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March 12, 2012
Catholic conundrum
COMMENTARY
Got to admit, it’s getting better
Men’s hoops making steady progress By JULIAN ZENG Sports Editor
LAURA COLLINS | The DePaulia
Percentage of Catholics at DePaul lower than other Catholic universities By EVA GREEN Contributing Writer A study of student faiths at DePaul, deemed the largest Catholic University in the nation, has concluded that Catholic students are not the majority at the school. Statistics gathered by the Institutional Research and Market Analytics strategy group illustrate that while 33 percent of students at DePaul declare their Catholic faith, nearly 45 percent of the student body do not identify themselves as being part of any sort of faith-based religion. Although “First Things Magazine,” a publication through The Institute on Religion and Public Life, ranked DePaul the “Least Catholic Catholic School” in
past years, it is undeniably the largest Catholic university by enrollment with 25,398 total students, 8,314 of which identify as Catholic. St. John’s University follows closely behind with 21,354 students, and as of 2010, reports
“
Senior mathematics and economics double major, Michael VanDorpe, who serves on the Pastoral Council, is a liturgist assistant and facilitates student mass, said although DePaul may not have the highest number of Catholic students; its
There has been no time in the university’s history that DePaul has required students or employees to declare their religious affiliation.
JAY BRAATZ
a higher percentage of Catholic students with 46 percent of its students identifying as Catholic, compared to the 33 percent at DePaul. Senior finance major, Adam Belkalrous, identifies as Agnostic and despite his Catholic upbringing said, “I go to church when my parents force me.”
”
identity is illustrated through its Vincentian values, “values of service and to the poor.” VanDorpe also admitted that the founding values at DePaul, based on the practices of Saint Vincent de Paul, are found in many faiths and are often “universal values to humanity.” “While we are a Catholic University, we are not the
Catholic Church,” he said while describing DePaul as supporting diversity in a way not always accepted by the Catholic Church such as issues within the LBGT community. VanDorpe said this inclusion is one way that the university is projecting its Vincentian values which includes “respecting who people are…and how they are born is important…” He described DePaul as keeping up with its Catholic tradition in many ways, such as offering religious services at the school. “People don’t necessarily always see it, but it’s always there,” he said. DePaul offers prayer, meeting and meditation rooms to support its diverse religious community. Course offerings at DePaul include Catholic
Rebuilding is often a slow, gradual process. Teams will enjoy long runs of success, then plummet to the bottom, losing players to free agency, having trades go awry or, in the case of college sports, simply seeing talent depart for greener pastures. The DePaul men’s basketball team is rebuilding. The 2011-12 campaign, which ended Tuesday with an 81-67 loss to Connecticut in the opening round of the Big East Championship, marked the team’s fifth straight season with a losing record. With the program’s hiring of head coach Oliver Purnell prior to the ‘10‘11 season and heavy recruiting of potential-laden players like Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young, it is clear that rekindling their winning ways of the past is priority number one. Sure, the team recorded just five more wins than last season, finishing with a 12-19 record. But with three solid Big East conference victories and a handful of other losses by the narrowest of margins, the Blue See MEN’S HOOPS, page 26
See CATHOLIC, page 5
College of Law under fire for misrepresentation
By DYLAN McHUGH Contributing Writer
A class action law suit was filed against DePaul University’s College of Law for allegedly misrepresenting their postgraduation employment statistics and mean salary data, along with similar suits against 14 other law schools. The class action, filed Feb. 1, alleged that the College of
Law makes it appear to the reasonable consumer that its reports of 88 to 98 percent employment rates refer to fulltime, permanent positions that require a law degree. The class action stated that if DePaul were to only include full-time legal positions, the post-graduation employment rate “could be well below 50 percent, if not lower.” In addition, it alleges that DePaul “grossly inflates its graduates’ reported mean salaries,” by failing to include
people who do not provide their salary information or do not have employment. The plaintiffs in the class action are eight DePaul College of Law alumni. Of the eight plaintiffs, two of them have fulltime legal employment, four have part-time legal employment, and two have jobs outside of the legal sector. Gregory Mark, dean of DePaul’s College of Law, said that DePaul’s statistics were accurate and that they complied
with American Bar Association (ABA) regulations. “The ABA has acknowledged for decades that graduates want to use their degrees for many different things,” Mark said. “There’s a lot of bad publicity about job prospects. DePaul is not immune from the effects of a bad economy.” The class action stated that instead of giving graduates a See LAW page 9
GRANT MYATT | The DePaulia
Cleveland Melvin is set to take on a leadership role next season.
2 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
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News. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 3
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BARTOSZ BRZEZINSKI | The DePaulia
Graduate student Ebitari Burutdu, held his fist up to “Occupy DePaul” participants during the public forum over recent tuition hikes at the Lincoln Park Student Center Friday afternoon.
Round two Administration fails to attend “Occupy DePaul” public forum By BARTOSZ BRZEZINSKI Senior Writer Continuing in their struggle against recent tuition hikes and student debt, group of about 50 DePaul students, accompanied by a large number of activists and supporters, gathered in the Lincoln Park Student Center for a public forum Friday. President of the Student Government Association, Anthony Alfano, once again joined the students in a sign of solidarity, but the four chairs reserved specifically for the members of the school administration, among them President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider and Provost Helmut P. Epp, remained empty for the entire meeting. Disappointed at the fact that no DePaul representative showed up to listen to their concerns, students expressed their anger at what they felt was proof they were not being taken seriously by the school. “As a person who pays a hell of a lot of money to go here, I feel insulted by this behavior,” said freshman Jordan Weber in the opening statement, as he pointed to the four empty chairs behind him. Fr. Holtschneider’s Chief of Staff, Jay Braatz, spoke on Fr. Holtschneider’s behalf Sunday morning because Fr. Holtschneider
was in Buffalo, N.Y. According to Braatz, the president’s office sent four possible meeting dates and times, and is working with the student organizers to get a meeting scheduled. Braatz said it was not possible for the president’s office to send a representative with only 24-hours notice on a Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. when many people had to head home for family obligations and Fr. Holtschneider had other commitments to honor. Similar to last weekend’s “Occupy DePaul” events, students shared their personal struggles with debt. This time, they wanted the university administration and Board of Trustees to be their audience. Instead, they had to settle for each other. One-by-one they went up to the microphone and explained their reasons for participating in the fight. “My decision to go to DePaul was purposeful - I went to DePaul because of its Vincentian mission of social service,” said Elise Cody. “Why are you, DePaul, making it more difficult for me to fulfill your mission? “Education is a right and I should have a right to go where I want to go,” freshman Michelle Hauer said. This is where I want to be and I just want to be able to be here.” See OCCUPY, page 5
LEFT: “Occupy DePaul” supporters stand outside of the Lincoln Park Student Center Friday afternoon as a part of ongoing debates over increased tuition. “Occupy DePaul” participated in a sit-in in the Student Center last weekend when the group had its first series of public protests.
BARTOSZ BRZEZINSKI | The DePaulia
Seats reserved for administrative officers Provost Dr. Helmut Epp, President Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, Executive Vice President Robert Kozoman, and Secretary Rev. Edward Udovic, stayed empty during discussions over tuition hikes.
4 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
A new tomorrow
After nearly eight decades, “House of Tomorrow” still stands strong By MADELINE SZROM Contributing Writer
Tiny drops of rain fall over the five Century of Progress homes in Beverly Shores, Ind. It’s a gray, gloomy day and though it’s only rain, the fog and water create the feeling of being stuck in a shaken snow globe. The House of Tomorrow sits high atop a hill overlooking Lake Michigan. It looks far from the way it did in 1935, the year the homes were transported to Beverly Shores from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. It looks sad. Its exterior is covered in torn white Tyrek paper, over grown weeds shoot out from its foundation and there is no sign of human presence. The other four homes look much different. The Cyprus Log Cabin is completely restored and lived in, the Florida Tropical House is once again painted bubblegum pink and has minimal work left before it can be inhabited and the WienboldtRostone and Armco-Ferro houses are clearly in the process of restoration. It is the lonesome House of Tomorrow, the most visually strange, that remains the only home vacant and virtually untouched for over a decade.
Finding
a new home
The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair was during a time of great loss. To help repair national pride, the fair included an exhibit of model homes displaying the era’s architectural achievements entitled, “A Century of Progress.” In 1934, when the fair ended, five of the homes were saved from demolition and moved to Beverly Shores to draw attention to the growing beach town. “The fact that the homes came from the Century of Progress fair was integral to the formation of the Beverly Shores community,” said Leo Firme, owner of Save the Dunes Gift Shop and long time resident of Beverly Shores. Although each of the homes has its own unique beauty, the House of Tomorrow’s design has made it one of the more intriguing since the homes settled on the shore 77 years ago.
Inspiration and of Tomorrow
design for the
House
Chicago architect George Fred Keck designed the home in the early ’30s as an everyday house for people of the near future. Though the home appears incredibly forward thinking, complete with an airplane hanger next to the garage, Keck got his idea from the 1800s. “It was a forward design, yes, and backward,” said Judy Collins, architectural historian for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. “The design is based on a historic house in Wisconsin. It’s an octagon shaped house and all the utilities in that house went up through the center.” When the House of Tomorrow was being built, it was thought that it would be freezing due to the high number of windows. However, there was tremendous and unexpected heat gain because of the windows. “His design was both a success and a bit of a failure at the same time,” Collins said. “Rediscovering solar heat, but not having a way to get the extra heat out in the summer.” Once the house was established in Beverly Shores, operable windows were put in to help with the temperature balance of the space. It was still not enough to
MADELINE SZROM | The DePaulia
“House of Tomorrow” was featured in the exhibit “A Century of Progress” during the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Almost 80 years later, the relocated house is in need of repairs. make the design sought after. “Speaking as a designer, I think people relate to what they feel comfortable in and familiar with,” Collins explained. “People just couldn’t yet see themselves living in modern architecture.”
The
process of restoring what time has damaged
The House of Tomorrow was sold to its first private owner in 1938. Soon after in 1940, it was sold again. This pattern continued until 1970, when the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a division of the National Parks Service (NPS) purchased it, along with the four other homes.
“
I’ve been holding my breath because we’ve gone through so many years of no work being done and it’s deteriorating so quickly.
”
Judy Collins, architectural historian
Currently, the NPS still owns the property as well as the homes themselves, but they lease them to the Indiana Landmarks organization as part of the Historic Landmarks Leasing Program. Indiana Landmarks in turn subleases the homes in increments of 30 years to individuals who are financially capable of restoring the homes to their original grandeur. The last party who subleased the House of Tomorrow had their lease revoked and did little to start the restoration process on the home. “The basic rule or approach is that there needs to progress being made and the individuals subleasing the homes need to follow the plan created by the National Parks Service,” said Todd Zeiger, director of the Indiana Landmark’s Northern Regional Office. “Unfortunately, we had
to terminate the party’s sublease due to the lack of work underway and the lack of progress that was being made. The party vacated in late 2006.” However, Collins still believes the House of Tomorrow is more of a ticking bomb and the sooner it can be subleased, the better. “I’ve been holding my breath because we’ve gone through so many years of no work being done and it’s deteriorating so quickly,” she said. “The building will likely be a challenging restoration both technically and financially,” said Paul Hayden, community preservation specialist for the Indiana Landmark’s Northern Regional Office. “The hope would be to put this property into the hands of an individual who appreciates its unique character.” The community is also waiting for the day the House of Tomorrow will begin its transformation back to its initial, ultramodern condition, bringing the historic lakefront district full circle.
Arisen Issues
Though everyone involved with the Century of Progress homes wants The House of Tomorrow to be subleased and rehabbed, getting to that point has been difficult. “The challenge with the House of Tomorrow has been an ongoing association with the NPS over the terms that we can offer in a sublease,” Zeiger said. “We’ve not been able to reach an agreement with them that will provide enough incentive as far as time in a sublease.” The height of the disagreement stems from changes in the program’s regulations that were established in 2000. Both Zeiger and Collins are vague in their explanations on the exact issue the new regulations have uncovered. “It’s a very sensitive situation,” Collins said. “The NPS was fully in agreement with the program when it was first put in place, but there have been some questions about the legalities of the agreement that we have between the NPS and Indiana Landmarks after the new regulations were put in place.”
One large issue the NPS has is that the “lease” they have with Indiana Landmarks is in reality more of a contract than a valid lease. “We’ve been going through a lot of consultations to make sure we get the correct language in this lease to protect everyone’s interests,” Collins said. The disagreement between the two parties has caused a major delay in finding someone to sublease the House of Tomorrow. Fortunately, Collins said there have been many people interested in subleasing the home and luckily, one person in particular has remained involved for years and is still pursuing the project. However, until an agreement is reached between the NPS and Indiana Landmarks, all developments are on the back burner. “Until we can get this all nailed down with the parks service, we’re not going to be able to find someone to lease the house,” Zeiger said. “There’s nothing wrong with the property that’s scaring people away, it’s really about the terms we can offer in a sublease.”
The Importance Tomorrow
of
The House
of
While the different departments and organizations may not agree on terms for a new lease quite yet, they all do believe the preservation and restoration of the House of Tomorrow is the highest priority. “It has such an important structural style,” Zeiger said. “It shows innovation, especially for that time, it was so radical. It’s important for the public to see that storyline of architecture.” The House of Tomorrow has a special magnetism to it. After nearly eight decades of harsh weather, several owners and hardly any work done, the home is still hanging on, waiting for the day it can again share its history. “To restore a building from the past is a gift to the future,” Hayden said. “It ensures that the best examples of older structures are around for the next generation to enjoy and appreciate.”
News. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 5
“OCCUPY” continued from page 3
**Numbers rounded to the nearest percentage | INFO COURTESY OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND MARKET ANALYTICS DEPARTMENT
“CATHOLIC” continued from cover
Studies but also extend to other teachings of Islam and Judaism. “So at DePaul, there are Catholic chapels on our campuses allowing Catholic students to have daily Mass, but there are also Islamic prayer rooms; a space for Hillel, the Jewish student organization; a place for the Buddhist students to meditate, and a place for other Christian organizations to gather,” said Jay Braatz, Fr. Holtschneider’s chief of staff. Students of the Muslim faith constituted 2.7 percent of the DePaul student population, followed by 2.6 percent of students that identify with the Lutheran faith. The study of student faiths at DePaul also concluded that 2.3 percent of students identified themselves as Christian Orthodox, 2.3 percent as Baptist, and 1.9 percent of the Jewish faith. The DePaul Institutional Research and Market Analytics group, which released the student data, facilitates research and supplies information to support decision-making and program development at the university. It is also responsible for administering student surveys, conducting demographic analysis, enrollment predictions, financial examination, and outcome analysis for
future planning purposes. “The diversity of our community enhances the learning experience of our students, and allows them the opportunity to experience an environment that mirrors the world around them,” said a statement from Fr. Holtschneider’s office. “We endeavor to fulfill the mission we established at our founding: to teach, serve, and respect individuals of all ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds.” Denzel Blocker, a sophomore and entrepreneurship major, said DePaul’s Catholic identity “did not influence my decision at all” in attending the school. Blocker does not identify with any religion and said, “what influenced my decision was proximity to the city and resources that being in a city provides.” Blocker described urban business opportunities, internships, and jobs as factors that piqued his interest in attending DePaul. He also said “DePaul is definitely diverse” and upholds the school’s Vincentian mission through its services, organizations, and his Egan Hope scholarship, which is dependent upon serving the poor. “Being an Egan [scholarship recipient] you have to have a commitment to leadership
and social justice,” which Blocker said requires not just community service, but advocacy for causes that affect marginalized communities. “Since its founding, and in keeping with its mission, DePaul has been known for welcoming students and employees from all ethnicities, religions and backgrounds,” Braatz said. “Indeed, there has been no time in the university’s history that DePaul has required students or employees to declare their religious affiliation.” DePaul said it maintains its title as the largest Catholic university because of its large student body and the values that the school was founded on: diversity, spirituality, high-quality education, and service to poor and marginalized communities. “The Vincentian fathers and brothers saw a need and established DePaul to provide a high-quality education to Chicago's early immigrants, minorities and women… We respected religious pluralism at our founding, and it is a legacy that endures to this day,” said DePaul’s president’s office in a written statement. “There has never been a day in DePaul’s history when it was a university only for Catholics.”
Undergraduate student Michelle Maxwell shared a story of being forced to take one year off from school for medical reasons. As she put it, the last thing she thought of before undergoing surgery on her foot, was of not being able to return to school later on for financial reasons. “But the last thought on my mind shouldn’t be, will I be able to stand long enough to wait tables, to pay for school,” she said. “It shouldn’t be, will I die and leave my family with all that debt?” Maxwell previously explained her difficult financial situation at a different “Occupy DePaul” gathering last weekend. During her time at DePaul, she went through a period of what she described as homelessness, sleeping on friends’ couches and facing an uncertain future, because she could not afford a place of her own. Toward the end of the meeting, graduate student in philosophy, Ashley Bohrer, who said her debt has now amassed to six figures, motivated her fellow students to continue in their fight for affordable education. “The issue about student debt is not primarily about financial success or financial health,” Bohrer said. “It is about the entire future of poverty. The very stake here is our lives.” “The fact that they are not here is appalling, is physically disgusting,” she said while looking at the row of empty chairs. “The fight should take place in the libraries, in student centers, in your dorms. Take this fight everywhere. Start here, take it everywhere.” The students’ biggest concern is that in the slow economy, and with job perspectives at an ultimate low, they will not be able to pay off their student loans.
