The DePaulia 11/15/2021

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Volume #106 | Issue #10 | Nov. 15, 2021 | depauliaonline.com

‘He was the life of the room’

DePaul graduate mourned by family and friends

By Josephine Stratman Asst. News Editor

Family and friends will remember DePaul graduate Oribi Kontein for his infectious personality, appetite for life, seemingly endless generosity — and bad dance moves.

“He knew what it meant to love and to be loved, and through all his struggles in life, he always put love first,” his wife Maya Soto said. “I think there are a lot of people who learned about love and acceptance from him, and he built a community of such caring and supportive people here because of who he was.”

Kontein’s body was found this past week after going missing in October. Kontein, 26, loved to swim and was last seen on the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 26, when surveillance cameras pictured him parking his black 2016 Toyota Corolla at 31st Street Beach and walking west towards Lake Michigan for a dip in the water.

Kontein’s body was retrieved from the lake on Nov. 4 and was officially identified Monday, Nov. 8.

The cause of death is pending toxicological tests and the case is currently being treated as a drowning, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Soto described her husband as a fiercely motivated and deeply caring man.

“He was just that kind of person who was always trying to show people care and love whenever he could,” she said.

Kontein brought light and happiness to everyone who came into his life.

“He was definitely one of those people that left an impression or memory with every single person he met,” Soto said.

Kontein had a very active lifestyle; he loved water and the outdoors, and he frequented the lake to swim.

See KONTEIN, page 7

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAYA AND ORIBI’S INSTAGRAM

DePaul graduate Oribi Kontein died last week after going missing in October. He was last seen on Oct. 26 when he went for a swim in Lake Michigan.

Director of Counseling reveals new program initiatives, hiring

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

Director of University Counseling Services Tow Yau presented his new initiatives for counseling services at the final Student Government Association meeting of the fall quarter on Nov. 11.

Yau presented his vision — which includes a new unannounced name change, extended hours and expanded services — to the Student Government Association (SGA) while also addressing the current services available for students.

“The name is going to change,” Yau said.

“That’s why I’ve tried not to use too much of University Counseling Services because we have ties to that history. Remember, as a learner, I love history, I would not make the same mistakes that the past administration

at the counseling center has [made].”

Yau does not want students to associate the past counseling center with his new vision.

SGA Executive Vice President of Student Affairs Cindy Rocha said that this will be important for students to have a new experience. “[UCS] have a certain type of reputation...we have our own picture based on our own experiences,” she said.

During the meeting, Yau reviewed the available services for students like the My Student Support Program app, DePaul Department Education and Counseling Center (ECC) and individual referrals. He plans to include services like group therapy and telehealth models. ECC provides counseling through a grad program.

See UCS, page 8

Volleyball makes history by qualifying for first Big East Tournament

By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor

The DePaul volleyball team has clinched a spot in the Big East Tournament the Big East conference playoffs for the first time in program history with a 3-1 win over Xavier University on Sunday. The team now has a record of 17-11 and a conference record of 10-6.

Entering the game, the Blue Demons were coming off a 3-1 win over Butler University on Friday and needed a win over Xavier to send them to the postseason.

However, the Blue Demons found themselves trailing early after falling two points short of Xavier in the first set with a score of 26-24.

The Blue Demons were forced to battle back in the second set. While the points

went back and forth between the teams, DePaul was able to come out on top with a set-ending kill from junior pin hitter Bailey Nelson. The set ended 25-21 and the game was tied.

Following tight first and second sets, the Blue Demons were ready to end the game as fast as they could. And they did just that in the third set. After opening the set with a kill from Nelson, the Blue Demons began to control the game early.

A 10-point run by the Blue Demons gave them a 13-3 lead that Xavier could not recover from. DePaul continued to dominate in the set and a kill by senior outside hitter Meredith Wallace ended the set 25-11.

With a 2-1 lead in the game, the Blue Demons were determined to make the

See VOLLEYBALL, page 26

2 | News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

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Sept. 24, 2021 - Nov. 12, 2021

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News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 3

‘It won’t get us there’

FRANK JORDANS | AP

Masses of people queue as they arrive for the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. DePaul and Chicago activists believe nations have not lived up to their promises.

DePaul and Chicago environmental activists react to COP26 summit

By Maureen Dunne Staff Writer

After the United Nation’s 26th annual Conference of Parties (COP26) regarding combating climate change, DePaul students and faculty are feeling cautiously optimistic about the Conference’s results.

The two-week conference ended on Friday, Nov. 12, in Glasgow, Scotland.

COP26 drew both heads of state and nonstate actors, like large companies and banks, to Glasgow to pledge to halting deforestation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and phasing out the use of fossil fuels. Though these pledges come with handshakes and deadlines, they are not legally binding. It’s up to individual countries to hold themselves accountable and report progress to the UN. DePaul University Endowed professor of Environmental Diplomacy Phillip Stalley stressed the importance of pledges made at the conference despite their non-binding nature.

“One can certainly find many examples of countries failing to live up to their promises when it comes to climate change,” Stalley said.

“However, perhaps contrary to popular belief, the targets offered in international climate change agreements do matter and shape state action.”

These pledges provide a framework for holding states accountable and measuring progress through protests, which weren’t absent from Glasgow last week.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside the conference with Swedish Fridays for Future movement leader Greta Thurnberg at the helm. Protesters called for more drastic action to curb greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees celsius to prevent drastic environmental consequences.

“It is not a secret that COP26 is a failure. It should be obvious that we cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place,” Thurnberg said, per reporting from the BBC. Wesley Janicki, president of Climate Real-

ity DePaul, a group dedicated to fighting climate change and encouraging DePaul to be more sustainable, echoed Thurnberg’s sentiments and wished younger activists had a seat at the table within the conference.

“Right now, if you’re rich, you’re there,” Janicki said. “If you’re a state actor, a president or prime minister, you’re there.”

Janicki expressed frustration at the lack of meaningful representation of indigienous communities, young activists and local climate organizations.

“If we’re going to reach these goals of trying to keep [warming] under 1.5 degrees Celsius ... It’s not gonna happen [unless] you require local actors to be a part of this decision making process,” Janicki said.

As a former member of the Student Government Association at DePaul and in his current capacity with Climate Reality, Janicki has worked to enact local change. His current mission is pressuring DePaul to adopt a sustainability plan and hire a full-time sustainability officer to ensure the University implements greener practices. DePaul remains the only Chicago school to lack a sustainability plan, per reporting from 14East Magazine.

Notable attendees inside the conference included President Joe Biden and Governor JB Pritzker. President Biden’s appearance signaled a shift in U.S. climate policy, as his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, famously withdrew the country from the 2015 Paris Cli-

mate Accord.

At COP26, Biden doubled down on his April 2021 goal of reducing the U.S.’ carbon emissions to 50 percent of 2005 levels. Tony Quintanilla, a leader of the Lincoln Park-based north side chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, saw his speeches at the conference as “striking the right tone.” However, Quintanilla lacks faith that Biden will be capable of following through on the U.S.’ pledges with the current state of his domestic agenda.

“The reality is that the Build Back Better better plan, the way it’s structured right now, won’t get us there,” Quintanilla said. “It was not gonna get us to 50 percent because certain senators pulled out the Clean Energy Plan.”

As the world’s second highest emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and historically top emitter of these gasses, the U.S. has one of the largest roles in combating the climate crisis.

“I think [our] responsibility is to lead on finding solutions to the climate crisis,” Quintanilla said. “If we don’t lead, the global initiative will not happen.”

Historically, this leadership has been limited.

“The U.S. has a significant credibility problem in global climate change negotiations,” Stalley said. “Both in historical and per capita terms, it is the world’s top emitter of greenhouse gases, and the steps it has taken to fight climate change in the past have not been com-

mensurate with the debt it owes the rest of the world.”

President Biden’s appearance at the conference was symbolically important, as he convened with the largest gathering of world leaders since the 2015 Paris Climate Accords to bring attention to combating climate change.

However, the U.S.’ domestic issues don’t stay at home.

“Unfortunately, other countries can read the news too, and, and they realize that American leadership doesn’t have the backing of our Congress,” Quintanilla said.

However, Stalley finds the defeatist attitude that many, including most of his students over the years, bring to the topic of stopping climate change counter-productive, and encourages cautious optimism.

“This doomsday mentality makes it much less likely we will take the political action necessary to make our socio-economic system more sustainable,” he said.

Though commitments at the conference don’t hold the same weight as policy, Stalley sees taking political action and efforts of students like Janicki vital to making them happen.

“If students get politically involved and do what they can to [hold fire to the feet] of governments and businesses, they increase the odds that the promises made at COP26 will translate into actual emission reductions,” Stalley said.

4| News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Jaffee History Trail will feature new sculptures by local artist

By Angela Sampers Contributing Writer

Walking along the busy sidewalks in Lincoln Park it’s easy to be on autopilot. There’s this desire to rush to the next destination without appreciating what’s around us.

Chicago History Museum’s newest and highly anticipated addition, the Jaffee History Trail is now open and free to the public to enjoy. The area features a variety of interactive elements to attract visitors in hopes to have them stop and take in everything the trail has to offer.

“The overall goal of the project was to share Chicago stories outside the walls of the museum,” said Kris Nesbitt, Chicago History Museums’ chief strategic initiatives officer.

“This trail provides an experience beyond our doors to engage with the community.”

Located on the path behind the museum on 1601 N. Clark St. only over a mile walk from DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, the trail provides a space for the larger community to interact and learn about Chicago’s history in a new way. Especially in such a populated and high traffic area.

“One of the cool things about this section of the park is that it’s so heavily used, so many people are coming from different places, from residents to tourists … people who are coming and going,” said Nesbitt.

The trail holds 4.5 acres of parkland which has been transformed into an educational history trail. Featuring an array of sculptures created by a local Chicago artist, Bernard Williams as well as open spaces and gardens for the community to appreciate.

“We are thrilled to bring Chicagoans and visitors together to reflect on our city’s resilience and the historic moments that made us the strong city we are today,” said Rachel Hatch, the public communications manager of the Chicago History Museum.

Whether you decide to stay for an ex-

AUDREY CHAMPELLI | THE DEPAULIA

Chicagoans ride along the Jaffee History trail where they can see outdoor sculptures. tended amount of time or just a quick walk through the trail there’s plenty of historical elements that might be recognizable to some. Including a massive relic from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 as well as a couch tomb serving as a reminder that the space was once a city cemetery.

The trail takes you through eight different trail stops to give you a closer look into Chicago’s history. Making your way up or down the trail, each stop tells a story, starting with the word resilient and perfectly ending the trail with the phrase “Chicago is Connected.”

While you are walking along the path and glancing upwards, you’ll notice a collection of 12 weathervanes spread across the trail that tells a story. These weathervanes were designed

by Williams in collaboration with the Chicago Park District’s 15 cultural centers. Each weathervane incorporates an activity common to Chicago’s community such as musicians and

dancers that is completely up to your interpretation.

Incorporating the history of Chicago and its community was the most important part of the process.

“There was a mission to not just do generic symbols that might represent Chicago, [the Chicago History Museum] wanted to connect with a number of parks around Chicago,” said Williams.

To achieve this, the museum worked closely with the Chicago Park District to work towards a common goal while talking to a variety of local community groups and organizations to make the trail complete.

The overarching mission of the museum is to “share Chicago’s stories, serving as a hub of scholarship and learning, inspiration and civic engagement.” With this trail, they are achieving just that.

“The museum deserves a lot of credit for

going a lot deeper by drawing in the community,” said Williams. “They took a more inclusive and outreach kind of idea … while allowing voices from various backgrounds to be heard.”

After the museum looked at a small group of artists, Bernard Williams ended up being the perfect fit for both of them and what they wanted to accomplish.

Within the last ten years, Williams has centered his work around creating outdoor sculptures and is driven by a genuine interest in history and culture. The job Williams had was to make the overall message visual. By incorporating his format of flat, cut-out symbols, each has its own unique story that contributes to the broader message.

“The nature of the symbols is that they have multiple meanings,” said Williams. “It’s not important that [the visitors] know exactly what each symbol means.”

For instance, one could see the symbol of a hand with a hand as a parental image and others could see it as something completely different. Williams encourages visitors to interact with the symbols and come up with their own interpretations of them.

Thus far they have received plenty of praise for the work they have done. Nesbitt says a lot of the times when she’s out on the trail people will have positive reactions of how this is a great addition to the community.

“You see a lot of people enjoying themselves, which is a big part of the overall goal,” said Nesbitt.

By putting it out into the community, Williams hopes that the trail will invoke notions of connection, vitality, energy, and positivity.

“These kinds of spaces allow people to engage in artwork and understand the histories that are now available for people within the city to have all of those experiences,” said Williams.

DePaul student veteran event has highest turnout ever

By Kiersten Riedford Focus Editor

Sixty-one people, the highest turnout a Veterans Day event has ever had, showed up to the Veterans Day luncheon which celebrated veterans with guest speakers, food and storytelling on Thursday, Nov. 11.

This past week, starting Monday, Nov. 8, and ending Saturday, Nov. 13, there have been events every day hosted by the Student Veterans Union to celebrate Veterans Day. Liam Turman, Student Veterans Union president and sophomore, said he was excited about the turnout for all of the events from this past week.

“Attendance has exceeded my expectations at every event this week, which is great,” Turman said. “Last year was a pandemic so it’s hard to say, but we had 61 people show up to the luncheon, which is more than double the attendance of the same event in 2019.”

Vaughn Cooper, DePaul veterans certifying assistant and senior, agreed the turnout went beyond his expectations too.

“We had a massive turnout, [an] unexpectedly large turnout,” Cooper said.

“We were able to get our main goals across, the understanding of what it means to be a veteran and what Veterans Day means to veterans at large.”

There were a lot more people from the general student body and faculty at the events than the student veterans expected.

“We had a fair amount of normal students show up at the luncheon, but

overall for this week it’s been mainly veterans,” Turman said. “Either way I’m just happy to have people at the events.”

Cooper said the turnout from the event was a mix of people who were connected and not connected with veterans.

“We had faculty come out, students who had no veteran affiliation as well as student veterans, so it was a good mix of the overall population,” he said.

Attendees from more than just the veteran demographic at DePaul are helpful for the student veterans to know they are supported by the school at large.

“I think this week went great and I think it illustrates that we as an organization, or even as a school, didn’t lose a step during the pandemic,” Turman said.

“We came back and we’re able to continue an upward trajectory because we have amazing students and staff that support organizations like this.”

Beyond the luncheon, there were movie nights, game nights, an ultimate frisbee event and a Salute to Service basketball game. The events allowed the student veterans to connect to the public, sharing stories about their experiences in the military as well as talking to the students and faculty about school and topics other than military life.

Cooper said another benefit to the student body and faculty attending the event is teaching people about veterans from the perspective of someone who has been a part of the experience.

“People who have an ability to hear a wide variety of veteran experiences helps to reel in the perspective on the overall what it means to be a veteran and what this day means to veterans and

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIAM TURMAN

The student veteran events provided a space for veteran and non-veteran students to come together. how much we appreciate the recognition and appreciation for the work we’ve done in our service and our time in the military,” he said.

Student veteran and senior Julian Pinkney said the student body and staff acknowledging the student veterans’ sacrifices helps more than they know.

“The hardest part for most veteran students is the age difference and finding stuff to relate to other students to fit in,” Pinkney said. “Acknowledging and thanking a veteran for their service goes a long way.”

The staff of the veterans affairs office thought the events this week were a success in celebrating veterans and creating a community for student veterans, according to Cooper. He said he is looking forward to future events, wanting to

make the community available beyond the week of Veterans Day. “I want to thank each and every person that did attend any event we had on campus,” Cooper said. “We will be having more events throughout the school year. We’ll have flyers posted around all common areas on both campuses, so please be on the lookout for anything from the office of veterans affairs as well as Student Veterans Association Illinois.

We will be working hard to increase our presence on campus and you will see a lot more of us on campus throughout this year.”

News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 5

Chicago homelessness services gear up for winter

By Erik Uebelacker Opinions Editor

With winter quickly approaching, Chicagoans facing homelessness will once again be subjected to the city’s infamous cold weather.

The looming presence of Covid-19 only complicates this, as the health and economic woes of the pandemic continue to affect society’s most vulnerable.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 2022 budget proposal included record funding to provide housing assistance to those in the city experiencing homelessness. The $214 million plan will be the largest investment addressing homelessness in Chicago’s history, and will receive federal funding from the American Rescue Plan.

“In response to the pandemic, there is unprecedented federal funding available to address homelessness,” wrote Molly Brown in an email to The DePaulia. Brown is a professor of clinical-community psychology at DePaul University, and director of the Homeless Advocacy, Research, and Collaboration Lab. But this money won’t last forever. As federal Covid stimulus programs like the American Rescue Plan expire, cities like Chicago will soon be back to tacking issues like homelessness mostly on their own. This means that local organizations that provide solutions for homeless Chicagoans are more important than ever.

One of those organizations is Lincoln Park Community Services. LPCS provides food, internet, counseling, clothing, and interim and permanent housing to individuals throughout Chicago’s North Side experiencing homelessness. Their CEO, Cheryl Hamilton-Hill explained how difficult the city’s extreme weather can be for those without shelter.

