DePaulia
The
2017 Pacemaker Award Winner/Best Weekly College Newspaper-SPJ
Volume #102 | Issue #19 | March. 12, 2018 | depauliaonline.com
THE LENTI
CONNECTION It’s time to address the issues with the Athletic Director.
Athletic Director’s relative played key role in Wintrust agreements
By Jonathan Ballew & Shane René Asst. News Editor & Sports Editor
The Chief Marketing Officer from Wintrust Bank has confirmed that Wintrust Executive Vice President and sister-in-law of DePaul Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto, Kandace Lenti, was involved in the multi-million dollar Wintrust Arena naming rights agreement. DePaul officials have also confirmed that Jean Lenti Ponsetto never officially disclosed a conflict of interest form before engaging in the deal. The 2017 Wintrust Arena agreement was touted by DePaul as a huge win for the university and Athletic Director Lenti Ponsetto. But there seems to be some family ties concerning Wintrust and Lenti Ponsetto that raise questions of nepotism and a potential conflict of interest. Kandace Lenti is the Executive Vice President at Wintrust Bank. She was named by Crain’s as one of the 30 most influential women in Chicago banking and is credited on Crain’s website for helping to secure DePaul as a client. Lenti is married to DePaul’s head softball coach, Eugene Lenti — also the brother of Lenti Ponsetto. Although the details of the Wintrust agreement are confidential, it is estimated by Legends Sales and Marketing, a New York-based sponsorship consulting firm, that the naming rights deal could have been worth at least $22 million for DePaul. At around the same time, DePaul added Wintrust Bank as its exclusive oncampus banking institution to replace PNC Bank. Both the naming rights and banking agreement are potentially worth millions for both parties.
Overhaul years overdue in Athletic Department
Under the agreement, Wintrust COMMENTARY Bank is able to distribute and market to all of DePaul’s students, faculty, staff and By DePaulia Editorial alumni. Wintrust also received exclusive Board banking and ATM privileges on campus. With a total enrollment of over 22,000 students and a sizable alumni and faculty When the Blue Demons lost network, Wintrust gained access to a Wednesday’s game against Marquette considerable number of potential new in the opening round of the Big East clients. Tournament at Madison Square DePaul has a conflict of interest policy Garden, they capped off what should clearly outlined have been a season in its code of to remember. But conduct that states, a failed first year at “DePaul requires all the Wintrust Arena employees whose might just be the independence of final straw in over judgement may a decade of DePaul be impaired by a being among the potential conflict most laughable, of interest to either embarrassing refrain from the and mismanaged conflict or disclose programs in the the conflict to a history of Division 1 supervisor.” NCAA basketball. The conduct A sweeping policy goes on to overhaul of DePaul’s say, “In these and athletic department other situations, has been warranted, Jean Lenti Ponsetto a completed if not necessary, Athletic Director Certificate of for years. After Compliance with Athletic Director Conflict of Interest Policy form (...) is to Jean Lenti Ponsetto paid big bucks be completed and approved by the direct for questionable coaches, questions supervisor of the employee.” about leadership arose — but But Lenti Ponsetto never disclosed a former president Rev. Dennis conflict of interest form, according to the H. Holtschneider continued to university. stand confidently behind his When The DePaulia began embattled athletic director. investigating the connection between When questioned about the Lenti Ponsetto and Lenti, things got even men’s basketball team’s track record murkier. under her tenure, the response from the Sullivan Athletic Center See WINTRUST, page 5 and the university tends to be just
I’m excited (for) what I hear from our longtime, loyal season ticket holders (...) they’re not coming to games expecting it to be the junior NBA.
as empty as the skulls running the department. Pointing to the successes of non-revenue generating sports like softball, women’s basketball, track and field and the academic prowess of their student athletes, the athletic department routinely misses the point of why they exist: to be a billboard of success for the university. Today, amid growing public outcry, a third swing and miss on a washed-up Dave Leitao, $82.5 million spent on an near-empty arena and a new president ready to make his own mark on the university, the circumstances are ripe for real change. Now that Wintrust Arena’s first official season is all wrapped up, falling comically short of each and every expectation laid out by DePaul’s athletic department, The DePaulia is making a formal call for change: It is the opinion of this newspaper — and a growing contingent of students and alumni — that the general welfare of DePaul Athletics and the university at large is best served by the termination or resignation of Lenti Ponsetto and her most recent failed hire.
Three strikes and you’re out Lenti Ponsetto took the reins of the DePaul athletic department shortly after the 2001-02 season came to a close, just as five-year head coach Pat Kennedy ended his run with the program. In Kennedy’s place, exiting athletic director Bill Bradshaw picked former University of Connecticut coach and rising star Dave Leitao to take the helm of the
See OVERHAUL, page 26
2 | News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
First Look The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.
ON A I
OW RN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Amber Colón eic@depauliaonline.com
PAULIA THE DE
PAGE 29
Podcast
MANAGING EDITOR | Rachel Fernandez managing@depauliaonline.com NEWS EDITOR | Benjamin Conboy news@depauliaonline.com
Tune in to episode 18 of The DePaulia’s official podcast “Page 29,” available on Soundcloud and iTunes.
ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Jonathan Ballew news@depauliaonline.com NATION & WORLD EDITOR | Carina Smith nation@depauliaonline.com OPINIONS EDITOR | Mackenzie Murtaugh opinion@depauliaonline.com FOCUS EDITOR | Zoey Barnes focus@depauliaonline.com ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Lacey Latch artslife@depauliaonline.com SPORTS EDITOR | Shane René sports@depauliaonline.com ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | Andrew Hattersley sports@depauliaonline.com DESIGN EDITOR | Victoria Williamson design@depauliaonline.com DESIGN EDITOR | Ally Zacek design@depauliaonline.com
THIS WEEK Monday - 3/12
Check out our campus crime database, Crime Watch. This map is updated on a weekly basis with data made available to The DePaulia from the City of Chicago data portal and DePaul’s Office of Crime Prevention.
Check out The DePaulia’s content online at www.depauliaonline.com
Tuesday - 3/13
Wednesday - 3/14
Jazz Combos
Commuter Appreciation Day
The Tip of my Tongue, gallery
Recital Hall
The Commuter Lounge
300 W. Superior St., #203
7 p.m.
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday - 3/16
Saturday - 3/17
Yoga in the Loop
Boris Slutsky, piano
Lewis Centre - first floor
Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave.
She the People: Girlfriends’ Guide to Sisters Doing It for Themselves
4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
11 a.m.
Thursday - 3/15
230 W. North Ave. - third floor 8 p.m.
PHOTO EDITOR | Josh Leff photo@depauliaonline.com ONLINE EDITORS | Yazmin Dominguez, April Lane online@depauliaonline.com COPY EDITORS | Brian Pearlman, Nikki Roberts
GET DEPAUL NEWS SENT TO YOUR INBOX EACH WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE DEPAULIA’S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: depauliaonline.com/newsletter
FOLLOW US:
facebook.com/TheDePaulia
twitter.com/TheDePaulia
thedepaulia
BUSINESS MANAGER | Kelsey Horvath business@depauliaonline.com ADVISOR | Marla Krause mkrause1@depaul.edu
CONTACT US depauliaonline.com GENERAL PHONE (773) 325-2285 OFFICE HOURS Thursday: 6-8 p.m. Friday: 10-6 p.m. Sunday: 10-5 p.m.
NEWS TIPS news@depauliaonline.com
ADVERTISING business@depauliaonline.com
RADIO DEPAUL Chicago's College Connection
Listen in at radio.depaul.edu or on the Radio DePaul App
thedepaulia
News
News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018 | 3
A voice for the voiceless
As her time at DePaul ends, Maria Hinojosa looks back By Yazmin Dominguez Online Editor
Nervous, yet confident. That is how Maria Hinojosa remembers feeling when she walked into a room of 12 department directors and faculty members, all of whom were prepared to interview her for DePaul’s prestigious Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz chair. Little did she know that all 12 interviewers were also nervous and slightly starstruck that Hinojosa was sitting in the room with them. Hinojosa is presently one of the loudest voices for Latino representation in the U.S. She is the first Latina to be hired by National Public Radio (NPR), the first Latina to be hired as a CNN correspondent and the first Latina to anchor her own PBS show, “America by the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa.” In 2010 she founded her own independent nonprofit media company called the Futuro Media Group, from which she produces the longest-running Latino-focused program on U.S. public media, “Latino USA.” Among her projects is “In the Thick,” a podcast covering race, identity and politics that began in 2016. “I remember as we were all preparing for that interview, we were all really excited because a lot of us in the room were fans of Latino USA,” said Lourdes Torres, professor and director of the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS). “Everybody was really excited just to meet her … to meet this figure who we knew as being a really important person in the Latino world. It was like meeting a star.” The Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz chair in DePaul’s LALS department came to Hinojosa’s attention in 2012 when she received an email from her best friend Cecilia Vaisman. The Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz chair at DePaul was created nearly 20 years ago after DePaul’s LALS department advocated for more Latino visibility at the university. The position derives its namesake from the 17th century Mexican poet, philosopher and writer of the same name, who is today considered a revolutionary figure in Latin America. “She’s a powerful Mexican woman filled with cultural feminist and poetic resistance, and the fact that the program … and the chair is named after her at DePaul is such a beautiful thing,” Hinojosa said. In a way Hinojosa’s personal story is also filled with feminist and poetic resistance. Tired of the mainstream narratives that only discuss the Latino population in terms of immigration and criminalization, Hinojosa has dedicated her career to bringing attention to other issues surrounding the Latino community. Through the Futuro Media Group, her mission is to give a “voice to the voiceless.” The “voiceless,” Hinojosa says, are the 58 million Latinos living in the United States who often go misrepresented on a national platform. And it seems DePaul heard her; a few months later, Hinojosa was awarded the position. Having been brought to the United States in 1963 when her parents immigrated from
YAZMIN DOMINGUEZ | THE DEPAULIA
Latin American and Latino Studies professor and journalist, Maria Hinojosa, speaks to her class before skyping their weekly guest speaker.
