes.

“Recently, North Korea’s attitude toward South Korea has been aggressive, because ever since we had a conservative president elected, the tensions between North Korea and South Korea have been getting increased,” Kim said.

The cause behind the rise in tensions could be attributed to South Korea’s attitude towards North Korea more than it could be attributed to North Korea itself.

“North Korean behavior I would say is quite consistent, so if you look at the party documents and the ideology and the orientation and the world view of the senior leadership, of course they’re dissatisfied with the division of Korea and they would

like to see Korea unified under their terms … they’ve never renounced the use of force to reach their goal,” said Daniel Pinkston, international relations lecturer at Troy University in Alabama.

Pinkston is currently teaching in South Korea under a U.S. military contract.

North Korea has been sending drones into South Korean airspace for years, but December marked one of the rare times that South Korea dispatched fighter jets to take down the drones, according to the New York Times.

“From the standpoint of the South Korean government, it is expected that North Korea will step up its conventional provocations,” said Dong Hyun Lee, DePaul Korean Association president. “If North Korea makes another provocation like this, there will be a bigger response.”

Many South Koreans hold unsavory feelings towards the North Korean gov-

ernment and military due to the threat it poses against South Koreans.

“Korean men have to finish mandatory military service because of North Korea,” Lee said. “That is why most people are hostile to North Korea. Unless North Korea directly attacks South Korean territory, South Koreans don’t feel it’s a big threat because it’s a frequent occurrence.”

In 2022, South Korea welcomed Yoon Suk Yeol as its new president. Yoon’s conservative stance leaves little tolerance for North Korea’s provocations.

“Every president has their own stance towards North Korea, and especially this president has a more aggressive attitude towards North Korea,” Kim said.

Yoon has named North Korea as South Korea’s enemy, and his attitude prompted Kim Jong Un to call for missile production at the Workers’ Party conference.

“President Yoon Suk Yeol has taken

a hardline stance on North Korea since the beginning of his inauguration, so it is unlikely that his position will change dramatically,” Lee said.

Postdoctoral fellow at Stanford’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center Kyuri Park is optimistic about North and South Korean relations.

“I don’t think it will go to a full fledged war, rather the two sides will opt for negotiation,” Park said.

If North Korea does decide to declare war against South Korea, it would happen gradually.

“It would be an observable process, kind of, going to war, and then there would be reluctance to use nuclear weapons because then that’s game over because the U.S. has a security treaty obligation to respond and retaliate,” Pinkston said.

Most likely, North Korea will not start a nuclear war since there is an extremely slim chance that it would result in North Korea’s success.

“If a war breaks out between the two Koreas, the Chinese military will intervene, but the Chinese military is not as strong as the U.S.,” Lee said. “Therefore, the probability that the North Korean army will win is close to zero.”

North Korea is known for its oppressive regime and human rights violations. Not much is known about life in North Korea, but it is known that almost all aspects of citizens’ lives are controlled by the government and they are unable to access most non-North Korean media.

“These people [North Koreans] have been living here since they were born, they have no concept of freedom,” Park said.

Park believes there is a better way to free North Korean citizens from their government than by going to war.

“Give them [non-North Korean] media so they know what freedom is so they can help themselves,” Park said.

US Treasury buys time for Biden and GOP on debt limit deal

By Josh Boak Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government bumped up against its debt limit Thursday, prompting the Treasury Department to take “extraordinary” accounting steps to avoid default — as friction between President Joe Biden and House Republicans raised concern about whether the U.S. can sidestep an economic crisis.

The Treasury Department said in a letter to congressional leaders it had started taking “extraordinary measures” as the government had run up against its legal borrowing capacity of $31.381 trillion. An artificially imposed cap, the debt ceiling has been increased roughly 80 times since the 1960s.

Markets so far remain relatively calm, given that the government can temporarily rely on accounting tweaks to stay open and any threats to the economy would be several months away. Even many worried analysts assume there will be a deal.

But this particular moment seems more fraught than past brushes with the debt limit because of the broad differences between Biden and new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who presides over a restive Republican caucus.

Those differences increase the risk that the government could default on its obligations for political reasons. That could rattle financial markets and plunge the world’s largest economy into a preventable recession.

Biden and McCarthy, R-Calif., have several months to reach agreement as the Treasury Department imposes measures to keep

the government operating until at least June. But years of intensifying partisan hostility have led to a conflicting set of demands that jeopardize the ability of the lawmakers to work together on a basic duty.

Biden insists on a “clean” increase to the debt limit so that existing financial commitments can be sustained and is refusing to even start talks with Republicans. McCarthy is calling for negotiations that he believes will lead to spending cuts. It’s unclear how much he wants to trim and whether fellow Republicans would support any deal after a testy start to the new Congress that required 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy as speaker.

Asked twice on Wednesday if there was evidence that House Republicans can ensure the government will avert a default, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it’s their “constitutional responsibility.” She did not say whether the White House saw signs at this stage that a default was out of the question.

McCarthy said Biden needs to recognize the political realities that come with a divided government. The speaker equates the debt ceiling to a credit card limit and calls for a level of fiscal restraint that did not occur under President Donald Trump, a Republican who in 2019 signed a bipartisan suspension of the debt ceiling.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky, that he was unconcerned about the situation because debt ceiling increases are “always a rather contentious effort.”

But any deal would also need to pass the Democratic-run Senate. Many Democrat-

ic lawmakers are skeptical about the ability to work with Republicans aligned with the “Make America Great Again” movement started by Trump. The MAGA movement has claimed that the 2020 election lost by Trump was rigged, a falsehood that contributed to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The debt ceiling was originally a fix made during World War I that enabled bonds to be issued without requiring repeated congressional approvals. But in an era of polarization and rising debt loads, the limit has been transformed into a political bludgeon. It does not reflect the actual capacity of the federal government to borrow, simply how much it is legally able to do so without congressional signoff.

In order to keep the government open, the Treasury Department on Thursday was

making a series of accounting maneuvers that would put a hold on contributions and investment redemptions for government workers’ retirement and health care funds, giving the government enough financial space to handle its day-to-day expenses until roughly June.

What happens if these measures are exhausted without a debt limit deal is unknown. A prolonged default could be devastating, with crashing markets and panic-driven layoffs if confidence evaporated in a cornerstone of the global economy, the U.S. Treasury note.

Analysts at Bank of America cautioned in a report last week that “there is a high degree of uncertainty about the speed and magnitude of the damage the U.S. economy would incur.”

KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY | KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP

CLIFF OWEN | ASSOCIATED PRESS

This image of the North Korean Parliament was provided by the North Korean government. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks with reporters during a visit to the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.

Opinions

The education of Latine journalists must be sustained

By Jacqueline cardenas & nadia carolina Hernandez La DePaulia Editor-In-Chief, Print Managing Editor

When Laura Rodriguez Presa was an undergraduate journalism student at DePaul, she had no bilingual professors teaching courses centered around reporting on Latine communities.

“It seemed like there was a clear line between Spanish and English media… It seemed like that was something that we could never change,” Rodriguez Presa said.

After years of experience working at the Chicago Tribune as a bilingual journalist covering the city’s Latine community, she will return to DePaul on Jan. 27 as the first bilingual reporting fellow to teach a Latine-focused journalism course this winter quarter.

Rodriguez Presa is the first bilingual reporting professor DePaul has hired in 10 years.

There is currently one tenured Latine assistant sports communication professor at DePaul, Vincent Peña.

Rodriguez Presa will also co-advise DePaul’s two Spanish publications, La DePaulia and Pueblo.

As Latina journalists, the creation of this course is a valuable investment to our education. It provides an opportunity for everyone to learn how to report on our growing community.

Shortly after our National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) student chapter and La DePaulia team members published “Letter from La DePaulia: It’s time to invest in education of Latinx journalists,” this fellowship opportunity and journalism course was created. The letter accompanied a speech given in November, and both asked the university to improve its diversity within the journalism department.

We want to extend our gratitude to the College of Communication and Journalism program for working with us. We’d also like to thank our interim dean Alexandra Murphy, College of Communication DEI committee president Luisela Alvarey and our co-advisers Robin Hoecker and Vincent Peña.

In just a couple of months, they created a plan for a bilingual reporting class at no additional cost, a mentor for both publications and an incoming adviser for NAHJ DePaul.

Rodriguez Presa said she wants

to teach students to search for the “little” stories; ones that are centered around community yet are frequently overlooked.

“We often forget that the main power of writing is connecting human beings,” she said.

We want to continue to find ways to support bilingual and Latine journalism students at DePaul. Hiring Rodriguez Presa is a good faith step in fulfilling DePaul’s section 2.3 of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 2020-2024 action plan.

Graduate and undergraduate students can sign up for the “JOUR 290: Reporting on Latinx Communities” course through their Campus Connect. In order to be accepted into the class students must email their advisor and let them know they would like to enroll by the Jan. 27 deadline.

The class is a two-credit course that will meet once every Friday from 1p.m. to 4p.m from Jan. 27 to Feb. 24.

DePaul’s full-time student tuition package includes 12-18 quarter hours, according to its website. Students taking four classes, totaling 16 hours, can enroll in this course without any additional cost.

The course is open to all students, regardless of Spanish language proficiency or major.

NAHJ DePaul co-adviser and journalism professor Robin Hoecker said the course can help all journalists even if they are not of Latine descent.

“Even people who don’t speak Spanish, I think, would want to take this class just to be able to do their jobs better,” Hoecker said.

Latine individuals have become the second largest minority group in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with a population of 62.1

million in 2020. For a higher educational institution to qualify as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), at least 25% of undergraduate, full-time equivalent students must be enrolled, according to the U.S Department of Education.

Nearly 20% of students at DePaul are Hispanic, according to the university’s 2020 enrollment summary.

Hoecker said, “this is not going to likely radically shift the journalism curriculum right now,” though her main goal is to create a sustainable course for years to come.

a bilingual print publication called “Ahora DePaul,” but it folded by 2005, according to DePaul Special Collections & Archives. In 2017, Students attempted to create a NAHJ chapter but were unable to get the official status, according to Hoecker.

Hoecker told La DePaulia about her own experience as a student activist when she was a part of Penn State University’s undergraduate program.

Hoecker said she remembers documenting Black students protesting on campus against death threats they received and the ways it led to change after meetings with school administrators.

The experience was “eye-opening” and years later, she finds herself “at the other side of the table” as a professor.

Hoecker said she reflects on what she wishes those school administrators would have done to help students.

“I wish they had really listened to what the students were asking for instead of being defensive as their first reaction,” Hoecker said.

She said that individuals sometimes react defensively to signs of activism, but it can lead to “structural changes that are really important.”

Although this is a significant milestone, we want to expand our efforts to advocate for other student journalists of color to create spaces that teach them how to best report on their communities.