“Even though it’s a critical traumatic experience for [the homeless] every single day, when you think about extreme heat or blistering cold, those are tough times for anyone,” Hamilton-Hill told The DePaulia. “We just try to get their basic needs met.”

Hamilton-Hill explained that, because of the pandemic’s economic strain and social distancing requirements, Covid-19 made services like LPCS’ more necessary than ever.

“The challenge came when we had to not only figure out how to serve more individuals, but do it in a safe socially-distanced manor,” Hamilton-Hill said.

“Because of the support of the community, we were able to expand our services, help more individuals, but still keep them safe…

Through the end of the summer, we had not one of our guests contract Covid-19.”

Shelter services like LPCS are critical in the local effort to assist Chicago’s homeless population. Providing material goods and services to those experiencing homelessness is immensely beneficial to the community, particularly with the cold winter months rapidly approaching.

But the homeless face more challenges than just the weather, explained Lydia Stazen.

“People who are experiencing homelessness in Chicago face challenges all year round. Those challenges are really centered around ease of access: knowing where to go for help, and knowing what services are available for them,” Stazen told The DePaulia.

Stazen is the Executive Director of the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH), an organization housed at and partnered with DePaul University. The IGH tackles the issue of homelessness from an advocacy perspective, backing public policies to end homelessness and helping to improve existing services through education.

“Covid has really impacted our ability, particularly here in Chicago, to provide some of the normal training and support that we usually would,” Stazed said.

Despite this, the IGH has continued its advocacy by working closely with groups such as the United Nations to promote policies on behalf of the world’s homeless population.

Groups such as the IGH and LPCS may approach assisting the homeless in vastly different ways, but their overarching goal re-

NADIA HERNANDEZ| THE DEPAULIA

The Lincoln Park Community Services building is right off the Sedgwick stop on the Brown and Purple Line and has public resources. mains the same: to end homelessness in Chicago and abroad. While this may sound like wishful thinking, Brown explained that there is more than enough space and resources to do it effectively.

“Homelessness is a complex, but not impossible, social problem that has gone unsolved due to a lack of political will,” Brown wrote. “The City of Chicago can prevent and address homelessness by directing resources and policies to ensure low-or no-income individuals have permanent access to affordable housing.”

In fact, this was precisely what was recommended by both Stazen and Hamilton-Hill when asked how to best reduce

homelessness in Chicago.

“It is also important to recognize that we don’t have enough affordable housing, particularly here in Chicago,” Hamilton-Hill said.

“It’s very important to make sure that there are opportunities to find affordable housing.”

According to Marisa Novara, commissioner of Chicago’s DePartment of Housing, the city is approximately 120,000 units short of affordable housing than it needs.

“There’s lots of apartments that you can rent in the free market side of the housing spectrum,” Stazen said. “But there are not enough units set aside for affordable housing.

There are not enough units set aside for subsidized housing.”

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6| News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Public Safety did not send alert after person brings gun on campus

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

An unauthorized person brought a gun into the Maggie C. Daley Building on Nov. 4, according to the DePaul Public Safety report.

Public Safety then contacted Chicago Police who then, “spoke to the individual” and no arrest was made, according to Robert Wachowski, director of Public Safety.

The original report on the crime summary sent to The DePaulia on Nov. 10 said, “An Unlawful Possession of Firearms report was filed regarding an unauthorized person in possession of a firearm in the Daley Building.”

“There was never a threat to the community,” Wachowski said in a statement to The DePaulia. “The situation did not meet the criteria for sending a DPU Alert or any other safety notification.”

The report did not provide any details about what time Chicago Police came in or who the individual was.

Public Safety sends several mass communications to inform the DePaul community about crime, including DPU alerts that disclose potential safety concerns or risks. Public Safety decides the criteria of

NADIA HERNANDEZ| THE DEPAULIA

The Daley Building is located on 14 E Jackson Blvd, where several colleges including the College of Communication, are housed. each incident individually.

In the 2021 Safety and Security Information and Fire Safety report, they outline the criteria for informing the public.

“For example, if an offender has been apprehended, there may not be a serious or continuing threat to the campus community,” the report reads. “Similarly, if the crime is reported to Public Safety long after the crime has occurred, there may not be a serious or continuing threat to the campus community.”

Freshman Vanessa Ramos was at the Daley Building and Loop campus from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and she said Public Safety did not inform anybody about the incident.

“No, they didn’t mention anything at all,” Ramos said. “It’s just weird how they

didn’t mention anything.”

Other DePaul students, both on and off the Loop campus, said they would have liked to have been informed after the incident occurred.

“I definitely would have liked to be informed,” said junior Luca Dalton.

Kristin Pengally, a faculty member in DePaul’s College of Communication, located in the Daley Building, said she wanted to be informed.

“I’m a faculty member…would absolutely like to know how or why this happened, and how they’ll prevent it from happening again,” Pengally said.

Illinois is a concealed carry state and does not allow open carry, according to Illinois gun laws.

Public Safety makes the decision to in-

form the DePaul community on a case-bycase basis, according to the 2021 report.

“The underlying principle in distributing timely warnings is to distribute the relevant information to the appropriate people quickly and effectively,” the report said. “Decisions about whether to issue a timely warning, the information to include in a timely warning, and the form in which a timely warning will be issued, will be made on a case-by-case basis by Public Safety, in light of the relevant circumstances.”

This incident follows several armed robberies around 711 stores by the Loop campus. Public Safety has not disclosed any timeline about the incident and no arrests were made.

CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: Nov. 3, 2021- Nov. 9, 2021 LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

LOOP CAMPUS

1150 W Fullerton

Seton Hall

2

6

Centennial Hall 4

Sheffield Garage 1

Levan and O’Connell 5

Daley Building 6

8

DePaul Center

Lewis center 9

7

5

11

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

Assault & Theft

Drug & Alcohol

Nov. 03 was filed in Centennial Hall.

1) A Criminal Damage report was filed regarding damage to a vehicle Nov. 08 in the Sheffield Parking Garage.

5) A Harassment report was filed at the Levan and O’Connell building.

Nov. 04 2) A Criminal Trespass report was Nov. 09 filed at 1150 W Fullerton.

6) A Graffiti report was filed regarding markings found on 990 Nov. 05 W Fullerton and Seton 3) A Criminal Damage report was Hall. filed regarding damage to a vehicle on the 2200 block of W Bissell. (Not pictured above) Nov. 07 4) A Suspicion of Marijuana report

Other

LOOP CAMPUS Daley Building.

Nov. 06 9) A Graffiti report was filed regarding markings found on the Merle Reskin Theatre. (Not pictured above)

LOOP Nov. 03 7) A Disorderly Conduct report was filed at the DePaul Center.

Nov. 04 8) An Unlawful Possession of Firearms report was filed regarding an unauthorized person in possession of a firearm in the

10) A Graffiti report was filed regarding markings found on the Lewis Center.

Nov. 09 11) A Graffiti report was filed regarding markings found on the DePaul Center.

News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 7

PHOTO | INSTAGRAM

Oribi Kontein, 26, is remembered by his wife, friends and professors for the love and laughter he brought to every situation and the lives he touched.

KONTEIN, continued from front page “He was really committed to fitness and personal growth and he was always trying to push himself and find new challenges or adventures,” Soto said.

One of the biggest challenges the Nigerian-born Kontein took on was his move to Chicago to attend DePaul on a national scholarship. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 2017.

“He came to the U.S. from Nigeria in 2014 with basically nothing and had to build himself a life from scratch,” Soto said. “He worked so hard just to survive with very little support, and still always found ways to help others and be there for people when they were in need.”

His professors at DePaul remember him fondly.

“He was a stand-out student in so many areas and possessed the kind of qualities that you hope and wish for in your students — sharp, eager, curious and willing to put in the work,” said Tracey Lewis-Elligan, associate professor of sociology.

Lewis-Elligan taught Kontein in a class on the sociology of family and its meanings, continuity and changes.

“Oribi would often talk about his experiences growing up in Nigeria and his strong connection to his family,” she said. “He admired his family and often expressed how he wanted to make them proud.”

Kontein’s strong work ethic drove him to go to massage school and start his own practice.

“[Oribi] was the life of the room. There was no time you would not see him smiling.”

Sabrina Odigo

Friend of Oribi Kontein “He was always entrepreneurial and had his own way of thinking and doing things, so it made sense to me that he’d want to be his own boss,” Soto said.

“When he got into massage therapy it was clear that he had a talent for it, but it took way more dedication for him to actually make it his career. The way he built a successful massage business all on his own, in just a few years of practicing, was really impressive.

“Everyone who met or knew him through his massage work knew how driven and talented he was,” Soto continued. “I was so proud of his growth and I know he was proud of how far he’d come ... I know it meant a lot to him to feel like he really made it.”

As hard as he worked, Kontein always had fun.

“He was the life of the room,” said Sabrina Odigo, another DePaul graduate from Nigeria who first met Kontein when the group was preparing to leave for the U.S. “There was no time you would not see him smiling.”

Kontein fostered community at DePaul, with a strong group of friends. He even met his wife at the school: The couple met when they both worked at the

Ray. His generous nature was one of the first characteristics Soto noticed about him.

“He brought food he cooked to work and he let me try some and I really liked it, and then after that he would bring me extra food to eat almost every day,” Soto said.

Kontein and a group of other Nigerian students lived together in the University Center housing downtown. In the group, Kontein stood out for his love of food. According to one friend, if there was food, Kontein would find a way to be there.

“Sometimes we literally would be like, ‘Oh, are you coming over?’ And he’s like, ‘No, I can’t,’ Odigo recalled. “I [would be] like, ‘But I have food!’ and then he’d be like ‘Okay, okay, I’m coming over.’”

He would later spread this love of food to friends, family and strangers with a regular series of wellness events called Massage Me While I Eat. Kontein and friend Tena Guwor, a chef, came together for the common goal of “healing bodies and feeding bellies.” At the events, Kontein would offer aromatherapy, message and meditation,

while Guwor, a chef, would create a full menu for people to enjoy.

“You didn’t need to know him for ages to see [his] kindness,” Guwor said of his friend.

The two even brought the initiative to homeless shelters in the area, packing food and offering massages for people in an Uptown shelter.

“He was just that kind of person who was always trying to show people care and love whenever he could,” Soto said.

“He still found time to do a lot of free work for causes or businesses he cared about too, and that was a big part of his heart.”

Kontein’s “joie de vivre,” humor and enthusiasm were clear in the connections he made with everyone he met.

“He also had a type of energy, especially when he was excited or laughing, that was so bright and goofy that you couldn’t help but laugh or at least smile just from being around him,” Soto said.

“His interactions were guided by kindness,” Lewis-Elligan said. “I witnessed it when he met my two sons, who were young at the time. In the too-brief interaction, he lit up their world.”

Above all, Kontein will be remembered for his joy and positivity.

“I think we should all remember for the light that he was, the joy that he brought to us and the happiness that he filled the room with when he got in, with his smile, with his trying to dance, with his enthusiasm,” Odigo said.“To know him is to know happiness at some point.”

8 | News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 UCS, continued from front page “We have My SSP, which was being contracted before I came on board,” Yau said at the meeting. “But My SSP is not not just an app. It is a platform to allow you to connect to a live counselor with the chat call, or you could set up an ongoing video counseling session with your same counselor.”

Yau updated SGA about the department’s hiring process. He is currently reviewing applications for the available positions and said he is hoping to hire part-time counselors by the start of next year. However, he does not have a timeline for when counseling services will be back to full capacity.

“I have no control in terms of how many applications are coming to us right now,” Yau said. “We have a few applications coming to us and we are moving that so that hopefully we could have those counselors ready by either December or January. I hope to have more full-time staff in the fall semester of 2022. But this is very tentative, because I have no control.”

Nationwide, mental health counselor positions are in high demand. DePaul has listed two positions for associate director and a part-time mental health outreach specialist on Indeed.

Yau also confirmed at the meeting that he did not know how much money DePaul will allocate to the UCS budget.

After an audience member asked if Yau could give an estimate, he chose not to answer publicly.

Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Zdziarski also could not provide a budget amount to The DePaulia.

“The university does not provide unit level budget information,” Zdziarski said in a statement.

Rocha said she has been meeting with Yau to discuss student concerns throughout the quarter. “[Yau] and I have been working nonstop with countless meetings,” Rocha said. “I listen to students’ concerns

[through] DMing me, emails or they just call me in person. And those concerns I directly bring up with Dr. Yau as well.”

If students could not attend the meeting, Yau expressed wanting to hear community feedback about UCS and My SSP through Student Affairs or emailing ucs@depaul.edu.

Rocha expressed her trust in Yau and the future of UCS. He plans to use research to change some of the previous standards, such as the rule that students were allotted 20 free counseling sessions over their four years. Current research says students need more and Yau will include more free sessions.

“If you recall, that’s been a huge complaint from the student body for about like four years now, maybe five,” Rocha said. “And I told him about that.

He immediately was like, ‘No, I’ve been reading the recent research on that [and] that is not the most beneficial for people, so he’s getting rid of [only 20 free sessions].”

Although Yau has been at DePaul for about three months and is restructuring the program, students still have expressed discontent.

“So we have to take into account these different variables,” Rocha said.

“Students have every right to be angry, students have every right to be concerned. But I feel like it’s important for them to listen to him with an open mind, because he is absolutely there to listen to everything he wants us to get involved.”

SGA will continue to work with Yau to provide quality services for students and create liaisons. “[Having] a liaison and that point of connection with SGA, it’s just very strong because we’re usually more accessible in daily life to other students because we are students ourselves,” Rocha said.

Students can also direct messages @DePaulSGA on Instagram with questions or concerns.

MICKY BRAEGER | THE DEPAULIA

Director of Counseling Services Tow Yau answers audience members’ questions.

MICKY BRAEGER | THE DEPAULIA

SGA’s Executive Vice President of Student Affairs Cindy Rocha asks a question to Yau.

9 | News. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Nation & World

ALICIA GOLUSZKA | ART DIRECTOR

Murder, famine, destruction: Sand mining’s global impact

By Jackson Healy Nation & World Editor

Sand: it’s coarse, it’s rough and it’s disappearing everywhere.

It may come as a surprise to many that sand serves as much more than just the grounds at beaches and deserts across the globe. In reality, sand is all around us, acting as the building blocks of civilization itself — literally.

Sand is the second most consumed natural resource on Earth, only behind water— not even fossil fuels are as sought-after as sand. Necessary for the production of concrete, glass and silicon chips, sand invisibly defines the world around us. The foundation keeping your home in place, the windows lighting your house, the roads you drive and every computer you’ve ever owned all require sand to exist.

Even as sand is mined globally at a rate of 50 million metric tons per year, this resource was largely taken for granted until the last decade.

“It’s only pretty recently that people started to think of sand as an important natural resource like wheat, iron or oil,” said Vince Beiser, journalist and author of “The World in a Grain.” “People have always assumed there’s an infinite amount of sand out there.”

But an infinite amount there is not.

While we already use massive amounts of sand every year, by 2050, the U.N. expects the global population to rise from 7.9 billion people to around 9.8 billion. Over two-thirds of those people are expected to live in urban areas, only exacerbating the loss of the non-renewable resource.

Even though deserts comprise about one-third of Earth’s land surface, they’re not particularly useful for the construction industry. Eroded by wind, desert sand particles are too smooth to bind in concrete. For most industrial purposes, we need sand eroded by water. To get that,

“They’ve done everything. They’ve made many rivers into patches – they can’t even really be called rivers anymore because they’ve changed so much.”

Sumaira Abdulali

Environmentalist & Founder, Awaaz Foundation companies strip coastlines, dig up long gone bodies of water and dredge sea and river beds.

All of these options can have an immense impact on the surrounding environment.

“Sand mining is a natural resource exploitation,” said Mette Bendixen, physical geography professor at McGill University, “and all resource exploitation comes with consequences for the environment. That’s just how it is.”

For example, as sand is extracted from riverbeds, the river collects sand from elsewhere to make up for losses. Most often, this replenishment comes from riverbanks, eroding away the surrounding land.

Take the Mekong Delta in Vietnam for example. Home to over 21 million Vietnamese, the region creates over half of Vietnam’s entire supply of rice, also providing immensely for surrounding countries.

At the same time, the delta is shrinking at the rate of a football field every day.

“We stand to lose a huge amount of incredibly important farmland that provides food for hundreds of millions of people to live on,” Beiser said.

This issue is not restricted to the Mekong Delta though – across the globe, and

primarily in the developing world, the stability of waters are being challenged by sand mining.

“Take any big city in Africa, go to Google Earth, find a random road, and follow it outside the city,” Bendixen said.

“You can easily see that they’re mining sand everywhere.”

In many parts of the globe, “sand mafias” have cropped up to meet construction growth spurred by population growth. Through violence, intimidation and corruption, these organizations are able to skirt the region’s restrictions on mining operations, causing untold damage with impunity.

While sand mafias exist around the world, they are no more prevalent than in India. At least 22 of India’s 28 states have at least one sand mafia, and according to one report, at least 193 people have died due to Illegal sand mining in India alone between January 2019 and mid-November 2020. Among the slain are civilians, journalists, activists and government officials.