Mexico City to Chicago, Hinojosa reopened a door she thought she had closed. And so, beginning in January of 2013, Hinojosa has flown from New York City to DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus every Thursday in time to teach her 8 a.m. class, before traveling back the same way she came. For the past six years this has been Hinojosa’s routine, but in June 2018 Hinojosa’s time as the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz chair is coming to a close. Every Thursday morning she starts her 8 a.m. class period by writing the word “illegal” in all caps. She then draws a circle around it and finishes with a fierce slash across the word. Her point? No human being is illegal. It is routine for her to combat the stereotypes and demeaning connotations that are often associated with Latinos in the U.S. She wants to uplift her students, to make them recognize their own political power and societal value in a society which, more often than not, demeans it. To wit, Hinojosa has based much of her curriculum on the relationships between the Latino population and societal issues such as mental health, leadership and political identity. In the United States, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, Latinas have the highest risk of depression over their Caucasian and African-American counterparts and, according to The Sentencing Project, Latinos are the fastest growing population behind bars. According to the Pew Research Center, Latinos will rise from 14 percent of the population, as recorded in 2005, to 29 percent of the population in 2050. Experts say this can be attributed to rising numbers of second and third generation Latinos descending from immigrants and making America their home. Yet, these narratives are often missed in
the mainstream. “As Latinos we have our own perspective of what’s going on in the world and how it affects us individually,” said Katia Silva, a DePaul alum and one of Hinojosa’s former students. “All of her classes have that big emotional factor of how it affects not only Latinos but ourselves.” Holding true to her roots as a journalist, Hinojosa’s teaching method revolves around interviewing various reputable figures whose work relate to her class topic via Skype. She offers students opportunities to interview these guests as well. Past guests have included actress Cristela Alonza, former Trump campaign operative Steve Cortes and former inmate and activist Luis “Suave” Gonzalez. “I’ve been many things in my life, but I’ve never been a professor. I decided to kind of trust my perspective, which is not an academic one,” Hinojosa said. “Instead of feeling bad about the fact that I was different, I embraced it. I just said, let me teach classes the way I loved being taught. I wanted to create a different style in the classroom – at least, a different style for me.” As a student, Silva was enrolled in all of Hinojosa’s courses except one that didn’t fit in her schedule. She says the courses allowed her to reflect on being a Latina in a country where, she believes, the current government has expressed hostility toward the Latino population. “It’s a very sad thing to say that Mexicans, Latinos, immigrants, Spanish speakers, brown people, anyone with an accent are perceived to be the problem with our country,” Hinojosa said. “The essential narrative is that what needs to happen in our country to get it in a great place, is to make sure there are less of these people around. So we either have to deport them, build walls, or we have to put bans on them. Sadly, that basically just sets the entire tone for everything that’s happening.”
It’s a tone Hinojosa combats every day through her work and in the classroom by sharing the Latino narrative, and it’s one she teaches her students to persevere against. She continues to spread the message of Latino empowerment throughout DePaul by hosting an annual all-day program on campus in partnership with the Futuro Media Group. The aim is to highlight a specific issue of importance within the Latino community. Since the spring of 2016, Hinojosa has brought her political podcast “In The Thick” to the DePaul campus for one day of production, editing and distribution in conjunction with DePaul students and faculty. In 2016, “In the Thick” aired an episode recorded at DePaul about mobilizing Latinos to vote in the presidential election and understanding their role in the upcoming election. In 2017, a second episode was recorded focusing on what Latinos could do for their communities in the wake of Donald Trump. The upcoming live recording of “In the Thick,” which will also be its last, will examine the topic of Latinos and mass incarceration. “There are very few voices that are talking back in the national media…I think it’s been important for us to have, at this particular time, that leader,” Torres said. “(Maria is) a very important leader for the Latino community that’s presenting a different message. … Now more than ever, we need people who are telling a different story.” Although her time here is a quarter away from being over, Hinojosa says her students, relationships and memories at DePaul will be forever cherished. “My relationship with DePaul – which was pretty much non-existent – has become so profound it’s not even funny. … It’s just really beautiful,” said Hinojosa. “I’m so happy that this university has brought me back to the city of Chicago.”
4| News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
‘You don’t want no problems:’Chance gets political
PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Chance the Rapper spent a couple of hours with fans, covering a variety of topics to include Chicago Public Schools and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Chance said he will live in Chicago until the day he dies.
By jonathan ballew Asst. News Editor
Chance Bennet, better known as Chance the Rapper, made a highly anticipated appearance at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art on Monday. While the conversation between Chance and South Side journalist Adrienne Samuels Gibbs had a heavy focus on Chance’s artistic process, the two were not afraid to get political and covered a myriad of issues. The event was part of the museum’s “In Sight Out” series, where highly sought-after artists talk with journalists in an open setting that engages the crowd in an intimate fashion. Tickets were sold out and crowds waited on standby, hoping to vulture a seat. Gibbs first asked Chance about his artistic process. “I’m super critical of my own work,” Chance said. Chance mentioned that some of his biggest influences include MC Hammer and Kanye West, much to the delight of the audience. Chance also mentioned NBC’s late-night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live as a personal influence and that he one day hopes to host and perform as the musical guest. Chance returned to the subject of SNL multiple times throughout the evening. He mentioned a Batman sketch that he helped to write and perform on when he hosted back in November, 2017. He called out friend and comedian Kevin Hart for doing a similar Batman sketch on the show, joking that, in Hart’s sketch, Batman was portrayed as a cocainepossessing black man who gets arrested after a routine traffic stop. It wasn’t long before Chance had a chance to touch on the state of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), an issue that he has long championed publicly across Chicago. Gibbs asked Chance about his nonprofit,
“Social Works.” Without hesitating, Chance immediately took aim at the recent Englewood school closings, calling it “super whack.” Chance also mentioned the budget crisis, saying he feels education has been neglected by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “I got to see how CPS functions,” he said. “We are the only district in the state that doesn’t have an elected school board.” Chance talked candidly about what he says are gross disparities between the state of schools on the city’s South and West Sides when compared with schools in Northern Chicago. Chance said that Social Works has allowed him to gain a real understanding of the issues facing CPS. “I learned how CPS and Rham Emanuel spends money and who, if anyone, is held accountable,” he said. Chance was careful to distinguish CPS students and faculty with what he said was “CPS as the business.” He had high praise for CPS teachers, calling them “underpaid.” As he had in the past when attending a City Hall meeting as a private citizen, Chance criticized Emanuel’s $95 million dollar “Cop Academy,” pointing out the irony that it was being built right down the road from the Englewood schools that closed. Chance next was asked about a Tweet of his that said, “black women deserve better.” Chance said he stood by his tweet, discussing in particular the recent controversy surrounding comedian and Netflix star, Mo’Nique. Recently, there have been calls for boycotts from fans, other artists and Mo’Nique because of an equality of pay dispute. “I see how deeply embedded racism and sexism are and realize that I can’t call myself free or call myself liberated, unless black women are liberated,” he said to roaring applause from the crowd. Chance said that black women are “getting the short end of the stick” and that
“I feel cheated. I feel angry. I feel vengeful.” Chance the Rapper
“there is some veracity to the statement that black women are getting paid less for their work.” Chance stopped short of condemning Netflix, adding that he still wanted “that Netflix money someday,” which drew big laughs from the audience. During the Q and A session toward the end of the evening, Chance took a few questions from among hundreds of eager fans, with the organizers mentioning that they had never seen so much audience participation. One audience member asked if Chance would be endorsing any candidate for governor in the upcoming primary election on March 20. Chance replied that he wasn’t, but that could still change. “They gotta schedule a meeting with me, yo, tell me what you are really about,” he said. Chance went on to say that he was fed up with the two party system, and that he thinks “a lot of new leaders are going to be running independent.” “I know that independents ‘never win,’” he said. “But I think that is the way things
are headed. There are so many specific issues that can’t get dealt with on a party level.” Chance also said he believed that Chicago would be seeing some “superhero” independent political candidates, who, he hopes, will stand on important issues rather than partisan politics. A reporter from The Tribe, an online music magazine written primarily for black millenials, got the final question of the night, using it to press Chance again on the Englewood school closings. “I feel cheated,” the musical artist said. “I feel angry. I feel vengeful.” He again took shots at Emanuel. “I feel like there are people that aren’t nameless,” he said. “You feel like you are fighting ‘the man’ or a faceless entity...but these people have names. Rahm is on that list and there is no way to hide it.” Chance left his fans with a message of positivity. “I’m here. I’m staying posted. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to live in Chicago until the day I die,” he said.
