DePaulia
The
Volume #106 | Issue #17 | March 7, 2022 | depauliaonline.com
New beginnings Afghan refugees start English classes at DePaul, community groups support transition By Jonathan Rosenblum, Jana Kunz & Erika Perez Contribuiting Writers
Among the rising population of Afghan refugees entering Chicago since U.S. troops abruptly pulled out last August, 10 Afghan women have started English classes at DePaul University, and will soon begin undergraduate classes. The new DePaul students, ranging in ages from 20 to 24, came from the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh after being evacuated from Afghanistan. Several women were able to flee Afghanistan for Bangladesh prior to coming to the U.S., while others were stuck in the capital of Kabul. When all 10 women were finally able to board planes bound for the United States, they flew to Saudi Arabia, then Spain, then to a U.S. military base in Virginia. DePaul students and faculty gathered basic supplies for the women prior to their arrival, ensuring they had necessary hygiene items and bedsheets, according to Emily Krause, DePaul’s assistant di-
rector of Special Programs for Global Engagement. “Imagine moving to
and anything we can. The 10 Afghan students, whose native language is Dari, are currently enrolled in DePaul’s English Language Academy where they are strengthening their English language skills. “We are not treating these students any differently from the rest of the international students that are coming to D e P a u l ,” Besana
a brand new country with nothing,” Krause said. “We’re just trying to identify all the things that they might need.” Professor GianMario Besana, associate provost for Global Engagement, says unlike other foreign students who choose DePaul, these Afghan women had no choice. They found themselves separated from their families in an unfamiliar place without any of their own belongings. Contrasting their experience with most DePaul students, Besana said,
“ Yo u go back to your dorm room or your apartment, you open the refrigerator, you’re familiar with all the food, you have utensils, you have flip flops, you have a bathrobe, towels. They came with nothing,” Besana said. For the Afghan students, Besana said, the transition is also layered with difficulties related to language and culture. “We were contacted with a request to assist as much as we could,” Besana said. “I truly believe that our Vincentian mission behooves us to do whatever we can to provide refuge, assistance, education
said. “We will support them as long as they need to bring their English fluency up to regular admission standards.” When the students are finished with their English courses, they will then be able to attend the undergraduate degree program of their choice. “We started a conversation with them, several want to be business majors, one wants to be a doctor, one wants to be KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA
See REFUGEES, page 6
Want Wintrust Arena on the map? Then trust Stubbs By Nate Burleyson Online Managing Editor
COMMENTARY Wintrust Arena has been a bit of an enigma this season. On some days, energy was low as the Blue Demons began conference play 1-8, or when stars Javon Freeman-Liberty and David Jones missed time. Yet a few games have instilled an energy in the DePaul faithful, led on the court by the magnetic Freeman-Liberty, and on the sidelines by the equally enthusiastic Tony Stubblefield. Wednesday was one of those nights. DePaul and Marquette came into Wednesday night’s penultimate conference game with different trajectories and goals. Marquette has had the quality it expected under first-year head coach Shaka Smart, yet have stuttered in the second half of
conference play, failing to string together consecutive wins since Jan. 26. The Blue Demons, on the other hand, have relit a fire in a season where they’ve stayed near the bottom of the standings. With DePaul playing their best basketball of the season, and backed by the largest student section of the year, Wintrust Arena was a death trap for the Golden Eagles — it just wasn’t sprung until the second half. In the first half, DePaul and Marquette mirrored each other for the most part. It was the paint that made the difference for Marquette, who outscored DePaul 24-14 in that area in the half, en route to a 37-33 lead. DePaul sputtered into the locker room, with Freeman-Liberty shooting just 2-for-9 from the field. If there is one thing that’s true, DePaul under Stubblefield is not the same team as
See WINTRUST, page 27
BEN ZEBROWSKI | THE DEPAULIA
The DePaul men’s basketball players celebrate with the student section after defeating Marquette 91-80 at Wintrust Arena Wednesday night.