The DePaulia 9/21/2020

DePaulia

The

Volume #105 | Issue #3 | Sept. 21, 2020 | depauliaonline.com

1933 - 2020 INSIDE

Profile: Stephanie Dance-Barnes, new dean of College of Science and Health Page 3

A tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, champion of women’s rights Pages 8-9

EDITORIAL: Do ‘blue lives’ matter more than Blue Demons?

Page 12

2 | News. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

First Look

Aug. 7, 2020 - Sept. 18, 2020

CAMPUS COVID-19 CASES

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News

News. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 3

ERIC HENRY | THE DEPAULIA

Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes, Dean, College of Science and Health, DePaul University, plans to focus on fostering diversity for students to further passions for science.

New CSH Dean aims to diversify program

By Holly Jenvey Staff Writer

Stephanie Dance-Barnes became the dean of DePaul’s College of Science and Health during unprecedented times.

With a global pandemic and a fight for racial justice, Dance-Barnes is keeping those factors under her belt while issuing her longstanding commitment of providing opportunities to students of all backgrounds.

“Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to providing opportunities,” Dance-Barnes said.

According to a press release from DePaul Newsroom, Dance-Barnes joined the community on July 1, succeeding Dorothy Kozlowski, who served as the interim dean from 2018.

Prior to coming to DePaul, she worked at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, serving as the interim associate provost, dean of lifelong learning for 10 years, amongst other positions. Dance-Barnes also was in charge of overseeing how students gained the tools for success through STEM and TRiO support services, advising and more.

Throughout her career, DanceBarnes received awards and fellowships, including The University of North Carolina System Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Though Dance-Barnes began her scientific path at Elizabeth City State University, she gained a bachelor’s degree in biology and pre-medicine. She then went on to get her doctorate at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where she was the first Black woman to receive a doctorate in cancer biology and toxicology. As a North Carolina native, moving to Chicago was a big step for her.

“It was a very big decision,” DanceBarnes said on taking the position from DePaul.

Dance-Barnes was invested in her

work at Winston-Salem State University, as it was a historically Black college, however DePaul’s mission of “What must be done?” resonated with her, enticing her to step into the role. DanceBarnes said her experiences as a cancer biologist and providing academic support apply to being the dean of the college of science and health. However, she said fostering diversity in the classroom is another big step to help students develop a passion for science.

“It’s going to be very important that we think about what our faculty looks like,” Dance-Barnes said.

Having a diverse representation of faculty would help students from different backgrounds to succeed. Yet, along with representation, Dance-Barnes said the curriculum must be relevant to current events and how they will apply to scientific careers in the future. According to Newsline, Dance-Barnes received a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to encourage undeserved third to fifth grade students to pursue careers in STEM. She also introduced a Women and Science program to Winston-Salem State University in 2011.

“I think it’s going to be important that once again, when looking at the curriculum, that we ensure that it’s culturally relevant,” Dance-Barnes said.

Dance-Barnes noted from her experience at Winston-Salem State University, women who were enrolled in STEM programs were highly motivated, but then dropped out post-graduation.

However, like she did in North Carolina, Dance-Barnes is hoping to get students motivated for STEM careers before they head into college. Prior to her arrival, DePaul’s college of science and health received a grant worth nearly $1 million to help promote diversity in line with STEM and TRiO programs.

Aside from the grant, Dance-Barnes said it will be important to bring up

today’s climate as there are individuals and situations that were put in place to lend themselves to racism. As a result, these policies and processes diminish opportunities for students of underrepresented backgrounds.

“Once students leave DePaul and graduate, they’re going out into a world that is unfortunately unfiltered and we have to make sure that we’re preparing you all to take all those challenges,” Dance-Barnes said.

Covid-19 has shown a light on health disparities across the country regarding race. According to a report from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, communities of color have experienced increased risk for infection, severe illness and death from the virus because of long standing health and social inequities. The report also said that from June 5-18, among 79 hotspots, a disproportionate number of Covid-19 cases were from communities of color.

Dance-Barnes aims to shine a light on these disparities by bridging the gap between basic sciences and health sciences.

Aside from keeping up with current trends in curriculums, Dance-Barnes has always valued researched based learning. At Winston-Salem State University, she changed the curriculum of a general biology lab from a cookbook style to a more experiential-based and inquiry form of learning, recognized by Insight into Diversity Magazine in 2017.

For DePaul’s classes, she also has ideas for more research based classes, but in order for that to happen, the entire faculty would need to be on board.

“You have to have investment and ownership from everyone,” DanceBarnes said.

The important skills Dance-Barnes said students would gain from researched based classes are applying knowledge, critical thinking, information literacy and identifying questions.

These are prevalent when entering the workforce.

However, as DePaul is a different setting from where she previously worked, Dance-Barnes acknowledged both the challenges and opportunities that arise. Yet, in the end, she said that having the opportunity to take on the position will be able to lend her experiences and grow. Though her goals, no matter where she worked, have always been the same.

“It’s always been about being student-centered and providing opportunities for our students to basically give back and to lead change,” Dance-Barnes said.

Now, with a virtual setting, these goals are being fulfilled in a whole new light. Even though meeting with colleagues all day online could be draining, Dance-Barnes said that it makes her more accessible.

“This has created the opportunity to actually meet more frequently to talk about things that are relevant, to make sure we’re constantly assessing and evaluating what’s going on because things are constantly changing,” Dance-Barnes said.

She also mentioned the faculty and staff within the college have truly risen to the occasion and strives to keep up the effective work. However, DanceBarnes is still planning events to have as much engagement as possible, even on a remote forum.

Even though she won’t be seeing many students, faculty and staff in-person, she is hoping that they will still envision her authenticity and dedication to DePaul’s mission, while gaining their trust.

“It makes me better working with students,” Dance-Barnes said.

4 | News. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

SGA holds first meeting of fall quarter, sets budget

By Theodora Koulouvaris Staff Writer

DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) held its first general body meeting of the academic year Thursday evening to discuss a variety of topics, including the appointment of a new vice president and the budget for the 2020-2021 school year.

Resolution to Alter Structure of Meetings SGA passed a resolution to modify its organizational structures for the rmainder of this period of remote learning. The resolution allows SGA to adapt its rules and procedural standards due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes conducting SGA’s general body meetings through Zoom at the regularly scheduled time, waiving service and event requirements for SGA members and “advertising” SGA’s Zoom link to allow students to join general body meetings virtually and recording the meetings to post them online. Read the resolution here.

New Vice President SGA discussed appointing a new vice president after Alyssa Isberto, the former SGA vice president, assumed the presidency following the resignation of former SGA President Giselle Cervantes. SGA first discussed appointing John Milas, SGA’s senator for fourth and fifth year students but voted against it. Watfae Zayed, SGA’s senator for commuter students, is a potential candidate for the position. After a private discussion between SGA members on her appointment, the group tabled the decision to appoint a new vice president until next week’s meeting.

New Confirmations SGA confirmed several of its members to their positions. Those confirmed include Misael Alejandre as SGA chief of staff, Kelsee Avery as executive secretary, Arantxa Reyes as PR coordinator and Jaslynn Hodges as community engagement coordinator. Jane Pallos’ confirmation for her position as elections coordinator will be postponed until SGA appoints a vice president.

Civic Engagement and Social Action Series In addition to the first meeting of the school year, SGA also held the second session of its Civic Engagement and Social Action Series Tuesday evening through Facebook Live.

Isberto and Hodges interviewed Sarah Zavislan, a DePaul alum who works for the Congressional Budget Office, about her time at DePaul, her career and ways students can get involved in civic engagement and social action.

When she started at DePaul, Zavislan said she did not know what she was interested in studying, as she entered as a pre-med major and ultimately changed her mind. Zavislan said she was interested in the policy aspect of health and medicine and curious about the functions of government. Growing up in San Diego, she was exposed to the medical industry and said coming to Chicago introduced her to the idea of working in government.

“It really wasn’t until I got to Chicago that I even thought about what it would look like to work in government and to be much more civically engaged than I kind of was exposed to as a kid,” Zavislan said.

As a student at DePaul, Zavislan spent most of her time interning for political campaigns and working for government offices in Chicago.

“I got a lot of different experiences that were helpful to kind of learning the different sides of government,” Zavislan said.

Zavislan was also a part of SGA throughout her sophomore, junior and senior years, serving as SGA vice president from 2013 to 2014. Zavislan said her time in SGA helped her develop skills that helped her in her career.

“I think that in SGA, you learn how to work with people you don’t necessarily agree with and also people who have a lot more seniority and experience than you,” Zavislan said. “Both of those are really important things.

Learning how to disagree with people and not take it personally and not lose your cool is not a small thing to go into the workplace.”

After leaving DePaul, Zavislan said she attended law school at Boston University where she continued exploring different internship opportunities eventually interning for the Congressional Budget Office in Washington, D.C., which creates an “estimate for all legislation that gets passed at a certain point in the legislative process.” She also worked at the House Legislative Council which helps draft legislation for the House of Representatives.

When asked what advice she would give to students interested in pursuing a career in politics, Zavislan explained that students with

minimal experience in government and politics can pursue career opportunities related to this field due to the “low bar to entry.”

“Pretty much any government or campaign entity is going to be more than happy to have someone volunteer or be an intern who has absolutely zero experience, and that is to your advantage if you are a freshman or a sophomore or a junior and you haven’t really gotten out there and gotten work experience or done anything in that field ever,” Zavislan said.

When asked how students can get involved in civic engagement and social action, Zavislan expressed the importance of being well informed about current events.

“Being aware is the first thing that you can do and getting your information from a reputable source, which isn’t as easy as it used to be, so that’s an awesome first step,” Zavislan said.

“I think you have to be aware of what’s going on in the world around you in order to be an

PATSY NEWITT | THE DEPAULIA

active citizen in it.”

SGA will hold another session next week on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. through Facebook Live interviewing another panelist. SGA held its first session last week with Vanessa Cadavillo, who works for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. other than the accused person committed the conduct alleged. The second is if posed questions or evidence concern “specific incidents of the complainant’s prior sexual behavior with respect to the Respondent and are offered to prove consent.”

After a verdict is determined, each party will have the option to file an appeal. The appeal must be filed within 7 days of the date each party receives a notice of dismissal or determination. All records may be destroyed after 7 years.

News. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 5

The end of e-cigarettes?

City council bans flavored products, proposes further resolution to end youth usage

By Cailey Gleeson News Editor

The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance banning the sale of all flavored e-cigarette products in the city in an attempt to curb youth tobacco usage, effective Oct. 7, per a Sept. 9 press release.

“With flavors like candy and chocolate, these products are designed to entice youth, and we as a city have a responsibility to do everything we can to prevent that from happening,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in the release. “This ordinance is an important step, but more must be done to protect our young people’s health from vaping and the tobacco industry’s efforts to have them to develop life-threatening habits.”

A report from the Chicago Department of Public Health found that while cigarette smoking among the city’s youth is down to 3.9 percent, the youth vaping rate is 12.4 percent — an 88 percent increase over the last two years.

Jodi Radke, director of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids’ Rocky Mountain and Great Plains division, said e-cigarette usage is highest amongst high school students — with 19.6 percent of students being users — and lowest amongst older adults.

“Flavored products have fueled the youth epidemic,” Radke said. “While flavored cigarettes are banned (except menthol), e-cigarettes are widely available in over 15,000 flavors, like gummy bear, cotton candy, mango and mint. 70 percent of you current youth e-cigarette users say they use e-cigarettes ‘because they come in flavors I like.’”

Dr. Craig Klugman, a professor in DePaul University’s department of health sciences, said the advertising for flavored

products also targets these younger audiences.

“Vaping advertising is very much geared to a younger audience with the use of flavors, bright colors, celebrities, and social media campaigns,” Klugman said.

“These are geared, like ads for cigarettes in the 1950s-90s, to give one a sense of being part of a cool lifestyle if you just partake.”

Despite initial popularity, e-cigarette usage in the United States has attracted intense scrutiny over the last two years.

“Part of the appeal of e-cigarettes is the misconceptions about such products are safer,” Dr. Leonard Jason, a community psychology professor at DePaul who has specialized in smoking habits for nearly 45 years, said. “The ban of flavored JUUL products is a very good thing, and hopefully, it will help reduce its prevalence, particularly among very young people.”

In November 2018, e-cigarette distributor JUUL voluntarily removed all flavored nicotine products except menthol and tobacco flavors from their in-store sales. A wave of illnesses and deaths attributed to e-cigarette usage — especially “bootleg” THC products — broke out last fall, attracting additional scrutiny and resulting in strict FDA guidelines for vaping products at the start of this year.

Radke said JUUL’s discontinuation of certain flavors primarily resulted in users “shifting flavor preferences or switching to other products.”

“From 2018 to 2019, youth use of fruit flavors fell, while youth use of mint and menthol flavors increased by 50 percent, and overall youth e-cigarette use increased from 20.8 percent to 27.5 percent,” Radke said. “In 2020, after JUUL had removed its mint flavor from the market, 37 percent of youth e-cigarette users, including 44.5 per-

cent of users of refillable cartridge systems like JUUL, reported using menthol-flavored products.”

Radke said the city council’s move reflects nationwide efforts to ban flavored tobacco products.

“There is growing momentum across the country to end the sale of flavored e-cigarettes,” Radke said. “Already, five states — California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island — and over 275 localities have enacted laws or rules to prohibit the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.”

Arguments against such bans include the notion that users will turn to illicit markets to get flavored products — however Radke said that’s not necessarily the case.

“To date, we have not seen any evidence that flavor restrictions will lead users to an illicit market,” Radke said. “Tobacco companies have consistently exaggerated the risk of an illicit market in order to discourage governments from implementing effective tobacco control measures and to create fear amongst the community.”

Along with the Sept. 9 ordinance, Mayor Lightfoot and the council introduced a resolution to further work on banning all flavored tobacco products in the city — including menthol cigarettes.

“We have come a long way. Twenty years ago, one in four teens in Chicago smoked cigarettes. Today, that number is down to one in 25,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady. “Yet the growing vaping epidemic is unacceptable, as are the increasing inequities in tobacco use. To advance health and equity, we must keep going.”

ALICIA GOLUSKA | THE DEPAULIA

Involvement Fair goes virtual, sees slight drop in participation

By Charlie Carey Contributing Writer

One of the most important days for any DePaul organization is the Involvement Fair. Usually filled with free swag and food along with new friends, the Involvement Fair had to be reimagined this year in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is normally the day clubs and organizations set up booths to talk to students about their groups in an attempt to recruit new members. It is also a chance for new students to acclimate to the culture of the university and make friends. This year, since the fair and club meetings can’t happen in person, the DePaul eboard and the clubs had to get creative.

Similar to how other events have gone virtual this quarter, DeHUB, DePaul’s platform for student engagement, was the setting of the fair. A virtual Quad was designed, split into different categories of clubs and organizations for students to look through.