Harper College is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status or sexual orientation. 24049 TC 2/18
Summer sessions start MAY 21 and JUNE 4. View popular transfer courses and register: harpercollege.edu/summerDePaul
News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018| 5 WINTRUST continued from front page In order to best report this story, The Editorial Board decided to report our process and what it yielded.
Kandace Lenti’s connection The DePaulia first approached Kandace Lenti on Tuesday, March 6. After identifying ourselves as reporters, Lenti said she was about to head into a meeting and directed The DePaulia to set up an appointment via email. She hung up the phone before The DePaulia could ask her any questions. The DePaulia emailed Lenti minutes later, requesting an interview regarding the “Wintrust naming rights deal.” “I don’t believe I would be the right person to talk to about that agreement at Wintrust,” Lenti wrote in an email. “I was not in the trenches of that agreement.” The DePaulia then asked Lenti, again, to comment on her role in the Wintrust naming rights deal. A day later, on Wednesday, March 7, at 2:39 p.m., The DePaulia received an email from Matt Doubleday, Chief Marketing Officer at Wintrust. Doubleday said that he would be “happy to answer” any questions The DePaulia had. The DePaulia, instead, requested that Lenti respond to our questions herself and asked a third time. On Friday, March 9, The DePaulia received a response from Doubleday. In his response he said that Lenti is a “banker and the leader of Wintrust’s Government, nonprofit & healthcare bank group.” He said that “(Lenti) counts DePaul University as one of her customers. If you have questions about
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Kandace Lenti (left) of Wintrust Bank with her husband, head softball coach, Eugene.
banking, she’s a great person to know.” Doubleday went on to say that he was the person to ask about “marketing, advertising and sponsorships,” and that he was the appropriate person to answer The DePaulia’s questions. The DePaulia asked Doubleday, “Specifically, to what degree Kandace Lenti was involved in the naming rights deal for Wintrust Arena?” Doubleday responded to The DePaulia the same day and did not refute that Lenti was involved in the negotiations. He said that Lenti’s “involvement on the Wintrust Arena naming rights was minimal.” But Doubleday also said that “(Lenti) made introductions between DePaul and Wintrust leadership and attended most of the meetings we had.” Doubleday also confirmed that Lenti
DELILAH’S 2771 North Lincoln * Chicago USA
Punk Rock DJs Every Monday $1 Beer, $2 Jim Beam & Free Pool
Burger Time, Pool & new Star Wars Pinball Tues 3/13 - Twist & Shout
DJ Bailey Dee
+++++++++++++
Thur 3/15 - Free Irish
was in fact the banker assigned to DePaul. Indeed, Lenti’s name appears on the banking agreement between DePaul and Wintrust, according to the agreement posted on DePaul’s website. In the agreement it states that “all notices” between the university and Wintrust should be sent to “ATTN: Kandace Lenti.” Lenti’s name appears twice in the agreement.
Jean Lenti Ponsetto’s connection The DePaulia began the investigation into Lenti Ponsetto’s connection, by reaching out to a source who was involved in the dayto-day dealings concerning the Wintrust Arena naming rights deal. Due to reasons concerning their employment, the source wished to remain anonymous. The source said that Lenti Ponsetto was
“involved in the process” and that she had a hand with “price points and deliverables.” “Whatever is in the contract,” they said, “she was involved.” On Wednesday, March 7, The DePaulia reached out to Greg Greenwell, Associate Athletic Director for Communications, asking if The DePaulia’s sports editor could ask Lenti Ponsetto “a couple of questions” after the DePaul Men’s Basketball game on Wednesday in New York City. Greenwell responded by inquiring what questions The DePaulia wanted to ask Lenti Ponsetto. The DePaulia let Greenwell know we planned to ask about the Wintrust naming rights agreement. After the game, Greenwell told The DePaulia that it was “not a good time” to speak with Lenti Ponsetto and that we could email him instead. Lenti Ponsetto did, however, have time to speak to the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday before the game. The DePaulia emailed our questions to Greenwell but never received a response. Instead, we received a response from DePaul’s public relations department. On Thursday, March 8, the DePaulia received an email response from Carol Hughes, of DePaul’s Office of Public Relations and Communications and one of DePaul’s top public relations officers, responding to The DePaulia on behalf of Lenti Ponsetto. “The naming rights transaction was negotiated under the direction of the Board of Trustees by Jeff Bethke with the support of an external sports marketing firm who helped identify and recruit potential naming rights prospects,” Hughes wrote.
Continued on page 7
WHERE
FRESH & FAST MEET
®
Whiskey Tasting !!! Wednesday Night DJs
3/21 - Garage DJ The Dyes Lisa
Thursdays
3/28 - Sonic DJ James Porter
3/15 - Irish Punk & Rock DJ Scot 3/22 - Ardbeg DJ Dan Crowell 3/29 - Ska & Reggae DJ Chuck
Check Out More Delilahschicago.com
WE DELIVER! VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU
6| News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
Primary elections are on March 20 - Who are you voting for?
Gubernatorial election Republicans Democrats JB Pritzker
Chris Kennedy Daniel Biss
• Pritzker is a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune. • Pritzker was caught up in the Blagojevich FBI tapes making disparging remarks about African-American politicans. • Pritzker has a massive war chest, donating more of his own money so far than Donald Trump did in the entire 2016 presidential election.
• Kennedy is the • nephew of JFK and the son of Robert Kennedy. • He has made gun • violence a priority of his campaign, saying his family knows “first-hand the effects of gun violence.” • Kennedy has recently surged in the polls • after the publication of Pritzker’s remarks, giving him a close second in the polls. • Kennedy is the former chairman of the University of Illinois.
Biss has heralded • himself as the middle-class candidate. Currently a state Senator, Biss the only one of the • three Democratic frontrunners with legislative experience. Biss’ platform has focused largely on progressive social justice issues like • the legalization of marijuana.
Bruce Rauner
Jeanne Ives
Rauner, the • incumbent Republican governor, was in office during the 793-day budget • impasse. Rauner is socially moderate, signing into law a bill that would protect abortions in Illinois if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned by the • Supreme Court. A fiscal conservative, Rauner opposes a graduated income tax that would tax bigger earners at a higher rate.
State Rep. Ives has proven herself as Illinois’ far-right candidate. She came under fire by state politicians for publishing an extremely derogatory campaign ad toward transgenders. The ACLU also derided the ad as “racist.” Ives has served in the Illinois state legislature since 2012, representing a west suburban district that includes Naperville and Wheaton.
5th District Democratic race
Mike Quigley
Benjamin Wolf
• Benjamin Wolf calls himself the “Cannabis • Quigley has championed LGBTQ rights, environmental Candidate.” policy and abortion rights during his 9 years in office. • A staunch proponent of gun control, Quigley sponsored • Wolf was banned from DePaul’s campus after allegations of physical abuse from a former girlfriend an amendment to the Patriot Act that would have banned surfaced. The woman told Politico that this happened the sale of weapons to people on the FBI’s terrorist when she was a student and he was an adjunct watch list, which was shot down in Congress. professor. • Quigley has made a career out of arguing for fiscal responsibility in Chicago and denying the dishing out of • Wolf was also caught by the Chicago Tribune for lying about being an FBI agent. patronage jobs that have afflicted the city.
News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018| 7
Private security guards hired to patrol State Street By Timothy Duke Staff Writer
In response to panhandling, graffiti and shoplifting in the Loop, the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA) has hired two private armed security guards to assist in the prevention and catching of such crimes and their perpetrators. Retail workers along State Street are glad to have additional assistance in dealing with shoplifting. The new security guards are expected to be able to respond more quickly than police have in the past to these types of crimes, which the CLA and retail workers hope will make dealing with shoplifting a faster process. “The shoplifting that has been happening has really been affecting our business. It has become very brutal — we’ve had people threatening our associates, management and even our security,” a manager at a clothing department store who wished to be anonymous said. “I have noticed a lot more communication to other security guards for potential shoplifters. It has been an adventure to watch and see that we are in good hands.” In addition to responding faster, having private security guards to handle smaller crime frees up police officers to respond to higher profile cases. The two security guards began patrolling along State Street between Congress Parkway and Wacker Drive on March 1. They will patrol on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays during midday and again in the evening. The CLA expects these hours to increase in May. CLA hired the security guards through HLSA Security Inc. and is paying for the new guards with funds collected from a special tax business owners in the Loop pay.