“I hope that it's something that inspires the next generation of journalists,” Rodriguez Presa said.

DePaul has offered Spanish language reporting classes in previous years, though “it has been a while” Associate professor and chair of Journalism in the College of Communication Jason Martin said.

“There are certain particular issues with language and certainly culture and things that are very specific to Latine communities, and that benefit you as a reporter, no matter where you are in your development,” Martin said.

In the late 1990’s, students created

We believe an intercultural approach is the most effective for expanding diversity in journalism. Having Latine journalism spaces within the university is not enough to call a newsroom diverse.

DEPAUL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

An archive copy of "Ahora DePaul", a bilingual publication launched in the late 1990. The paper was discontinued in the early 2000s.

New bilingual reporting course offers a step towards inclusivity

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Laura Rodriguez Presa speaks at the NAHJ reception in September 2022. At the end of the month, Rodriguez Presa will begin teaching a bilingual reporting course at DePaul University.

“I hope that it's something that inspires the next generation of journalists"

Laura Rodriguez Presa Bilingual Reporting Fellow

COLUMN: Dressing the part

The struggle to balance heritage and assimilation

By rucHi nawatHe Nation and World Editor

As a child of Indian immigrants living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I grew up very used to the fact that the culture inside my home was different from the culture outside it. I understood from a very young age that when I was outside the home, I had to behave differently.

I was never taught what the shift in language and behavior in different ethnic groups, or code switching is, or that I needed to code switch if I wanted to participate fully in American culture. As far back as I can remember, I have inherently felt the need to behave “American,” demure and feminine, in public, despite growing up in a multicultural part of the country with a large Indian population.

A large part of this assimilation was dressing in Western clothing like jeans, t-shirts, skirts and sweaters. When my parents grew up in Mumbai, the standard for Indian women was to wear a saree or a kurta pajama daily. My own mother used to wear a kurta daily until she immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1990s.

Indian clothes were always worn for special occasions in my

home. Whenever we had a pooja, a party or a wed ding, I would get so ex cited that I could finally wear my beautiful bead ed skirts and blouses, because, no matter how itchy and uncomfortable they were, nothing made me feel prettier. Most Indian clothes are made for their wearer. People will buy natural fabrics and send them to a tailor who will sew the clothing to the wearers exact measurements with plenty of allowance for alteration. Even in shops where people can buy ready to wear clothes, there is always a tailor in-store who will adjust the clothes to the customer’s

specifications. This local, sustainable and affordable form of fashion is the standard in India, keeping the fast fashion industry in check. I have an entire closet full of beautiful Indian clothes that were made to fit me, yet I can never wear them outside while I am in the United States. Despite feeling more comfortable and classy in my Indian clothing than in anything else, I cannot help but feel exposed, like a spectacle, when I wear Indian clothes

During fall quarter, I had to film a video for a The DePaulia article I wrote about the religious holiday Navratri, celebrating the Hindu goddess Durga. I remember getting dressed in my least traditional, most Western-friendly kurta with black leggings and heading over to Lincoln Park via the Red Line.

The entire

time I was in public, I was hyper aware of the fact that people were whipping their heads around with wide eyes to get a good look at me, staring me down from afar, following my movement with their eyes.

Around Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, my friend and I got dressed in sarees to attend a Diwali party, and we both saw how people either blatantly stared at us or very pointedly looked away from us. For some reason, it stung a little more when they looked away. Most likely, the people that looked away were trying to be polite, but it made me feel more ostracized and foreign than if they had gawked.

When I wear my Western clothing, I look ethnically ambiguous. I easily blend in with the American masses. In my Indian clothes, however, I am un-American, a non-Christian foreigner who sticks out of the crowd, who does not belong to this country, who needs to learn how to assimilate.

The United States was founded off immigration. American culture is the clashing of so many different cultures, yet I feel like I have to give up part of my culture and identity in order to make Americans comfortable.

COLUMN: IS THE GOVERNMENT WORKING FOR US?

By Jake cox Opinion Editor

More than ever, the U.S. Government feels an ever-tightening web of Quid Pro Quos, grabs for personal advancement and downright absurd antics. Those already ensnared in the web are going about their daily lives like nothing is wrong—like the house isn’t on fire. While those on the outside, especially young people, are raising eyebrows. There are days that test whether I truly believe that our republic weather the storm. But with what can only be described as naive optimism, I still have faith in our government. It has major problems, but at the end of the day, it works… most of the time.

For many young people, the faith that the federal government is working for us is up in the air. A stark example in the front of people's minds is the 15 rounds of voting it took to elect a speaker of the house. This was the first time since before the civil war that it took this long to elect a speaker of the house—it’s not exactly pointing to a balanced functioning government.

While a speaker was elected— eventually—at what cost? Is our new normal a game of tug of war for power guaranteeing positions to people in power who do not deserve them for a vote? The example at the front of the news cycle is the placement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene R-GA on the Homeland Security Committee. This comes after Greene was removed from both the Edu -

cation and Labor Committee and the Budget Committee after social media posts surfaced of her spreading dangerous and frankly untrue conspiracy theories.

But for some voters, the recent turn of events on capitol hill isn’t any reason to be alarmed.

“I think that the government’s potential to get things done hasn’t really changed,” DePaul freshman Michael Stage said. “We are a resilient, if even stubborn country, and our government’s ability to get things done is only hindered by our ability to pick a productive government.”

There is a lot of merit to that conclusion. It seems like as long as

any of us can remember the congressional deadlock and infighting have been stagnant. Checks and balances and federalism are designed to hold the government to a certain level of gridlock.

However, the divisiveness and infighting within parties have led to nothing being able to get done. But, some moments stand as glimmers of hope.

The landmark, Respect for Marriage Act, codified interracial and gay marriage into federal law on Dec. 13. But there is more to be done.

At the end of the day, I have hope that the government can do what

is best for the citizens. Not because of the politicians themselves, but because of every person working day and night to make change, and do what they think is best for the country.

While it’s easy to lose hope, because honestly who hasn’t, it’s important to take it with a grain of salt, and remember the wins along the way. Also, young people have to remember their power, voting is how we steward democracy. If you can vote, do it; and in that way, it all can seem a little less hopeless.

Nation and World Editor Ruchi Nawathe drapes her saree.

CJ MCKENZIE I THE DEPAULIA

QUENTIN BLAIS I THE DEPAULIA

Heating up:

Candidates vie for 43rd

By Una Cleary Focus Editor

From Diversey to Armitage, the 43rd Ward lines the limits of Lincoln Park, home to DePaul. Since the dividing of the 50 wards of Chicago in 1923, the alderman has served as the representative of each of these wards in Chicago City Council, each representing Chicago’s unique neighborhoods.

The race for electing alderman is underway in the 43rd Ward with Election Day on Feb. 28. Candidates are focusing on public safety concerns, fiscal issues and public education for their campaigns.

“[The 43rd Ward] held a dispro-

portionate influence on the city’s life,” said Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Greg Hinz. Hinz moderated the recent Aldermanic Candidates Forum hosted by the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce.

Currently, Ald. Timmy Knudsen is running to keep his seat after Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed the now youngest member of city council in September. The other five candidates running are Steve Botsford, Brian Comer, Rebecca Janowitz, Steve McClellan and Wendi Taylor Nations. Candidates will go beyond legislating and sitting on committees if elected for alderman.

“Being an alderman is not just

about city hall meetings,” Nations said. “It’s long hours in the ward office, making sure that potholes are taken care of, streetlights are on, and most importantly, our streets are safe.”

For many Chicago politicians, aldermen can be a stepping stone for bigger offices like congress, and mayor. But for Janowitz, running for alderman is a step into her retirement from an attorney at the Cook County sheriff’s department.

“As I’m knocking on doors sometimes I think, why am I doing this?” Janowitz said. “I’m so glad to be running for alderman of this ward where there is work to be

done, but there’s [also] a possibility to get it done.”

At the aldermanic forum on Tuesday Jan. 17, candidates argued for and against the elected school board that is being implemented in Chicago. McClellan feels that having an elected school board will hold CPS accountable for how it allocates its funds.

“How important it is for schools all over the city to have the same resources so you don’t have to come over to the North Side just to get an education,” McClellan said. “All of this ties into economic development, all ties into economic opportunity for these young individuals in the inner city.”

For Comer, the elected school board will present many challenges for the city.

“If you look at Lincoln Park High School, it looks nice from the outside but it is crumbling from the inside,” Comer said. “They are privately fundraising and they shouldn’t.”

According to US News, Lincoln Park High School has a graduation rate of 89% and is ranked 11 among Chicago Public Schools. The neighborhood of Lincoln Park itself is ranked 3rd in the richest neighborhoods in Chicago with a median income of $115,389.

Chicago will have the largest elected school board of any major U.S. city with 21 seats assigned by Gov. J.B. Pritzer. aldermen can be appointed to the position.

For the candidates, DePaul’s relationship with the 43rd Ward alderman is crucial to the development of the neighborhood in many different ways.

“If we lost DePaul, the 43rd Ward wouldn’t be the way it is right now,”

Current 43rd ward Alderman Timmy Knudson responds to questions raised by moderator Greg Hinz related to public safety concerns, education and fiscal issues.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

Timmy Knudsen:

candidates for 43rd ward Aldermen:

Alderman Knudsen was appointed to the position by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to fill a vacancy in September. Knudsen is the youngest alderman at 32 and the first openly gay 43rd Ward alderman.

Steve McClellan: Lived in the ward for almost two decades. Worked to bring sustainable projects to the neighborhood such as a green alley and a multisports field at

Language Academy.

Steve Botsford:

Recent MBA Graduate from Northwestern. Botsford is focusing on curbing crime and economic development.

Rebecca Janowitz:

Former attorney for the Cook County Sheriff’s department. Now in retirement, Janowitz said at the forum she’s self-funded $750,000 to her campaign.

Brian Comer:

President of the Sheffield Neighborhood Association. Comer is involved in hosting regular Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meetings.

Wendi Taylor Nations:

Nations served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Work Business Chicago. She has lived in the ward for nearly 29 years.

43rd representation

said candidate Steve McClellan.

With 17% of students living on campus, DePaul remains integral to the population of the neighborhood.

“DePaul is the same way I will utilize our schools in a neighborhood,” McClellan said. “[Aldermen should] get to understand what the school needs and what you need the aldermen to provide.”

The significance of the aldermanic election and local politics may feel meaningless to many students being from out of Chicago. But in the 2022 midterm elections, the turnout for voters aged 18 to 29 was the second-highest in the past 30 years.

“[Young people] all have a voice and people overlook [it] all the time,” McClellan said. “They don’t think [youth] voices mean anything, but [they’re] the future.”