There’s room for diversity in Greek life
By DAVID BERRY Contributing Writer
Greek life is apart of almost every university in America. It is sewn into the fabric of what makes a school, a school. At DePaul University, the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) is going through a period that is good, but could also be better. There are 12 MGC organizations between social fraternities and sororities, and 127 active members in those 12 organizations. Total enrollment at DePaul, according to the “Enrollment facts” page on the university’s website is 25,398 students. That would about amount to less than one percent of the students in an MGC organization. Only taking into account the minority population at DePaul (8,031 students) the amount in MGC organizations only climbs up to 1.5 percent. As a whole, fraternity and sorority students make up 6.4 percent of the DePaul community. Eight percent of female students at DePaul are affiliated and six percent of male students are affiliated with a fraternity according to the office of Student Involvement. Ashlee Canty, Program Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life at DePaul, acknowledges that the MGC has plenty of good to talk about, but they don’t get themselves recognized as much as she
feels they should. “I don’t think MGC chapters realize the influence they have in being one of the largest cultural groups on campus and the change that they can make using that influence,” Canty said. “They so often don’t boast enough about the great things they are doing in the community and I want them to seem themselves as successful as I feel that they are.” A small issue for the MGC may be how they are seen on the Internet. A visit to the DePaul University website reveals that the site for the MGC has not been updated since the 2009-2010 school year. OrgSync has the most up-to-date information for the MGC organizations, but it is only accessible to students and faculty. The 12 organizations in the MGC currently include for BGLO (Black Greek Letter Organizations): Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Gamma Rho. According to a source in the MGC who asked to remain anonymous, Alpha Kappa Alpha will be on campus for the 2012-13 school year. There are six Latino-based organizations and the remaining two organizations are Asian-based sororities. When asked why the MGC didn’t have the numbers of the bigger greek organizations on campus, the anonymous source pointed to commuter students being an issue. “A lot of minorities are commuters, so
it’s harder for them to get involved with a fraternity or sorority.” the source said. Canty did not necessarily agree with that sentiment. “I think that considering DePaul as a ‘commuter school’ is not accurate,” Canty
“
I don’t think MGC chapters realize the influence they have in being one of the largest cultural groups on campus...
”
Ashley Canty, Program Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life
said. “There are several students that do live on and near campus. The promotion of fraternities and sororities in the Loop and Lincoln Park provides students as a whole the opportunity to get involved.” One major reason why the numbers are not as big as they could be, at least for the BGLOs is that DePaul’s policy on greek life does not allow citywide chapters. The anonymous source said that it is done for “liability reasons,” but also admitted that DePaul is one of the more strict schools in regards to greek life. Another potential reason that the numbers for the organizations are not what
they could be is because of the thoughts involved with joining them. “I think that’s a big misconception,” the source said about students feeling that they have to be of a particular race or ethnicity to join certain organizations. The organizations do get out into the DePaul community by having their own weeks that showcase their respective organizations as well as big events during the school year that bring all of the organizations together, such as the stroll competition at the end of the school year. There has been discussion within the MGC of splitting the council into two, one part with the Black and Asian-based organizations, the other with the remaining latino organizations. The source said that would be to make things easier from a numbers perspective since the council is growing. There has also been talk of increasing their mandatory grade point average to a 2.7 instead of the current 2.5 and Canty said that this year will see the first Tri-Council retreat where members of each council (the Interfraternity Council and National Panhellenic Council as well as MGC) will spend time discussing and learning how to better connect the fraternity and sorority community at DePaul.With so much going on within the MGC and the DePaul greek community in general, only time will tell how things will pan out for the councils and their respective organizations.
6 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
What’s Morman got to do with it? By KASIA FEJKLOWICZ Contributing Writer
The Mormon religion has a negative image, and television personalities such as Daniel Tosh are not improving it. South Park has joked about Mormons in the past, and their new Broadway Musical, “The Book of Mormon,” makes fun of the church. A Mormon missionary at the Singles Hyde Park Branch in Chicago, Walter Hansen, admits that the show is funny but it isn’t accurate since it’s made by the producers of South Park. “It makes people curious about what we really believe,” he said. And yes, people are curious about this religion since a presidential candidate is a PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS Mormon, putting it in the spotlight. Repubic Presidential candidate Mitt Mitt Romney is not the first presidential Romney. candidate to be questioned about his faith. John F. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic Earth they forgot about their “Pre-Life.” After president who had to address his faith publicly death, they are sent to “Spirit World” where so his critics would understand that he would they learn about Jesus (if they haven’t already) not be obligated by the Pope. and decide if they want to accept God’s word. For the first and last time, Romney brought After their resurrection, they are placed up his faith during his address at the George before God for the final judgment. Here they Bush Library in College Station, Texas, in choose where they belong. 2007. There are three levels of Heaven: Celestial “If I am fortunate to become your president, Kingdom, Terrestrial Kingdom and Telestial I will serve no one religion, no one group, no Kingdom. one cause and no one interest.” Mormons have two levels of Hell. One is Romney's devotion and generous offerings called Spirit Prison and the other is called the to the church have sparked many controversies Outer Darkness. and won him many supporters and opponents. For Mormons, Hell does not last forever. Some say that being religious makes him a Most people will go to one of the three levels better person, while his enemies simply don't of Heaven. like the church. What is Most Important for Mormons? Whatever the reason, Mormonism keeps Their goal is to get to the Celestial Kingdom coming up in the media. Here are some basic (Heaven) facts about this fairly new religion. How to Get to Heaven according to
Mormonism 101 Who are Mormons?
Mormons:
The official name of the church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They have been nicknamed “Mormons” because of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith was a prophet who is believed to have restored the Christian faith. After Jesus died, Mormons believe that the church headed in the wrong direction and Smith helped restore the Christian Church. The angel, Moroni, led Smith to a hill in Manchester, New York. This is where he found the golden plates (Book of Mormon) which he translated into English. According to beliefnet.com, there are 11 million members worldwide and five million in the U.S.
Are Mormons Christians?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints say they are Christians. Even though there are many differences between Catholics and Mormons for example, they both believe and worship Jesus Christ. The main difference is that Mormons don't believe in the “Holy Trinity.” They think of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as separate beings. Their religion uses both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Myth: All Mormons
are
Polygamous
Joseph Smith said that plural marriage was revealed to him by God. Early followers of the church, 20-25 percent, of the families were polygamous. LDS President Wilford Woodruff ended the practice in 1890.
Mormons Hell
don’t believe in
Heaven
and
Mormons believe that they were spirits with God in their “Pre-Life.” Once they were sent to
1. Faith (which can include church attendance prayer, reading scripture, etc.) 2. Repentance 3. Baptism 4. Gift of the Holy Ghost (Mormons believe that people who are baptized members of the church are able to receive gifts of the Holy Spirit for spiritual development). 5. Continuous Christian Living
Myth: Mormons Don’t Drink Coffee
Mormons can drink caffeine, and many of them do. Some Mormons can’t live without Red Bull or Coca-Cola products. It is just a preference that some of them have. The Word of Wisdom, which is a law of health, does prohibit alcohol consumption and smoking. Anything that harms the body is outlawed.
Mormons Don’t Drink Alcohol
Since Mormons don’t drink alcohol, they use water instead of wine to symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Myth: Mormons Can’t Kiss Until Marriage
Mormons, just like Christians, shouldn’t engage in premarital sex. They don’t date until they are 16, but they can kiss. Sexual contact can lead to immortality, so supervision is important; going out with more than one couple is better than going alone with another young man or woman. Everything is laid out in the For the Strength of Youth booklet.
Famous Mormons:
Famous actors such as Amy Adams, John Gilbert, and the star of “Napoleon Dynamite,” Jon Heder, are also Mormons. Katherine Heigl is also a non-practicing Mormon.
KIERSTEN SINKO | The DePaulia
A student and homeless visitor talk outside the Student Center
Student Center gets homesless visitors By KIERSTEN SINKO Contributing Writer
With the quarter coming to a close, students are budgeting their meal plans to make sure they have enough money for food for the rest of the quarter. On the other hand, what about those students that have more than enough money to spend? Why not spend the money on someone who really needs the meal? Fortunately for the homeless in Lincoln Park, many people are fed in the morning at the church. After their meal they are found sitting on the steps of the church, or walking around on campus. Some homeless even venture into the Student Center to take a seat in the heated vicinity, maybe even getting fed by students with extra money. Nevertheless, DePaul University security deals with homeless problems daily. “At Lincoln Park we have met with the members of the church who are feeding the people, and have them ask the homeless not to go into the Student Center. The Public Safety officer has also asked them not to come back into the Student Center. If the behavior continues and a Criminal Trespass has been issued, they may get arrested,” said head of Criminal Prevention, Maureen Greene. The main question is, are DePaul buildings unsafe on both the Lincoln Park and the Loop campuses? Many other college campuses have gated areas where outsiders may not enter certain buildings. Security keeps a close eye on homeless people, but would it be better to have gated or secured buildings? “To be honest, I’m glad that it’s open to the public, because it would be annoying to have to swipe our ID every time we go to the Student Center,” said sophomore international studies major Katy Ramsey. “I guess [having homeless people in the building] can be a little unnerving at times, but I’ve never explicitly felt unsafe though.”
“We try to deal with the people in a Vincentian way,” Greene said. “By this I mean if they are in the Student Center, we will usually get a call and the safety officer will ask them to leave.” She explained that a person may be given a Criminal Trespass only if they have been asked to leave before. Not only does Public Safety have to deal with homeless people
“
In these economic times we are seeing all over the Chicago area more and more people who are having hard times.
Sgt. Maureen Greene, Public Safety
”
throughout the day, but student employees at the Student Center face these problems. Freshman Joey Cantacessi, majoring in journalism, has been working in the Student Center since October and also has to deal with homeless people daily. “On Friday morning shifts they actually have people stand at each door to make sure the homeless people don’t come in to sleep or use the washrooms,” Cantacessi said. With DPU being in the heart of both Lincoln Park and the Loop, gating a campus could throw off the aesthetic of the city. “I do not think gating up a campus is going to happen. We sit in an urban environment and the homeless unfortunately are part of that environment,” Greene said. “In these economic times we are seeing all over the Chicago area more and more people who are having hard times.” Although dealing with the homeless is an occurring problem in DePaul buildings, Public Safety and the Student Center have it under control. “There are certain points in buildings that are already gated, but the Student Center is a more public building. I think the security is fine, gating the campus is not needed,” Cantacessi said.
News. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 7
Chicago loses G-8, NATO here to stay By COLLEEN CONNOLLY Copy Editor With all the hype and extra security measures being implemented around the city, President Obama shocked Chicagoans when he announced March 5 that the G-8 summit was to be moved to Camp David in Maryland. The meeting is still to take place May 18-19 followed by the NATO summit in Chicago May 20-21. As far as DePaul is concerned, the change in location for the G-8 summit only necessitates a slight change in emotion. Reactions to the event being hosted in Chicago will largely remain the same as if both the NATO and G-8 summits were to be held in Chicago. Rachel Carton, a member of the DePaul AntiCapitalist Coalition, said the group discussed the recent removal of the G-8 summit from Chicago at their meeting March 5. The group originally planned to protest the summits in Chicago. “As a general consensus, I got the feeling that we view this as in part a victory in the sense that our presence and the threat of our protesting could be a part of the reason that the summit was moved,” Carton said. “We are also a little bit disappointed that we will not be able to voice our concerns here in Chicago.” Protesters may see the move as a victory, but many of them still plan on making their voices heard. Carton said the Anti-Capitalist Coalition will still protest both summits, but they have yet to decide where their protest will take place. Other students are less concerned with the relocation. Freshman communications student Lydia Moss hadn’t heard that the G-8 summit was moved, but she said the relocation didn’t seem to affect her. She wasn’t planning on protesting and her class schedule will not even be affected by the crowds that will flock downtown, as she will not have any classes in DePaul’s Loop campus next quarter. When both the NATO and G-8 summits were scheduled to occur in Chicago, DePaul students received an email stating that the Loop campus would be closed down from Friday, May 18, to Monday, May 21. According to John Holden, a communications specialist at DePaul, these plans will not change as a result of the relocation of the G-8 summit. Classes at DePaul’s Loop campus only will be cancelled May 18-21. While some protesters have mixed feelings about the relocation, many Chicagoans share the same sentiment: disappointment. The change was seemingly made at the last minute in a covert manner. “The reason I have heard—that Chicago is too distracting, so it's better to have it in seclusion at Camp David—is unconvincing,” said Patrick Callahan, a professor of political science at DePaul. “These are heads of state of important countries, after all, not college students on a field trip. Granted, previous summits have been held in smaller cities, but the reason for that is unclear to me.” Despite the sudden relocation of the G8 summit, the NATO summit is still likely to draw protesters and supporters alike from all over the country. For Chicago’s residents, it will be an opportunity to showcase the city and learn more about global politics. “Students and faculty have a unique opportunity to learn about international relations in the contemporary world,” Callahan said. “The tension between the state-system, with its foundational values of state sovereignty, stability, and globalization, and the system of world citizen diplomacy, could play out in an especially dramatic and revealing way.”
CHART & PHOTO BY YIFAN GONG| The DePaulia
PARKING METERS AROUND THE DEPAUL LOOP CAMPUS 1. About 6 cars spaces. (2 hours max) 2-11 has 3-hour-max rate. 2. 6 car spaces 3. 5 car spaces 4. 10 car spaces 5. 5 car spaces 6. 4 car spaces 7. 3 car spaces 8. 2 car spaces 9. 6 cars spaces 10. 4 cars spaces 11. 5 cars spaces 1-11 parking meters are $5.75 per hour with the max payment of $17.25. LEFT:City parking meter information.
Pay to park
Meters take a toll on Loop parking for students By YIFAN GONG Contributing Writer
If you rely on your car to get to DePaul’s Loop campus, you face an extra impediment in city driving this quarter: a rise in the price of parking meters. Beginning Jan. 2 in the Loop and moving outward into the rest of the city’s neighborhoods, the price of parking meters is on the rise. In 82 percent of Chicago’s metered parking spaces, rates will be $1.75 per hour. In the central business district outside the Loop (the area bounded by Lake Michigan to the East, North Avenue to the North, Halsted to the West and Roosevelt Road to the South), representing approximately 16 percent of the metered parking spaces, rates will be $3.50 per hour. Inside the Loop itself, representing less than 3 percent of the metered parking spaces, rates will be $5.75 per hour from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and $5.75 for two hours from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Outside the Loop, payment is not required from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. unless otherwise noted. There are 11-metered parking
places near DePaul’s Loop campus. Ten of them cost $5.75 per hour with a three-hour max rate. The other one costs the same but has a two-hour max rate.
“
More students were using the parking garage, or they would park longer distance away if they cannot find a parking place, and probably it will lead to some illegal parking, like parking in the shopping mall. Joseph Schwieterman, Professor in the School of Public Service
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“It’s easier to find a parking place around the Loop now because fewer students were using the parking meters to park their cars on the street,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a professor in the School of Public Service at DePaul. “I should say that’s bad for DePaul students because they like to park cheap,” he said. This quarter, students who use the parking meters may now spend $17.25 if they have a three-hour class.
“More students were using the parking garage, or they would park longer distance away if they cannot find a parking place, and probably it will lead to some illegal parking, like parking in the shopping mall,” Schwieterman said. The higher price of the parking meters encourages students to use public transportation more often. Some students, however, still prefer to drive but feel helpless to change the policy. “I used to park my cars at the parking meters. I don’t know why they raised it up,” said Liren Shi, a DePaul student who tried to pay at the pay box on Wabash Avenue. “I think the school should do something.” Schwieterman said there was going to be more pressure on the school to provide good parking options for students who want to drive to school, but there is little the university can do. “That’s the private company running it,” said Schwieterman. “We had no choice.” The good news is that no parking spaces will be lost, and DePaul is working to help students out, said Schwieterman. “DePaul is going to have some agreement with the city about the parking issues.”
8 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
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News. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 9
photo of the week “LAW” continued from cover competitive edge, DePaul “consigns the majority of them to years of indentured servitude, saddling them with tens of thousands of dollars in crushing, non-dischargeable debt that will take literally decades to pay off.” The class action alleges that DePaul misrepresents its employment statistics to prospective students with “Enron-style” accounting techniques that do not account for the recent recession and contrast with reports that suggest a much lower graduation employment rate. “DePaul and the law school industry in general have been astonishingly successful in deceiving prospective students about the value of a law degree in an effort to maintain and increase both enrollment and tuition,” the class action reads. The class action states that in order for DePaul’s graduation statistics to be accurate, it would need to place students above an estimated 40 percent full-time legal employment rate, “despite [DePaul’s] relatively lenient admission standards and modest ranking by US News.” Mark said that although he could see the need for greater transparency in the ABA, he had no reason to believe other colleges have done anything wrong or misleading. “I have no reason to doubt [the 40 percent statistic], but there are extraordinarily important jobs, such as public policy analysts, that don’t require a law degree, so those may not be counted,” Mark said. In an email regarding the lawsuit, DePaul Communications Specialist Valerie Phillips said that DePaul denies the claims in the lawsuit and will vigorously defend itself in court.