“They have changed the entire course of rivers,” said Sumaira Abdulali, environmentalist and founder of Awaaz Foundation. “They have decimated the fishing industry in many parts of the river. There’s been major landslides and floods directly as a result of sand mining. They’ve deep-

ened the course of the rivers. They’ve done everything. They’ve made many rivers into patches – they can’t even really be called rivers anymore because they’ve changed so much.”

Unsustainable sand mining isn’t only happening halfway across the globe, though; the United States needs concrete, too. And because regulations on mining are set at the state and county level, many areas of the U.S. have been hit much harder than others.

In Houston, studies have suggested that mining along the San Jacinto River has increased the severity of flooding in the surrounding areas. The last beachfront mine in the States only closed last year.

And in Long Island, investigators have accused mining companies of contaminating the area’s drinking water with metals like manganese and iron.

So, what can we do about it? While no viable alternative to sand-based concrete currently exists, pre-existing concrete can be recycled and stone can be crushed in order to meet some of the demand for sand.

As climate change melts arctic ice caps, Greenland has increasingly been flooded not just with water, but with sediment. As Greenland rivers hold about ten percent of the planet’s river sand, extraction done there may also meet some of the global demand in a less damaging way.

Ultimately though, Beiser believes that the issue extends far beyond sand.

“The only long-term sustainable solution is to reframe the question,” he said.

“The question isn’t so much ‘how can we use sand?’ It’s ‘how can we use less of everything?’ Our whole way of life is just unsustainable.”

Nation & World. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 11

A look into Glenn Youngkin’s win in Virginia

By Nika Schoonover Print Managing Editor

Virginia’s gubernatorial election was brought to national attention as the first major election in the postTrump era. Virginia, one of two states that holds its gubernatorial race in the year following the presidential election, served as a potential insight into next year’s midterms — a warning signal for Democrats hoping to secure enough voters to maintain control in Congress.

The Virginia election was a win for Republicans, with Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin taking the governorship.

Laura Vozzella, a local reporter covering Virginia politics for the Washington Post, said that Youngkin appeared to be the “strongest of the Republicans” once he won the nomination.

“He stylistically was so different from Trump that it seemed like maybe he’d have the best shot but it still seemed like he’d be the underdog,” Vozzella told The DePaulia.

Once education started to become a larger issue in the gubernatorial race, this started to shift.

The conversation on education became central to the Virginia governor’s race, and Loudoun County served as the epicenter of the debate.

Earlier this year, Loudoun County school system released a 22-page equity plan that sought to improve implicit bias training and the handling of rac-

STEVE HELBER | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Current governor-elect Glenn Youngkin speaks to supporters during a rally Nov. 1, 2021. ist behaviors. The result was an outcry from the community and five parents sued the school system over the plan.

Amid increased nervousness over “critical race theory,” an education model that seeks to analyze the intersection of race and law in the United States, Virginia’s election became the first major race that saw critical race theory as a central issue.

Parents in Loudoun County have subsequently pursued recall campaigns against five school board members which resulted in one member, Beth Barts, deciding to resign from the board in October.

Youngkin took a stance on education in his gubernatorial campaign, promising to restructure Virginia’s education system and ban critical race theory.

“It all starts with recognizing that our curriculum has gone haywire,”

Youngkin said at a rally in September.

“So on day one, we are going to ban teaching critical race theory in our schools.”

Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe took a different stance, stating that teachers shouldn’t be able to determine school curriculum; Youngkin used this to his advantage in his campaign ads.

“I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” one ad shows McAuliffe saying at a Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce debate in September.

According to exit polls, 24 percent of voters said that education was the most important issue facing Virginia. Of these voters, 53 percent favored Youngkin. Education was the second top-rated issue with the economy surpassing it according to exit polls, with 33 percent of voters listing it as their primary concern.

Wayne Steger, a political science professor at DePaul, said the two most critical factors in the Virginia election were the role of partisanship and voter turnout.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, voter turnout seemed to increase across the board in Virginia from 2017. Republicans, though, show larger gains in turnout. The only localities that showed a decrease in turnout were Portsmouth and Charlottesville, both of which vote Democratic. Even among Democratic localities that saw an increase in turnout, that increase was not nearly as great as in Republican localities.

“The parties are clearly polarized along racial lines, education lines and age,” Steger said. “Those are the three big demographics that matter.”

In many respects, Youngkin was able to secure key rural coalitions while chipping away at Democratic urban and non-white leads in the state. The high turnout by Republicans suggests that they have been able to mobilize voters in a way that Democrats were not this year. Virginia’s gubernatorial election could suggest that Democrats will have to reassess how to mobilize their voters in time for midterms. The out-party tends to see greater wins in midterms and that, along with Democrats’ loss in Virginia, could signify a need to shift strategy for 2022.

US sanctions Eritrea’s military, ruling party over Ethiopia

By Cara Anna Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States on Friday imposed economic sanctions on the military and ruling party of Eritrea over their role in neighboring Ethiopia’s brutal yearlong war, and it warned it would sanction Ethiopia’s government and rival Tigray forces if there is no “meaningful progress” toward a cease-fire and talks.

A Treasury Department statement cited the “continued role” the Eritreans play in the war that has killed thousands and displaced millions. Ethiopia’s government allowed Eritrean soldiers to enter Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where witnesses have accused them of some of the war’s worst abuses, but then denied the soldiers were there for months.

The U.S. statement noted “numerous reports of looting, sexual assault, killing civilians, and blocking humanitarian aid” by Eritrean forces. The soldiers “have been seen disguised in old Ethiopian military uniforms, manning checkpoints, obstructing and occupying critical aid routes, and threatening medical staff in one of northern Ethiopia’s few operating hospitals,” the statement said.

Notably, the Treasury Department pointed out that Eritrea’s military is led by longtime President Isaias Afwerki, but he was not sanctioned.

The department also warned that “if there is not tangible progress toward a cessation of hostilities,” the U.S. was ready to sanction others, including Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray forces who long dominated the national government before a political falling-out with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

There was no immediate comment from Eritrea, which human rights groups have described as one of the world’s most repressive nations.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ethiopian military parade at a rally organized by local authorities in support of the Ethiopian National Defense Force Nov. 7, 2021.

In a separate statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Eritrea’s presence in Ethiopia is “posing a significant obstacle to a cessation of hostilities, and threatening the integrity of the Ethiopian state.” He called again for Eritrean soldiers to withdraw immediately.

Blinken said the U.S. was not imposing sanctions on Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray forces “to allow time and space” to see if efforts by African Union envoy Olusegun Obasanjo to urge them into talks without preconditions make progress.

Without “meaningful progress,” Blinken said, such sanctions could be imposed.

In separate comments to reporters, he expressed concern that Ethiopia, Af-

rica’s second most-populous country, could “implode.” Blinken spoke before he visits neighboring Kenya next week as part of efforts to calm the crisis.

The U.S. sanctions imposed Friday also targeted Abraha Kassa Nemariam, the head of the Eritrean National Security Office; Hidri Trust, the holding company of the Eritrean ruling party’s business enterprises; the Red Sea Trading Corporation, which managed the ruling party’s financial interests; and the corporation’s chief executive, Hagos Ghebrehiwet W. Kidan.

Ethiopia’s war has created one of the world’s worst crises. Hundreds of thousands of people face famine conditions in the Tigray region under what the United Nations has called a “de facto humanitarian blockade.”

“People are dying because of lack of supplies,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus told reporters Friday, calling the blockade “systemic.”

Tedros, a former Ethiopian foreign minister under the previous government, also accused Ethiopia’s current government of ethnic profiling and detaining people by the thousands.

“This is blatant and open,” he said.

Witnesses have told The Associated Press that ethnic Tigrayans, including American and British citizens, are being swept up in a new wave of detentions since Ethiopia’s government imposed a state of emergency last week as Tigray forces moved closer to the capital.

12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Opinions

Newsrooms need to reimagine objectivity

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

The objectivity discourse has found home in journalism classrooms nationwide. Journalism students learn about how objectivity and neutrality are key traits in the industry. I’ve had this talk plenty of times in my classrooms; however, this discussion always neglects the implications of racial and ethnic identity.

The Society of Professional Journalists outline in their code of ethics that all journalists should, “boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience [and] seek sources whose voices we seldom hear.”

Predominantly white newsrooms and institutions impact the range of who and what gets covered, and how. We don’t discuss implicit racial biases in news coverage for white journalists, nor do we tend to question the objectivity of white journalists covering white people.

“We would never say that a white reporter couldn’t cover a story about white people,” said Jordan Stalker, an adjunct professor in DePaul’s College of Communication. “We wouldn’t say that.”

In the past, the industry viewed identity as a conflict of objectivity which discouraged journalists of color to report on their own communities.

Despite this old-school notion, several DePaul student journalists of color view things differently. Sophomore and 14 East associate editor Eiman Navaid said that her identity aligning with her coverage makes sense.

“From what I’ve seen, [journalists of color] are seen as being ‘too emotional’ to cover stories that directly affect their community,” Navaid said. “However, this can actually amplify the coverage as they are more in tune with their communities as opposed to a white journalist who simply comes in for a story.”

Objectivity gets enforced by preventing journalists of color from reporting on their own communities, while also lending leverage to white journalists as well.

“From what I’ve seen, [objectivity] has mainly only applied to journalists of color to prevent them from ‘telling the full truth’ on issues that affect their community and people of their identity,” Navaid said. “On the other hand, objectivity applies to white journalists to ensure [or] back up their reasoning for explaining ‘both sides.’”

Media has played a role in promoting and transmitting harmful messages about people of color. This past mistreatment affects the relationship between people of color and the media, which makes communities hesitant to trust white reporters.

“That’s a very human response,” Stalker said. “I think that that combined

PAUL KELLER | COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS The Al Jazeera broadcast center in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera is the first English-language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East.

with the very well documented elements of oppression and mistrust and prejudice that communities of color or minority communities have undergone and experienced, leads them to not trust those who are part of a predominantly white institution like journalism.”

As a journalist of color myself, I want my community to have coverage that goes beyond what crimes and drug busts have occurred.

This also occurs for Western media reporting on international issues. For DePaul senior and aspiring international reporter Fatima Zaidi, Western and white media perpetuates harmful ideologies of the Middle East.

“No white man or woman in this case is going to tell the Western world about [these issues] ... so this is where I think the voices of journalists of color really do come into play,” Zaidi said.

Zaidi referred to publications and white reporters promoting the correlation of Islam and terrorism that highlights racial bias.

“Do you think that white people who agreed with those statements should be the ones telling our narrative?” Zaidi said. “Take it a step further, those who have never experienced any form of racial justice by the judicial system in the United States? Should they be the ones telling our narrative about what racism is and what racism is not?”

“We would never say that a white reporter couldn’t cover a story about white people,” Jordan Stalker

DePaul University Communication Professor Journalists and the industry can examine this trope as racist because it implies that journalists of color can’t be objective due to their identity. This is because we generalize all journalists of color as biased due to their racial or ethnic identity while attributing individualism to each white reporter.

“I think the biggest implication that [objectivity] conveys is that you’re not fit enough to do what you have the talents to do,” Zaidi said.

Even for diverse newsrooms, there is still a huge lack of people of color on editorial staffs. The Pew Research Center reported that 77 percent of newsroom employees are non-Hispanic white. Journalists of color are then left out of making important decisions in the newsroom. Newsrooms have to make a better effort to recruit and hire people of color while also assigning them mean-

ingful roles.

The journalism industry needs to reexamine how objectivity gets enforced and to whom. This has to start with diversifying newsrooms. Although the public has been diversifying, the industry is still behind.

“If you look at the people who are doing the hiring, they are mostly white,” Stalker said. “If you look at people who are doing the training of journalists in universities, we are still mostly white.

That seems to attract certain kinds of people and sometimes can discourage certain types of people.”

The journalism industry needs to reexamine how objectivity gets enforced and to whom. This has to start with diversifying newsrooms. Although the public has been diversifying, the industry is still behind.

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

Opinions. The DePaulia. Nov 15, 2021 | 13

The issue with Katie Couric’s “Going There” tour

By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor

Like many young women in the journalism industry, I grew up listening to the news and one of the voices that I became accustomed to hearing every morning was Katie Couric’s. At the time, I didn’t know I wanted to be a journalist, but women like Katie Couric represented a potential for me to pursue that once I grew up. This past week, I got the opportunity to see Couric live for her book tour for “Going There” and found myself disappointed in her ability to talk about tough issues in a way that felt empathetic to the people and issues she was discussing.

Now, 11 years later, sitting in The Chicago Theatre, my enthusiasm to hear her discuss her new book dropped like a weight to my feet. In her latest book, Couric writes about her life throughout her years as a journalist and online TV woman but the event, at best, felt out of touch. From NBC to the Today Show, Katie Couric has been in our living rooms reporting on topics ranging from presidential interviews to Harry Potter books. While she may have made our mothers laugh, when she came to Chicago, she left a sour taste in my mouth. It felt obscene and insensitive as she right off the bat joked about her eating disorder before moving swiftly to gun violence in Chicago.

Throughout the show, I had to keep checking that I wasn’t the only one astonished with her aloof behaviour towards extremely traumatic topics, but to my surprise everyone was laughing along. Off-putting jokes combined with random sound effects blaring through the theater came off as trying too hard to be likeable, but maybe I

just didn’t fit her desired demographic as a college student.

Continuing her life story, she brings up her “mission” to find a husband.

“Be intentional: approach finding a husband with the same rigor as you would a career,” Couric said. This sentiment seemed to say that finding love was something to check off a to-do list for the perfect life.

While this is a common idea for some people I never liked the idea of finding love and getting married as a requirement to becoming a complete woman.

Moving on from her build-a-husband, Couric introduced a couple who she did a story on in the beginning of her career. The couple, Pamela and Tom Bosely, are parents of Terrel Bosely who was murdered in 2006 in front of Lights of Zion Church. She brought them on to speak about their loss and how they have overcome it by helping others in similar situations. But it came off as collecting their trauma as a stepping stone for her career rather than bringing awareness to an important issue. She sped past their mention of community groups and fundraisers and, instead of projecting the specific groups to help bring awareness on the screen, photos of herself phased in and out.

After they share their trauma and inform the crowds of how to help, Couric asks why gun violence hasn’t gotten better as if this family has the answers to such a difficult question. The off-color comment along with appropriating pain felt extremely targeted and ruined any level of respect I had left.

Right after the family leaves, she just continues on with her life story in a transition that felt tone-deaf to the previous interview.

As if the night couldn’t get any worse, the

ALISON SCHULTZ | THE DEPAULIA Katie Couric promoted her new book “Going There” at the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 6.

topic of Matt Lauer arises, and the #MeToo movement alongside it. Couric’s explanation of the events that transpired with her partner on NBC News after Lauer was fired for inappropriate sexual behavior sounded more like a casual misunderstanding than a traumatic experience for many young women. She calls the men who got fired from their jobs for sexual misconduct “casualties” as if sexuaul predators are victims in war. In her book, Couric asks, “Why didn’t these women just

tell Matt to take a hike?”

“I realized,” she adds, “not everyone is built for that kind of confrontation.”

I was disgusted to hear someone I used to look up to articulate an assumption that women should be responsible for men’s behaviour. Katie Couric’s “Going There” book tour disappointed me, and ended my admiration for one of America’s favorite TV journalists.

Be open-minded with DePaul’s religion classes

By Hannah Hyman Contributing Writer

My name is Hannah Hyman and I am a recent graduate of DePaul. In my time there, I double majored in Political Science and Religious Studies, and I am currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, continuing to focus on religion and politics. I want to share my story in response to the recent article that argues that DePaul lacks interfaith classes while still requiring a religious inquiry class to graduate; while the author was well-intentioned, I believe that they fundamentally misunderstand what the religious inquiry credit and Religious Studies program are about, and did not seem to take a look at the university’s offerings in full. As a former major of the program, hopefully I can shed some light on what the program actually looks like, as well as the phenomenal and diverse array of courses taught by worldclass faculty.

It’s important to understand my identity and religious affiliation as a precursor to my story. I am a non-religious, ethnically Jewish student, raised with some education in the Catholic Church but largely outside of a religious community — religion has never really factored into my life.

When I came to DePaul, I did not want to take a Religious Studies class, fearing that I would be made to read Bible verses and take a field trip to a church — both things that are completely alright, but not what I personally wanted to do. Instead, my conception of Religious Studies, and even my world, were fundamentally changed by taking Lisa Poirier’s Honors Religious Studies class, in which we learned about Rastafari and Haitian Vodou. The class stayed with me, and so I tacked on a Religious Studies minor, then a major.

Over the course of my studies, I learned that Religious Studies and religious inquiry are about so much more than simply

ART BY ALICIA GOLUSZKA

learning about a religion — instead, they’re about understanding religion’s place in culture, history, society at large and anywhere and everywhere that it exists. They’re about gaining a new perspective on the world with nuance, empathy and unique insight. They’re about understanding conflicts and communicational rifts in detail. In many cases, they’re about combating colonialism, racism, sexism, all of the -isms I’ve missed and getting to the heart of what religion is and can be — if one can even define the word “religion” itself.