Staying involved with these elections and choosing which candidate voters align with is crucial to how their needs will be represented in the ward. Candidates urge students to go look at their neighborhood, whether that be the 43rd Ward or others, to see how they can get involved.

“Please vote,” Janowitz said. “The only people voting are all old. We need young people to vote because we can’t go on like this.”

To vote for the 43rd Ward alderman, early voting starts on Jan. 26 and ends on election day, Feb. 28.

Early voting for the aldermanic elections starts on Jan. 26 and ends on election day Feb. 28. Check the Board of Election Commissioners for voting locations.

LaSalle

INFORMATION FROM CANDIDATES RESPECTIVE CAMPAIGN WEBSITES

La DePaulia

La educación de los periodistas latinos debe ser sostenida

By Jacqueline

Cuando Laura Rodríguez Presa era estudiante de periodismo en DePaul, no había profesores bilingües que impartieran cursos centrados en informar sobre las comunidades latines.

“Parecía que había una línea clara entre los medios en español y en inglés… Parecía que eso era algo que nunca podríamos cambiar”, dijo Rodríguez Presa.

Después de años de experiencia trabajando en el Chicago Tribune como periodista bilingüe, cubriendo la comunidad latina de la ciudad, regresará a DePaul el 27 de enero como la primera reportera bilingüe en dictar un curso de periodismo enfocado en latinos este trimestre de invierno.

Rodríguez Presa será la primera profesora de periodismo bilingüe que DePaul haya contratado en los últimos 10 años.

Ella se une al profesor asistente de comunicación deportiva latino titular en DePaul, Vincent Peña.

Rodríguez Presa también co-asesorará las dos publicaciones en español de DePaul, La DePaulia y Pueblo.

Como periodistas latinas, la creación de este curso es una inversión valiosa para nuestra educación. Esto es significativo porque brindará una oportunidad para que todos aprendan cómo informar sobre nuestra creciente comunidad.

Esta oportunidad de beca y curso de periodismo se creó poco después de que nuestro capítulo estudiantil de la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ) y los miembros del equipo de La DePaulia publicaran “Carta de La DePaulia: Es hora de invertir en la educación de los periodistas latinos”. La carta iba acompañada de un discurso que dimos en septiembre del año pasado pidiendo a la universidad que mejorará su diversidad dentro del periodismo.

Queremos extender nuestro agradecimiento al programa de la Facultad de Comunicación y Periodismo por trabajar con nosotros. Un agradecimiento especial a nuestra decana interina Alexandra Murphy, a la presidenta del comité DEI Luisela Alvarey,

y

a los co-asesores Robin Hoecker y Vincent Peña.

En solo un par de meses, crearon un plan para una clase gratuita de reportajes bilingües, contrataron una mentora para ambas publicaciones y una asesora entrante para NAHJ DePaul.

Rodríguez Presa dijo que quiere enseñar a los estudiantes a buscar las “pequeñas” historias, las que se centran en la comunidad pero que, con frecuencia, se pasan por alto.

“A menudo olvidamos que el principal poder de la escritura es conectar a los seres humanos”, ella dijo. Queremos seguir encontrando formas de apoyar a los estudiantes de periodismo bilingües y latinos en DePaul. La contratación de Rodríguez Presa es un paso hacia el cumplimiento de la sección 2.3 de DePaul de su plan de acción de Diversidad, Equidad e Inclusión (DEI) 2020-2024.

Los estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado pueden inscribirse al curso JOUR 290 a través de la plataforma Campus Connect. Los estudiantes deben enviar un correo electrónico a su asesor informándoles que les gustaría inscribirse para ser aceptados en la clase antes de la fecha límite del 27 de enero.

La clase es un curso de dos créditos que se reunirá una vez cada viernes de 1pm a 4pm.

El paquete de matrícula para estudiantes de tiempo completo de DePaul incluye de 12 a 18 cuartos de hora, según su sitio web. Los estudiantes que toman cuatro clases, en promedio 16 horas en total, pueden inscribirse en este curso sin ningún costo adicional.

El curso está abierto a todos los estudiantes, independientemente de su dominio del idioma español o especialización.

El co-asesor de NAHJ DePaul y profesor de periodismo, Robin Hoecker, dijo que el curso puede ayudar a todos los periodistas, incluso si no son de descendencia latina.

“Creo que incluso las personas que no hablan español querrían tomar esta clase solo para poder hacer mejor su trabajo”, dijo Hoecker.

Las personas latinas se han convertido en el segundo grupo minoritario más grande de la nación según la Oficina del Censo de EE.UU., con una población de 62,1 millones en 2020.

Para que una institución de educación superior califique como Institución al servicio de los hispanos (HSI), al menos el 25 % de los estudiantes equivalentes a tiempo completo deben estar matriculados de acuerdo con el Departamento de Educación de EE. UU. Casi el 20% de los estudiantes de DePaul son hispanos, según el resumen de inscripción de 2020 de la universidad.

Hoecker dijo que “es probable que esto no cambie radicalmente el plan de estudios de periodismo en este momento”, aunque su objetivo principal es crear un curso sostenible en los años venideros.

DePaul ha tenido clases previas de reportajes en español, aunque “ha pasado un tiempo”, dijo el profesor asociado y presidente de periodismo en la Facultad de Comunicación Jason Martin.

“Hay ciertos problemas particulares con el idioma y ciertamente la cultura y cosas que son muy específicas de las comunidades latinas y que te benefician como reportero, sin importar en qué parte de tu desarrollo te encuentres”, dijo Martin.

A fines de la década de 1990, los estudiantes crearon una publicación impresa bilingüe llamada “Ahora DePaul” que se suspendió en 2005 según DePaul Special Collections & Archives. Los estudiantes también intentaron en 2017 crear un capítulo de la NAHJ, pero nunca pudieron obtener el estatus oficial, según Hoecker.

Hoecker le contó a La DePaulia sobre su propia experiencia como activista estudiantil cuando formaba parte del programa de estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de Pensilvania.

Hoecker dijo que recuerda haber documentado a los estudiantes de color protestando en el campus contra las amenazas de muerte que recibieron y las formas en que eso condujo al cambio después de las reuniones con los administradores escolares.

La experiencia fue “reveladora” y años después, se encuentra “al otro lado de la mesa” como profesora.

Hoecker dijo que reflexiona sobre lo que desearía que esos administradores escolares hubieran hecho para ayudar a los estudiantes.

“Desearía que realmente hubieran

escuchado lo que los estudiantes pedían en lugar de ponerse a la defensiva como primera reacción”, dijo Hoecker.

Ella dijo que a veces las personas pueden reaccionar a la defensiva ante las señales de activismo, pero eso puede conducir a “cambios estructurales que son realmente importantes”.

Si bien este es un cambio significativo, queremos expandir nuestros esfuerzos para abogar por otros estudiantes de periodismo de color y crear espacios donde puedan aprender a informar mejor sobre sus comunidades.

“Espero que sea algo que inspire a la próxima generación de periodistas”, dijo Rodríguez Presa.

Creemos que un enfoque intercultural es el más efectivo para expandir la diversidad en el periodismo. Tener espacios de periodismo latino dentro de la universidad no es suficiente para llamar diversa a una sala de redacción.

COLECCIONES ESPECIALES Y ARCHIVOS DEPAUL | LA DEPAULIA

Laura Rodríguez Presa habla en la recepción de NAHJ en septiembre de 2022. Al final del mes, enseñará un curso bilingüe de reportaje en DePaul.

“Espero que sea algo que inspire a la próxima generacion de periódistas.”

Laura Rodríguez Presa Profesor de periodismo bilingüe

KIERSTEN REIDFORD | LA DEPAULIA

Nuevo curso de reportaje bilingüe ofrece un paso hacia la inclusión un sentido de comunidad a los estudiantes de DePaul

caRDenas

naDia caRolina heRnanDez Jefa de Redacción y Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

Una copia de archivo de “Ahora DePaul”, una publicación bilingüe lanzada a fines de la década de 1990.

Los lectores buscan la falta de representación latine en las librerías y el mundo editorial

By Cary Robbins y Santiago Posada-Jaramillo Editor de Noticias y Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

Michael Watson estaba mirando a través del escaparate de Pilsen Community Books cuando vio un libro. Capitol City: la gentrificación y el estado inmobiliario llamó su atención. Aunque había vivido en el vecindario durante 10 años, nunca antes había notado la librería local, pero decidió entrar.

“No fueron solo bestsellers ni nada por el estilo”, dijo Watson. “Parecía más relacionado con las cosas que suceden aquí, las voces locales”.

Pilsen Community Books comenzó como una librería de libros usados en 2016 sirviendo al vecindario de Pilsen, pero en marzo de 2020, se convirtió en la primera librería independiente en Chicago en ser propiedad y operada únicamente por sus empleados. Según su sitio web, la misión de la librería es “unir su pasión por la venta de libros con su creencia de que el trabajo tiene derecho a todo lo que produce”.

Watson disfruta buscando libros en la librería porque dice que no puede encontrar esos libros en la biblioteca o en otras librerías corporativas. La librería tiene secciones como “Complejo industrial penitenciario y abolición policial”, “Organización”, “Trabajo”, “Estudios poscoloniales”, e incluso secciones en español para niños, adultos jóvenes y adultos, además de secciones que normalmente no se encuentran en las librerías más grandes.

Elise Campuzano, que visitaba la librería por segunda vez, vino a buscar libros que no fueran escritos por autores heterosexuales blancos. Campuzano estaba mirando las memorias de Erika Sánchez “Llorando en el Baño”, tratando de buscar diferentes autores y dijo que se necesita más representación en los libros.

“Quiero que me vean”, dijo Campuzano. “Quiero que me escuchen y siento que eso es

realmente importante”.

De acuerdo a un estudio realizado en 2019 por Lee & Low Books, la industria editorial es 76% blanca y solo 6% latina. El New York Times publicó un artículo que demostró que en 2018, mientras “Los blancos no hispanos representan el 60 por ciento de la población de EE. UU.; en 2018, escribieron el 89 por ciento de los libros de nuestra muestra”.

María Dorado es una estudiante de posgrado en la Universidad DePaul y está estudiando en la Maestría en Literatura Inglesa y Publicaciones. Llegó a DePaul porque quería ayudar a que hubiera más representación latina en la industria editorial, por lo que Dorado decidió iniciar el Latinx Writing Group, que comenzó a reunirse en noviembre de 2022.

Dorado dijo que el propósito del Latinx Writing Group es brindar un espacio para que los estudiantes se reúnan y compartan su trabajo. Explicó que es una forma de que los estudiantes latinos “obtengan comentarios específicos sobre nuestro trabajo sin tener que preocuparse siempre por explicar los aspectos culturales de nuestra escritura”.