The online format still involved interactive features. If a student was interested in a club, they could click on the virtual “booth” to get more information, then talk to current members through either a chat function or zoom meeting. This way, it was more engaging than looking through a list of clubs and organizations. Students were able to connect with current members through this format.

This strange new setup isn’t deterring clubs and students from finding each oth-

CAILEY GLEESON | THE DEPAULIA

The virtual map of DePaul’s quad, the usual location for the annual Involvement Fair. er, though. Elizabeth Mantha of DePaul Women’s Club Basketball said it was definitely an adjustment switching to an online platform this year, and their main concern going into it was portraying themselves through a computer screen rather than in person, but in the end it worked out pretty well.

“The eboard has really impressed with how well the virtual fair was put together,” Mantha said.“Between the online chat and the virtual Zoom, we are still able to recruit a good number of girls.”

As a sports club, though, Mantha said the Involvement Fair isn’t the only place

they have to make drastic changes. Although plans are still up in the air for the future, they have opportunities to engage with each other.

“Our season doesn’t officially start until January, so we haven’t discussed too indepth on what our meetings will be like,” Mantha said. “However, we have discussed trying to find fun virtual team bonding activities to meet all the new girls and stay in touch with past players.”

In contrast, not all clubs see the transition to online as much of an adjustment.

Some clubs have a flexible platform that functions well both in person and online.

DePaul Reads, a fairly new book club that began last winter, doesn’t see moving recruitment or meetings completely online as too much of a loss.

“If anything, I’m hoping the switch helps us grow as a club with everyone looking for new ways to come together and make friends or spend time together,” said DePaul Reads President Savannah Greer.

“As a book club, most of our ‘activity’ happens on our own and we only meet once a month to discuss the book we read.”

1,217 people visited the Involvement Fair this year and there were a total of 5,243 booth visits. Teneshia Arnold, the assistant director of programming at the Office of Student Involvement, said in a previous DePaulia article that the past average number of organizations to register is 150. This year, there were 151.

“We’ve had students share how they appreciate us still being able to put together some virtual offerings as quickly as we did,” Arnold said. “Another portion of the feedback that we got back was that students appreciate us providing some sense of normalcy for them.”

Social media is a big asset to clubs connecting to prospective club members. All clubs and sports will be communicating through social media about updates regarding remote meetings.

For example, Her Campus DePaul has been updating about their remote club meetings through Twitter.

Despite any challenges presented by an online format, student involvement is still crucial to the DePaul experience.

6| News. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

Shopping fresh while staying safe Farmers markets across the city implement guidelines to protect patrons and staff

By Corey Schmidt Staff Writer

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused financial hardships for many small businesses. At a time when people may feel uncomfortable going into busy shops, farmers markets have made an impact on local businesses.

“The sales [at Green City Market] helped us open our first shop,” Paula Haney of Hoosier Mama Pie Company said. “It has been really important during COVID when we can’t have as many people in our shops. We chose to only offer carryout and patio seating so the market gives us another opportunity to meet our customers.”

“Green City Market on Saturday is my biggest and busiest market,” Gayle Voss, owner of Gayle V’s Best Ever Grilled Cheese, said. “I have been there for 10 years now and feel everyone knows about my grilled cheese. This year in particular it is helping to keep my restaurant open since I am located in the loop and there are not many people there.”

Farmers only get 15 cents of every dollar that consumers spend on food at traditional food outlets, according to the Farmers Market Coalition. Making farmers markets helps these small businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic, as 100% of the dollars spent go directly to the farmer.

“One of the big differences [between a small business and a corporation] is that a small business does not have the bank account, the access to capital,” said Matthew Ragas, assistant professor at DePaul University. “When you’re a large corporation, it’s generally easier to get loans and access to capital.”

Green City Market is a farmers market with locations in Lincoln Park and West Loop. The Lincoln Park location is open on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. This in-

ERIC HENRY | THE DEPAULIA

Farmers Market in Wicker Park operational with mask wearing and other COVID-19 safety procedures.

ERIC HENRY | THE DEPAULIA

Vendor of organic food stand organizing produce at Wicker Park Farmers Market. cludes a 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. hour specifically for shoppers vulnerable to Covid-19. The West Loop location is also open on Saturday with hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. intended for vulnerable

customers.

It is asked that one or two healthy members of one’s household shop at the market, according to GCM’s website. It is also required that shoppers have no symptoms of

Covid-19 and wear a face mask at all times while maintaining six feet of distance as per markings on the ground.

More regulations have been put in place for vendors compared to previous years. This includes vendors only being able to touch products and supply their own handwashing station.

“Green City Market is requiring all vendors and customers to wear masks, limiting the number of people allowed into the market at one time, and setting aside the first hour for more vulnerable shoppers,” Haney said. “Each vendor also must bring a handwashing station. Customer traffic goes in one direction.”

The Logan Square Farmers Market is another option to consider. The market is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m until Oct. 23. Individuals that are at risk for Covid-19 are able to shop from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. to reduce the risk.

A virtual marketplace is available on the Logan Square Farmers Market website for those that do not feel comfortable going to the market itself. The available methods for acquiring the products depend on the vendor, though most have delivery options.

A short Brown Line trip away from DePaul is the Low-Line Market at Southport. This market occurs on Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with the first and last thirty minutes of the market intended for at-risk customers. The Low-Line Market has a list of regulations regarding Covid-19 on their website. Credit card use is strongly encouraged and, if using cash, customers should not expect change.

Green City Market has an extra process to make sure that their products are always fresh.

“It is the only market in the country that requires third-party certification for vendors to be able to sell there,” Voss said. “If it isn’t made [or] grown by the vendor, prepared food is to use vendor products also, then you can’t sell it.”

NADIA HERNANDEZ | THE DEPAULIA

News. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 7

ERIC HENRY | THE DEPAULIA

Barriers block visitors from getting close up to Chicago’s iconic bean monument, “Cloud Gate” as part of many restrictions implemented by the city to curb the spread.

City sights suffer

Chicago tourist hotspots see effect of pandemic on attendance

By Cailey Gleeson & Nadia Hernandez News & Asst. News Editors

Since Covid-19 forced varying degrees of lockdown and travel restrictions around the globe, the streets of Chicago have been empty without tourists filling iconic spots.

Prior to the halt of normalcy imposed by the pandemic, Illinois tourism saw its ninth consecutive year of record-breaking numbers — 117 million visitors in 2018 and 120 million in 2019 respectively.

Although Chicago’s role in growth was not accounted for in the 2019 numbers presented by the Illinois Office of Tourism Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the city set its own visitor record in 2018, bringing in 58 million tourists.

A big part of the city’s appeal is the number of iconic spots that tourists flock to, many of which remain closed to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Professor and academic director of the PRAD Graduate Program Matt Ragas said these cultural institutions around the city are part of “the heartbeat of Chicago.”

Even though these locations are so integral to the city’s economy, many are struggling to adapt to post-shutdown procedures.

“The larger cultural institutions in town are also having to resort to layoffs in some cases, but generally have the endowments and donors where their long term health and sustainability is not at risk,” Ragas said.

“It’s the smaller cultural institutions, outside of the Loop and in the neighborhoods, that tend not to have the same level of financial support and reserve funds.”

Despite some of these institutions reopening as quarantine restrictions eased citywide, the lasting effects of closures are seen through new guidelines and budget shortfalls.

Since the Field Museum reopened to the public on July 24, many guidelines have been established to protect patrons and employees — including plexiglass barriers, limited capacity and required face coverings.

“Typically before Covid, we had three

“Big institutions have generally been able to pivot more successfully and adapt, whereas smaller institutions, whether small businesses or non-profit organizations, have seemingly struggled more. We must step up and support them.”

Matt Ragas

DePaul professor

entrances. Now, we are down to just one entrance at this point,” Guest Relations Manager Jacob Schuler said. “So, everybody’s entering through the east entrance which is also our accessible entrance.”

In addition to these protocols, the museum added automatic sanitizers throughout the building.

“We have automatic hand sanitizers throughout the building at almost every turn. We are asking our visitors to self sanitize as much as possible,” Schuler said.

Although the Field Museum has been able to operate, attendance has gone down due to the restrictions on international travel and capacity limits.

“We’ve definitely seen a good attendance, especially because during the summer our attendance would typically be driven by international visitation, which obviously is not happening,” Schuler said.

“So attendance has been, you know, considerably soft versus last year but at the same time, it’s created a really great opportunity for those visitors to come to feel safe right now.”

The Field Museum engaged with patrons with online content, including a new instant chat with Maximo the Titanosaur.

The Shedd Aquarium has introduced similar measures for protection. Johnny Ford, assistant director of public relations,

said “strict guidelines” to protect patrons and employees have been implemented after the facility’s July 3 re-opening, including a 25 percent decrease in the building’s capacity.

“The closure and a lower building capacity cut directly into our attendance revenue, which fuels 70 percent of our annual operations budget,” Ford said. “This has resulted in what we expect to be a $23 million budget shortfall this year.”

Ford said the budget shortfall resulted in “several layoffs and furloughed staff ” when the aquarium was closed.

“We have since been able to welcome several of those staff back from furlough after reopening,” Ford said. “We’re also heavily focused on creating some new virtual programs that can engage guests from home and around the world to help support our revenue losses.”

Director of DePaul’s School of Hospitality Leadership Nicholas Thomas said the effects of reduced tourism affect the entire city.

“I think Chicago is probably unlike most major cities in the United States,” Thomas said. “Hospitality and tourism is a massive driver of revenue for our economy, whether it’s taxes that are generated from that; whether it’s tourists coming in to spend money; whether it’s for business or

leisure travel; those numbers have significantly declined.”

Popular events like Lollapalooza, Chicago Marathon and concerts have impacted the tourism aspect of the city’s economy as well because of statewide restrictions of large gatherings.

“People aren’t coming to the city for those big events, so sure Navy Pier with the Art Institute, those are really big draws — but where we’ve really seen the biggest impact was meeting in events because if people aren’t coming to the city for meeting and events and staying in the hotels, they’re not eating in the restaurants; they’re not shopping on Michigan Avenue,” Thomas said.

The effect goes beyond events, but to how businesses will have to adjust their staffing.

“When those businesses are seeing a major decline in business, in some cases that means that they have to furlough staff, they just have to close their doors and lay off their staff,” Thomas said. “It’s not just the revenue that they would be making, but then it’s the people that had to get laid off as well but then aren’t in turn, spending money.”

Ragas said some businesses have been able to recover more smoothly than others.

“That has been an uneven economic recovery so far,” Ragas said. “Big institutions have generally been able to pivot more successfully and adapt, whereas smaller institutions, whether small businesses or non profit organizations, have seemingly struggled more. We must step up and support them.”

Thomas said the effect of the pandemic has affected all areas of life. He adds that Covid-19 will impact everywhere, not just the tourism industry.

“This has an impact on hospitality and tourism, but it has an impact on retail, it has an impact on schools, it has an impact on places of worship, it has an impact on public transportation,” Thomas said.

“Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate based on industry, it will go anywhere.”

8 | Politics. The DePaulia. Sep. 21, 2020

Politics The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Provided to the Associated Press by the Supreme Court, photograph depicts Ruth Bader Ginsburg typing while on a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship in Italy in 1977.

And how the Senate Republicans are pushing a replacement

By Nika Schoonover & Marcus Robertson Politics Editor & Nation and World Editor

S

upreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known for her groundbreaking strides in women’s rights, died Friday at 87, the Supreme Court announced. The second woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, Ginsburg’s reputation echoes in the heartfelt condolences and open criticisms of the public while the political implications of her death add uncertainty to an already turbulent election year.

The court said the cause of death was complications from metastatic pancreas cancer. According to the statement, Ginsburg died at her home in Washington, surrounded by family.

“Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague,” Chief Justice John Roberts said of Ginsburg.

“Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, born in 1933, grew up in a middle-class family in Brooklyn, New York. She was affectionately nicknamed “Kiki” by her older sister, who died at age 6.

Ginsburg started at Harvard Law School but transferred to Columbia when her husband got a job there. In 1959, she finished at the top of her class, but was unable to find a law firm that would hire her because she was a woman.

At 17-years-old, Ginsburg met her husband, Martin, at Cornell University.

They married in 1954 and are survived by two children, Jane and James. Martin Ginsburg became a prominent tax attorney and law professor. He died in 2010 because of complications from metastatic cancer.

Affectionately nicknamed “the Noto-

rious RBG,” Ginsburg was a fervent advocate of gender equality. She co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union Women’s Rights Project in 1972. As an architect of the project, she led the ACLU in bringing important legal battles to the Supreme Court. The Women’s Rights Project and ACLU affiliates participated in over 300 sex discrimination cases from 1969-1980, paving the way for Ginsburg’s life-long reputation as a resounding voice in the fight for gender equality.

In 1996, Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion for United States v. Virginia, a case about gender-based exclusions at the Virginia Military Institute. The institute was Virginia’s last exclusively-male higher learning institution at the time. In Ginsburg’s argument, she said that it is of the court’s opinion that Virginia violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. In 1997, the Virginia Military Institute saw a co-ed class for the first time in its 158-year-old history, enrolling 31 women among their class of 430 men.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, later referred

to as “the great dissenter,” delivered powerful dissents on issues of abortion, voting rights and pay discrimination. In an interview with NPR’s Nina Totenberg, Ginsburg said that a dissenter’s hope is that “they are writing not for today, but for tomorrow.”

In the 2006 case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear, Lily Ledbetter sued her employer for gender discrimination on the grounds of receiving lower pay than her male counterparts. Ginsburg wrote the dissenting opinion, accusing the eight male justices of being indifferent to the gender pay gap.

“The Court does not comprehend or is indifferent to the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination,” Ginsburg said.

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, requiring employers to ensure pay practices are non-discriminatory and to keep records proving the fairness of pay decisions.

Despite her significant contributions

DOUG MILLS | AP

June 14, 1993, President Bill Clinton poses with his nominee for the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg during a news conference in Washington D.C.

to gender equality, Ginsburg has been criticized for her relationship with racial justice. In Ginsburg’s 13-year tenure in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, she did not hire a single Black law clerk. When this issue was raised at Ginsburg’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1993, she said, “If you confirm me for this job, my attractiveness to Black candidates is going to improve.” After serving for 27 years on the bench, Ginsburg only hired one Black clerk.

In a 2016 interview with Katie Couric, Ginsburg openly commented on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for not standing during the national anthem.

“If they want to be stupid, there’s no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there’s no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that,” Ginsburg said.

Kaepernick’s reason for kneeling during the national anthem was to protest racial injustices against Black people in America, especially police brutality.

In a later statement released by the Supreme Court’s press office, Ginsburg apologized for these comments.

“Barely aware of the incident or its purpose, my comments were inappropriately dismissive and harsh. I should have declined to respond,” Ginsburg said.