Because the Religious Studies program, and religious inquiry credit by extension, tackle so many complex issues, they even helped to prepare me for my Ph.D. studies.

I have the skills and perspectives necessary to provide useful and unique insight on a variety of important and nuanced topics, ranging from AI to anarchism. In short, much of what the author of the article was concerned about is actually taught in Religious Studies courses, and helps instill

students with a unique and useful perspective for not only the world around them, but potentially future studies.

However, many folks may not be interested in the whole major and are just looking to knock out that religious inquiry requirement — that’s absolutely fair! For those looking for that route, classes are significantly more diverse and unique than the article in The DePaulia claims. I had the chance to take classes with professor Poirier on Native American religious traditions; with professor Chernoh Sesay on Black religious identity in the United States; with Rev. Richard Fragomeni on mysticism and the occult; with professor Kalyani Menon on the Partition and religious tensions in South Asia; with professor Yuki Miyamoto on ethics and interreligious dialogue; and with Rev. Chris Robinson on pop culture and religion. Additionally, my own Religious Studies capstone project focused on Vodou and Blackness in Haiti, and my Honors capstone, informed by both Political Science and Religious Studies,

looked at feminist neo-pagans.

I took many other fabulous Religious Studies classes in my time at DePaul, but have chosen to highlight these in particular to prove the stunning array of diverse classes that the department offers. In short, with a few minutes of digging, one can find a wide array of topics in Religious Studies, Catholic Studies and Islamic World Studies, with many of them focusing on religious conflict and communication as a subset of their main theme. Taking these classes shows again just how deep, nuanced and diverse that the religious inquiry classes can be, as well as their ability to foster interreligious communication.

Lastly, as a former student worker at the Religious Studies department, I know firsthand how course titles and descriptions are written. Oftentimes, courses can be, and are, taught by different faculty members with different specialties. As such, if a course title or description appears vague, it’s likely because there’s many different people who teach it over the course of a year, which isn’t a bad thing. It means that students can experience a variety of specializations that provide insight on a given topic in new and interesting ways.

If the topics listed don’t float one’s boat, come back next quarter and the offerings will be completely different, even if the course numbers are the same. When in doubt, one can even email a professor to find out more about what the class truly is about.

I encourage and challenge DePaul students to be open-minded about their religious inquiry requirement, and to seek out topics that interest them. The study of religion is an easy target to malign and misunderstand, but offers a great deal if you approach it in good faith. The religious inquiry credit is hardly limiting, burdensome or about indoctrination; with an open mind, I truly believe that nearly any student can find something for them, just like I did.

14 | Focus. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Focus COLORFUL COPING Visual journaling provides students therapy in stressful times

By Kiersten Riedford Focus Editor

COURTESY OF AVALYN KRASTIN | PHOTO

Freshman Avalyn Krastin doodles in her notebook on her bed in her dorm. She said visual journaling helps her process her emotions better, even if the visuals are just small doodles of flowers.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO VISUAL JOURNALING

- Notebook or sketchbook - Assorted pens and pencils - Scissors - Visual images from magazines, newspapers, photo albums - Tape or glue stick ALICIA GOLUSZKA | ART

Freshman Maia Palomar sits on a small purple and white chevron area rug, spreading her art supplies and various paint with paper swatches out across the floor. She leans back on her dresser and starts creating. Occasionally she glances up at the nearby window, looking out at the night sky as she draws. In the background Elton John is playing and the floor becomes more covered and disorganized as the process continues.

Palomar said this is the process of visual journaling to her, and while it can seem chaotic from a distance, it is relaxing to her.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve relied on art to be able to express myself,” Palomar said. “My art feels like a direct extension of myself, making it easier for me to put a drawing on a page that’s open and honest as opposed to struggling to find the right words to say.”

Visual journaling is one of the many ways artists can express themselves, but it is also an experience open to everyone. Visual journaling is the process of a creative way to express and record one’s experiences, feelings and thoughts. The process is similar to journaling, but the person begins by drawing what their stressors, worries or thoughts are, or anything that helps them understand what they are feeling. Usually it contains drawings, sketches, hand lettering, doodles or even clippings of photographs and magazine cutouts.

It is like a diary in that it is a very personal practice — it is not meant to be criticized.

Freshman Avalyn Krastin said she does visual journaling because it allows her to have a record of her past emotions and what was pictured in her mind when she was feeling that way. “I find journaling itself helpful because it’s nice to have proof of my feelings and it’s a fun way to express my feelings as well.”

Katie Hoffman, DePaul alumna and occupational therapy doctorate student, said artists benefit from visual journaling because it gives them a way to put how they feel on paper without the stress of solely writing. “As an artist, I use my work to look inward, then manipulate and interpret my thoughts and feelings and express them symbolically,” she said.

Though artists are more likely to partake in this type of journaling, Clarissa ToddAdekanye’s study, “Visual Journaling for (Self) Education Through Art Education,” said this type of journaling is beneficial to people as a whole because it allows them to bring their imagination into the physical world, allowing them to process their emotions more effectively. The study also says art making in visual journaling can be used as a tool for holistic healing, and by supporting expression through creativity and

Focus. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 15

ALICIA GOLUSZKA | ART

imagination, the formation of identity and reservoirs for healing can be built and influences students’ ability to build self-confidence and self-awareness that can sequentially lead to self-healing.

Palomar said she agrees visual journaling can help a person build their self-awareness. She said the process helps her understand her anxiety and general emotions, allowing her to better understand herself as a whole.

“I jokingly say art and journaling keep me sane, but I think that’s a good bit true,” Palomar said. “I’m a very private person, I find it hard to fully open up to people unless I truly trust them.

Even then I feel a guilt towards putting so much on them, let alone the fact that I’ve avoided processing my emotions for a long time. I also have pretty significant anxiety. Having a drawing to look back at makes all my emotions or anxiety real, I can visualize it somewhat, and in some ways it helps me sit with it and work through it.”

Krastin said visual journaling helps her process her emotions. “It helps me focus on one thing while I’m trying to process,” Krastin said. “I have ADHD and I find that writing in general helps me with focusing instead of bringing other factors into my stressors. I write often and I find that drawing my funny little objects makes it easier to calm down and process any feelings I may be having.”

Though Krastin and Palomar said they benefit from the process, not everyone will have the same experience — especially if someone lacks seeing an image of their worries or thoughts.

“Despite this not being the best method for everyone, it is absolutely worth a try and valid as a coping mechanism, hobby and skill,” Hoffman said.

But, if someone does struggle with not being able to picture exactly what their thoughts are, doodles are a common filler of the space. Sometimes people draw similar doodles in their journals; Krastin said flowers make a continuous

appearance in her journal, even if they do not relate to what she is journaling about.

“I would say I draw a lot of flowers,” Krastin said. “I think I do this because it makes me think about gardens and springtime. With winter approaching, the springtime is a reminder that like plants, everything grows and has room for growth.”

Krastin said doodles are a good starting point for a beginner in visual journaling. She said she still relies on her doodles to help her process what she wants to create or write about.

“Write and make whatever you want,” Krastin said. “No one can judge what you create because it is yours and yours only. If you think it makes you feel better, draw the most lopsided, funny and cute looking thing that you can. It’s your choice to write with it or not.”

Palomar said she encourages people to start visual journaling, and agreed with Krastin that sketches

ALICIA GOLUSZKA | ART

are a good starting point. She emphasized there is no exact way to go about visual journaling, it is a private and personal practice that people can make their own.

“If you want to begin visual journaling, the best thing I can say is go for it,” Palomar said. “There’s no right or wrong way to start, and there’s no structure you have to keep it to. The hardest part is beginning, or at least it was for me. I wanted the journal to have ‘good’ pieces in there, I wanted to look clean and neat, and if that’s the style you want, there’s nothing wrong with that. About a few months into it, I realized that ‘clean and neat’ weren’t going to help me in the long run — censoring myself and being so picky with what I made to vent wasn’t truly venting. No matter what, the journal will evolve with you, you’ll figure out what does or doesn’t work, and at the end of the day, it’s your journal.”

16 | La DePaulia. The DePaulia. Nov 15, 2021

La DePaulia

CAROLYN KASTER | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sophia Silvaamaya, 5 años, sostenida por su padre Pedro Silvaamaya, es vacunada por la enfermera Kelly Vanderwende, el miércoles 3 de noviembre de 2021.

Familias latinas de Chicago empiezan a vacunar sus hijos antes que comiencen las celebraciones de invierno

By Erika Perez Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

El Centro para el Control y las Enfermedades, conocido como CDC por sus siglas en inglés, aprobó la decisión de que los niños de entre 5 y 11 años ahora son elegibles para recibir la vacuna Pfizer del Covid-19.

La noticia llega cerca de las fiestas festivas, donde se espera que las familias celebren juntas este año.

Edgar Reynoso, 41, padre de dos hijos, dice que su hijo ha sido vacunado contra el Covid-19.

“Decidí llevar a mi hijo de ocho años a vacunarse y cuándo cumpla mi hija cinco en diciembre la vamos a llevar a vacunarse”, dijo Reynoso.

Como su hijo, Reynoso también está vacunado contra el Covid-19 y recientemente recibió la vacuna de refuerzo.

La mayoría de su familia también está vacunada.

El abuelo de Reynoso falleció en Texas por el Covid-19. Su abuelo estaba vacunado pero por otros problemas de salud se puso grave.

“Murió solo en el hospital porque el hospital no nos dejó visitarnos debido al virus. Además, algunos familiares que no creen en la vacuna también se contagiaron del Covid-19”, dijo Reynoso.

Cuando el doctor de Reynoso le ofreció la vacuna a sus hijos, no pensó dos veces en aceptar la oferta. Como la muerte de su abuelo fue muy repentina, él supo que era la mejor decisión para su familia.

“Les dije a mis hijos que es para su protección porque si se infectan del Covid-19 va a doler más sin la vacuna”, dijo Reynosa.

Laura LeJeune, maestra de escuela

primaria en Epiphany Catholic School en La Villita, decidió llevar a sus hijos a vacunarse porque sentía que era su deber proteger a su familia.

“Quiero estar saludable para mi esposo, mis hijos y mi familia escolar”, dijo LeJeune.

“En cuanto hablé con mis hijos sobre la vacuna, les dije que era para nuestra protección. Incluyendo a las personas que amamos”.

LeJeune dice que la escuela alentó a los maestros y padres a comunicarse con un pediatra o médico para discutir la mejor acción para sus hijos.

En un esfuerzo para lograr que los niños reciban la vacuna, las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago cancelaron clases el 12 de noviembre para el “Día de Concientización sobre la Vacunación”. Cerca de 200 sitios de vacunación estaban abiertos el viernes.

Además, el Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago, CTU conocido por sus siglas en inglés llevó a cabo un evento de vacunación en cooperación con Broadway Medical Center, donde todas las personas mayores de 5 años pudieron vacunarse.

El Dr. Alejandro Clavier, pediatra del Centro de Salud Esperanza, aconseja que es mejor recibir la vacuna ahora que se acercan las vacaciones y el invierno.

“Los casos nuevos comienzan a aumentar lentamente, por lo que sería importante estar protegido antes de las vacaciones y antes de que comience el invierno”, dijo Dr.Clavier.

El Dr. Clavier dice que típicamente los virus respiratorios como el Covid-19 e influenza se propagan más en ambientes interiores, debido que en el invierno estamos mayormente dentro.

Según Harvard Health Publishing, aunque los niños generalmente se enferman mucho menos de Covid-19 que los adultos, se recomienda que se vacunen.

“Más de 8,000 niños de 5 a 11 años han

sido hospitalizados y más de 100 niños de 5 a 11 años han muerto a causa de Covid-19, desafortunadamente”, dijo Dr. Clavier.

Para los niños que viven con familias numerosas es especialmente importante que ellos también se vacunen para proteger a sus padres, abuelos, compañeros de clase y maestros.

“Todos los padres quieren lo mejor para sus hijos, quieren asegurarse de que estas vacunas sean seguras, efectivas y necesarias”, dijo. “En este punto, todo es cierto, estas vacunas son seguras, son efectivas y, como todavía estamos en una pandemia, son necesarias”.

Hilario Dominguez, maestro de educación especial en la escuela Peter Cooper Academy en Pilsen, siente que su percepción de seguridad ha aumentado un poco debido a la vacuna.

Para Dominguez volver al aprendizaje en persona ha sido un desafío para maestros, estudiantes y padres. La ansiedad por infectarse con el virus es una parte de los desafíos, pero Domínguez menciona que es más profundo que eso.

“Los maestros han estado sintiendo más ansiedad y estrés no tanto por el virus sino por la naturaleza viral de la pandemia en las familias, como la salud y el bienestar”, dijo Domínguez.

En conversaciones con sus estudiantes, Domínguez dice que la mayoría mencionan el impacto que el Covid-19 ha tenido en sus hogares en términos de su salud física y mental.

“Los mayores recursos que tienen nuestros niños somos nosotros, sus educadores. Hicimos nuestro mejor esfuerzo para responder a sus preguntas y si no sabíamos, les regresaremos con los recursos que necesitan ”, dice Domínguez.

“No he visto un intento sistemático de informar a los padres lo suficientemente bien, especialmente en las comunidades

afroamericanas y latinas”.

Aunque CPS tuvo la iniciativa del “Día de concientización sobre la vacunación” para difundir la accesibilidad y la conciencia sobre la vacuna, Domínguez dice que se puede hacer más.

Hilario dice que CPS necesita hacer un mejor trabajo en colaborar con los maestros y todas las partes interesadas para encontrar los mejores recursos. Hasta entonces, los maestros han estado conversando con los estudiantes sobre la vacuna.

“Intento ser lo más abierto posible cuando hablo con los estudiantes sobre la vacuna. Creo un espacio seguro para que la conversación sucediera”, dijo Domínguez.

“También reconozco que el tema de la conversación es muy delicado, por lo que creo que es importante liderar con empatía y compasión”.

Los estudiantes de Domínguez expresaron temor por la vacuna en sí. La idea de que duela y los efectos secundarios que podrían tener.

Calvier dice que para aliviar los efectos secundarios de la vacuna, los padres deben poner compresas frías en el área de la inyección, tomar acetaminofén si la fiebre es de 100.4 °F o más o para el dolor. También recomienda que los padres estén pendientes del lugar de la inyección.

Calvier dice que los sentimientos de los padres latinos hacia la vacuna han sido muy positivos, en general. Pero para continuar así se necesita que la información de la vacuna siga disponible.

“En este punto de la pandemia, mi recomendación para nuestras familias es que los beneficios de vacunar a nuestros niños son más que un riesgo potencial de la vacuna, por lo que recomiendo la vacunación como una herramienta segura y eficaz para protegernos contra el COVID 19 ”, dijo Calvier.

La DePaulia. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 17

OPINIÓN: Dos años después de su fallecimiento, el legado de Walter Mercado sigue inspirando a la comunidad latina

By Juliana Atencia Editora de Multimedia, La DePaulia

No sabía que era un géminis o un acuario, pero sus anillos decadentes con sus capas magníficas me hipnotizaron completamente.

Recuerdo cuando era niña escuchaba la voz de Walter Mercado a través del televisor en la cocina. Cada mañana el que nunca fallaba de reportar mi horóscopo. Era un espectáculo verlo, era hasta un misterio que no entendía pero quería ver más; pero jamás volví a escuchar esa voz cuando apagamos ese televisor por última vez.

En aquel entonces ver a alguien como Walter Mercado creaba una sensación de asombro y fascinación, no solo por su manejo de las rarezas mágicas pero también por la felicidad que él irradiaba.

Daniela Hernandez, una estudiante de la Universidad DePaul, explicó lo importante que era Walter Mercado para la representación latina en los medios.

“Recuerdo a mi mamá gritándome desde la sala de estar para ver cuál era mi horóscopo, él era como un nombre familiar”, dijo Hernandez.

Walter Mercado no solo fue una voz que apareció en el televisor, era una inspiración y un faro de positividad con su mensaje icónico deseando a sus espectadores “mucho mucho amor”.

“Es importante tener representación latinx en los medios, incluso si se trata de cosas así porque muchas veces, se espera que las minorías trabajen más duro… él era un nombre familiar y creo que eso es

WALTERMERCADOTV | INSTAGRAM

Walter Mercado, el astrólogo prominente de Puerto Rico, cumple dos años desde que falleció. importante”.

El rompió las expectativas impuestas a los hombres latinos durante los 80s-90s con su mirada andrógina y energía femenina.

Fue un pionero a pesar de los críticos y las burlas que él recibía.

En el 2020, Netflix salió con un documental titulado Mucho Mucho Amor: La Leyenda de Walter Mercado incluyendo a Mercado, su familiares, su representante y asistente.

La sobrina de Mercado Ivonne Benet Mercado detalló cómo su tío rompió las expectativas de la comunidad latina. “Él rompió mucha esquema, toda esa imagen de él, las prendas, las capas, todo ese vestuario fabuloso, ahora eso no es nada extraño,” dijo Benet Mercado. “Cuando él lo hizo era un escándalo, pero él lo hizo.”

