The DePaulia 10/21

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The case for DePaul to prioritize sustainability as much as it’s students do. See Opinions, page 12.

DePaulia

The

DePaul business professor enters Cook County state’s attorney’s race against Kim Foxx. See News, page 3.

Volume #104 | Issue #6 | Oct. 21, 2019 | depauliaonline.com

Soaring into the season

RYAN GILROY | THE DEPAULIA

To kick off the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, fans and players came together at the McGrath-Phillips Arena to watch a scrimmage, an action-packed dunk contest and join a raffle for a variety of prizes. Vintage game-worn gear from seasons past were also on sale for DePaul students and alumni to relive some of their favorite Blue Demon memories. The men’s basketball team takes on Alcorn State on Nov. 5 in their first regular season game. The women’s team starts their regular season a few days later on Nov. 8 against Miami University (Ohio).

Analysis: 2019 Public Safety report

DePaul trustee retires from Exelon amid federal probe

Crime remains consistent on Loop and Lincoln Park campuses despite recent trends in both areas By Ella Lee Arts & Life Editor

By Bianca Cseke & Shane René Online Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief

A member of DePaul’s Board of Trustees who abruptly resigned from her position as CEO of Exelon Utilities on Tuesday amidst a federal investigation into the company’s lobbying practices is still a member of the board, according to a university spokesperson. Anne Pramaggiore, who was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2010, left Exelon less than a week after the company announced that it had been subpoenaed in the federal investigation of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, among other Illinois politicians, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, works for ComEd and was hired during Pramaggiore’s time as CEO. DePaul University spokesperson Carol Hughs said the university has no comment on Pramaggiore’s sudden exit from Exelon and did not respond to The DePaulia’s inquiry about the university’s protocol for adding and removing members of the board of trustees. Exelon did not give a reason for Pramaggiore’s retirement. “You see the smoke and you assume that

PHOTO COURTESY OF EXELON

DePaul trustee Anne Pramaggiore.

somewhere there is fire,” John McCarron, a former DePaul adjunct and expert on Chicago politics, said. “There is certainly no way to connect the two empirically or legally, but you know, I’ve been covering and watching Chicago politics and various corruption episodes for 30 or 40 years and it certainly looks like [Pramaggiore’s exit and the federal investigation] are connected.” Utility companies tend to have much closer relationships with state and local governments than most private firms. ComEd enjoys its status as a state-granted monopoly, requiring all electrical services across northwestern Illinois to deliver their service through ComEd equipment. This arrangement is prone to corruption at various levels. “To run a utility in Chicago means you’re going to be working very closely with government and there are all sorts

See TRUSTEE, page 4

Though crime has increased significantly in both Lincoln Park and the Loop, the university’s annual Safety and Security Information Report and Fire Safety Report presents crime on campus as remaining practically stagnant. Reported rapes are down in Lincoln Park, with three in 2018, compared to five last year. In the Loop, reported rapes are up with five in 2018 and three in 2017. Numbers listed under the residential facility section for each campus are included in those numbers. These numbers reflect rapes that were reported to either the university or the police and do not include those that went unreported. Bob Wachowski, the director of campus public safety, said that it is hard to tell whether these numbers represent an actual increase or decrease in crime or if they are simply a blip for the year. “It’s a combination of things,” he said. “There’s Student Affairs with preventive programming, and you have to remember that this report is very specific. It’s based on geographic location of where the incidents happened.” He added that because of how specific

this report is, the numbers in a separate report Title IX compiles in compliance with the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Eduation Act will never match up with this report’s numbers. Campus robberies have stayed relatively the samenear the Lincoln Park campus, with 16 occurring off campus in 2018, compared to 15 in 2017. The Loop campus has seen a decrease in robberies in the past year — in 2018, there were 16 reported for both on campus and in public, and in 2017, there were 29. “We’re constantly looking at robberies on a regular basis — not just robberies, but also other types of crimes — to increase what we can do to prevent this,” Wachowski said. “That might be other steps, like increasing patrol, working with the city, undercover officers or crimespecific tactics.” Wachowski recommends that students be alert when on campus and around the city because cell phones are the most frequently stolen item across the country. “My office overlooks the ‘L,’ and 90 percent [of people on the platform] are looking with cell phones out,” Wachowski said. “Criminals grab and run.” Liquor and drug referrals have stayed relatively stagnant as well over the past

See PUBLIC SAFETY, page 6


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