“DePaul College of Law provides students with a high quality legal education that will help prepare them for the next phase of their lives,” Phillips wrote. “These are challenging times for job seekers and DePaul's Law Career Services Office is dedicated to helping our law students find careers that are right for them.” The Clinton Law Firm is the primary consul against three Chicago colleges in the lawsuit: IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, DePaul University College of Law and John Marshall Law School. Firm partner Edward Clinton Jr. said that “many, many law schools” have misrepresented their employment data, and that it is important to show prospective students what they are getting into. “Our goal is to get a reform in the system so the numbers reflect reality,” Clinton said. Clinton estimated that it was “somewhat likely” that the lawsuits could change the way colleges report their graduation statistics. “I think we’ll end up with a better world,” Clinton said. “I think we’ll ultimately be successful, we’re settling in for the long haul.” Mark noted that the ABA was considering changing its policies regarding statistics long before the lawsuit. Despite the class action, and that it is “virtually impossible” to predict how long the lawsuit will take to resolve, Mark said he has not noticed any change in attitude among students or faculty. “[My] colleagues are keenly aware of current economy and we’re all working to create programs to help students get jobs.”
FEB. 29- MARCH 6
CAMPUS CRIME REPORT LOOP CAMPUS MARCH 2 •A Damage to Property report was filed on the southeast alley door of the DePaul Center. Construction crew did damage to the door.
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS FEB. 29 •A Theft report was filed for an I Phone that was left unattended at the Ray Meyer Fitness Center. •A Suspicion of Cannabis report was filed on a room in Seton Hall. •A Theft report was filed for a student who left a wallet unattended in the Student Center.
MARCH 1 •A Criminal Damage to Property report was filed regarding a vehicle damaged in the
KIERSTEN SINKO| The DePaulia
Students at DePaul University were "walking on sunshine" after given a warm welcome to their week. Temperatures rose to the mid 60s last week, and students joked "it's getting hot in here" while sitting outside the DePaul Center or playing Hacky-Sack on the quad.
Sheffield Garage.
MARCH 2 •A Simple Assault report was filed for students who were being threatened by a roommate’s boyfriend.
CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS In the Feb. 20 issue, the article titled "Richardson Library renovations delayed," in the quote attributed to Terry Taylor incorrectly indicates: “there has been a reallocation of university funds, due to a problem with data security in DePaul's information systems." There is no problem with data security in DePaul's information system. Rather, DePaul is investing in Data Security redundancy, which is a different matter.
•A Theft report was filed for a student who had their unattended Mac laptop taken from the library. •A Possession of Marijuana report was filed on a student in Belden-Racine Hall. Chicago Police were on the scene and an arrest was made.
MARCH 3 •A Theft report was filed on an unattended Mac laptop taken from the Student Center.
MARCH 4 •A Possession of Marijuana report was filed on a student in Munroe Hall. Chicago Police were called and an arrest was made.
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10 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012.
NATION & WORLD
Nation & World Editor Michael Corio depaulianation@gmail.com
U.S. meets with Israel, urges diplomacy with Iran By CALLIE BRETTHAUER Contributing Writer The United States has been trying for years to put an end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program in an effort to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapons capability. Since November 2011, when the International Atomic Energy Association announced it had evidence of Iran’s possible testing of a nuclear device, the United States and Europe have imposed harsher sanctions that continue to put a strain on Iran’s economy. In response, Iran has repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a common transit route for global oil shipments. Iran has also repeatedly stated that its nuclear facilities are not being used for the development of nuclear weapons. Iran, however, denies this as an attempt to buy time to further its nuclear activities. “The threats are many,” said Khalil Marrar, a political science professor at DePaul. “Iran poses a threat to Israel and its neighbors in the region. It’s also a fact that a nuclear Iran would lead to a cycle of proliferation by Iran’s regional neighbors, most notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt.” After Israel warned it would launch an airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, President Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyhu. He made clear that the United States had Israel’s back and would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but stressed the importance of time for diplomacy and sanctions to work. “It is not Iran saying they will resort to military,” said Kaveh Ehsani, an
kind of impact?” said Ehsani. Sanctions, he said, are “destroying the urban middle class” which is the “backbone of the opposition.” “Obama has not shown a lot of courage or vision. He is basically following George Bush’s policy. There is no military solution. Sanctions won’t work. In long-term, these will have tremendous effects on the world economy,” said Ehsani. Another alternative to sanctions is negotiation. Iran made a request in February to restart negotiations regarding its nuclear program that have been resumed and stopped repeatedly since 2009. This request was made after European Union Foreign-Policy Chief Catherine Ashton sent a letter last year telling Iran that it needs to be serious about negotiations. “I believe that peaceful means should always be the approach,” said Sean Witry, MOSHE MILNER | The Associated Press a sophomore international studies student. Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, meets with U.S President Barack Obama in “If we try to eliminate our fear of violence Washington March 4. Obama cautioned that "too much loose talk of war" re- with more violence, we merely perpetuate the problem.” cently has only helped Tehran and driven up the price of oil. Negotiations between Iran and the international studies professor at DePaul. Hezbollah. five powers of the United Nations Security If the United States used military action, The only direct action by the United Council are difficult. Major discrepancy Ehsani said, it would only help temporarily. States so far is harsher sanctions against among the nations arises due to the “Iran will retaliate, rebuild its program, Iran. According to Vermont Public Radio, issue of whether Iran should be allowed and claim a state of war.” Obama is confident in these sanctions to continue its nuclear program under An attack on Iran would undoubtedly because they are having a “significant promises of peaceful purposes by the result in long-term consequences, such effect” on Iran. Additionally, all last country’s leadership. as a more oppressive regime. Marrar week, Congress was busy discussing “It is difficult to preach the dangers said the possible dangers of Israel or the the enactment of even more economic and issues of nuclear energy when we United States attacking Iran are many, sanctions. The bill, expected to pass within are making few efforts to replace it,” said including Iranian rockets fired at Israel, the next several weeks, would extend Witry. “Essentially, the United States is violent attacks towards American troops in sanctions on international companies caught in a quagmire: How to discourage Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, connected to the Islamic Republic, Iranian other nations from using nuclear facilities a choking off of the world’s oil supply bank, and foreign banks involved in non- while attempting to justify its own use of from the Persian Gulf and an escalation of oil transactions with Iran. the exact same facilities.” tensions with Syria and the militant group “Sanctions make an impact, but what
Super Tuesday: Romney picks up most delegates,Ohio By SEAN MCDONOUGH Contributing Writer
Mitt Romney reaffirmed his position as the favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination, as the former Massachusetts Governor won six of 10 states that held primaries Super Tuesday. Rick Santorum took three states, and Newt Gingrich won his home state of Georgia. Alaska, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Vermont, Tennessee, Idaho, Georgia, Virginia, North Dakota and Ohio all voted Tuesday. Santorum, who is viewed by many as the most viable alternative to Romney, was able to bolster credibility to his campaign by winning Oklahoma, Tennessee and North Dakota, along with a closely contested second-place finish in Ohio, which was Tuesday’s most sought after contest. Santorum’s three wins will be portrayed as momentum for his grass-roots campaign and will figure to keep the former Pennsylvania senator in the race for the long haul. But the biggest prize Tuesday went to Romney in the form of a win in Ohio, where he narrowly edged out Santorum. Romney’s
where he centered much of his campaign on trying to appeal to middle-class factory workers, one of his key demographics. David H. Kalsbeek, senior vice president of DePaul, who spent much of his life in Cincinnati, said he was not surprised Santorum did well in rural Ohio. “Santorum speaks the rural message,” he said. Kalsbeek added that Romney’s success in Cleveland and Columbus didn’t shock him either because those areas of Ohio tend to lean toward the cenGERALD HERBERT | The Associated Press ter of the political divide. Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Unlike Ohio, the results of Mitt Romney, and his wife Ann greet supporters as they arrive the other Super Tuesday contests at their Super Tuesday primary rally in Boston. surprised very few. Romney and 38% of the vote bested Santo- science professor at DePaul. “It’s Gingrich both had convincing rum’s 37%, as approximately not narrow, it’s still an open race.” wins in their home states of MasRomney’s victory in Ohio sachusetts and Georgia, respec12,000 votes represented the difference maker in the one percent- came down to his ability to win tively. Romney won 72% of the counties of the state’s three major vote in his home-state, whereas age point victory. Ohio is seen as crucial be- cities and their suburbs: Cleve- Gingrich received 47% of the cause of its status as a major land, Columbus and Cincinnati. Georgia vote to earn his second battleground state in the general In Cuyahoga County, where primary win. election. Although Romney se- Cleveland is located, Romney “I’m not surprised [by Romcured the win, the less-than-deci- handily defeated Santorum by ney’s success]. He’s been the fasive win will be viewed as more winning 49% of the vote to San- vored candidate the whole race,” of a moral victory because he was torum’s 30%. Moreover, Romney said Sandy Schoeneich, a junior not able to separate himself from also won big in Hamilton County, at DePaul who majors in health the rest of the field, something where Cincinnati is located, in studies. a larger win margin would have which he also received 49% to Romney’s win in Virginia Santorum’s 22%. done. was more of a formality because On the other side of the spec- only he and Texas Congressman “There’s a great deal of divide within the Republican Par- trum, Santorum won decisively Ron Paul appeared on the ballot. ty,” said Wayne Steger, a political in Ohio’s more rural counties, Additionally, the Mormon vote in
Idaho enabled Romney to cruise to an easy victory, garnering 62% of the vote. Romney’s wins in Vermont and the Bay State bolstered his presence in New England, adding to previous wins in New Hampshire and Maine. The former governor also added Alaska to his list of primaries won. Romney’s second-place finishes in Tennessee and Oklahoma reinforce the notion that he will not fare well in most southern states, whose populations tend to be more conservative-leaning. Thus, wins in both of those states will be seen as big moral victories for Santorum who believes he is the only true conservative in the race. Santorum's PAC, Red, White and Blue Fund, has called for Gingrich to exit the race. “With Gingrich exiting the race it would be a true head-to-head race and conservatives would be able to make a choice between a consistent conservative in Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney. For instance, with Gingrich out of the race Santorum would have won both Ohio and Michigan,” Red, White and Blue Fund adviser Stuart Roy said. The GOP race will now set its sights on Alabama, Hawaii and cus March 17.
Nation & World. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia |11
AMID THE JUBILEE, TIES TO THE CROWN QUESTIONED
This Week in World News
TSUNAMI RADIATION CLEANUP TEDIOUS, UNCERTAIN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN
LONDON, ENGLAND
From sun-kissed Caribbean beaches to icy north Atlantic tundra, Queen Elizabeth II's family has begun a celebratory tour to mark her 60th year on the throne — just as questions are raised about dumping the monarchy in the far-flung outposts of Britain's faded empire. Prince Harry has opened celebrations in Jamaica, the nation that is most vocally stirring opposition to the queen's role as head of state of 16 nations and 14 smaller British dependencies, and Prince Charles will travel to Australia, where the prime minister has raised doubts about continued allegiance to the crown. While the 85-year-old monarch commands respect across her dominions, polls show republican movements in some countries would gain momentum if Charles takes the throne as expected. Harry, third in line to the throne, will meet Tuesday with Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who says the queen is a "lovely lady" but insists her country must sever remaining links to Britain, in part because of the shameful legacy of slavery. "It is important to us because it is part of a journey, a journey that started when our ancestors were dragged, sold into slavery and brought here and elsewhere in the Caribbean," Simpson Miller told The Associated Press.
Workers in rubber boots chip at the frozen ground, scraping until they've removed the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of radioactive soil from the yard of a single home. Total amount of waste gathered: roughly 60 tons. One down, tens of thousands to go. And since wind and rain spread radiation easily, even this yard may need to be dug up again. The work is part of a monumental task: a costly and uncertain effort by Japan to try to make radiation-contaminated communities inhabitable again. Some contractors are experimenting with chemicals; others stick with shovels and high-pressure water. One government expert says it's mostly trial and error. The radiation leak has slowed considerably at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, nearly one year after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami sent three of its reactors into meltdown. Work continues toward a permanent shutdown, but the Japanese government declared the plant stable in December, setting the stage for the next phase: decontaminating the area so that at least some of the 100,000 evacuated residents can return. Even if the government succeeds, they're creating another problem: where to dump all the radioactive soil and debris they haul away.
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KEVIN FRAYER |The Associated Press VRINDAVAN, INDIA
Hindu devotees pray and face a deity as colored powder is thrown on them while celebrating "Holi," the festival of color, at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from New Delhi, India, Wednesday. Vrindavan is famous for Holi celebrations, where according to legend, the Hindu god Krishna played Holi with his consort Radha.
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JAMES MURDOCH STEPS DOWN AMID HACKING SCANDAL
SUU KYI RE-ENTERS MYANMAR'S POLITICAL SCENE
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
YANGON, MYANMAR
Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that Mexico's three main presidential candidates share a vision of continued close cooperation with Washington, and used his brief visit south of the border to also knock down talk of drug legalization in the region. Biden's two-day trip to Mexico and Honduras comes amid calls by many of the region's leaders to discuss decriminalizing drugs as a way to ease a vicious war on cartels that has left Latin America bloodied. "It's worth discussing, but there is no possibility the Obama/Biden administration will change its policy on (drug) legalization," he said after meeting with President Felipe Calderon. But the main purpose of his visit was to meet with the contenders in Mexico's July 1 presidential elections to get a feel for future U.S.-Mexico relations. The U.S. has enjoyed an unprecedented level of cooperation with Calderon on the drug war.
On Yangon's teeming streets, 2012 is the year of Aung San Suu Kyi. Her once-banished image now appears everywhere, on T-shirts, keychains and coffee mugs. Pirated copies of "The Lady" — the big screen version of Suu Kyi's life — are the best-selling DVD. And in this devoutly Buddhist country, calendars with Suu Kyi's pictures are now outselling even the Lord Buddha. In just over a year since her release from house arrest, the 66-year-old opposition leader has made the once unthinkable leap into Myanmar's mainstream, transforming from political prisoner to political campaigner. Now she's trying to take another big step: from icon to elected official. For many people who put their dreams on hold during decades of military rule, Suu Kyi is seen as a savior and the solution to the country's problems — creating expectations that even she warns can't be met anytime soon.
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TSERING TOPGYAL|The Associated Press
EXILED TIBETANS STAGE PROTESTS, APPEAL TO THE U.N. NEW DELHI, INDIA
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Exiled Tibetans take part in a protest outside the U.N. office in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, March 6. The exiled Tibetans appealed to the U.N. to send a fact finding delegation to access the critical situation in Tibet and to release all political prisoners. COMPILED BY MICHAEL CORIO | NEWS COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
12 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
OPINIONS
Opinions Editor Jenn Schanz depauliaopinions@gmail.com
Tuition hike unfair, backlash should be expected By PARKER ASMANN Contributing Writer
BARTOSZ BRZEZINSKI| The DePaulia
DePaul students protest the tuition hike by participating in a lock-in at the Lincoln Park Student Center on Friday, March 2.
#OccupyDePaul hardly student activism Disregard for facts make the movement less than inspirational
By ELIZABETH SCAFFORD Contributing Writer and JENN SCHANZ Opinions Editor The topic of tuition has generated quite a bit of hubbub around campus and the city of Chicago this past week. For many students, the controversy would have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for the parade of Twitter informants, keeping us all up-to-date on who’s angry with who and why. According to several live Tweets from what has been named “Occupy DePaul,” Chicago area students from DePaul, Northwestern, Roosevelt, UIC, University of Chicago and other institutions participated in a three-day protest spree, from rallies outside 55 E. Jackson downtown to a slumber party at the Lincoln Park Student Center. Tuition hikes aren’t pleasing, and it’s understandable that students are angry and want an explanation. But shouting inaccuracies to fuel sensationalism and suggesting a rush on university residence halls is hardly the way to garner one. DePaul students are more than capable of mobilizing peaceful, coherent social movements, as they have proven in the past. Unfortunately, Occupy DePaul was not one of them. The combination of non-DePaul protesters, inaccurate claims and rudeness all served to make the movement largely ineffective.