El 2 de noviembre de 2019 Walter Mercado falleció en el Hospital Auxilio Mutuo en San Juan, Puerto Rico a los 88

años por un fallo renal. Hace dos años que decimos adiós a la gran personalidad Walter Mercado, después de una carrera exitosa con Univisión en Primer Impacto, Walter y Las Estrellas, etc, dejó un legado de amor, magia, y alegría.

Mireya Lucio, una bruja familiar con Mercado y su legado, explicó lo necesario que era tener a alguien como Walter en la comunidad latina.

“De alguna manera, dentro de una cultura misógina y súper católica, Walter podría prosperar,” dijo Lucio.

“Necesitábamos a Walter en ese paisaje.”

Mercado, a pesar de estar muerto, aún sigue siendo una figura prominente en la cultura latina con sus mensajes poderosos y positivos. Afectó las vidas de muchos de sus espectadores y les dio esperanza a los que nunca creían en ellos mismos.

Mercado no solo era un astrólogo sino una figura que siempre promocionaba amor, paz, y esperanza dentro de su comunidad.

Mercado explicó el propósito de su carrera dentro de su documental de Netflix. “​​Mi mensaje es darles la fuerza dentro de sí mismos,” dijo Mercado. “Puedes ganar. Usted puede hacer eso. Cree en ti mismo y de esa manera estoy ayudando a la gente a ser más fuerte.”

El legado de Walter Mercado vivirá en la comunidad latina por toda la eternidad.

El corazón caprichoso de Mercado siempre nos recordará que la magia más grande no es algo que podamos leer en las cartas del tarot o en los horóscopos, sino algo que encontramos en lo más profundo de nosotros mismos.

Puerto Rico pone el ejemplo al requerir la vacunación del Covid-19 a los niños de la isla

By Santiago Posada-Jaramillo Escritor contribuyente, La DePaulia

Con la llegada de este fin de año, se acerca cada vez más a sus dos años la pandemia del COVID-19. Con más de 5 millones de muertes a nivel mundial, este nuevo virus nos tomó por sorpresa y puso nuestras vidas de cabeza.

Creo no ser el único que tenía altísimas esperanzas hacia la llegada de las vacunas.

Con la vacunación, iba a ser menos probable que la gente muriera o que se enfermara de gravedad, lo que también iba a reducir los contagios y, por ende, íbamos a poder regresar a nuestras actividades cotidianas sin el riesgo constante de contagiarnos de un virus que ha tomado ya tantas vidas.

A medida que fue avanzando la vacunación , las medidas restrictivas se fueron reduciendo, esperando una disminución en contagios y muertes. Pero ¿qué pasa con las personas que no quieren vacunarse? Considerando el bienestar general versus la decisión personal ¿Es correcto que el gobierno me obligue a vacunarme?

Frente a esta situación, el gobierno de Puerto Rico ha tomado una posición contundente: Todo el mundo a vacunarse.

Eso lo demostró claramente con la decisión de que todo menor de edad que ya haya cumplido cinco años debe vacunarse para poder seguir asistiendo a la escuela, con unas pocas excepciones.

Esta normativa se aprobó luego de que la vacuna producida por Pfizer-BioNTech fuese aprobada por la CDC en su uso en menores de 5 a 11 años.

La comunidad latina de Chicago claramente tiene opiniones frente a esto.

Ana Olivia, residente latina de Chicago, cree que la salud y el bienestar de los niños es lo más importante.

“Yo creo que sería bien para los niños,

STAN PALMER | FLICKR

Una niña observa cómo la gente levanta banderas puertorriqueñas en el desfile del Día Nacional de Puerto Rico. para poder entrar a la escuela sin estar preocupados de enfermarse o enfermar a otros niños.”

La verdad es que, aunque la mayoría de estadounidenses aprueban estas restricciones para las personas novacunadas, se ha vuelto un debate fuertemente politizado en los últimos meses.

Soraida Rivera, residente puertorriqueña de Chicago, piensa que la pandemia del COVID-19 ha sido muy politizada.

“Yo pienso que la mayoría de la gente se ha dejado influenciar mucho por el aspecto político que se le ha dado en esta nación al COVID.” Una buena cantidad de personas opinan que no es adecuado que un

gobierno le ponga este tipo de exigencias a las personas.

Juan Portillo, residente latino de Chicago, opina que la decisión de vacunarse es asunto personal de cada persona.

“Cada padre de familia debe tomar la decisión que es lo mejor para sus hijos y no el estado.”

Sin duda, es una posición que se ha hecho notar desde que iniciaron los esfuerzos de vacunación y que tiende a defenderse desde la lógica de libertad individual; uno de los valores más fieramente defendidos en este país.

Claramente, es esencial no ignorar la importancia de la libertad individual para una democracia, porque a pesar de que el COVID-19 ha tomado incontables vidas, también lo han hecho gobiernos

autoritarios con una idea tergiversada del ‘bien común’.

Tanto el valor del bien común como el de la libertad individual deben protegerse; son esenciales para cualquier nación que pretenda ser democrática. Pero cuando van en contravía, creo que como sociedad tendemos, correctamente, a priorizar el bien común.

La verdad es que no hay soluciones fáciles para problemas complejos. Para acabar con la pandemia del COVID-19 se requiere un esfuerzo colectivo y para volver a estar seguros, necesitamos decidir colectivamente, para no solo protegernos a nosotros mismos sino también a nuestros vecinos.

Arts & Life

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 19

Seven study spots to explore out of the dorms

Tragedy breeds conspiracy

By Jana Kunz Contributing Writer

PHOTO VIA TWITTER

The imagery and slogans used by Scott at the festival were scrutinized by these conspiracy theorists. At the show, the sentence “See ya on the other side” was displayed on the screen.

ASTROWORLD concert sparks satanic panic online

By Ava O’ Malley Contributing Writer

Eight people were killed and hundreds injured in a deadly crowd surge during Travis Scott’s performance at the Astroworld Festival. Several victims, including 9-year-old Ezra Blount, were seriously injured. Scott is now facing numerous lawsuits after the disastrous music festival.

Footage from every angle of the crowd — which swelled past expected capacity after dozens of fans broke into the festival — was posted on social media by hundreds of traumatized fans. Graphic videos of medics performing CPR on unconscious festival goers, piles of people knocked over by the force of the crowd and fans dancing on top of medical vehicles crowded TikTok and Twitter feeds the day following this tragedy.

Kevin Vilchez, 22, was one of the many in the packed crowd. To Vilchez, an entrepreneur from the Chicagoland area, Astroworld was just one of many activities he had planned to enjoy during an anticipated vacation to Houston. First and foremost, however, he just wanted to spend time with old friends. Things at the festival started to look concerning, Vilchez says, hours before Scott took to the main stage.

“Around 1 p.m., a huge wave of people started to come in,” Vilchez said. “It’s crazy because there’s no video of it, but there was a mass group of teeangers that just kept teasing the security guard — faking them out as if they were all going to barge in.”

After that, Vilchez and his group of friends went to see Don Tolliver at 4 p.m.. The crowd was much denser and rowdier than Vilchez and his friends — who had attended previous Astroworld festivals — expected.

“There were just waves of people,” Vilchez said. “No music would even be playing and they would just start this wave that had people falling to the ground. People would just be pushed and shoved against each other. I honestly had to get out.”

As Vilchez cleared a path through the crowd, he was surprised when his vision went dark for a brief moment. Even after staying hydrated all day, he started to pass out. “It came out of nowhere,” he said.

Vilchez kept pushing through the day, however, and ended up against the railing of the friends and family section for Scott’s performance, which was set to start at 8:45 p.m.

He chose the spot by the VIP tent for a reason

— it was an area to escape into if the crowd became too much.

Numerous accounts from concertgoers state that the crowd grew rougher and rougher once a timer counting down to Scott’s performance appeared on the big screen. “Once the timer got down to 10 seconds, things started to get very crowded and I could not breathe,” said Astroworld attendee Gabi Simeoni in a TikTok video posted on Nov. 6 that now has over 250,000 likes.

“It was just so many people cramped, I’ve really never experienced that many people crammed into me,” Vilchez said.

Attendees recorded all aspects of the distress in the crowd. Numerous videos show fans screaming out for help in between songs.

“Hundreds of people ripped their vocal cords apart screaming for help,” wrote Seanna Faith, an attendee who went viral for climbing onto a platform and pleading with a camera operator to stop the show. “The screaming intensified, as more people realized they could not breathe. We begged security to help us — for the performer to see us and know something was wrong. None of that came. We continued to drown.”

Although Scott did pause the show and point out a fan climbing into a tree, he did not end the show even after a mass casualty was reported to the Houston Police Department.

In another viral video, it appears that Scott is gazing down at the medics performing CPR on an injured young man. He turns away and continues to sing.

Fans were enraged by his negligence and compared this to footage of Scott halting his performance in 2015 for several minutes after a fan stole his shoe.

Vilchez noticed that the unconscious people from deeper in the crowd were being pushed to the front of the section — toward the railing where he was standing. He estimates that he saw over 20 unconscious people during the show. “I kinda lost count,” Vilchez said.

Vilchez said he observed a line of teenage boys preventing unconscious bodies and panicked attendees from moving forward.

“They saw all these helpless people coming towards us,” Vilchez said. ”We were trying to lift [people] and put them into the VIP section.

And these teenagers were pushing them back.”

Vilchez noted that the boys were making fun of attendees who had fainted or were injured. “The [wave] of unconscious people kinda stopped there, which probably made their

COMPLIMENTS TO A.P.

After the catastrophic crowd surge, the remaining days of the festival were canceled.

Scott, who refunded all attendees and promised to cover funeral costs of the deceased. situation worse,” he said.

Despite the chaos, Vilchez stayed until the performance ended. In addition to weak cell phone service while trapped in the crowd, Vilchez noticed that the security guards were mainly young adults who appeared inexperienced and unprepared. Vilchez remembers seeing the distraught faces of attendees as he left the venue.

“I saw a bunch of people broken, crying — they were all just really sad or really angry,” Vilchez said. “They were angry that no one else would help them, or sad because they were trying to help someone and couldn’t.”

The image that remains on Vilchez’s mind is that of a man who was severely upset after the show.

“It’s kinda scarred me,” he said. “He had the most broken face ever. He kept saying, ‘I failed him. I couldn’t help him at all.’” Vilchez said that this man explained how a young boy was unconscious in his arms during the performance.

“All the people that came went there to have a good time,” Vilchez said. “No one knew this was going to happen.”

After headlines of the tragedy broke Saturday morning, conspiracy theories surrounding the festival began to take shape on social media. TikTok was the breeding ground of theories claiming that Scott’s deadly concert was a demonic ritual or an Illuminati initiation. The theorists cite the dark imagery and ample pyrotechnics used by Scott to claim that the concert purposefully resembled hell. Another TikTok user posted a video that amassed nearly 75,000 likes stating that low-vibration-

al frequencies created an energy-harvesting, mass mind control of the crowd.

“Astroworld was a DEMONIC RITUAL!” one Twitter user claimed. “Please don’t be blind.”

DePaul alumna Carla Marie also disagrees with conspirators. “Astroworld was a horrific, preventable tragedy of capitalistic greed,” she said. Marie, an occult practitioner who makes spiritual TikTok content, does not believe that there was any satanic or demonic motive behind the tragedy. She blames human error, narcissism and negligence on Scott’s part.

Marie has a theory of her own. “[The concert was] intentionally poorly planned so that Travis could profit off of partnering with BetterHelp and exploiting the traumatic experiences of those who were affected by the tragedy,” she said.

Theories aside, those who attended the concert are still reeling. Hundreds of those in attendance have shared their experiences on social media, detailing the crushing crowds, lack of medical assistance and screams of desperate attendees.

After the show, Vilchez and his friends sat silently in the car on the way back to their Airbnb. He said that although they were shaken up after witnessing the disaster, they wanted to remain positive and uplifted. After the other festival dates were cancelled, Vilchez ended his vacation early and returned to Chicago on the morning of Nov. 7.

“We were baffled by what happened,” Vilchez said. “My friends and I are still processing it.”

It’s the tenth week of the quarter, and for the DePaul student body that means it’s time to study for finals. While the slowly chilling weather could make a cramped dorm desk the easiest option to spread out notes and hunker down to write papers, there are many places in the city at DePaul students’ disposal with free wifi and a good study atmosphere.

Alexis Macino, who went through Moody Bible Institute’s grad school program and has worked as a physical trainer and CRU ministry leader in Chicago, said that when she needed a place to study or work, she would go to hotel lobbies. It might seem like cheating at first, but these locations are open to the public—and they have free wifi, comfortable couches, cozy fireplaces, tables with outlets, and beautiful atmospheres. Also, they’re usually very quiet and you can order food if you’re in the mood.

If you need a break from other stressed-out college students at the more conventional study spots, these hotels offer a relaxed environment for you to get work done. They are more spread out in the city and might require a short train ride or walk, but if you’re willing to make the investment, it’s easy to stay and focus for a long time.

The Hoxton This hotel, at 200 N. Green St., is a short, mural-lined walk off of the pink line. The lobby has colorful, fun decor and lots of plants, a fireplace and books right when you walk in, and more of a sitdown restaurant in the back.

The Robey At the intersection of North Avenue, Damen and Milwaukee in Wicker Park (2018 W. North Ave. specifically), the

Robey is in the middle of a bustling artsy neighborhood. Inside, the lobby has a modern, well-lit design, and you can also go up to the 6th floor terrace and rooftop lounge with beautiful views. Macino came here often to write papers in grad school.

“It was nice and quiet, and I could always get quality work done,” Macinoshe said.

The Chicago Athletic Association If you’ve been to the Shake Shack at 12 S. Michigan Ave., you’ve been in the Chicago Athletic Association building. If you go to the second floor, you’ll find a wide lobby with frosted windows, a high ceiling, low light, and old wooden architecture. According to the Chicago Architecture Center, the CAA opened its doors in 1893 as a private club but is now open to the public. Put this spot on your list if you want to feel like you’re studying in Hogwarts.

But maybe you don’t have time to check one of these out, or aren’t feeling particularly adventurous. Coffee shops can be a great alternative for something a little more casual.

Alli Hacker, a junior, goes to study on the third floor of the John T. Richardson library most often, but she also loves to mix things up by going out to cafés.

“You can get anything done at a Starbucks,” Hackershe said.

But if you want to widen your horizons, there are many local options close to DePaul’s campuses.

The Bourgeois Pig When Hacker was in online school last year, she would go to the Bourgeois Pig to attend her zoom classes somewhere outside of her room. This café restaurant at 738 W. Fullerton Ave. has a literary theme that helps to get the academic energy flowing, and calming, albeit a bit louder, music. It also has a whole wall of

teas to choose from if you desire something to sip on while you work. There’s even a room with couches and a fireplace.

Just make sure to stop by between 8a.m. and 5p.m.

Sweet Bean This new coffee shop and bakery is located at 1152 S. Wabash Ave. in the South Loop, close to the Roosevelt red line stop.

Since you walk through the bakery, with all kinds of unique Asian pastries, to get to the coffee shop, the space where you can study feels nice and secluded. They have lots of food and drink options, whether you want a study snack, a meal, or just a bit of caffeine. They’re open from 7a.m. to 8p.m. on weekdays and 8a.m. to 8p.m. weekends.

Hero Coffee Bar You may pass the Hero Coffee Bar in the alley on Jackson as you walk between your classes in the Loop campus, but the shop recently opened a new location indoors close by at 439 S. Dearborn St. so you can drink your coffee and study out of the Windy City’s streets. It also has board games, in case you need to take a study break with a friend, and the walls are covered with graffiti art. However, they’re only open from 7a.m. to 3p.m. weekdays and 8a.m. to 4p.m. weekends.

Everyone studies differently, and maybe going out to a hotel or coffee shop wouldn’t help you focus. Some, like transfer student Savana Jaji and junior Ellie Krigman, prefer to keep it simple and study in the library.

“I can’t work where people are talking,” Krigman said.

Fortunately, there are lots of study options close to DePaul when it comes to libraries. Besides DePaul’s buildings, there is a Chicago Public Library branch open in Lincoln Park on 1150 W. Fullerton Ave., but the most famous and biggest branch is in the loop.

AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA

The top level of the Harold Washington Library called the ‘Winter Garden’ Harold Washington Library This building is very hard to miss— just look for a red facade with huge gold doors and green copper owls perched above that takes up an entire city block on its own. Needless to say, there’s always space to study here. If you’re looking for something special, head up to the Winter Garden on the top floor, a beautiful marble room with trees and a glass ceiling.

However you like to study, living in the city as a DePaul student means that there are incredible amounts of resources you can take advantage of. There is always something new to try to contribute to your knowledge of the Chicago campus.

‘Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago’ enhances the beloved classic

By Nate Burleyson Online Manging Editor

Sylvester Stallone has answered a question that I’d never thought to ask: How do you make “Rocky IV” a better movie?

Stallone’s 2020 project was a director's cut of “Rocky IV” entitled “Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago.” The movie had a one-night Fathom Events screening in theaters on Thursday, and hit Amazon Prime Video the following Friday. Stallone added a new depth to the movie, which is notably very 1980s and emphasizes style over substance.