Ginsburg has received further critiques for her work in relation to indigenous people. In the 2005 case, Sherrill v.

Oneida, Ginsburg delivered the majority opinion that prevented the tribe from reinstating ancient sovereignty on the land in issue. The land was originally owned by the Oneida Nation who sold the land in 1807 but repurchased it in 1990 by a descendant tribe. The tribe wanted to re-

Continued on next page

Politics. The DePaulia. Sep. 21, 2020 | 9 Continued from previous page instate the land’s reservation status, making it exempt from taxes.

Most recently, in the last Supreme Court case heard before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down normal operations, Ginsberg sided with conservative justices in ruling that existing legislation allowed land underneath the Appalachian Trail could be used for an oil pipeline. Ginsberg signed onto all but one of the majority opinion’s sections.

In the last years of the Obama administration, Ginsburg refused to step down from the Supreme Court, despite suggestions that her retirement would allow the president to appoint a liberal judge as a

replacement. Ginsburg said she will remain on the court as long as she can do her job at “full steam.”

“So anybody who thinks that if I step down, Obama could appoint someone like me, they’re misguided,” Ginsburg said to Elle Magazine in 2014.

Though she faced worsening health conditions in her last years on the bench, Ginsburg said that her schedule makes her feel better compared to “just lying around feeling sorry” for herself.

“The necessity to get up and go is stimulating,” Ginsburg said. “And somehow, all these appearances I’ve had since the end of August, whatever my temporary disability is, it stops, and I’m okay for the event.”

CLIFF OWEN | AP

July 31, 2014, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in her chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington D.C.

When asked if she regrets her decision to delay her retirement, Ginsburg maintained that she did not believe the president would have been able to adequately replace her.

Within one hour of Ginsburg’s death being announced, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement saying he’d hold a vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the empty court seat, contradicting his own remarks from 2016.

After Justice Antonin Scalia’s death on Feb. 13, 2016, McConnell said in a statement, “this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”

Barack Obama’s term would not officially end for another 324 days. Senate Republicans then refused to hold a confirmation vote for Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland. The Supreme Court was left with an empty seat for over a year before McConnell could hold a vote on Trump’s nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch was confirmed on April 7, 2017.

Sen. Lindsey Graham went back on his word, too.

“If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said, let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination,” Graham said in March 2016. “I want you to use my words against me,” he said.

Two years later, at the midway point of Trump’s first term, Graham doubled down on his public commitment to following the precedent the GOP set with Garland in 2016.

“If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the pri-

mary process is started, we’ll wait to the next election,” Graham said.

The night after Ginsburg’s death, Graham changed his tone.

“I will support President [Trump] in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg,” Graham said in a tweet.

On her deathbed, Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

With her passing, key Supreme Court decisions could be overturned if a conservative justice is confirmed to fill her seat.

Abortion rights could be at risk if one of several abortion-related cases makes it to a heavily conservative Supreme Court, invalidating the Roe v. Wade ruling.

With one of two Trump-nominated Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch, having already argued it should be overruled, the “Chevron Doctrine” could risk being dismantled as well. The doctrine, based on a Supreme Court decision in 1984’s Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. case, has allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to independently determine how to implement and enforce environment-related legislation.

Following Ginsburg’s death, social media was flooded with those commenting on her legacy, but she had her own ideas about what makes a life worth remembering.

“To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think a meaningful life is,” she said in an interview with CNN. “One lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.”

Trump uses ‘law and order’ campaign to take back midwest votes

By Cailey Gleeson News Editor In an attempt to take back key votes that have dwindled in recent months, President Donald Trump has attempted to paint “Biden’s America” as a country devoid of any law and order —using videos from protests under his own administration.

“Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to violence in American cities,” Vice President Mike Pence said during his speech at the RNC. “The hard truth is you will not be safe in Joe Biden’s America.”

Ben Epstein, associate professor in DePaul’s political science department, said Trump is aiming to lock in his previous white midwestern voters through several campaigns, but with an emphasis on law and order in response to civil unrest that has gripped the nation since George Floyd was killed by police in May. “His focus on law and order is a continuation of his role as demagogue,” Epstein said. “If he can make people afraid enough, and suggest who they should be afraid of, and that he is the one to keep them safe, then he might get them to stay in his camp. It’s a campaign of fear, misdirection, and undermining the institutions and trust in the democratic process. It worked for him just barely in 2016. His money has changed but his basic plan hasn’t.”

R. Craig Sautter, adjunct faculty in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, specializes in U.S. presidential politics. He said Trump is “trying to take a page” out of formerpresident Richard Nixon’s “Law and

Order” campaign, which responded to the 1968 riots following Martin Luther King’s death, and at the Chicago Democratic National Convention.

“Nixon did win, but in one of the closest elections in U.S. history,” he said.

“Trump has to win or lose based on his four-year record. The ‘Law and Order’ appeal is limited. He needs to show thepositive vision for the future.”

Polling in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio — key states in Trump’s 2016 win — shows the president is trailing behind Democratic opponent Biden.

Sautter said the Midwest has primarily voted Republican in the past — with the exception of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression — until recently with former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

“With [the] exception of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, the Midwest went Republican again for Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump,” Sautter said. “So the Midwest is currently split, and votes Democrat or Republican these days, not based on party, but based on the appeal of the presidential candidate. That is certain to be the case this year.”

Political science professor Wayne Steger said most voters are “unchanged” in the face of the emphasis on law and order.

“People leaning Democratic don’t like his approach,” Steger said. “Republicans and leaning Republicans like his approach. The key question will be independent voters.”

Trump’s visit to Kenosha, Wis. following the police shooting of Jacob Blake — in which the president defended law enforcement and didn’t mention

EVAN VUCCI | AP

A television screen shows former Vice President Joe Biden holding up a mask as President Trump is shown on Air Force One after a campaign rally in Wisconsin, Sept.

17, 2020 Blake’s name — emphasized this strategy.

“Like so much of what he does, it endeared his supporters and enraged his opponents,” Epstein said. “For someone who won the presidency with under 50% of the vote, and someone who has never been popular with over 50% of the public, it seems like a bold and potentially shortsighted strategy to try to not win over new voters, at least not mainly, and to try to just motivate those that already supported him.”

Sautter said there are “still two

months of surprises” as the election quickly approaches.

“The impact of Covid-19 and the economic turmoil it has caused may be Trump’s undoing,” Sautter said. “And the unknown influence of Vote by Mail and its potential for fraud make the outcome of the election even more unpredictable. The only thing that is certain is that almost every close state race will be involved in lawsuits and recounts, and that the outcome of the election may not be known for weeks, even months.”

10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

Nation &World

New leadership for Japan Shinzo Abe’s legacy, and what to expect from the new PM

Then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga talk at a session of the parliament’s Lower House in Tokyo in December, 2016.

By Marcus Robertson Nation & World Editor

For the first time in eight years, Japan has a new prime minister. Yoshihide Suga, the 71-year-old son of a farmer, was elected via an internal party vote to replace Shinzo Abe, who is the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history.

Abe served a brief stint in 2006 and 2007 before resigning due to health concerns over ulcerative colitis, a chronic disease of the digestive system. After recovering, Abe was elected PM again in 2012, and he served until his resignation this year over concerns of the same chronic disease.

Abe leaves behind a legacy including Japan’s first period of sustained economic growth since 1991. His cumulative efforts to revive the world’s third-largest economy have come to be known as “Abenomics,” consisting of three “arrows”: qualitative easing, fiscal stimulus, and structural reforms.

Critics have disputed the effectiveness of these policies.

The first of the three to be implemented was qualitative easing, under which the Japanese government reduced interest rates and the Bank of Japan increased inflation of the yen.

Next came fiscal stimulus, including a 113 trillion yen stimulus package passed in 2013 designed to aid small businesses and fund public works.

“In order to make financial balance, [Shinzo Abe] increased the consumption tax, which was hugely unpopular in Japanese society,” said Taeju Kim, a professor of Japanese politics at the University of Chicago. “Big businesses got a lot of benefit, but the ordinary people were very much complaining about the consumption tax and paying for the big businesses to grow their business.”

The impacts of Abenomics aren’t as simple as that, though; along with an

increased tax burden on the working class, Abe’s policies coincided with a drop in unemployment — below 3%, in fact — that’s remained steady ever since.

“I recognize [the low unemployment rate] is because the big businesses grew their business,” Kim said.

“I certainly cannot deny the role his policy took in reviving the Japanese economy.”

Abe failed, however, to implement meaningful structural reforms, the last of his three arrows. A big part of the proposed reforms involved the Trans Pacific Partnership, which would have, among other things, closed some of Japan’s regulatory loopholes. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the TPP in 2017, undermining Abe’s plans for the trade agreement.

Along with his economic impact, Abe’s legacy is punctuated by nationalistic moves and public statements.

Starting with his first term as PM from 2006 to 2007, Abe called for a revision of Japan’s constitution (commonly known as the “Peace Constitution”) which would eliminate Article 9 — the section forbidding Japan from having a military.

That revision never came about, though; moderate conservatives in Japan’s National Diet, its legislative body akin to the U.S. Congress, decried the expense of instituting an official Japanese military — especially when the American military already provides much of the same benefits.

“They wanted to appropriate American power, and then use it for Japan’s defense,” Kim said. “So Japan and the United States, they became inseparable.”

More than that, Japan’s fiscal health just can’t withstand the additional stress of having to fund a military budget. “[Japanese legislators] wanted to focus on economic development, in-

stead of being sucked into American wars,” Kim said. “So they used the Peace Constitution as a pretext to say, ‘You guys invented this Peace Constitution — because of that, we cannot go abroad and fight for you.’”

In fact, Kim said Abe likely knew full well that legalizing a military would be next to impossible politically and economically — in all likelihood, Abe had different goals in mind when he called for Article 9 to be dismantled.

“He’s a very smart politician, and some people might even say shrewd,” Kim said. “So he made a lot of efforts to look like it’s real, it has to look like it’s real. But he knows he cannot change the constitution.”

While his publicly-professed aims to repeal Article 9 never came close to fruition, Abe did usher in a reinterpretation of the Peace Constitution, allowing expanded use of Japan’s Self Defense Forces in allied-country military missions.

Abe maintained a nationalistic slant regarding Japan’s actions in the first half of the 20th century. He called for new Japanese history textbooks that were less self-critical of Japan’s imperialistic actions and war crimes.

Controversially, he also claimed in 2006 that there was “no evidence” Japan enslaved Korean women in brothels before and during World War 2, despite the Japanese government previously acknowledging and apologizing for it.

All indications point to Suga, formerly Abe’s chief of staff, continuing in Abe’s footsteps in many respects, including Japan’s relationship with South Korea, according to Kim. “We should not expect that much change,” Kim said. “He is more moderate than Abe. The problem is Yoshihide does not have much power, because he does not have affection or support. So the basic line of foreign

KYODO NEWS VIA AP

policy and economic policy, he’ll go with Abe’s line.”

Suga is expected to continue with Abe’s economic policies, though it’s unlikely he’ll be able to implement the missing “third arrow” of Abenomics: structural reform.

“He’s not an expert in economic reform, that is the first thing,” Kim said. “And second, I see the way he was elected was not through the whole party’s election system. It takes time and energy and also power in order to launch a structural reform, and Suga does not have that much political power.”

Lacking that crucial popular support, Suga isn’t expected to have the influence necessary to make waves in Japan’s economic structures. Thanks in part to the limited mandate, Kim said he sees Suga’s government as transitional and short-term.

“His role largely will be kind of managing the current Japanese political moment,” Kim said. “But I think Suga will be a very good manager.”

Assuming the Suga administration is indeed a short-lived one, there are some names to keep an eye on for Japan’s next prime minister election. Kim points to two, in particular.

Shigeru Ishiba is seen as the strongest and most likely candidate, followed by Fumio Kishida.

“Last time he competed with [Shinzo Abe] in the first election, Ishiba won,” Kim said. “But in the second round, he lost because Abe was really good at factional politics. But in general voting, always [Shigeru Ishiba] is more popular.”

At his first press conference as prime minister, Suga emphasized the value of continuity in times of crisis.

“For all the people to restore peace to their lives, I will continue and push forward the Abe administration’s policies,” Suga said. “I recognize that is a mission given to me.”

Nation & World. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 11

Tropical Storm Beta churns slowly toward Texas and Louisiana

By Juan A. Lozano Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Tropical Storm Beta trudged toward the coasts of Texas and Louisiana on Sunday, threatening to bring more rain, wind and stress to a part of the country that has already been drenched and battered during this year’s unusually busy hurricane season.

While Beta could bring up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain to some areas of Texas and Louisiana over the next several days, it was no longer expected to reach hurricane intensity, the National Weather Service said Sunday. Beta was moving a little faster Sunday afternoon and was set to make landfall along Texas’ central or upper Gulf Coast late Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said. It was then expected to move northeastward along the coast and head into Louisiana sometime mid-week, with rainfall as its biggest threat.

Forecasters said Beta was not expected to bring the same amount of rainfall that Texas experienced during either Hurricane Harvey in 2017 or Tropical Storm Imelda last year. Harvey dumped more than 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain on Houston and caused $125 billion in damage in Texas.

Imelda, which hit Southeast Texas, was one of the wettest cyclones on record.

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Beta is slowly churning through the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas and Louisiana, stirring worries that it could bring heavy rain, flooding and storm surge to a storm-weary stretch of the Gulf Coast.

The first rain bands from Beta reached the Texas coast on Sunday, but the heaviest rain wasn’t expected to arrive until Monday into Tuesday.

In low-lying Galveston, which has seen more than its share of tropical weather over the years, officials didn’t expect to issue a mandatory evacuation order but they advised people to have supplies ready in case they have to stay home for several days if roads are flooded. The coastal city about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Houston could get up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain.

“We’re not incredibly worried,” Galveston resident Nancy Kitcheo said Sunday. Kitcheo, 49, and her family had evacuated last month when forecasts suggested Hurricane Laura

NOAA VIA AP This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, and provided by NOAA, shows Tropical Storm Beta, center, in the Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane watch is in effect Saturday for coastal Texas as Tropical Storm Beta gains strength. A storm surge watch and a tropical storm watch are also in effect for the area during an exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season.

could make landfall near Galveston, but they’re planning to buy supplies and wait out Beta. Laura ended up making landfall in neighboring Louisiana.

Kitcheo, whose home is 18 feet above the ground on stilts, said she expected her street to be impassable as water from rising tides was already flooding neighboring roadways on Sunday.

“This has definitely been more stressful, this hurricane season,” she said.

Galveston, which has about 50,000 residents, was the site of the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history, a 1900 storm that killed an estimated 6,000 people. The city was also hit hard in 2008 by Hurricane Ike, which caused about $30 billion in damage.

Kitcheo’s previous home was heavily damaged during Ike and had to be torn down.