The security guards will cost $114,000 per year. The funds collected from this tax have also been used to pay for a team who helps maintain the appearance of the Loop. According to the CLA, when possible, the patrolling guards will be off-duty officers. The guards will carry handcuffs and badges in order to make arrests. While the new guards may hasten the apprehension or aide in the deterrence of shoplifters and graffiti artists in the Loop, senior Seamus O’Connor believes hiring private guards rather than utilizing police already at disposal could lead to potential legal trouble for Chicago. “I don’t think we should hand over arrests and punitive actions to private organizations,” O’Connor said. “If there is any mishandling involved with these cases, the city will end up taking the fall. What if they are not read their Miranda rights? Either (this program is) not going to be able to accomplish what it’s set out to accomplish, or the security guards will be too zealous and open the city up to litigation.” O’Connor also worries about the process of reporting problems the guards may cause and the possibility of undertrained security. “These guards may not be trained to federal standards,” O’Connor said. “They don’t have internal affairs which handles complaints and problems; they also may not be trained to handle sensitive situations. So I guess my question would be: will they be trained enough to be able to handle a situation that could arise?” Sophomore Randy Rossi is glad to have more security downtown. “Being a retail worker downtown, it’s certainly reassuring having a guard both for theft and protection purposes,” Rossi said. “I wouldn’t say security was lacking previously
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHICAGO LOOP ALLIANCE
The guards were hired to curb shoplifting, panhandling and hasten response times. but I do think having more guards will prevent crime and theft.” According to CLA President Michael Edwards, only guards who are off-duty officers will be able to make arrests and will be the only guards who are armed. On days that off-duty officers are not available, the position will be taken by either retired officers or trained security guards. “When the guards are not the off-duty officers, the guards will most likely detain whoever is suspected of the crime and call the police department,” Edwards said. These guards will also be more equipped to communicate to the police department than our other street ambassadors.” In addition to having trained security guards, Edwards says that anyone can send in grievances in regard to anything that a concerned individual may feel the ambassadors have mishandled.
Continued from page 5
“We have a very transparent program in place for people to file complaints,” Edwards said. “We have not had a complaint against any of our ambassadors so far.” The CLA also hires a team of “street ambassadors” who work on street cleaning, directing tourists and contribute to the general “beautification” of the downtown area. Edwards says that the response from retail business owners has been positive overall. “People love (the new guards) and think that this is long overdue,” Edwards said. “Retail workers have been frustrated for a long time about the police response time and this program will serve to bridge the gap and make everything faster.”
Conclusion
“DePaul Athletics assisted in providing corporate sponsorship and marketing elements and community outreach initiatives.” On Friday, March 9, The DePaulia reached out again to Hughes asking, “Specifically, to what degree Jean Lenti Ponsetto was involved in the naming rights deal for Wintrust Arena.” Hughes responded the same afternoon, saying, “We addressed that question in the previous response.”
Who is Jeff Bethke? Jeff Bethke is the Executive Vice President at DePaul and was instrumental in the Wintrust agreement, according to Hughes and multiple other sources. The DePaulia reached out to Bethke’s office on Tuesday, March 6, and was told by a secretary that he was out of the office until Monday. On the same day, The DePaulia emailed Bethke asking for Lenti Ponsetto’s role in the Wintrust naming rights agreement. Bethke never responded, and on Thursday, March 8, Hughes contacted The DePaulia on behalf of Bethke. In the past, Bethke has been very open and forthcoming with The DePaulia concerning the Wintrust agreement, talking to multiple DePaulia reporters.
JONATHAN BALLEW | THE DEPAULIA
ABOVE: Wintrust Bank has five ATM’s throughout DePaul’s campus and access to the student body.
LEFT: Kandace Lenti’s name can be found twice on DePaul’s banking agreement with Wintrust.
At the conclusion of our reporting, The DePaulia asked Hughes a final question, on Friday March 9 at 3:28 p.m. “Did Jean Lenti Ponsetto at any point in time submit a conflict of interest form to her direct supervisor regarding her relationship with Kandace Lenti?” The DePaulia also requested that Hughes disclose the form if it existed. On Friday, at 8:19 p.m., Hughes responded to The DePaulia with the following comment: “(Lenti Ponsetto) was not required to complete a conflict of interest form.” The DePaulia’s anonymous source said that while the lucrative banking and naming rights deals are not directly connected, they represent “a significant sponsorship relationship.” The source said that “many different industries” other than Wintrust were approached by DePaul as possible partners. He said companies in the financial, auto, telecommunications and insurance industries were approached — these are the industries that typically sponsor major sporting venues. Ultimately, Wintrust Arena was selected as the best sponsor and entered into a 15year deal with DePaul. “Our goal when this process started was to find a Chicago-based partner that holds similar beliefs and values to DePaul University,” Lenti Ponsetto told DePaul Newsline, DePaul’s public relations newswire service, in November, 2016. “And we feel we’ve accomplished that goal with Wintrust Arena.” With family connections between Wintrust and the DePaul athletic department, it’s easy to see how the two could be a perfect fit.
8| News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
CTA to use ride-sharing tax to upgrade security By Brian Pearlman Staff Writer
The CTA is getting a new set of security upgrades funded in part from the city’s ride-hailing service fee, according to an announcement made Feb. 27. The $33 million worth of improvements include upgrading more than 3,800 older security cameras to new high-definition versions, as well as adding 1,000 new cameras. Other modifications include the addition of video monitors at all 146 CTA rail stations, as well as better lighting installations at some stops. Some of those 1,000 cameras will also be added to more than 100 CTA bus turnaround locations, according to a CTA news release. The city is hoping the new security upgrades help Chicago police catch more criminals, and they designed the program in partnership with the CPD. “Both CTA and CPD believe cameras do have some deterrent effect—and we want would-be criminals to know that cameras are everywhere on CTA,” said CTA spokesman Jon Kaplan. Since 2011, CTA cameras have helped police investigate, arrest and charge more than 1,300 individuals, according to the CTA. Riders can expect to see the changes rolling out on the Red and Blue lines later this year, though the project will ultimately take place over several years. “When this project is complete, every single CTA rail station on all eight rail lines, as well as all CTA-owned bus turnarounds, will have received security improvements,” Kaplan said. Joseph Schwieterman, a professor in the School of Public Service and the director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul, says the announced changes make sense given widespread safety concerns from riders. “I think putting security front and center is really important to win back passengers traveling at irregular hours. … During off-hours empty trains evoke fear of crime, so the cameras will certainly help.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The CTA says they will add over 1,000 cameras at CTA locations, including cameras at every one of the 146 L stops. According to Schwieterman, low fuel prices and increased competition from ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft have hindered the CTA’s income during a time when riders are feeling less and less safe. Chicago’s ride-hailing tax was introduced late last year in an effort to help the city recoup what it says is over $40 million in lost revenue; the city argues that’s due in part to the rapid growth of the ride-sharing industry, which has made people less likely to ride with public transit. And while Mayor Emanuel claimed in February that “Chicago is the first city in the nation to create a ridehailing fee dedicated to transit,” Schwieterman says there are concerns that money shouldn’t be going entirely to the CTA. “Uber and Lyft are adding vehicles to the road, but the tax isn’t going to maintain the road; it’s going to the CTA … the problems (Chicago) has with ride-hailing services are
primarily on the streets, and funding for street repairs is low,” he said. Junior Jack Burke said that his experiences on the CTA have been more or less docile. “Maybe I’m more aware, but never defensive,” he said. The ride-share fee went up 29 percent to 67 cents in Emanuel’s 2018 budget, which was approved by the city in November of last year. Another 4 cent increase is set for 2019. While the ride-sharing fee is helping to fund most of the security improvements within the city, it is not going to fund them all. “The funding we expect to generate through the ridehailing fee represents only a portion of the funding we will be using for the ‘Safe and Secure’ program. The remaining funds will be a mix of other CTA funding sources, including federal grants earmarked for security improvements,” said Kaplan.
News. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018 | 9
DePaulia
The
The DePaulia is seeking passionate students to join our award-winning news team for Winter Quarter 2018.