Con tan poca representación latina en la industria editorial, espera animar a sus compañeros a seguir escribiendo y compartiendo sus historias y artículos. Ella sabe que muchos jóvenes latinos se desaniman de conseguir trabajos en las artes, pero quiere que eso cambie. Espera hacer crecer el Latinx Writing Group este año y espera que continúe después de que ella se haya ido.

“Me encanta escuchar las historias que escribe la gente y lo que surge con más frecuencia, especialmente cuando les damos pequeñas indicaciones para inspirarlos”, dijo Dorado. “Me encanta ver las diferentes tomas que [los asistentes] tendrán sobre la misma idea o el mismo concepto”

No solo es importante que los editores y editores latinos editen libros escritos por autores latinos para evitar historias con whitewashing, o que muestren algo ‘blanco’ a pesar de no serlo, sino que Dorado también cree que es necesario que los editores latinos en la industria observen la escritura de alguien que no es parte de la comunidad latina pero que esté escribiendo sobre la experiencia latina.

Cuando el libro “Tierra Americana” fue lanzado por primera vez, hubo una gran controversia. Si bien se comercializó por primera vez como un escrito de la experiencia latina, pronto sería expuesto como muy inexacto. Una mujer blanca escribió sobre una madre y su hijo que huyen de México para ir a los Estados Unidos después de que su familia fuera asesinada por un cartel de la droga. Dorado leyó el libro ella misma y supuso que si el libro hubiera sido editado por una editorial latina, las inexactitudes podrían haberse evitado en menor grado.

Dorado anima a la gente a invertir en autores latinos y su representación en la publicación de libros. Ella ha visto que muchas veces hay tendencias para apoyar li-

bros escritos por autores latinos, negros o LGBTQ+, pero esas tendencias tienden a apagarse después de un tiempo. En cambio, desea que la gente apoye constantemente a los autores latinos comprando sus libros y escribiendo reseñas sobre ellos.

“Como consumidores, cuanto más interés mostremos en estos libros, más ayudará su publicación”, dijo Dorado. “Creo que es importante no solo que se publiquen, sino que exijamos la necesidad de que se publiquen”.

OPINIÓN: La comunidad de Pilsen tiene sus propias soluciones a la violencia armada

By Santiago Posada-Jaramillo Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

¿Alguna vez han escuchado un disparo? Es un sonido particular. Es parecido al sonido de los fuegos artificiales, pero con más eco.

Hay una parte de mí que, cuándo he creído escuchar un disparo, se pone a pensar que pude ser yo quien lo hubiera recibido.

¿Qué hubiera pasado si hubiera ido a hacer compras hoy y no ayer? ¿O si hubiera decidido sacar la basura justo ahora?

Es un miedo que no todo el mundo se ve obligado a enfrentar, especialmente no como parte de su vida diaria.

“Algunos miembros escucharon los disparos”, dijo Nick Joy, miembro de la comunidad de Pilsen y jóven activista con Pilsen Alliance, organización comunitaria que lucha por la justicia social, refiriéndose a algunos estudiantes de la Benito Juarez Community Academy con quienes trabaja.

Según Joy, unos miembros con quienes trabaja escucharon los disparos que mataron a Brandon Perez, de 15 años, y Nathan Billegas, de 14, justo fuera de su escuela el pasado 16 de diciembre de 2022.

A pesar de que la comunidad siente que la situación ha mejorado en comparación con décadas pasadas, en los últimos años ha habido un significativo aumento en los eventos violentos con armas en Pilsen.

Sobre esto comentó KiD, activista, fotógrafo y candidato al Concejo Policial del Distrito 12 de 21 años:

“Ha mejorado, pero todavía hay gente

muriendo,” él dijo.

Esta es una buena muestra de cómo se siente gran parte de la comunidad. Por un lado se siente un cierto optimismo sobre la situación, por el otro es imposible escapar del hecho de que este tipo de cosas siguen pasando, a pesar de que no deberían.

Moises Moreno, Director ejecutivo de Pilsen Alliance, comentó sobre cómo es la regularidad de estos eventos.

“Se da por oleadas. Pero los conflictos permanecen”, dijo Moreno.

Dado el largo historial del problema y su reciente resurgimiento, la oficina de la alcaldesa ha impulsado programas con el objetivo de reducir esta nueva ola de violencia y asegura que sus intentos han dado frutos.

Una gran parte de la comunidad de Pilsen parece no estar muy convencida de la forma como políticos y la policía han tratado de enfrentar este problema hasta el momento.

“Los políticos no entienden. Su solución siempre es más policía”, dijo Moreno.

Esto se puede ver replicado en la presente administración de la ciudad de Chicago encabezada por Lori Lightfoot. Su administración ha sido criticada por su aparente cercanía con la policía por acciones que van desde defender la no expulsión de policías que mintieron sobre sus vínculos con milicias extremistas, hasta su apoyo al aumento del presupuesto del Departamento de Policía de Chicago.

Actualmente la ciudad de Chicago está presenciando el inicio de las campañas y los debates para la elección

para la alcaldía, donde están nombres como la actual alcaldesa Lori Lightfoot, el Representante de Illinois en la Casa de Representantes Jesús G. “Chuy” García y el antiguo Director Ejecutivo de las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago Paul Vallas.

“A todos les gusta la policía,” dijo con frustración Joy sobre los candidatos a la alcaldía. “No están interesados en la comunidad, solo quieren mantener el status quo.”

La comunidad parece haber perdido, en su mayoría, las esperanzas de que la solución vaya a venir de políticos o de la policía. Así que poco a poco han empezado a surgir nuevas ideas y a resurgir algunas del pasado para enfrentar estos desafíos como comunidad.

“A cambio de un arma, quiero que sostengas una cámara. A cambio de un arma, quiero que sostengas un lápiz,” dijo KiD. “Algo como eso. Algo que te dé el cambio positivo en tu vida que no sea una bala que te de tiempo tras las rejas.”

Una buena parte de la comunidad de Pilsen conoce el problema mejor que nadie y tiene propuestas sobre la mejor forma de solucionar los problemas. No tiene que ver con más policías o con prohibir las armas. Tiene que ver con identificar las raíces del problema y solucionarlo desde ahí como propone

Joy:

“La violencia armada es una violencia entre la comunidad. Los problemas vienen de cómo se presenta la masculinidad. Tenemos que evitar el miedo y desaprender que la solución es la vigilancia. Necesitamos un cambio en el sistema.”

Gracias a la organización, los

eventos culturales y nuevas formas de interactuar como comunidad, los habitantes de Pilsen están encontrando nuevas formas de enfrentar esta epidemia de violencia que siempre se ha sentido en el barrio.

Desde marchas para rechazar la violencia, hasta actividades de curación guiadas por las enseñanzas indígenas, los miembros del barrio están proponiendo alternativas, organizadas e incluso pensadas por y para la comunidad, a las formas tradicionales que políticos y la policía han aplicado sin preguntar a los habitantes de Pilsen.

Es desde el corazón de la comunidad de donde se deben sacar la soluciones que curen las heridas y que propongan mejores formas de enfrentar problemas presentes y futuros. Para así, llegar a un punto en el que el sonido de los disparos solo sea un recuerdo lejano.

YÙ YÙ BLUE | LA DEPAULIA

PAT NABONG | AP

Escanee para leer la lista de recomendaciones de libros

La Policía de Chicago acordona el área alrededor del Benito Juarez Community Academy luego del tiroteo del 16 de diciembre.

Arts & Life

Slaying at the STU

Student Government Association hosts second annual

By K iersten r iedford News Editor

Neon lights cast down on students' faces as they acted out heartbreak with friends and lovers as “Mamma Mia” by ABBA echoed throughout the first floor of the Lincoln Park Student Center.

DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) hosted the second annual Queer Prom event on Friday night. Evan Mueller, junior and SGA Senator for LGBTQ+ students, said that Queer Prom will now be an annual event from this point on.

Attendance at Queer Prom this year doubled from 2022. And with that, the room was full, packing the small dance floor.

Students wore attire ranging from ballgowns to sweatpants. With the lack of a dress code, attendees seemed to lack any care in the world about what they were wearing once they got on the dance floor.

“Honestly, it's fun dancing with fellow people in the LGBT community,” Mueller said. “And seeing them all enjoying themselves is really nice, because it's not something I feel like I got in my high school experience. [It was] very heteronormative. And here, everyone's just free to be themselves. I think that's beautiful.”

“I’m glad to know that there are people like me here,” junior Samantha Stevens, wearing a pink prom dress and a tiara, said. “This event is fun. So if they do more like it, I will come to it. I love everyone here and I want to get dressed up again.”

Last year, Queer Prom took place in February. Mueller said the date change was as a result of availability but because “it was important for us to plan it sooner than later so that the LGBTQ+ community at DePaul is connected sooner.”

“I prefer this way as it offers a good starting point for my initiatives this quarter as there’s such a specific focus on the LGBTQ+ community at DePaul now,” Mueller said.

As attendees’ body glitter dazzled un-

der the neon green and pink lights, some students went to the back of the room to get a free meal, take pictures at the photobooths, play ping pong or cornhole or read the information posters. Mueller, who made the posters, included information on drag queens like RuPaul and wellknown queer people who helped bring equality to the LGBTQ+ community.

“It's good to pay homage to the past [people who] certainly made this possible,” Mueller said.

Riley Reed, non-profit community engagement professional and DePaul alumna, created the event last year when she was a senior and the SGA Senator for LGBTQ+ students. Reed said she is proud that the event is becoming an annual event and looks forward to seeing how it grows over time.

“I would love for the space to continue to diversify and show how beautiful the queer community is at DePaul,” Reed said. “[Queer Prom] impacted me a lot. It was a safe space for me when I didn’t get [a prom] in high school and it was probably one of my biggest accomplishments that I started the tradition.”

Reed said she hopes that this event can help bring more queer students together, not only just for one night but to build relationships that will last a long time.

Along with her high hopes for the event, Reed said her advice for future SGA LGBTQ+ senators is to “be mindful of holding space.”

“I think the narrative often seen in neighborhoods like Northalsted aka Boystown is that those spaces are for white gay men,” Reed said. “That’s not the only queer narrative and that ignores the intersections of identities in the community. And having strong allies on your side is important for planning it.”

For students who are looking for more queer events on campus or ways to get involved in the queer community, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center and DeHUB has events listed and updated every week.

Junior Samantha Stevens poses with flowers given by her partner (right) during the dance.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD| THE DEPAULIA

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD| THE DEPAULIA

Queer prom was held in room 120 AB of the Lincoln Park Student Center on Friday.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

The Queer Prom was organized by the Student Goverment Association. SGA plans on hosting this event yearly.

This year marks the second annual Queer Prom event at DePaul.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

STU

Queer Prom

The resource center is also open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the O’Connell Building in Room 305.