At the core of every “Rocky” movie is a universal underdog story; a man versus self conflict about perseverance. The low budget 1976 original is far more grounded than the bombastic Cold War drama that is “Rocky IV.” The director's cut, while still “pure escapism,” puts more life into the characters and more emphasis on the little moments that make up the beloved film.

1985’s original “Rocky IV” is cut in a distinct way. Montages are what carry the movie from event to event.

The movie is structured to be fast and jumpy. Picking up at the end of “Rocky III,” we’re treated to a long montage of Rocky’s heavyweight title defenses leading up to Apollo Creed’s fatal fight with Ivan Drago. One quick jump later, and

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Rocky is out in the mountains of Russia training to Vince DiCola’s epic score.

The biggest omission from the film is Paulie’s robot, which Stallone said can be found in a “Los Angeles dumpster.”

The director’s cut changes around some of the iconic montages — cutting in a little more Drago into the training montage, for instance. There are more small moments between Rocky and Adrian peppered throughout the film, which adds more depth to the strain that the Drago fight puts on their relationship.

Stallone wanted to do a special cut of a “Rocky” movie while the film industry was largely shut down during mid-2020.

According to an interview with Fathom Events, “Rocky IV” was the most likely

for MGM and him as well, because he always felt he could make it a better film.

It certainly is a good canvas for Stallone’s goal: to make the movie more grounded in reality. And there is no omission of the beloved montage scenes, which still serve as the film’s most distinct element.

It’s still what carries the film from point to point.

This mixture of ideas was in no way aided by the film’s barely increased runtime. Most of the bulk was added to the beginning of the movie. After the funeral for Creed, everything speeds up, and the movie starts to feel like a bullet train to the titular fight.

For all of Stallone’s efforts, the beginning of the movie was definitely enhanced in

this director’s cut. There were a few moments added between Rocky and Adrian before and after Creed’s death. Rocky has an extended part in his speech at Creed’s funeral, which is probably the best addition to the film.

Another area of emphasis for Stallone was characterizing Drago a bit more. My main gripe with the original film is Drago’s status as an emotionless propaganda machine for the Russians. What we get in “Creed II” is the better side of Drago — his motivations become more clear in that film. In the director’s cut, Drago gets more of his own soapbox.

Drago versus Rocky represents Russia versus America during a time when America had a clear No. 1 rival. Rocky’s speech on how it was better for him and Drago to kill each other in the ring rather than the two countries — which follows his climactic fight with Drago — can fall on deaf ears of nationalism.

The movie’s message still doesn’t change.

Rocky wins over the Russian crowd with his efforts against Drago, and once again recaptures the underdog spirit he lost during his title defenses. Despite the sometimes wonky nature of the director’s cut, I respect Stallone’s commitment to recut something that still stands on its own.

20 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

DePaul student’s winter fashion is all about layers

2021 in games: A brief retrospective

By Hallie Long Contributing Writer

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By Brandon Sun Yechout Arts & Life Asst. Editor

The end of 2021 approaches, somehow. You read the title, so let’s not waste too much time. One stipulation: a lot of games released in 2021 and I can only cover the ones which I’ve actually played — this piece is nothing close to all-encompassing. With that out of the way, let’s begin.

OMORI - Dec. 25, 2020 I must begin by spotlighting a game which just barely missed the distinction of a 2021 release. From the mind of OMOCAT, indie RPG “OMORI” slides in less than a week before the end of 2020, though I didn’t play it for myself until earlier this year. I mention it here because it’s simply one of the best games I’ve ever played, and has since become my new favorite game of all time. It has radically transformed how I understand video games as a medium, and has inspired me to my own creations more so than any other game I’ve played.

It is truly special — a game which I could not say enough good about.

Assume the role of the reclusive and ever-aloof Sunny as he traverses a mysterious and whimsical dreamworld through his alter ego of Omori. Underneath this world’s cutesy veneer, a hideous truth lies in wait. “OMORI” is as moving as it is horrific, and honestly, the less said about that, the better. It must be experienced.

If you only take one thing away from this retrospective, it should be that you need to play this game. If I could make one game as good as “OMORI” in my lifetime, I would die a happy man — and I really mean that.

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance March 31, 2021 A game which I’ve been enjoying on and off for about a decade now culminated in its apparently final iteration earlier this year. The brainchild of eminent indie game designer Edmund McMillen, “The Binding of Isaac” has proven itself one of the most influential games of the 2010s, ushering in a rebirth of the esoteric roguelike genre in the form of the “roguelite.”

Play as the titular Isaac as you make your way through labyrinthine dungeons and experiment with dizzying combinations of randomly generated modifiers which Isaac can collect as he descends deeper into the abyss. The game’s simple twin-stick shooter style in combination with its enticing roguelite structure has kept it among the genre’s most popular offerings for years.

Its latest and largest incarnation, “The Binding of Isaac: Repentance” perfectly highlights everything that is great about and simultaneously wrong with the game’s core design. There’s such a wealth to uncover, but how much of it would you want to? How many unfruitful or

doomed runs would you be willing to suffer? Most of the unlockable items suck, anyways. I don’t know — I’ve had my fun with “The Binding of Isaac,” but I think I’ll stick to other roguelites such as “Risk of Rain 2,” a game which features item drops that are at least serviceable — as opposed to a relentless torrent of garbage.

Not to mention, the game’s new content is even more convoluted to navigate than ever before. It feels absolutely bloated. If you want more of “The Binding of Isaac,” you’ll find it here. I just don’t know that I want any more.

Psychonauts 2 - Aug. 25, 2021 Tim Schafer’s original “Psychonauts” was one of the defining games of my childhood, but seeing the property revived, I was riddled with skepticism. How could they recapture the same appeal of the first game all these years later? I went in prepared to be absolutely underwhelmed, and to my shock, discovered that “Psychonauts 2” succeeds in seemingly every regard.

Psychic wunderkind Razputin “Raz” Aquato — together with the Psychonauts organization of psychic agents — returns for yet another romp through the mental realms of troubled souls and malevolent conspirators. Vibrant, memorable levels and charming writing reminiscent of a corny cartoon carry this delightful action-adventure platformer.

It’s a real sequel in the best sense of the word — retaining what worked from the first game while expanding upon its systems and introducing new ones. More refined gameplay and some seriously stellar art direction make this game a worthy successor to the original cult classic.

Back 4 Blood - Oct. 12, 2021 Turtle Rock Studios returns to co-op zombie-shredding carnage in “Back 4 Blood.” A spiritual successor to their much-loved “Left 4 Dead” and to Valve’s untouchable “Left 4 Dead 2,” “Back 4 Blood” is Turtle Rock’s attempt to reinvent the very formula which they themselves originally established. To what extent do they succeed? Only marginally so, I’d say.

As in “Left 4 Dead,” there’s little story to speak of. Move through maps populated by the undead horde and mow them down to your heart’s content. A new card-based customization system indicative of a roguelite adds some extra flavor to the now tired formula, allowing for your character to improve their stats and acquire new abilities as you progress through the levels.

First of all, it’s no “Left 4 Dead,” obviously. The exclusion of any and all mod support has ensured that the game will forever remain in the shadow of the games which it aimed to succeed. But honestly, I’ve had a lot of fun with it. The matchmaking is abysmal, the characters are trying and numerous design decisions are indeed questionable, but the actual meat of the game — unloading copious

amounts of ammunition into zombies — I found to be immensely satisfying. I also appreciate the attempts at innovation here, such as the inclusion of roguelite elements. I only wish that these systems were more robust. But as it stands, “Back 4 Blood” is solid co-op fare.

Age of Empires IV - Oct. 28, 2021 I’ve never been much a fan of real-time strategy — or “RTS” — games.

The way they seem to emphasize a synthesis of dexterity and tactics (more so dexterity, in my meager estimation) over pure strategy always puts me off. Still, I must acknowledge that they occupy something of an upper echelon among video games. If you’re damn good at RTS games, then you’re damn good at games period. I suppose it’s the aura of mystique and reverence which surrounds such RTS titles as the series’ legendary second entry that brought me back for “Age of Empires IV.” The premise is straightforward: Engage in skirmishes with AI or other players in competitive multiplayer matches under the pretext of recreating historical battles — though the appeal of “Age of Empires,” I find, lies more with toying

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 21

around in its medieval strategy sandbox.

I’m admittedly pretty awful at the game myself, but I’m happy to say that I’ve enjoyed my time with it. However, the value proposition here is a dubious one. Full price demands a full game, but it often feels that “Age of Empires IV” gives us only most of one. Why is it that so much which was present in “Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition” is absent here? Does “Age of Empires IV” really represent over 20 years of progress for this series? How can we consider this acceptable when other strategy staples such as “Sid Meier’s Civilization” innovate and transform themselves meaningfully between each installment? “Age of Empires IV” does not excite.

Lastly, a moment of silence for Nightdive’s “System Shock,” which was to come out during the summer of this year but never did. Maybe I shouldn’t have pre-ordered.

Here’s to another year of games — I look forward to being able to cover “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl” in 2022 and the many other games which surely await us.

For some of us, setting aside time to pick out an outfit is unnecessary. Of course we have to get dressed every day, but it’s rarely more effort than pouring a glass of water. On the other hand, some people thrive on the feeling of selecting the perfect outfit for the day.

It can be difficult to focus on anything other than coursework during finals week, but that hasn’t stopped DePaul students from dressing sharply this winter season.

“I have no idea how some people manage to look fashionable during exams or just during class in general,” said Alli Hacker, a member of DePaul Fashion Society. “And I don’t mean that in a judgmental tone — kudos to them. I wish I could be them!”

“When I put together an outfit, it feels like I’m doing something for myself,” said Callie Beier, a community psych graduate student at DePaul. “It’s self-care in a way. I can think about myself for 5 or 10 minutes and how I want to present myself to the world that day.”

While there can be an endless amount of stress during these times, pivoting attention away from finals and spending just a few minutes on an outfit can make a meaningful difference in how a person feels throughout the day.

“I think fashion is a distraction — in a good way,” said Hannah Lau, president of DePaul Fashion Society. “Even if you don’t pass that test, you’ll still look cute.”

Fashion isn’t all about what other people think of someone’s outfit — rather, it’s a way for students to feel more confident. DePaul students put together their outfits not for others, but for themselves.

“It’s just fun to feel put-together,” Lau said. “I don’t really think about how people will perceive me, but more so it

boosts my confidence to know that I’m prepared for the day.”

Not only does fashion help students to feel more organized and ready to take on the day, but it’s a powerful outlet for individuality and inventiveness.

“It’s amazing to exercise creativity when your mind is so preoccupied with responsibilities and obligations,” Hacker said.

“Fashion is an extension of someone’s creativity,” Lau said. “Whether someone is interested in being comfy and adventurous, rather bold and colorful, you can tell how they define themselves within those parts of fashion.”

As winter approaches, students are starting to transition from fall fashion — switching from light jackets to heavier, warmer coats. In accordance with this seasonal shift, DePaul students are rocking the newest fashion trends, all the while putting unique twists on outfits.

“I think we’ll be seeing typical winter layering, but with turtlenecks and leather [or] suede button vests,” Hacker said.

With the colder weather coming in, finding ways to look fashionable while also staying warm can be a hassle.

Luckily, layering is one essential and long-standing winter fashion trend.

“My favorite part of winter fashion is being able to layer and layer,” Lau said.

“It’s all about how you can stay warm and feel good even though it’s chilly.”

A handful of trends follow in winter’s wake, including knit sweaters, funky furry coats and all kinds of different boots.

“Some of the main trends I’ve been seeing are higher knee boots, geometric patterns, ski pants, leather and even color clashing,” Lau said.

“My favorite trends are chunky boots and [the color] brown,” Beier said. “I think sometimes people think that brown is boring, but you can find really elegant pieces and pair them with something bold and chunky boots for a

Two DePaul students standing in front of lincoln park campus wearing matching black boots.

DePaul Student wears fuzzy hat to match argyle sweater and turtle neck.

sophisticated yet fun look.”

Even though neutral colors such as brown are a staple during the winter, some DePaul students are swapping out cooler tones for brighter ones this season.

Even certain colors are making their way into the trends, DePaul students are swapping out neutrals and finding brighter colors to express themselves with.

“I’m so sick of neutrals in the win-

DePaul Student designs mutiple layer with her Doc Martens

ter,” Hacker said. “I love seeing powder blue, forest green and all the shades of red around Christmas, gem tones around New Years, and pinks, purples, reds and even buttercup yellow shades.”

As finals come and go, Chicago weather is slowly but surely getting colder and colder, which means we will be seeing a lot more of these exciting winter fashion trends.

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22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Red was always ours, but now its Taylor’s too

By Nadia Hernandez News Editor

After waiting for almost a decade, Swifties were blessed with the highly anticipated rerecording of “Red,” which released on Nov. 12.

This is Swift’s second rerecording after “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” which was released back in April, and her fourth album in the past 16 months.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” — or “Red TV” — includes the original 16 tracks along with 14 new songs from the vault — among them, the 10-minute uncut version of fan favorite“All Too Well.” Swift also went above and beyond and released “All Too Well: The Short Film.” She not only stars in her own film alongside actress Sadie Sink — known best for her role in “Stranger Things” — and actor Dylan O’Brian but she directed it as well. Sink plays “Her,” representing Swift at age 20 and O’Brian as “Him,” representing Swift’s ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllanhaal at age 31. The former couple dated back in 2010 when they were both similar ages to the actors.

For those who don’t know, Swift’s rerecordings aren’t anniversary celebrations or merely done for promotion, but rather they’re a way for the artist to reclaim her work. All of Swift’s music recorded prior to 2019 is owned by her former label Big Machine Label Group’s CEO Scooter Braun.

This includes her 2006 debut album and everything, including “Red,” before her 2019 album “Lover.”

In order to reclaim the work from her youth, Swift is rerecording her albums one by one. While “Red” has been enthralling Swift’s fans for the past nine years, Swifties can now finally celebrate Swift’s ownership as well.

The original album included notable features like Ed Sheeran and Gary Lightbody, who also appear on “Red TV” as well.

Once Swift released the tracklist, fans anticipated new features such as Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton.

I remember listening to “Red” back in 2012 and not being as impressed by it as I am now. I’ve since grown more privy to Swift’s artistry and lyricism, and as I listened to the

original in anticipation of the rerecording, I felt that I could finally appreciate Swift’s work.

Not only can fans revel in her beloved songs, but they can also appreciate Swift’s newfound maturity in her voice and style.

“I love how she kept the soul of the original, but she was able to resist what she calls her one true breakup album

with a healed heart,” said sophomore Mary Peterson.

I was only 10 years old when “Red” came out. I had a hard time relating to some of these breakup songs because I was so young.

But as other fans and I grew up, we can revisit this album with our growth as well.

“I’m happy that Taylor can finally own

an album I have loved since I was 8,” said the manager of Instagram page DPUSwifties.

Fans can also appreciate how Swift revisited an album plagued with heartbreak and reinvented it as her own.

“The entire process must be so cathartic for her, going back to her stolen works now knowing which ones have truly touched her fans and being able to share the full picture that she had to shatter in order to have her albums fit in the preconceived notions of what is considered a normal length and content for an album,” Peterson said.

One of the

highlights the of album is the 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” The new lyrics uncover more about Swift’s heartbreak from her relationship with Gyllenhaal. Swift has always been a poetical lyricist, but she paints such a vivid picture of a pure agony over ending a relationship when you still love somebody.

Swift paired the song up with her 14-minute short film. As of Saturday Nov. 13, Swift’s short film is number one on YouTube’s trending page. Sink and O’Brian’s acting in the infamous fight scene expose key moments in

the couple’s demise.

“I thought the film was great,” said junior Mackenzie Cowan. “It was very interesting with Sadie and Dylan playing a couple but I thought it worked. The scene where they were fighting was amazing. I like the pacing of it. Towards the end where [Swift] is reading the ‘All Too Well’ book was cool because she was recognizing the success of her song. I also loved the filter.”

Being able to tell a story within a song is a talent Swift has mastered. I will never be able to get over how Swift can write her personal experience and make it relatable to the universal experience of heartbreak.

Along with “All Too Well,” fans found other classics as standouts in the rerecording as well such as “Holy Ground.”

“I think some of the standouts are of the coveted 10-minute original that fans have version yearning b e e n for almost a decade, ‘ H o l y Ground,’ ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ and ‘The Last Time,’” Peterson said.

Some fans observed how Swift highlighted her voice over the instrumentation in the rerecording. “‘Holy Ground’ sounded different to me,” Cowan said. “Her voice sounds older but it also sounds like you can hear her voice more quickly with less in the song to distract from her [voice]. It also sounded more country than the original did.”

“Red TV,” like her other albums, has had overwhelming success. On its release day, Nov. 12, it broke the record for the moststreamed album in a day by a female artist and Swift broke the record for most-streamed female artist in a day in Spotify history, according to Spotify.

Swift announced via social media on Nov. 14 that she will release a new music video on Nov. 15 for “I Bet You Think About Me” directed by actress Blake Lively.

I am so endlessly proud of Swift’s dedication to her fans, and this time, I’m also proud of her dedication to herself. This album has always been ours, but it’s about time it’s hers too.

