DePaulia 2.13.23

TheDePaulia

EDITORIAL:

Library access is a resource we can’t afford to lose

By DePaulia Editorial Board

DePaul students must take action and demand the return of 24/7 finals study hours in response to the announcement that the John T. Richardson Library in Lincoln Park is discontinuing its extended hours effective immediately.

At a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Feb. 9. SGA President Kevin Holechko stated that from this point forward, the library will no longer provide a space for students to study around the clock for the week of final exams. This change goes into effect immediately. There will be no extended hours for winter quarter finals.

We urge the university to reconsider.

It is essential for students’ academic success that this study space is provided 24/7 hours of operation during the most stressful time of the quarter.

In writing this editorial, we are guided by our commitment to the truth and our purpose of informing DePaul’s community.

Holechko said this decision to discontinue the additional final hours was made due to a lack of funding from the university, which prohibited the library from hiring adequate staff to be open

continuously.

Additionally, the library attributed this change to low engagement past 1 a.m. But that shouldn’t matter.

The university’s decision, which effectively inhibits its ability to provide a quiet, reliable study space during the most hectic time of the quarter, is abhorrent. DePaul is deprioritizing the needs of its students with the removal of this critical resource.

The library’s operating hours have been subject to debate in the past.

In fall 2017, late-night hours were taken away at the library, reducing the long-standing closing time from 2 a.m. to midnight. This move came as a shock to students and resulted in a petition that garnered over 2,000 signatures and a “study-in” at the library, in which students ignored requests by public safety to leave after the library closed at midnight, according to a former DePaul student.

Following the pressure of the petition and the “study-in,” library administrators met with the Office of the Provost and struck a deal to return the closing

See LIBRARY, page 12

DEI’s future unclear amid student optimism

By Claire Tweedie SGA Beat Writer

Students and staff are unsure on what to expect for upcoming changes to the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program as President Robert L. Manuel continues to unveil plans to redesign DePaul. While students still feel optimistic, issues relating to DEI have not always been the administration’s focus, causing uncertainty in the reality of these promises. Despite announcements from Manuel on the university’s future leaving students hopeful that change is underway, the timeline of these improvements and the path to get there remains unclear.

“In past initiatives and past presidents, diversity and equity kind of takes the backseat when it comes to institutional reform,” junior Adora Alava, Student Government Association executive vice president of DEI said. “Speaking strictly on what promises have been made so far and describing the future [Manuel] wants, he mentioned more focus on diversity and equity which is a good sign.”

Addressing his promises involving issues of bias and equity on campus, Manuel further detailed his initiatives with a Jan. 31 emailed document entitled “Moving Forward, Together.” Manuel focused on DePaul’s history with slavery, supporting underrepresented populations on campus and further promoting diversity.

“What these changes will look like and how they will come to be, we don’t know yet because we’re still designing and holding sessions,” Elizabeth Ortiz, vice president of institutional diversity and equity said. “We have to work with our stakeholders, faculty, staff and students to ask what would we offer and what would we need to know as a community.”

At the Design DePaul event, Manuel said faculty will soon be required to take DEI training. When administration in the Office of Diversity and Equity were asked about this possibility, they were unaware of this statement and said it was not the case. The current DEI program is voluntary for faculty and staff and has provided over 180 training sessions since the it’s inception in 2012.

“What we’re hoping to do is for our shared governance bodies, have them say what are the DEI competencies that we need and what can we make mandatory,” Ortiz said. “Right now what is mandatory is every faculty search and every staff search has to go through implicit bias training. We’ve already made one DEI training mandatory for all but I think we can expand that.

Alava believes these promises about DEI from Manuel are realistic because of the action he put behind them compared to past DePaul presidents. While she has only experienced two presidents during her time at DePaul, she sees Manuel being more communicative and open to understanding what the university needs.

“Even [Manuel’s] faculty, and the

PHOTO BY JEFF CARRION | DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

Decision expected in class action against testing company used by DePaul

Students to receive settlement if court rules against Respondus Monitoring

By Patrick Sloan-Turner Online Managing Editor

A class action case against Respondus Monitor, an online exam proctoring program, is expected to reach a decision in coming weeks.

In the suit, titled Veiga v. Respondus Inc., a group of students accused the program of illegally capturing and recording personal data. The case went to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in May 2021. Since then, a judge ruled against several motions by the company to dismiss the case.

DePaul uses the tool to proctor its online exams.

If the case is settled against Respondus, the accusers will be awarded damages, as will other students in Illinois who took a test using the software between 2016 and 2020, including those at DePaul.

In the original complaint, three students at Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago and Bradley University claim that Respondus collected their biometric data, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) passed in 2008.

“Respondus failed to make disclosures with respect to the collection of said biometric identifiers; and Respondus also failed to

disclose the retention schedule that would apply to the collection of Plaintiffs biometric data,” stated the complaint.

Per BIPA, a biometric identifier — or biometric data — refers to a retina or iris scan, a fingerprint, a voiceprint, a scan of the hand or facial geometry.

The accusers in the class action case seek damages of “$5,000 for each intentional and reckless violation of BIPA.”

According to the suit, Respondus Monitor collects facial-recognition data, eye monitoring data, audio data of test-taker’s voices and more.

The Veiga suit against Respondus is not the only ongoing class action case involving the testing software company.

Separately, a former DePaul student, Cody Powell, is currently suing the university for its use of Respondus, making similar claims that the university violated BIPA in using the program and recording biometric data. In the case, which is also a class action suit, Powell protests that DePaul “owns, has access to, and possesses this

In a third class action case, Respondus and Lewis University are being sued for the same reason.

In 2021, Respondus changed the language in its privacy and data policy to disclose the recording of user’s biometric identification and information following the class action suits filed against the company.

Last week, an attorney told The DePaulia that the Veiga case is likely to reach a settlement in coming weeks, impacting other cases filed against or involving the Respondus. In the case that damages are awarded, students of Illinois who took a test using the software will likely be notified of entitlement to a monetary claim.

data.”

DePaul’s most recent version of its data policy does not disclose any collection of biometric data, nor did it at the time this suit was filed.

Wallets, credit cards taken in Daley Building burglary

By Patrick Sloan-Turner Online Managing Editor

Offices in the Daley Building at 14 E. Jackson Blvd. of DePaul’s Loop campus were burglarized in the morning hours of Feb. 6.

According to a Chicago Police Department (CPD) incident report, an individual entered the building between 10 and 11:15 a.m. Later in the day, DePaul public safety sent an alert to students, faculty and staff stating that an individual gained access to three separate offices and took wallets and credit cards.

The alert did not state which floor of the Daley Building the items were taken from but revealed that the employees who had items stolen were in meetings and absent from their offices.

DePaul’s public safety director did not respond to multiple requests from The DePaulia for an interview, nor did the office share any additional information about last week’s incident.

A CPD representative told The DePaulia that 911 was not called at the time of the incident, but instead, a DePaul staff member later called 311 to inform

police.

A source present at the Daley Building around the time of the burglary saw the suspect and described a mid-20s African American male around 5 feet, 4 inches tall. The source said he was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, had black hair and sported facial hair.

According to the source present at the time of the reported burglary, a suspect was seen exiting the elevator on multiple floors. The source was told by a DePaul employee that the suspect exited the elevators and walked throughout the floors on levels without an attendant sitting at a desk near the elevator doors. He did this on various floors until eventually reaching the 18th floor, the top floor of the building.

At the time of publishing, no suspect has been arrested in relation to the incident.

The accusers in the class action case seek damages of

for each intentional and reckless violation

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAWPIXEL

“$5,000

of BIPA.”

By Claire Tweedie SGA Beat Writer

President Rob L. Manuel attended his first Student Government Association (SGA) general body meeting on Feb. 9 alongside Chief of Staff, Arbin Smith, who visited SGA a few weeks prior.

After commemorating the conclusion of his first six-months at DePaul, Manuel addressed student concerns while continuing to promote his visions for DePaul’s future.

For the first hour, Manuel answered questions from SGA members on a variety of topics, but the overarching theme was what he could do to improve DePaul and how students fit into those visions.

“I didn't expect to see the consistency between the stuff I learned in the interview and what I've seen in my first six months,” Manuel said at the meeting. “What I didn’t calculate is how powerful DePaul is in its quietness. I’ve found it to be incredibly welcoming and incredibly interested in engagement.”

BRANDING

Freshman Suzan Arab, SGA senator for community and government relations, posed the first question asking Manuel about his plans to improve DePaul’s brand. Arab believes that improving the university’s brand on a national scale will attract more leaders to the student population.

“Everything has a brand and everything has that external presence,” Arab said. “If we're not thinking about that at the end of the day then what are we doing?”

Manuel responded by saying DePaul needs to prioritize showing their brand. He talked about his first time visiting Cinespace Studios, a production facility used by the School of Cinematic Arts film program where students take specialized film classes using industry-standard equipment alongside other high-profile productions in the same space. Manuel used this example to explain how engaged he felt when visiting the site compared to how stagnant he feels the website portrays the facility.

“It’s not about creating a brand, it's about exposing a brand,” Manuel said. “How can we

President Manuel answers questions, addresses concerns at SGA meeting

take what is really unique about your experience and show it rather than write about it?”

Arab wants to see a brand that emphasizes culture and what she describes as “hype.” While she says DePaul does have the tools and resources to execute this rebrand, she wants to see more of an effort put into it.

“As much as I feel he gave a good response, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree and say that we need to up the ante in terms of our brand and our name,” Arab said. “We are so great academically but at the end of the day, after whenever you end classes, you still want that school spirit. When you create hype, you create an exciting environment for students.”

ENGAGEMENT

SGA members like junior Emmaeilin Salgado-Diaz addressed concerns regarding student engagement, asking Manuel his advice on how student organizations could humanize themselves to better connect with the community.

“I’ve seen [Manuel’s] appeal and I’ve seen how human he is even through social media, so I wanted to see if there was a way I could somehow embody that,” Salgado-Diaz said. “I want to know how people can easily come to me as a student and simply as a person rather than look at me as a student employee or just another person who goes to DePaul.”

Manuel responded by talking about his own efforts to humanize himself for DePaul, saying that what community members see of him online is not a persona he is crafting. He encouraged student organizations to do the same, showing their values and goals to allow students to engage with each other as equals.

“Everyone is asking me how I'm going to change it but my charge is asking how you're going to do it,” Manuel said. “If we're in this together and I believe we are, we all have responsibilities in designing our future so we have to all be equals. Building that in with empathy is the ethos of what we're trying to do.”

Although Salgado-Diaz said she asks everyone she can about student engagement, she wanted Manuel’s perspective because of his experience at various universities, and now, as DePaul’s president.

“I’ll take his words and use them to my advantage but I do not think he’s the only person who could’ve answered that question,” Salgado-Diaz said. “It made sense though because by trying to be equals and put in the same amount of dedication into engagement, it's going to show progress. We need to have faculty who care about student opinions and care about our engagement.”

LEADERSHIP

When asked what areas of SGA Manuel saw potential for growth in by junior Sergio Godinez, executive vice president for academic affairs, Manuel volleyed the question back. He instead asked Godinez what areas of improvement he saw in SGA and how Manuel could support him.

“In SGA, we always have big discussions about what we want to accomplish, what our goals are, and how we want to lead,” Godinez said. “We can get tunnel vision in what we plan at the beginning of the year. We lose track of the ability to adapt to situations as they change so it's always great to get outside perspectives to get their input on the work we're doing.”

Godinez believes being asked to reflect on his own leadership style in SGA rather than outsourcing the question to Manuel allowed him to think critically about his goals for SGA to create more inclusive solutions.

“You ask someone to give you their perspective from the outside looking in and it wasn't the response I was expecting but I think it's the response I needed,” Godinez said. “I think with every leader, you want to know their vision for leadership and for the success of the institution.”

Manuel then challenged SGA to reflect on their own leadership by suggesting SGA co-leads one of his upcoming design sessions to potentially create a students-only event. Godinez said this is a realistic idea within this school year and believes it could be part of SGA’s work to collaborate with administration on bigger events.

“It's definitely achievable as long as emails are sent and people are talking,” Godinez said. “Sometimes we deal with such critical issues that we forget about all of the great things happening. This is one of those possibilities where we can engage with the good to celebrate the vision that is being created and really be an integral part of shaping that.”

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA President Robert L. Manuel attended the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Thursday, Feb. 9, to respond to questions regarding his plans for the future of the university.

Magoli Garcia, SGA vice president and junior, said SGA needs to focus on rebranding so more students are interested in being involved in on-campus issues such as DEI.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

24/7 library hours shelved weeks before finals

By Claire Tweedie Staff Writer

Gone are the days of 24/7 library hours during finals week.

Kevin Holechko, Student Government Association (SGA) president and senior, at their general body meeting on Feb. 9 announced the library will be open for regular hours during finals week effective immediately. The Winter quarter finals will be affected by the change.

The library administration made the decision based on staff shortages and low student engagement rates past 1 a.m. during finals week.

“This will not in any way impact the services [that] the library offers,” Holechko said. “They are still going to have all of their personnel dayside when they see the maximum amount of usage. The only downside is now we won’t have the safety net of that thought in the back of your head where, even if it's midnight, you can still stay another two hours or so to finish your homework.”

Although the library originally hoped to implement the changes for Spring quarter, the lack of staff members who would be available during the extended hours to support students caused them to move up their plans. Holechko stated that even if the library was given the funding to hire sufficient staff now, continuing 24/7 library hours would still be impossible due to the time it would take for the hiring process and to train new hires.

“The library has been looking at ending this for a very long time,” Holechko said. “They’re not doing this just to do it,

there are very logical and special circumstances that are accelerating this plan.”

Simply extending the hours past the regular schedule was dismissed as an unsafe alternative. Library administration argued that closing at midnight on weekdays as usual would be safer than extending hours to the middle of the night and making students leave at a later, and potentially more dangerous, hour.

The SGA cabinet voiced a concern that the library’s changing hours could impact students using the building as a place to shelter, especially during the winter months, rather than as a study space. Library administration is aware of this concern but was unable to get any definite data to support the claim.

“It's something that I’m still going to be talking to the school about because in the event there are students using [the library] as a place to stay for the night when it's available, I want to know what we’re going to do to address that,” Holechko said.

There is currently no alternate plan for later library hours or utilizing another building on campus for 24/7 access. For now, the library will maintain regular hours through the rest of the academic year.

“If this is something the school does want to look into, I’d be all for it,” Holechko said. “This has always been an area people knew they could go to and now that's being taken away. I would challenge the school to be on the lookout for that safe space.”

“Even [Manuel’s] faculty, and the team and his cabinet that he leads, have made an effort to come into the classroom and explain how they also see his vision,” Alava said. “It's just something that needs to be consistent for me to stay optimistic about it and for a lot of students and faculty to stay optimistic as well.”

To promote and create plans for the DEI initiatives, Manuel will hold 43 vision sessions with members of the DePaul community to hear university issues from those most affected. Shajuan Young – who was appointed by Manuel as the new university-wide equity coordinator – says her role will be driven by the results of these sessions to create a strategic plan to move the university forward.

“This new role is so new that we’re still fleshing it out,” Young said. “I've been here for 23 years so I’ve seen the changes for the good and the bad and I think we’re going in the right direction. While we have a lot of work to do, this work can’t be done alone. This change is about collaborating and making sure that diversity and equity is available in these places.”

As part of the task force to address Vincentian’s relationship with slavery, Alava sees efforts being made with Manuel’s support to continue fostering a healthy campus environment. The task force is in the process of renaming buildings that symbolize DePaul’s history with slavery, including changing Belden-Racine Hall to Aspasia LeCompte Hall.