“I want more attention to be shown to other LGBTQ+ events at DePaul, such as the Drag Show that’ll likely occur this spring,” Mueller said. “As Queer Prom illuminated, DePaul has a vibrant and lively LGBTQ+ community, and I plan to propagate the light Queer Prom has shined on our community toward our needs and culture.”

Mueller said queer students who are having a hard time finding community would like initiatives put in place, they can reach out to the LGBTQ+ Resource Center or to contact him at EMUELL14@ depaul.edu.

“There's a space for you here at DePaul,” Mueller said. “A space that cares, supports and wants to dance with you all night. You're welcome here.”

Two students dance together on the dance floor to a variety of pop and rap presented by DJ Ron Slomowicz, a resident DJ at Roscoes Tavern in Boystown.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD| THE DEPAULIA

Prom-goers pose together in a photobooth during a break in the dancing. This year's dance saw twice as many attendees as last year.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD| THE DEPAULIA

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

On display at the Queer Prom was a variety of outfits ranging from casual to formal.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Two students smile for a picture in front of a pride-themed balloon backdrop.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA DePaul studetns face the camera together for the classic prom picture.

'House party': I am kind of party rocking

By sam mroz Contributing Writer

In the mighty halls of sports fandom, there are many names which have affirmed themselves as the kings and queens of their craft. Legends such as golf maestro Tiger Woods, the sisterly duo of Venus and Serena Williams, and the legend of Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammed Ali, are just a few of the many icons whose names are rooted in the GOAT debate.

In all of this greatness, there is one rivalry that has remained hotly contested since a young man from Akron, Ohio rose from the rank of a bright star to a trailblazing supernova, challenging the legend of Mr. Jumpman himself, Michael Jordan.

This rookie, now cemented superstar, is Lebron James. A man who has dominated basketball culture for over 20 years while dipping his toes into another facet of crowd pleasing entertainment: the big screen.

James’s “SpringHill Company,” an entertainment and production company founded alongside his hometown friend Maverick Carter, has released its newest project in “House Party”.

A reboot and remake of the 1990 comedy of the same name. Directed by Calmatic, best known for his work on the music video for Lil Nas X’s 2018 hit “Old Town Road” as well as collaborations with music icons to that of Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, and Jay-Z, “House Party” serves as the LA natives directorial debut for a feature film.

Bringing this cityscape luster into the film, “House Party” follows the efforts of Kevin (Jacob Latimore) and Damon (Tosin Cole) as they attempt to throw the rave of the century in Lebron’s multi-million dollar mansion.

Both Kevin and Damon are eager to move beyond their ranks as failing club promoters, with Kevin hoping to make a living through his beat-making aspirations, and Damon to actually be good at promoting.

Down on their luck, the duo stumble across the golden egg of club venture potential, earning a cleaning job at Lebron’s estate. Seeing an opportunity to fill their empty pockets, the duo decide to throw their mega party.

As word spreads fast, Bron’s house quickly becomes the pinnacle of party spots while the basketball phenom is away on a two week long meditation trip to India.

I guess wikihow wasn't lying when it listed reaching enlightenment as the fifth easiest way to improve your jumper.

Before the party to top all parties kicks off, as Kevin and Damon roam the halls of the homeowner whom they first peg to be a Lebron superfan rather than the man himself, they stumble into an almost ethereal room of superstar fandom.

Serving as a self-referential plaque of egomania, a treasure trove of the King’s greatest memorabilia are stashed away in a room of jerseys, rings, and a secret white powder that he may or may not use as a pregame ritual. Not that kind of ritual guys.

Adding on a holographic duplicate of Lebron himself, programmed with a sample of congratulatory remarks regarding his work on the court, and along his hairline, this segment embodies the purpose of a film such as “House Party”.

When choosing to bury itself into the dirt of pop culture subtlety, covering the likes of sports, music, film, and even the Illuminati, this story is only as good as the bizarreness for which it displays.

You go to a movie like “House Party” when you want to sit back and chuckle as

you see 50 Cent waltz into a room, brandish some random dude as a whack mother — you know the rest – and then get pulled out of frame by a Looney Tune-esque sized vaudeville hook. I’m giving a high five to anyone who knows what that is without having to use Google search.

It’s moments like these in instant succession that allow “House Party” to glow as bright as Lebron’s draft day suit, but whenever the story steps out of this space of cultural callbacks, leaning deeper into the subplot of Kevin and Damon’s brotherly

bond, you twiddle your thumbs as you wait for the next celebrity feature.

“House Party” is a fun watch for anyone who likes Lebron, and especially likes his jokes. Sprinkle in a little West Coast comedic tang from the mind of Calmatic, and you have a decent movie experience that you’ll likely forget about within a week, but hey, at least Roscoe’s chicken and waffles makes an appearance. I bet that would be a great party venue.

Best Hot Chocolate in Chicago

By Vanessa Lopez Asst. Social Media Editor

Many different beverages thrive during the colder months — some warm, some spiced, and even some iced. However, for non-coffee drinkers and hot chocolate lovers, there isn't enough buzz in Chicago about where to get top quality hot chocolate.

Whether you're craving a rich creamy chocolate drink or want to try something new, I've compiled a list of some of the best hot chocolate places to visit.

Cocoa + Co. Coffee and Chocolate Café

1651 N Wells St.

A Food Network recommended location with some of the best drinking chocolate (not hot chocolate). Hot chocolate is typically made from powder, whereas drinking chocolate is melted chocolate that can be savored. Enjoy a featured specialty flavor or one of the fan favorites, La Parisienne or Mayan Magic. The menu prices range from $3 to $7.

Mindy’s Bakery

1623 N Milwaukee Ave

Take the blue line to Wicker Park for some of Chicago's best pastries and a warm cup of hot chocolate or grab a bag of hot chocolate mix to go! Mindy’s Bakery accepts cash only, and prices range from $3 to $13.

Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop

400 N Michigan Ave Suite 100

Ghirardelli's chocolate is something we've all tried at some point, and their hot chocolate might be even better. There are several types of hot chocolate on their menu, including classic cocoa, drinking chocolate, sea salt caramel and seasonal flavors. Menu prices range between $5 and $15.

Xoco

449 North Clark St

Looking for something a little different?

If you want authentic Mexican hot chocolate, XOCO is the place to go. Their chocolate drinks are made from fresh-ground cacao beans from Mexico, and some are even served with alcohol. Try their classic bean-to-cup chocolate drinks the next time you're in River North. Hot chocolate drink prices range between $3 and $5.

Xurro

3927 N Lincoln Ave

Xurro is best known for their churros and different churro desserts, but they should also be known for their delicious hot chocolate variations. If you're still looking for that Mexican flavor in your hot chocolate, pay Xurro a visit. Where you can order a Spice Mexican Chocolate or an Abuelita Hot Chocolate. Prices for hot chocolate range between $3 and $4.

IMDB | PHOTO

Jacob Latimore (left), Tosin Cole (middle), and D.C. Young Fly (right) star in Calmatic's latest comedy "House Patry."

IMDB | PHOTO

The film follows two aspiring club promoters as they host a party at NBA star LeBron James mansion.

Practical self-care tips for the winter quarter

By LiLLy K eLLer Arts & Life Editor

It seems like self-care has become slang for undertaking the most impractical activities these days.

What once served as a reminder to take time for oneself amid the hustle and bustle of work and school, now acts as a term for indulging in unhealthy, and sometimes even self-destructive, behavior.

However, it doesn't have to be this way. Even if you don't have time to recuperate or practice mindfulness regularly, I invite you to carve out a small window each day to practice these reasonable acts of physical and mental betterment.

Clean your room once a week

Few look forward to cleaning their room, but I'm telling you, maintaining a clean room can make a difference in both productivity and your overall outlook on life.

It can be challenging to find the time, or even bring yourself to do it, during the week and weekend, but once you set a specific day and time, cleaning can quickly become a set aspect within your routine.

Prioritize sleep

Speaking of your room, start making sleep a priority! I'm not telling you to drop everything and get eight hours every night, but you should aim for six at the very minimum.

Not only can an adequate amount of sleep aid in managing stress and improving immune function, but setting a designated sleep and wake time can help you build a concrete routine amid the chaos of

the school and workweek.

Make a routine

No, you don't have to budget time for every moment of your day, but regularly setting aside an hour or so a few times a week to exercise or complete homework for a specific class can make a world of difference when it comes to staying on top of both your grades and physical well-being.

I find the best way to start a routine is by making a daily list of tasks you will accomplish each day and checking them off as you go. Furthermore, maintaining a routine makes prioritizing deadlines

much more manageable while allowing yourself time for things beyond responsibilities.

Take time for hobbies

Again, making time for pleasurable pastimes isn't always achievable every day. However, by taking 30 minutes to an hour every few days to work on a project, catch up on a TV show or read for fun, I guarantee you won't feel as burnt out or frayed as before.

Plus, engaging in hobbies can leave you with a sense of accomplishment and willingness to achieve whatever comes

'Chicago' is back in town

By Lauren Coates Staff Writer

With its alluring merry murders, instantly-recognizable numbers and iconic choreography from Broadway deity Bob Fosse, there are more than a few good reasons why Fred Ebb’s “Chicago” is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

The musical, adapted from Maurine Dallas Watkins’ book of the same name, has been revived and produced for decades since its original premiere in 1975, including as a feature film that won the 2002 Oscar for best picture.

Currently enjoying a two-week stop at the CIBC Theatre, the impressive ensemble cast of the touring production makes “Chicago” a must-see for Fosse lovers.

Starring Logan Floyd and Katie Frieden, “Chicago” follows housewife/ aspiring vaudeville performer Roxie Hart (Frieden) who murders her lover and is sent to Cook County Jail, where she meets fellow murderess Velma Kelly (Floyd).

Enraptured by the publicity Velma has received, Roxie sets out to use her murder trial as a vehicle to launch her career in show business, enlisting the help of notorious attorney Billy Flynn (Jeff Brooks) along the way.

Originally written, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse, “Chicago’s” stylistic flare is one of its most recognizable elements.

When you think “Chicago,” you think skimpy costumes, slinky choreography and plenty of jazz.

Rest assured, this tour delivers all the signature aesthetic trappings in spades.

From the monochrome all-black costumes helping the ensemble play multiple roles to the impressively-executed choreography, there is no question that this production fundamentally understands what makes “Chicago” so razzle-dazzling.

Without question, though, it is the all-star ensemble that breathes life into “Chicago’s” comedic and dramatic elements and musical numbers.

Nailing Fosse’s demanding choreography is no small task, but the ensemble, led by dance captains Michelle Attardo and Chase McFadden, rises to the challenge, delivering number after number of impressive athleticism and commendable musicality.

The talent of the ensemble does not end with the musical numbers, either. Much of “Chicago’s” book, and the original direction being replicated here, relies on a sharp, specific sense of humor that involves fourth wall breaks and interactions with the band, who are onstage the entire production.