A I L U A P E D E TH
Interviewing applicants now for the following unpaid positions: Sales Staff Staff Writers Social Media Managers Contributing Online Reporters Videographers
Interested in writing, social media, reporting or photography? Apply on our website:
depauliaonline.com/editor-application/ Interested in business, advertising or sales? Send us your resume:
business@depauliaonline.com
10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
Nation &World
Leaving the headscarf behind
VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA
Protests continue in Iran surrounding hijab laws By Brian Pearlman Staff Writer
It appears to have started with Vida Movahed, a 31-year-old Iranian woman: Standing on a utility box on a busy street corner in Tehran, she quietly waved her headscarf as if it were a white flag while her long hair flowed behind her. This protest against Iran’s compulsory hijab laws quickly sparked a social media movement around the hashtag “Girls of Enghelab Street,” inspiring other women to commit similar acts; “Enghelab” means revolution in Farsi, the official language of Iran, and it is also the name of the street where Movahed’s silent protest went viral to millions of people around the world. The new wave of protests are not the first to come to Iran. In January, thousands of people took to the streets to voice concerns over Iran’s economic problems and austerity measures proposed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Men and women protested the nation’s unemployment rate and the increased cost of basic goods, and while there were arrests in the wake of the protests, the government eventually conceded that some protesters had legitimate grievances with the state of the Iranian economy. Those concessions haven’t necessarily carried over to the women in the “Girls of Revolution Street” movement. On Thursday,
a woman who took off her headscarf in public was sentenced to two years in prison, despite Tehran’s police chief saying in December that he would no longer make such arrests. More than 30 women have been arrested for such protests since December, though many have since been fined and released. Sentences for dress code violations typically involve a few hundred dollars in fines and a couple months in jail, though human rights watchdogs warn that beatings and inhumane prison conditions are common. Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist who supports the movement and who has created her own dress co de-protest campaigns, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in February that this is the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that women are “taking to the street and putting themselves in danger.” “They know that this a punishable crime, and they want to (be) heard,” Alinejad said in the interview. Alinejad has also taken issue with Western political leaders who wear the hijab when they visit, saying in the same interview that “by obeying compulsory
hijab, they are allowing the Iranian government to put more pressure on these women inside Iran.” Supporters of the movement argue that it is more political than religious – a desire for increased autonomy and agency in a time when Iran and Saudi Arabia are the only two Middle Eastern countries with compulsory hijab laws on the books. The laws requiring the hijab started going into effect in the wake of the 1978-9 Iranian Revolution, when revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini mandated a dress code for women based on a strict
his secrecy in international deals. Protests are breaking out because the working class in Iran is struggling to just get by,” said Roaa Hussein, a 17-yearold student at the University of Illinois at Chicago who is studying International Relations. Hussein sympathizes with the women protesters, and she also sees a flaw in the broader movement of Western feminists who have been reluctant to support the protests for fear of invoking Islamophobia. “Women in the West aren’t speaking out about Saudi (Arabia), so they’re not expected to speak out against Iran,” Hussein said. Izzia Maali, a 65-yearold Muslim woman and Chicagoarea machine operator who wears the hijab, says the crux of the issue is the fact that women have no freedom in the country – from the way they are told to dress to the way in which men often have legal control over their lives. “A long time ago, it used to be that Iran was No. 1 in the Middle East because the Shah of Iran let (women) do anything they wanted. It was real good over there. But since 1979, when the Ayatollah Khomeini came, he turned it upside down,” Maali said.
“Protests are breaking out because the working class in Iran is struggling just to get by."
Roaa Hussein University of Illinois at Chicago student interpretation of Islamic law; they later became mandatory for all women in Iran, regardless of religion, in the ’80s. Critics say the laws, which additionally required women to wear loose clothing covering down to their legs, were motivated by the new regime’s desire to control the populace through a forced show of symbolic patriotism and solidarity. “It has to do with the Ayatollah, the dictator, and
In 2017, for example, Human Rights Watch released a report saying that women are marginalized not only politically but economically as well, constituting only 16 percent of Iran’s workforce and having an unemployment rate that is twice that of men. But not everyone agrees. An 86-year-old Muslim man, who did not want to be named, says he believes that women in Iran face no more disadvantages than anywhere else in the world. "Those people who are protesting were Westernized during the years of the Shah," he said. "During the Shah's time, a lot of people became secular (…) but women have to have the headscarves because their hair is part of their sexuality, and no man should see any part of a woman's sexuality except her husband." Muslim women in Middle Eastern nations without compulsory dress code laws wear the hijab because they know it is part of their religion, he said, adding that in his view, Iran has been unfairly singled out by propagandists. While the protests over economic conditions seem to have subsided for the moment, the social media campaigns and hashtags continue – despite many social media apps being banned in Iran. Through pictures and videos on Telegram and elsewhere, women are continuing to protest for the freedom to choose not just what they want to wear, but how they wish to be heard.
Nation & World. March 12, 2018. The DePaulia | 11
Nation&Worldbriefs
ELIZABETH WILLIAMS| AP Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., walks back to his office after speaking at the Capitol on the senate floor following budget debates on Feb. 8.
Content written by the ASSOCIATED PRESS Compiled by Carina Smith | THE DEPAULIA
BUNDAS ENGLER | AP AHN YOUNG-JOON | AP Light tributes for murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and People watch a TV screen showing North Korean leader fiancee Martina Kusnirova are shown at a silent protest Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump announcing plans for the leaders to meet in May at the Seoul Railway in memory of the two on Feb. 28, 2018. Following the murders, Slovakia has seen a high number of protests against the Station in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, March 9, 2018. government.
Slovakia in chaos following journalist death
'Pharma Bro' appears in court, cries and apologizes for fraud
Sacremento,California
New York "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli cried in court Friday as he apologized for defrauding investors while being sentenced by a federal judge before being sentenced to seven years for fraud. Shkreli, his cocky persona nowhere to be found, cried as he told U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto he made many mistakes and apologized to investors. He was convicted of securities fraud last year for defrauding investors in two failed hedge funds. He said he is the only person to blame — not the media, not the government, nor his business partners — and that he hopes to make amends and learn from his mistakes. "I'm not the same person I was. I know right from wrong. I know what it means to tell the truth and what it means to lie," he said. Attorney Benjamin Brafman argued for Matsumoto to sentence the former pharmaceutical company CEO known for trolling critics on the internet to 18 months in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis argued that he deserves 15 years in prison not because he is "the most hated man in America," but because he is a criminal convicted of serious fraud. Matsumoto ruled earlier this week that Shkreli would have to forfeit more than $7.3 million in a brokerage account and personal assets including his one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album that he boasted he bought for $2 million. The judge said the property would not be seized until Shkreli had a chance to appeal. Shkreli became notorious for raising the price of a lifesaving drug by 5,000 percent and trolling critics on the internet with his snarky "Pharma Bro" persona. Even after his arrest in 2015, Shkreli went against his lawyers' advice to lay low by taunting authorities in Facebook posts.
Trump announces plan to meet with Kim Jong Un in May Pyongyang, North Korea North Korea's Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump plan to meet in May for nuclear disarmament talks, a whiplash development that would put two leaders who've repeatedly insulted, threatened and dismissed each other in the same room, possibly in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. It would have been an unthinkable suggestion just a few months ago, when the insults were at their peak — Trump was a "senile dotard" and Kim was "Little Rocket Man" — and the North was snapping off regular weapons tests in a dogged march toward its goal of a viable nuclear arsenal that can threaten the U.S. mainland. Liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who some believe has maneuvered the two leaders to this position, reflected the hope and relief many here feel about the planned summit when he declared Friday that it will be a "historical milestone" that will put the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula "really on track." North Korea, after all, has made a habit of reaching out, after raising fears during previous crises, with offers of dialogue meant to win aid and concessions. Some speculate that the North is trying to peel Washington away from its ally Seoul, weaken crippling sanctions and buy time for nuclear development. It has also, from the U.S. point of view, repeatedly cheated on past nuclear deals. Trump's hastily reached decision to accept the meeting sent White House staff scrambling. Earlier Thursday, South Korean national security director Chung Eui-yong had briefed Trump and other top U.S. officials about a rare meeting with Kim in the North Korean capital. Trump then made a surprise visit to the
White House press briefing room to alert reporters of an upcoming "major statement" on North Korea by South Korea. At a quickly called appearance on a White House driveway, Chung told reporters that Kim had "expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible" and that "President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization." U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Djibouti on Friday that the decision to meet with Kim was made by Trump himself and resulted from a sharp change in the North Korean leader's stance. "What changed was his posture in a fairly dramatic way. It was a surprise to us that he was so forward-leaning," Tillerson said. He said it would take "some weeks" before the timing of the talks is worked out. North Korea appeared to confirm the summit plans. A senior North Korean diplomat at the United Nations in New York, Pak Song Il, told The Washington Post in an email that the invitation was the result of Kim's "broad minded and resolute decision" to contribute to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula. Talks between Washington and Pyongyang have previously been overseen by lower-level experts, and have often bogged down, even when so-called "breakthroughs" have come, in the pesky details, such as allowing outsiders in to inspect North Korea's nuclear compliance, for instance. The announcement Friday followed weeks of softening ties between the Koreas, orchestrated by the South Korean leader, Moon, and culminating in a visit by Kim Jong Un's sister to the South to observe the Olympics in Pyeongchang and then Chung's trip to meet with Kim in Pyongyang.