Meanwhile, junior Cynthia Cruz – a community engagement assistant in the Latinx Cultural Center – is unsure what

action is currently being taken to address the university’s DEI issues. She believes that no matter the outcome of the change, it will rely on a more student-centered approach rather than one from university administration.

“Something great about our school is that we have students with genuine passion and care for equity,” Cruz said. “We have people with the voices and passions for change, all they need is support from DePaul as a whole. I’m glad we have someone like [Manuel] who is willing to speak on these issues and I do hope it brings great change.”

Cruz hopes to see more opportunities and resources for students of color in the upcoming initiatives, including support for the cultural centers and more scholarships for marginalized groups.

Alava wants to see action rather than continuous listening to problems that have already been vocalized. She hopes university administration does this by being more of a presence on campus, connecting with

students and seeing the issues themselves.

“If the students need to keep telling [administration] what’s wrong, that's the real issue,” Alava said. “I personally don’t think there's a lack of students voicing out their concerns, I think there is just a lack of listening on their end. There needs to be more of an individual effort to be physically here with us and make those relationships with our student organizations.”

Students remain optimistic about Manuel’s promises to reshape how DePaul deals with DEI but agree that it will take consistent action behind the promises to stay confident in the university. Cruz believes the goals being advocated for are realistic and hopes to see them come to fruition.

“I know everything starts from within,” Cruz said. “I know there's so many students of color here who want better for themselves, their families, and their higher education. We can't see change in the future though if we are not willing to put in the work to make those changes now.”

QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA

The Lincoln Park John T. Richardson Library will no longer be open 24 hours a day during finals week. Many students are not happy about the university's decision.

“If the students need to keep telling [administration] what’s wrong, that's the real issue. I personally don’t think there's a lack of students voicing out their concerns, I think there is just a lack of listening on their end.”

Adora Alava

SGA executive vice president of DEI and junior

DEI, continued from front page

Chicago mayoral grant to expand local food options

By Joey Stephens

Contributing Writer

After many restaurants and grocery stores close, food still needs to find its way to the dinner table.

“People knew restaurants were essential before the pandemic [because] ... food is essential,” said Chef Evelyn Shelton, owner of the restaurant Evelyn's Food Love.

The mayor’s office had food in mind when selecting finalists for the 2022 Community Development Grant. The Community Development Grant is part of an effort to encourage economic recovery coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chicago named more than 60 organizations last year to receive a cut of $40 million invested in community development after the pandemic. The public funds aim to aid equitable economic recovery and encourage safe communities, according to a statement from the city.

Selected were businesses and organizations that plan to expand their space or open in the coming year, some of them working around sustainable food options.

Here are three expanding food businesses to look out for:

Four Star Mushroom: Logan Square

Address: 320 N Oakley Blvd, Chicago, IL 60612

Estimated Grant Amount: $639,051

Using controlled environmental agriculture, Four Star Mushrooms is on the way to sustainable and equitable food.

Joe Weber founded Four Star Mushroom a few years ago with the environment and food culture in mind.

He did not grow up with a love for mushrooms, but he is instead driven by the dam-

aged food systems he learned about studying ecology in undergrad at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

After learning about the environmental downfalls of industrial agriculture, Weber decided to be part of the solution. After Weber learned mushrooms are a feasible crop to grow sustainably in Chicago, he found his calling.

The farm grows mushrooms in red oak sawdust and soybeans using a regenerative system rather than one that strips soil of its nutrients.

“The more I became part [of Chicago] I found there’s a great agricultural scene. The climate and water from Lake Michigan is awesome for what we do,” Weber said.

He is from the northwest suburbs of Chicago and is excited to be a part of the urban agriculture scene.

Four Star Mushrooms currently sell to chefs and local high-end restaurants, but they plan to expand to more retailers with the upcoming expansion of their space, Weber said. The last expansion tripled their mushroom production.

Four Star Mushroom currently serves over 80 restaurants and counting in Chicago. Restaurants serving Four Star Mushrooms include Smyth & The Loyalist, Mama Delia, The Dearborn, GT Prime, Perilla and Formentos.

Mushroom varieties currently growing at Four Star include blue oyster, black oyster, golden, trumpet, lion’s mane and maitake.

Sideshow Gelato: Lincoln Square

Address: 4819 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Estimated Grant Amount: $92,098

Reminiscent of the sideshow days, there will be a new space for acrobats, sword swal-

lowers and fire performers.

“Everybody’s happy on the inside” is the shop motto, attributed to barkers at a carnival who would encourage passersby to stop in.

“There’s a double meaning here because people will also be happy on the inside after they enjoy the gelato,” said Jay Bliznick, the owner of Sideshow Gelato.

Currently under construction, Sideshow Gelato plans to open in April with half the shop dedicated to gelato, and half to a dime museum.

Accompanying the gelato and performers, the dime museum will include “strange and unusual objects,” Bliznick said.

Bliznick had the idea to open the shop after serving gelato as the executive chef at an authentic Italian restaurant. Sideshow Gelato will offer vegan gelato flavors as well.

The strange and unusual is an important piece for Bliznick.

“Even those who were ostracized have worth and talent. It’s about understanding it doesn’t matter what you’re born with,” Bliznick said.

They will sell the world's smallest gelato cone for $1 and all the proceeds will go toward a charity that changes each month.

Bliznick has had the idea for the shop for three years and opens with the intent to “make my gelato, entertain people, educate people, inspire others and give back to the community,” he said.

Evelyn’s Food Love Cafe: Washington Park

Address: 5522 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60621

Estimated Grant

Amount: $196,547

Evelyn’s Food Love is a restaurant serving

American comfort food using fresh ingredients. One of their most essential values is serving healthier meals made from scratch.

Chef Evelyn Shelton, owner of Evelyn’s Food Love, loves to cook for the community and visitors alike. Her menu is customizable, especially for catering orders. Evelyn’s Food Love offers catering for up to 300 guests, pop-up services, buffets and even prepackaged meals.

“We can just make it happen,” Shelton said. “The restaurant has never been closed, even at the start of the pandemic when we thought we would have to close, we shifted to catering.”

Catering has been such a success that they did not see the need to open the physical space to the public until now. After turning their basement into additional cozy seating for guests, they plan to reopen.

The grant received from the city will help with the cost of construction on the basement in the next month or two. With plans to reopen later this year, the downstairs area will include a bar, which will be “the best way to maximize what we can do in our space,” Shelton said.

The Black woman-owned business is ACDBE, DBE, MBE and BEP certified.

According to a press release from the mayor’s office, on Feb. 10, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced there will be 12 new recipients of $27 million in community development grants.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOUR STAR MUSHROOMS' INSTAGRAM

PHOTO COURTESY OF SIDESHOW GELATO'S INSTAGRAM

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVELYN'S FOOD LOVE'S INSTAGRAM

Latino voters question Jesús ‘Chuy’ García’s ability to build coalition across communities

By Jacqueline Cardenas La DePaulia Editor-in-Chief

Lenin M. Plaza, a political science DePaul alum, was 15 years old when his interest for politics was sparked. He volunteered for U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García’ s campaign in 2015. As a former DACA recipient from Ecuador, he once lived in constant fear of deportation.

“Politics has always affected my life as to: if I could get a state ID, if I could get Social Security, if I could get a job, if I could even be here,” Plaza said.

His experience helped to shape his support for U.S. Rep. for Illinois’s 4th congressional district Jesús “Chuy ” García, an immigrant, first-generation Mexican American who has a history of supporting initiatives that help Latino immigrant communities. García passed an ordinance ending Cook County’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) in 2011.

Plaza is still not eligible to vote in Chicago’s looming mayoral election, but if he could, he said he would support García.

He said García’s history of helping build a coalition — a temporary alliance of different parties, persons, or states for joint action between African American and Latino voters with Chicago’s first Black Mayor Harold Washington — is one of the reasons he was drawn to García.

Their coalition efforts propelled Washington to win in 1983, when African American and Latino communities felt excluded from the political process, according to The Chicago Reporter.

“He has the history and track record to show he’ll get the job done,” Plaza said.

García’s political experience spans nearly 40 years. He was a member of the Chicago City Council, Cook County Board Commissioner and currently serves as a congressman in the House of Representatives.

Though Plaza said he is not basing his vote off their similar ethnic identity, he resonated with García because of it.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility and duty to support someone who’s made my life easier, or who’s walked my path,” Plaza said.

Identity politics— the tendency for people of a particular social, ethnic, and religious background to form political alliances — is not the only factor many Latinos consider when selecting a candidate.

William ‘KiD’ Guerrero, a candidate running for a seat in the 12th Police District Council which includes parts of West Town, West Loop, Pilsen, Ukrainian Village and East Garfield Park, was recently endorsed by Cook County Commissioner and mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson.

He said he acknowledges the work García accomplished with Washington, however, he is not convinced he can address the community’s pressing concerns.

The issues that matter the most to Chicagoans going into the elections include crime, the Chicago Transit Authority and economic development according to a survey conducted by WBEZ.

Guerrero said that though “it would be historic to have the first Latino mayor,” he will back Johnson because of his support of the ‘Treatment Not Trauma’ proposal.

The proposal would reduce the Chicago Police Department’s $1.94 billion budget to reopen mental health clinics and establish a program that would send health professionals to calls for help from those in crisis, according to WTTW News.

Even though García has endorsed parts of the plan, Guerrero said one of his priorities is lowering crime and feels that García is not doing enough to address that issue.

“We go through a lot of violence you know, I wish we didn’t have,” Guerrero said.

Political science professor and Latino voting expert Dr. Joe Tafoya, said African American and Latino communities should

try to “get on the same page with what’s wrong in their communities” referring to issues in unemployment and education to form a stronger coalition. Tafoya is a supporter of García.

But Tafoya said that though the two communities have “shared grievances,” African American and Latino communities will fight over the relocation of immigrants from Texas to Chicago, hindering their chances of forming a coalition.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has bussed migrants to sanctuary cities like Chicago since last August, amid criticizing the Biden administration’s attempt to lift Title 42, a federal act which authorizes denying asylum seekers in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The influx of migrants has caused city officials and communities to grapple with where to house them.

Community members in Woodlawn, a South Side neighborhood where nearly 83% of residents are Black according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Data, recently opposed turning Wadsworth Elementary School into a temporary housing unit for arriving migrants.

Tafoya said the recent migrant crisis is leading African American and Latinos to speak up for their community’s while competing for resources the city has not adequately provided for either community, they say.

He added that when historically underserved communities are placed “at the bottom of the barrel, they are going to be fighting for scraps.”

He said it’s going to take “a good public communicator” to help bring African

American and Latino communities together behind a common mayoral candidate.

DePaul Latino Studies professor Lourdes Torres and García supporter said any politician that has a history of working across communities is worth supporting.

“Nothing that happens in this city or any state or in this country happens through the power of one group alone,” Torres said.

Antoine Givens, García’s campaign Communications Director said in an email statement to La DePaulia, “Congressman García’s coalition building is clear: from co-founding Chicago’s first independent political progressive organization alongside Rudy Lozano and a Brown, Black, and Caucasian coalition, to leading a hunger strike for a new school serving predominantly Latino and Black students in Little Village and North Lawndale – that Paul Vallas opposed, to working in Congress on progressive legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act – he has been consistent over 40 years. He’s written bills into law that fund carbon monoxide detectors in public housing and protect working people from predatory payday lenders.”

“The Congressman is the only candidate in this race that has put forth a Women’s Policy platform elevating the need to address maternal mortality rates for Black and Brown people who can become pregnant and a LGBTQ+ policy platform that highlights the need to support and expand the Hire Trans Now program,” Givens stated.

Although Latinos are a central voting block, making up nearly 29% of Chicago’s population according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Tafoya said Chuy will need to create a coalition among other ethnic groups to win the election.

“No one candidate can win by winning their community,” Tafoya said.

García ranks third according to a January poll, followed by Brandon Johnson and businessman Willie Wilson. Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas leads the polls with 19.5% of support ahead of Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Members of the Chicago Latino community do not feel like Illinois 4th District Representative Jesús “Chuy” García, who is running for mayor, can address the community’s concerns.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

“I feel like it’s my responsibility and duty to support someone who’s made my life easier, or who’s walked my path.”

Lenin M. Plazas

Political science DePaul alum

TRECC Human Service Centers to present a ‘holistic’ approach to community care

By Rose O’Keeffe

Contributing Writer

Technology Renewable Energy Command Center (TRECC) Human Service Centers may be the future of accessible community care in Chicago.

Members of the City Council Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development expressed support for TRECC Human Service Centers during their Feb. 7 meeting.

These centers will include career advising resources, a mental health café, food bank, medical clinic, meeting rooms and recreation area in one building with free broadband access.

The goal of TRECC is to create a “onestop shop” for personal care and job training to curb trauma and violence in underserved areas.

Revin Fellows, the community outreach coordinator for TRECC and co-founder of the non-profit ‘Books of Balls,’ told The DePaulia that a facility like TRECC does not yet exist.

He said existing agencies for mental health care and job training, “tend to not treat people who don't have resources like they're the problem and not the victim.”

“We're going to make sure we pull out love, respect and appreciation to our people because they’ve gone through too much,” Fellows said.

Chicago-based FBRK Brands (pronounced “fabric”) is a philanthropic real estate company that “focuses on community development through clean and green real estate assets in urban communities,” according to TRECC Human Service Center’s executive summary.

FBRK Brands is the umbrella organization that created the TRECC model and Impact House, a collective workspace downtown that houses the city’s leading philanthropic organizations.

Dejuan Kea, founder and CEO of FBRK Brands, said in Tuesday’s meeting that TRECC is a “workforce development hub” that aims to address issues impacting underserved communities throughout Chicago.

Support for this Model

The TRECC team presented to the city council's committee on economic, capital and technology development to promote the creation of the first TRECC Human Service Center in the Kenwood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.

Committee Chairman Ald. Gilbert Villegas of the 36th Ward said that the TRECC model, “concerned matters that directly affect the development and economic attraction of Chicago.”

Grade school science teacher and lifelong South Side resident Eno, 60, agreed that TRECC would be a beneficial addition to underdeveloped areas.

“I think our community lacks access to affordable health care and patience when training under-skilled workers,” she said.

“Some of my students and their families would utilize a facility like this,” Eno said.

Afrika Porter, CEO of public relations and consulting firm Afrika Enterprises, echoed that underserved families lack access to technology, job training and intentional workforce development.

“This has an adverse effect on the increase of violence and the increase of negative mental health,” Porter said. “TRECC Human Service Centers will be a space where we provide an opportunity for families to engage with technology.”

Craig Wemberly, president of Coalition of African American Leaders (COAL), also

advocated for the importance of TRECC as an “integrated way of treating problems holistically so that we can make real, substantive change happen.”

As a lifelong resident of Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Porter told The DePaulia she was drawn to the TRECC model because of this holistic approach that emphasizes many facets of well-being.

She said preventing poverty, violence and crime is all about accessibility.

“When we have access to capital, when we have access to resources, when we have access to education, then we have better results,” Porter said.

FBRK has already seen results in a program they currently facilitate with the Urban Tech Academy and Amazon. They sponsor a 3-month web services training program for people to become certified with Amazon.

This entry-level tech training allows people to land jobs with a living wage and benefits.

“All of the programming that we are doing right now in different locations will become part of the fabric of the TRECC centers,” Kea said.

The accessibility that FBRK currently provides will be maximized at TRECC centers.

Timeline

DDespite a plan for the mission and operation of TRECC, there is not a clear timeline for when the flagship center on the South Side will open.

The delay is partly because of the soonto-be vacant alderman position in the 4th Ward where the TRECC center will be located. Current 4th Ward alderman, Sophia King, is running for mayor and has confirmed she will not return to her position as alderman after the race.

“I wouldn’t want to commit or speak to anything until we understand the lay of the land with the new alderman,” Kea said.

Nevertheless, the TRECC team has a well-established plan they are determined to make progress on within the next year.