Via live stream suggestions from occupiers, I heard phrases like “let’s see if we can get into the dorms.” I was shocked. Engaging with the university on the subject of tuition is, frankly, impossible, especially
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Another displeasing phrase I heard was that “tuition is going up 5 percent for everyone next year!” False. Tuition rates will rise 5 percent for incoming freshmen only, meaning none of the people participating in the
Tuition hikes aren’t pleasing, and it’s understandable that students are angry and want an explanation. But shouting inaccuracies to fuel sensationalism and suggesting a rush on university residence halls is hardly the way to garner one.
considering that many of the protesters are not even DePaul students. But when the suggestion of rushing student residence halls gets thrown into the mix, it’s no wonder administration officials were less than keen to have a “civil, democratic discussion” on the topic. I do not live on campus, but I imagine if I did I would be more than a little alarmed with the idea of occupiers trying to make their way inside. While locking yourself into a building and shouting insults at the dean of students might gain the administration’s attention, it is not likely to stop the rise of tuition. The general demeanor of occupiers served to further frustrate the situation and did very little to give the movement positive attention.
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protest. The increase in tuition for the general student body will be 2.5 percent, and that’s upsetting in itself. Doubling numbers isn’t going to gain a movement more support. It’s going to detract from its credibility. In 2010, a group of students successfully influenced change at our beloved university. They attended events with the administration and brought up their concerns, delivered a petition with over 1,500 signatures to the administration and held rallies and meetings with faculty, staff, and students alike. Through a lot of organization, they were able to gain a fair living wage for the Chartwells staff. Unlike Occupy DePaul, this movement was DePaul-based and did not invite the angry mob onto campus.
None of us want tuition to go up, but it’s important to understand the realities of our economy and that this is oftentimes unavoidable. With one new building just completed in the Lincoln Park campus and another in progress, students are bound to be curious about where our funds are going. We are a big school that’s expanding and our impressive programs, which are unlike any other in the city, require funds to survive. DePaul has over 25,000 students and 275 areas of study to choose from. Furthermore, 88 percent of the faculty hold a Ph.D., and roughly 70 percent of students receive financial aid. In case you missed it, that was 70 percent of students receiving financial aid. Another thing occupiers failed to mention? Financial aid will also be increasing next year. We all appreciate the rich diversity that DePaul University affords its students. Not just for the rich, DePaul awarded $19.47 million in grant money in the last fiscal year. The occupiers are right about one thing: “Education is a right, not just for the rich and white!” Well, education is a right. But those at DePaul chose to come here. As a DePaul student, you have actively made the decision to forgo state school tuition and attend a private university. If you weren’t ready for the financial realities of that, you should have made another choice.
The American economy is the middle of a recession and DePaul’s tuition just went up. Having trouble understanding how this makes any sense? Don’t worry, so are many other DePaul students. This past week, the tuition rate at DePaul was raised 2.5 percent. In an email sent out to students Tuesday, March 6, it was explained that “DePaul University’s Board of Trustees has set tuition rates for the 20122013 academic term to help you begin your financial planning for next year. Your tuition rate may change if you switch programs or colleges, take a class outside your college or if an undergraduate takes a graduate class. Please note that for continuing undergraduate students, the tuition increase is 2.5 percent, which is less than the rate of inflation and one of the lowest rates of increase ever for continuing students.” Before the increase was solidified, several DePaul students protested the idea of raising tuition costs in the middle of our current economic situation, forming the “Occupy DePaul” movement. Frankly, why wouldn’t they? Given the current state of our economy and the fact that DePaul just received a $30 million endowment, a tuition hike seems not only unnecessary, but unfair. DePaul’s image has been seriously damaged in light of the fact that after receiving such a hefty endowment, the Board of Trustees still feels the need to reach into student's pockets. How are the students, or their parents, supposed to come up with this extra money for tuition? Not everyone at DePaul benefits from financial aid, and those who do don’t always get the perks they appear to. Is DePaul going to make sure all of our paychecks go up by 2.5 percent as well? Doubtful. With this hike, families risk increased loan debt and larger economic burdens. I understand that a university is a business, but that should never outweigh its role as an institution of learning. The decision to raise tuition is not appropriate at this time, and the administration should expect growing animosity from occupiers and students.
Opinions. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 13
Limbaugh sponsors ‘rush’ to make an example
Random character attack on conservative commentator unwarranted given his track record By ALEX THIBODEAU Contributing Writer Rush Limbaugh’s recent comments about a female college student resulted in a trip to the media slaughterhouse for the infamous political talk show host. Having since issued an apology, the media remains far from satisfied and seems to be going for the jugular of the notorious conservative giant, who called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a “prostitute” on his show after hearing her Congressional testimony arguing that contraception should be covered under her university's health insurance plan. While these statements are incredibly disrespectful, unprofessional and unforgivably ignorant, should we be as shocked as the media coverage has told us to be? The radio personality has gained his significant following, the largest in the industry, in part to his “shock-jock” appeal and extreme conservatism. Let’s be clear, this is certainly not the first inflammatory statement we’ve heard from Mr. Limbaugh. What about his 2006 response to Parkinson’s Disease patient and advocate Michael J. Fox’s prostem cell research advertisement? Limbaugh discredited the legitimacy of the ad stating that the star was exaggerating the effects of the disease.
The Associated Press
Sandra Fluke, a third-year Georgetown University law student, testifies to Congress in Washington. Limbaugh drew fire Friday, March 2 for his depiction of Fluke as a "slut" because she testified before Congress about the need for contraceptive coverage. “He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act,” said the radio host on air. Or how about the controversy in 2007 when a song titled “Barack, the Magic Negro” was blasted across the airwaves during Limbaugh’s show to the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Clearly this man has a preference toward the politically incorrect. Ignorant statements seem to roll off the tongue but up until now he’s merely gotten his wrist slapped. This time he may
have done some lasting damage, having already lost 24 of his sponsors in just a week since the incident While Limbaugh has issued two apologies to Miss Fluke, many question his sincerity and the legitimacy of the apology. According to Scott Vyverman, the station manager at Radio DePaul, Limbaugh’s apology is an attempt to save his career and his sponsors. “It’s one thing to attack and challenge politicians,” said
Vyverman. “Attacking a college student the way he did is over the line for many people, including many of his advertisers.” This incident has a striking resemblance to the 2007 controversy with long-time shock-jock Don Imus when he called the Rutger’s Women’s basketball team “a bunch of nappy headed hoes.” Having a history of indiscretion didn’t prove to be a good enough excuse for Imus, who is no longer on the air. “I don’t believe that he
anticipated the backlash that he’s received,” Vyverman noted. “Much like Imus a few years ago, I think that Rush believes he is invincible.” As a political radio host, there is a need for responsible censorship. Not a censorship of content, but an awareness of the audience. Mr. Limbaugh misgauged the shock value his listeners would feel, but there does seem to be a significant liberal-leaning bias within the media. Take liberal comedian Bill Maher. His frequently offensive rants are rarely mentioned in the media, and while Maher is certainly not the icon for liberals that Limbaugh is for conservatives, both host on-air political talk shows with a significant following. While arguably provoked, the character attack on Limbaugh has been vicious and relentless. Seemingly without warning, the media has turned on the political host like a pack of rabid dogs. It seems the radio host simply went too far for this week’s media conscience, while others (including Limbaugh) have certainly gotten away with much worse. This leaves the question of just how far is too far and what influences the American public’s tolerance for ignorance.
Israeli Apartheid Week shows disregard for Vincentian values By LEAH KARCHMER Contributing Writer Planned and carried out by the group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Israel Apartheid Week’s mischaracterization of Israel as an apartheid nation serves no purpose but to spread misinformation, generate hostility and further ignite the tensions between students of opposing views. The use of the term ‘apartheid’ in reference to the state of Israel is a baseless, false accusation, transparent in its intent to mischaracterize Israel. Furthermore, Israel Apartheid Week contradicts DePaul’s Vincentian values. The term 'apartheid' is defined as the legislatively institutionalized system of systematic segregation on the basis of race. Even the most basic awareness of the demographics and composition of Israeli society would reveal that this accusation of apartheid in reference to Israel could not be further from the truth. The label of “the Jewish State” may be misleading, as it suggests the entirety of the Israeli population is comprised
exclusively of Jewish citizens, which is far from accurate. Rather, Israel is made up of citizens from all over the world and has embraced policies of human and minority rights since the day of its declared independence. The argument used to support the apartheid accusation towards Israel is the wall – only 3 percent is an actual wall, the rest merely a chain-link fence – that was built along the border between Israel and the West Bank. The truth is that the security fence is an unfortunate necessity of a tragic situation. Following the mass wave of suicide attacks executed throughout the Second Intifada, the Israeli government deemed it necessary to build a barrier along the border of Israel to protect its citizens. However, its existence does not stand in contradiction to Israel’s embrace of equal rights. Rather, it is the ultimate demonstration of Israel’s unwavering dedication to protect its people regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality or political belief. The effects of the barrier’s construction are two-fold. Sadly, the barrier is undeniably obstructive to those whose homes and jobs lay in close proximity. On either side of the barrier,
Dan Cotter| MCT Wire Service
citizens of both Israel and the Palestinian territories are made aware of the conflict by the constant reminder of what its violence has necessitated. On the other hand, however, the barrier has proven effective. Following its construction, the number of suicide attacks has been drastically limited, saving countless innocent lives. Most important in understanding the nature of the barrier and the overall nature of Israeli society is the recognition of who exactly these innocent lives are that are being protected. The security barrier built along the border of
Israel serves to protect innocent Israelis. These citizens are not only Israeli Jews – they are Israeli Muslims and Christians as well. They are black and white, gay and straight, men and women. It is this undeniable fact that stands against the apartheid claim. The barrier effectively protects citizens of Israel from imminent danger, separating its people from the threat of terror. This separation is not made on the basis of race, religion or any other discriminatory factor. It is a matter of safety, not discrimination.
The campaign “Israel Apartheid Week” and others like it serve only to generate hostility and intolerance. Rather than promote dialogue, the events carried out by SJP manipulated and distorted facts in an effort to demonize the state of Israel. In effect, these events targeted proIsrael students on campus and left no room for constructive, crosscultural dialogue. Removed from the conflict itself, we, as American students, should take advantage of our position, which allows us to explore the claims of different viewpoints. Israel Advocates proudly stands in support of the State of Israel. However, with equal pride, we stand for openness and tolerance, understanding and communication. While we may disagree with certain opinions, we hope, above all else, to engage in dialogue with those of opposing views and would like to take this opportunity to extend an open invitation to anyone willing to participate in such conversation. We believe that it is by means of this alone that peaceful co-existence can be established. We want peace, but peace takes two.
The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of The DePaulia staff.
Focus. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 15
14 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
FOCUS
Go zen for finals From dance to meditation, free and inexpensive ways to find pre-exam peace
Focus Team Lisa Armstrong and Katherine Hall depauliafocus@gmail.com
By NADVIA DAVIS Contributing Writer
With finals just around the corner, many DePaul students are trying not to go into information-overload from their textbooks. And what better way to avoid headaches than by finding the perfect spot to relax in-between study sessions. Thankfully, Chicago has some hidden pockets of relaxation throughout the city that are just for you. In some cases, peace means an elaborate day of beauty. Students should check out the Soma Institute where massages are only $35. For an even better massage deal on select days, the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine has a great massage clinic with Thai massages and Swedish massages for as low as $30. But the pampering doesn’t have to end there; stop by Pivot Point Beauty School for a haircut that is only $11, which includes a shampoo and blow dry. They also offer a manicure and pedicure combo at $23. “The deals are astounding and worth every penny, even for broke college students,” said Kourtanya, a cosmetology student at Pivot Point Beauty School on Irving Park. All of these institutions are student-operated facilities. For those not spa-inclined, a nice café with cozy couches and natural lighting is a great escape. Just off of Clark and Fullerton is the Noble Tree Coffee and Tea café. “Noble Tree Café is made for relaxation. This place lures you in with the aroma of herbal tea and three floors of free Wi-Fi,” said Ashli Baker, a DePaul student. If the café scene doesn’t scream Zen for you, then perhaps an exercise class might. On the Lincoln Park campus, the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center offers a variety of classes including Zumba and Quick Crunch. “When I use to dance ballet, that was a place of Zen for me. I use to get my frustrations out by
dancing,” said Rachel Hillas, a student at DePaul. Author Anne Ford, published a book titled “Peaceful Places Chicago,” where she looks high and low for the city’s most tranquil places. Ford discovered 119 peaceful places ranging from Botany Pond near University of Chicago’s campus in Hyde Park, to Emily Oak Nature Center in Skokie. Ford’s book is proof that one can find serenity in a busy city like Chicago. What is nice about Ford’s findings is that not only are they aesthetically great places to absorb some peace and quiet, but they are also affordable for students. Zen Master Robert Althouse of the Zen Life & Meditation Center elaborated on the price of meditation as an option for students. “We realize the times are difficult for many, including college students,” said Althouse. “We have set the price of all our offerings at a level we believe everyone can afford. The cost of a basic meditation class at Zen Life is $20, and members can receive discounts. According to the Zen Life and Meditation Center website “the origins of the word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the middle Chinese word Dzyen (Modern Mandarin: Chán), which is translated as “absorption” or “meditative state.” Zen emphasizes the personal expression of experiential wisdom in the attainment of enlightenment.” “Once you understand how much of the business in our lives contributes to the stress in the first place… you also understand the many benefits that arise from a daily practice of mindfulness meditation,” Althouse said. When seeking relief from study-related stress, students have a plethora of places, options and people to help, but the key is to find the location that fits you best. Other places students shared were Hot Yoga, a walk over by the lakefront to calm down, and going to church. So do yourself a favor during finals this year and find a peaceful place to rest your mind. You’ll be surprised by the benefits of a little meditation.
KATHERINE HALL | The Illustration by LISA ARMSTRONG| The
Strolling down the lakefront is the perfect way to clear your head and mentally prepare yourself for your final exams.
ARTS & LIFE
Arts & Life Editor Tricia Cathcart depauliamagazine@gmail.com
CHICAGO BURGER BIBLE Local duo searches the city for elite bites to share with public JUICY HOTSPOTS
By STEPHANIE CHOPORIS
Contributing Writer
Born with a flame-broiled Double Whopper for a right hand and a towering Big Mac for a left hand, John Burgerhands III is considered a “full-time meathead” and often tempted with self-destruction. In this case, the temptation is to devour his hands. His counterpart, simply referred to as Dan, is a “selfproclaimed beef connoisseur” and spent earlier days pampering the cows of Eerie, Mich. with local, organic herbs and frequent massages to ultimately consume them in the form of a patty nestled between two soft buns. At least, that is the story the website of the white-haloed Chicago Burger Bible tells. In reality, Michigan natives and brothers-in-law John “Burgerhands” Barrett, 27, and Daniel Cousino, 29, are on a mission to uncover and review many of the best Chicago burgers and post the findings on the site. Beginning their quest at Lincoln Park’s Small Bar just under two years ago, the media and advertising research analyst and lawyer, respectively, recently visited and ranked their 85th establishment, which is more than most other reviewers have thus far attempted. “There’s nobody that’s come close to touching the number of burgers that we’ve had,” said Cousino. From popular chains, such as Five Guys, to independent shops (Butcher & The Burger), the burger “fanatics” are continuing to please their palates. And it was their love of the ground beef sandwich that brought them together. While attending the University of Michigan, the duo first met at a popular campus hangout called Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, known for its more than 2 billion possible combinations of cheeses, condiments, burger sizes, etc. After moving to Chicago, they were interested in sampling the wide variety of Chicago burger joints. “We thought it would be a fun thing to do and a reason to get together often,” said Cousino. But as they searched for places serving good burger grub, they quickly found the online reviews to be fairly inconsistent and not very substantial, specifically singling out Metromix, “Chicago Magazine” and “Time Out Chicago” on their website. After visiting nearly 15 restaurants, they realized, “We could probably be a pretty good resource for other people,” Cousino said. And they decided to make their reviews public via the Burger Bible.
Small Bar 1415 W. Fullerton
Butcher & The Burger 1021 W. Armitage Ave.