Beta was churning slowly through the

Gulf of Mexico on Sunday afternoon about 120 miles (225 kilometers) south-southeast of Galveston, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 6 mph (10 kph).

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Sunday said while Beta was not expected to bring rain like Harvey, he cautioned residents to “be weather alert.”

“Be weather aware because things can change. This is 2020 and so we have to expect the unexpected,” said Turner, adding the city expected to activate its emergency center on Monday.

In Victoria County, about 120 miles southwest of Houston, officials asked residents to prepare for up to 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain.

“As with any event, panic is never helpful or necessary, but preparation is, and now is

the time to finalize those plans,” said County Judge Ben Zeller, the top elected official in Victoria County.

Beta is forecast to dump heavy rain on the southwestern corner of Louisiana three weeks after the same area got pounded by Hurricane Laura. More than 41,000 homes and businesses remain without electricity, and Beta could add to that figure by toppling trees that were left leaning by the previous storm, said meteorologist Donald Jones of the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Storm debris from Laura clogging draining ditches in hard-hit areas such as Lake Charles could increase the threat of flooding.

Beta was one of three named storms whirling in the Atlantic basin during an exceptionally busy hurricane season. If the system makes landfall in Texas, it would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in 2020. That would tie a record set in 1916, according to Colorado State hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Forecasters ran out of traditional storm names on Friday, forcing the use of the Greek alphabet for only the second time since the 1950s.

A stretch of the Gulf Coast from Port Aransas, Texas, about 165 miles (265 kilometers) southwest of Galveston, to Morgan City, Louisiana, 80 miles (128 kilometers) west of New Orleans, was under a tropical storm warning Sunday.

Meanwhile, Teddy remained a powerful hurricane on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and moving north-northwest at 9 mph (14 kph). Teddy was centered 245 miles (394 kilometers) south-southeast of Bermuda less than a week after Hurricane Paulette made landfall in the wealthy British territory. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda.

Wilfred, which had been a tropical storm, weakened to a tropical depression earlier Sunday. It was still at sea but was expected to dissipate by Tuesday.

Parts of the Alabama coast and Florida Panhandle were still reeling from the effects COURTNEY SACCO/CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES VIA AP of Hurricane Sally, which roared ashore on Flood waters fill the parking lot near Virginia’s On the Bay in Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Beta is slowly churning through Wednesday. At least two deaths were blamed on the system. the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas and Louisiana, stirring worries that it could bring heavy rain, flooding and storm surge to a storm-weary stretch of the Gulf Coast.

12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. Sept. 21 2020

Opinions

From the editors: We might not be writing this if not for RBG

By The DePaulia Management EIC, Print & Managing Editors

Editorial: Do ‘blue lives’ matter more than Blue Demons?

By The DePaulia Editorial Board When coronavirus cases began to spike citywide in March, we packed up our backpacks in physical classrooms for the last time, not saying goodbye because we didn’t know we had to. In April, we taught ourselves how to learn and teach over Zoom, sacrificing our social lives for the actual lives of our at-risk community members. By now, we’re used to learning online, socializing at a distance, sanitizing frequently and always wearing masks.

Those rules — dubbed Take Care, DePaul — have kept our community mostly safe from the virus. But DePaul decided those same rules don’t extend to Chicago Police.

Two weeks ago, The DePaulia’s staff witnessed a large group of unmasked, uniformed CPD officers throwing a pizza party in a DePaul Center classroom. They weren’t breaking the law, but they were breaking the Covid-mitigating rules the university requires of its students, faculty and staff.

When The DePaulia asked the university why the officers were there and not subjected to the same rules as the rest of us, our concerns were dismissed.

“With regards to COVID precautions, we have asked the officers to wear masks, to maintain appropriate social distancing,” DePaul spokesperson Kristin Mathews said.

But the problem is, they didn’t.

They grabbed freely at slices of pizza, yelled — ‘Surprise!’ — in close proximity to each other behind closed doors and used our restrooms without masks, all actions that have been known to increase the likelihood of contracting the virus.

The university doesn’t suggest that the DePaul community wear masks and social distance — it requires it. For students to be on campus, we have to wear masks at all times; the dining and study areas were completely rearranged to prevent students from crowding and eating together.

The police were given the benefit of

the doubt; we were not. Our staff was subjected to further requirements so that we can produce the paper in our office.

We submitted a detailed social distancing plan weeks in advance, cut the number of staff working full-time in the office in half, prohibit eating in the office and require masks at all times. If a DePaulia staffer engages in risky behavior — eating at a restaurant indoors, traveling out of state or gathering in a large group — they are required to work from home for two weeks.

The precautions set forth by the university will only succeed if DePaul does its part to keep students safe. The university is skirting its responsibility by allowing outside social gatherings on campus where mask-wearing is not mandatory.

DePaul is playing fast and loose with our lives. It’s reckless.

And we pay to be here — students spend upward of $40,000 to attend DePaul and utilize its resources. That includes spaces on campus.

Six months into the pandemic in the country’s third largest city, it’s nearly impossible to find somewhere that is reliably protected from the spread of COVID-19.

DePaul all-but-promised students that campus would be an isolated space, meticulously monitored and routinely cleaned to prevent further spread.

Now, students have reason to question the safety of the DePaul Center and the rest of the buildings across both campuses. We have a right to be informed about situations occurring on campus, especially when they have the potential to put us at risk.

And for some students, police presence on campus alone creates an unsafe environment.

After George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were killed by the police, DePaul students spoke out against the university’s own ties to the Chicago Police Department through its program with the Fraternal Order of Police, which is a CPD union. The protestors’ message was clear: DePaul cannot authentically align itself

with movements working to protect its Black and Brown students while maintaining a relationship with the police.

The university denied their requests.

“Student petitions have requested DePaul stop offering courses to CPD officers. We understand this request is rooted in pain, outrage, and the desire to take a stand against police brutality. We need to remember though, the actions of a few do not represent the students we teach,” wrote Interim Provost Salma Ghanem in a statement.

Taking care of our community requires more than wiping down tables and setting up hundreds of hand sanitizer stations around its largely unused campus.

If DePaul wants to commit to the care of its students, its administration needs to listen to our concerns.

The truth is, no outside parties should be allowed to put students at risk during a pandemic. But it’s hard to believe that the university would allow this gathering if the attendees were not police officers, whose badges often yield special privileges.

The risks of such a gathering are abundantly clear. If a student were to contract the virus as a result of the party, it would be a direct result of DePaul’s decision not to enforce its own policies on one group.

What did the university have to gain from allowing this to happen?

It is hard to understand why the university knowingly allowed an event with the potential to endanger the DePaul community to occur. This is particularly confusing when one considers DePaul’s commitment to the Vincentian mission, which states the importance of service to others.

By giving police free reign on our campus during a global pandemic, who is DePaul serving?

No one should be above following the precautions designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Not students, not faculty and certainly not the police.

We’re taking care of each other; DePaul needs to take care of us, too.

In a man’s world, the playing field has never been level.

In a man’s world, societal barriers are assigned at birth, making it more challenging for women to reap the same benefits as men.

In a man’s world, women might not feel as though their voices matter.

It’s still a man’s world. But Ruth Bader Ginsberg made it so much easier for women to be heard within it.

The DePaulia’s editorial staff is primarily composed of women. In fact, much of The DePaulia’s staff has been composed of women for several years, with three fully female-led management teams in the past five years.

The women who have worked for this paper are sharp, hard-working, empathetic, talented women.

Some have gone on to be star reporters for important papers or expert public relations professionals for important people. Others went on to top graduate programs or are balancing tough careers while raising kids.

The women on our staff today have different dreams, professional and personal. Without Ginsberg, those dreams — and the ones already achieved by our paper’s alumna — may not have been attainable.

“She was literally the architect of the legal movement that led to protections for women under the Constitution,” Marcia Greenberger, former co-president of the National Women’s Law Center, told USA TODAY. In Reed v. Reed, the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause was applied to discrimination against women for the first time, and in Craig v. Boren, it was determined that laws cannot discriminate on the basis of gender. Those are just two of the many cases Ginsberg litigated that paved the way for women like us to be able to achieve what we want to achieve, independent of male influence.

But there is still more work to be done.

While Ginsburg undoubtedly broke down barriers for many women in America, the obstacles for women of color remain ever present. Ginsburg was an icon of feminism, no doubt about it. However, as we pay tribute to her legacy, it is important not to act as if her contributions were the farthest we have to go.

Popular media depictions of Ginsburg within the last decade have often both oversimplified and deified her, reducing her to an infallible “you-gogirl” symbol of women’s liberation.

Much of Ginsburg’s status as a feminist icon has been dominated by white feminism, a subgroup of the larger movement that focuses primarily on the struggles of white women.

The next generation of feminists has work to do in order to continue to break down barriers for all women. Because of Ginsburg, they’re able to do it.

13| Opinions. The DePaulia. Sept 21, 2020

‘Sus’ joke rooted in homophobia

By Quinn White Social Media Editor

“Sus” jokes are taking over social media — from TikTok to Twitter — spreading an anti-homosexual message that discourages straight men from acting in a feminine or stereotypically homosexual manner. The idea behind the joke typically goes like this; a man displays a flamboyant demeanor, to depict himself as homosexual or feminine, while people flood the comments calling the man “sus” or suspect of being gay.

When observing these jokes, as a gay man myself, I wondered, “what is wrong or funny about being gay?” This is the exact problem with this new joke trend — it instills into viewers the idea that there is something wrong with being gay or something wrong with men acting effeminately. “[The term] ‘sus’ further perpetuates a homophobic, heteronormative way of thinking,” DePaul senior Sharae Corbin said. As a cisgendered, bisexual woman herself, Corbin believes that “it shouldn’t be ‘sus’ for a man to act feminine. We are learning more and more that it is okay for men to act feminine and for women to act masculine and vice versa.” As the long and still ongoingbattle for LGBTQ+ equality has proven, there is a deep societal and cultural emphasis on femininity and masculinity in relation to sex. DePaul’s director of LGBTQ+ Studies, Barrie Jean Borich, said that “the dominant culture is still focused on the fixed ideas of sex.”

In her LGBTQ+ memoir course, Borich and her students worked collaboratively to develop a list that compiles the “Elements of LGBTQ Memoirs.”

One of these elements is that, “Heteronormative and cis-normative expec-

tations regarding sexuality and gender are enforced in myriad and often invisible ways.” The lack of acknowledgement and discouragement of “sus” jokes is what keeps the heteronormativity and cis-normativity invisible, affecting people in a way that negatively impacts the progression of sexuality equality and discourages self-acceptance.

Since I was a child, the replacement of negative adjectives with sexual orientation has influenced the vernacular around me. The saying “that’s gay” was one of the first examples of this type of homophobic speech I encountered at a young age. Using “gay” to depict something negative may seem like a minor issue, but it’s much more harmful than many choose to realize. As a closeted

young man, this was the type of speech that made me fearful of embracing my true self and accepting my sexuality.

This type of speech minimizes the gay experience by disregarding it altogether and stamps negativity on homosexuality. “Sus” is a rebranded “that’s gay,” which makes me wonder, why must people constantly feel the need to demand heteronormativity and cis-normativity?

DePaul junior Julia Conturso identifies as lesbian and dealt with the same heteronormative, cis-normative speech as a child. Wanting to put an end to the term “that’s gay,” Conturso recalled “When I was in eighth grade, I made a video PSA to my class to discourage the use of the term ‘that’s gay.’ I had

classmates, that agreed to do the video, choose a negative word that could be used in placement of the ‘gay’ in ‘that’s gay.’” If Conturso, in eighth grade, could recognize the harmfulness of this type of speech, you should be able to as well.

The issue here is that the intent behind these “sus” jokes is homophobic, whether it seems largely homophobic to you or not. To discourage homosexuality is to promote homophobia and to demand heteronormativity and cis-normativity is to discourage true self-acceptance. Be the change and help educate those that find these types of jokes to be humorous.

ART BY ALICIA GOLUSZKA

Chris Evans can laugh off his leaked nudes. Women aren’t so lucky.

By Becca Meluch Opinions Editor

Last week, the world erupted when Chris Evans accidentally leaked his own private photos of himself on Instagram. Thankfully, much of the reaction afterwards was in respect to the actor, people making sure that the images weren’t spread around –– and that his privacy was respected. There were very few negative comments made about the actor’s appearance and his image.

“I saw lots of people coming together to make sure that if anyone saw it to report it and urge others not to share it,” said DePaul senior Annie Toner. “Most of the tweets surrounding the incident made light of the fact that it was shared on accident, but regardless advised others to respect his privacy.”

It goes without saying that no matter who the person is, famous or not, that their privacy should be respected nonetheless whenever these incidents happen. Nobody deserves to have accidentally leaked photos circulated, nor should be the subject of conversations, body-shaming and or any other type of shaming.

It was an uplifting event to see –– that the world came together to respect Evan’s privacy during this incident after he himself leaked the photos on accident. But much of the controversy stirs around the fact that when this incident happens to women, it is not handled the same way — especially when from incidents in the past, the photos of women have been leaked after they were stolen when their phones and accounts had been hacked.

“In the case of a woman’s nudes getting leaked, I feel like there’s less of a rally cry to respect someone’s privacy. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but I tend to see less of a narrative of respecting privacy when a woman’s nudes are leaked,” Toner said.

This event took me back down a road of memories that I wish I never had to remember or experience in the first place.

Everything escalated when people found out that not only was he buying the original photos, he was distributing them all around the high school, reselling them to other men.

The halls erupted in hushed conversations of “slut-shaming”. People were talking about their friends, shaming them for sending and having said photos in the first place. Guys were pointing at different girls, some even

“In the case of a woman’s nudes getting leaked, I feel like there’s less of a rally cry to respect someone’s privacy.”

Annie Toner

DePaul senior

When I was in high school, there were rumors floating around about a lower classman buying the nude photos from guys who had girlfriends.

He would get into contact with the boyfriends whether that be during the school day or on social media and ask them if their girlfriends had ever sent them “photos”. If they had said yes, he would ask if they were willing to sell the photos to him – and what their price was.

When many girls around the school heard about this, they were questioning their boyfriends’ intentions and their relationships.

making comments to their face and giving girls their unwanted feedback.

The bodies of women became the subject of conversations, subjected to unwanted attention, comments, and interest. Their photos and bodies were the undying objects of fascination.

This kind of fascination around the leaked private photos of women and the way they are treated afterwards stems from the fact that society still persists to sexualize the bodies of women and to visualize them as objects, permissible to commentary and exposure.

Leaked private photos of celebrities are

nothing new, and Evans’ incident does not stand alone. In the past, there have been many similar incidents involving celebrities like Chris Brown, Dylan Sprouse, Noah Centineo, Vanessa Hudgens, Kim Kardasian and more.