“We have a prototype already together. It’s just a matter of retrofitting an existing building,” Kea said.

The TRECC Human Service Center prototype is designed for a brand new building project to incorporate the diverse spaces presented in the business plan.

Constructing an entirely new space would cost around $36 million, while converting an existing space into a TRECC center would cost about $15 million and take less time, according to Kea. To mitigate financial costs, TRECC plans on rehabilitating an existing building on the South Side.

“We put a lot of thought into how we can make these buildings self-sustainable and efficient to minimize the operations cost, while also making sure that almost every inch of the building will be a teaching tool,” Kea said.

These plans require funds that Kea and Fellows said will have to come from within his organization.

Cost

The 2021 American Rescue Plan established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), which designated $350 billion to state and local governments to manage the economic impacts of Covid-19.

With the $4 billion remaining from the $8.127 billion originally allocated to Illinois, the FBRK Brands team proposed to create seven TRECC Human Service Centers across the city.

After presenting the prototype and business plan to Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this year, FBRK Brands did not receive the SLFRF funds from the state even after receiving let-

ters of support from aldermen and state representatives.

“We’re serious about what we are doing,” Kea said. “Even though the governor did not follow through on what he thought was a great idea, we’ve decided to move forward.”

This means the first TRECC Human Service Center will be largely self-funded.

Fellows was more blunt about his disappointment in state leadership.

“There’s nothing like TRECC and the money was there,” said Fellows. “For them to deny this while blood is running rampant in the streets is devastating. Some of that blood is on people’s hands for rejecting this model.”

FBRK has financial partners who will invest in the establishment of the first TRECC center. Kea hopes that after the center opens, it will be successful and convince the state to become an active partner.

Moving forward

Chairman Villegas commended TRECC’s business model and “efforts to build a strong, resilient, and equitable economic recovery development through investments that support long-term growth and opportunity.”

The TRECC team is grateful to Villegas and his committee for their endorsement.

Fellows looks forward to giving people “mental hope” through programs that will be facilitated through TRECC, while Kea is proud to be a part of an effort to make Chicago communities more successful and sustainable.

“I feel good about where we are this year. I feel really good about the sites that we’ve identified and what we can do with them,” Kea said.

He wants Chicagoans, like Eno, to know “there are people who are truly trying to make a difference.”

$4 billion remains from the $8.127 billion that was originally allocated to Illinois in grants. The FBRK Brands team proposed to create seven TRECC Human Service Centers across the city.

6

There are 6 centers that are going to be created for TRECC. These centers will include career advising resources, a mental health café, food bank, medical clinic, meeting rooms and recreation area in one building with free broadband access.

SOURCE | TRECC HUMAN SERVICE CENTERS

Little Village seeks to house migrants instead of Woodlawn

By Olivia Zimmerman Staff Writer

As the city continues to work to get 250 migrants housed in Woodlawn’s former Wadsworth Elementary School, the Little Village Community Council pushes to have migrants moved to its neighborhood at a community meeting between Woodlawn and Little Village on Friday, Feb. 3.

“When the mayor made the decision to put them in Woodlawn, we understood that there [were] certain issues that needed to be put in place before they made that decision,” said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council.

Woodlawn, a neighborhood that is 82% Black and non-Hispanic, is already suffering from disinvestment. Of over 26,000 residents, 40% live under the poverty line.

Alderman Jeanette Taylor of Chicago’s 20th Ward (including Woodlawn) could not be reached for comment.

“When the mayor made the decision of putting them in Woodlawn, it was a tactic to divide both neighborhoods, to pit us against each other,” Enriquez said. “But we’re not here to go against each other. We’re here because just like in Little Village and Woodlawn there’s a high number of homicides, there’s a gang problem, our schools [are] overpopulated. We don’t have the resources that some neighborhoods do … So add[ing] on another layer of problems to Woodlawn, that’s the wrong thing to do.”

In Little Village, 35% of residents live below the poverty line.

“I did an internship in Woodlawn … [and] the nonprofit that I interned for was working to help people get jobs, [but] there are still a lot of people there who are struggling to get jobs there, so it seems weird that if they’re [the city] is going to put migrants there, that they would start them there [Woodlawn],” DePaul junior Jana Kunz said.

Little Village has a strong history of a community built by and for immigrants, according to Enriquez.

“We’ve been doing this since 1967, we have fifty years of experience,” he said. “We don’t need the Mayor to tell us what to do, we are [going to] tell her what to do. We wanted to make sure those migrants were safe, that they understood their language, that they were able to adapt right away.”

Little Village has an immigrant population of 39%, and an estimated 25% are undocumented.

“If there’s a community that wants to support these people because they’ve gone through either similar experiences or they have the connections that can help these people get on their feet, I think that they should be allowed to take care of these people,” said DePaul student Tessyi Dewhurst.

Little Village Community Council is working to get food and provisions to migrant persons, and previously provided them with used clothing until the city told them to stop, according to Enriquez.

“They [the city] told us that they didn’t want us to be giving the refugees anymore clothing or used items because [they] might have bed bugs,” Enriquez said. “And I said, well we have a team of people who go through the clothing, who inspect them, who go through them, and we make sure that the things we give them don’t have bedbugs. They said that they didn’t have the team or the resources to go through them.”

The lack of communication and outreach by the mayor’s office has been frustrating to the activists, who have experience working with immigrants.

“The mayor’s just looking for excuses not to work with grassroots organizations,” Enriquez said. “There are organizations in Little Village and [the] city that receive funding from the mayor, but with strings attached.”

The Little Village Community Council is putting together “survival packages'' for migrants who recently arrived. These packages include three pairs of new underwear or boxers, socks, and T-shirts. Students or community members who want to contribute can drop items off at the Little Village Community Council, 3610 W 26th St. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from

A group of people board a Chicago Transit Authority bus to be taken to a Salvation Army from Texas at Union Station in Chicago. ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ | CHICAGO TRIBUNE VIA AP

A group of people are given cheeseburgers from Ricky Medina. The immigrants are being bused as part of a strategy launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this year to share migrants.

ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ | CHICAGO TRIBUNE VIA AP Cataleya takes a bite of a necatrine as she and her family wait for a bus.

ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ | CHICAGO TRIBUNE VIA AP

“The mayor’s just looking for excuses not to work with grassroots organizations. There are organizations in Little Village and [the] city that receive funding from the mayor, but with strings attached.”

Baltazar Enriquez President of the Little Village Community Council

Nation & World

Biden’s state of the union: GOP heckles amid social security baiting

the evening.

re-election.

President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 7. It started off with displays of civility but eventually descended into opening heckling from members of the house freedom caucus.

Biden’s approval ratings have been lower than expected and polling numbers indicate that Americans have not been convinced that his economic policies had made a positive impact on their lives, leading to some skepticism about how a man 80 years of age could possibly be a viable candidate for re-election.

“I think that he did a very good job in his four year run as president,” said UIC freshman Ellison Radek. “However, I don’t think that he would be elected, let alone like being an efficient leader. Going for a second term.”

Despite this, Biden stepped up to the podium to deliver his message and lay the groundwork for a potential second term. In the address, Biden argued that he is willing to work with both sides of the aisle and emphasized that the presidency should not be seen through a partisan lens, but rather a national one. He reminded the nation that he is working to build a future that is more equitable and secure for all Americans.

While Biden’s speech had notes of bipartisanship, Republicans still found the president at fault for the nation’s economic struggles.

“The inflation that has come out, and I don’t think it’s all necessarily his fault, although the Republicans want to blame it on him,”said Nick Kachiroubas,

a DePaul political science professor. “I think coming out of Covid, there’s been supply chain issues and things like that. I think we think the president can just snap fingers and solve it, but that’s not that’s not the case. And so, I think some of what’s going on with the economy is outside his control.”

No matter who is at fault for the nation’s current economic state, Americans are feeling the brunt of worsening inflation.

“However, I do think that a stronger economic plan is needed, because I think the American people are feeling it in their pocketbooks,” Kachiroubas said. “And I think students are feeling it in their pocketbooks. Especially both who drive and have to buy gas, things like that. Eggs going up, even a cup of coffee at our local little Starbucks and things. Prices seem to be increasing. And so I think that message needed to be stronger and wasn’t interesting.”

The crowd’s considerable booing was one of the most memorable moments of

“Honestly, I think that it improved his acceptance rate among Democrats, because he kind of appealed to more of a humorous sense, and I think that people like it when he calls out the Republican leadership for hypocrisy,” Radek said.

Susan Burgess, a DePaul political science professor, believed the jeering helped Biden’s speech when he discussed Social Security and Medicare. Prior to this, Sen. Rick Scott, a prominent Republican, was in charge of the GOP’s Senate re-election campaigns and proposed ending Social Security and Medicaid.

“Biden didn’t mention Sen. Scott by name, but what he did say was there’s a few of you who believe that this would be a good pass,” Burgess said. “I’m not saying everyone. And then he very cleverly got the Republicans to say, no, no, we don’t believe that. Right? ... So Biden got the Republicans to say that they would not work to sunset those programs, which is a very big deal.”

Burgess said this was intentional, to show the public the stark difference between the current political parties and advance Biden’s standing for his future

“I think it was a way to take the high ground but also make his positions really clear and, you know, try to bring in the more moderate Republicans toward his view and try to distance the more extreme folk,” Burgess said.

Biden maintained an emphasis on widely accepted policies and bipartisan successes in his State of the Union address. For Biden, the speech was an opportunity to show his supporters that he still has the political acumen to lead his party to success in 2024. Polls indicate that a majority of Democrats are looking for someone from a new generation. Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term.

For much of the younger generation, Biden is not the first choice for 2024 candidates. But Kachiroubas does not believe the age of the candidate alone will sway the younger generation. He doesn’t believe any young candidate will do, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of the youngest, would not do well.

“For our audience at DePaul, and just what I know about our student base, I think Ron DeSantis has some social issues that our students wouldn’t necessarily see as positive and that would open the door for again, another Democrat potentially in a primary,” Kachiroubas said.

Kachiroubas encouraged students to stay informed and cast their ballots in the upcoming Presidential election, but he said the mayoral election on Feb. 28 should be a greater priority.

ANDREA SWENSON | THE DEPAULIA

By Amber Stoutenborough & Jake Cox Multimedia Managing Editor & Opinions Editor

“It was a way to take the high ground but also make his positions really clear and try to bring in the more moderate Republicans toward his view and try to distance the more extreme folk.”

Susan Burgess DePaul political science professor

Government establishes private refugee sponsorship program

By Raena Bents Contributing Writer

There are millions of private citizens across the country that have a dedication to the refugee cause, and now those citizens have a pipeline that directly connects them to the individuals they seek to help.

That pipeline is called Welcome Corps, the new federal program officially launched on Jan. 19, 2023, and acts as the middleman between refugees coming to the U.S. and American citizens with a desire to provide support.

The program connects sponsorship groups of five or more people, all above the age of 18, to refugees that have been admitted to the U.S. under the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

“This kind of private sponsorship effort enables Americans from across the country to sponsor refugees, which is unprecedented,” said Alisa Roadcup, executive director of the Chicago Refugee Coalition (CRC).

The CRC is just one of several nonprofits within Chicago that work with refugees and have already pledged their support for Welcome Corps. These organizations will take part in the program by providing supplemental support, education and community connections to sponsors and refugees.

“[The CRC] is involved to the extent that [it is] a referral resource and provides advice and support,” Roadcup said. “In Chicago, there’s a massive, diverse, and rich refugee community, so making those connections is really our largest role within our partnership with the Welcome Corps.”

The role of private sponsors through Welcome Corps is to welcome refugees into their community and provide these refugees support throughout their first 90 days in the U.S. This includes services like welcoming refugees at the airport, finding them housing, aiding with documentation and providing a minimum of $2,275 per refugee.

“It’s a significant commitment on the part of individual sponsors, but it’s also an

extraordinary opportunity for Americans who care about refugees and believe in radical hospitality, and in this ethical and moral call to welcome the stranger,” Roadcup said.

Roadcup’s confidence in the validity of Welcome Corps is substantiated by the expertise that the program’s foundation was built on.

“[Welcome Corps] was advised by Welcome.Us,” Roadcup said. “And that coalition has an advisory board of presidents, Nobel Peace Prize winners and people of very significant social and academic influence who are very sound in terms of their experience in international development, public policy and foreign policy.”

While its expansiveness is a trailblazing characteristic within the realm of U.S refugee sponsorship efforts, this program is not being built entirely from scratch. One of the initiatives that originally sparked the flame for what is now Welcome Corps was the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans.

“We’ve been hearing about this idea [for Welcome Corps] for a while, and it’s modeled off of what was being done during the Afghan resettlement process in August of 2021,” said Shana Wills, founder and executive director of Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge. “Because of the successes of being able to allocate so many of the Afghan newcomers to sponsorship groups, they obviously concluded that they were going to create the Welcome Corps.”

Not only was the Welcome Corps prompted by previous U.S. initiatives, but it also draws inspiration from a Canadian program of similar structure. Additionally, Wills points to national refugee resettlement studies as additional catalysts for change and innovation that led to Welcome Corps’ creation.

“Prior to COVID, national expert foundations, think tanks, and national resettlement agencies had come together and, through a series of various reports, all came to unanimous conclusion that there had to be a revamp of the U.S. refugee resettlement

program,” Wills said. “Looking at Welcome Corps, it’s really amazing and heartening to see that the outcomes of all of these reports have been taken seriously.”

While the experts that have dedicated their lives to aiding refugees are vocal about their excitement for the future of Welcome Corps, they recognize the importance of sharing their inhibitions as well.

Syrian Community Network (SCN) is another Chicago-based refugee nonprofit that has pledged its support for Welcome Corps. Suzanne Akhras, SCN founder and executive director, is hoping there will be financial aid from the federal government for organizations that are providing technical support for Welcome Corps sponsors and refugees.

“There is no promise that the government will give community organizations like mine any funding. How do you expect us to do all of this and there is no funding?” Akhras said. “We believe in it and our values are in alignment, but they should also support community organizations like SCN and others to do this type of work. It’s a lot

of work.”

Wills is concerned with ensuring sponsors are going to receive ample training and education related to the work they’ll be doing.

“[There are] a lot of volunteers who have really good intentions and really good hearts, but they don’t really know the work that it takes to integrate refugee newcomers into the system and into our society,” Wills said.

Roadcup projected that by April of this year, the U.S. will see its first influx of refugees coming into the country through Welcome Corps, and the program has already seen over 200,000 responses to its initial bid for applicants.

“People want to do this, and people want to volunteer and they want to do something with their own hands so that they’re directly making an impact,” Akhras said.

Now, for the first time in U.S. history, private citizens have an opportunity to directly impact the fates of the thousands of individuals hoping to rebuild their lives in this country.

Rescues in Turkey offer moments of relief in quake aftermath

By

ISKENDERUN, Turkey (AP) — Rescuers pulled several earthquake survivors from the shattered remnants of buildings Friday, including some who lasted more than 100 hours trapped under crushed concrete after the disaster slammed Turkey and Syria and killed more than 22,000 people.

The survivors included six relatives who huddled in a small pocket under the rubble, a teenager who drank his own urine to slake his thirst and a 4-year-old boy who was offered a jelly bean to calm him down as he was shimmied out.

Entire neighborhoods of high-rise buildings have been reduced to twisted metal, pulverized concrete and exposed wires, and the magnitude 7.8 quake has already killed more people than Japan’s Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, with many more bodies undoubtedly yet to be recovered and counted.

Four days after the earthquake hammered a sprawling border region that is home to more than 13.5 million people, relatives wept and chanted as rescuers pulled 17-yearold Adnan Muhammed Korkut from a basement in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicenter. He had been trapped for 94 hours, forced to drink his own urine to survive.