Slovakia has quickly turned from what seemed to be a stable European Union country into chaos, in the wake of the unprecedented slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee. In a speech last month, President Andrej Kiska talked about his country as "successful, proud and self-confident." On March 4, however, he said Slovakia faces a "serious political crisis" triggered by the shooting deaths of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova. Police said Kuciak's killing was likely linked to his work. The political storm has been intensifying daily since their bodies were found Feb. 25. Amid heated exchanges between the ruling coalition and the opposition and conspiracy theories spread by Prime Minister Robert Fico, a growing number of people have started to turn against the Fico government, threatening its very existence. For his last unfinished story, Kuciak, 27, reported on the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Fico. That was followed by news that Slovak authorities had been informed by their Italian counterparts about a powerful Italian crime syndicate operating in Slovakia. Seven members of the group are suspects in the killings. They were detained last week and later released. When tens of thousands marched across the country and in cities around the world last week to honor Kuciak, many called on government ministers to resign. Fico fired back, accusing the president of destabilizing the country with help from Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros whom Kiska privately met with in New York in September. Soros dismissed Fico's suggestion he might have anything to do with the president's proposals and the antigovernment protests. A junior party in the ruling coalition has called for the resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak as a condition to remain in the government. Thousands already demanded Kalinak's resignation last year after he was linked to earlier corruption scandals. Meanwhile, the opposition has requested a parliamentary no-confidence vote on the government.
12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
Opinions Letter to Esteban In two letters to President A. Gabriel Esteban, one DePaul alum expresses his concerns about the current Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto, who has received criticism from students and alumni who question her leadership abilities. He asked for this to be printed in The DePaulia after receiving no response from Esteban. By Dan Montenaro DePaul Alum - Class of 1995
9:52 a.m. on March 6 Dear President Esteban, Please include me on any list of potential donors you have who will start contributing funds back to the university once a new Athletic Director is installed and the Men's Basketball team is once again made a priority. We are about to embark on the 14th March Madness in a row where Catholic and/or Catholic urban schools such as Xavier, Providence, Seton Hall, Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Villanova, Creighton, and now Loyola will be household names for weeks. There is simply no justification to grant this Athletic Department leadership another pass given how they have laid waste to what was the most powerful extension of DePaul's brand. I have now endured 22-plus years of having the first reaction to my announcing DePaul as my alma mater be, "Didn't they used to have a basketball team?" I am simply tired of it, as are thousands of my fellow alumni. We have confidence that a new administration led by you will deliver such change. The residual effect on giving, academics, and beyond is worth the investment in a successful program. Thank you for reviewing. 11 a.m. on March 8 Dear Erin Minné (Senior Vice President for Advancement) and President Esteban, Greetings. I graduated from DePaul in 1995. Thank you in advance for reading my concerns below. I assure you this isn't an uneducated, rambling, unhinged note regarding wanting more wins for our Men's Basketball team. To the contrary, (hopefully) it's a thoughtful, coherent, rational note regarding DePaul and the utter embarrassment its most visible brand has become. I believe if you spoke to any experienced analyst, supporter, industry veteran, etc. you will hear that your current Athletic Director is wholly incapable of succeeding on this level. College basketball lives and dies with coaching hires. The current Athletic Director has had three chances since losing Coach
Leitao in 2005 to hire an energetic, capable recruiter and leader who can mimic the success we had from 19992004 and up through 1992. What is incomprehensible is seeing how much damage a program can endure when holding on to a coach who has seen his prime past years ago. Leaving Joey Meyer in charge of the program past 1994, when he clearly lost the ability to succeed, caused serious damage to the program. DePaul should never have been 3-23 like it was when he left. Bill Bradshaw's hiring of Pat Kennedy and then Dave Leitao (at the time) was smart. Coach Kennedy was in his prime and Coach Leitao was a prodigy of a legend. Coach Leitao's leaving for UVA and the ACC was understandable; More money and larger stages are tough to ignore. What followed has been a series of hires designed not to lose a coach again under those circumstances rather than hiring the best coach for the university. From an alumnus' standpoint – who has followed this program since I walked on campus in 1991 – this has been about her and not about the University. Coaches Wainwright, Purnell and Leitao (Part 2) were unthoughtful, uninspired and terrible choices. Jerry Wainwright – a good man – was out of his league. Oliver Purnell used DePaul as a retirement fund and Dave Leitao was finished in coaching. He was not on anybody's radar. Good men? Yes. Big East head coaches? No. Men's Basketball is our only revenue generating sport ... in more ways than one. I am not talking about gate receipts and parking concessions. Your model should be TCU and what it did in 2011. I reference a 2012 Dallas magazine article written by Mitchell Schnurman regarding the impact that one trip to the Rose Bowl had for that program: "Ironically, most university presidents don’t buy it. In a 2009 survey by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, more than two-thirds of presidents said that sports success attracted more and higher-quality applicants, and generated more gifts beyond athletics. Those attitudes, the report said, ‘were at odds with nearly all of the most respected scholarship on these topics.’ TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini
says that he absolutely believes that sports paid off big. They created enthusiasm and pride, and elevated the campus experience—intangibles that were his primary goals. As for metrics, he says the number of applicants to TCU increased from almost 8,700 to 19,000 in the past five years, with higher SAT scores. And how about this: Cash gifts and pledges from donors grew from nearly $53 million per year to $125 million, he says." Investing in a successful program will, yes, change the first reaction I receive (upon announcing DePaul as my alma mater) from, "Didn't they used to have a good basketball team" to, "You must be happy with their success." However, I will for the first time write a check to the school. Only my high school and law school have received our money since I last wrote a tuition check. Thousands of others will follow. We don't have a football team or a baseball team. Bowl games and the College World Series go on without DePaul. We have a chance to be a part of "March" if the University invests in success. Visit TCU. Look at the academic programs. We're not talking about better players - you will see better students, with more pride and loyalty. The Tribune article last night was an insult to your Alumni. We realize it doesn't happen overnight. 14 years is not overnight; 14 years is history. We haven't mattered on this very important stage for nearly two decades. We are 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament in the last 26 years. That is a lifetime in collegiate athletics. The excuses are stale and sorry. Urban Catholic and/or Catholic programs (without the boon of a D1 football team) such as Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Creighton, Marquette, Xavier, Providence, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Dayton and now Loyola have provided its Alumni reason to feel proud – and write checks. You don't have a base asking for Final Four appearances and coaching changes for 25-win seasons. You have a base desperately asking for a chance to compete, for an end to the embarrassment, and for a chance to be part of the conversation. Read the news. Read the comments on Twitter. Look at your empty new arena. The time is now. Make a change. You are on the brink of losing us forever. Thank you for reading.
The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of The DePaulia staff.
The death of discourse The reprehensible state of free speech persists on campus
Opinions. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018 | 13
By Daniel Schirmer Contributing Writer
As the national debate surrounding free speech on college campuses continues, DePaul has once again found itself in a dubious position. In February, DePaul denied its chapter of the Young America’s Foundation (YAF) from bringing to campus Steven Crowder, a comedian and conservative political commentator who currently holds more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube. However, the Student Organization Speaker Review Board is now reconsidering its decision after facing backlash from YAF and several media outlets. Jorin Burkhart, chairman of DePaul’s YAF chapter, says he has little faith in the board. “We have a chance next week to make the case for having Crowder at DePaul and I hope the Speaker Review Board comes to its senses. I can’t say I’m optimistic, however,” Burkhart wrote. In the past DePaul has drawn criticism from many notable publications (the National Review, the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post) for its habit of banning conservative commentators—most notably Milo Yiannopoulos, Ben Shapiro, and Gavin McInnes. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) recently published an article that labelled DePaul one of the worst schools in the nation for free speech. FIRE also awarded DePaul its “lifetime censorship award” for the university’s “decade-long rap sheet of censorship spanning the ideological spectrum.” President A. Gabriel Esteban was recently questioned by The DePaulia about FIRE’s assessment of DePaul. He had little to say. “I’m not familiar with the history of DePaul in that area, so it’s unfair for me to make comments on something that I am not familiar with,” Esteban said. The idea that DePaul’s top administrator could be so clueless about such a hot-button issue is quite
concerning. Burkhart wrote further, “DePaul is among the worst universities in the country in regards to free speech. The university repeatedly denies our speaker requests, withholds funding, and puts up various other obstacles that hinder our ability to hold successful events.” As a private institution, DePaul is well within its rights to ban anyone from its campus. But is this pattern of censorship productive to the notion of public discourse? After all, universities are supposed to encourage the exchange of ideas for the sake of fostering personal growth and intellectual prowess. So why ban these speakers? Because
golden opportunity to articulate their disagreements? The manner in which these selfproclaimed “social justice warriors” go about protesting is tragically misguided. Their most successful tactic is ascribing exaggeratory epithets, such as “alt-right” or “Nazi,” to any speaker with rightleaning opinions. After the activists have made sufficient noise, the university validates their arbitrary and outlandish claims, as well as their authoritarian method of protest, by banning the speaker in question in order to de-escalate the situation. This creates a vicious circle of ideological self-affirmation. If students are shown time and time
VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA
some students might find their views offensive? To answer this question, I’ll pose one of my own: Since when does one’s right to not be offended trump one’s right to speak freely? None of the four aforementioned pundits have ever used their speech to incite violence or unlawful activity. In fact, at their events they often welcome those with opposing viewpoints to come forth and debate. Instead of banning speakers on grounds of “safety,” why not let students who are offended take this