Many people may not even remember the incidents involving Sprouse, Brown, or Centineo since it was quickly brushed off and made light of. But to this day, Hudgens still answers to criticism of the incident that happened in 2008 even though she issued a formal apology. Earlier this year, she shared in an interview with Cosmopolitan that the incident was a source of trauma for her after experiencing all of the backlash and criticism she did.

“We still function in a patriarchal society where women are sexualized constantly. In the case of celebrities, there is a heightened sense of sexualization towards women especially since many are expected to sell sex in order to be popularized,” Toner said. “When the content is leaked, it gives the audience an opportunity to sexualize them even more.”

Nobody should be mad about how the world reacted towards the incident with Chris Evans. It’s uplifting to see how the social media world came together to respect him and his privacy. But it would be great if the same reaction was reciprocated towards women.

Women today are still overly sexualized and objectified, and much of the reaction towards having their private photos leaked can be traumatic in the way they are spread, commented on, and shamed. The respect the world gives to men when these accidents happen needs to be the same towards women.

14 | Focus. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

Focus

Dealing with ADHD during a pandemic

By Adbdul Rafay Contributing Writer

Mental illness is a great task to deal with, especially in a time when everything seems to be exploding around you. Due to many cataclysmic events that have been accumulating since the lockdown started in Chicago, in regards to COVID-19 as well as the continued racism and images of black death in the media, those who were already vulnerable to mental health issues are now even more vulnerable. People with ADHD for example, might find it hard to focus in such a time due to being in an environment where their emotional state is in flux and without a lot of outside engagement. To ameliorate some of these focus issues, I talked to two professionals in fields such as ADHD advocacy, research and clinical experience.

ADHD, also known as attention hyperactivity deficit disorder, is a disorder commonly associated with problems of focus and attention in everyday life. For a person with ADHD and executive dysfunction disorders, college can be particularly challenging. Additionally, with the ongoing pandemic and the large amount of mental stress coming in, this time of their lives can become highly confusing.

ADHD is a disease that is characterized by natural attention deficiencies that are multiplied in the brain due to structural differences within the internal signaling systems of the brain’s wiring.

“When external structure is gone you have to create your own structure,” said Dr. Peter Jaksa. Jaksa was the president for the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, as well as a writer for ADDitude magazine, with a practice in Chicago and a newly released book “Life with ADHD.’’ In his lifelong advocacy, he has underlined the need for creating structure in the lives of people with ADHD. “When you have to go to college, you have to create your own structure,” Jaska said. Right now especially, it is important to consider the ways in which this structure, that many people with neurodivergent traits such as ADHD rely on, has undergone changes.

Jaksa recommends remaking a structure or schedule to combat this. “Setting up study schedules, exercise schedules, routines” are important parts of the ADHD phenomena “Consistency and structure are very important” Having some sort of internal trigger to achieve a study schedule seems wise for people with ADHD. Furthermore, since genuine replication of the classroom setting is difficult this term due to remote learning , any schedule made must take into account daily home chores too. For many ADHD students, college and home chores are compartmentalized, but since the school and home are the same this quarter, that must be done away with. “There’s more distractions in the home, and thus there must be more internal structure to the task whatever that is,” said Dr. Maucieri. Mauceiri is a board-certified clinical psychologist who has worked with ADHD, specifically with young adults and adults, and has coedited a book on ADHD couples.

Maucieri also mentioned that family relationships and co-morbidities can deeply affect the ways people experience ADHD. “Sometimes, the structure can work against them,” Maucieri said, especially when enveloping back into an environment with an air of agitation will further the discomfort that ADHD people already feel. Thus, maintaining good family relationships or having concurrent counseling and a game plan to deal with such is important in the long run.

Maucieri also said that understanding our natural cycles of productivity can be beneficial.

“Often we know when we are most productive, for some people that is early morning, others late afternoon….plan your tasks around them,” he said. Especially in this time, it becomes increasingly more important to understand when productivity ceases, since some of the external triggers for productivity, especially ones tied to being at a specific spot, are not available. Adding medication to the situation introduces another layer of complexity. , Maucieri says that medicine should be taken for the purpose of therapy and counseling for those with ADHD. “I wish more schools had study groups or support groups for people with ADHD,” Jaksa said. It seems that DePaul is missing some sort of mental health community and event, and while support group structures are there in the University Counseling Center, usage of those resources are not well known to the student population.”

Focus. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020| 15

Arts & Life

16 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

Comedians bring laughter back to Chicago

By Nate Burleyson Arts and Life Editor

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many people’s hobbies and professions became impossible to do if they wanted to comply with stay-at-home orders. Lots of people were hit hard but smoothly transitioned to a digital environment to get their fixes and stay active. Live comedy was one of those things. Yet comedy, like any live and intimate performance, is rather terrible on Zoom.

Take it from Greg Bartusiak and Johnny Cosmo, two comedians who, in June, had enough of Zoom comedy and found a way to safely but effectively bring live comedy back to the circle of comedians in the city.

“Yeah, [Zoom comedy] is not very enjoyable, so we ended up just grabbing a PA, and coming out and going to a park,” Bartusiak said.

This birthed Out in the Open Mic, a random start-up project that Bartusiak and Cosmo realized was a golden ticket to the feeling of live comedy once again.

It began with Cosmo and Bartusiak telling jokes at random parks before growing into fully-booked open mics. Their Instagram @outintheopenmic now has close to 600 followers and their turnouts have grown to fully-booked performance sign-ups.

“I was listening to some interview with Dave Chappelle and he was saying that he just did [comedy] in parks and then I just had this like lightbulb being like, ‘Why don’t we just do it in parks?’ And so that’s kind of how it started,” Cosmo said.

Cosmo, 24, is originally from Naperville, Illinois but moved to Chicago and began doing comedy while taking classes at the Second City Film School. He and Bartusiak have known each other from the Chicago scene, and took on this project together in June.

The location varies, starting in Albany Park and moving all around to Logan Square, Lincoln Park and more neighborhoods.

“Wicker and Logan Square is usually where the comics are concentrated and they’ll want to come out,” Bartusiak said.

Bartusiak, 30, was born and raised in Chicago and resides in the city after a brief stint doing radio in Northern Wisconsin.

He started doing stand up comedy about five years ago. Mainly used to open mics at smaller dive bars, he notices the good and the bad of comedians working on their material out in public.

“We’ve had people hear a bad joke here and there and they complain to us,” Bartusiak joked. “But that’s what comedy is you know, tragedy plus time equals comedy and right now it’s a very tragic time so we try to make some comedy out of it.”

Those problems aside, the bigger issue Bartusiak and Cosmo faced was making their outdoor comedy safe. If they didn’t accomplish that, then the project wouldn’t have worked. This meant finding a way to encourage social distancing and masks, as well as wiping down the microphone with disinfectant wipes.

“Yeah, hard to get ahold of [wipes], but I got them though,” Bartusiak said.

The first official open mic they did saw about 15-20 people come out to perform, with more flowing in and out of the park to watch. It’s further spawned into a series of spontaneous, laid back shows with plenty of funny people.

“Yeah, we’re just two dudes with the mic and a PA so like, you know, we’re going

NATE BURLEYSON | THE DEPAULIA

Johnny Cosmo (left) and Greg Bartusiak (right) started Out in the Open Mic in late June, and hope to take it into the next year. ture, having to like exclusively local places where you’re spending money,” Kuntzman said. “It’s like people are kind of finding how to do things, you know elsewhere.

And so it’s kind of neat to see this revitalization of public art.”

Kuntzman, like many Chicago comedians, is used to an abundance of open mics throughout the normal weeks. This allows for more practice and reps and developed bits. Cosmo shares this idea of young comedians needing live practice that Zoom doesn’t offer.

“Especially for people just starting out, like go to the mics immediately,” Cosmo said.

And there are actually plenty of opporComedian tunities popping up around the city. Other than Out in the Open Mic, other open mics have come up outdoors in Chicago.

One of those is The Comedy Pickup, a show where people perform from the back of a pickup truck which grew to 2,200 followers on Instagram. The show spawned a tour that is currently out east planning to end in Colorado.

Out in the Open Mic isn’t exclusive to open mics either. They also try to book popular comedians in the area to do more developed sets. Their latest one was on Friday, Sept. 18.

“During those shows we’ll give them more time because they’ve already had built up material ready to do a show,” Bartusiak said.

The show has grown further than Bartusiak and Cosmo originally intended, although it has been a play-it-by-year process NATE BURLEYSON | THE DEPAULIA with weather and location complications to Prospective performers can either sign up online or sign up in person. Comedians each note. have about 4-6 minutes to perform before the next comic comes up.

Overall, things have worked out in their to easily move to different spots and when- after the shutdown but didn’t find a viable favor. They made a great space for comeever we want to do it we’re just kind of like, option until August, when he saw what Out dians to practice their craft. And more im‘You wanna tell jokes today?’ and we’re like, in the Open Mic was doing. portantly, they created a space for people to ‘Yeah let’s do it,’” Cosmo said.

“I was very reluctant, very slow about laugh and enjoy themselves in a time where There is plenty of organization, but getting back out there,” Kuntzman said. that is ever too difficult. keeping to a day-by-day basis has its benIt was seeing how Cosmo and Bartusiak The burning question is, what will hapefits. were running Out in the Open Mic that pen when it’s freezing?

“It’s always funny because whenever brought him back out to do more comedy.

“That’s the one thing we’re figuring out people ask me, ‘When’s the next open mic, He also sees the benefit of doing outdoor like what to do in the cold, but I think we’re when can I sign up?’ It’s like, I don’t know, comedy into the future, even if all ends well just gonna try to focus and do this further, that’s on the weather and also how Johnny and the pandemic fizzles to an end in the you know, and the idea is like even though feels that day,” Bartusiak joked.

United States. we weren’t the first people like it just ricThe way they run the open mic is safe “This is one of the weird, like, oddly ocheted into everyone starting their own enough for Nick Kuntzman, a comedian positive things I see about this is that there’s thing and figuring out how to do comedy who was eager to get out and perform again like this cultural shift away from bar cul- again,” Cosmo said.

“Yeah, we’re just two dudes with a mic and a PA so like, you know, we’re going to easily move to different spots and whenever we want to do it we’re just kind of like, ‘You wanna tell jokes today?’ and we’re like, ‘Yeah let’s do it,’”

Johnny Cosmo

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 17

Freshmen transition from online high school to college

ART BY ALICIA GOLUSZKA

By Ava O’Malley Contributing Writer

Most American teenagers grow up imagining what their college years will look like. Whether it’s visions of wild parties complete with toga-wearing fraternity brothers, as seen in American media, or nights spent cramming in the library for exams, each prospective student has big expectations for their freshman year.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has stomped out many college kids’ first year expectations.

“I always expected my freshman year to be like what I saw in the movies,” said DePaul freshman psychology major Megan Stoutenborough. “[I imagined] hanging out with friends and having a lot of freedom, but as soon as corona hit, I knew that that wasn’t going to happen.”

Nearly six months ago, educational institutions across the United States began ushering students out of physical classrooms and into online ones. For the high school seniors of 2020, normal life came to a standstill during the months of March and April. The standstill morphed into a swift shutdown of rites of passage such as prom, senior sports nights, and walking at graduation.

“We were told in March that we should expect to be back in class in a few weeks,” said DePaul freshman Gabby Milton. Milton, an 18-year-old biochemistry student from the Chicago suburb of Justice, Ill., is attending classes remotely and not living on the DePaul campus. “[The end of] my senior year was disappointing because I couldn’t spend the last moments of high school with my friends, but I know it was for the sake of being safe,” she said.

For some incoming freshmen however, the pandemic has provided more opportunities to work on creative endeavors.

“I didn’t mind my [high school] classes being online. I was very productive over quarantine,” said Dwight Bellisimo, a DePaul freshman in The Theatre School who moved to Chicago from Mill Valley, Calif.

“I did miss going out with friends and being social, but I also did enjoy the time I had at home.” Bellisimo spent much of his free time during quarantine writing a play with a friend.

For other incoming DePaul freshmen like Stoutenborough, the past summer was full of stress and confusion. Stoutenborough described her summer as “Not what I would’ve wanted, but not exactly the worst.”

Upon receiving unclear emails from

the DePaul administration about back-toschool protocols this summer, Stoutenborough was apprehensive about the upcoming school year. “DePaul just kept sending us a bunch of contradicting emails,” she said. “They just kept going back and forth on if [classes] would be in person or not. I just didn’t really know what was happening.”

Even before the pandemic struck, Bellisimo was already expecting the transition into college to be a significant lifestyle change. He moved into an apartment with a friend from his hometown and only socializes with a small group of other Mill Valley folks. “I haven’t met more than three or four new people, and I’m planning on keeping it like that for a while,” Bellisimo said. “I don’t really feel like hanging out with a bunch of new people right now.”

Although Bellisimo is not unhappy with limiting his in-person interactions to those in his existing group, he also finds certain aspects of a remote first year frustrating. Primarily, he is concerned with connecting with his professors and peers.

“I don’t like having to introduce myself to my classmates and professors online,” he said. “I feel like a first impression sticks more if you get to meet someone in

person.”

There are ways that the freshmen have been making friends remotely, however.

Stoutenborough, who is living in an apartment near campus, is trying to make new friends at DePaul through social media.

“I will go through the class list and look people up on Instagram and direct message them if they seem nice,” Stoutenborough said. “Luckily, I live with my close friends. Making new friends has been super difficult, because no one in class really talks to each other.”

To Milton, the social aspect of her first year has been nerve-wracking. The act of fostering connections through Zoom classes and social media has been particularly difficult. However, Milton has made friends with fellow chemistry students, and hopes to see them in person one day.

Additionally, she wants to found a club dedicated to exploring cultural cuisine around the city once going out in groups is safer.

“It is definitely going to be a long process, but I’m excited to finally meet some of my friends in person,” Milton said.

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

‘Challenger: The Final Flight’ An American-made tragedy

By Lacey Latch Editor-in-Chief

The first few minutes of Netflix’s new docuseries “Challenger: The Final Flight” are genuinely sickening. The now-famous archival footage of the failed launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger is interspersed between brief introductions of the seven American crew members who lost their lives that day.

Viewers see these smiling faces, talking about their excitement for the journey ahead, the whole time knowing their fate.

The final moments of the docuseries are similarly sickening, but for much different reasons. After four episodes of critical historical context, the failed launch becomes much more than the one-dimensional national tragedy that students have come to learn about in school.

Instead, now the audience is uniquely attuned to the fact that this horrible event was actually an inevitability when the hubris and cavalier attitudes of NASA and other leaders are taken into account.

“How could they live with themselves for making a decision like that?” asks June Scobee Rogers early on in the first episode, whose husband, Dick Scobee, was the commander of the Challenger.

In reality, the Challenger explosion was indeed a national tragedy — not just because seven people died in the pursuit of making history, but because they died as a direct result of the flawed decision-making from the very people they trusted to keep them safe.

After stepping foot on the moon, executives at NASA were searching for the next great advancement in space travel.