“Thank God you arrived,” he said, embracing his mother and others who leaned down to kiss and hug him as he was being loaded into an ambulance.

For one of the rescuers, identified only

as Yasemin, Adnan’s survival hit home hard.

“I have a son just like you,” she told him after giving him a warm hug. “I swear to you, I have not slept for four days. ... I was trying to get you out.”

A trapped woman could be heard speaking to a team trying to dig her out in video broadcast by HaberTurk television. She told her would-be rescuers that she had given up hope of being found — and prayed to be put to sleep because she was so cold. The station did not say where the operation was taking place.

The rescues Friday provided fleeting moments of joy and relief amid the misery gripping the shattered region where morgues and cemeteries are overwhelmed and bodies lie wrapped in blankets, rugs and tarps in the streets of some cities.

Temperatures remain below freezing across the large region, and many people have no shelter. The Turkish government has distributed millions of hot meals, as well as tents and blankets, but was still struggling to reach many people in need.

The U.N. refugee agency estimates as

many as 5.3 million people have been left homeless in Syria. Sivanka Dhanapala, the country representative in Syria for UNHCR, told reporters Friday that the agency is focusing on providing tents, plastic sheeting, thermal blankets, sleeping mats and winter clothing.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife, Asmaa, visited survivors at the Aleppo University Hospital, according to Syrian state media. It was the leader’s first public appearance in an affected area of the country since the disaster. He then visited rescuers in one of the city’s hardest-hit areas.

Aleppo has been scarred by years of heavy bombardment and shelling — much of it by the forces of Assad and his ally, Russia — and it was among the cities most devastated by the earthquake.

Also Friday, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, said it was declaring a cease-fire in its separatist insurgency in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, including some areas affected by the quake.

Turkey’s disaster-management agency said more than 19,300 people had been confirmed killed in the disaster so far in Turkey, with more than 77,000 injured.

More than 3,300 have been confirmed killed in Syria, bringing the total number of dead to more than 22,000. The bodies of more than 700 Some 12,000 buildings in Turkey have either collapsed or sustained serious damage, according to Turkey’s minister of environment and urban planning, Murat Kurum.

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

Justin Spike, Ghaith Alsayed and Suzan Fraser Associated Press

HUSSEIN MALLA| ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rescue teams search for people as cranes remove debris from destroyed buildings in Antakya, southeastern Turkey.

Opinions

Love advice from The DePaulia

LIBRARY, continued from front page

time to 2 a.m., beginning Winter Quarter 2018.

In fact, the library still held these same hours in early 2020 until it shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic and quietly removed them when it reopened in Fall 2022. This came without an acknowledgement of the change on the library newsroom website.

“Our biggest goal [is to become] the national model for higher education,” said President Robert L. Manuel at the Design DePaul event.

We believe that goal is not achievable if the university does not actively invest in every possible avenue for us to succeed.

equivalent schedule. We cannot hope for this if we cannot prove DePaul cares about its students academically, socially or emotionally.

Over 80% of DePaul students are commuters, many of whom rely on the library and its services to provide a second place for many hours of the week. During finals, schedules are unpredictable. The library provides a necessary and reliable place for students to work.

Students who live on campus and in the dorms have limited access to quiet study spaces, as they share space with others who have different schedules. Lounges in the dorms fill up quickly and every other academic building closes earlier than the library.

The university's mission statement states, “DePaul supports the integral human development of its students. The university does so through its commitment to outstanding teaching, academic excellence…”

Cutting the library’s hours does not stand in line with the mission to provide a high-quality education centered in Vincentian values. Without this vital support from the university, students' most stressful week of classes is exacerbated.

Holechko stated if the university explores expanding the library’s hours again, he would support it.

community of learners' success, rather than for its bottom line.

Any student that works, has a night class, or is impacted by a slew of other factors understands how hard it is to find time to study. Relegating students who live on campus to their dorm rooms to study during finals is not a solution.

Universities of comparable size, like the University of Chicago, Northwestern and Loyola Chicago, have similar regular library operating hours. However, all of these institutions still utilize a 24/7 or 24/5 model during finals — a common standard in higher education.

If DePaul has its sights set on being the “national model for higher education,” it should be operating on an

“This has always been an area people knew they could go to and now that's being taken away,” Holechko said. “I would challenge the school to be on the lookout for that safe space.”

Holechko did not disclose whether he would actively advocate for a “safe space.” We call him to do so, as the SGA constitution outlines he was elected to represent the interests of the student body — not the university.

We are continuously told that DePaul aspires to be a world-class intuition. As students and members of the Vincentian family, we are called to answer the question, “What must be done?”

In this case, we are not asking, but telling DePaul what it must do for its

Students study on the third floor of the John T. Richardson Library at DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus.

"Our biggest goal [is to become] the national model for higher education."

Robert L. Manuel DePaul President

COLUMN: "Situationships" Messy, label free love

By vanessa Lopez Asst. Social Media Editor

Situationships are defined as "a romantic or sexual relationship that is not considered formal or established,” by Oxford Languages. Doesn't reading that definition alone make you feel uneasy? The worst part is that situationships have become the norm. Commitment is dead, expectations are low, and we are all becoming emotionally damaged people during our prime years.

A situationship essentially provides what a relationship can, such as dates, sex, emotional support, and so on, but without the label. Without labels, bound aries, and expectations, you set your self up for disappointment rather than fulfillment.

If you need a wake-up call or anoth er reason why you should not be in a situationship, I have compiled a list of the truths about situationships and why you should leave now rather than later.

Your situationship is not committed to you

Commitment is the polar opposite of a situationship. Your situationship is not committed to you until they state it and refer to you as their partner. They are under no obligation to remain loyal or prioritize you. That means they can go out with other people, use dating apps, and do whatever they want. If you want

something casual without any of this hurting your feelings, that's great, but don't expect a long-term commitment from it.

Situationships mess with our perceptions of healthy relationships

Stand up, Gen Z. Situationships are destroying our generation's perception of healthy relationships. We're normalizing stringing each other along and pre-

tending we don't want a relationship when we do. Situationships can be messy and confusing.

The longer you are in one, the more you will lose sight of what a loving relationship can be. Situationships cause us to accept less than we

deserve Flowers? Chocolates? A good morning text? Don't even think about it. Situationships prevent us from being honest about our wants and needs. We eventually accept less than we deserve. We don't speak up because we're afraid of losing what we have with someone, so we settle for the bare minimum because we're afraid of having nothing at all. Situationships can diminish your confidence

Sometimes situationships persuade you to act like a significant other without the title. Many times, you may feel insane as you do things to try and convince each other that you are worthy of a title, and you wonder why you aren't good enough. This is why situational relationships are a big problem. They hurt your feelings and often leave you wondering why you aren't enough. Your confidence is an important part of who you are. Why would you let someone who is short-term take that away from you?

Someone usually wants and needs more

Situationships can quickly become toxic. Often, one person desires a real relationship while the other enjoys the situation as is. You can't make them commit to you if they don't want to. If someone says they don't want to be in a relationship, they don't want one. At the end of the day, each person deserves something real, not something made up for some short-term fun that leads to a long-term heartbreak.

COLUMN: Be alone this Valentine's Day; you deserve it

By Gwen Levee Contributing Writer

Valentine’s Day is so much more than stuffed bears and candy hearts. It takes a strong heart and an iron stomach to tolerate everything you will see posted on social media. If you have nothing to post, just remember, more than half of it is fake, and every day is a day to love yourself, including Valentine’s Day. It could be argued that this is the most important holiday to practice self-love. In light of Cupid’s holiday coming up, here are a few things I think everyone should remember:

If they wanted to they would:

We can get a text back from anyone we want to get a text back from. I understand being a “cool-person” is all the rage, but rolling with the punches in hopes of receiving the attention you want is not worth it. Reach out, be the person you want to be, and if they don’t text you back, show up to their apartment and start throwing rocks.

Okay maybe that’s a little dramatic, but believe me, they’re not that busy, their phone didn’t die and acting “cool” will not make you feel better. At the end of the day, you are a stud – seeking higher education, a text does not determine your worth, so you shouldn’t let it; neither does a grade or number of friends you have for that matter.

Self-love includes being assertive, even if it’s hard:

Long-term memory only lasts until you die and sometimes even says “peace out” before then. You can dance sober or send that text you have spent weeks drafting in your notes. If they reject you, it’s not that serious. It’s important that you speak your mind even if it won’t change theirs.

The world is filled with a random subset of rules that other people have placed on us. YOU decide when – or

if – you text back, how loudly or softly you speak and how “extra” you look or act. You do not need to accommodate to rules that you had no say in making, so be your authentic self and you will find a special someone or group of someones who love you for you.

Be you – double points if you feel embarrassed while doing it: Self-confidence can be hard! Don’t let weather always dictate your style. It’s your world and the weather is just living in it. If you choose to spend Valentine’s Day at the bar, wear that tank top that you love while it’s snowing. You only live once and I promise you will survive. Throw on a jacket for good measure or if you really think it will be the end of you, shoot me a text and we’ll Uber.

Holiday pick-up lines are a given, your response isn’t:

Valentine’s Day is just like Christmas. Wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” is a timeless line that will without a doubt get you back into someone’s life. Valentine’s Day is the same way, so if you receive a “Happy Valentine’s Day, you got any plans?” text, forgive and forget (within good reason, of course, protect your peace). What’s done is done and you’d rather be a lover than a fighter anyway.

There’s only one REAL forever home, make sure you like it:

The most important person in your life, believe it or not, is you. You have to live with this person for the rest of your life, so you better like them. Surround

yourself with people who embrace the you that you are proud of living in, not the you that they want you to live in. Remember you have to live with you forever, and I speak from experience when I say that this girl can get ANNOYING, but at the end of the day, I love her and so does everyone I surround myself with.

Moral of the story, let’s leave the boo’s for Halloween and spend this year focusing on you. Order that $15 coffee, ignore those texts from your ex like popup books from hell, and call your mom at any minor inconvenience; we’ll call it self-love. If anyone deserves all the love in the world, it’s you.

Focus

E-Charged: new electric sports cars keep

By A ndy Thompson Contributing Writer

For over 50 years, the roads of Chicago and beyond have been flooded with fast and loud American V8 sports cars — staples in U.S. culture. In favor of tightening fuel economy regulations and the pursuit of a cleaner, greener world, many manufacturers have started taking the first steps towards fully electrifying their iconic ranges of sports car models.

To display these new EV sports cars, the 2023 Chicago Auto Show opened its doors to the public last Saturday at McCormick Place, showing the initial offerings to local crowds for the first time ever. With the electrification of sports car powertrains imminent, consumers are bracing themselves for a ride on the silent side.

Making its public debut at the auto show was the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, a groundbreaking development in the electric (EV) sports car market. Its launch marks the world’s first pairing of a naturally-aspirated, non-turbocharged V8 engine and an electric motor in a two-door body style.

“Seventy years ago to the day of when we revealed E-Ray [online] in January was the first time that the [C1] Corvette ever was shown to the world, at Motorama in 1953,” said Chad Lyons, Chevrolet Executive Director of Communications. “With this newest generation of Corvette [C8], we introduced a new mid-engined architecture and from the beginning we knew we would incorporate hybrid [technology] into this.”

Buried under the carbon fiber-laden center console is a 160-horsepower electric motor, working in tandem with a 495-horsepower gas V8 to produce a combined 655 horsepower, a massive jump in power from the base Corvette Stingray model. This makes E-Ray the fastest-accelerating version ever, taking only 2.5 seconds to travel from 0-60 miles per hour.

“The E-Ray is very well-rounded. If you want to drive it on the track, or if you want it for touring on a Sunday with some

curvy roads, it’s a great vehicle,” Lyons said. “We call it the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of Corvettes.”

Also located on the center console of the E-Ray is a leather-clad selector knob which activates “stealth mode” and shuts off the gas motor altogether, leaving only the aforementioned electric motor to power all four wheels for a total of three to four miles of EV range.

“Hybrid was always part of the plan and we’re obviously very excited, but Corvette customers are probably not all ready for full electric just yet, and we recognize this,” Lyons said. “Stealth mode currently lets you start E-Ray up in pure EV so that you’re not waking up the neighbors and firing up your V8 at six in the morning. But once you step on it and hit above 45 miles per hour, the V8 kicks in and makes it a perfect bridge to the moment when we do get an electric Corvette.”

Meanwhile, in the opposite hall from the Chevrolet display, Dodge made

waves of its own with a drastically different direction for its infamous Charger nameplate. Featured in iconic films over the years such as “Dukes of Hazzard”

and several installments of “Fast and Furious,” the Charger has become a mainstay in the muscle car segment.

Finished in a striking shade of red and wearing a heritage “Fratzog” logo inspired by a Dodge designer from the 1970s, the all-new Charger Daytona Concept previews what the brand’s imminent EV muscle car could look like, as the company plans to launch its first electric offering as soon as 2024.

“From a Dodge point of view, we weren’t going to do an EV car if we didn’t do it the Dodge way. It has to be something that has the same visceral experience, the

sound, the energy of Dodge cars as we know them,” said Deyan Ninov, Dodge Exterior Design Manager.

The most controversial feature of the Charger Daytona Concept is its patent-pending “Fratzonic” exhaust system, which aims to salvage the traditional experience of driving a hardcore Dodge sports car.

“It takes all the inputs from the driver’s gas pedal movements and the drivetrain and amplifies those sounds through a [energy conversion] system that blares it into the cabin. It can generate comparable sounds to our [gas-pow-

Dodge Exterior Design Manager Deyan Ninov poses next to the Charger Daytona Concept which he and rest of his team designed in Detroit.

Flora Suttle shared the story of her son Derrick

Above: Protesters chant at Federal Plaza in below temperature

“Hybrid was always part of the plan and we’re obviously very excited,”

Chad Lyons Chevrolet Executive Director of Communications

ANDY THOMPSON | THE DEPAULIA

The 1-of-112 Lamborghini Countach was a popular display for attendees of all ages

The brand-new Chevrolet Corvette present during public days to

E-Charged:

keep the experience alive

Lamborghini Countach model

Despite the buzz around EV muscle cars for 2023, the star of this year’s Chicago Auto Show hails not from America, but instead from Sant’Agata Bolognese in northern Italy.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their legendary 1970s Countach model, Lamborghini made a surprise reveal of an all-new $2.8 million hybridized version at the 2022 Monterey Car Week in California. Visitors to McCormick’s North Hall will have the rare opportunity to view one of only a handful of brand-new U.S. specification Countaches that will ever be

first time before putting down a deposit,” Kearns said.

Unlike the previous Countach from the early 1970s, the modern version from 2022 pairs its gas-powered V12 engine with a tiny electric motor called a “supercapacitor” which has three times the power of a normal lithium-ion battery. Although it only has around the same range capabilities — roughly four miles — in pure EV mode as the aforementioned Corvette E-Ray, this technology pushes the envelope for Lamborghini as they move towards a new era.

“I like the combination of futuristic and retro

ered] Hellcat models,” Ninov said.

Since it is still only a concept car, information on power outputs and possible engine choices has not yet been finalized.

“We’re excited to enter this new era, and we’ll only do it our own way,” Ninov said. “We don’t really look at what anyone else is up to, and it’s got to be better than anything else we’ve ever done before. And it will be. Today you’re looking at our preview of where we want to go, and hopefully we’ll have a full electric offering just as impactful as our current range.”

made, a first for Chicago.

Auto show attendees have until Feb. 20 to check out this uber-limited V12 sports car before it heads off to its new permanent home in Wisconsin.

In order to be selected to receive one of the 112 units worldwide, and one of the roughly 28 destined for the North American market, longtime Lamborghini collector and new Countach owner Austin Kearns said he and his family had to go through a rigorous application process.