If anything, I found myself wishing for more chances to give ensemble performers comedic beats and supporting roles - despite the fact that a number of cast members pulled double or triple duty.

A number of the show’s biggest laughs came not from the leads, but the collaborative efforts of a spirited and talented ensemble.

Standouts among the airtight cast include Sammy Tuchman as Go-To-Hell Kitty, and Ed Gotthelf as Fred Casely, though truly, every member of the ensemble deserves praise.

Of course, though, there’s no “Chicago” without Velma and Roxie.

Floyd and Frieden make a formidable pair of leading ladies. Between the two, Frieden’s wide-eyed Roxie is without question the standout.

She is an astoundingly well-rounded performer who is just as comfortable dancing Fosse as she is hamming it up in the show’s comedic bits, and more often than not, taking every chance to add gags to songs where possible.

She plays particularly well off the two leading men in her life.

Billy Flynn and her frumpy, well-meaning husband Amos (Brian Kalinowski) are both comic powerhouses, the latter of whom probably nabbed the most laughs-per-capita of the entire cast.

Granted, the production isn’t without its flaws.

At times, it felt as if Floyd was marking the choreography, especially noticeable during “Hot Honey Rag”, where she’s performing the exact same steps with Frieden next to her, and the aforementioned technical issues did leave the vocals of the first few numbers feeling a

next.

Make sure you're eating enough

I would say strive to eat healthily, but let's be honest, it's hard enough to make time for three solid meals during the day as it is. Yet, even if it's eating breakfast before your 9:40 a.m. class, I guarantee you will have more energy and patience to get through the day.

Not only can being calorically satiated improve your cognitive function, but it also makes you more enjoyable to be around because there is nothing worse than being hangry.

Step out of your comfort zone

While this bit of advice requires some physical and mental movement, there are few things as rewarding as stepping outside your comfort zone. As I always think of it, you cannot grow complacent, so apply for that job you don't think you'll get or say yes to spontaneous plans! As long as nobody gets hurt, don't be afraid to live a little outside of your responsibilities.

Embrace doing nothing

Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard you work, you'll always be behind. Maybe it's true, perhaps it isn't, but remember that the success of others does not impact your own and that you don't need to work every minute of every day. Take one day a week or every other week to do nothing.

Don't leave the house or go out of your way to solve other people's problems. Your achievements are enough, so who cares if you spend the day in bed?

little underwhelming.

But if mic problems are the biggest flaw I can find with this production, that is a testament to the across-the-board strength of the cast and creative team. The national tour of “Chicago” is a worthy incarnation of a broadway classic.

CREDIT TO JEREMY DANIEL

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

Logan Floyd (Left) and Katie Frieden (Right) star in CIBC Theater's showing of Chicgao.

A JOURNALISTIC COMMENTARY ON ANDREW CALLAGHAN

By Jonah WeBer Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Andrew Callaghan a 25 year-old independent American journalist who got his start on Youtube has been making waves in the journalism world. He has described his work, according to an interview with Interview Magazine, as “radically empathetic, unbiased, civilian journalism.” However, these words now feel radically untrue based on the recent allegations made against Callaghan. Multiple women cameforward through social media accusing Callaghan of sexual assault and misconduct after his HBO documentary released “This Place Rules.”

I first discovered Callaghan in 2019 when he started releasing Youtube videos on his channel “All Gas No Brakes.” Callaghan attended Proud Boys rallies, a Flat Earth conference and the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis in 2020. He’d walk around with a cameraman and a microphone, speaking to the attendees of these events. At the time, I had never seen journalism done like this before, and the idea of being a journalist as a career was fresh on my radar.

It was inspiring to see another young person telling stories in such a direct, genuine format. Through this content, he gained popularity and interacted with his fans on a regular basis.

Soon after the release, Dana or @molderfreckle on TikTok describes Callaghan invited you to an apology dinner, after she told him he made her uncomfortable during sex. She explained he was aggressive, demanding, and persistent. During the dinner, Callaghan offers half-hearted apologies after she remind him why she went to dinner. Then, he immediately asked if she wanted to have sex in her car. When she said no, the asking continues and things turn physical. Callaghan got frustrated and continued to try and kiss her. After much effort, Dana get him away.

These words are just a glimpse of what allegedly happened between Andrew Callaghan and Dana in 2022.

Annabelle Rivera, a sophomore journalism major at DePaul, said her first exposure to Callaghan was from a popular clip circulating

social media from“This Place Rules.” She had only heard about the allegations against Callaghan recently.

“To put it simply, it’s nauseating, but unfortunately, not surprising,” Rivera said. “And not to make this a gender thing, but I feel like as a woman you naturally have to be cautious of men. You don’t have the luxury of being like, oh well this type of man is safe. You know every single man, you have to be cautious of. You know, the fact that this is someone who is more left-leaning, on the younger side, someone who you traditionally wouldn’t suspect, is not surprising.”

She continued, touching on the fact that Callaghan comes from the same industry.

“I feel like this hits especially harder because he is a journalist, and we’re gonna be journalists,” Rivera said. “This could have been our colleague or something like that!”

There have been a number of prominent journalists being accused of sexual misconduct. In 2017, Matt Lauer of NBC News was fired after being accused of sexual assault. In 2020, former Fox News reporter Ed Henry was accused of sexual assault and Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson was accused of sexual harassment.

An interesting development in Callaghan’s career has been in his colossal growth in popularity for using person on the street journalism as a medium to tell stories. He is known for speaking to the odd, quirky and controversial sides of society.

This fame has grown into different YouTube channels, podcasts and a documentary

“I think being a content creator and a journalist is a good way to get your journalism out to the masses,” Rivera said “Because journalism is evolving, especially with technology, it’s not gonna slow down.”

With being a more traditional content creator and then also being a journalist, and the content is journalism, that’s a really smart and forward thinking way of producing work. It will get more exposure and people will pay more attention to what is said. Journalism is being ruined by content creation, because after all journalism is content creation.

Bridget Killian, a senior journalism major, had only seen clips or short videos of Callaghan through YouTube.

“I heard about the accusations probably three days ago [Jan. 16],” Killian said. “It’s definitely jarring to hear it. It’s jarring anytime you hear it even though it does happen quite often, but it is kind of jarring to hear it happen in your own community and someone close in age. And then reading the quotes from people accusing him and then what he said in response, especially what he said, apologizing for the alcohol use involved. It didn’t really seem like he was taking the right steps.”

On Jan. 16, Callaghan released a video acknowledging the accusations.

“Not to blame alcohol, but I truly believe alcohol was a contributing factor to my poor decision making, and I think that alcohol in general has had a devastating impact on my life,” Callaghan said.

Callaghan claimed he was going to join an Alcoholics Anonymous program in his apology video. Killian continued to share her thoughts on Callaghan.

“Talking to people about this topic, for women involved who have been coerced into sexual activity, it doesn't feel like they’ve been assaulted because they eventually said yes, but I think it’s important to put out there that is not enthusiastic consent,” Killian said.

Killian spoke on a very important aspect of the allegations which is the power dynamic.

“I don’t know the exact specifics of each situation in terms of the power dynamic, but it seems that it was some sort of power dynamic,” Killian said. “Whether it was a physical power dynamic, he’s just larger than them so he can force himself on people. Or if it was him being a prominent person, therefore he has a lot of influence, so that can lead to people feeling like they have to say yes.”

Personally, as a journalist, journalism student and the writer of this article, I’m deeply disheartened by the accusation made against Callaghan. Being a young journalist, I found myself somewhat inspired by him when I first decided that this was the career I chose to venture through.

Rivera spoke on his modern, forward thinking form of journalism and the medium that is a space for important yet dynamic storytelling. I find myself disappointed as a journalist, who strives to be an honest, insightful and genuine storyteller and reporter.

Callaghan has not been held to the standards I can only hope my peers will hold me to and all other men in our industry.

IMDB |

PHOTO

Andrew Callaghan (Left) speaks to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in Portland, Oregon at a right wing rally.

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

“Spinning freSh beatS Since 1581”

By LiLLy K eLLer Arts & Life Editor

Characterized by melodies of sheer melancholy, the slowcore genre was born from a rebellion against the traditional intensity and aggression of grunge music. Although we could discuss the highs and lows of slowcore for hours, few bands have achieved such timeless success within the genre as Duster.

Have you never listened to Duster before and are too lazy to scan the Spotify code? No worries, I have taken it upon myself to describe the experience. Have you ever hit shuffle to instantly have your eardrums bathed in the most depressing sounds known to man? No? Well, you’re about to.

“Constellation” - Duster

Yeah, we get it your dog died two Decembers ago and “Stratosphere” was the only album you listened to. OK, OK, I know, but this song makes me feel ab-

solutely gutted, like the Old Testament, somebody tied me to a rock and cut me open. Anyway, if I don’t listen to this song once a day, I think it will instigate the rapture.

“Me and the Birds” - Duster

This song makes me crave a cigarette, and I don’t even smoke. Every time this song comes on, I literally feel like I am one and the same as an angsty teen character played by Joseph Gordon Levitt in the early 2000s whose only aspiration is to leave their small Midwestern town. Anyhow, this is another banger that will be on repeat until I am resting six feet under.

“Retrograde” - Duster

Whenever I hear this song, I get weirdly nostalgic for when I was reading “Dracula.” Actually, now that I think about it, I would only listen to this song on repeat whenever I read anything last quarter. Huh. I can’t say I remember why

Crossword

I behaved like that other than this song being a certified banger.

“Stars Will Fall” - Duster

Once, when I was in the car with my brother, I played this song for him, and he just did not get it. There was no melancholy or staring longingly out the window, only “this is garbage” and “does he [Clay Parton] purposefully make himself sound like he’s on his deathbed.” Needless to say, some people are just born without taste.

“Topical Solution”

I had another “Duster” filled December and “Topical Solution” was easily my most played song over break. I’m telling you, the vibes this song created alongside reading books centered on Kansas in the ‘90s were immaculate.

Anyways if you are looking for a depressing ambiance, this song, alongside the entirety of “Stratosphere,” is for you.

ACROSS

1) Cutting comments

6) Impressive degree, briefly

9) Monthly bill, for many

14) "Nixon In China," for one

15) Bit of deception

16) Barbecuer's cover-up

17) Type of battery

18) Priestly garb

19) Butcher's stock in trade

20) Tough chances for outfielders

23) "If all_ fails ... "

24) Expulsion from office

25) Rocks in a bar

28) Comment from Homer Simpson

29) "When We Were Kings"

hero

30) Finish a Big

Gulp

32) Absurd

34) Assistant

35) Like an equivocal sword?

41) Shrek, e.g.

