DePaulia
The
2017 Pacemaker Award Winner
Volume #102 | Issue #27 | May 21, 2018 | depauliaonline.com
PLAYING IT SAFE
As national and local violence ramps up, concerns about safety follow suit By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor
AMBER COLÓN | THE DEPAULIA
Multiple students were shot and killed in an shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, according to police. This mass shooting comes almost a month to the day after a mass shooting in a Nashville Waffle House left four people dead. Only six months into the year, there have been over 20,000 incidents involving guns, 100 of which were mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The presence of gun violence has become a harrowing new reality for Americans and as a result, there has also been an increase in concerns regarding safety and emergency protocols in places where these shootings are most likely to occur. Consequently, safety concerns are growing among students and faculty at DePaul as the frequency of mass shootings increases nationwide. And now the effectiveness of Public Safety is being questioned as a 21-year-old woman was stabbed in the face and neck on Webster Avenue on Tuesday, April 10. With all of these constant threats looming over DePaul students and staff, some members of the community have begun to question the steps that DePaul is taking to protect students. There has been increased concern surrounding the safety of students on and around both campuses. Most notably, the
“Parents @ DePaul” Facebook group has seen an increase in posts regarding safety since 2016, with another spike around January of this year. The page functions as a forum for parents with students on campus to communicate and exchange ideas. Recently, much of the conversation has turned to crimes occurring on campus and ways students can be protected. With frequent Public Safety alerts being sent about attempted muggings and assaults on campus, many students can’t help but feel as though Lincoln Park is becoming more dangerous. “There’s shady people around this area for sure,” said student Eric Varney. “I never walk with my headphones in at night, and I keep my head on a swivel. (...) That’s all you can really do apart from being a shut-in and never leaving the house.” DePaul’s Public Safety Department is specifically tasked with preventing and handling crime on campus. According to Public Safety Director Robert Wachowski, the department “works closely with and relies on assistance from the Chicago Police Department” and has clear goals in place regarding campus safety. But for many at DePaul, it feels as though these goals are not being achieved. Faculty and staff are also becoming more aware of the potential dangers on campus and the potential challenges the university faces in combating these threats. Kendra Knight, a professor in the College of Communication, says that safety is a
See SAFETY, page 5
Film school creates new comedy filmmaking degree with Second City By Evan Sully Contributing Writer
Whether it be comedy films or films in general, it takes a lot of people behind the scenes to ensure that the final product looks good, sounds good and entertains its audience. For DePaul students looking to elevate their production talent or cut their teeth in the comedy film industry, the chance has finally come: DePaul’s School of Cinematic Arts has announced that it has teamed up with The Second City to create a brand new, film degree in comedy filmmaking. The comedy film degree will be offered
to both undergraduate and graduate students, with courses beginning in the upcoming fall quarter. The degree program is the first and only one in the country to team up with famed Chicagobased improv house The Second City, which has been in the city since 1959. The School of Cinematic Arts, meanwhile, is relatively new, having been created in 2015 as one of the three schools within DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media aside from the School of Design and the School of Computing. The Second City has produced numerous prominent figures in the film and television industry in its almost 60year history, ranging from directors,
award-winning actors and comedians such as Steve Carell, Bill Murray, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Comedy film students will have the opportunity to take courses at both The Second City theatre in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood and at the College of Computing and Digital Media’s building in the Loop. Additionally, students will have access to green screens, sound stages and get the opportunity to interact with top names in the film industry. Course offerings for the degree will include “Evolution of Comedy,” “DNA of the Second City,” and “Comedy Improvisation for Filmmakers.” Gary Novak, director of DePaul’s
School of Cinematic Arts, expressed excitement in getting this program underway and mentioned that it was a combination of being at the right place at the right time. “It made sense for us to be first,” Novak said. “This is taking (the) Second City approach, the creative approach.” Talks about the two partners potentially merging went on for nearly a year-and-a-half, but the conversation got serious in December when The Second City reached out to the university based on the track record of DePaul’s film program. In December, both sides began to brainstorm ideas and once February
See SECOND CITY, page 4