“There were rumors swirling that they might make a new Countach, and Lamborghini wanted them to go to big collectors who are really into the brand. My dad’s portfolio with Perillo Downers Grove fortunately fit that with our previous purchases, so it got pitched to us,” Kearns said. “Under his name, we had to put together a portfolio of all the cars he’s had over the course of time, and what he has right now.”

Fortunately for Kearns and his family, Lamborghini approved their application, solidifying their reputation as VIP clients while leaving out other Countach hopefuls in the process.

“Once we got selected for one of the two or three slots Downers Grove was getting, we had to go down to New York for a ‘top-secret’ meeting where they showed us the car for the

cues that Lamborghini took in the design. The supercapacitor wouldn’t have been make or break for me either way, but I love seeing how things progress and think it’s cool that they’re adding these new elements,” Kearns said. For 33-year-old Kearns, as well as his 35-year-old brother Travis and 61-year-old father Steve, the most memorable element of the entire Countach build process was having the chance to share it with family. The three own and operate their own car dealership based in central Wisconsin dubbed “Kearns Motorcar,” which sold over 100 pre-owned Lamborghinis in 2022 alone, and their passion for the brand spans 20 plus years.

“Growing up with my dad, we got into cars pretty early and now being in the car business we’ve been involved with high-end cars a lot more over the last five years,” Kearns said. “It was incredible to even have the opportunity to make a car with such an iconic brand in a one-of-one paint the way we did. My brother and I are pretty much best friends and we have a great relationship with my dad, and we’re glad to share our passion that has grown over the years.”

ANDY THOMPSON | THE DEPAULIA

Suttle’s murder by Chicago Police. temperature weather at the protest for Tyre Nichols.

ANDY THOMPSON | THE DEPAULIA

ages at the Friday night First Look for Charity ev ent.

Corvette E-Ray is featured in the center of the brand’s booth, with representatives to answer consumer questions.

AIDAN HANSEN | THE DEPAULIA

ANDY THOMPSON | THE DEPAULIA

La DePaulia

¡Sin globito, no hay fiesta!:

Por AndreA Juárez Hernández Editora de Arte Y Vida, La DePaulia

El grupo de Yollocalli Arts Reach organizó un evento educativo y un baile de ‘Anti-San Valentín’ el pasado viernes por la noche en el Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano en Pilsen, donde repartieron condones para promover el sexo seguro y proporcionaron información de salud sexual para adolescentes y adultos jóvenes.

Yollocalli Arts Reach es una iniciativa de arte juvenil que organiza este evento anualmente, pero este fue su regreso después de una pausa de dos años debido a la pandemia de Covid-19. El evento fue gratuito, incluyendo alimentos y una cabinas para capturar fotografías instantáneas

Durante el 2020, se reportaron más de 25,000 casos de clamidia, 13,000 casos de gonorrea, 900 casos de sífilis y 600 casos de VIH de acuerdo a un Informe de datos de VIH/ITS del Departamento de Salud Pública de Chicago.

El número de enfermedades de transmisión sexual reportadas entre los adultos jóvenes es alto, ya que alrededor del 44% de los casos de VIH fueron entre personas de entre 20 y 29 años, según el informe.

El evento también se concentró en los problemas dentro de la comunidad LGBTQIA+, la salud sexual y mental, y la importancia de tener relaciones significativas.

Mientras los visitantes se divertían y escuchaban música, también aprendieron sobre servicios de salud sexual asequibles y podían obtener condones gratis por parte de varias organizaciones comunitarias.

Las organizaciones asociadas incluyen a OrgiCAN 4All, Lurie’s Children’s Hospital, Howard Brown’s Broadway Youth Center, Chicago Abortion Fund,

Planned Parenthood, Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) y New Life Church.

La asesora de desarrollo juvenil de Yollocalli Arts Reach, Whitney Ross, dijo que organizaron el evento “para promover conciencia y tener un ambiente libre de estigmas donde puedan obtener información actualizada y precisa sobre su salud sexual”.

De acuerdo a un artículo académico, “los negros no hispanos y los hispanos tienen menos probabilidades de recibir educación sexual formal que los blancos no hispanos”.

Un estudio también sugiere que los jóvenes de esas comunidades tienden a depender en gran medida de sus redes sociales para obtener información sobre salud. Debido a las normas culturales, “los amigos, las madres y las parejas tienden a ser fuentes clave de información sobre anticonceptivos entre los negros no hispanos y los hispanos”.

La coordinadora de prevención de la División de Medicina Adolescente del Lurie Children’s Hospital, Sara Valdivia, estuvo presente en el evento.“En este momento lo que estamos promoviendo aquí son pruebas confidenciales y gratuitas de VIH e ITS para jóvenes en todo Chicago…” dijo Valdivia. “Y también para la prevención del uso de sustancias, tenemos el aerosol nasal Narcan que puede revertir temporalmente una sobredosis de opioides”.

Luis “Lew” López, gerente de salud sexual y reproductiva juvenil en el Centro Juvenil Broadway de Howard Brown, menciona la importancia de brindar servicios de salud sexual a las comunidades latinas.

“Debería ser algo de igualdad de acceso. Todos deberían tener el conocimiento y la información básica, y no debería depender de cuál sea su

expresión [sexual] o cuánto dinero gane su vecindario”, dijo López.

Para mas recursos de salud sexual, la Ciudad de Chicago ofrece opciones e informacion gratuita sobre la salúd reproductiva, como la planificación familiar, infecciones transmitidas sexualmente, y la prevención del embarazo en adolescentes.

Además, el Access Family Center de Pilsen en 1817 S Loomis St. ofrece múltiples servicios para la salud reproductiva y condones gratuitos.

El Día Anti-Valentín, organizado por Yollocalli Arts Reach, promovió sexo seguro y dió recomendaciones de salud a adolescentes y adultos jóvenes de una forma divertida.

ANDREA JUÁREZ HERNÁNDEZ | LA DEPAULIA

ANDREA JUÁREZ HERNÁNDEZ | LA DEPAULIA

Empleados del hospital de niños Ann & Robert H. Lurie reparten algunos aerosoles nasales.

ANDREA JUÁREZ HERNÁNDEZ | LA DEPAULIA

Un grupo de jóvenes en Pilsen organiza evento para brindar educación sexual

Carta de amor a mis flores hermosas, no estamos solas

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

La vida parece obscura en el corazón del invierno. A veces, la temporada nunca termina, Continua y continua y continua. Una flor comienza a pensar que jamás volverá a florecer. Seguro este es el final.

Como un Narciso, my temporada viene y se va, Como en ciclo, pero a veces el frío casi me mata.

Rodeada de una cama hecha de flores:

Lila Lirio, Clavel, Orquídea, Hortensia, Portulaca, Dedalera. Me aterrizan, me entrelazan, sus raíces con las mías. Hasta que un día, mi Narciso pierde su conexión, Las raíces se debilitan.

El invierno se alarga y se alarga, Y las demás flores parecen permanecer A través de las temporadas.

Abejas zzzzumban en la oreja del Narciso, Se llevan su néctar y se quedan más de lo normal, Haciendo que el narciso se sienta poderoso, Se sienta capaz de polinizar.

Pero las abejas se quedan demasiado tiempo.

Justo cuando el narciso se deja vencer por el invierno, Sabiendo que jamás volverá a ver la primavera, Siente un jalón.

La cama de flores envía vibraciones de fuerza.

Empieza con la Dedalera, el Clavel y la Orquídea. La Dedalera se agacha a escuchar con atención los llantos del Narciso. El Clavel limpia el Rocío de sus pétalos a palmaditas, Contando historias de sus propios inviernos fríos.

La Orquídea se agacha lo suficiente para extender sus pétalos,

El jueves pasado, canciones de amor se escuchaban en el Latinx Cultural Center, mientras Pueblo, uno de los periódicos estudiantiles en español de DePaul, celebraba su tercera edición anual de “Amor Playlist ”

Un grupo de cuatro se sentó alrededor de una mesa para escuchar música, comer bocadillos, beber Red Bulls y compartir historias entre todos mientras las melodías de artistas latinos como Luis Miguel, Bad Bunny, Kali Uchis y más sonaban suavemente en el fondo.

El evento comenzó en el 2020, después de que los miembros del personal de Pueblo hablaron sobre la importancia de la música en sus propias vidas.

Pero esta fue la primera vez que el grupo se reunió en persona para compartir su amor y aprecio por la música que muchos de ellos crecieron escuchando junto a sus padres.

Para cada lista de reproducción, todos los miembros del personal de Pueblo eligieron una canción para después explicar su propia relación con ella en una pieza escrita que Pueblo publica en línea.

El primer evento se realizó por Zoom, cuando la pandemia del Covid-19 comenzó. El grupo proporcionó un espacio para que las personas escucharan y hablarán sobre sobre música y por qué las canciones fueron elegidas.

Richie Requena, el redactor en jefe de la publicación, ha sido parte del proyecto desde su primer volumen en 2020.. Dijo que su parte favorita de la lista de reproducción es

cuán colaborativa es su creación. Cada año, significa algo especial para todas las personas que participan.

“Fue un reconocimiento a la música que amamos y escuchamos”, dijo Requena.

Durante una hora, los estudiantes compartieron sus experiencias de vida, su relación con la música y cómo compartir canciones puede ser un lenguaje de amor.

Stephania Rodriguez, una estudiante de último año en DePaul dijo que pasa mucho tiempo escuchando canciones, y le parece especial cuando las personas comparten música entre sí.

“Creo que la música puede decir mucho sobre una persona”, dijo Rodríguez.

Su canción favorita de la lista de reproducción es “Si Nos Dejan (En Vivo)” del cantante mexicano Luis Miguel. Ella dijo que la voz profunda y enriquecedora del cantante, así como sus letras románticas, es lo que la atrajo a su música

“Hay pocos artistas que hacen que mi corazón se acelere como lo hace (la música de) Luis Miguel”, dijo Rodríguez. “Creo que sus canciones son muy románticas”.

Juliana de León, una estudiante guatemalteca de DePaul entro al Latinx Cultural Center a ver que eventos había y terminó quedándose a compartir sus propias historias y recuerdos con el grupo.

Ella dijo que escuchar la música le causa nostalgia.

Aunque le gustan todos los géneros musicales, la música tradicional es la que más

Asegurándose que el narciso sienta su calor. Aunque puede ser el primer largo invierno del Narciso, Las otras flores saben muy bien qué hacer.

No hay duda alguna.

“Hacemos nuestras propias temporadas.”

Le lloramos a nuestros viejos, amigos, sin querer ponerlo sobre ellos.

Cuando te hacen preguntas, es para hacerte pensar.

¿Cuál es tu temporada favorita?

¿Qué temporada debería ser?

Hortensia Portulaca, Lirio, Lila

Se entrelazan un poco más.

La Hortensia cuenta piezas de su propia historia, El Lirio hace las preguntas difíciles.

La Portulaca, aunque es pequeña, escucha con atención, Mientras la Lila abriga más fuerte.

Construímos una comunidad la una con la otra, Cuando una flor cae, siempre tendrá su cama de flores. El sol brilla intensamente, aún en días nublados.

Cuando el amor de la cama de flores crece, También lo hace la fuerza del narciso. El invierno oscuro ya no es la única temporada, una opción necesaria, Así cambian la temporada a la primavera. Un nuevo comienzo.

Gracias a la cama de flores que me mantiene, Mi yo Narciso, Continua.

Agradezco a mis flores hermosas que se entrelazan conmigo,

Nunca cuestionando porque puedo necesitar un poco más de sol, tierra, agua. Gracias a todas las flores.

No estamos solas.

Gracias por preparar la cama para que yo crezca.

le gusta. León dijo que escuchar las canciones con las que crecieron sus padres la provocan preguntarse lo que ellos estaban haciendo cuando escuchaban esas mismas canciones.

“La música siempre ha sido parte de mi vida,”dijo León

Desde que era joven, León toca la marimba, un instrumento de madera que se golpea con mazos y se usa a menudo en canciones guatemaltecas.

Para el evento virtual del primer año, la canción que eligió Requena fue “No tengo dinero”, de Juan Gabriel, y para el segundo año eligió “Sabor a Mí”, la cual le dedicó a su mamá.

“Ese era el tipo de música que mi mamá usaba para enseñarme a bailar”, dijo

Playlist” de Pueblo.

Requena. “Bailando en la cocina; esos fueron los primeros pasos de baile que aprendí”.

Este es el último año de Requena como parte del equipo de Pueblo. Para esta última lista de reproducción, le dedicó a su publicación el tema “Te llevaré”, de Lisandro Meza. En la canción, Meza canta sobre llevar el amor adonde quiera que vaya.

“Me graduaré pronto, pero sé que definitivamente seguiré atento a lo que produce Pueblo y lo que produce 14 East”, dijo Requena.

A medida que la lista de reproducción llegaba a su fin León dijo que se alejó sintiendo que “la pasé bien simplemente celebrando la cultura latina a través de la música”.

CARY ROBBINS | LA DEPAULIA

‘Pueblo’ celebra el día de San Valentín a través de su amor por la música

Un grupo íntimo se sentó a hablar y escuchar la “Amor

By Cary Robbins & Santiago Tijerina Gonzalez Escritora y Editor de Deportes, La DePaulia

MAYA OCLASSEN | LA DEPAULIA

Hearts & Life UNSURE OF YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY PLANS?

UNORTHODOX WAYS TO SPEND VALENTINE'S DAY

By LiLLy K eLLer Arts & Life Editor

Few days are as repetitive as Valentine's Day. From grocery store cards to overpriced chocolate and flowers that aren't even in season, it's easy to become disenchanted with Valentine's gimmicky feel. Looking for more? Whether single or in a relationship, I'm here to tell you that your perfect Valentine's Day celebration doesn't have to reside on the beaten path. Here are eight unconventional ways to make your Valentine's Day more than another hole in your wallet.

Look to the future

Are you feeling uncertain about your partner or life in general? Why not check out a local psychic or get back-to-back readings for you and your significant others? Maybe it will alleviate your worries or give you a set of new ones. Either way, your Valentine's Day will be anything but uneventful.

Host a themed dinner party

Want more than just another night in? From murder mystery to Soupapalooza, your dinner shouldn't be limited to another overpriced restaurant. Themed dinner parties can be a great way to celebrate your friendships or reinvigorate a traditional

date night. No matter your theme, you're guaranteed a memorable night.

Ax Throwing Broke up just before Valentine's Day? Ghosted by your situationship? No matter your circumstances, ax throwing is a great way to release all suppressed emotions and make some fun — or horrific, depending on your aim — memories. With a handful of locations spread throughout the city, chances are you can find an ax-throwing establishment near you.

Get a Tattoo

While I don't recommend getting your partner's initials tattooed, the experience of getting inked up together can be a bonding moment and a glimpse into each other's creative side. Even if you're single, getting a tattoo with friends or alone can be a great experience and a fun way to symbolize what you love.

Take a rain check

Are you not wanting to sit inside a jam-packed restaurant or pay $20 for a six ounce bag of chocolate? Good news, all you've got to do is reschedule for Feb. 15. If holidays mean little, or you and your partner aren't up for anything after a full day of work, then taking a raincheck is the perfect option to save money and prevent

any stress or exhaustion from ruining your Valentine's Day.

Attend a Wine Tasting

With over 16 wineries spread throughout the city, attending a wine tasting is the perfect way to get into the Valentine's Day mood without breaking the budget on alcohol. Not in a relationship? Wine tasting with friends is equally fun. Remember to swirl your glass exaggeratedly and comment on the wine's fruity or oaky notes.

Palentine’s Day

You can never go wrong with palentine’s day. Whether single or in a long-distance relationship, a day spent with your

closest friends is never a day wasted. From brunch to a dinner reservation, Valentine's Day can be just as memorable, if not more, with friends than with a partner.