What’s more advanced than a reusable ship that both saves money and brings space travel one step closer to being attainable for civilians in the public’s mind? Hence, the Space Shuttle program was born, with the explicit goal of increasing the number of trips to space and solidifying the U.S. as the leader in space travel technology.

During an open application process, NASA recruited engineers, physicians, veterans and more to join the Shuttle program, ultimately introducing the first female and non-white astronauts to the agency.

After years of success with no casualties and steady progress, NASA was described as having a “streak of arrogance,” one that ultimately resulted in the preventable deaths of seven Americans on national television.

With increased pressure from President Ronald Reagan’s administration to increase the number of launches per year, higher-ups at NASA decided that sticking to the ambitious launch schedule was more important than making sure the spacecraft was actually safe enough for those launches.

Engineers had repeatedly brought up a recurrent issue with the solid rocket boosters that were attached to the spacecraft and provided the force necessary to actually propel the vessel into space by burning an immense amount of fuel at rapid speed. The rings that sealed the boosters, called O-rings, had a well-documented history of becoming ineffective and unsafe at low temperatures, like on the morning of the Challenger launch.

NASA took advantage of the trust placed in them, the belief that above all they’d do the very most to ensure the safety of the astronauts they spent years training. Officials went so far as to sign a waiver acknowledging the problem and the potential catastrophic effects of it, and greenlighting the Challenger launch anyway.

“The schedule was so demanding that nobody was willing to ground the fleet to fix the problem,” said Richard Cook, a resource analyst at NASA during the shuttle program.

To make matters worse, after the explosion, Reagan formed a commission to investigate the launch, with explicit instructions to Chairman William P. Rogers not to embarrass NASA in the process. As a result, like many other instances in American history, the truth reaching the light relied entirely on a whistleblower — a human being with a conscience, acutely aware of the direct role NASA officials played in the tragedy.

In recent years, the whistleblower has become somewhat of an American vigilante — the only hope for the masses to truly find out what is happening behind closed doors in the rooms that ultimately decide so much of their fate.

WIKI COMMONS

STS-51L Challenger wreckage remains and boxes of debris being lowered into Minuteman Missile Silos at Complex 31 on Cape Canveral Air Force Station.

WIKI COMMONS

WIKI COMMONS

Space Shuttle Challenger is carried by a crawler-transporter on its way to launch.

The Space Shuttle Challenger crewmember remains being transferred from 7 hearse vehicles to a MAC C-141 transport plane at the Kennedy Space Center.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 19

‘Cuties’ should be celebrated, not canceled

Outrage over the film is misguided and a form of censorship

By Logan Peterson Contributing Writer

Society hates confronting their present almost as much as they hate confronting their past.

The response to Maïmouna Doucouré’s “Cuties” has revealed to me this unfortunate reality.

The controversial Netflix film entered the public consciousness when the streaming service released marketing material depicting the lead actresses striking suggestive dance poses, dressed in revealing outfits.

Like gas to a flame, the outrage erupted to the point that even congresspeople have called for the film’s removal. Netflix has stood by the film, leading to a mass subscriber exodus that’s still bleeding today.

Refusing to watch this film whilst condemning it is an act of aggression against art, against filmmakers and free thought in society. The criteria I use to judge the film are independent of my strict opposition to censorship.

“Cuties” follows Amy, an 11-year-old from a devout Muslim family, who immigrated from Senegal to a poor neighborhood in Paris with her mother and two younger brothers. Amy’s life is structured and disciplined – she is expected to pray daily and learn the household duties of a woman in a religious arrangement. Performed with vigor and a precocious yearning by first-time performer Fathia Youssouf, she exudes a thoughtfulness that is so powerful for a girl her age.

We soon discover Amy’s polygamous father is returning home with a second wife. Her mother hides her grief, whispering forlorn prayers to God, wishing much happiness and many children on her husband and his new bride. The quietness of these moments is heartbreaking.

Amy is angry with her father, angry with her mother for pretending, angry with her aunt for forcing religion and duty.

She escapes into the arms of her rebellious neighbor, Angelica, who introduces Amy to her twerking dance troupe.

The film is carried on her small, but sturdy shoulders as we navigate the world solely through her eyes. The forced perspective of the screenplay lends itself to Amy’s gradual change. To see the world of this film through any other perspective would, in my opinion, destroy its immediacy.

The chemistry between the four girls is wonderful, especially Amy and Angelica.

Their friendship feels pure, independent from the sexualized nature of the foursome.

When the four of them are together, aside from dancing, most of their time is spent talking about boys while stalking them on social media and even catcalling them on the Paris streets.

When Amy and Angelica are alone, there is pureness and innocence in how they relate to each other. This dynamic plays into the power of peer pressure and social influence. Soon, Amy dresses more provocative and lashes out with her mom at home.

Doucouré exudes masterful restraint, not calling attention to her clear skill as a filmmaker. Her position on the actions of the characters is totally ambiguous, giving us reason to respect and recoil at Amy’s decision making. She does not sentimentalize Amy’s predicament, instead, injecting it with abject realism, allowing the audience to easily empathize with her.

Medina El Aidi (left) and Fathia Youssouf (right) made their acting debut in the controversial French film “Cuties.”

The film is not perfect, though, as there are narrative hiccups along the way and sort of a vicious turn by Amy in the third act that is not given time to breathe. But the emotional climax of the film induces profound empathy and clarity and denies the audience easy answers to the questions posed by Doucouré.

Before I go any further, I must disclose my anger. This will not be the last time a film creates controversy, but the effect the backlash could have on Netflix could be irreparable.

Disingenuous politicians like Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton have even called on the Department of Justice to investigate the film. For politicians to call for formal investigations without having watched a single frame, is absurd at best and utterly insulting at worst.

Frankly, if the Republican politicians scorching this film cared half as much about the severity of a pandemic as they do about an independent French film, you would be reading this in a classroom or the student center. Not locked in the confines of your homes.

The film is challenging precisely because it confronts the notions of femininity and sexuality in young girls and does not shy away from thrusting the viewer headon – not only into the world of the characters, but of the world inhabited by the viewer’s children and grandchildren.

To pretend that sexualizing young girls is a new phenomenon is foolish. Our government, the media and frankly, all of society, cannot wash its hands of the commodification of women’s bodies because it helps them to sleep at night.

That is the point of all this nonsense: the anger stems from a lack of control. Not only are the young girls in this movie dancing provocative, but our own young girls as well.

I hold myself firmly on the side of the filmmaker, now and always. We cannot simply move the goal post if you will, whenever we see fit. Where would be without the likes of Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” or Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange?”

Today, film has become predisposed to be easily digestible and to leave our consciousness the moment it has left our path of view. Filmmakers like Doucouré challenge these notions by using the form

PHOTO FROM IMDB

PHOTO FROM IMDB

The film follows a Muslim girl’s journey with a provocative dance group she meets. to confront questions of humanity, in this case, sexuality, adolescence and the hypocrisies of religious hierarchies.

Concerning oneself with the treatment of children, especially child workers, is not a negative. Before watching the film, I contemplated the potential exploitation of the child actors. But upon watching it and hearing what Doucouré had to say, I realized her intention and was wholly impressed by the work she had created.

That is why I do not adhere to the out-

rage machine; it cannot be reasoned with.

To do so would be a futile and stupid gesture. It is clear to me that those most enraged by the film are those who have not seen it. The outcry against “Cuties” is nothing more than a calculated maneuver by conservative America to censor art and maintain the status quo. Nothing more, nothing less.

Watch the film and decide for yourself, but do not be an advocate for censorship.

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

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Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 21

By Quinn White Social Media Editor

Bella asked, “How do you get involved with DePaulia Staff?”

Valentina asked, “Which social media app should I delete for my mental health?”

Hey Valentina! This is a great question and I’m glad you asked it.

I think it’s important to curate your social media feeds to present content that makes you happy.

If you’re someone that compares themselves to other people in a way that’s self deprecating, avoid following the people that make you feel that way when you see their pictures. If you’re someone that suffers from FOMO (fear of missing out) and seeing your friends hanging out without you makes you sad, try not to keep up with everyone’s stories on Instagram or Snapchat.

I fill my feed with content that makes me happy. I love food, fashion and art so I try to follow pages that showcase exactly that. Find what makes you happy and curate your feed to appeal to that.

I would say that deleting an app can be a good decision, but it’s unrealistic.

You’ll end up downloading the app on a boring night within the next week. What I would HIGHLY recommend is utilizing the screen time feature on your iPhone that limits the amount of time you spend on social media.

Hannah asked, “Where do you get your sweaters?

They’re always gorgeous?”

Hannah! This question put the biggest smile on my face. To answer your question, I get my sweaters from all kinds of places. I have a sweater hoarding problem so the options are endless.

I have found that the best place to find the most unique and timeless

vintage sweaters are at thrift shops across the city! Some of my favorite sweaters are from thrift shops. The best part about my thrifted sweaters is that I have yet to see anyone on campus wearing the same sweater as me!

To me, the key to styling sweaters is wearing different shades of the same color. Today I’m wearing a baby blue and white button up under a darker blue, Ralph Lauren sweater.

It’s really the chef ’s kiss.

Go hit up those thrift shops and find yourself some fabulous sweaters! Thanks again for your kind words and best of luck to you, Hannah.

Hey Bella! I’m so happy you want to get involved with The DePaulia. Currently, our editor roles are filled. However, we are always accepting outside writers to either take on a pitch presented by one of our section editors, or to write a story based on an original pitch you present to the section editor that oversees that section.

If you send your email to me at Qwhite2@mail.depaul.edu I can go ahead and add you to our weekly pitch email where you’ll find all of our pitches as well as the emails of each section editor of whom you’d send your original pitches to. Our lovely EIC Lacey Latch’s email is eic@depauliaonline.com.

Excited for you to get involved with the paper and I hope to get an email from you soon, Bella!

I hope that helps and best of luck!

‘Kajillionaire’ masterfully portrays dysfunctional family

By Michael Brzezinski Chief Film Critic

American indie films are no stranger to weird quirky dysfunctional families.

Whether it be “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Buffalo ‘66” or “Captain Fantastic,” it seems that there will always be some sort of keen relatability and comfort lying in the formula for this particular type of cinema. But no filmmaker has actively challenged the framework of the quirky dysfunctional family melo-dramedy quite like Miranda July has with her latest film “Kajillionaire.”

“Kajillionarie” — which, just like both of July’s previous features, premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival — follows Robert and Threasa Dyne (Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger) and their 26-year-old daughter Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood). The Dynes are petty grifters, skimming by on whatever mail they can steal and loose items they can get a refund on in order to pay their rent on the abandoned office building they live in.

Nothing about their operation is family based — it’s all coldly transactional and self-preserving. Though, everything changes for the Dynes once they cross paths with the effervescent and tender Melanie. Her fast-talking energy, enthusiasm and widely apparent normality shakes

the group and forces Old Dolio to confront painful realizations about her parents and the life she really wants to lead with Melanie.

What ensues is a wildly heartfelt, idiosyncratically subversive and peculiarly entertaining meditation on rigid family ties, belated coming-of-self-worth and the quiet terror of emotional intimacy. July uses the blossoming relationship between Old Dolio and Melanie as a juxtaposed way to dismantle the aforementioned quirky dysfunctional family trope.

With the Dynes, there’s a mundane sense of performance between the three — like they all need to act against who they really are in order to stay afloat as an operation. And it isn’t until Melanie comes into the picture that Old Dolio realizes this, and it’s also where July subtly confronts her own leaning into quirk and whimsy and goes more for a maturing sense of growth and honesty.

Even in the midst of creating this bit of an inner-monologue, July never compromises her own vision for it. The world bends to her will in her films and this isn’t without some brilliantly executed moments of singular surreal beauty. A borderline ethereal little earthquake sequence and a serene moment of Old Dolio performing a dance for Melanie really standout as some of the most breathtaking

PHOTO FROM IMDB

Gina Rodriguez (left) and Evan Rachel Wood (right) star together in Kajillionaire. and dynamic moments of the film.

It’s not hard to imagine literally any filmmaking than July messing these sequences up by dialing them too far up (something that I would say July was guilty of with her 2011 film “The Future) but July shows immense restraint and patience.

Her immaculately soft and yet simultaneously honest approach makes for such a disarmingly unpredictable experience so to spoil any of the directions this film goes in its final act would be a massive disservice.

“Kajillionaire” is genuinely one of the most miraculous films I’ve ever seen. Ever

since I walked out of the door of the Eccles Theater at Sundance, this January it has never left my mind nor stopped emotionally affecting me. It’s July’s most powerful piece of work and there’s a topicality to it — a more cruel portrayal of the world and the capitalist society we live in.

There is an urgency to mine deeper for self-worth and happiness, and it’s easy to be found in July’s world here. In one of my favorite scenes, Melanie tells Old Dolio that “Most happiness comes from dumb things.” And she’s right. Much like this film, those dumb things can even end up being the things that save you.

22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020

‘All In’ highlights rampant U.S. voter supression

By Lauren Coates Staff Writer

On the eve of the upcoming November election, Stacey Abrams, Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortés and Amazon studios joined forces to release “All In: The Fight For Democracy,” a documentary film emphasizing the importance of voting and America’s long history of voter suppression.

Pulling both double duty as a chronicle of Abrams’ gubernatorial race as well as a history of voter suppression as whole, “All In: The Fight for Democracy” is an urgent, slickly-produced documentary that explores the glaring cracks in the foundation of our nation’s most fundamental values: the right to vote.

Centering around — and produced by — Georgia lawmaker Stacey Abrams, the film grounds its intimidatingly large subject matter by tying it down to Earth via Abrams’ personal journey to a career in politics, and her own personal experiences with the fight against voter suppression. As we learn, Abrams was born and bred for a career in politics — she had two high-achieving parents and was raised in an incredibly supportive environment, but several significant alterations in her young life made it very clear that if she were to pursue politics, there were systemic changes that needed to be made before she could do so.

It’s easy to forget that segregation in the United States isn’t some nebulous thing that our great-great-grandparents dealt with decades ago — there were still segregationist laws being phased out of American governing bodies, which meant that even though she was a teen in the 90s, Abrams found herself fighting an uphill battle against the PHOTO FROM IMDB voter suppression that has run rampant in “All In” explores many types of voter suppression like the women’s suffrage movement. our country for decades.

Interestingly enough, as the film ex- to vote, there was a sudden surge in black and voter suppression began to skyrocket.

Even though explicitly banning a perplains, voter suppression is more of a lawmakers being elected and incredibly modern issue than many realize. After high rates of black voter participation — son from voting based on their race had reconstruction and the Constitution was and it wasn’t until the 1910s that new Jim been outlawed, literacy tests, poll taxes amended so that black men had the right Crow laws seeped into legislation again, and death threats became regular fixtures

in southern counties where black men attempted to exercise their constitutional right. “All In” illustrates these points poignantly through the strategic use of old political cartoons and newspaper clippings that report lynchings and murders of black men who were murdered for the crime of voting.