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‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ highlights sexism in U.S. policies

By Emma Nelson Contributing Writer

I had not seen a live theater performance since the initial onset of the lockdown in March 2020, and going to “What the Constitution Means to Me” was certainly a comeback.

Running from Oct. 26 to Nov. 7 at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago, the Broadway national tour of Heidi Schreck’s Tony Award-nominated Pulitzer Prize finalist play was headlined by Cassie Beck as “Heidi.” The play follows Heidi’s experience as a starry-eyed teenage girl who participates in scholarship oration competitions centered around discussions of the United States Constitution. The role of “Legionnaire,” played

by Mike Iveson, helped with scene transitions and provided subtle clarity within the plot. Besides that, the first hour of the play was a one-woman show. In the last 30 minutes, Jocelyn Shek, a high school junior from Los Angeles, was welcomed to the stage and engaged in a live debate with Beck concerning whether or not the Constitution should be repealed or reformed — the outcome of the debate was determined by an audience

member. As a result, each show can have a different winner.

The most logical way to dissect this play is to divide it into thirds. The first third was generally light-hearted and gave Beck the opportunity to show off her comedic timing and relatability. I think I can speak for most of the crowd when I say my cheeks hurt from smiling and my stomach hurts from laughing. Beck acted as a younger version of Heidi, recreating a scholarship debate at the American Legion — discussing the ninth amendment and her youthful obsession with Patrick Swayze in “Dirty Dancing,” embodying all of the quirks of a teen obsessed with a government document.

The second third of the play is what really made it memorable for me. Heidi reverted back to her adult self to “protect her younger self from the painful parts of her life.” We hear about how Heidi found out she was pregnant in her early 20s and the extensive commute required for her to obtain an abortion, her fear of sexual assault in college, the domestic abuse that led to generational trauma experienced by the women in her family and examples of legal cases where justice was not adequately served. This is done through

a careful dissection of the fourteenth amendment, the amendment that guarantees equal protection under the law, but truly only pertains to those who the government perceives as the important citizens --white men.

I learned a lot the night I went to the Broadway Playhouse. I discovered the word “woman” is never explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. That the laws set in place by the founding fathers were not written to protect me, my body or any women at all. Yes, we live in the “land of the free,” but how free can you truly be when governed by a document written 234 years ago and one which, to this day, remains largely enforced by men. There have been and currently are women in Congress, but only five have ever received a seat on the Supreme Court, and no woman has ever been Commander in Chief.

The final third of the play wrestles with the idea of how to make the necessary changes that would allow for all Americans to feel safe and represented. Do we completely repeal the Constitution and start fresh, only to have the new document written yet again by a white male majority? Is the better option to keep the original document and add new amendments that take years to legally rati-

fy? The live debate between Beck and Shek went back and forth until the verdict of the show I saw ultimately was to repeal the Constitution of the United States. As both an actor and musician myself, I have never been shy on stage in front of an audience, but in this case I could not help but avoid eye contact — dreading the idea that I would be the audience member chosen to make the final decision. Truth be told, I don’t know what I would have said, because both options seemed hopeless.

The world witnessed injustice that triggered the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo protests. How is it possible for lawmakers to not see the outrage and act accordingly?

What more can be done? Yes, some progress is being made, but slowly and painfully while some states quickly progress backwards — effectively taking away women’s autonomy.

I don’t have an answer, and frankly I don’t think that anyone does. However, talking about it and lighting a fire under those who do have power seems to be the goal of “What the Constitution Means to Me,” and I think this production is on the right track in that regard.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 23

what’s FRESH

‘King Richard’ highlights the The Animal Crossing Update importance of hard work We didn’t know We Needed

PHOTO FROM IMDB

Scene from King Richard starring Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis and Jon Bernthal

By Chinyere Ibeh Film & Music Critic

The light-hearted nature of “King Richard” will keep audiences laughing and enjoying a joyous family dynamic.

The film begins with Will Smith’s exposition about the early life of Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis icons Serena and Venus williams. There were mentions of how Richard dealt with the Ku Klux Klan during his early years. The beatings that he received by the hands of the KKK, or anyone else for that matter, were subtly referenced throughout the movie.

Whenever he would take his daughters to the tennis courts to practice with Serena and Venus, there were gangs hanging around. One of the gang members had tried to speak with one of his daughters, but he tried to shut it down. This resulted in an ongoing issue where they’d beat up Richard almost each time they saw him.

It also resulted in an iconic line uttered by Richard when he’s speaking with his five daughters on their way home: “The world ain’t never respected Rich. But it gon’ respect y’all.”

The film ultimately takes a light-hearted approach to the struggles of Richard and his wife of the time, Oracene, raising five daughters. The overall color scheme is quite bright and colorful. “King Richard” perfectly blends the aspects of a dramedy of a hardworking family with the backdrop of a sun-kissed Californian environment.

Rather than focus on the grittiness of the subject matter, the film focused more on

PHOTO FROM NINENTENDO

The Animal Crossing New Horizions update came out on Nov. 4th a day earlier than expected

the nurturing aspects. The family of seven struggles in a two-bedroom, one-floor home in Compton, California. Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis play nurturing parents who only want their daughters to be great.

They do their best to give their kids everything they need in order to succeed, despite the lack of access and resources.

Of course, there were testing moments, but they didn’t take over the movie. One of the aspects that I enjoy about this movie is that it doesn’t fall within what I call the Black American Tragedy trope. This new genre of film and television tends to focus heavily on the traumatic things that Black Americans face in the United States. These topics usually include police brutality, political unrest and slavery.

Smith’s comedic timing throughout the movie balances out Richard’s approach, which could be described as overbearing or arrogant. There were many instances where situations were quite serious, but it was framed in a comical way. Rather than make these serious moments so gritty and dark, these moments are literally basked in light. Rather than slow everything down to emphasize the seriousness of a moment, they kept it at a normal pace.

“King Richard” is a testimony to the hard work of a family without the world at their feet. Despite the setbacks and lack of accessibility, the Williams were able to stick to the infamous 38-page plan and flip the script to their favor. “King Richard” deserves all of the flowers coming its way due its amazing way of telling a family’s origin story.

So your Switch has been collecting dust since late August. Your villagers haven’t seen you since Tom Nook gave you a second bedroom and their hopes of ever seeing you return have been dwindling day by lonesome day. That is until Nintendo announced the game’s latest free update and paid expansion.

With the free update comes a host of new locations, items and experiences. Firstly, the much-anticipated return of Brewster’s cafe “The Roost” has island reps flooding back to their abandoned seaside homes by the Dodo plane-full.

After taking up a quest from museum curator Blathers to locate his long-lost friend Brewster, you can go to your pier and discover the return of trusty seafarer Kapp’n.

Kapp’n allows for islanders to not only find Brewster, but also to travel to uninhabited mystery islands on which new types of plants, bushes and vines await. On one of these islands, you’ll find Brewster searching for Gyroids —, the new special exotic decor items that make unique sounds and dance little jigs.

After you ask him to move in, he can be found in the museum the next day, which is just enough time for you to check in on your villagers and set up a new island ordinance. The ordinances will change the time your villagers are most active and what they do for the island community. The “Beautiful Island” ordinance, for instance, makes it so that no cockroaches will appear, no trash will get fished up, weeds will grow less often

A no-feelings-attached con man suddenly realizes that he does have feelings as he ends up helping his potential marks instead of taking them down. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger, making it a true suspense-thriller.

If you have Hulu: “Fargo” You don’t have to be familiar with the “Fargo” movie to enjoy FX’s crime show “Fargo.” Each season features a new crime in a new era, and you betcha, there’s a lot of Minnesotan accents.

“Thelma & Louise” This movie legitimately changed my life.

It successfully portrays strong female leads without pandering or falling into cheesy tropes. “Thelma & Louise” is

female storytelling at its finest.

If you have Netflix: “Community” A classic sitcom series following an unlikely group of friends as they navigate life at their community college. The cast features Donald Glover, Chicago native Danny Pudi and John Oliver.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” If you didn’t watch “The Last Airbender” when it first appeared on Netflix in 2020, I urge you to start the animated series now. It’s whimsical, honest and has one of the most quotable title sequences in TV. “Surf’s Up" The best penguin movie out there. Penguins that surf? I mean, come on, what

By Graceson K ennedy Contributing Writer

and villagers will water flowers more often.

The “Early Bird” ordinance allows your villagers to wake up about an hour earlier than usual, and shops will also open an hour earlier. The “Night Owl” ordinance allows for your residents to go to bed anywhere from one to two hours later, and shops will close an hour later. And finally, for all you aspiring millionaires, the “Bell Boom” ordinance raises the cost of goods while also increasing the amount of money you can make from selling items.

But something may feel like it’s missing, still. Not quite loving your home decor?

Does your island feel like it’s lacking that extra pizazz that all the cool Animal Crossing YouTubers have? Try the new DLC: “Happy Home Paradise.” With this paid expansion, you can take off from your island’s airport and travel to the Happy Home Archipelago to work as a vacation home designer. At this new job, you can learn new design skills to spruce up both your own home as well as the home of any other villager on your island.

Learn how to polish and make items sparkle and shine. Learn how to add partition walls, counters and accent walls. Become a master of terraforming.

Overall, the new design techniques and activities are well above and beyond anything Nintendo has given us before, and I still haven’t even discussed group stretching in the plaza, islander home visits, new Nook holidays and all of the hundreds of new items added with the updates for you to unlock and explore.

What to watch over winter break

By Lily Lowndes Social Media Editor

Winter break is fast approaching and that means we are moments away from winding down and relaxing after a very long and difficult quarter. Here are a few must-stream shows and movies to watch over the break.

If you have Amazon Prime: “Homecoming” This show has everything — military conspiracies, nonlinear storytelling and Janelle Monáe. Like an onion, this two-season series has its layers.

“Sneaky Pete”

more could you ask for?

If you have Paramount Plus: “Survivor” If you pay for Paramount Plus, you should be watching the ultimate reality TV competition: “Survivor.” If you don’t have Paramount Plus, select seasons are available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Yet another reality TV classic, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is an entertaining mix of shows like “Project Runway,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “SNL” and “America’s Got Talent.”

Those are my recommendations, have a great break!

24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKI

“Spinning fresh beats since 1581”

By Amber Stoutenborough Arts & Life Editor

For this week’s DeJamz I wanted to pull some other editors to combine the perfect study playlist just in time for finals. This playlist is full of different genres to cater to everyone’s studying needs. From lo-fi to Latin music let us motivate you to get past the next tweeks. Good luck!

Amber Stoutenborough, Arts & Life Editor Listening to Studio Ghibli doesn’t have to end when you are a child. Studying with Howl’s moving castle soundtrack playing in the background creates the perfect atmosphere while you furiously type away to your history paper. I added a couple of songs from my favorite Ghibli movies, including

Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away.

Nate Burleyson, Online Managing Editor Lo-fi: It’s the cliché of studying background music, but a good lo-fi playlist is nevertheless effective. It’s good even if you don’t have specific songs and just want to throw on a 24/7 playlist and get lost. Lo-fi comes in a lot of different sounds and styles, each artist will give you a different experience. There’s something for everyone in this genre, and it helps calm the nerves during stressful finals weeks.

Nika Schoonover, Print Managing Editor Jazz has always been essential for me when I need to get some studying done.

Julian Lage’s “Ryland” in particular has remained on my study playlist since high

Crossword

school. Whether the jazz setting has a relaxing atmosphere or the rush of some of the more chaotic brass phrases, the music has helped me stay focused while I write essays and study for exams.

Nadia Hernandez, News Editor I love listening to Latin music because it’s so upbeat and energetic. When I’m doing work, I love to feel motivated by my music.

These are my favorite songs help me get through whatever assignment or reading I need to do, Josie Stratman, Asst. News Editor I like upbeat, fast-paced throwback tunes and remixes while I study — it pulls me through the last stretches of a paper or study session. I mean, what’s more motivation than “Imma Be” by the Black Eyed Peas?

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Seedy fruit 5. Crustacean with nippers 9. Wound secretion 12. Fence materials?

13. Enormous 14. Quiz 15. Moved in waves 17. Island chain 18. Substantially 19. Unmoving 21. “Looney Tunes” duck 24. Deep sleep 26. Be in arrears 27. Timeline divisions 29. Captures 33. Place for a TV 34. Lift 36. Auction unit 37. Chances 39. Word on a gift tag 40. Years ___ 41. A fan of 43. Fable writer 45. Singer Manilow 48. Nada 49. Start for a Spanish count 50. Organizes for action 56. Nancy, in Nancy 57. Paranoiac’s worry 58. Give a darn 59. Econ. statistic 60. Cuts 61. Design detail

1. Bird ___ 2. Saturn model 3. Pantheon member 4. Cram 5. Burn a bit 6. Groove 7. Well-kept secret, for some 8. Obscure 9. Far from ruddy 10. Conniver 11. “Laugh-In” segment 16. Cake part 20. Run in 21. Dummy 22. Thunderstruck 23. Ward (off) 24. Where “Aida” premiered 25. ___ buco 28. Great quantity 30. “What a shame” 31. Kind of dancer 32. Check 35. Send 38. Address for an officer 42. Mayfly larva 44. Long stories 45. Keg stopper 46. Shortly 47. Cavort 48. Clearasil targets 51. Hearty cheer 52. Salaam 53. Sound of a lightning bolt 54. “... ___ he drove out of sight” 55. Instant

Sports

Sports. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 25

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Senior Shane Knanishu racing at the Big East Cross-Country Championships on Oct. 29.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Sophomore Joe Knanishu running at the Big East Cross-Country Championships.

DePaul cross-country brothers make strides together

By Darcy Waskiewicz Sports Editor

While the brothers discovered their love of running on their own, Shane and Joe Knanishu have found their way to the DePaul cross-country and track and field teams together and have enjoyed every minute.

From Batavia, Illinois, Shane and Joe are not too far from home and their other brother, who attends the University of Wisconsin, but having each other at DePaul is something that they value greatly.

“It’s an achievement that I can come out here and run every day with my brother,” Joe said. “And we can do better than we did in high school — because we obviously ran together in high school — and that was a fun experience, so just being able to build on that is really great.”

Now a senior, Shane joined the team in fall of 2018 as a freshman. He first got into running through his friends in the summer before his sixth-grade year while looking for a sport to participate in. He fell in love with running and stuck with it.

His younger brother Joe joined Shane at DePaul two years later in 2020.

Now a sophomore, Joe began to run in fifth grade with friends in a running club at his school, but he initially hated the sport.

However, he continued to run with his best friend and eventually found a passion for it.

Like running, Joe also hated the city of Chicago when he first visited as

“It’s an achievement that I can come out here and run every day with my brother.”

Joe Knanishu

DePaul cross-country and track and field sophomore a junior in high school. However, as he continued to visit the city and Shane at DePaul, his mindset began to change.

“I hated the city so much and I was like, ‘I’m not going to DePaul,’ like, I couldn’t imagine living in Chicago,” Joe said. “And then, in my senior year, I started coming out here a lot more and it grew on me, it grew on me a lot and I really, really love the city.”

The location is what first drew Shane to DePaul, and from there, he liked what DePaul had to offer, such as the small class sizes and hands-on learning. He was thrilled to have his younger brother join him on campus.

“I remember being a sophomore in college and getting excited that my brother was interested in DePaul,” Shane said. “We had an enjoyable high school experience, so to build upon that and build upon our relationship and our successes as teammates is what really excited me.”

In his freshman year, Shane finished 55th in the 8K race at the Big East Cross-Country Championships with a time of 26:45.6 and was the fourth Blue Demon to cross the finish line. With the track and field team, he placed first in

the 1500m at the 2019 DePaul University Invitational.

This season, he finished 10th overall in the men’s 8K race at the Redbird Invite on Sept. 17 with a time of 24:48.2.

At the Live in Lou Cross-Country Classic on Oct. 2, Shane finished first for the Blue Demons and 43rd overall in the men’s 8K race with a time of 24:17.7.

At the 2021 Big East Cross-Country Championships on Oct. 29, Shane was the second Blue Demon to cross the finish line in 35th place overall with a time of 26:04.5.

Joe’s freshman seasons for both sports were disrupted by Covid-19. The cross-country season was moved from the fall to early spring of 2021 and the team only competed in two races.

At the Eastern Illinois Spring Meet on Feb. 6, Joe finished 18th overall out of 46 with a time of 26:13.9. He concluded his race at the 2020-21 Big East Cross-Country Championships in 61st overall with a time 25:33.1.

This cross-country season, Joe had a 67th overall finish at the Redbird Invite with a time of 26:24.5. At the Big East Championships, he had a 60th overall finish and a time of 27:07.4.

“It’s been a great experience running with Shane and Joe,” DePaul teammate Dominic Bruce said. “Every single day, whether it’s at practice, lifting or just hanging out, they both have a contagious positive energy, it’s impossible to not enjoy spending time with them.”

The Blue Demons placed fifth at the Big East Championships — the team’s highest placing since they began competing in the conference. Helping the team achieve that together is one of the brothers’ favorite memories from the season.

“That’s a feat that no one has ever accomplished, so being able to do that with my brother was really exciting,” Joe said.

The brothers have stayed close at DePaul. They live near each other, hang out together and it carries over into the way they are with the team.