Summon the dead

I bet you thought I wouldn't add a weird option, huh? Speaking from experience, using an Ouija board can be a fun bonding experience, even if you are both purposefully moving the planchette. The last time I used an Ouija board with my ex, we both cried, so do what you will with that information!

HOW TO SURVIVE VALENTINE'S DAY SINGLE

By Sam Gutterman Contributing Writer

It is February, and that means Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Many think of Valentine’s Day as time to spend with a special someone, but that is not always the case. Plenty of single people enjoy spending quality time on Valentine’s Day with those who are not a significant other. They can spend time alone, or do things with friends or family to still have a good time on a day typically thought of for romance.

DePaul senior Doug Oberman suggested exploring all that Chicago has to offer with loved ones.

“There are so many things to do in Chicago,” Oberman said. “We have countless museums, tons of parks and so many places to see shows and movies. You can also hit up a friend who’s single and make a fun day out of it.”

Oberman said single people can still spend Valentine’s Day with others they love.

“Valentine’s Day doesn’t just have to be about your significant other,” Oberman said. “It can be a day to show your friends and family how much you care about them by going and doing something you’ve always wanted to do together.”

In downtown Chicago, the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry and Shedd Aquarium are all free for Illinois residents this Valentine’s Day. Additionally, all DePaul students get in free to the Art Institute of Chicago, located right by DePaul’s Loop campus and the Chicago History Museum, also near campus in Lincoln Park.

Exploring some of these historical land-

marks in Chicago with friends is an option. The weather is expected to be an unseasonably nice 50 degrees on Valentine’s Day as well, so walking around and sightseeing outside in downtown Chicago is another possibility. The Bean and Millenium Park both have a lot of spots to snap pictures with friends or family.

For DePaul students interested in sports, consider heading to Wintrust Arena. The men’s basketball team hosts St. John’s on Valentine’s Day night at 8 p.m., and tickets

can be reserved for free. Bus transportation is also free if desired, departing outside the Sullivan Athletic Center entrance.

Former Blue Demon forward David Jones makes his anticipated return to Wintrust Arena after transferring to St. John’s last season.

Even though Chicago is a city with so many things to do, not everyone chooses to take advantage of them. For students like senior Jule Cuasay, Valentine’s Day is just another day on the calendar.

“I usually just chill or watch whatever’s on TV, sports stuff or just listen to Valentine’s Day style songs,” Cuasay said. “It’s mostly a chill day for me, sometimes I just hang out with friends.

Cuasay enjoys having time to himself on Valentine’s Day, but does hope to eventually do more activities.

“Because I’m single, I really don’t do anything major on Valentine’s Day,” he said. “In the past, I’ve greeted all of my friends with a ‘happy Valentine’s Day’ in school and just went home afterwards. In the future, I would like to go to a nice dinner on Valentine’s Day.”

Valentine’s Day can also be a time to love yourself by spending time alone and relaxing after a long day of class and activities on campus, said UIC senior Travis Morales.

“The possibilities of things to do are endless,” Morales said. “You can wind down and enjoy a peaceful meditation session, journal your thoughts and write down your goals for the next day. You can also get a quick workout in, look for a new book to read or simply just think about how lucky you are to have this much time for yourself.”

Despite being a day usually reserved for love and romance, the city of Chicago offers everyone a chance to have an enjoyable Valentine’s Day, whether you are in a relationship or single. It is possible to celebrate a day correlated with love by instead loving those close to us and ourselves, instead of a significant other.

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

Cut out Valentine's cards

'Bad Blood' pop-up bar rocks the West Loop

By VioLet Sma Le Contributing Writer

Familiar breakup anthems pump through the speakers. A tarot card reader sits under a sign which reads, “I’m the problem, it’s me.” For anyone with a “long list of ex-lovers,” a “Bad Blood” pop-up bar is the ideal anti-Valentine’s season destination.

Fans of Taylor Swift or anyone in an anti-Valentine's mood can now flock to Electric Garden in the West Loop to enjoy a Swift-themed night on the town.

“Join Bucket Listers this (Anti) Valentine’s Season at this exclusive pop-up bar for cocktails, singing, and memory making,” reads the website for the Chicago Bucket Listers, an organization dedicated to making experiences around the city more accessible to influencers.

“We have a partnership with Bucket Listers, the social media company,” Chris Johnston, managing partner at Electric Garden said. “[The pop-up bar] is something that one of the head people at Bucket Listers has been doing for a long time out in L.A. and wanted to bring it to Chicago and continue the fun.”

Upon entering the “Bad Blood” popup bar, visitors are immediately greeted by a life-size cutout of Taylor herself and Valentine’s candy-styled hearts reading “We Are Never Getting Back Together” lining the walls, setting the mood for a light-hearted night full of Swift tunes and inside jokes aimed at the truest of fans.

The menu features crowd-pleasing favorites such as a classic French 75 with a strawberry twist titled the “1989” after the star’s birth year and iconic 2015 Album of the Year.

A giant polaroid style frame sits in the center of the room, beckoning visitors to take a photo alongside two more life-size cutouts of Swift. Throughout the

room, various references to Swift’s own life, including framed photos of her cats, are scattered about to make any visitor feel as though they have awoken into a Taylor Swift fever dream.

“People have been really enjoying it … it’s just a fun pop-up for people to come in and enjoy, get some tarot card readings done … people are just overall having a wonderful time,” Johnston said.

Chicago-based content creator Dana Joelle (@danajoelle._ on Instagram) arrived at the “Bad Blood” bar on Feb. 7 adorning her best “bejeweled” outfit and eager to spend a night celebrating Swift’s music and legacy.

“As a content creator in Chicago, I am always looking for new things happening in the city. When Bucketlisters reached out about the ‘Bad Blood’ bar, the inner ‘Swifitie’ in me was so pumped,” Joelle said.

Joelle found Taylor Swift to be the perfect theme for a Valentine’s Day pop-up.

“Taylor Swift is just the queen of love and anti-love songs. It just made perfect sense that a pop-up bar in her honor would open for Valentine’s Day,” said Joelle.

Overall, Joelle found the experience to be quite worthwhile.

“Yes, you can take as many photos with the Taylor Swift cardboard cutouts as you want, but there are also massive conversational hearts with her lyrics, a massive balloon arch, neon light-up signs, and even a tarot card reader,” Joelle said. “Not to mention, the entire bar only plays Taylor Swift music videos, so that alone would be worth it if you’re genuinely a fan.”

The pop-up bar has amassed much popularity among Chicago’s Taylor Swift fanbase.

“I wanted to go to ‘Bad Blood’ because my boyfriend and I love [Taylor Swift],”

A. Baron, a recent visitor of the bar said. “She’s one of the reasons we met each oth-

er.”

Chicago is no stranger to pop-culture themed bars. Bad Blood is not the first of its type. Bars such as “Replay” in Lincoln Park feature alternating pop-culture themes on a monthly basis.

“Pop-up bars can be a hit or miss, in my opinion,” Joelle said. “If you’re going to do it, you really have to commit to the theme. You can’t just label something a pop-up, have one specialty cocktail, and call it a day.”

Pop culture-themed bars seem to be the new trend in pop-up bars, with bars themed for Austin Powers, Star Wars and Saved By the Bell appearing coast to coast

beginning in 2018.

Electric Garden’s “Bad Blood” received Joelle’s stamp of pop-up-bar approval.

“‘Bad Blood’ had fully printed out ‘Bad Blood’ menus and you could tell they did their best to incorporate little Taylor Swift details into the entire set-up,” Joelle said.

The “Bad Blood” experience, running from Feb. 3 to Feb. 26, is $22 to attend and a 21+ event. “Bad Blood” has no official association to Taylor Swift.

“Bad Blood” is bound to be a unique experience which visitors will remember “all too well.”

A love letter to my beautiful Flowers, we are not alone

By Cary roBBinS La DePaulia News Editor

Life seems dark in the dead of winter. Sometimes, the season never ends, It continues, continues, continues.

A flower starts to think it will never blossom again.

This must be the end.

Like a daffodil, my season comes and goes,

Almost in a loop but sometimes the cold nearly kills me.

I am surrounded in a bed of flowers:

A carnation, Orchid, Lily, Hydrangea, Portulaca, Lilac, Foxglove.

They ground me, intertwine their roots within mine.

Until one day, my daffodil loses its connection,

The roots grow weaker.

The winter grows longer and longer, The other flowers seem to continue through the seasons.

Bees buzzzzzz in the daffodil’s ear, Taking nectar and staying longer than usual,

Making the daffodil feel powerful, Able to pollinate.

But the bees stay too long.

Just as the daffodil gives in to the winter, Knowing it will never see spring again,

It feels a pull.

The bed of flowers sends vibrations of strength.

It starts with the Foxglove, Carnation Orchid.

The foxglove bends down to listen closely to the daffodil’s cries.

The carnation pats away the dew on its petals, Telling stories of their own cold winters.

The orchid bends just enough to extend their own petals,

Making sure

the daffodil feels its warmth.

While it may be the first long winter for the daffodil,

The other flowers know too well what to do.

No questions asked.

“We make our own seasons.”

We weep to our elders, friends, not wanting to put it on them.

When they ask questions, it is to make you think.

What is your favorite season?

What season should it be?

The hydrangea Lily, Portulaca, Lilac, Intertwine a little more.

The hydrangea tells pieces of their own story,

And the lily asks the hard questions.

The portulaca, while small, listens intently,

While the lilac squeezes tighter. We build a community with one another, When one flower falls, it will always have its bed of flowers.

The sun shines bright even on cloudy days.

When the love from the bed of flowers grows,

So too does the strength of the daffodil.

The dark winter is no longer the only season, a necessary option, So they change the season to the spring.

A new beginning.

Thank you to the bed of flowers that keep me, My daffodil self, Going.

I thank my beautiful flowers that intertwine with me, Never questioning why I may need a little more sun, dirt, water.

Thank you to all the flowers. We are not alone.

Thank you for building a bed for me to grow.

PHOTO FROM IMDB

Taylor Swift poses with her American Music Awards after winning artist of the decade.

Are college students responsible enough for pet ownership?

By JaCqueLine BLeadon Contributing Writer

As students living off campus search high and low for roommates, many are turning to local animal shelters instead. Students are getting in the habit of adopting a cat quickly after they move into their own apartment. But do young college students have the abilities and finances to take care of a living animal?

Before the pandemic, cat adoption rates were low. According to the Chicago Animal Care and Control, there were only 500-800 cat adoptions a year in Chicago. However, Covid-19 created a more significant need for a companion, causing adoption rates to spike to just over 1,000 adoptions in 2022.

DePaul sophomore Janey Hynes welcomed a kitten named Chuck into their home a little over a month after moving into their own apartment. In early October, Hynes visited the Anti-Cruelty Society, an animal shelter in River North, with no intentions of adopting a cat that day. However, after connecting with a little black cat with an upper respiratory infection, they knew they were not leaving empty handed.

Thankfully, Hynes is financially supported enough by their job to afford the costs that Chuck requires. Hynes expressed that their new addition has helped distract them from feelings of loneliness that comes along with living

by yourself in a big city.

“Being able to take care of something aside from yourself when you’re feeling depressed is something that really helps in those times,” Hynes said.

Wesley Janicki, DePaul alum and employee at Family Pet Animal Hospital in Lincoln Park, adopted a cat after graduating but never had a pet while being a student. Janicki does not necessarily recommend adopting a pet so young but gave plenty of helpful tips for those who do.

“Keeping up with preventative care, dental care, and adopting the right age cat as a college student are my biggest three tips,” Janicki said.

Janicki recommends not adopting a kitten or an elderly cat, but rather a cat aged somewhere in between at about four or five years old. That way, the cat is most likely already vaccinated but not so old that it may start to have serious health problems that you cannot afford to take care of. While kittens have a way to capture our attention with their cuteness, a newborn may not be the best fit for everyone.

Pet lover and DePaul sophomore Norah Gelhaus recently adopted a fiveyear- old cat named Wilson. Gelhaus fostered a cat back in October but decided not to adopt because she feared she was not responsible enough. However, after time away and conversations with her parents about pet responsibilities and

finances, she decided she was ready to adopt. With some help from her mom, Gelhaus adopted Wilson from the Humane Society and welcomed him home with open arms.

With Wilson being a bit older, Gelhaus says he is very independent and does not require much tentative care. This allows Gelhaus to not have to worry as much about his every move and leaves time for her to actually relax and feel comforted by his presence rather than stressed.

“Definitely just having someone that is always by your side is going to make you happy,” Gelhaus said.

Gelhaus waited to adopt until she knew she was ready for that responsibility. She made sure it was the right choice for her and found the right cat who her roommate also adores.

Another emphasis Janicki made was to not adopt on a whim. Even if you have been wishing for a pet since you were little, make sure you have the finances and support to take care of this cat for the rest of its life.

With so many pets to choose from, it is our responsibility to pick the right one that you know you have the time and

resources to care for, especially as a full time student.

“It’s easier to have a cat that’s going to be mostly independent at home versus having a dog that needs to be walked three times a day, and having to run back to your apartment between classes would be a lot more difficult,” Janicki said.

These pet owners have all emphasized the idea that their cat cares for them just as much as they do for their cat. They provide a level of comfort that even your best friend may not be able to provide. The fear of someone you love leaving your life does not exist with a pet.

This fear was only heightened throughout the pandemic causing more adoptions than normal. With Gen Z having abnormally high levels of depression and anxiety, it only makes sense that pet adoptions are becoming a trend at such a young age of adulthood.

Growing up can be so overwhelming that some people need that level of comfort just as much as one's body needs food and water to survive. Cats being a more independent animal and able to care for themselves just seems to be the most appealing option for aspiring pet owners who are full-time students.

Our favorite Valentine's releases

By LiLLy K eLLer & Jonah WeBer Arts & Life Editor & Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Looking to get into the Valentine's day mood but not sure where to start? Fear no more. With Jonah and I’s expert selection and phenomenal taste, we’ve got you covered. Whether you are spending the holiday alone or with your partner, here is the perfect compilation of music, books, television and movies to make your Valentine’s memorable!

Books:

“This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone - Lilly Keller

Coming in at just over 200 pages, this fast-paced science fiction thriller chronicles the relationship between two rival agents as their taunts and battlefield boasts gradually shift into something else. For lovers of time travel and queer narratives, this is the book for you. I guarantee once you start, you won’t be able to put it down until you finish.

“The Coast of Chicago” - “Pet Milk” by Stuart Dybek - Jonah Weber

I was studying creative writing and I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to focus my writing on, but I definitely knew I didn’t wanna write about romance. And then, when I was 15 I read the short story “Pet Milk.” Immediately I realized that romance could be written about, not in a cheesy, annoying way, but in an intense, painful, and beautiful way. Anyone living in Chicago needs to read this!

TV shows:

“The Haunting of Hill House” - Lilly Keller

While not inherently romantic, “The

Haunting of Hill House,” inspired by Shirley Jackson’s titular novel, follows the dysfunctional Crain family during and after their time at the infamous Hill House. Even if you shy away from horror, this mini-series goes beyond traditional jump scares, instead solidifying a narrative of familial trauma, foxhole bonding, and most significantly reconciliation and healing. For fans of well-written sibling dynamics and ghost stories, I cannot recommend this show enough.

“Hannibal” - Jonah Weber

You wouldn’t think it, but this is quite the romantic show. It explores the early relationship between FBI profiler, Hugh Graham and physiatrist Hannibal Lecter. The cooking scenes in this show are dis-

turbing, but beautiful. The dialogues between characters are intimate and suspenseful. There is so much tension in this show, specifically between Graham and Lecter, which develops with each season.