Duchamp 2118 N. Damen Ave. CHICHACHA | Creative Commons
To any real fan, a hamburger is never "just a burger." A great burger is a work of art, passionately thought out and painstakingly executed. During the course of their 85 meat-filled excursions, the pair has tasted a rather eclectic mix of burgers from Duchamp’s Havarti cheese burger with tomato rémoulade and truffle mayo to the bacon, buffalo sauce and Bleu cheese dressing-ladened “Metallica” burger at Kuma’s Corner. But most memorable
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You can usually tell if it's just some frozen, mashed together patty or if it's fresh-ground and well-seasoned. DANIEL COUSINO
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were the wild boar and kangaroo gourmet sliders from Hop Häus. At the thought of the order, Barrett began to chuckle. When evaluating each sandwich, Cousino indicated they approach the tasting in a fairly unscientific way. “We just go and get what looks good,” he said. And then take note of their initial reactions, such as “hey, this is great” or “this isn’t great.” Believing it was too difficult to consistently apply set criteria to all types of burgers, they instead developed a list of categories to organize their findings: “elite,” “damn good,” “satisfying” and “not worth it.” To determine where each burger should be placed, certain aspects
are considered, such as “fresh and flavorful toppings,” a tasty yet sturdy bun and, most importantly, the quality of beef. “You can usually really tell if it’s just some frozen, mashed together patty or if it’s fresh-ground and wellseasoned,” said Cousino. In order to be labeled “elite,” the decision must be unanimous. And whenever disagreement ensues, the person with the stronger opinion usually settles the debate. But overall, their thoughts are fairly similar. “It’s really surprising to me how consistent we are,” Barrett said. So, which burger is ranked number one? According to the Burger Bible, it’s Rosebud Prime’s cheeseburger. The seemingly large, “flavorful” and “juicy” 14 oz. patty rests on a mild pretzel bun with cucumberlooking pickles, a large slice of tomato, lettuce, cheese, mushrooms, onions and bacon. While it may seem like a fairly standard burger, Cousino said this particular sandwich is made with “top-flight meat” and “prepared with a chef’s touch.” Joining the “elite” is the Rosebud Dagwood and the Possession of Shrooms burger (Lockdown Bar & Grill) with 10 oz. of certified Angus beef, goat cheese, sautéed button mushrooms and a hefty slice of Portobello mushroom packed inside of a pretzel bun. And Mindy’s Hot Chocolate’s houseground Heartland beef hamburger topped with organic bacon, aged cheddar and possible sunny-sideup farm egg on a garlic-toasted sesame bun. Those less impressive to the taste buds included the Greek Feta Charburger on pita bread at the Athenian Room, Mister J’s
Dawg N’ Burger “straight from the freezer” double cheeseburger and other places that have since closed, such as Leo’s Coney Island and Earwax Café. Along with Barrett and Cousino, many others have and are still searching for the best burgers. The previous Chicago Burger Project set out to challenge a Time Out Chicago listing of 55 top city burgers, and the Chicago Tribune’s relatively mysterious Great Burgerelli, breaks down each bun, patty, “fixings” and other menu items for the places he visits. Even TheBurgerReview.com, which has sampled sandwiches in New York, California and Florida, provides a slightly different twist by mainly focusing on the meat and cheese. In addition to their large number of restaurant trips, Cousino thinks their pair reviewing style sets them apart from the others. With two people tasting every burger, he said this ensures consistency instead of “a hodgepodge collection of people” sharing their thoughts on sites, such as Yelp. Phil Vettel, food critic for the Chicago Tribune, seems to agree, saying it is a good idea to “sample as many burgers as possible by as many people as possible.” And such consistency could play a role in the Burger Bible’s popularity. Within the past few months, Cousino indicated that the site has received thousands of hits as well as “tons” of emails and comments from fellow burger lovers. But what makes the sandwich so appealing? Vettel figures its's the “iconic” status and affordability. “Therefore,
Kuma's Corner 2900 W. Belmont Ave.
Hop Haus 646 N. Franklin St.
Rosebud Prime 1 S. Dearborn St.
Lockdown Bar & Grill 1024 N. Western Ave.
Mindy's Hot Chocolate 1747 N. Damen Ave.
covering the burger universe is achievable,” he said. For Tom Bombolis, 60, of Norwood Park, who sometimes consumes multiple bacon cheeseburgers within a week, it’s all about the memories of the old-fashioned drive-ins. And the taste. “Char-broiled’s delicious,” he exclaimed. As for Cousino, it’s simply “the ultimate sandwich.” In fact, many of Barrett and Cousino’s burger destinations are now determined by their followers’ suggestions. Some of the next stops on their list include the British-inspired Owen & Engine and Grange Hall Burger Bar. And it could be as soon as tomorrow. “We don’t plan on ever really stopping [reviewing burgers],” Barrett said. “In a perfect world, we’ll be traveling the world. Eating burgers everywhere,” he joked. But then quickly added, “That would be awesome.”
Arts & Life. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 17
Hill and Tatum talk ‘21 Jump Street’ By EDUARDO SAYAGO Senior Writer
Jonah Hill wants you to know that his new movie, “21 Jump Street”, (out in theaters March 16) is not a remake of the 1980's cop drama that launched the career of Johnny Depp. “It wasn’t about remaking a show,” he said during a Leap Day interview. “Adapting a television show into a film is lazy by nature. I roll my eyes at that. It was more about this cool idea to relive this certain point in life.” “You could take the title of the show off the movie poster and no one would know this was based on the show,” said co-star Channing Tatum. In the movie Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) are two slacker cops who transfer to 21 Jump Street, an abandoned church, where they are under the wrath of a very angry black captain (Ice Cube). “Embrace your stereotype,” the captain boasts, before accurately nailing Jenko as a dumb jock and Schimdt as a nerd who's good with money. Schmidt and Jenko are sent back to high school to bring down those who are pushing a new drug to the student body. A second chance at high school? It’s an idea that has been visited numerous times, from Drew Barrymore’s undercover reporter in “Never Been Kissed” to Matthew Perry going back in time (as Zac Efron) in “17 Again.” Like in those movies, the characters may be older but they aren’t wiser. “(The characters) think they have the answers but they don’t,” said Hill. When they enter the school, Jenko malfunctions and punches a kid, believing that it’s (still?) cool to be a bad boy. High school was radically different for both stars, who essentially switched roles in the movie. Tatum’s Jenko is the outcast bonding with science wiz kids. Hill’s Schimdt is hanging with the popular crowd, which
COLULMBIA PICTURES | 21 Jump Street
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in a promotional poster for "21 Jump Street," a comedy re-take of the late '80s television show. The film is set to be released nationwide March 16. includes the pusher (Dave Franco) of the drug and his
sometimes-friend with benefits (Brie Larson). “My high school
wasn’t cliché, like the way they show it in movies,” mentioned
Tatum. “I was a jock but I was friends with smart kids. I played Dungeons and Dragon and video games. That was cool back in the day.” “I went to a hippie school,” added Hill. “We didn’t even have a football team. We had a class called ‘feelings’, where we just talked about our feelings.” “21 Jump Street” is not a remake, but it’s also not a straight-up comedy. “What if we could have Bad Boys and a John Hughes movie into one?” This combo works well. Co-written and co-produced by Hill, “Jump Street” is a mesh of hijinks action sequences and absurd and occasionally uncomfortable comedic moments. In one scene, Schmidt’s cover is almost blown when a family friend spots him at the mall. He tries to explain to the irritating woman that he is not really Schmidt. This fails of course and he has to push her into a display of shoes, shouting how she tried to hurt him, and runs off. The film has a great cast of comedy geniuses, from cameos from Nick Offerman (who delivers a great line about how Hollywood scrapes the barrel for remakes), Jake Johnson as an apathetic principal (“A kid just died from an overdose and we did absolutely nothing about it.”), Ellie Kemper as a chemistry teacher who falls for Jenko, and Chris Parnell as a drama instructor (“I should been doing something to stop this.”). The movie’s MVPs are Rob Riggle, as a gym instructor with too much time on his hands, and Larson, as the accidental love interest to Schmidt. Some of the best moments and dialogue are between Hill and Larson, who has recently appeared in “Rampart” with Woody Harrelson and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” Expectations are growing for the movie, which has just been given the greenlight for a sequel. “I just hope it’s an hour and a half party,” said Hill. “We wanted to make such a fun movie and I think we accomplished that.”
‘We are Young’ rockers pack Student Center
Fun. performs a student-only show at DePaul, one month before sold out Vic gig By SUMMER CONCEPCION Contributing Writer It wasn’t too long ago when Fun was a relatively little-known band. With their new album “Some Nights,” the band recently achieved radio-play success with their hit single “We Are Young.” On Tuesday, March 6, DePaul students filled room 120 in the Student Center to witness Fun. in concert for free. With tickets selling out within two days in both Lincoln Park and Loop campuses and a sold out show at The Vic Theatre next month, one would not have guessed that Fun. is relatively new to the scene. As soon as the band opened their set with title track “Some Nights,” it was easy to forget
that he took off his shoes before “Some Nights” was finished and kept them off for the rest of the show despite the fact he ran around stage throughout their set. Keyboardist Andrew Dost, guitarist Jack Antonoff and the backing band reciprocated the energy in giving Ruess the boost to put on a show. Then the crowd sing-along began. From the beginning FUN. | We are Young to the end of the band’s set, every song was sung along to, that the show took place in the and, surprisingly, the amps were Student Center, as the stage was loud enough to not allow the transformed to appear to be like a audience to drown out Ruess’ small club venue in the city. voice (especially with “We Are Kicking off their set with an Young”). abundance of energy, lead singer Providing an equal mix of Nate Ruess engaged himself in songs from both of their albums his performance from the moment kept the crowd happy. The only he set foot onstage. In fact, he time the crowd ever quieted was so comfortable performing down was when Ruess belted
out heartfelt lyrics to the slower songs on their set such as “The Gambler,” a song off of their debut album “Aim and Ignite,” which he dedicated to his uncle. The power of Ruess’ voice is something to take note of. On studio recordings, one wonders if the singer can hold notes for the same duration live. It is that belting voice that he hones that adds to the sympathetic quality of Fun.’s music in both recordings and in concert. Ruess owned the fact that he is a storyteller and connected with the audience in the way his songs were meant to. In between songs, the band showed how comical they can be by making fun of each other and performing their own parody of “beach reggae rock.” With just a keyboard, horn, acoustic guitar and a vocoder, they mockingly
jammed out to a song with the repeating line “There is nothing worse than being a beach robot,” and somehow ended up playing the first line of Radiohead’s classic hit “Karma Police.” “I’ve never been so depressed in my life,” said Ruess jokingly to the audience afterwards. What made Fun.’s set even sweeter was their rare performance of the first track off of their debut album titled “Be Calm.” With the track usually never performed live, DePaul students were pleasantly surprised and even sang along to it with all lyrics intact. With finals week approaching, Fun’s show at DePaul was the perfect way to escape from the stress for a bit as the power of live performance took over.
RIVERDANCE
18 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
Traditional Irish steps showcased at Oriental this March If at all possible, Chicago will get even more Irish this year on St. Patrick’s Day. In addition to the dying of the river and the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, as well as the reinstated South Side Irish Parade, the famous traditional Irish step-dancing group Riverdance will come to Chicago March 13-18. If seeing Riverdance the week of St. Patrick’s Day in a city with Irish roots isn’t incentive enough to buy a ticket, consider this might be your last chance to see them. The dance troupe is currently in its last days of its farewell tour in North America. After 16 successful years of touring the continent, Riverdance is saying good-bye to every city it has performed in. “It has been a source of immense pride for me as Producer that America took Riverdance to its heart to such an amazing extent and I would like to pay tribute to every dancer, singer and all the crew and staff who served Riverdance so well over the years,” said Maya Doherty, producer of Riverdance, in a statement to the public. Not a group of amateurs dancing a drunken Irish jig, Riverdance is a professional troupe that enjoys worldwide fame. The dancers and entertainers have given over 10,000 performances in over 40 countries. A fast-selling item, the CD containing songs from the performance has even won a Grammy. The performance is comprised of dance, song and storytelling. It begins with stories from ancient Ireland and the traditions that lived long ago. From there, the story of the spread and influence of Irish dance is told, as well as the story of the Irish people. From stories about the discovery of fire and power in ancient Ireland to the famine that ravaged the country centuries later to the mass immigration of the Irish to America, a deep sense of Irish tradition and identity pervades the performance. In addition to traditional Irish step dancing, there are also a few tap and flamenco dances sprinkled into the performance. Whether you’re Irish or not doesn’t matter. Riverdance is an exploration of the history and changing world of a people. And the overarching theme of the performance applies to everybody: “we are who we once were, we are who we have become.” Riverdance will perform at the Oriental Theatre, located at 24 W. Randolph St/, from March 13-18. Tickets cost between $27 and $72 and can be purchased online or at the box office.
RIVERDANCE|Oriental Theatre
Lead dancer of the Riverdance tour Caterina Coyne is shown above, center, in the red and black dress. The show will run from March 13-18 at The Oriental Theatre at 24 W. Randolph St. in downtown Chicago.
A DEPAULIA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Caterina Coyne leads Riverdance into Chicago By COLLEEN CONNOLLY Copy Editor Caterina Coyne is the lead dancer in Riverdance, which will perform at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago March 13-18. Born in London with Irish roots, Coyne has been Irish dancing since childhood. She has danced for 90,000 people for the All Ireland Hurling and Football Championship Finals in Dublin and at the Opening Ceremony of the Ryder Cup. One of the most skilled Irish dancers in the world, she has continuously ranked in the top 10 at the World and All Ireland Championships with the Costelio O’Brien School of Dancing. The DePaulia recently sat down with Coyne and discussed what it’s like to have a career in Irish dancing and how a world famous Irish dancer celebrates St. Patrick’s Day. The DePaulia: You are the lead dancer for Riverdance. What is it like to have such a major role in such a well-known performance? Caterina Coyne: It’s first and foremost a big honor to be asked to be in Riverdance and to actually have the leading role. It was a childhood dream. I remember watching Riverdance as a child, and, as a young girl, I decided that is what I wanted to do. So it’s a
dream come true, really, for me to be able to say that I’m in Riverdance and that I’m the lead in Riverdance as well. TD: What have been some of the highlights of dancing with Riverdance? CC: I guess traveling the world and seeing all the amazing different parts of the world. It’s an experience that not many people get to do as part of their job, so that’s definitely one of the benefits of being in the show of Riverdance. But also actually having a career as an Irish dancer. It’s probably the best thing for me to get to say I do what I love to do as my job. It’s pretty extraordinary. The dancers are amazing. We’ve been to some prestigious stages like Radio City Music Hall and Pantages in Los Angeles. And at home every summer we perform in the Gaiety Theater. They’re all some of the great things about Irish dancing. TD: What inspired you to be an Irish dancer? CC: I started when I was very young. I was four-years-old when I started. It was something that I always did from a very, very young age. My parents are Irish, my whole family is Irish, so it’s a tradition to actually do Irish dancing. So I guess I wasn’t really inspired to take it up. Instead I was sent because that’s what most people do. They send their children to Irish dancing. But I
just loved it so much I did it throughout my teenage years and was lucky enough to make a career out of it. TD: How does it feel to dance with Riverdance on their North American farewell tour? CC: I’ve been in America now with the company for several years, and I’ve toured all over North America with the show. So we’ve seen a lot of the country. I’ve come to love America as my home, almost as much as my home. So not to be touring over here anymore is quite sad. The audiences over here are so amazing. They’re just so vocal about how much they love the show. They’re a great audience to perform to, so it will be sad not to be touring over here for a while. Riverdance will be continuing onto different parts of the world and some of the countries we’ve never been to before, so it’s kind of exciting. TD: How do you like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? CC: I’ll actually be dancing a show, so I suppose there’s no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than doing Riverdance. So for anyone that’s in Chicago for St. Patrick’s Week, it’s a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In regards to myself celebrating it, if we can get a taste of home somewhere in Chicago, like maybe a good Irish breakfast, something like that, it will go down very well.
