Inside
White is the new
Black
Opinions, page 12
Vol. # 94, Issue # 20
May 2, 2011
Rally on Take Back the Night works to speak out against violence By MARY FERRILL
Photo by Joe Ruppel
DePaul student Pamela Barrientos energizes the crowd entering St. Nicolas of Tolentine Church for the New Americans Rally to support the Illinois DREAM Act.
Students march to make DREAM a reality By JOE RUPPEL Nearly fifty DePaul students approached St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church Saturday morning in a unison chant: “Education not deportation! Education not deportation!” Ross Richmond, Student Government Association President, and Pamela Barrientos shouted through megaphones, leading the march. St. Nicholas of Tolentine was the site of the New Americans Rally, an assembly for support of the Illinois DREAM Act, which
will be voted on in the Illinois Senate on May 4. The rally was organized by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, president of DePaul University said, “This is a critical point and day because this is when you bring elected officials into the room and they see the support for the legislation they’re about to vote on. Today is the final push.” Around a thousand people packed inside
Last Thursday a group of students participated in Take Back the Night to show their support for women who are survivors of abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. “Take Back the Night utilizes the symbolism of marching and dancing through the streets in order to reclaim [the streets] from the fear of women, trans people, and other marginalized groups face walking through the streets at night” coordinator Amanda Stefanski said. A DePaul student group called The Feminist Front, which focuses on raising awareness of feminist issues, organized the event. The event has been taking place in various parts of the country since 1975 when citizens of Philadelphia came together in support of a woman named Susan Alexander Speeth who was stabbed and killed when walking home alone one night. Take Back the Night has now become a global phenomenon. People all over the world are
Photo by Mary Ferrill
Students gathered for Take Back the Night on Thursday, April 28 to show support for victims of sexual violence. marching and speaking out against crimes of violence. In addition to showing support for those who have been victims of violence, Take Back the Night is also a safe space for the survivors of violence. The event serves as a way for survivors to heal and share their stories, breaking the silence that typically sur-
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rounds sexual violence. After the march, students participated in a “speak out,” in which those who feel comfortable share their experiences with one another around violence. “I told the story of my sexual assault for the first time at Take Back the Night last year and it was absolutely a life changing experience
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Control your reality Video games still number one form of escape
By TRICIA CATHCART Video games. Online role-playing. “Dungeons and Dragons.” “World of Warcraft.” Getting mental images of glasses-wielding, freckly-faced teenage boys congregating on your living room couch, obsessed with the fantasy worlds that they’ve created for themselves? Maybe you are a fan of these games yourself; you enjoy taking that much-needed break from your daily stresses to join in on a quick “Call of Duty” match with your virtual buddies. The truth is that these types of fantasy and role-playing games have become more popular than ever with recent technological advances, and not only are they sources of masterful, all-encompassing entertainment, but they also serve as a means of
therapy for coping with life issues ranging from acceptance and identity problems to the loss of a loved one, among many others. Escapism is defined as a mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an “escape” from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness. “It’s all about a sense of belonging, and maybe a bit about killing stuff,” said Ethan Gilsdorf, author of “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms.” During his book reading and Q&A at DePaul’s Loop Campus Barnes and Noble
bookstore in mid-April, Gilsdorf discussed the idea of gaming as a way to escape, his own personal relationship with fantasy gaming and what he discovered about the millions of others who engage in the gam-
Graphic by Sam Schroeder
ing world, all of which he presents in his novel, published by The Lyons Press. “In the past, people had antisocial associations with gaming in their minds, but as we’ve progressed the gamer stereotypes
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