The film’s history of voter suppression is certainly fascinating (and condemning), but even more damning is the film’s analysis of current voter suppression statistics and methods. Although thankfully we’ve moved past overt restrictions like literacy tests and lynching, the film makes it very clear that anyone who believes voter suppression isn’t an issue is either willfully ignorant or lying to themselves.

It’s difficult to watch the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election play out with commentary from Abrams and co., because not only do you know how it’s going to end, but the more you learn about why the result turned out the way it did, the more upsetting it becomes. Directors Garbus and Cortés have an uncanny ability for making even the most mundane, uninteresting legislative and legal jargon gripping, and despite the fact that the latter half of the film is dedicated almost entirely to breaking down the ins-and-outs of Georgia legislative policy, the film never lags or drops.

At the film portrays it, it’s almost sinister the lengths that Brian Kemp and his fellow Republican lawmakers were willing to go to win him the election. The idea that any elected official would intentionally suppress a constituent from voting — the very same constituent that he is attempting to have governing power over — is sickening.

With its all-star political cast of interviewees, expert use of archival footage and historical documentation, and near-flawless pacing, “All In: The Fight For Democracy” is a must-watch not only for those interested in documentary filmmaking but for anyone who values the integrity of elections in the United States of America.

What will it take for theatre to reopen in 2021?

By Lauren Coates Staff Writer

Despite no significant droppage in Coronavirus cases nor any news of a vaccine becoming available any time soon, Broadway in Chicago recently announced their upcoming slate of shows for the remainder of 2020 and the upcoming 2021 season. The announcement comes after nearly six months of theatres across the city being closed not only in Chicago, but across the country - and most notably, in New York City, where Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that Broadway would remain closed through at least January 2021.

Broadway in Chicago, though, doesn’t seem to have the same concerns - as early as November, Chicagoans will be able to return to productions across the city, beginning with SIX, which begins its run at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place on the 24th.

SIX is the first and only show opening in November (the rest of BiC is currently slated to begin in March 2021 at the earliest) but the show’s early re-opening raises questions about safety and sanitation in regards to both patrons and performers namely, what exactly needs to happen to ensure that Broadway in Chicago venues can open safely?

While SIX opens in just over two months from now, Broadway in Chicago has yet to make any large-scale or formal

announcements regarding health and safety practices that will be implemented upon reopening. According to a post on their website, theatres are currently “preparing to implement new guidelines and procedures” that “may” include temperature checks, reduced touch points, heightened cleaning/sanitation practices, new entrance regulations, and mandatory mask wearing.

The key word there is “may” - there are currently no rules or regulations from government officials regarding best practices for venues or theatrical productions in Illinois, which means that safety standards will likely be self-regulated.

But what would such safety standards look like? Although Broadway and most major theatre organizations have remained closed through the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been regional theatre companies that have begun to put on shows.

In early August, the Berkshire Theatre Group out of Stockbridge, MA, put on the first live production of a musical approved

by Equity (a major union for Broadway stage professionals) since Broadway’s closure. Performers in the show (Godspell) were quarantined together and endured frequent COVID tests, in addition to performing onstage while socially distanced with plastic barriers between them.

Smaller theatre companies have continued to soldier on without following Equity’s guidelines, instead opting to have

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Cadillac Palace Theater in downtown Chicago hasn’t ran a show for five months. their performers onstage wearing masks, or throwing caution to the wind and proceeding with normal performances.

When it comes to SIX, the cast and crew at the Broadway Playhouse will likely follow in the footsteps of Berkshire Theatre Group - adhering to equity-approved health and safety standards. It is notable that (as the title implies), SIX is a musical with only six cast members, which makes for a significantly smaller (and thus easier to manage) cast than say, The Lion King, a production which regularly had casts of 50+ performers, not to mention the production team and crew.

Although two months may seem like enough time to prepare for reopening, the task of not only perfecting a musical as an art form, but also ensuring patron and performer safety, is no small feat. SIX will likely be somewhat of an experiment for Broadway in Chicago - to see if live theatre is not only viable for performers, but also desirable for patrons. Just as movie theatres across the nation are struggling to welcome back moviegoers after being closed for so long, live theatre companies will also be fighting an uphill battle in the months (and possibly years) to come in order to find a return to normalcy.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. Sept. 21, 2020 | 23

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ “Spinning fresh beats since 1581”

By Emma Oxnevad News Editor

Fall is swiftly approaching, and while summer will always be my favorite time of year, I still enjoy the early changing of the seasons before Chicago turns into a tundra.

As we usher in the new season, I’m finding myself listening to new music — and by new, I mean songs that other people have known about for years that I am just now discovering or revisiting. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite songs of the new season.

1. Bite the Hand - boygenius

I’ve lately been in to all things Phoebe Bridgers, leading me to boygenius, a supergroup composed of Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. All three artists have such unique character to each other’s voices and they play off one another beautifully. This song, featuring Dacus on lead vocals, incorporates excellent backing harmonies from Baker and Dacus and a high-energy rock production from the more tradition-

ally understated artists. While every song off of their 2018 EP is a knockout, this one remains my favorite.

2. Down by the Water - The Decemberists

This is one of those songs whose lyrics require a full read-through to fully appreciate. Incorporating elements of alliteration and old-fashioned phrasing, the song reads more like an old poem set to music; and what good music it is. Featuring a kicking drum beat, melodic bass line and a genius accordion solo, this song sets a scene and fully immerses you in it.

3. For Emma - Bon Iver

Is it narcissistic to include a song with my name in the title? Maybe, if this song were not legitimately excellent. Off of Bon Iver’s 2007 classic “For Emma, Forever Ago,” this song functions as a goodbye to the titular Emma, with lead singer Justin Vernon utilizing unconventional lyrics to

Crossword

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reflect on both the good and bad of the relationship. I’d highly recommend listening to this song with headphones; the instrumentation will envelop you and place you directly in its emotions.

4. Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson

One of my favorite songs from childhood, I have inexplicably found myself listening to this track while doing mundane tasks, like grocery shopping or taking out the garbage. I blame nostalgia; with the near-comical level of uncertainty plaguing the world right now, I think I’m longing for a simpler time, when I would stare dramatically out the car window and pretend I was the protagonist of life. Furthermore, Clarkson’s vocals on this song are unparalleled — as usual — and serve as a nice uplifting break from my usual playlists.

5. Buddy Holly - Weezer

PHOTOS FROM WIKI

absolutely losing it, screaming every word and jumping up and down like a lunatic. It’s possible I have never felt more alive than in that moment, but the jury’s still out. This song is a quick burst of feel-good nostalgia, with the catchy lyrics and sing-along chorus never failing to put a smile on my face.

I have a distinct memory of hearing this song while at a show when I was 17 and

ACROSS 1. Mac alternatives 4. Clinches 8. From the same tree?

12. “You’ve Got Mail” company 13. It may come to light 14. ___ fide 15. NY engineering sch.

16. Infuriating 18. Whet the appetite 20. Fitting 21. Hardship’s opposite 24. Little run-ins 28. Speech problems 32. Coin in the Trevi Fountain, once 33. One with a beat 34. Baylor of basketball fame 36. Stocking stuffer?

37. Bug-eyed, perhaps 39. Envisions 41. Far from original 43. Certain hardwood 44. Promgoer’s woe 46. Salon supply 50. To one’s liking 55. Test the patience of 56. Social slight 57. Cub raiser 58. Business apparel 59. Big sport in Japan?

60. Abates, as a tide 61. Plant

DOWN 1. Actor’s goal 2. Get along 3. Common cowboy nickname 4. Mirror 5. Opposing 6. List letters 7. Hangar, e.g.

8. Rappel 9. Ornamental carp 10. What a keeper may keep 11. Ride, and then some 17. Brazil, e.g.

19. Favorite project 22. Narcissist’s obsession 23. Grain disease 25. Record holder 26. Priceless?

27. Doesn’t hold up well 28. Healing sign 29. Robe for Caesar 30. “Once ___ a time” 31. Arab’s father 35. Picks up 38. Park structure 40. Make tracks?

42. Blip on a polygraph 45. Saga 47. Lousy deposits?

48. Many a jazz combo 49. Bias 50. Pack animal 51. African grazer 52. Buccaneer’s drink 53. It’s served with lobster 54. High ball

24 | La DePaulia. The DePaulia. 21 de septiembre de 2020

La DePaulia Roberto Clemente: su legado dentro y fuera del juego

FOTO CORTESÍA DE WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

El puente Roberto Clemente en Pittsburgh se extiende justo fuera del parque PNC, hogar de los Piratas de Pittsburgh.

By Ernesto Hernandez Asistente Editorial de Deportes

Los Piratas de Pittsburgh celebraron a Roberto Clemente de una manera especial cuando a sus jugadores y personal se les permitió usar el número 21 por primera vez desde que retiraron su camiseta en 1973.

Al acercarse el día de Roberto Clemente, los Piratas se enfrentaron a las Medias Blancas de Chicago. El juego contra las Medias Blancas fue apropiado ya que el legado y presencia de Clemente vive fuerte en la ciudad.

Los logros de Clemente como jugador y líder están bien documentados. Él ganó múltiples títulos de bateo, fue varias veces All-Star de la Liga Nacional, Jugador Más Valioso de la Liga Nacional, Jugador Más Valioso de la Serie Mundial y la lista sigue y sigue. Pero la otra parte de su legado fue su trabajo fuera del béisbol y su trabajo dentro de su comunidad.

“Clemente es un ícono. Pero más que eso, es un ejemplo de lo que deberíamos ser. No solo como puertorriqueños, o incluso como jugadores de béisbol, sino como humanos ”, dijo Luis Medina, escritor de béisbol y fútbol americano para Bleacher Nation.

“Piénsalo. Clemente murió tratando de entregar paquetes de ayuda a los menos afortunados durante la temporada baja.

Su altruismo es algo por lo que deseo luchar, y deseo que otros también lo hagan”.

El vecindario de Humboldt Park tiene dos lugares donde conmemoran a Clemente. La escuela secundaria de la comunidad es conocida como la Academia Comunitaria Roberto Clemente, y así como la Liga Pequeña Roberto Clemente de Humboldt Park.

El presidente y director ejecutivo del Museo Nacional de Arte y Cultura Puertorriqueña, Billy Ocasio, también le dio a Clemente su propio paseo de la fama como estrella en 2002.

Para los latinos y especialmente para

FOTO CORTESÍA DE MAJOR LEAGUE BASBEBALL @MLB | INSTAGRAM

El 9 de septiembre, la MLB está celebrando el Día de Roberto Clemente. los puertorriqueños, Clemente ha sido una fuente de inspiración. “Él es nuestro grande”, dijo Kat Vélez, una residente puertorriqueña de Chicago. “Todavía está influenciando a los puertorriqueños para que cojan un bate y una pelota hasta el día de hoy.

Y, sinceramente, ¡también debemos recordar que era Afro -Latino! Que él tenga ese tipo de impacto en nuestra comunidad cuando todavía prevalece tanto colorismo y racismo es un testimonio de lo grandioso que era en realidad”.

Debido a la importante figura que Clemente jugó en las vidas de los latinos, uno conoce el nombre de él fácilmente.

“Aprendí sobre Roberto Clemente gracias a Sammy Sosa”, dijo el fanático de los Cachorros, Norberto Rodríguez.

“Recuerdo haber escuchado durante un juego acerca de Sosa y por qué usaba el 21. Yo era un niño, así que nunca había oído hablar de él. Terminé haciendo un proyecto de clase y aprendiendo sobre Clemente y lo bueno que era y todas las cosas que hizo en la temporada baja para ayudar a la gente y que también

tenía una escuela con su nombre aquí en Chicago”.

MLB también honro el Día de Roberto Clemente al permitir que los jugadores puertorriqueños usarán el número de Clemente. Algo que significó mucho para el campo corto de los Cachorros, Javier Báez.

“Usar el número 21 va a ser algo importante. Más grande de lo que la gente piensa”, le comentó Báez al Chicago Tribune.

El legado de Clemente demuestra que los atletas pueden usar su estatus en el juego para intentar cambiar las cosas para mejor.

“Creo que Clemente abrió la puerta para que más atletas usaran su plataforma para hacer el bien en el mundo”, dijo Vélez. “Estuvo ahí fuera durante sus temporadas libres, ayudando a la gente.

Es solo lo que hizo “.

Cada temporada, los equipos de la MLB nominan a un jugador de sus respectivos equipos para el Premio Roberto Clemente. Un premio que “se otorga anualmente al jugador que mejor representa el juego del béisbol a

través de un carácter extraordinario, participación comunitaria, filantropía y contribuciones positivas tanto dentro como fuera del campo”.

Esta temporada, los Cachorros nominaron a Jason Heyward como su nominado, mientras que los Medias Blancas nominaron a Tim Anderson.

Tanto Heyward como Anderson han estado muy involucrados en diferentes iniciativas en Chicago que van desde tratar de frenar la violencia en la ciudad hasta contribuir con organizaciones que ayudan a familias de bajos ingresos que han sido impactadas desproporcionadamente por COVID-19.

Honrar a Roberto Clemente sirve como un monumento a todo lo que hizo dentro y fuera del juego. La única pregunta que queda es si su número debería retirarse o no durante todo el deporte. Algunos creen que debería y otros creen que permitir que los jugadores lo usen como tributo también es importante.

“Durante mucho tiempo, solía pensar que MLB debería retirarse 21 para honrar a Clemente y lo que significaba para el juego y la gente de Puerto Rico”, dijo Medina. “Sin embargo, mis pensamientos sobre esto han evolucionado a lo largo de los años.

Ver cuántos jugadores usaban el número debido a él hizo que la bola rodara y cambiara de opinión. Me vienen a la mente Carlos Delgado y Sammy Sosa. Quizás dejar que los jugadores que quieran reconocer el impacto y la influencia de Clemente permitiéndoles usar 21 sería un buen tributo en el futuro”.

Ya sea que su camiseta esté retirada o no, eso no le quita el legado que dejó.

Fue un destacado jugador de béisbol y un ser humano aún mejor.

Su legado sigue vivo no solo a través del Día de Roberto Clemente, sino a través de las generaciones de personas y peloteros a las que ha inspirado y el trabajo que estas personas hacen en su comunidad.

La DePaulia. The DePaulia. 21 de septiembre de 2020 | 25

‘Esto va a dejar de ser algo que es nuestra cultura’

El Discount Mall de La Villita enfrenta un futuro inseguro

FOTOS CORTESÍA DE MARÍA GUERRERO Y KARINA MIREYA | THE DEPAULIA

Arriba, hacia la izquierda: Esther López, 47, propietaria y empleada de Esther’s Fashion, ha estado vendiendo ropa de mujer en el centro comercial Little Village Discount durante 15 años junto a su esposo; Un hombre camina frente del Discount Mall en La Villita localizado en la calle 26; En diciembre, la plaza de La Villita se vendió por $17,5 millones a Novak Construction. El Discount Mall es un lugar para comprar vestidos de quinceañera y joyería, ropa tradicional mexicana, ropa deportiva y mucho más.