Arts & Life. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 19
‘An Idiot Abroad,’ the travel-phobe travel host
By IRISH MAE SILVESTRE Contributing Writer
Rising majestically from the sandy dunes at 481 feet high, the Great Pyramid of Giza is meant to strike visitors with the same sense of awe at the beauty that has made it one of the ancient Wonders of the World. But as he stares out at the pyramid’s jagged rock façade,
a bewildered Karl Pilkington doesn’t get what all the fuss is about. “It’s like a game of Jenga that’s gotten out of hand,” he said, with a genuine look of confusion. The former U.K. radio producer turned unlikely travel host of the Science Channel’s ‘An Idiot Abroad,’ Pilkington is the main attraction (and often victim) of the series produced by his friends and co-stars Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Now in its second season, the show gruffly shoves the generic smiling and over-excited travel host out of the screen and thrusts the unwilling Pilkington in the spotlight. This refreshing take on an otherwise generic format appears to have loudly resonated with audiences who have tuned in every Saturday at 10 p.m. EST/ PST to turn the show into the network’s biggest runaway hit. He may be ‘An Idiot Abroad’
Meet John Carter Taylor Kitsch travels to Mars and back in new Disney film
By EDUARDO SAYAGO Senior Writer When John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) first encounters the tall, green Martians, leader Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe, disguised under the wonders of GCI technology) attempts to state that he means no harm. They exchange names. When Carter mentions he is from Virginia, the warrior mistakes his name for ‘Virginia.’ He is introduced to his tribe, Thark, as FRANK CONNOR| AP Photo the state. “This is Virginia,” he declares. (This instantly reminds In this film image released by Disney, Lynn Collins portrays me of the song “Meet Virginia” Dejah Thoris, left, and Taylor Kitsch portrays John Carter in a from Train.) Right afterwards, he is ordered to jump and the natives scene from "John Carter." are attacked by the red Martians, red planet. led by Sab Than (Dominic West). hero, Carter must stop this. Carter initially wants to In addition to Dafoe, Oscar Based on the short-story “A return home, stating that he has nominees Samantha Morton Princess of Mars,” written by a goldmine to discover. But he (Solas, daughter of Tar Tarkas) Edgar Rice Burroughs (who also needs Dejah’s help to get there. and Thomas Haden Church (Tal created and wrote the Tarzan And Dejah needs him to defeat Hajus) are among the cast who stories), John Carter is a Civil Sab Than. Neither fully trusts are digitalized as the tall warriors. War veteran searching for gold the other. Yet between these Morton is impressive, even if you and solidarity. He gets neither struggles, they fall for each other. don’t technically see her. Best when Captain Powell (Bryan But for Carter, she is more of a known stateside for her OscarCranston) summons him to his fort in Arizona. Powell wants the replacement for the life he had nominated role in Jim Sheridan’s “In America” and the animated man for a post. Carter refuses, back home. Chicago-native Burroughs’ children’s show “Max and Ruby” spitting in his face and attempting tale is directed by Andrew (Ruby), as well as art-house roles to escape. During a battle with Stanton. Best known for his work in “Morvern Callar,” “Control” Native Americans, Carter and in Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” and and “Longford,” she gives it her Powell enter a cave. It is here “WALL-E,” this is first liveall as the tortured Solas, who where our hero is transported to action feature. “John Carter” risks her life for Carter. Mars, which is tens of millions of was originally going to be titled Kitsch delivers a better-thanmiles away. “John Carter of Mars,” until expected performance as Carter. Side note: Mars and Earth are executives decided that it would There are only a couple of scenes actually very close to one another alienate female audiences. Since that stand out. (Mentioning at the moment. It is possible to Kitsch, who is best known for them would spoil the movie but catch the red planet on a clear “Friday Night Lights”— a show they involve flashbacks back night for the next couple of that appealed to plenty of female on Earth). With the big-screen weeks. While on Mars (called viewers — is the star, this move version of the “Battleship” board ‘Barsoom’ by the natives) civil does not make sense. The man game out in May and Oliver war is destroying lives as well as is shirtless for a grand majority Stone’s “Savages” out later this the planet. Dejah Thoris (Collins) of the movie and falls into a year, this could be a big year surrenders to the Tharks as her sort-of-complex romance with for the 30-year British Columbia city-state, Helium, is about to a princess (Lynn Collins). But native. Burroughs’ “A Princess of be taken over by Sab Than. The the studio seems to be obsessed with gender-superficiality, so Mars” is the first in a series only way to save her people is Mars was omitted from the title. of stories and novels that he to subject herself to a marriage After all, this movie has cost a wrote about Barsoom, which with the conqueror, who has been reported $250 million, a big risk were written and published granted supernatural powers for a project that has never been between 1912 and 1941. This from a group of mysterious overadapted on such a wide scale. was a breakthrough in fiction and lookers (similar to the agents in Regardless of gender, this is short story writing, inspiring the “The Adjustment Bureau”), who an incredibly fascinating movie. science-fiction genre that would are supposed to make sure all pre-determined events occur, The special effects are top-notch, become popular by the middle regardless of how grim they are including the effects of the Thark of the 20th century. If “John (war, genocide, death, they are tribe. The scenery is breath- Carter” succeeds, then this would essentially playing god). As the taking, from the city-state Helium become Disney’s (and Kitsch’s) to the landscapes that occupy the next goldmine.
but Stateside, Pilkington is gaining a cult following. “I thought just from the title that he’d be a clown and say a lot of stupid things like Sascha Baron Cohen’s Ali G shtick,” said Lori Rackl, the television critic and travel writer for The Chicago Sun-Times. “I was surprised that he wasn’t an idiot per se; he’s just more of a bump on a log who isn’t very exciting, but he’s in all these exciting positions. I like that juxtaposition.” While season one saw Pilkington traveling to all the Seven Wonders of the World, season two sees him grudgingly picking an activity from a bucket list. “It’s not his list,” Gervais gleefully admitted. The show lightheartedly mocks these travel lists that are otherwise glorified as must-see destinations in books such as Patricia Schultz’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.” “Sometimes with travel we do get tunnel vision about these lists and we do things just because we want to check them off or be able to fill that Facebook app where we can say, ‘I’ve done so many amazing things,’” said Rackl. “As a travel writer, I thought it was funny to see that whole zeitgeist be made fun of.” ‘An Idiot Abroad’ isn’t meant to be an informative travelogue by any means nor does it pretend to be. In an episode where Pilkington travels to China, he admits to not having any prior knowledge of the destinations he visits. However, it’s his candid and unimpressed observations that provide the comedic backbone of the show. After visiting the tourist-packed Great Wall of China, the unimpressed Pilkington said, “Being honest with you, it’s not The Great Wall — it’s an alright wall. It’s the Alright Wall of China.” Although she found herself laughing out loud when Pilkington “goes on a rant” when he discovers that his Chinese host is about to serve him a plateful of toad for dinner, Chicagoan Hazel Galicia, 29, admitted that ‘An Idiot Abroad’ may not suit everyone’s palate. “In America, where there’s a melting pot of cultures, people might find certain aspects of the show offensive,” she said. “It was a little offputting especially when there’s clearly a lot about the Chinese culture that they didn’t expand on, but of course that wouldn’t have been as comedic.” As evident in season two, even American culture isn’t immune to the Pilkington phenomenon. Rackl said that her favorite scene was when he was invited to attend a cuddle party in California. “Anybody who has been to that part of California knows that type of person: the flower-power-do-gooder-hippiecommune-god,” she said. “And in walks this straitlaced Englishman who doesn’t want to take off his shirt in public and, all of a sudden, he has to be in his pajamas hugging people,” she added, laughing. Indeed, it’s this kind of
absurdity that the show and its fans seem to relish. Whereas Merchant is the idealist who hopes that traveling will help change Pilkington’s perceptions of other cultures, Gervais does well as the mischievous puppeteer of this grumpy host. In the final moments of the episode titled ‘Route 66,’ Gervais gives Pilkington an ultimatum: wing walking on a rusty old plane or wearing leather fetish gear onstage at Chicago’s International Mr. Leather Competition. After a horrified Pilkington made his way through a gyrating mass of muscled, leather-clad men, he quickly chose to be strapped upside down on a plane instead. It’s a scene that may offend some members of the fetish community, but it’s a portrayal that Jon Krongaard, the International Mr. Leather coordinator, takes in stride. “I expected something a bit more than the short time we did get,” he admitted. “[But] this is more observational than a true complaint — any publicity is good publicity in the end.” Whether its dry British humor will continue to help the show’s ratings in mainstream entertainment remains to be seen. But Rackl believes the future of Pilkington and clan is looking good. “As Americans, we have a little more of an obvious sense of humor,” said Rackl. “[However] BBC America is a very popular channel now and we’re exposed to so much more British television that [‘An Idiot Abroad’] might have more of an audience as we become accustomed to this slightly different sense of humor.” As a fellow Brit, Chris Blake, 21, is pleased to finally see Pilkington in his own show. The owner and administrator of Pilkipedia.co.uk, a Wikipedialike site on all things Pilkington, Blake has been a fan since his days in radio alongside Gervais and Merchant. “It was around the second series of free podcasts by the trio when we realized that Karl’s brilliant idiocy should be recorded more concisely,” he said. “The [friendship between the three] gives the show an edge that no other travel show, documentary or anything on television has; the host doesn’t want to be there and his mates are endlessly teasing him,” he said. Blake added that ‘An Idiot Abroad’ has proven so popular on message boards that the main discussion threads for the show span over 100 pages of comments. Elsewhere in the online social networking landscape, American fans are banding together. It seems like Pilkington has unwittingly struck a chord among his 182,000 Facebook fans and nearly 15,000 Twitter followers: His reaction is one that anyone who has ever had a bad vacation can easily relate to. Besides, he’s just an ordinary guy who isn’t trying to sell viewers on a destination — he just really wants to go home.
20 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
SNL performance marks a comeback for Lohan?
By KEVIN PACIONE Contributing Writer
Is Lilo attempting a comeback? Actress Lindsay Lohan came back to host the variety comedy show Saturday Night Live for the fourth time March 3 as one of the first stops on her seeming career comeback. Lohan’s recent past has gotten worldwide attention and has caused some resentment toward her. She has a recent history of drinking while driving with a suspended license, being caught with cocaine in her car and stealing from a jewelry store. In 2010, she attempted to make a comeback from these incidents by playing a supporting role in the film “Machete,” in which her acting got mixed reviews. Lohan hosted SNL on her own terms, as she asked JOHN ADKISSON | MCT Campus Executive Producer Lorne In this 2010 photo, Lindsay Lohan walks into the Beverly Hills Courthouse for a probation status Michaels if she could come back to host. Her attempt to make a hearing. For the past few years, the young star has not been able to make a move without the comeback in her career and for cameras, and has struggled with addiction while attempting to continue to work in films. the general public to like her again was partially successful. In Lohan’s monologue, she made There were even some surprise asked Fallon to stop by the show. Straight sketch, a recurring sketch fun of her past theft and drug use cameos, such as Jon Hamm from Getting into the sketches, where Kenan Thompson talks history by having cast members “Mad Men” and Jimmy Fallon, Lohan killed it in the commercial some sense into three teenagers check her eyes and pockets and a former cast member and a parody of the Real Housewives (Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, having an alarm set off if she current talk show host. Side note: of Disney, playing Rapunzel, who Bobby Moynihan), Lohan fell tried to leave the stage, with a fan Lindsay Lohan appeared on Late throws a fake but believable punch flat in comedy. Lohan played a in the audience blatantly shouting Night with Jimmy Fallon the at Cinderella (played by Wiig). partner alongside Thompson, but “Kristen Wiig!” Thursday before she hosted and However, going into the Scared had almost the complete opposite
tone as Thompson, which made her sound as if there was no feeling. Plus, it became obvious that she was looking straight at the cue cards. Overall, Lohan’s acting was flat in the sketch. A redeeming quality, though, was the fact that Hader, Samberg, Moynihan and even Jason Sudeikis cracked up uncontrollably at the end of the sketch. The monologue and the commercial parody were the only two parts of the show where Lohan shined. In most of the other sketches, she played supporting characters that didn't do anything unusual or wacky. However, the audience had a generally good reaction. Even in Lohan’s monologue, Wiig stated that they all believe in her, and the audience applauded Lindsay Lohan’s fourth hosting gig has brought up better hopes for her in making a comeback for her career, but she still has a lot of acting work to do if she wants to make a full recovery. Frankly, her fourth time hosting wasn’t necessarily as great as the first three times she hosted. She has, on the other hand, done a good job of getting fans to like her again and forget about her past.
ZEDS DEAD
Arts & Life. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia | 21
DUB MASTERS PLAY CONGRESS JOANIE FALETTO | The DePaulia
Zeds Dead performed March 2 at The Congress Theater in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood along with Moombahton, Dillon Francis and Araabmuzik. By JOANIE FALETTO Weekend Edition Editor It’s in the neighborhood of 10 p.m. You know, that time you finally start coordinating cab rides to the venue? The time when you’re milling around outside the doors wrestling your ID from your wallet? It’s 10 p.m. Friday, March 2, and the floor at the sold-out Congress Theater show already looks sold-out. What is seen as early-bird timing in the context of live DJ/producer sets that night was primetime. That Friday, React Presents brought a lineup of hot-button EDM artists to the Congress: the show featured headlining electronic dubstep duo from Toronto, Zeds Dead; LA-native Moombahton; electro producer Dillon Francis and Rhode Island’s hip-hop, beat-making maven
Araabmuzik. Before the three scheduled acts that run the gamut of EDM subgenres was local dubstep electro-house duo Midnight Conspiracy. Blame them and the 16-foot tall LED pyramid framing their DJ platform and shooting out rainbow lasers for making the normally tame 10 p.m. scene a swarming mess of bodies. Local love just barely begins to describe it. The show had no warm-up period, just an “on” switch. Midnight Conspiracy had that switch easily engaged. After the MC set finished out, confusion set in as the stage lacked the artist known for poking 10 fingers in lightning speed at an MPC. Araabmuzik’s set was unfortunately a no-go, the producer’s flight into Chicago delayed. The more intimate club scene at the Mid gave Araabmuzik an after show set,
which is a much better setting to watch the artist’s fascinating live handiwork anyway. Earlier than expected came 24-year-old Dillon Francis. The hot-item producer, who’s booked for the upcoming raver paradise Ultra Music Festival in Miami, played one of his biggest numbers, “Masta Blasta,” early on and never quite peaked after that. The set was riddled with slower-tempo moombahton and its harder, electro-treated brother, moombahcore. With a little more highs and lows, builds and drops, this would have been a recipe for a killing set. Instead, it felt safe. Good and danceable, but lacking surprises. Francis rounded out his slot with his and Diplo’s track that features Maluca, “Que Que,” plus his other two bigtime originals, “Beautician” and “I.D.G.A.F.O.S.” For a smaller-
name producer, the moombahton to electro to dupstep range would have been plenty, but Francis had slightly higher standards to fiddle with. The Canadian dustpan twosome immediately changed the tone of the show. Trade out Francis’ booty-shakin’ whimsy for a live rapper throwing rhymes over both old school and glitchy hip-hop beats. Zeds Dead kicked off the night’s closing set by introducing Omar LinX as the evening’s resident rap star. The evening turned out surprisingly heavy with hiphop, with samples like Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “N-ggas In Paris” and Drake’s “I’m On One” tossed in. But the early installment of Zeds Dead’s dubby collaboration with the Killabits, “Bassmentality,” proved a raucous ride, as expected. From there, LinX trolled the stage some more for rhyme
time with tracks like “Rude Boy.” But it was the Zeds rapper-less originals that were most successful, like “Coffee Break” and “White Satin.” The moombahton Mad Decent label tracks “Rumble in the Jungle“ and “Undah Yuh Skirt,” which features MC Mavado, also made a pretty predominant crowd splash. For being known for dubstep, the duo dropped incorporated what seemed like literally every other subgenre under the EDM umbrella. The closing mixed up Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” and the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind.” Cue up the boredom for another time. The variety from Zeds Dead, which consists of producers DC and Hooks, was an unexpected breath of fresh air. Fresh air that the uncomfortably tightknit sweat-soaked pack of bass heads and candy kid ravers surely needed.
one of America’s most artistically innovative decades, the 1980s, and its most provocative issues— from disenfranchisement to Reaganomics. “This Will Have Been: Art, Love and Politics in the 1980s” covers the years 1979-92. The 1980s marked the height of President Reagan’s influence, a time when the marginalized minorities had reached their breaking points. This adversity inspired many artists to express themselves in rather unconventional ways, either by changing their methods of display (graffiti art) or their mediums (video technology), which are all showcased in the exhibit. “This
Will Have Been” occupies the expansive fourth floor of the museum and is neatly divided into quadrants, each representing a different social ill. Among the issues addressed are the AIDS crisis, the increasing popularity of punk and hip-hop music and society’s increasing reliance on technology. The exhibit relates the decade to both the museum and the artists, focusing on the museum’s development and role in society at a time when a new, innovative generation of artists was on the rise. The generation of artists showcased in the exhibit was the first to experience many controversial issues in society,
from growing up with television to facing the threat of AIDS. This adversity inspired artists to express themselves in new, unexpected ways, whether it was through the subject matter or medium. Art became a way of addressing problems in society that affected an overlooked part of the population. From photographs to mixed media sculptures, the constant struggle of living in these trying times is made evident. Some highlights of the exhibit include a compilation of interviews with AIDS victims and Robert Mapplethorpe photography. All art displayed throughout the exhibit was
inspired and relevant to the issues of the time; all pieces captured a great deal of interest and threw the viewer back to the turbulent times when the art was created. “This Will Have Been” serves to provide deeper insight into an often-misunderstood time in American society. It looks past the clichéd images of neon spandex and terrible music and addresses the lofty topics that were at the forefront of everyone’s minds. As the MCA describes the 1980s, it was a time when art was created “all in the name of an expanded idea of freedom.”