Movie:

“Atonement” - Lilly Keller

Despite not being the biggest fan of period pieces or war retellings, “Atonement,” directed by Joe Wright, is easily one of my top ten favorite movies. Illustrating the illicit love story between Cecelia Tallis (Kiera Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) and the aftermath of Tallis’s jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan), all three must cope with the consequences on the brink of WWII. Not to spoil this movie, but I especially recommend it for lov-

ers of unhappy endings because let me tell you, you will need a tissue box on hand.

“Casino Royale” - Jonah Weber

Maybe not your typical Valentine’s Day flick pick, but boy, is this movie sexy. In my opinion, it’s Daniel Craig’s best 007 performance. All the sleek black tuxedos and little black dresses are enough to make this a Valentine’s Movie. And the drink ordering scene? Where he orders the drink, it is just so good.

Album:

“Loveless” - My Bloody ValentineLilly Keller

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s day without a little shoegaze to get you in your feels. If you’re looking for something nostalgic, energetic and noisy this holiday, then I cannot recommend the band's sophomore album enough. Exploring a narrative of death and change, “Loveless” is perfect for perhaps your gloomy day in while also being an impeccable companion for a night out.

“Chet Baker Sings” - Chet BakerJonah Weber

Chet Baker was so real for releasing this in 1956. Before this album came out, Baker had only played trumpet on his jazz albums. It turns out, he’s a phenomenal vocalists. His voice is quiet and simple, but every lyric is about the many themes of love. By recommending this I’m really showing off my lovebird side, but I can’t recommend this album enough. Listen to it on or off shuffle, early in the morning or late at night, it’ll always hit.

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

LINNEA CHENG | THE DEPAULIA

Junior Chiara Conner kisses their childhood cat Natasha, whom they've had since 2016.

What’s Fresh

'Knock at the Cabin Review': who knew a giant could be so gentle?

By SamueL mroz Staff Writer

Despite a steep threshold between the booms and busts of his career, M. Night Shyamalan has held true to the craft of tension that made him a household name. The 52-year-old director has a knack for pulling the rug out from an audience who is firmly rooted in his stories as they are burrowed in their seats.

As his intricate plots can only go as far as the concepts which give them understanding, Shyamalan’s latest horror-thriller “Knock at the Cabin” leaves as much room for ambiguity as a one-bed Airbnb. Adapted from a 2018 novel titled “The Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay, the film adheres to its source material by following a family of three as they are faced with a horrible decision.

In the forests of rural Pennsylvania, parents Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathon Groff) lay out on the porch of their remote cabin while their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) tries to catch grasshoppers. Approached by a man with an imposingly large frame, Leonard (Dave Bautista) boasts a charming presence that wins Wen over. After spying three additional visitors - each wielding a weapon of medieval design, his friendliness turns fraught as Wen runs back to her two dads to tattle on the incoming invaders.

Pulled directly from their nature retreat into a home invasion, the cabin is breached and the family is taken hostage. Serving as the spokesman for these socalled apostles of the apocalypse, Leon -

ard breaks the news. Between the trinity of Wen and her two loving fathers, one member must be willingly sacrificed, or the entire world will perish.

A story that fails to achieve the stamp of a Shyamalan trademarked twist, “Knock at the Cabin” becomes barricaded by the prophetic choice which defines it. The rug remains under our feet, but a subplot of homophobic prejudice begins to ask an even deeper question than humanity’s survival.

These message board fanatics have set out to torment a young family, but with flashbacks of societal, parental, and even local disapproval of their homosexual dynamic, the world starts to seem unworthy of salvation. Andrew’s profession as a human rights lawyer coins a layer of microaggression on top of this already grim situation. Not only are they dealing with maniacs, but potential bigots as well.

In defense of their actions - claiming they were led to this cabin by their shared nightmares of the apocalypse and not the homophobic slander the family believes them to hold-the horseman make their case. They have come to save the world, not to oppress a same sex marriage.

Hysteria overcomes the ranks of both parties as the collapse of society becomes a swinging notion as the family is torn between its plausibility. As Andrew jabs at the news being reported on ensuing world disasters, this lodge takeover finds its only voice of reason through the biggest body in the room.

Dave Bautista — who up to this point made a career off his physicality in the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and

later as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — sheds his theatric lined skin with the role of Leonard.

Playing a restrained colossi who wields a tier of empathy larger than his muscles, this believer is simply playing dress up. Gagging at the brutality he carries out, a man so tender could only push himself to this point if the world itself was at stake. This is clearly his first apocalypse.

“Knock at the Cabin” only achieves half its thrill, being held up by its discussion on gay bashing heretics encased in a vivid prediction of global cataclysm. A middle of the road performance for

Night, this adaptation will be best remembered for the stock it placed in a one man brand.

Bautista has officially stepped foot into the heavyweight ring of dramatic aptitude. His sights now seem to be set on winning the title, or moreover, repaving his legacy of strong man mania with a refined glaze of theatrical storytelling. Shyamalan gave him a runway, now let's see how he takes off.

AIDAN HANSEN | THE DEPAULIA

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

“Spinning freSh beatS Since

By LiLLy K eLLer Arts & Life Editor

Love it or hate it, Valentine's day characterizes the month of February for many. Personally, I consider the holiday to be a little overrated, but maybe that's just because I can no longer afford a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate squares. Furthermore, I would rather listen to singers sing about their romantic anguish than listen to another cheesy love song, leading us to another one of my genius playlists.

You've made it to the right place if you're like me and can't bear to listen to another love song. Below are my favorite sad love songs, or as I like to call them, another reason to hate famous men.

"Moon Song" – Phoebe Bridgers

I'm going to be so real. I rarely listen to this song anymore because it's a little too relatable. Oozing with misery

1581”

and heartache, Bridgers illustrates the ruthless cycle of caring for somebody who doesn't love themselves and the inability to leave. If I ever willingly select this song, just know the demons are winning.

"Cellophane" – FKA Twigs

Yeah, I'm going there. F**k you, Robert Pattinson. I mean, do you hear the absolute anguish in her voice? There is no way we can let him walk free. If you want more suffering, I recommend the music video because it is stunning.

"First Love/Late Spring" – Mitski

This song causes my chest to physically ache. The dichotomy of first love with a late spring makes me sick. I want her to unwrite this. We already know Mitski is a lyrical genius, but she was insane for this song in particular. I mean, "so please hurry, leave me, I can't breathe" and "one word from you and I would jump off of this ledge I'm on." Somebody find Mitski's mailing address

Crossword

so I can send her my next therapy bill.

"Space Song" – Beach House

Another song I actively avoid listening to. I'm not kidding when I say I have un-liked this song and deleted every playlist it was on because I cannot stand to hear it. Every memory tied to this song took place during the worst time of my life, so whenever I hear the opening chords, it's like I'm 17 again and at rock bottom. Good times!

"You Get Me So High" – The Neighborhood

The definition of gut-wrenching. I cannot tell you the number of times I have cried over this song because it was included in a sad Instagram edit. On a scale of banging my head against the wall to trashing my bedroom in a dystopian rage, I've got to say that ripping everything out of my closet and throwing my pillows across the room sounds lovely right about now.

ACROSS

1) Toronto Maple_

6) Adjust boundaries

11) Long, fluffy scarf

14) Dome home near Nome

15) "Reversal of Fortune" star

16) Capacious coffeepot

17) Some music events

19) Disreputable publication

20) Great Salt Lake's state

21) Creative types

23) Physicians, briefly

26) Flash the pearly whites

28) "It's OK after all" in editing

29) Fairy-tale nemesis

30) Shelter for birds

31) Lumps of earth

32) Opposite of depresses

34)_ bourguignon

35) Nod's significance

36) "What happened next?"

37) Bowling target

38) Gp. concerned with JFK's safety

4

l) Woodland deer

43) Part of a balanced diet

45) Bushed

47) Glassmaking ingredient

48) Type of school, for short

49) Christmas stocking disappointment

50) Garlic portion

51) Chops with an ax

52) Television cabinet

54) Unpopular teenage spots

56) Terminal

57) With "Slowly," classic 1973 film

62) Dessert-tray choice

63) 1 /12 of a subscription, often

64) Free bakery treat

65) Danson of "CSI"

66) If- (computer routines)

67) Packs down, as dirt

DOWN

1) Collagen target

2) Id's counterpart

3) Matterhorn, e.g.

4) Zeroed in, with a camera

5) Chimney accumulation

6) Old Dominion capital

7) Old syllable meaning "before"

8) Group enthusiasm

9) Cavern or cave, in poetry

10) "Hey ... over here!"

11) Feature of many action films

12) Addressed a crowd

13) Feelings of dread

18) Beginning to exist

22) Small spot of land

23) Roundup critter (Var.)

24) Admire amorously

25) Came down hard?

27) It is shortened?

31) Smallest part of a buck

33) "Aw, heck"

34) Human Genome Project field

37) Some enlisted men

39) All over again

40) Egyptian cobras

42) Is down with something

43) Debate position

44) Banned supplement ingredient

45) Receive willingly

46) Canadian coin

47) Remove blubber from

50) Look terrible together

53) Life sentences?

55) Like Felix rather than Oscar

58) Desperado's weapon

59) CD-_ ( computer disk)

60) Little League official, briefly

61) They're often asked to look

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKI

Demons fail to make it three straight after Saturday loss to St. John’s

By Preston Zbroszczyk Asst. Sports Editor

Looking to make it three consecutive wins, St. John’s efficient offense was too much for DePaul’s defense.

DePaul traveled to Queens, N.Y. for the last of two matches against the Red Storm this regular season. The first matchup at Wintrust Arena on Jan. 21 didn’t go in the favor of the Blue Demons with a 81-72.

The storyline for Saturday was worse. A dreadful 33% shooting performance accounted for nine points in the first quarter, as DePaul found themselves playing from behind the rest of the game.

St. John’s outscored DePaul in three of the game’s four quarters, as the Demons only gained a one-point advantage in second quarter outscoring the Red Storm 2019.

Sophomore Aneesah Morrow did what she could, leading DePaul with 23-points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough in the 16 point loss.

The rest of the starters combined for 21 points in the losing effort. Junior guard Darrione Rogers struggled mightily, shooting 2-14 from the field and 2-8 from three. She had a team-high three turnovers, and now leads the team with 95 total turnovers.

Senior Jorie Allen continued to show progression, but has also battled injuries throughout the season. Averaging 7.4 points per game, she shot 1-5 on Saturday, finishing with seven points.

Since returning from injury, senior Anaya Peoples has struggled to find her rhythm offensively. She had nine points in her return against Butler on Feb. 8 and only two on Saturday.

Defensively, DePaul allowed five different scorers to reach double figures, including senior Jayla Everett who totaled a game-high 26-points. Everett gave the Blue Demons trouble in the first matchup on Jan. 21 when she had a 24.

Everett is currently seventh in the Big East in scoring with 16.4 points per game and fourth in three-point percentage at 41%.

Trailing by as much as 11 points in the first quarter, DePaul never maintained a lead in Saturday’s game, and by the 2:52 minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Demons saw themselves down by as much as 23.

While DePaul did outscore the Red Storm 44-28 in the paint, St. John’s 50% shooting from three-point range was ultimately what allowed St. John’s to stay in front.

Senior Keke Rimmer had her fourth straight double-digit scoring performance with 14-points off the bench.

Win against Butler

Prior to the loss, DePaul picked up a 24-point win over Butler, looking to potentially change the narrative to their season.

The 87-62 win on Wednesday Feb. 8 was another showing of both efficiently executed defense and offense for the Blue Demons. DePaul shot 57% from the field and 53% from the three, while holding the Bulldogs to under 40% shooting in the game.

DePaul’s 87 points is the most Butler has allowed all this season, while the Blue Demons shooting performance was the second best in a single-game this season.

The Demons’ leading scorers showed

out Wednesday. Rogers and Morrow combined for 46 points, which was 13 more points than Butler had in the second half as a team.

“I definitely feel like our chemistry has gotten better,” Rogers said. “I just feel like because we built that relationship outside of basketball, that just kind of carries over. We are just learning each other’s styles and know each other’s strengths.”

Morrow grabbed her 18th double-double of the season and the 45th of her career. Rogers shot 87% from the field and added five rebounds and four assists.

“My teammates uplift me,” Morrow said. “Also just knowing the goals I have set going into every game.”

Head coach Doug Bruno got Peoples back in the starting lineup, after she was sidelined with a concussion against UConn on Jan. 23.

For the third consecutive game, Rimmer added a double-digit point performance with 15 and she was two rebounds shy of her third straight double-double.

Rimmer has emerged as a reliable sixth woman off the bench for Bruno this season. DePaul struggled early in the season when the bench provided no stability for the starters, but since Rimmer’s emergence she has taken the weight off the shoulders of some starters.

“Keke is very important to this team,” Bruno said. “It’s all about her focus. Most of her shots [Wednesday night] were second shots put back, and that is very important because though you want to make every shot, your team is not going to make every shot.”

Junior Kendall Holmes did her work as well Wednesday night. Holmes had 11 points and went 3-4 from behind the arc.

The Blue Demons dominated the low post and outscored Butler 46-20 inside the paint. Bruno’s squad also gained the advantage on the glass and nearly doubled the Bulldogs in rebounds, finishing with a 42-

24 margin.

With seven games remaining, DePaul will need to bolster its record and stack some wins prior to the start of the Big East tournament.

“No matter what the records are, everybody can beat everybody [up] in the conference,” Bruno said. “It’s important that we get this rolling.”

The Blue Demons will have a quick

turnaround as they play at Seton Hall on Monday, Feb. 13. This is the rescheduled game from the postponed one on Jan. 28, when DePaul did not have the conference requirement of at least seven available scholarship players, due to injury.

Tip-off for Monday’s game is 6:00 p.m. as DePaul looks to avoid a second straight loss.

COLLIN FEASTER | THE DEPAULIA

Head coach Doug Bruno directs his players during Wednesday’s 87-62 win against Butler.

COLLIN FEASTER | THE DEPAULIA

Senior guard Anaya Peoples looks for an open teammate while being guarded by a Butler defender during Wednesday’s 87-62 win over the

Hockey on the verge of first Regional appearance since 2009

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

The historical season for DePaul men’s hockey continues as it gets set for the Northern Collegiate Hockey League tournament in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. DePaul will be the No. 2 seed and face off against Roosevelt in the first round on Feb. 10.

“We have high expectations,” said head coach Dan Wood. “We’ve had them all season long and this is kind of what you’ve been playing for all year. I expect us to be playing our best hockey going… going into the playoffs.”

The playoffs will consist of two separate tournaments and the first will be the NCHL, which includes the top eight teams in their conference. Afterwards is the regional tournament. If DePaul advances, they will move on to nationals.

The Demons haven’t qualified for regionals since 2009 and are in a prime position to make a deep tournament run as this may be the most talented team in the history of the program.

“It’s definitely a welcome change and just shows how far the program has come in the last couple of years,” Wood said. “When it comes to regionals, it’s going to come down to every single shift and every single play is magnified since it’s a much bigger scale.”

The Blue Demons finished the season 237, one of the most successful campaigns in program history. The team seems to be heading in the right direction with Dan Wood at the helm and team full of confidence heading into postseason play.

“Obviously, this team has had such a historical run,” said sophomore winger Danny Mannarino. “It’s been so long since DePaul hockey has had a successful program and the [American College Hockey Association] gets more competitive every year. Honestly, I’m just really proud of our team, the coaching staff, our equipment manager and everyone [who is] putting this run together in a positive way.”

Mannarino has made a significant jump this season. The winger scored 20 goals this season, which is an improvement after tallying 12 last season.

“I feel like I can be a playmaker,” Mannarino said. “I feel like I’m able to score goals, but with the playoffs, the game is going to change and be a lot tougher. I think if myself and everyone else works their hardest we should be okay.”