By María Guerrero Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

Los vendedores de un centro comercial local dicen que su centro comercial es más que un sitio residencial, sino que es parte de la cultura de la comunidad y una entrada sustancial de ganancias para la ciudad de Chicago.

Después de la compra por 17.5 millones de dólares de La Plaza de La Villita por parte de Novak Construction Company a principios de febrero, los propietarios de las tiendas del Discount Mall en La Villita expresaron sus preocupaciones sobre el futuro de sus negocios.

Esther López, de 47 años, propietaria y empleada de la tienda Esther ‘s Fashion ha estado vendiendo ropa de mujer en el centro comercial de La Villita junto con su esposo Jorge Santiago por 15 años.

Ella dice que el Discount Mall en La Villita se ha desarrollado para ser parte de la vida de López y se ha convertido en algo más que un centro comercial para vendedores y compradores.

“Es tu vida, tu vida está aquí, te sientes como tu mismo pueblo”, dijo López. “Le llamo un lugar único porque siempre viene la gente a buscar algo en La Villita. La Villita es única”.

La pareja ofrece alteraciones de ropa y diseño de vestidos además de vender vestidos de mujer para ocasiones especiales como quinceañeras, bodas y bailes de graduación. López y Santiago también han podido expandir su negocio y administrar una tienda de golosinas mexicanas que vende artículos como chicharrones, jarritos, paletas y helados.

Ella dijo que ha podido invertir en la tienda y construir el establecimiento desde cero junto con su esposo. Algo que le ha brindado a la familia la oportunidad de seguir adelante desde la llegada de López a los Estados Unidos desde Puebla, México.

“Somos gente trabajadoras y emprendedoras, somos gente que venimos de nada pero sabemos cómo salir adelante”, dijo López. “Si nosotros lo vamos, esto no va a ser lo mismo”.

Los clientes de López se expanden desde toda la

región del medio oeste. Dijo que varios compradores provienen de estados vecinos como Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio y hasta Nueva York.

“Me siento triste porque la gente viene y me busca.

Pueden ver otras tiendas alrededor pero siempre le gusta venir a este lugar porque es cultura ”, dijo López . “Una cliente me dijo que cómo van a cerrar esto si es de nosotros. Aquí hacen cosas que en ningún lado ni en Walmart te hacen”.

López comprende las decisiones de los nuevos propietarios y desarrolladores, pero quiere que vean la perspectiva de los vendedores y lo que el centro comercial de descuentos significa para ellos.

La calle 26 en La Villita se ha convertido en el centro cultural de la comunidad mexicana en Chicago. Con alrededor de 500 negocios locales en el vecindario, el área abastece a una variedad de opciones mexicanas. Discount Mall, siendo uno de ellos, ofrece a los compradores una variedad de opciones, desde artesanía tradicional mexicana hasta mascotas. Los compradores a menudo se refieren al centro como “México”.

“Esto va a dejar de ser algo que es nuestra cultura, si alguien quiere un elote viene aquí a la calle 26, es una cultura”, dijo López. “Es el sustento de muchas familias, no solo una”.

Al igual que ella, la vendedora y propietaria de Source Fashion Corp, Kocoymalagon, quiere seguir trabajando y ayudar las ganancias de Chicago y La Villita. Sin embargo, se siente excluida de la falta de comunicación e información entre Novak, el concejal George Cardenas y los vendedores.

Tanto López como Kocoymalagon dijeron que no han recibido información clara sobre los posibles cambios y renovación de la Plaza de La Villita.

Vendedores como ellos se enteraron de la información de la compra a través de los medios de comunicación locales y la comunicación del vecindario.

“Queremos ser socios y ser parte del progreso”, dijo Kocoymalagon. “Cuando le mandamos una carta a Novak que queremos ser parte de ese progreso de ese avance, ellos no dicen que no saben si el Discount Mall sería la mejor opción para esta plaza. Pero le

dejamos saber que nosotros somos la segunda entrada de dinero para la ciudad de Chicago. Somos el ancla de los negocios de la calle 26”.

Según el Chicago Reader, la calle 26 genera más ingresos que cualquier otro corredor comercial en toda la ciudad.

“Si a nosotros nos desplazan, comienza la gentrificación y no solo se le perjudica a nosotros los comerciantes, le perjudica a la comunidad y a la gente de aquí ”, dijo Kocoymalagon. “A caso nuestro dinero no vale o prefieren hacer negocios con alguin de color más claro cuando podemos pagar”.

El Sun Times informó que Novak y los desarrolladores quieren traer más minoristas nacionales al área como Target o tiendas de comestibles dirigidas a latinos. La compra de la plaza de La Villita conducirá al posible cierre del centro comercial Discount que ha estado en la comunidad durante 29 años. El concejal George Cardenas le dijo al Sun Times que espera que se construya un gimnasio para atraer a las familias jóvenes del vecindario.

Bee, una residente de Pilsen que asistió a un evento dirigido por jóvenes que luchaba contra el cierre del Discount Mall, está preocupada por la posible gentrificación que ocurre en La Villita como está ocurriendo en Pilsen.

“Al final del día, no lo están haciendo por las razones correctas, no lo están haciendo para mejorar nuestra cultura y nuestra gente”, dijo Bee. “Lo están haciendo para desplazarnos y hacer que la comunidad se vea mejor, pero no para nosotros, para ellos, para que las personas superiores con dinero entren y destruyan lo que sabemos”.

Ella dijo que su mayor temor por los nuevos cambios es destruir un centro que es familiar para la comunidad, basado en el vecindario, asequible para la comunidad y que tiene oportunidades de trabajo para La Villita. “¿Por qué lo necesitamos aquí? Lo que necesitamos es gente de la comunidad que nos comprenda que estamos vendiendo y que tienen nuestros productos ”, dijo Bee. “Es el miedo a destruir nuestra cultura, lo que le hicieron a Pilsen lo van a hacer aquí”.

Sports

Sports. Sept. 21, 2020 The DePaulia | 26

Radio DePaul Sports adjusts schedule due to Covid-19

By Ernesto Hernandez Asst. Sports Editor

Michael Jordan announced his return to the Chicago Bulls and the NBA by faxing a document simply stating “I’m back.” While not to the same magnitude, Radio DePaul Sports did something similar announcing their return on Twitter.

However, because of COVID-19, things are not going to be business as usual for Radio DePaul Sports. But what does coming back look like for the station amid campus restrictions?

“We will have limited access to our station downtown which is reserved for those who may not be able to record at home for whatever reason,” said Gina Ciolli, general manager for Radio DePaul Sports. “But we are trying to contain that to one day a week so that we can make sure that people are as safe as possible.”

The most glaring change will be the type of content produced. With no live DePaul sports for the fall quarter and the limited station access, recorded content will be in the forefront.

“This year, listeners are going to be able to have unlimited access to new and returning shows in the form of podcasts,” said Natalie Burjek, social media and imaging director at Radio Depaul Sports. “We are working on bringing live shows to listeners at least one day a week, though. This is different from previous years because almost all of our shows were live and produced from our station in the loop.”

Another option they are considering with regards to live programming is possibly live streaming shows on streaming platforms like Twitch.

Stations like 670 The Score live stream some of their shows on Twitch and it is a good way to get audience feedback as the show is being produced.

Similar to students using Zoom for their classes, that’s how the radio hosts were producing their shows.

“Like everyone else though, we adapted. We are very grateful to have the technology and ability to continue to broadcast our voice. Through Zoom, we have been able to record our shows and to continue through them through podcast form,” said Jake Cantu, the program director at Radio DePaul Sports.

“For the fall quarter we realized that things were still going to be different, so we were prepared for remote shows.

Our plan is still to generate content regarding all the leagues.”

For a college radio station, where change is almost a certainty from quarter to quarter, or semester to semester, trying to plan for those changes only got more difficult not knowing how things were going to unfold.

“With so much uncertainty from how campus was going to look, we didn’t want to make any conclusions regarding how the station would run,” Ciolli said. “So we basically just planned what we could control in the moment which was switching to our new management team and coming up with as many ideas for how we could handle different situations.”

Prior to the start of the fall quarter, The DePaulia reported some of the requirements DePaul set in place that required students to wear face coverings at all times when on campus, mandated

PHOTO COURTESY OF RADIO DEPAUL SPORTS

Radio DePaul sports is producing content remotely in the fall quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Like everyone else though, we adapted. We are very grateful to have the technology and ability to continue to broadcast our voice.”

Jake Cantu

Program director at Radio DePaul Sports

proper social distancing and encouraged good personal hygiene. Keeping people safe is the number one priority and it was the priority when deciding to come back.

“Obviously, safety was our number one factor that had to be considered going into making our decision,” said Burjek. “Our staff supervisor, Scott Vyverman, was mainly in contact with the university about what we will be allowed to do this year, which he then communicated to us managers.”

Because programming in the summer is scarce, programming was not impacted as much as it was during the final weeks of the spring quarter. Any host who had shows during the spring and wanted to continue them had the option of doing so but many opted not to for obvious reasons.

Another wrench in coming back is that there will be no live sports at DePaul. As The DePaulia reported back in August, the Big East canceled fall sports because of the pandemic.

“In the fall quarter, we would normally be covering men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball,” Cioll saidi. “Obviously that is not an option for us so we are still keeping our fingers crossed that we can cover basketball and other winter/spring sports. So that will be a pretty large aspect, and one of our more special capabilities here at DePaul, that we will be missing this quarter.”

However, professional sports are back and that is what they are going to have to focus on for the time being. The first podcast dropped under the station’s new format was “Pick Six Nation” with Mike Elzinga in which he

broke down the start of the NFL season as well as other stories that happened during the week.

Going forward, much of the content will focus on professional sports leagues with the hopes that DePaul sports eventually comes back.

There is no timetable set for when the radio station at the loop campus will be accessible to students. In the meantime, they will try to make do with what they have.

“If there are sports on the network, you best believe we are going to be covering it,” Cantu said. “We have a great staff that is ready to get back to work and I cannot wait to get their content up.”

Sports. Sept. 21, 2020 The DePaulia | 27

NCAA, continued from back page “The new season start date near the Thanksgiving holiday provides the optimal opportunity to successfully launch the basketball season,” said NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt. “It is a grand compromise of sorts and a unified approach that focuses on the health and safety of student-athletes competing towards the 2021 Division I basketball championships.”

The Big East is moving to 20 conference games with the addition of UConn into the 11-member league. But the Big East has yet to finalize plans for its non-conference and conference schedule.

“Discussions are ongoing as of Friday afternoon in regards to scheduling and testing with the conference office and the BIG EAST membership,” DePaul athletic director DeWayne Peevy told The DePaulia. “Once the structure of a conference schedule is determined we can fill in other dates of potential non-conference games under the guidelines set by the NCAA earlier this week.”

As well as figuring out the 2020-21 schedule, the Big East is also working to confirm testing protocols and where they plan to play conference games.

“We have not reached conclusions on testing protocols yet,” a Big East spokesperson told The DePaulia. “We are certainly mindful of the NCAA’s recommendations. A bubble is one of a few different options that is being considered as we put together a scheduling plan.”

DePaul’s men’s basketball team already has multiple non-conference games lined up, including playing Northwestern and Loyola. The Blue Demons are also supposed to play in the Las Vegas Invitational, with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reporting that the tournament is still looking to play in Las Vegas.

“We’ve got our way of doing things, and it’s really been thrown out the window here with the COVID protocols,” Villanova men’s basketball coach Jay Wright told reporters on Thursday.

“I think what we’re trying to do is make our decisions on the run and become comfortable like that. We’re preparing like everybody can go, but we always know if we have to change something, everybody’s ready to do that.”

DePaul also has Iowa State on its schedule in the Big East-Big 12 challenge.

“Our first priority now is getting a Big East schedule set as quickly as possible,” Wright said. “It’s not like how it used to be, where the league would wait for availability of buildings. There’s so many more variables now, but we want to do that first, then get as many non-conference games as we can to the limit. I do think we all understand this year, everybody might not play the same amount of games for a lot of reasons.”

Teams can begin preseason activities on Oct. 14 and will have 42 days to conduct 30 practices. The Division I council is allowing players to work out for 20 hours per week, four hours a day and must have one day off per week.

In the meantime, teams are allowed 12 hours per week to conduct basketball-related activities. Players currently have two days off per week.

DePaul is still looking to get waivers for two players, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Courvoisier McCauley, before the start of the season.

ALEXA SANDLER | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul point guard Charlie Moore drives to the basket against Marquette on March 3 at Wintrust Arena.

Key dates Sept. 21-Oct.13:

- Teams can participate in basketball-related activites for 12 hours per week.

Oct. 14-Nov. 24:

- Teams can begin preseason practice and will have 42 days to conduct 30 practices.

Nov. 25:

-2020-21 men’s and women’s college basketball regular season begins.

Sports

Sports. Sept. 21, 2020 The DePaulia | 28

Game on ALEXA SANDLER | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul senior Deja Church drives to the basket against Destiny Strother in the Big East Tournament championship game on March 9 at Wintrust Arena.

NCAA votes to start basketball season Nov. 25

By Lawrence Kreymer Sports Editor

Six months after college basketball had to cancel the rest of the 2019-20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sport now has its start date for the upcoming season.

The Division I council voted on Wednesday to approve Nov. 25 as the start date for the men’s and women’s college basketball season, two weeks later than previously planned.

The NCAA, however, is not allowing teams to hold exhibition games or closed scrimmages before the start of the season. According to the committee that decided on the Nov. 25 date, moving the season back two weeks will allow more universities to finish their fall terms in the middle of November.

“Moving the start date back from Nov. 10 is intended to have contests begin when at least three-quarters of Division I schools will have concluded their fall terms or moved remaining instruction and exams online, creating a more

controlled and less populated campus environment that may reduce the risk of COVID-19 that can occur between student-athletes and the broader student body population,” the Division I Men’s and Women’s Oversight Committees said.

Furthermore, the NCAA also reduced the number of games teams are allowed to play this season. In men’s basketball, teams can schedule 24 regular-season games and play in one multiple-team event that includes three games; 25 games and participate in one multiple-team event that only includes two games or 25 games if a team does not participate in a regular-season tournament.

In women’s basketball, however, teams can play 23 regular-season games and participate in one multiple-team event that includes four games, or play 25 games if a team does not participate in a multiple-team event.

The minimum number of regular-season games is set to 13.

See NCAA, page 27

ALEXA SANDLER | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul sophomore forward Romeo Weems stares into the camera during a game against Marquette on March 3 at Wintrsut Arena. DePaul won the game 69-68.