MCA brings viewers back to 1980s art, politics By SHANNON SHREIBAK Senior Writer
It all began with selfproclaimed “fashionistas” bringing AC/DC crop tops and neon leggings back into fashion. Then came the audiophiles who habitually dropped entire paychecks on AC/DC vinyl records. The 1980s seems to be a well-recognized, even revered, decade in our society. While it was rife with festivals, excess and turbulence, many fail to acknowledge the artistic strides that were made during this prolific decade. The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art showcased
‘Project XXX’ 22 | The DePaulia. March 12, 2012
'Hangover' producer takes on high school life in racy new release
By MARTY WATSON Contributing Writer
“Project X” begins with the convenience of Thomas’ (Thomas Mann) parents leaving town on his birthday weekend. His irresponsible, sex-crazed friend Costa (Oliver Cooper) sets out to gain a reputation as a member of their high school’s “it” crowd, and friends J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown) and Kirby (Kirby Bliss Blanton) tag along for the insanity that ensues. Dax (Dax Flame) is the weird “American Beauty” type of friend who captures all the wild, crazy fun on his camcorder (so really, we owe the entire movie to him, although he rarely makes an on-camera appearance). Fortunately for the viewer, he seems to be the only person at the party who doesn’t drink alcohol, so the camerawork remains relatively focused throughout the majority of the film. These friends vow to change the state of their current lame high school status with the introduction of this epic party planned only a few hours in advance. Due to their high hopes for the night’s events and the wild debauchery that comes to reality, the film’s tagline “The party you’ve only dreamed about” fits exceedingly well with the premise. Thomas and Costa agree that inviting 50 high schoolers would be sufficient to get noticed as part of the in-crowd. This includes getting the “hottest girl in school,” Alexis (Alexis Knapp), to come to the party. As the film/party pans out into an uncontrollable affair, it becomes apparent that Costa invited nearly everyone from their school – and the entire city of Pasadena (compliments of Craigslist). The
WARNER BROTHERS| Project X
rest is history. Some of the most memorable scenes from “Project X” include a reckless marijuana pick-up in the ghetto that results in a small stolen Santa Claus and the dealer cracking the windshield of Thomas’ mother’s minivan. From tasering, punching and pyromania, to a midget crawling out of a stove, a large part of the roof caving in and an entire party ducking from the cops, to Thomas’ father’s beloved Merecedes ending up in his pool, this party is nothing short of out-of-control. And just when you think it can’t
get any more disruptive, it does. By the end of the movie, the boys, especially Thomas, end up with more than just bragging rights and a newfound respect. At this juncture in the film, Costa says his arguably most impactful line: “That was one hell of a night.” The soundtrack is undoubtedly one of the best elements of “Project X.” From “H.A.M.” by Kanye West and Jay-Z, to “WTP (White Trash Party)” by Eminem to remixes of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” and J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” the track list contains
nothing but party anthems. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who never desired to be a part of their high school’s popular crowd during at least one point or another of their academic career. You’d be even harder pressed to find four friends who went to the extremes the guys from “Project X” did in order to become popular. While you certainly won’t find a deep moral message or anything thought-provoking at all, “Project X” will spark some genuine laughs and high school nostalgia. Despite its cheesy
ending and underdeveloped characters, “Project X” is truly unique in its own right. Producer Todd Phillips wanted stars with no acting credentials. He also focused on getting people of different ethnicities to diversify the crowd for a more realistic approach. If you like debauchery, crude humor and a kick-ass party, then “Project X” is your movie. And for those of you who just couldn’t get enough of it, Warner Bros. has announced plans for a sequel. Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
audition, they just brought the three of us in, and sat us down, so we’re like, “I don’t know, maybe this could be it?” We didn’t really know. OC: I was actually really high when I showed up for that too. JDB: No you weren’t. OC: Dead serious! I swear! JDB: Catholic University, Oliver. OC: I don’t care, I’m Jewish. I smoked a bunch of weed because I was told I was going to find out that day because I was all nervous… What? TM: (Laughs) It’s just that this is the first time I’m hearing of this. DP: Going back to that… Just kidding. I’m curious what the environment was like on set. There’s so much chaos that’s captured in the movie, was it equally chaotic during the filming, or was it more controlled? JDB: It’s a weird balance, because you can’t control
300 extras, and at the same time manage a fire. You have to do the best you can, with everything you’ve got. So, there were guidelines, and there were people kind of insuring nobody got killed. But, you kind of have to let the party be as natural and crazy as possible, or else it’s going to feel staged. If you ever see a movie, and you see a party scene, nine times out of 10 it’s going to literally kind of be some guy just dancing in place, while holding a red cup, and it’s lame. Because you really can’t control it to a serious degree. You have to let them go. DP: What was it like working with director Nima Nourizadeh, because I know this was his first feature? TM: It was cool because it was his first feature and it was our first big project. We were all jumping into the deep end together. OC: It was his first feature
film, but he knew exactly what he was doing. I think if we had had another director, the movie wouldn’t have worked. I think it’s a very different movie because of his style. TM: I think it’s very different from other found footage movies… Because we’re at a party, everybody has some kind of recording device nowadays, so it’s very easy to use different angles at the party, and it’s easier to buy into. DP: Going off that, did the looser environment make it easier for your performances? How aware were you at any given time that the camera was on you? JDB: I mean, it really depended on the scene. If they just wanted you to have fun, go out, it didn’t really matter if the camera was on you… We had an actual house we filmed in. I mean, we were on a set, but the house was working. And since it was filmed chronologically, and
we got to destroy the house in real time… you had to use the limitations of the space. OC: …It wasn’t like, “Action! Here we go!” DP: You brought up found footage movies before: How do you think your film fits in or doesn’t fit into that genre? JDB: I think what’s cool is that we stand apart from the rest of the found footage movies, not just because we’re a comedy, but because it’s very specifically stylized to feel like you’re watching a movie… But that said, I feel like there are of a few tropes of it. You have to feel big, and yet to feel grounded at the same time. I definitely think the party is the “Cloverfield” minster of sorts. OC: I was never a huge fan of found footage movies… but I was excited to be part of this movie (laughs). But I think it really works with this movie, I think it grounds the movie.
DEPAULIA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Q&A with the fresh-faced cast of ‘Project X’ By CHRIS OSTERNDORF Contributing Writer DePaulia: How did you all get involved with the film? Thomas Mann: I was submitted through my agent. I had worked previously, but we ended up auditioning like seven times… like for two weeks I thought the movie was dead, and then I’d get another callback. Oliver Cooper: I didn’t actually have to audition. I was pretty sought-after for this film (laughs). No, I had a friend who got me an audition, and just like them I had to do nine auditions and whatnot. Jonathon Daniel Brown: It was brutal. TM: They would like, mix and match us together to see who had good chemistry. This combination of people never actually read together until the final day, which wasn’t really an
Arts & Life. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia. | 23
Arts & Life. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia. | 24
ACROSS 1. Welcoming word 6. Assuage 10. Obstruction 14. Recruiter de personnel 16. Perfect 17. Quaff served à une Irish pub 18. Turkmenistan neighbor 19. Formerly 20. Composes 21. Banks known for hitting 22. Jeb Bush’s st. 23. Aides 25. Musical avec Barbra Streisand 30. Alternative to digital 31. “Cope Book” name 32. Media regulating gp. 35. Claudius’s adoptive son 36. Date 37. Horse of the Century Man __ 38. PC key 39. Commotion 41. Noted test site 43. Le Internet 45. Without notice to the other side, in law 48. Hitter’s stat 49. Ebbets Field favorite 50. Yemeni dough 52. Focal points 56. Obsessed by 57. Equine qui speaks 59. Invent, in a way 60. Medical practice que is rare nowadays 61. Certain colonists 62. Dept. store inventory 63. Bad way to be knocked DOWN 1. 46-Down’s 54, e.g.: Abbr. 2. Boxer Spinks 3. Suffix with orth-
CROSSWORD:
SUDOKU:
DePaulia Newspaper
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4. “You are __” 5. Solver’s shout 6. Win over 7. Memo abbr. 8. Place to surf 9. 8-Down flier 10. Like a bird sanctuary 11. “SNL” producer Michaels 12. Walking __ 13. Pool components 15. Disconnect 21. Scat queen Fitzgerald 22. Egg __ yung 24. Popular street name 25. Dennis, to Mr. Wilson 26. “The Defiant __”: 1958 film 27. Stash finder 28. Ben’s ex-squeeze 29. Tractor maker 32. E-mail opinion qualifier, briefly 33. Sugar source 34. Illicit exam aid 36. Part of a shortcut, perhaps 37. Informal agreement 39. Upset 40. Rubble creator 41. Book opening? 42. First name in despots 43. Bricklayers 44. Tropical fish with powerful teeth 45. Susan Lucci role 46. One of the noble gases 47. __ jury 51. “Last one __ ...” 52. One of LBJ’s daughters 53. Kind of surgeon 54. Pen unit 55. Without purpose 57. “Delicious!” 58. USN rank
SPORTS
Sports. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia 25
Week in Review Golf completes USF Invitational
Last week DePaul men’s golf competed in the USF Invitational. In the first round Moritz Ackerhans led DePaul with a two-over 74 at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club. After the first day, Ackerhans was tied for 23rd while the team occupied 13th place in the overall standings. Ackerhans was followed by Ben Westley in a tie for 43rd. Westley finished his first round with a 76 while Jan Juelicher was one shot back with a 77 in 50th place. Russell Budd shot a 78 and sat in a tie for 56th while Brad Stephens was tied for 68th after a first-round score of 79. It was Juelicher’s turn to lead DePaul in the second round with a one-over score of 73. The Blue DePhoto Courtesy of the DePaul Athletic Department mons were in 14th place heading into Tuesday’s fi- Jan Juelicher nal round. Juelicher posted his second Juelicher and Westley sat in a straight score of 73 to lead the Degroup in 43rd place after two days mons in the final round Tuesday. with scores of 150 (+6). Juelicher Juelicher finished in a tie for 37th fired his 73 in the second round after while the team placed 14th. opening his tournament with a 77. Juelicher ‘s three-round score of Westley shot a 76 in round one be- 223 (+7) put him in a four-way tie for fore improving with a second-round 37th place. score of 74. Ackerhans and Westley folAfter shooting a team-best score lowed Juelicher and were among five of 74 in the first round, Ackerhans players in 51st place. carded a 77 on Monday. Budd finished in a tie for 63rd Budd recorded a 75 in the sec- and Stephens was tied for 78th. Budd ond round while Stephens carded put together a tournament total of rounds of 79 and 78. Budd was tied 231 and Stephens was at 237. for 60th and Stephens was in a group UCF won the team title by six in 78th place. strokes over second-place Georgia UCF continued to hold the team while Louisville’s Justin Dorward lead after two rounds with a team and Arkansas State’s Chris Pledger score of 569 while Louisville’s Jus- shared co-medalist honors with identin Dorward held in the individual tical scores of 211 (-5). lead with rounds of 70 and 67.
Men's tennis tops W. Michigan, Palinic earns Big East honors
The men's tennis team was able to stop a two-match losing streak with a 4-2 victory over Western Michigan on March 3. The victory placed DePaul in seventh place at the HEB Team Tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas. Despite a doubles win from Matija Palinic and Adam Reinhart, the Demons dropped the doubles point after WMU won matches on the top two courts. DePaul (10-7) held on for the overall match victory, however, registering strong singles wins on the
fifth, second, third and first singles courts. Palinic, George Chanturia, Sven Kasper and Filip Dzanko all recorded singles wins to power the Blue Demons over WMU (9-7). And, in light of his five consecutive match wins last week, Palinic was named Big East Tennis Player of the Week. Playing in the No. 5 position, Palinic has also won four straight doubles matches. Palinic is the second DePaul player to be named the league's Player of the Week this season. Dzanko earned the honor on Feb. 21.
Track and field competes in Wilson Invitationals
Tim Nedow walked away with his seventh first place finish in as many meets in 2011-12 indoor competition at the Alex Wilson Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind. Nedow’s throw of 20.16-meter distance earned him the top spot in the men’s shot put event. His other throws came in at 18.83, 19.54, 19.55 and 19.86 meters. The 20.16-meter throw also broke a Meyo Track record. Nedow was the only thrower to earn an NCAA qualifying mark. Fellow Blue Demon thrower Matt Babicz placed sixth in the competition. Babicz’s best throw also came in his final attempt aws he launched a 17.92-meter throw — just over half a meter behind his career-best. Matthew Graham was the third and final competitor at the invitational. He finished with a 4:14.13 mile run, just missing his season-best in the event. Nedow will continue on to the 2012 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nampa, Id. Nedow, who currently holds the nation’s top shot put distance, looks to become DePaul’s second-ever national champion.
Women's tennis falls to Hawkeyes
The No. 38 DePaul women’s tennis team fell to Iowa 5-2 at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. DePaul (10-4) started the match strong by winning the doubles point. Jasmin Kling and Gia McKnight beat Morven McCulloch and Shelby Talcott 8-4 on the top doubles court. Playing in the No. 2 position, the Blue Demon pair of Patricia Fargas and Kelsey Lawson topped Christina Harazin and Sonja Molnar 8-5 to give DePaul a 1-0 advantage heading into singles. Iowa (5-3), shifted the momentum of the match, however, and tied the duel at one with a win on the sixth court and took a 2-1 lead with a victory on the top court. The Hawkeyes went on to win on the third, second and fourth courts. Although the Hawkeyes already had the win, sophomore Kelsey Lawson recorded the Blue Demons second point of the match with her exciting three-set victory over Christinia Harazin on the fifth court. Lawson dropped the first set, 7-5, but bounced back with two impressive sets. The sophomore closed out the match with 7-5, 6-4 set scores. DePaul will take two weeks off from duals to prepare for Winter Quarter finals before heading to Charleston, S.C. for spring break and will face No. 8 Northwestern in a neutral-site match on March 21.
Sports Editor Cheryl Waity Assistant Sports Editor Julian Zeng depauliasports@gmail.com ”TOURNAMENT FATE” Continued from back cover East tournament. Bruno says with all that went on this season, it’s a tribute to his players for how it turned out. Anna Martin and Brittany Hrynko were unanimously picked as all-conference and all-rookie team members respectively. He also dId not want to rate his coaching performance compared to year’s past. “I don’t rate my coaching job. I never do that. I’m just really proud of the players and what they had to overcome,” he said. “It’s one of those prideful seasons because those players could have just cashed it in, folded it up and waited for next year, and they didn’t. I look at how close we were from taking 22 wins to 27 with the seven that we do have. I don’t look back and
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The advantage for us is that our players are going to have the benefit of not having to travel. Travel takes it out of you. Coach Doug Bruno
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say ‘what could have been if everybody was healthy,’ I look back and say is there a way that I as a leader could have helped them be more effective in a couple of those tough losses.” One of the big advantages and rewards of making the tournament this year for the Blue Demons will be playing close to home. They won’t be on campus in the cozy confines of McGrath-Phillips Arena, but Allstate Arena means won’t have the travel days that the other teams in the bracket will. “I always want to make sure I acknowledge and thank the DePaul administration for hosting. It takes a lot of work by a lot of people. There’s a lot of work going on for a lot of months to set this up, it doesn’t just happen,” Bruno said about the process of getting to host NCAA tournament games. “The advantage for us is that our players are going to have the benefit of not having to travel. Travel takes it out of you.” The other place where Bruno said an advantage can be created is filling up Allstate Arena. He hopes and expects 17,000 and standing room only in attendance to show up. With all that does go on surrounding March Madness, is it possible for Bruno to go through the motions given the amount of success he’s had? Or is he always excited for it? “Absolutely you get up for it. You can never take this for granted, it’s too hard to do. Because we’ve done it so many times in a row, people that observe from the outside think that it’s easy,” he said. “Go ask Northwestern’s men how easy it is.”
Grant Myatt | The DePaulia
Anna Martin drives past a Cincinnati defender.
26 . March 12, 2012. The DePaulia. Sports.
A family affair: Coach’s daughter joins team
By KASIA FEJKLOWICZ Senior Writer
Typically when students graduate high school they can’t wait to get away from their parents, but the daughters of softball coach Eugene Lenti just can’t get enough of their father’s coaching skills. Freshman Ali, Lenti the outfielder daughter of DePaul’s prestigious softball coach, has just joined forces with her father. Coach Lenti has made a legacy over the course of his 30-year career at the University. With over 1,000 wins he has made a reputation for himself, and his daughter, Ali, is right by his side. The question is how does this fatherdaughter combination work at DePaul. “All the girls are like my daughters, but Ali is my blood-daughter…I treat her like everyone else and I push them all the same,” said Coach Lenti. Ali is used to her dad’s coaching because he was her coach throughout her life. During the summers, he would coach their travel softball team. She agrees college softball is more intense but she also says that “it’s a cool experience…I love it so much.” The 15 softball girls are all very good friends, and two of them are Ali’s
roommates. “We are all really similar,” she said. None of the girls think it’s odd that Ali and Eugene are family. “In our eyes we are all one big family, so I guess you could say Eug is the entire team’s father,” said outfielder Katelyn Braget. Ali admits she spends so much time with her dad throughout the week that her mom gets jealous. Because Ali lives in the dorms, she spends most of her days either in school or playing softball. The team practices six days a week, which adds up to about 20 hours. This is not uncommon for the athletes at DePaul. It is like having a full-time job. All of the softball players want to improve their abilities so that they can be stronger, faster, and quicker on the field. It is a stop and go sport and the girls do everything during practice to be the best. They play scrimmage, lift weights, and they work off the pitching machines. Ali’s mom, Kandace, only lives six miles away from the University, but she feels distant from her daughter. She wants to travel with the team next year, but that wouldn’t be possible at the moment since she has two daughters attending St. Ignatius High School. Education is important to all the girls
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Coach Eugene Lenti and his daughter Ali. and they must maintain a 2.0 GPA, but the team’s GPA is a lot higher than the minimum that is required. The girls take their classes and studying seriously and they have an average GPA of 3.3. “I make them study on the plane,” coach Lenti said smiling. They are usually gone from Thursday to Sunday and are back at school by Sunday night. “We study on the beach,” Ali said. She
is still learning how to balance school and sports, but it “hasn’t been too tough.” For her first quarter, she worked the front desk at the Sullivan Center and it seemed “weird to not play,” she said. She is very excited about everything, and soon the athletic department will have four Lenti’s including the coach, Ali, her sister Gena since she plans to play at DePaul in 2012 and their aunt Jean Lenti Ponsetto, who is the Athletics Director.