again that they can get their way by simply shouting down their opponents, why should they give a damn about honing their ability to create effective arguments? The former requires significantly less effort. These radical activists’ primary concerns, though, stem from identity politics, a realm which poses a great threat to free speech. Identity politics not only affirms the dangerous notion that group identity is paramount in a debate, but it perpetuates the idea that subjective
were printed. We couldn’t report them because the subjects were traumatized by the process and felt so threatened by the university’s forceful confidentiality requirements that they refused to talk on the record. Oftentimes, the defendants actually became victims of the process itself. In a companion story to our narrative of the seven men, “DePaul Fails at Discipline Transparency,” we compared how DePaul stacks up against other private Chicago colleges in terms of what information it releases about the process. We, unsurprisingly, found DePaul to be the least transparent school in the city. Loyola has a video and FAQ section on its website explaining the process. The University of Chicago releases a short summary of offenses (redacting the names) and a full list of actions taken. Northwestern also releases similar information about actions taken. DePaul is not as forthcoming about its process as these schools. Some vague outlines are available on the university’s website, but not much. A lot of the information requires a student ID and password to access, leaving it out of reach for non-students. The basic processes for the university board and administrative board hearings (the former being for more serious offenses) are both
listed on the university’s website, but the instructions for how these hearings are to be conducted by staff remain hidden. An instruction manual obtained by The DePaulia details some troubling aspects of how these hearings are conducted. In a section instructing jurors how to hand down punishments, we found that there is a clause instructing members of the board to “always think in terms of win-win (or satisfy-satisfy).” Every student, staff and faculty, every alumni and administrator needs to ask the university: Is this how justice is done? We should not be seeking to “satisfy” Meagan Anderson’s rapist by giving him a twoweek academic probation. DePaul seems so intent on being nonoffensive to the point that the very aim of the disciplinary process – to find facts and serve justice – has defeated itself. DePaul can, and should, do better. To start, DePaul should make all disciplinary statistics publically available on its website. No identifying information should be released. Similar to the information that the University of Chicago releases, DePaul should release brief, 100-word summaries of every action taken against a student. The university will protest citing FERPA, a federal student privacy law, which we have found time and time again to be a
victimhood has grounds in a debate of facts. This isn’t to say that racism or sexism are irrelevant issues. However, when one’s politics are intrinsic to their identity as a victim, disagreement is often viewed as being tantamount to disrespect of one’s personal suffering. This severely inhibits one’s ability to examine an issue through an objective lens. Yet, no matter how careless and impulsive these activists are with their words, DePaul’s administration has repeatedly succumbed to their cries for a unanimity of opinion. Regardless of whether you identify as a conservative (which I do not), this should be a huge red flag. Banning speakers whose viewpoints challenge the dominant sympathies on campus is antithetical to the very nature of academia. It doesn’t remedy the tumultuous political climate that now characterizes DePaul’s campus and so many others—it exacerbates it. Though the actions taken by DePaul’s administration display an unequivocal bias toward leftist ideology, this is not necessarily an issue of left versus right. Something much greater is at stake. Free speech, the cornerstone of western civilization, is on the verge of collapsing in our universities. It’s high time DePaul’s students and administrators come together and acknowledge the dangers of ushering in the death of campus discourse. To the student activists: Your right to protest does not come at the expense of another’s right to speak freely. Instead of trying to silence your opponents, listen to them. In doing so, you’ll learn to better develop your own arguments. Far more knowledge exists outside your ideological echo chamber than inside. To DePaul’s administration: Despite your past missteps, I still believe that you can rectify your place in this debacle. Thus, I implore you to reconcile your disreputable history with free speech. As an academic institution, your purpose is to educate, not indoctrinate. Do not shield your students from truth any longer. As the saying goes, let it set them free.
DePaul has a duty to reform discipline transparency By DePaulia Editorial Board
Last week, a DePaulia investigation, “Dysfunctional Discipline,” gave the DePaul community a rare look into the shadowy underworld that is the disciplinary process at our university. We found that the university zealously went after seven fraternity brothers accused of a and victimless infraction. Those who went through the process felt like their guilt was assumed the moment their investigation opened. They were told that an investigation would be concluded by the end of the week in which it was opened and that their fraternity was being investigated, not the individuals. It quickly became apparent to them that this was not the case. When all was said and done, the investigation took 93 days, 33 more than is outlined by DePaul. Meetings were missed. The subjects of the investigation never knew who was going to contact them next and for what reason. Interviews were set up with people who were wholly unfamiliar with the case and their past testimonies. In the course of our investigation, we found horror stories far beyond those that
weak argument. FERPA only requires universities to protect the names of students, but does permit universities to disclose disciplinary actions. Senior Fellow at the Student Press Law Association Frank LoMonte said that the University of Chicago was able to convince their college to release such detailed statistics because their student body is “(…) vocal and well-organized.” If the DePaul community is frustrated with the lack of transparency with our disciplinary process, we need to take a page out of the Maroons’ book, and be loud and clear with what we want from the university. The university also needs to make publicly available all materials which instruct jurors and members of disciplinary panels on how they are to conduct investigations and trials. Too many of the details of how these processes are conducted are unavailable to students, and DePaul needs to make process guides, like the one obtained by The DePaulia, available for everyone to see, not just those with a student ID and password. Why DePaul doesn’t release these statistics is anybody’s guess. But we do know that DePaul has both the means and the obligation to the student body to do so.
14 | Focus. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
Focus
Vegg e tales Community gardens give students an opportunity to grow their own produce By Rachel Fernandez Managing Editor
Strolling down the produce aisle in a grocery store can be mesmerizing and daunting at the same time. Every fruit and vegetable looks ripe and perfectly in place, but many of our favorite fruits and vegetables don’t grow in the snow; instead, they’re often imported from other states and countries, that causes their prices to go up and the quality to go down. Pick up a box of blueberries in January and you’re looking at a $20 price-tag on a few sour, mushy berries. The best way to ensure that produce is cheap, fresh and in-season is by buying from local farmers or growing the produce yourself. The prospect sounds simple enough unless you’re living in a big city, where it seems like the only time you see a sprout is when it’s growing on an old potato. Luckily, the Chicago Park District offers a range of community gardens located in several different neighborhoods where gardening enthusiasts can pay to have a small plot of their own. The gardens are classified as ornamental, edible or a combination of the two. The ornamental plots are dedicated to decorative shrubs and perennial flowers, while the “edible” plots are the perfect place to grow produce in the spring and summer. This form of urban agriculture has been shown to benefit whole communities by improving air quality, reducing crime rates and just adding some natural color to a generally monochrome city. Each city garden makes a positive impact on both the neighborhood and the individual gardener. Copeland Smith, a student at Columbia College Chicago, has been an active member of her community garden for over a year. “I got some really solid salad greens out of (the garden),” Smith said. “The food I got was really high-quality, and that made me happy. I felt extra attached to it since I grew it myself.” Although frost still covers the grass in the mornings, Smith has already begun preparing for her plot at the El Yunque Community Garden located only a few blocks from her house in Humboldt Park. As the season begins to slowly transition from the harsh Midwestern winter to the more tolerable springtime, the produce possibilities begin to open up for community gardeners. During the spring and summer months, Smith relies on her garden for sustenance and fills her plot with vegetables that grow well in the climate such as carrots, peas and peppers. “You buy seeds in large packets, so I still have a lot of seeds from last season,” she said. Smith recently also bought seeds for golden beets and two different types of tomatoes. Being a part of the community garden also has certain economic benefits. The overall maintenance is communal, so members have access
to supplies to keep their plots in shape. “Everyone pays into the garden that I’m a part of,” Smith said. “We have certain things like shovels that we just keep in a big shed at the garden, so everyone has access to it.” Although her plot is not large enough to significantly reduce her grocery bill, growing her own produce helps regulate some of Smith’s purchases so that there are certain vegetables she doesn’t have to pay for leaving her a few extra bucks to buy what she wants “I ate so many cucumbers this past summer, and I didn’t buy a cucumber all summer, so I did reduce (my grocery bill) in some ways,” Smith said. “I still splurge at the farmers market on berries and other produce I can’t grow, but I would be doing that regardless of if I had a garden.” For students looking to grow their own veggies closer to campus, DePaul offers an Urban Farming Organization (UFO). The student-run organization aims “to build a platform for the exchange of knowledge in regards to agriculture in urban environments, to provide opportunities for DePaul students and faculty to engage in urban farming and to educate the wider public about how to establish and enjoy sustainable food production systems” according to their Facebook page. Junior Maddy Robertson joined UFO as a freshman and is now a board member. She is currently working on reaching out to DePaul students and surrounding communities for volunteers for the garden. UFO members and volunteers meet on Mondays and Thursdays. They are responsible for planning and maintaining produce in their garden located on the corner of Belden Avenue and Bissell Street. The organization begins growing their plants in a greenhouse during the winter, but as soon as spring comes around, the organization moves outdoors. “We usually keep the door open when we’re volunteering in the garden, so if anyone wanted to come in, they could (come in) and check out the space,” Robertson said. “It’s usually DePaul people who are the consistent volunteers.” Once the produce is ready, members and volunteers harvest the produce to use themselves. “UFO is supposed to be a learning experience, and they get something out of it by taking the food home,” Roberson said. They also sell any surplus at farm stands at the Ray to put money back into the organization. The garden has its staples like tomatoes, spinach, kale and carrots. They have also grown eggplant and watermelon and have two raspberry bushes in the space. “When it’s really growing in the summer, the garden is just full of life and things grow pretty quickly,” Robertson said. They are starting to grow lemon basil this year, and Robertson is looking forward to making fresh pesto from the herb. “Basil is a lovely plant, I love it,”she said.