This upcoming postseason run will be Wood’s biggest test yet since a promotion to head coach in June 2021 after serving as an assistant. From a coaching standpoint, keeping his team focused could be a key factor once the playoffs begin.

“This is what I love to do,” Wood said. “This is the time of the year that you love playing and everything is amplified. The biggest thing when you get to the playoffs is you get super high emotions and you can ride the waves. The goods can be great and the bads can be the worse, so being able to monitor and ride those emotions effectively, managing all those expectations and managing those emotions is going to be key for success.”

DePaul’s offense has been its strength this season as the team has averaged 5.82 goals per game. The best performance came on Oct. 21 against Lewis University, when the Blue Demons scored 16 goals. As they head into postseason play, the biggest question will be if this high-paced offensive philosophy is

sustainable.

“We’ve been in those recently [low scoring games] with Marian, Concordia and Iowa,” Wood said. ”Those are the three top teams in our region and we have had several low-scoring games this year. We’re confident that we’re able to play in those games, particularly with how we played in the last half of the season.”

On the cusp of accomplishing a goal that DePaul hockey hasn’t experienced in more than a decade, the team will be looking for leadership. Tensions and expectations are raised as the team is now playing in elimination scenarios.

“I think the biggest challenge we’re going to face is probably just being relaxed,” Mannarino said. “Just having everyone relaxed and not thinking ‘oh it’s playoff season or it’s regionals’ and just like come out and play our game. At the end of the day, it’s just another game and playing will help calm us down.”

If the team has hopes of success on a deep playoff run, it will need to have multiple players step up on the defensive side of the puck to take pressure off its goalies. Junior goalie Asher Motew has been stellar this season, recording a 14-5 record and allowing only 66 goals with a save percentage of 92%.

“I think the biggest impact we could have is playing defense helping out our goalies,” junior winger Billy Paschen said. “We’ve been focusing a lot on offense and we know we could score and create plays in the offensive zone, but we need to focus on the neutral zone and traps. The coaching staff has been practicing with us and keying in on those systems and that will help us against fast pace and skilled offenses.”

Fans and alumni have felt excitement this season as the hockey program at DePaul has enjoyed increased relevance. Spectators filled Johnny’s Icehouse all season, and with the playoffs around the corner, everyone is more excited than ever before.

“Our season this year doesn’t happen without the alumni and everybody that built the building blocks before everyone got here,” Wood said. “We don’t get to where we are today without the work that people put in before. I’m excited to see us in the playoffs and see what we can do.”

CHRISTINA HAMMERSMITH | THE DEPAULIA DePaul celebrates after their 7-4 victory over Marian on Jan. 20. The hockey team is making its first postseason appearance since 2009.

“It’s been so long since DePaul has had a successful program.“

Danny Mannarino Sophomore Winger

Junior defensemen Chris Lee has scored four game-winning goals this season.

CHRISTINA HAMMERSMITH | THE DEPAULIA

COLUMN: Big East on it’s way back to national prominence

By Max Rayman Contributing Writer

The Big East has recently proved to be one of the premier conferences in men’s basketball, thanks in a large part to perennial powerhouse Villanova. From 2016-2018, the Wildcats won two national championships and just a year ago made it to the Final Four. But with head coach Jay Wright’s surprising retirement this off-season, the Big East’s power had presumably been crippled.

Entering this season, expectations were uncharacteristically low for the conference, with No. 11 Creighton and No. 18 Villanova named to the preseason top 25. But with a little less than a month left in the regular season, the Big East is once again reminding the basketball world who they are.

Currently, the Big East boasts five teams ranked in the Top 25: No. 10 Marquette, No. 13 Xavier, No. 20 Providence, No. 21 UConn and No. 23 Creighton. Only the Big 12 has more ranked teams with six.

Shockingly, Villanova has been one of the worst teams in the conference. Kyle Neptune, who spent eight years as Wright’s assistant, has struggled after his promotion to head coach.

Villanova isn’t the only team that entered this season with a new coach. Xavier (Sean Miller), Butler (Thad Maata) and Seton Hall (Shahaeen Holloway) all made changes. Miller previously coached Xavier from 2004-2009 before becoming the head coach of Arizona for 12 seasons. Currently, the Musketeers are second in the conference, sitting at 11-3.

With Shaka Smart at the helm, Marquette has been one of the biggest surprises in Big East play. Predicted to finish ninth in the league, the Golden Eagles are 11-3 in the conference and hold a half-game lead over Xavier. Five of Marquette’s six losses have been by two or fewer possessions.

Creighton has been a roller coaster all

year long. The Bluejays started the season 6-0 but then lost the next six. However, the team got back on track, winning 10 of its last 12.

A significant part of their resurgence is due to center Ryan Kalkbrenner. During the Bluejay’s six-game losing streak, the junior missed three of those games due to an illness. but since Kalkbrenner’s return, his team has only lost twice. On the season, he is averaging 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds.

UConn is having a similar season to Creighton. The Huskies started the year 14-0 and were ranked No. 2 in the nation. Then, the Huskies lost six of the next eight but are currently on a three-game win streak which includes a dominating win over Marquette.

Once a consistent contender in the conference, Georgetown is now dead last, for the second-straight season. The Hoyas have only one conference win dating back to the end of the 2020-2021 season.

Head coach and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is on the hot seat and it would

not be a surprise if he is let go after the season ends. In his sixth season at the helm, the Hoyas have a conference record of 27-76, with one NCAA tournament appearance.

St. Johns is another team that could look to make a coaching change after the season ends. Mike Anderson is in his fourth year leading the Red Storm but has yet to produce any results. Under his leadership, St. Johns is 27-43 in the Big East and hasn’t made it to the NCAA tournament under his tenure.

After its stunning upset victory over No. 8 Xavier, DePaul has yet to win a game. Currently, the Blue Demons are only above Georgetown in the conference standings.

As of now, the conference is projected to have five teams make the NCAA tournament – Marquette, Xavier, UConn, Creighton, and Providence. Seton Hall is on the bubble, but will need a few more key wins or a deep conference tournament run to cement their case.

Johnson and Gibson combine for 36 as DePaul falls 81-65 to Nova

By Tom Gorski Sports Editor

DePaul’s losing streak continued, now reaching seven games, after the Demons dropped Wednesday night’s matchup to Villanova by a score of 81-65.

On its home court this time around, Villanova may have had its most complete game of the season, with five Wildcats scoring double-digit points against the Blue Demons. DePaul had the upper hand earlier this season, besting Villanova 75-65 at Wintrust Arena on Jan. 10.

As of late, DePaul has started off games strong, which was one of their deficiencies early on in the season. The Blue Demons 21-12 to start, led by seven early points from graduate forward Javan Johnson.

Johnson bounced back after having his worst performance of the season against Seton Hall when he was held scoreless last week. The team’s second-leading scorer ended Wednesday night with 18 points, two assists, two blocks and a rebound, while shooting 8-15 from the field and 2-6 from beyond the arc.

The team’s lack of success recently has fallen on the shoulders of Johnson. During DePaul’s six-game losing streak, he has averaged only 11.16 points per game, while his season average is 14.6 points per game. The offense relies on Johnson heavily since the departure of Javon Freeman-Liberty.

DePaul led for just 15 minutes against Villanova, similar to its matchup against

Seton Hall on Feb. 5, but Wednesday’s game proved a more back-and-forth contest. By the time the game concluded, it featured 11 lead changes and three ties between the two conference foes.

The Wildcats bounced back in the first half to take a 28-22 lead after going on an impressive 16-1 run against the Blue Demons that lasted for nearly seven minutes. Villanova led by three at halftime but pulled away late in the second half to secure the victory.

Around the 12-minute mark in the second half, DePaul trailed only by one, but a late-game offensive surge by the

Wildcats was too much for head coach Tony Stubblefield and the Blue Demons to overcome. Villanova outscored DePaul in the second half, 44-31.

Graduate guard Umoja Gibson did his best to keep DePaul in it, but the Demons’ lack of scoring outside of Gibson and Johnson played a key factor in the loss Wednesday night. Both players combined for 36 of DePaul’s 65 points against the Wildcats.

Gibson recorded 18 points, three rebounds and assists each, while connecting on four-of-nine three-pointers.

The Oklahoma transfer reached

2,000 career points against Villanova on Wednesday, making him the second active Division I player to do so. The matchup against the Wildcats also notched 150 career games played for Gibson.

Villanova was led by senior guard Caleb Daniels, who had a significant impact on the Wildcats’ lopsided victory. He recorded 18 points, shooting 70% from the field, while connecting with 4-5 from beyond the arc. Stubblefield’s defense struggled to contain Daniels all night and the boxscore proved it.

Graduate forward Eral Penn struggled on Wednesday night, but he did surpass 800 rebounds, sitting at 804 in his career and nearing 200 on the season with 184.

Stubblefield’s offense has recorded double-digit assists in 22 of the team’s 25 games this season and they finished Tuesday night with 12. Even with their struggles of consistency on offense, DePaul has established team chemistry spreading the ball around.

The Blue Demons fell to 9-16 on the season and 3-11 in Big East play. DePaul’s seven-game losing streak is their longest under Stubblefield.

DePaul will return to Chicago for a matchup against St. John’s (14-11, 4-10) on Tuesday night with tip-off scheduled at Wintrust Arena for 8:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS

Graduate guard Umoja Gibson defends a Villanova player in DePaul’s away loss on Wednesday.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

Junior forward Da’Sean Nelson dribbles past Villanova junior Eric Dixon in DePaul’s home win against the Wildcats on Jan. 10. DePaul has an overall record of 9-16 and Big East record of 3-11.

Two walk-off victories help Blue Demons start of 2023 with perfection

By Tom Gorski & Preston Zbroszczyk Sports Editor & Asst. Sports Editor

ROSEMONT, ILL. — From stellar pitching performances, to come-from-behind walk-off wins, the Blue Demons capped off a third consecutive DePaul Dome Tournament with an undefeated 4-0 record and head coach Tracie Adix-Zin’s picked up her 100th career win along the way.

In a competition of 10 teams, DePaul opened its season and the tournament on Thursday, Feb. 9 with a win against Valparaiso 7-1.

Freshman newcomer Bella Nigey pitched a gem in her debut in the opener, throwing a complete game. The Bettendorf, Iowa-native struck out six and gave five hits on only one earned run.

“You know, seeing how hard we work in the offseason and how hard these girls have worked in and put into the program, that kind of just makes you want to work hard to kind of fill that in,” said Nigey.

Senior Brooke Johnson sparked the DePaul offense when she launched a three-run homer in the first inning. It was Johnson’s 21st career home run as a Blue Demon.

Bowling Green

DePaul returned to play two on Saturday in Parkway Bank Park against Bowling Green and Saint Louis for the final game of the day.

In the first of two, DePaul struggled offensively and couldn’t get any runners on the base path in the first three innings.

The game was stopped in the middle of the fourth inning for 30-minutes after Bowling Green junior Greta L’Esperance went chasing for a ball into deep centerfield and colliding with the wall. She was taken off the field in a stretcher in noticeable pain.

“They had a player that had a similar experience last year,” Head coach Tracie AdixZins said. “So I think that was the biggest thing for us to do, [was] take a pause. But, Hopefully she heals very quickly.”

DePaul prevailed by a score of 2-1 over the Falcons behind another all-around quality pitching performance. Freshman Abbey Pochie got the start and went five and third innings, surrendering one run and four hits.

Purdue Transfer Brenna Smith entered the game making her Blue Demon debut Saturday, pitching 1.2 innings and completing the final five outs and securing her first save.

Senior center fielder Tori Meyers went 4-for-6 with an inside-the-park homerun that turned out to be the winning run in the fourth inning.

Saint Louis

In the nightcap, DePaul faced its toughest opponent of the season yet. The Saint Louis Billikens came in and stiffly challenged the Blue Demons.

Junior college transfer junior Katey Pierce got the ball in the second of two, but did not have the same success as the previous starters. She gave up four runs on nine hits and was pulled in the fourth inning.

Twice DePaul trailed by three at 6-3 and 7-4 after five unanswered runs from the Billikens. It came down to the final half inning of the game in the seventh inning, with the demons needing a late rally to pick up the win.

Sophomore infielder Bailey Cosgrove started the bottom of the seventh with a triple, followed by a walk for junior catcher Riley Pool. Both runners advanced home on a double from senior outfielder Grace Frazier.

As Meyers came into the batter’s box with bases-loaded and one out, the moment quickly appeared to get the best of her.

“Well actually, [I] put a little bit too much pressure on myself because I thought there were two outs,” Meyers said. “I was just taking it one pitch at a time. That’s all you can really do.”

Meyers laced a single in between the shortstop and third base as the tying runner made it home. A throw error from Saint Louis’s left fielder Natalie Sullivan allowed for freshman Maddy Miklesh to round third and slide in safely for the winning run.

The former All-American alumni AdixZins took over her alma mater’s softball program in 2019. In Saturday night’s comefrom-behind win, she reached her 100th career victory.

“We’ve talked [as a team] all the time about just playing DePaul softball,” AdixZins said. “Keep competing every minute of every inning and let the chips fall where they may.”

DePaul returned to action on Saturday in their final matchup of the tournament to faceoff against the Evansville Aces. The Blue Demons picked up a 2-1 extra-innings victory after a walk-off throwing error that

allowed Grace Frazier to come around and score.

“I’d like to not wait until the last minute and extra innings,” Adix-Zins said of the team’s performance. “I think both games took everybody and that’s the biggest thing. We’re going to need this entire year. I think that just goes to show that we’re going to continue to fight til the end and that’s all I can ask for.”

Evansville

Saturday’s game was a pitching battle between the two squads and a run wasn’t scored until extra innings. Both pitcher’s ran through both lineups with ease, while Ace’s starter Mikayla Jolly stood out, tossing six scoreless innings and recording seven strikeouts.

Jolly had a no-hitter going against the Blue Demons through 4.2 innings that was broken up by a Grace Frazier bunt single.

DePaul starter Brenna Smith was lights out against the Aces, throwing a complete game and allowing zero earned runs, while forcing 13 fly outs and nine ground outs.

“I was a little anxious at first,” Smith said. “I was definitely getting the first-game jitters out and I was excited. I couldn’t do it without my defense. It’s really easy to pitch and try to do my job to the best I can, knowing my defense has my back.”

The extra innings rule automatically places a runner on second base to start the inning.

The Aces struck first in the top of the eighth inning as freshman infielder Syndey

Kalonihea hit a sacrifice fly to right field that brought sophomore outfielder Dori Brown around to score and give the Aces a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, DePaul sophomore infielder Carley Alvers recorded an RBI single to left field to bring home freshmen outfielder Gracie Jacobs for the tying run. Moments later, the Aces attempted a double play but a throwing error to first base resulted in Frazier to advance and score the game-winning run.

“It kind of felt like slow motion,” Frazier said. “At first, I was just rounding third and saw she had the ball and then saw her go to throw and I’m like if this gets away, I’m going. So I had to be so aggressive.”

The Blue Demons top off the DePaul Dome Tournament and start off the season 4-0 for the second consecutive year. This time around, the team comes away with back-to-back walk-off victories in dramatic fashion, while showing the rest of the Big East that they are a resilient ball club.

“I think [the four wins] should give them a lot of confidence,” Adix-Zins. “We’re never down and out, even if we’re behind. Yesterday was a bigger deficit, but it goes to show that if we keep pushing away and plugging away, we’re going to find a way..”

DePaul (4-0) will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Tempe, Arizona for the Littlewood Classic where they’ll be taking on Weber State, Grand Canyon, BYU, Arizona State and Portland State.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

Senior centerfielder Tori Meyers and team celebrate Saturday night’s 2-1, walk-off win against Evansville as DePaul finished the DePaul Dome Tournament undefeated at 4-0 to start the season.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

Senior outfielder Grace Frazier went 2-for-3 during Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Evansville.