”BIG EAST TOURNAMENT” Continued from back cover
”MEN'S HOOPS” Continued from front cover
lead their team to championships, but I'm just trying to do what's best for this team,” Lamb said when asked if he felt he needed to take over the role Walker played last season. Boatright — who added 19 points and seven assists off the bench — shared the same goal as Lamb, intending to redeem himself after pressing too much in the two meetings with DePaul in the regular season. Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press “I just missed a lot of Cleveland Melvin rises for a shot over Alex Oriakhi. easy shots and a lot of careless turnovers [in the first game],” offense. The Blue Demons were Blue Demons at bay with better Boatright said. “Today I just especially hampered attacking offensive execution and hustle. tried to do the best for the team, the basket, often drawing lots of “We just have to work on so when I came in and got the contact with no foul calls. Too maintaining our focus, workstart by playing defense, the of- often they were often unable to ing hard on the court and stayfense came to me. ” control the ball, leading to nu- ing positive,” Melvin said after Much of the two guards’ merous Connecticut fast-break the game. “Just coming out and success in Tuesday’s game was opportunities. playing with that energy and accredited to the big bodies of Were it not for UConn's hot playing for the whole 40 minAndre Drummond and Alex shooting from downtown in the utes.” Oriakhi. Their wide frames first half, there was a chance DeEven with the loss, Morproved effective at boxing out Paul could have taken the lead gan maintained in the postgame DePaul's frontcourt men, rack- going into the break. But the press conference that the Blue ing up 31 offensive rebounds Huskies couldn't miss, hitting Demons never give up until the and 42 total rebounds. 7-of-9 from long range, contrib- final whistle. Though DePaul wasn't far uting to their 54.8 percent field “I feel like we're close [as a behind in the category with 39 goal shooting in the first. DePaul team] just because we work hard total rebounds of their own, the didn't help their cause shooting every day, and even though we stats didn't do the physical dif- a mere 10-of-35 (28.6 percent) lose we don't hang our heads,” ferences justice. from the field. Morgan said. “We just go out “We rebounded the ball In the second half, UConn and play hard, leave it all out decently in the first half, but took command both rebound- there because we know this just couldn't keep them off the ing and scoring the basketball. could be our last game. But just boards in the second half,” said Oriakhi and Drummond were a the fact that we work hard every DePaul Head Coach Oliver Pur- handful on the inside, able to se- day, no matter who we're playnell. "I really admired our guys' cure loose balls that were batted ing or what the circumstances fighting spirit to fight back into around and put them back up for are.” the game in the second half. But second chance baskets. Despite their season coming you have to give [UConn] credit Yet despite their lead, Con- to a close, the Blue Demons can — in particular, Lamb played necticut succumbed to a few still say they gave it their all, but extremely well, and Boatright bursts from DePaul, who at one were just outmatched by the deplayed pretty well, too. ” point cut the deficit to just nine fending Big East champions. Much of the first half was with seven minutes to play. But “I'm really disappointed it's helter-skelter with neither team UConn was simply too good to over," Purnell said. "But we lost executing particularly well on relinquish the lead, keeping the to a better team today. ”
Demons are an improving team. “DePaul is going to be a tough place to stop...going down the road,” said Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun following their win over the Blue Demons Tuesday. “I think DePaul is not going to be an easy stop. They’re going to be good in the way they play, and they’re different than most of our Big East teams, and as they get other kids and more experience, they’re going to be good.” With as much coaching experience as Calhoun has under his belt, it’s hard to disagree with him. But even to the casual basketball fan, it should be evident that DePaul has a high ceiling. Losing only two seniors this season in Jeremiah Kelly and Krys Faber, the Demons will return a strong group of players, anchored by Melvin, Young and Moses Morgan, and should recruit another stellar class. Returning freshman Montray Clemons, who sat out the season with an injury, will be another bonus. “We’ve got most of those core guys back, and we’ve got at least three new guys coming in next year, athletic guys that we like, so we can continue to build on that,” said Purnell. “I think with leadership from these guys [Melvin and Morgan, present at the press conference], I think them getting better themselves, and with talent and athleticism, we expect to be better.” The constant effort the players gave on the court all season is further evidence this team has undergone a culture change and, though wins were often hard to come by, demonstrated their desire to compete. While games were recurrently mailed in by
DePaul teams in the past, succumbing to disheartening margins of defeat, this year was different. Guys would fight for rebounds and dive for loose balls most of the game, whether down two points or 20, really showing their dedication. “We lost some close games [this season] where we were right there with a chance to win,” said Purnell. “You have to think an average team with average-character guys could have and would have folded it up, but these guys continued to come back, work and play hard.” Looking beyond stats and notches in the win or loss column, this team has chemistry. Whether executing good offensive sets on the court or eating meals in the student center off the court, the Blue Demons are a close bunch, a real indicator of a team bound for future success. “I feel that we’ve progressed a lot...just our chemistry as a team,” said Morgan, following their game against UConn. “This is probably one of the best groups that I’ve been with, even when I was in high school. I love all the guys, and we just know each other very well.” Inevitably, a team’s success is graded by wins, tournament appearances and consistent success over many years. While the men’s basketball team still has a ways to go, there’s no doubting their potential and a bright future that lies ahead. “It’s a process of building your team or building your program...growing them up with positive experiences,” said Purnell. “We would have liked to have a few more of those this year like senior night and conference wins, but there are a lot of positive experiences along the way...and we’ll have a lot more positive experiences next year.”
Sports.March 12, 2012. The DePaulia 27
”BIG EAST EXPANSION” Continued from back cover sports. Of course, instead of players being exchanged from one team to another, here we are comparing and contrasting certain institutions based on academic statistics including academic progress reports and academic rating. The NCAA measures schools on an institution’s ability to retain and move student-athletes toward graduation using a statistic called the academic progress rate (APR). APR is rated on a sport-by-sport basis. Schools that fail to reach an APR score of at least 925 (equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate) are penalized by the NCAA with the loss of scholarships. A perfect score is 1000. Soon to be departed West Virginia was second in 2009-10 men’s basketball APR with a score of 995. Pittsburgh also posted an impressive 985, while Syracuse earned only a 928 rating. Among the soon-to-be-added schools, Memphis boasted an impressive APR score of 989, the highest among new Big East schools. However, other incoming Big East schools didn’t do as well as Memphis for men’s basketball APR. SMU posted an APR score of 946, while UCF came dangerously close to the 925 cutoff with a 929; and Houston scored a 907 which would make them second-to-last in men’s hoops APR in the Big East (UConn’s 893 APR score was last). The football-only schools were not so bad. For instance, Boise and Navy achieved a 981 and 978, respectively in APR football scores for 2009-10. On the other hand, San Diego St. had a lower score of 934. So in terms of men’s basketball APR, the Big East will suffer a setback with the loss of West Virginia and Pittsburgh. However, they will be glad to welcome the schools who posted impressive scores like Memphis, as well as SMU and Navy for football. UCF and especially Houston certainly drag the conference down a notch or two with their less-than-impressive, and in Houston’s case failing, APR scores. Although DePaul is sad to see longtime members Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia leave, it welcomes with open arms the new schools, viewing the expansion as entirely positive for both DePaul and the conference. “Every time the Big East has reinvented itself, it has turned out better,” said DePaul Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto. Ponsetto also added that she is eager to renew relationships with schools DePaul has dealt with in the past. One of these schools is Memphis, who like DePaul in 2005-06, will be departing Conference USA for the Big East. “All schools, each in their own way, bring something special to the conference,” added Ponsetto. The expansion will come as a crucial business saving move, according to ESPN and will give the conference an enormous corner on the media market. The new additions will bring Big East markets almost one-fourth of all television coverage in the U.S. “[The conference changes] will represent the single largest media footprint in intercollegiate athletics from coast-to-coast in football,” said conference commissioner, John Marinatto in an interview with ESPN. However, schools such as SMU and Boise St. will come into the conference with considerable baggage. SMU, for instance was given the NCAA’s “Death Penalty” in the late 1980s when
School APR (Men's Basketball 2009-10) DePaul 1000 West Virginia 995 Cincinatti 992 Memphis 989 Notre Dame 989 Pittsburgh 985 Boise State* 981 Marquette 980 Navy* 978 Villanova 974 St. John's 968 Louisville 965 Rutgers 948 SMU 946 Georgetown 937 USF 937 Seton Hall 935 San Diego State* 934 Univ. Central Florida 929 Syracuse 928 Providence 925 Univ. Houston 907 Connecticut 893
Current members
Incoming members Departing members
it was discovered multiple times that its football players were receiving improper benefits from boosters. The NCAA cancelled SMU’s entire 1987 football season and upon permission to return for a shortened 1988 season, the school opted to sit out another year after determining that it would not be able to field an entire team for the 1988 season. In a 2011 interview with the Associated Press, University of Oklahoma law professor and former NCAA Vice President David Swank said of SMU, “In the nine years I served on the (NCAA) committee on infractions I never saw another one that was even close to what occurred in the SMU case.” Recently, Boise State was stripped of a total of nine football scholarships, three for the course of each of the next three years for NCAA infractions. In a statement the NCAA wrote: “[Boise State failed to establish an adequate compliance system to report NCAA rules violations with regard to impermissible housing, transportation and other benefits to prospective and enrolled student-athletes. The university failed to provide adequate rules education and training to staff members to ensure compliance.” “[In addition, the university failed to monitor its program to deter, find and report instances of NCAA violations to the NCAA.” Moreover, current Big East member and men’s basketball defending champion, UConn, is in the midst of being disciplined by the NCAA for infractions as well. Head coach Jim Calhoun was suspended for the Huskies first three conference games this season in addition to the team being docked three scholarships a year for the next three seasons for recruitment violations in connections with illegal booster activity. Analyzing future Big East schools against current ones based on academic rating is more difficult because a handful of new schools don’t have an aca-
demic rating attributed to them. Academic rating is a statistic developed by the Princeton Review that rates schools on the following: How hard students work and how much they get back for their efforts, on a scale of 60–99. Factors weighed include how many hours students study outside of the classroom and the quality of students the school attracts. We also considered students' assessments of their professors, class size, student– teacher ratio, use of teaching assistants, and amount of class discussion, registration, and resources. Memphis, Boise State and San Diego State do not have an academic rating on the Princeton Review. To the surprise of few, Navy’s academic rating of 91 would be tied with Villanova for the highest in the conference if they were added today. On the other hand, SMU’s 77; UCF’s 70; and Houston’s 67 are less than impressive. However, the new ratings do not bring the conference down all that much when compared to the three departing schools. Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Syracuse posted academic ratings of 78, 75 and 62, respectively. So in regards to APR and academic rating statistics, it appears that the Big East conference is heading toward a slight decline, academically speaking. When news of the expansion first surfaced this notion had many onlookers both surprised and skeptic of the new additions. DePaul’s Ponsetto, however, was not the least bit surprised. Ponsetto noted that there are a lot of changes in the business of intercollegiate athletics. “I don’t think anything is surprising anymore. Schools have to decide philosophically where their home is,” she said. “It starts with the recruiting process,” said Ponsetto who went on to add, “We recruit student-athletes who are serious about getting the full benefit a DePaul degree has to offer.”
Hot
Shots
These are some of the year’s best sports moments caught on camera. To see more of the best shots of the basketball season head to depauliaonline.com.
Grant Myatt | The DePaulia Brandon Young takes a shot against Providence. The Demons lost the game in a buzzer beater 73-71.
Grant Myatt | The DePaulia Keisha Hampton drives past an opponant in the St.Mary's game where DePaul won 96-68 during the Maggie Dixon Classic.
Grant Myatt | The DePaulia Cleveland Melvin puts up a shot against Pitt. This game was the Demon's first Big East win of the season, 84-81.
SPORTS
Sports. March 12, 2012. The DePaulia 28
Sports Editor Cheryl Waity Assistant Sports Editor Julian Zeng depauliasports@gmail.com
Revamped Big East not Dean’s List material
By ALEX THIBODEAU & SEAN McDONOUGH Contributing Writers
The Big East announced that it will expand for the second time since the 2005-06 season when DePaul, among others, was added to the conference. The latest expansion comes after several other major conferences, including the Pac-10, Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) have either added or lost teams within the past year in what has become a rampant reshuffling of intercollegiate conferences. The Big East has been on both sides of the conference kerfuffle trend by losing several key members whom the conference has been intent on replacing to ensure its strength as a major player in big-time-revenue sports. Just because the Big East conference will be gaining more members does not necessarily mean they will be gaining in prestige. More teams mean more grade data to scrutinize,
and it turns out the newcomers don’t fare too well academically against current, and the soon-tobe former conference members they will replace. The new members of the Big East will include the Universities of Memphis, Houston, Central Florida and Southern Methodist University (SMU) as all-sport members. In addition, Boise State, San Diego State and The U.S Naval Academy (Navy) will join as football-only schools. Navy’s move, due to media contract stipulations, will be delayed until 2015. Moreover, the conference is also rumored to be considering Temple as possible addition. The aforementioned schools will be replacing Syracuse (a founding member), and Pittsburgh (member since 1982) and West Virginia, which reached a settlement with the Big East to leave for the Big 12 this July. The 2012-13 season will be the 34th in Big East history and will also bring with it the largest expansion since its creation in 1979. The conference originally was made up of seven teams:
LAURA COLLINS | The DePaulia
Providence College, St. Johns, Georgetown, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut and Boston College. In the 2005-06 season, the Big East became the country’s largest Division I-A conference adding five teams including DePaul, Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida. That same year the conference lost Boston College. While membership changes are not uncommon,
DePaul falls to UConn
Demons close out season, tournament with 81-67 loss
Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Jeremy Lamb, right, fouls Brandon Young during the first round of the Big East Conference Championship. of the best games of his career, adding 19 off the bench on 7-of15 shooting, 5-of-6 from three-
point range. “I'm not trying to be Kemba. Of course everybody wants to
See “BIG EAST TOURNAMENT“ page 26
lible and prestigious academic record. And when the schools are compared using academic statistics it becomes more apparent that the Big East has added schools that don’t quite match up to the current crop. To determine whether or not the Big East will be better or worse from an academic standpoint, it serves us well to liken the conference additions and subtractions as a trade in professional
See “BIG EAST EXPANSION“ page 27
Women’s basketball awaits tournament fate By DAVID BERRY Senior Writer
By JULIAN ZENG Assistant Sports Editor NEW YORK — Connecticut may have been without last season’s Most Outstanding Player, Kemba Walker this year, but the Huskies’ well-rounded lineup held court throughout their tough schedule, including their opening round matchup with DePaul at the Big East Conference Championship. With a balanced attack and strong inside presence, the Huskies dispatched the Blue Demons 81-67 Tuesday afternoon, ending DePaul's season and tournament stay. UConn (19-12), took advantage of significant contributions from sophomore guard Jeremy Lamb and freshman Ryan Boatright, both using their athleticism and pla-making ability to score in bunches. Lamb — who finished with 25 points on 10-of18 shooting — seemed to score at will, both knifing through the Blue Demons on drives and stepping back for outside shots. For DePaul (12-19), Cleveland Melvin led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Moses Morgan had perhaps one
the 2013 expansion will make the largest conference even larger. Despite losing three teams, the Big East will round the conference off to 20 teams. On the outset, one would be loath to compare any of the future Big East additions to academic juggernauts already in the conference such as Villanova, Notre Dame and Georgetown. Navy would be the exception here, having already established an infal-
It’s almost that time of year again for the DePaul women’s basketball team — March Madness is back. Head coach Doug Bruno has his Blue Demons team on the verge of their 10th-consecutive NCAA tournament. After beating USF and then losing to Notre Dame in the Big East tournament, Bruno is ready for the challenges of the next couple of weeks. “My thoughts really are about getting our team better because it doesn’t matter if you’re a seven or a six or an eight or a nine, you have to win your first game to get to that second game,” Bruno said about his team that is projected by ESPN bracketologist Charlie Crème as a seven-seed playing against Michigan State in the first round. “You can’t let your mind and your team’s mind get wrapped up in bracketology.” What makes this season all the more impressive for DePaul is the fact that they have been without five players for at least half of the season. They have eight players active and regularly use a seven-player rotation. While some of the injuries were
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My thoughts really are about getting our team better because it doesn’t matter if you’re a seven or a six or an eight or a nine, you have to win your first game to get to that second game. Coach Doug Bruno
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caught early on, one in particular surprised Bruno. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine losing Keisha Hampton because she had played every game since she’d gotten here,” Bruno said about losing the preseason All-American to season-ending knee surgery in January. Even with all of the injuries, which included freshmen Chanise Jenkins and Alexa Gallagher, as well as seniors Taylor Pikes, who Bruno called the team’s best rebounder, Maureen Mulchrone, and Hampton, DePaul showed enough resolve to finish 9-7 in Big East regular season play and earn a first-round bye in the Big
See “TOURNAMENT FATE“ page 25
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