“The thing about Shane and Joe is that they treat the rest of the team like we’re their brothers as well,” Bruce said.

“And I think that it leads to one of the greatest team dynamics possible and one that I’m proud to be a part of with them.”

In the year-and-a-half that Shane and Joe have been together at DePaul, they have enjoyed each other’s presence, both on the team and on campus. It’s something that means the world to both of them.

“To have someone so close to home, like really close to me, that provides a sense of family in this area that I’m at,” Shane said. “I’m really appreciative of that.”

26 | Sports. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021

Women’s basketball: DePaul stomps on Loyola in Red Line rivalry win “DePaul’s pressure in the full court is 87-53 typically what normally everybody focuses

By Joshua M. Hicks Asst. Sports Editor

The Blue Demons displayed true team effort that led to a 34-point blowout win against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers 87-53 on Friday. This gives them their second win of the season and a leg up in this year’s Red Line rivalry.

The Blue Demons started the game off strong with layups on back-to-back possessions from senior guard Sonya Morris and sophomore guard Darrione Rogers.

Offensively the team struggled from the 3-point line, shooting only 1-8 from range.

The one 3-pointer came from a half-court buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter

by Rogers.

DePaul’s inside scoring was a different story — 30 of the team’s 42 points came in the paint.

The team also got some help from the free throw line, shooting 7-of-9 from the stripe. The team finished the first half shooting 46 percent from the field, 12 percent from the three and 78 percent from the free throw line, while committing seven turnovers.

Aside from a few offensive struggles, the defense set the tone for DePaul, causing the Ramblers to commit 10 turnovers and 6 steals within the first half alone.

The Ramblers struggled at times to get going offensively, only shooting 36 percent from the field. But the team was able to stay in the game behind their 3-point shooting, making 5 of 11 from distance.

The second half was more of the same.

Defensively, the Blue Demons forced the Ramblers to commit 21 turnovers for the game and shoot 24 percent from the 3-point line.

on and I thought we did a great job handling that, and at times they fell back from that,” Loyola Chicago head coach Kate Achter said.

“I thought it was poor decision-making in the half court. We were trying to throw passes when maybe there was just a little bit more pressure at the guard spot or dribbling into coffin areas where you can be trapped and they can turn up the pressure if they need to.

We prepared for the full court, but we need to prepare harder for the half court.”

The Blue Demons dominated in the rebounding department, finishing the game with 51 rebounds (20 of them on the offensive end), to go along with 23 assists. Morris led the way by scoring 13 of her 23 points.

Senior guard Lexi Held had 13 points of her own and dished out 8 assists. Rogers dropped 15 points and 11 rebounds that included an ankle-breaking 3-point bucket to cap off the victory with five minutes left in the game.

Rogers detailed her mindset as she was living the ankle-breaking experience.

“My mindset was to focus and make the shot,” Rogers said. “When it happened, I was focused on shooting the ball and making the ball go in the basket regardless if the opponent was on the floor. That was my thought process.”

The ankle-breaking shot was a tough shot that she has worked to implement into her game. She believes her confidence played a role in her shooting so far this season, and the hard work she has been putting in is starting to pay off.

“I’m really confident heading into this season,” Rogers said. “My teammates and coaching staff do a good job of passing me the ball and putting me in situations where I’m open. It’s honestly repetition. I’ve been working on my shot a lot this offseason and it is starting to show a little bit more. It is still a

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Guard Sonya Morris sitting in a defensive position against Loyola Chicago on Friday. lot for me to improve on still, but overall I’m growing as a player.”

Morris wanted to make an emphasis on leading the team this year in more than one way on a consistent basis. She highlighted how in this game, even though it was nice being the leading scorer, her biggest impact was more from an emotional standpoint.

“Even though the 23 points is nice, it is really all the other things like the intangibles,” Morris said. “I still need to work on my attitude, keeping my attitude together, uplifting people when they make a mistake, making sure the team is on the same page, stuff like that.”

Head coach Doug Bruno emphasized the good attitude Morris brings to the team.

“When you know Morris from the inside-out, you know that she is a good person,” Bruno said. “She is a very competitive person

and sometimes it looks like she is in a place where she really is not. I think she has had a great attitude all this year.”

Graduate guard Deja Church contributed with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Bruno elaborated on the strategy Church is bringing to games and how using that strategy is not only helping the team, but benefiting her from an impact perspective. “[Deja] is starting to put games together,” Bruno said. “When she rebounds, defends and gets to the rim, it is when she has her best games. Then the 3-pointers follow after that versus starting with the 3-point shot then getting to the rim. She is starting to understand that and is becoming more consistent.”

DePaul will play their next game on the road against Texas A&M on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. CST.

VOLLEYBALL, continued from front page

They bounced back with a 3-1 win at home over Providence on Oct. 29 but dropped their next game with a 3-0 loss to Creighton the next night.

Following that loss, the Blue Demons went on to win their next four games, the first being a 3-1 victory over St. John’s on Nov. 5. The team defeated Seton Hall 3-2 the next day before going on to defeat Butler and Xavier to clinch the playoffs.

“The way we have won has been on the grit and skill and talent of our younger players combined with the poise and the elevated game of our veterans,” Zidek said. “They give everything they have every day, and it has paid off this year.”

After this weekend, sophomore outside hitter Jill Pressly leads the team in kills with 338. Price follows with 248 kills and Karl has 226. Senior middle blocker Donna Brown has 223 kills on the season.

Krasowski has 496 digs.

“It feels amazing knowing that all of our hard work has paid off, and we have met our goals we set at the beginning of the year,” Price said. “It’s been especially rewarding to see where we started when I came in four years ago and how much we have grown. I’m so proud of this team and know we’re not done yet.”

The team closes out their regular season next week against Villanova on Nov. 19 and Georgetown the next night, with both at home at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

The top four teams in the Big East go on to make the playoffs, and the Blue Demons have claimed the fourth and final spot. As of Sunday night, Creighton and Marquette are currently tied for first at 14-2, while UConn holds the third spot with a record of 12-4.

The semifinals for the Big East Championship take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Nov. 26, with the final taking place the next night.

postseason for the first time and dominated the set early. Multiple point streaks by the Blue Demons led to a 25-15 win in the set and a playoff-clinching win over Xavier.

“Hanna Karl had a monster weekend, as did our right sides Bailey [Nelson] and Emma [Price],” head coach Marie Zidek.

“We don’t get those kills without great efforts from our ball control and service game.”

A sophomore outside hitter, Karl led the team with 18 kills in the game, followed by graduate student Price with 15 and Nelson with eight. Sophomore libero Rachel Krasowski had 28 digs in the game.

The season has been full of ups and downs for the Blue Demons, who are led

by Zidek in her fourth year with the team.

The Blue Demons opened their season with four tournaments against non-conference opponents before opening conference play with a 3-0 win over Georgetown University on Sept. 24. They continued with a 3-0 win over Villanova University the next day.

DePaul dropped the next three games with 3-0 losses against the University of Connecticut, Marquette University and Creighton University.

However, the team defeated Providence College 3-0 on Oct. 10 before returning home to claim a 3-0 victory over Seton Hall University on Oct. 15 and 3-2 win over St. John’s University the next night, their first win over St. John’s since 2017.

The Blue Demons dropped their next two games with a 3-2 loss to Marquette on Oct. 20 and a 3-0 loss to UConn four days later.

Sports. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 27 FANS BACK, continued from back page games for both men’s and women’s basketball teams on a permanent basis.

Graduate guard Dee Bekelja expressed excitement of not only having fans back into the arena, but also being able to play home games in the arena on a consistent basis throughout the season.

“Everybody on the team is excited,” Bekelja said. “All of our games are going to be played at Wintrust, which has never been done before. It is a great environment to play in and to have fans in the stands is something special.

Having our families and friends there is so much different than it was last year.”

Bekelja admitted that playing in empty arenas last season was off-putting.

She described scenarios of the team’s experience, from having to create their own noise and energy due to awkward silence to being in the team huddles, hearing every word that is being said without music or people screaming from the stands.

She believes it is harder to play in that environment when you are accustomed to a previous norm that can be helpful for the team.

“Last year was a totally different environment,” Bekelja said. “You’re playing a competitive game but you don’t get the feedback or the excitement from the fans. It is definitely harder playing

in an arena that is silent and nobody is there so I think fans are really going to help us out this year.”

One of the biggest losses last year for Bekelja was not having her family in the stands. For her, family always provided support.

“Seeing familiar faces is really cool for us,” Bekelja said. “People that have been coming to your games since you were a freshman and now you are a senior and you are seeing the same people who sit in the front row or courtside. It is really cool to see people who were there year in and year out supporting now, since they couldn’t support last year.”

Since the season started, students have been able to embrace the road back to normalcy at games.

Sophomore Ryan Toomey has enjoyed attending games and being able to help lead the movement in the fanatic Blue Crew.

“I like to say things that make people laugh and I like when we jump around and act like we have no brain cells,” Toomey said.

Freshman Nickolas Krueger agrees with Toomey’s sentiment, emphasizing that the unity within the student section is something he is proud to participate in.

“I like it when we are all unified at the beginning of games,” Krueger said.

“It is a lot of fun when the whole student section gets crazy.”

MADDY MEAS | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul students cheering on the men’s basketball team in their win on Wednesday.

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MEN’S BASKETBALL, continued from back page played the first 32 minutes of the game before getting to the rest in the final eight minutes. Junior guard Philmon Gebrewhit saw the most minutes with 36.

Even with the high minutes that the starters had to play on Saturday, the team did a solid job of taking care of the ball — committing only 12 turnovers — and got into a nice flow offensively in the second half.

Freeman-Liberty, once again, had a strong outing as the point guard — scoring 22 points, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out seven assists and zero turnovers.

“So tonight was just another performance where I got my team involved first, and then came out and got the dub,” he said.

Through two games this season, Freeman-Liberty has only committed one turnover.

“I’m just trying this year to value the ball,” he said.

It didn’t take long for the Blue Demons to find their offensive groove, scoring 10 points before the first timeout.

DePaul took its largest lead of the first half, 16-7, following a trio of baskets from Courvoisier McCauley and Johnson.

Central Michigan, however, managed to claw themselves back into the game with some pesky defense and strong 3-point shooting.

The Chippewas made five of their first nine 3-point attempts, which allowed them to stay within striking distance.

The visitors eventually took their first lead of the game, 24-22, thanks to a 7-0 run. Both teams would trade leads throughout the final seven minutes of the first half, but DePaul managed to head into the break leading 41-38.

Once again, though, the Blue Demons had a much stronger effort in the second half. On Wednesday, DePaul only led by one at halftime and ended up winning by 25.

Depaul outscored Central Michigan 58-28 in the second half. Stubblefield said that the team made some defensive adjustments in the second half.

Women’s Basketball: -Nov. 15 at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

-Nov. 21 vs. Northwester, 5 p.m.

Men’s Basketball: -Nov. 18 vs. Rutgers, 7:30 p.m.

-Nov. 20 vs. Western Illinois, 7 p.m

Volleyball: -Nov. 19 vs. Villanova, 7 p.m.

NATE BURLEYSON | THE DEPAULIA

Forward Brandon Johnson hanging from the rim after a dunk against Central Michigan.

“We started to guard some of the screens a little bit differently that their big guys were setting,” he said. “I think that helped with our guards being able to get through some real screens and get under, so we did make some adjustments.”

DePaul really blew open the game in the middle of the second half when the team went on a 26-3 run in a nearly seven-minute stretch. The Blue Demons went from leading by 10 to being up by 33 to make the score 90-57.

With the win virtually secured with eight minutes left in the game, Stub-

blefield rested some of his starters who played a majority of the first 32 minutes.

Alongside Freeman-Liberty’s strong performance, Johnson added 20 points — 15 of which came in the first half — and seven rebounds, while David Jones stepped into the lineup to provide 16 and nine.

“I pretty much do whatever I possibly can just to help my team out in any way,” Johnson said.

DePaul returns to action on Thursday when Rutgers pays a visit to Wintrust Arena.

-Nov. 20 vs. Georgetown, 6 p.m.

Club Hockey: -Nov. 19 at Aurora, TBD -Nov. 20 vs. Aurora, 3:30 p.m.

Sports

Sports. The DePaulia. Nov. 15, 2021 | 28

Men’s basketball brings new addition to team

By Ryan Taylor Staff Writer

DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA

Fans in the student section cheering on the DePaul women’s basketball team in their 87-53 win over Loyola Chicago on Friday.

DePaul basketball embraces fans at Wintrust again

By Joshua M. Hicks Asst. Sports Editor

Wintrust Arena has not had any DePaul basketball games with fans in attendance since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

Now that fans are back, the rejuvenation of team support and spirit will bring all Wintrust events, including DePaul basketball, a new appreciation of the Wintrust Arena experience.

When entering the arena, there are certain protocols that the school has implemented to make sure fans have a safe experience. Anyone at the age of 2 and above must w ear a mask at all times, except when eating or drinking.

Cleaning and sanitation stations have been displayed throughout the concourse. The staff moved box office and concession stands to cashless

spending and are transitioning things to become more mobile friendly.

Arena staff are opening doors earlier to prevent congestion at the gates.

Elevators have a limited capacity to expand space for proper distancing.

Athletic director DeWayne Peevy was involved in creating the new procedures and worked with the Big East health advisory committee to make sure the competition is safe on the floor and that the athletes are returning to their campuses safely.

Taylor Stapleton, senior associate athletics director for revenue generation and strategic initiatives, elaborated on the policies and procedures DePaul took under consideration to provide a safe space to welcome fans back into the venue.

“It was a very collaborative process,” Stapleton said. “We looked at federal and state guidelines and local guidelines

and worked with the university. We looked at other teams around the area and Wintrust arena as well. Vaccinations are strongly encouraged, but not a requirement. Students, staff and employees are under the vaccination requirements. We have backup plans and protocols in place if things change.”

Stapleton is new to DePaul and has gotten his first taste of the gameday atmosphere at the arena. He expressed his excitement of being able to have fans back into the arena.

“It was great to have our fans back,” Stapleton said. “There was a sense of excitement that basketball was back. It is a little different due to the protocols in place but it was an overall excitement and great to have fans back in the arena.”

This year is the first time that Wintrust Arena is hosting the home

See FANS BACK, page 27

DePaul basketball announced the signing of Iowa State University’s Javan Johnson as a graduate transfer on Nov. 5.

He will be eligible to play for the Blue Demons once he completes his fall degree requirements at Iowa State for the fall semester, according to DePaul athletics. Johnson will have two years of eligibility from Covid-19 and a redshirt season from the 2019-20 season.

According to 247Sports, Johnson chose DePaul over Arkansas, Grand Canyon, South Alabama and Western Kentucky.

Johnson will help fill a void in the lineup with his size as a wing. Guards Jalen Terry and Ahamad Bynum missed the first two games of the season due to ineligibility with the NCAA. Philmon Gebrewhit, Brendan Favre and Courvoisier McCauley have taken over the minutes at the position.

Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward, played his last two seasons at Iowa State University. Last season, Johnson started every game for the Cyclones except three due to Covid-19 protocols.

He also played alongside DePaul alum, Jalen Coleman-Lands, who was at DePaul for three seasons before transferring to Iowa State.

The Decatur, AL native averaged 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season. He shoots a career 41 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the three-point range.

In his first two seasons of college basketball, Johson played at Troy University, where he averaged a career-high 10.4 points on 40 percent shooting from the field.

As aforementioned, Johnson should have an increasingly large role with the team this season, with his ability to score, shoot from deep and be a reliable defender.

The Blue Demons are currently 2-0 on the season with wins over Coppin State and Central Michigan. They nearly eclipsed 100 points in each contest.

Javan Freeman-Liberty is leading the team offensively, averaging 23.5 points and 7.5 assists per game this season. David Jones has helped plenty so far too, averaging the most rebounds, steals and blocks per game on the team.

The team’s next game is against Rutgers University on Nov. 18, who is also undefeated through two games.

Men’s basketball: Blue Demons breezes past Central Michigan for second win

99-66

By Lawrence Kreymer Editor-in-Chief

It’s less than a week into the 2021-22 college basketball season, but DePaul is already missing four key players: Ahamad Bynum, Jalen Terry, Tyon Grant-Foster and Javon Johnson.

That, however, did not stop the Blue Demons from blowing out Central Michigan 99-66 on Saturday at Wintrust Arena.

DePaul came into the season already without Bynum, Terry and Johnson due to eligibility issues, but it also lost Grant-Foster in Wednesday’s season-opening win over Coppin State.

Grant-Foster had to be taken to the hos-

pital during halftime of Wednesday’s game.

Head coach Tony Stubblefield said after Saturday’s game that Grant-Foster is “doing well,” but does not have an update on when he might return.

With a limited number of players available on Saturday, there was more pressure on the starters to stay out of foul trouble and provide big minutes.

“Our guys kind of settled in after the half, came out, shared the basketball,” Stubblefield said. “We were able to get some stops and [were] able to kind of extend that lead a little bit.”

Senior guard Javon Freeman-Liberty

See MEN’S BASKETBALL, page 27

NATE BURLEYSON | THE DEPAULIA

Guard Philmon Gebrewhit dribbling around a Central Michigan player on Saturday.