42) "Summer of '69" singer Adams

43) Forcefully urgent

4 7) Performed

48) "Dear" man

51) Prepare to fire

52) AB vitamin

54)_ fide

55) Butcher's tool

58) Sedate

60) Actress Lupino

61) Hawaiian island

62) Multitude or throng

63) Elevator unit

64) Words of agreement on Sundays

65) Toadies' chorus

66) Cunning

67) Bed on board

Scan here to listen to this week's DeJamz on Spotify

DOWN

1) Ordered around

2) Early NASA program

3) Hotdog topper, sometimes

4) Knee steadier

5) Dress in India

6) Tormenting incessantly

7) Some things to climb

8) Accounting minuses

9) Smartphone feature

10) Impressionist

11) South American capital city

12) He had a salty wife

13) Annapolis grad's rank, briefly

21) Baseball legend Ryan

22) Still in its original packaging

26) "Buffalo" Bill

27) Some farm

females

29) Singer DiFranco

31) Bowling green?

32) Anything on a list

33) Emulate a tide

35)_-Cola

36) Certain Jamaican fruit

37) Some British transports

38) Everyday

39) Pulling even with

40) Possessed

44) Places of residence

45) Barely beat

46) Talking points

48) Oklahoma athlete

49) Chant

50) Debonair

53) Kind of wave

54) Hold responsible

56) Take cover

57) Divulge a secret

58) Not outgoing

59) Little piggy

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA | PHOTOS

Blue Demons’ late comeback bid falls short against Providence

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

DePaul dropped its fourth Big East conference game of the season after falling on the road to Providence on Saturday by a score of 75-64.

Coming off an emotional victory over No. 8 Xavier, the Blue Demons weren’t able to overcome a sluggish start to the game and struggled with defending the Friars’ perimeter shooting, led by graduate guard Noah Locke’s 29-point afternoon.

Providence found much more consistency from three-point range than DePaul from the start, and the box score proved it. The Friars shot 10-23 (44%) from three, compared to the Blue Demons’ lowly 33%, connecting on seven of 21 shots.

A 14-2 Providence run started things strong for the Friars, with sophomore

guard Devin Carter scoring six of his team’s 14 points. DePaul scored only one basket in the first six minutes of play at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Still, DePaul bounced back with a run of its own, as the Demons outscored Providence 12-2 in the next few minutes. Head coach Tony Stubblefield’s zone defense held the Flyers scoreless for nearly three and a half minutes during that stretch.

Graduate guard Umoja Gibson single-handedly seemed to keep the Blue Demons in the matchup during the first half, scoring 11 points and grabbing two steals, while connecting on 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc.

Providence went into halftime with a 37-30 lead, with a major factor being the Friars’ perimeter shooting. The red hot Friars shot 50% from deep in the first half, with Locke connected on three before the break.

points in the first half along with making seven out of 10 shots from beyond the arc.

The Friars adjusted in the second half and held Gibson to only five points, which paid dividends as graduate forward Javan Johnson had an off-day offensively.

Providence head coach Ed Cooley’s defense held Johnson to only seven points on a measly 3-of-9 shooting from the field. Johnson’s seven point game was his second lowest scoring total in a game this season.

The second half was a back-and-forth matchup between both Big East rivals, with DePaul at one point pulling within four, as the Friars held a narrow lead of 46-42. Providence eventually pulled away late, after connecting with multiple three-point shots in crunch time.

DePaul played Providence tough from start to finish, but couldn’t find a way to overcome the Friars’ big men down low. The Blue Demons were out-rebounded

38-27. DePaul’s leading rebounder was graduate forward Yor Anei who had a season-high of seven.

Junior guard Caleb Murphy scored nine points, all in the first half, in his second game after returning from injury. He also recorded a steal, assist and rebound.

Four Blue Demons were sidelined, including Nick Ongenda (hand injury), Mo Sall (wrist injury), K.T. Raimey (coach’s decision) and Ahamad Bynum (suspended). Ongenda is expected to be evaluated again by team doctors early next week.

“Hopefully we get some good news,” said Stubblefield. “Last time he went to the doctor, we got the worst possible news we could get.”

DePaul (9-11, 3-6) will travel to Georgetown (5-15, 0-9) on Tuesday night with tip off scheduled at Capital One Arena for 7:00 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

“We knew we could get the job done,” said graduate forward Javan Johnson. “It’s just a matter of sticking together and playing our game.”

DePaul’s last ranked victory over a top 10 opponent came exactly three years ago to the day, when they took down No. 5 ranked Butler at Wintrust Arena.

After a win like Wednesday’s against Xavier, the fans and students start to buy in on exactly what Stubblefield is building. The win provided a sense of inspiration and joy for people that are not exactly used to this. Stubblefield’s phone blew up after the game with congratulations.

“It was a lot of text messaging and phone calls,” Stubblefield said on what it was like after the game concluded. “I’m just really happy for our guys and the work they put in. Again, a lot of these guys have had to play out of position, and we’ve dealt with a lot of injuries up to this point in the year.”

The game was looking bleak early on for DePaul after Xavier started off the game with a 7-0 run, but unlike early in the season, the Blue Demons battled their way back and found a way to stay within reach.

Johnson and Gibson combined for 31

The Blue Demons defense played exceptional from start to finish and held an explosive offense that led the Big East in points per game (84.2), field goal percentage (50.6%) and three-point percentage (40.2%) entering Wednesday night.

Stubblefield’s defense held the Musketeers to 38% from the field, 20% from beyond the arc and 72 points.

“I think it’s a testament to our guards,” Stubblefield said of their defensive performance. “Trying to keep their chest in front of those guys, fighting over those screens, and even our guys inside were challenging their shots when they got to the rim.”

DePaul’s depth has been their strength this season, and their performance in the second half paid dividends after Johnson entered foul trouble early and had to spend a majority of the time on the bench.

South Florida transfer guard Caleb Murphy made his long-awaited DePaul debut after entering the game at the 17:36 mark. He ended the night with eight points, two rebounds and two assists with a blocked shot.

“I wasn’t nervous, more anxious than nervous,” Murphy said on making his debut. “Just ready to play. I wanted to fast

forward to the game to get out there, and I thought I played solid in my first game back. I didn’t expect to play my best, but I still felt I contributed.”

Murphy’s teammates have been just as anxious to see him on the court, and he played a key factor in Wednesday’s victory over Xavier.

“That’s my roommate, so I talk to him every day,” said Johnson. “I was really happy to see him out there. Every bucket he had, I felt like I scored. I’m always happy for my guys but especially for him because he’s my roommate.”

Meanwhile, junior forward Da’Sean Nelson’s hot streak continued as his versatility came into full effect in crunch time, scoring 10 second half points and four rebounds in Johnson’s absence.

Gibson dished an assist to Nelson for the go-ahead contest layup with 28 seconds remaining, putting DePaul up 73-72.

On the next possession, Xavier tried their best to put it in, but graduate forward Eral Penn had other plans and used his physicality to will DePaul to victory, coming up with maybe the biggest rebound of his career with 2.8 seconds left.

Nelson tossed in the rebound, but it hit off a Musketeers defender and bounced off Gibson out of bounds, and the play went under review. Xavier kept possession and threw up a shot with 1.2

seconds remaining, but they could not get it off in time before the clock hit zero.

DePaul was declared victorious. Wintrust Arena erupted with cheers of joy as their school had just picked up their biggest win in recent memory.

After the game, Penn and senior Philmon Gebrewhit ran off the court and jumped into the student section to celebrate with their fans since security forbade them from storming the court.

DePaul has been the laughingstock of the Big East conference for some time now, but with Stubblefield in charge leading the way, there’s been a growing sense of respect for the program nationally.

Since Stubblefield’s arrival, he preached that this team and culture is different and that he is going to get DePaul back onto the map, but most importantly, they can compete at the same level as anyone atop of the conference.

“Hopefully it sends out a message that it can be done here at DePaul,” Stubblefield said. “That’s why I came to DePaul, because of the opportunity, and I know the potential in this job. Obviously playing in the Big East, you’re playing in one of the top leagues in the country, night in, night out. The potential of this job is unlimited and I think the win over Xavier just helps us and shows people it can be done here … why not us?”

Head coach Tony Stubblefield expresses frustration during DePaul’s 83-76 win over Georgetown on Dec. 31. DePaul has not won a game in Amica Mutual Pavilion since the 2018 season.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

MBB, continued from front page

Blue Demons split weekend series with Knights, improve to 18-4

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

DePaul men’s hockey continued its historic season after defeating Marian by a score of 7-4 Friday night, led by sophomore winger Danny Mannarino’s twogoal night. DePaul’s victory over Marian is its first in club program history.

“I was proud of the way everyone played,” said head coach Dan Wood. “They scored two [goals] real early, and it could’ve been real easy for us to get kind of down, but there was no panic on the bench and we responded to it right away. I was really happy with the way that we worked and our power play looked good today.”

Marian started off the game strong, scoring two goals early to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Junior goalie Asher Motew stayed composed after the early goals and only allowed two more throughout the next two periods.

“I thought I played well,” Motew said of his performance. “I shouldn’t have given up the first one [goal], and they came down on a breakaway. It was a little bit of a broken play, but I just reset myself and did a lot of meditation and I got right back into it. The boys picked me up and then I picked them up, and that’s how it works.”

DePaul’s offense was much more active during the first period than Marian’s after 19 shots on goal compared to their 14 shots on goal.

The Blue Demons’ offense controlled the entire second period, scoring three goals by three different players. DePaul scored all three consecutively, which started off with sophomore Zander Plotkin and were followed by senior center Jackson Leptich and Mannarino finding the back of the net, in all three DePaul beat Marian’s goaltender in the top right corner of the net.

Mannarino has stepped up as of late. The sophomore has been known primar-

ily as a defensive player, but as of late, he’s become one of the team’s most reliable offensive threats. His two goals Friday were unassisted and came off the breakaway.

“Danny [Mannarino] is one of those players that does everything right,” Wood said. “He works hard, plays hard and backchecks hard. He’s scoring a lot, which I’m happy that he’s finally getting the recognition for, but he’s a guy you’re always pulling for.”

From start to finish, the game was nothing if not physical. Both teams don’t like each other, and the rivalry between the two resulted in three fights that the officials had to break up.

“We don’t like them, and they don’t like us,” Motew said. “This is a big conference game, and they’ve never lost to us. They got embarrassed.”

The third period was similar to the first, but after Marian scored two goals, the Blue Demons bounced back with two of their own, which were scored by junior defensemen duo Chris Lee and Josh Maloney.

As usual, the offense stepped up in a big-time game, scoring seven goals for the 11th time this season. Over the recent years, DePaul has not been known as a defensive unit, but this season under Dan Wood, the offense has become their new identity.

