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One student argues for semesters in Opinions, page 13.
Volume #103 | Issue #13 | Jan. 28, 2019 | depauliaonline.com
DIBS, the face of school spirit at DePaul, still can’t drink at Kelly’s By Angelina Korniyenko Contributing Writer
DePaul’s resident evil spirit just celebrated his 20th year of possessing students — with school spirit. The “Demon in a Blue Suit,” known to most students as DIBS, was conjured at last Sunday’s women’s basketball game against Seton Hall to blow out his birthday candles for his 20th birthday. In just one more year, DIBS will be able to legally enjoy a beverage with students at Kelly’s or McGee’s. Originally, DePaul’s mascot was Billy the Blue Demon, a smiling creature with a goatee. But in 1998, Pat Kennedy, who was head coach of men’s basketball, was ushering in a new era of DePaul Basketball. “We looked for a fresh, clean, new look with our logos,” said Karen Loicano, who is responsible for managing DIBS. DIBS has been one of the trademarks of DePaul University since 1999. Students
"[DIBS] is the great equalizer.” DIBS
Demon in the Blue Suit and teachers seem to love being around the Blue Demon, and fans get especially excited when he appears at sports games. “My favorite part of going to games was always seeing DIBS,” said Ilana Blattner, a former member of the Blue Crew, DePaul’s spirit squad. “He’s just got so much energy, and even nowadays, I always have to stop and say hello when I see him walking around campus.” Even DIBS gets excited when he sees students and fans around campus because he knows that by walking around campus or being at the men’s basketball games, it makes other people’s days when they see
DIBS and get a high-five from the mascot. “[DIBS] is the great equalizer; you can go up to anyone and high-five them, interact, someone will give you a smile,” DIBS said. “I love walking down the street and just wave to whoever I see. It’s just fun. You can tell that you’re brightening someone’s day or getting people excited, but the kids are always really fun. Some of them come to game after game and they are really excited. It pumps me up.” Francesca Santelli, a freshman at DePaul who regularly attends sports events, said that DIBS plays a big part in energizing the crowd.
SHANE RENE | THE DEPAULIA
DIBS looks out into the crowd at Wintrust Arena during a home loss to Butler Jan. 16.
“I think that the spirit of the school is uplifted when he is around,” Santelli said. “Because he runs around and has that
See DIBS, page 25
If you build it, they still might not come By Shane Rene Managing Editor
COMMENTARY
XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA
Surviving in the polar vortex
Albert Aeuirre, 70, usually camps out near DePaul’s Loop campus. He usually stays inside doorways to protect himself from the wind, but said he hopes to find a spot in a shelter during this week’s colder days. As the frigid winds of the polar vortex sweep into the Midwest, forecasters are predicting wind chills of -50 degrees later this week, a particularly dire problem for the Chicago’s homeless population.
Sorority for women in STEM inducted at DePaul By Emma Oxnevad Asst. News Editor
A new sorority was inducted Saturday aimed at uniting women pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), fields traditionally dominated by men. Alpha Sigma Kappa is a social sorority for women pursuing a degree in STEM fields. The organization was founded at the University of Minnesota in 1989 and now has 12 active chapters in the United States, according to the national Alpha Sigma Kappa website. Women make up half of the college-
educated workforce in the U.S. but only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project. Scholars have said this gender imbalance stems from discrimination, stereotypes about what someone in a STEM field should look like and a lack of female role models in the fields. “STEM fields have historically been dominated by men and as a woman, it’s often hard to be taken seriously,” said Bella Nolan, president of the sorority. “That’s where Alpha Sigma Kappa comes in, because we raise each other up and give each other confidence in a field where it
can sometimes feel that your confidence is being taken away.” DePaul’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Kappa was officially established in 2017 and is referred to as the Lambda Colony to differentiate it from chapters at other universities. “[Alpha Sigma Kappa] started like most other things that start here at DePaul, an idea and wish to have an empowering, supportive, community of STEM women,” said Stephanie Huizar, President of Outreach for DePaul Alpha Sigma Kappa. Alpha Sigma Kappa is unique from other social sororities at DePaul because it
See STEM SORORITY, page 4
There are certainly a lot of questions worth asking about Wintrust Arena, even if few of them have very clear answers. But one thing that is clear is this: the arena itself is pretty awesome. With a little more than 10,000 seats and standing room, you can’t find a bad seat in the house. The upper deck doesn’t feel too estranged from the action, and the lower bowl feels comfortable and close to the floor; the concession stands are spread out conveniently, and it’s not big enough to get lost in. It looks nice from the perspective of a student athlete, too. Visiting coaches from the Big East and non-conference schools often rave about the arena in postgame press conferences. The locker rooms and player facilities would impress even the most pampered recruits, and there is plenty of space in the rafters for players to imagine their own jerseys (and championship banners for those with short memory). It’s new, it’s clean, it’s fancy, and it’s built for basketball. But for now, the people just don’t seem that interested. Five of DePaul’s nine home games during non-conference play saw less than 1,000 butts in the seats, and it’s not hard to imagine why. If you took a peek at top half DePaul’s schedule this year, you probably thought to yourself, “I didn’t know that was a D1 school,” or “who?” about 5 times. Those were the five games. Front-loading their schedule with a handful of easy wins could be good for the Blue Demons. Racking up
See IF YOU BUILD IT, page 27