“It’s been a great game offensively,” Wood said. “It could’ve been 13 [goals], but their goalie played outstanding. We had seven icebreakers, and I was really happy with the way we worked. Our powerplay looked really good and passing was really, really crisp. When we’re flying through the neutral zone like that, we can put up a whole lot of points.”

The Blue Demons lost to the Knights on Saturday afternoon by a score of 5-4.

DePaul (18-5) will be back in action on Friday when they host Concordia University at Johnny’s IceHouse West,

Junior goalie Asher Motew awaits a slap shot from a Marian player during Friday night’s 7-4 victory over the Knights. The Blue Demons improved to 18-5 on the season after the weekend split.

CHRISTINA HAMMERSMITH | THE DEPAULIA

Sophomore winger Danny Mannarino looks for the puck on offense during Friday’s 7-4 win over Marian. Mannarino recorded two goals against the Knights.

CHRISTINA HAMMERSMITH | THE DEPAULIA

“Danny [Mannarino] is one of those players that does everything right. “

Dan Wood

DePaul hockey head coach

Huskies still run Big East, but could it be for much longer?

By Preston Zbroszczyk Asst. Sports Editor

It’s no secret that when the Big East preseason coaches poll was released on Oct. 18, 2022, Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies would unanimously be at the top, but the same cannot be said about the 10 remaining spots in the conference.

Auriemma has guided the Huskies to 21 Big East Tournament titles in the last two decades. Since the merger of the new Big East in 2013, the Huskies have only lost one Big East game which came last season on Feb. 9, 2022 against Villanova.

The preseason polls had DePaul and Seton Hall both projected to tie in fourth place. Now nine games into Big East play the Blue Demons are underperforming, while the Pirates are currently exceeding expectations

Coming into the season, DePaul women’s basketball had lots of questions and unknown answers as to what this roster was going to look like, but also how they would perform.

It has been shown that while sophomore Aneesah Morrow is a top player in college basketball, her double-double performances haven’t been enough to get the DePaul wins against the better teams in the Big East.

Head coach Doug Bruno has his team ranked second in the conference in scoring behind wUConn at 77 points per game, but the worst defense in the conference allowing 70 points per game.

Inconsistency matched with injuries and chemistry on the court have led to the frustrating season.

Head coaches Denise Dillon and Joe Tartamella from Villanova and St. John’s are proving that the Big East may no longer run through Auriemma’s Huskies.

While projected to finish seven from the rest of the coaches in the Big East, St. John’s Red Storm are quietly making noise sitting 17-3, with a 7-3 conference record after their recent win Saturday against DePaul.

Led by senior Jayla Everett and redshirt senior Bailey Kadaja, the Red Storm started the season 13-0 led by their conference leading defense which is allowing the fewest points per game with 56. Efficient shooting has also paved the way for a strong start. They currently sit second in

the conference shooting 44% as a team.

Sitting behind UConn at 9-1 are the Villanova Wildcats. After being beaten 70-40 in last season’s Big East tournament championship, the Wildcats might have a new reason to want to get back to this season’s championship game and return the favor.

Leading not only the Big East, but all of college basketball in scoring is senior Maddy Siegrist. At 28 points per game, Siergrist became Villanova’s alltime leading scorer in Friday’s win over Creighton.

She has been the driving force to Villanova’s 18-3 record, while also averaging a double-double. Dillon has the Wildcats in prime position to potentially detrone UConn from the regular season title, something Auriemma and the Huskies have done 20 times since

While Villanova has yet to play UConn this season, the first matchup will come Sunday, Jan. 29. Villanova has been able to be breezed by everyone else in the conference and stand a stall task for the Huskies.

Sitting at the bottom of the conference are Xaiver, Butler, Georgetown, Providence and Marquette in that order.

Injuries and lack of production on the court have led to these teams’ seasons so far.

Xavier has yet to win a Big East game this season, sitting with a 10-0 record. The last time the Musketeers had a winning season was the 2015-16 season, which ended in a first round knockout to Butler in the Big East tournament.

Marquette started the season better than anyone in the country. After beating teams like No. 3 ranked Texas and Gonzaga their non-conference portion was a success.

It wasn’t until the Big East did things start going south. Marquette has run into similar problems as Blue Demons. Senior Jordan King has led the way in scoring for the Golden Eagles, but has struggled to find consistency from a mixed group of experienced and inexperienced players.

With well over half the Big East schedule left, standings in the Big East will change. A few things that can be more certain than others are UConn, Villanova and St. John’s should round out the top three. Xavier could very well end

the season with no Big East wins.

DePaul, Marquette and Providence sit in an area of the conference where if things don’t turn around quickly enough, they could get uglier. To avoid that, wins need to start showing within their next games.

Two teams that have yet to be mentioned are Creighton and Seton Hall. Yes, these teams will finish the regular season within the four or five spot, but it almost feels that’s as far as they will get.

Head coach Jim Flanery scheduled his team a more competitive non-conference schedule than most teams in the Big East, which had made up the majority of their six losses.

The BlueJays offense primarily ran through ball movement and three-point shooting, have been streaky this season. In Friday’s loss to Villanova, Creighton shot only 30% from three. Performances like this have stalled Flanery and his team. Something that could prevent them from going further in the Big East Tournament.

Seton Hall on the other hand could shock a couple teams in the Big East, like they have already. Currently sitting third, they are led by Lauren Park-Lane who is currently third in the Big East with 19 points per game.

Like any conference, teams will beat up on each other. The Big East currently has two teams in the top-25, No. 5 UConn and No. 22 Villanova, which guarantees them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Creighton, Seton Hall, Marquette and St.John’s all round out in NCAA net ranking in the top 60. Possibilities are high that the Big East could welcome six teams into March Madness.

Fans have to remember that possibly the greatest stretch of collegiate basketball is still in front of us with Auriemma and UConn. Don’t expect for them to possibly be dethroned, as they still lead not only the Big East, but all of women’s college basketball as the most successful program.

The Big East Tournament will begin March 3 through 6, with all teams participating. Games will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Connecticut.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

Senior guard Anaya Peoples shoots a three-pointer over senior guard Unique Drake during Saturday’s 81-72 loss to St. John’s.

Sports

Women’s defense struggles in back-to-back Big East losses to G’Town, St. John’s

By Preston Zbroszczyk Asst. Sports Editor

An all too familiar performance took place in both D.C. and Wintrust Arena in DePaul’s past games. Two second half defensive collapses allowed DePaul’s halftime leads to slip away and cause its once 3-0 conference record to fall under .500 for the first time this season.

The Blue Demons traveled to McDonough Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, looking to secure two Big East wins in a row, but a fourth quarter meltdown gave DePaul a 87-63 loss.

Having beaten the Hoyas back on Dec. 18, the Blue Demons came in looking to flip the script on its Big East portion of the schedule up to this point.

Unfortunately, Bruno’s squad were forced to deal with a hot Hoyas team. Georgetown shot 56% from three Wednesday night and were also able to create more of a presence in the paint, as they outscored DePaul 36-26 down low.

DePaul had four of five starters finish in double figures with junior Darrione Rogers leading the Blue Demons with 22 points.

None of the starters’ production mattered much though, as DePaul surrendered 87 points defensively.

DePaul’s own three-point shooting difficulties hurt them again Wednesday. A combined effort of making only six of 21 shots from three, made it tough to score, as the nonexistent bench had another lousy performance with four bench points.

As the season gets closer to its end, DePaul is on the verge of its first season sub .500 campaign under Bruno for the first time since 1997-98.

The Blue Demons’ remaining schedule only gets tougher. They play No. 5 UConn twice, travel to Nebraska to play Creighton and finish at Marquette on Feb. 27.

History repeated itself just three short days later. DePaul and its worst defense in the conference allowed another lead to vanish leaving Wintrust Arena with another loss 81-72.

“We had a long third quarter,” Bruno said. “We fought back but it was tough to recover from it.”

DePaul played St. John’s hard and battled for 20 minutes in the first half, but plaguing injuries limited player availability. Bruno was without senior forwards Jorie Allen and Keke Rimmer Saturday.

Allen has turned the corner for the Blue Demons of late, as the former Indiana transfer is third in the Big East in field goal percentage at 58%. She has filled a void at the “center” position to go alongside sophomore Anessah Morrow in the front court.

DePaul athletics only provided Bruno to the media after the loss. Players were not available to speak to reporters.

At halftime, DePaul held a 39-36 advantage. Morrow’s 16 points and seven rebounds led the way, however, any momentum quickly faded. The Blue Demons went scoreless for three minutes after the break, before junior Darrione Rogers made a three to stop the drought.

Senior Jayla Everett led the Red Storm and finished with a team-high 24 points, scoring a quick seven points to start the third. This catapulted St. John’s to close the quarter on a 14-6 run and take a 61-52 lead.

St. John’s held an 18-point advantage going into the fourth with a 72-54 lead. The Blue Demons’ defense didn’t allow the Red

Storm a single field goal in the final six and half minutes, and drew within seven after a pair of Morrow free-throws.

“We started to press and that changed everything,” Bruno said. “If we thought we could press for 40 minutes, we would be pressing when the game [started]. That is the way I would like to play 100% of the time.”

The deficit wasn’t able to get any closer, with DePaul having to play the foul game and hope for misses at the line. St. John’s made 7 of 10 free throws to close the game, and as the clock hit triple zeroes, the Red Storm secured the win.

In the losing effort, DePaul managed to score 72 points, which is the second most allowed by St. John’s so far this season. The Red Storm lead the Big East in defense points per game at 56 a game.

It was the St. John’s offense that prevailed in the victory. It was an easier and more efficient offense for the Red Storm, as they went up against DePaul bottom ranked defense in the Big East, who give up 70 points per game

With a lack of players able to play, DePaul was short- handed on the bench and outscored 27 to 8 in that margin.

With only seven players in the rotation Saturday and a quick turn around on Monday Jan 23. to play UConn, Bruno’s players might be victims of overplay and fatigue.

“These players have given everything, so I do appreciate the effort and the energy that they have been putting into it,” Bruno said. “We don’t have a lot of room for error. The players on this team never quit and never give up. I really love the way they compete every night. We just have to figure out a way to win a basketball game.”

DePaul (11-9, 4-5) will tipoff with UConn (17-2, 10-0) on Monday, Jan. 23. This is the rescheduled date from the Jan. 8 matchup that was postponed. Tip-off is 6:00 p.m. CST.

Following Saturday’s loss and UConn approaching, the Blue Demons could be looking at a sub .500 record under Bruno for the first time since 1997-98, a spot DePaul isn’t all too familiar with.

@WBBHOOPS | TWITTER

Junior guard Darrione Rogers scans the floor as she passes the ball to a teammate during Wednesday’s 87-73 loss to Georgetown.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

Sophomore center Aneesah Morrow attempts a three-point shot during the 81-72 loss to St. John’s.