Focus. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018 | 15
Produce coming into season and how they can be used: Peas: Objectively, dips are the perfect food be-
cause you can eat them as a snack or an entire meal, and there are almost no dirty dishes afterwards. Swap out chickpeas for regular peas in your favorite hummus recipe, and you’ve got yourself an easy and healthy dip for pita chips or carrots. A handful of peas also goes a long way mixed in with some white cheddar mac and cheese or in a good carbonara recipe.
Tomatoes: Salsa, obviously. You can also experiment with tons of variations from mild to spicy. Stir in some black beans and corn, or add some mango to the mix for a sweet, fruity flavor. As previously mentioned, dips are the perfect food since you can eat as little or as much as you want in one sitting, so make a variety, and you can have entirely different salsa for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Kale: The superfood of the century, kale pesto is a
great twist on a classic sauce for the season. It has a more earthy flavor than the typical basil pesto and pairs well with almost any pasta or chicken recipe. The leafy green also blends well in smoothies, or you can bake it with chili lime seasoning for a super delicious alternative to regular chips.
Carrots: Veggies can be used in so many differ-
ent ways other than salads and side dishes. Using carrots in breads and cakes is the ultimate way to add moisture to baked goods and trick yourself into eating vegetables. Recover an old carrot cake and buttercream recipe from your grandmother or Pinterest and bridge the gap between pastry and salad. After all, it’s got to be healthy since “carrot” is in the name, right?
Asparagus: Although asparagus doesn’t grow
particularly well in Illinois, its growing season is in the spring, so it will still be fresh at the grocery store. If you’ve never pickled your own vegetables before, now is the time to start. It’s as simple as using a mason jar and some spices to make pickled asparagus that pairs fantastic with sandwiches and goes well in salads. It may sound strange, but it’s an innovative alternative from the boring old pickle spear. You can also wrap those bad boys in bacon as a way to really mask that vegetable flavor.
GRAPHICS BY VICTORIA WILLIAMSON
16 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
Arts & Life
"Middle School Dance's" preteen nostalgia By Mackenzie Murtaugh Opinions Editor
Trying to forget middle school humiliations like the awkward interactions you had with your crush or the hilarity of your gym teacher repeatedly saying “penis” in sexual education class, is an effort in trying to forget some of the strangest and most intense moments of your prepubescent life. On a cold but glowing Thursday night at the Under the Gun Theater in Wrigleyville, the first production of comedy and improv show Middle School Dance reminded the audience of some of those discomforting but hilarious times they (and we) would all prefer to forget. What was originally a somewhat fleeting thought by sophomore Jerwin Santiago turned into a full-fledged production after he and his group performed two shows at Second City. “Middle School Dance is an experimental improv, sketch and storytelling story built on inclusivity and elevating voices that need to be heard,” Santiago said. Santiago says he attempted to make his cast as diverse as possible to adhere to the show’s call for wider representation in improv and stand-up cultures. It’s not a secret that those cultures are dominated by straight white men, and consequently most of the performers are LGBTQ+ and of underrepresented racial groups. In many middle school experiences, fitting into the mold of normalcy was essential to keep bullies away. For members of the LGBTQ+ community and for those from lesser represented racial groups, it could be downright harrowing. Santiago’s decision to center his show around the often traumatizing time that is middle school is a way for those who do not fit the norm to take back those experiences. It also creates a relatable and interactive environment for the audience members. “I know we tried making it a super immersive experience, like really involving the audience the entire time,” Santiago said. “We want the audience to be with us the whole way around. Interactivity is something we value a lot while others shows may not.” This show marks the first of the 10week installments of Middle School Dance at the Under the Gun Theater. Each week will feature new jokes, performances and death drops. Anyone can perform any type of piece, as long as it adheres to the week’s selected theme. This performance’s theme was “puberty,” one major setback to the calm and carefree life that was pre-puberty. The show included a full and diverse lineup of improv, drag, spoken word and parody to fulfill all your regrettable middle school fantasies. Jayme Coveliers, junior, played the raunchy and out-of-touch, but also somehow familiar, substitute teacher who coaches softball while also teaching sexual education. Many remember the horrors and entertainment of middle school sexual education class, but seeing their gym teacher put a condom on a banana is nothing compared to Coveliers’ take on the juvenile hilarity of sex ed. With no preparation except their character, Covelier presented a hilariously uncomfortable, and weirdly relatable, performance accompanied by a bizarre Powerpoint they hadn’t seen before
MACKENZIE MURTAUGH | THE DEPAULIA
The cast of "Queer Eye Jr.," helps their contestant, far left, with his style, social media presence, health and knowledge of culture. the show. “I made that Powerpoint, and they did not see it before their presentation,” said Christian Borkey. “People think they wrote that whole sketch because of how funny and fluid it was, but it was all improv.” Omani Cross performed as Coveliers’ somehow even more unqualified drag queen replacement. Their lip sync to “The Bad Touch” by Bloodhound Gang worked as a hilarious how-to for the horny and perverted middle schoolers. The song’s blatant sexuality worked well with Omani Cross’ drag style, with their see-through mesh top and star-shaped pasties. The overt sexuality was aided with their skilled death drops and stomps fit for a queen – literally. Breastmilk, a four-person improv group and their performance of a sleepover from hell provided the darkest humor of the night. The four actors played best friends at a sleepover where they experimented with alcohol, cigarettes and the demented world of everyone’s favorite naughty video chat site, Omegle. Their sketch was all too familiar since most preteen girls remember one particular sleepover that somewhat changed how you were going to grow up from there. The night ended with Queer Eye Jr., the show’s take on the popular reality show “Queer Eye” where LGBTQ+ individuals makeover and revamp a (usually) straight person’s image. Still keeping with the middle school theme, the contestant’s new look was complete with a copious amount of hair gel, Axe body spray and graphic t-shirts with regrettable but familiar text like, “I’m not gay, but $20 is $20.” The cast perfectly portrayed each of the show’s characters: One was a culinary expert whose job was to alter the contestant’s diet for a healthier life. When he asked the contestant what his last meal was, the
MACKENZIE MURTAUGH | THE DEPAULIA
Omani Cross performing "The Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang in the show. contestant said Starbursts. “Oh yeah, you know what’s great with that to spice it up a bit: avocado,” was his response, to a roar from the audience. The Queer Eye Jr. skit was such a success that Borkey’s Instagram post about the skit even received praise from Karamo Brown, the culture expert of the Netflix series. He liked the post and commented “Love this!” to the surprise of Borkey and her team. The wide variety of performances exuded a different kind of relatability for the diverse cast and audience. “It was so delightful to see people with a silly idea come together to make something tangible and relatable for so many people,” said audience member Lucy Grundhauser. When asked why he chose middle school as the show’s overarching theme,
Santiago mentioned how other writers often times obtain ideas from their recent past experiences. Someone in their midto-late 20s, for example, could easily write about their experiences in college since they are easier to remember than experiences from high school. “The only thing that I am far away enough from and can effectively reflect on is middle school,” Santiago said. “Middle school’s a time you can really make fun of and really conflate what happened because it was truly the dumbest time of all of our lives.” If you are interested in performing, contact Santiago through his email middleschooldanceshow@mail.com or message him on Facebook.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018| 17
"Midnight Sun"
Bella Thorne stars in new teen-romance film
PHOTO COURTESY OF ED ARAQUEL
Bella Thorne stars as Katie Price, a teen afflicted with a rare disease that prevents her from being exposed to sunlight, in the upcoming film "Midnight Sun."
By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor
The tale of forbidden teen love is far from new. It started with the classic Shakespearean tale of Romeo and Juliet and endures today in countless films. “If you've been in love you resonate with it; if you're going to be in love, it’s like coming attractions; and if you were in love you remember that time,” said Scott Speer, the director of the upcoming romantic film “Midnight Sun,” which is set to premiere March 23. “Midnight Sun” found a way to set itself apart from the rest. The film follows the love story between Charlie (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Katie (Bella Thorne) as they fall in love. What makes it unique, though, is the twist that that Katie has a rare disease called xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) wherein any exposure to sunlight is life threatening. For the entirety of her life Katie has been stuck inside, forced to watch the world pass by as she sat on the sidelines. But that all changes one fateful night when Katie is busking at a train station and Charlie wanders by. From then on a romance ensues, always under the stars, between two people who were seemingly meant for each other. “(Katie’s) whole life has been a little bit urgent but it's also been kind of stopand-go because she can’t go anywhere,” said Thorne. “For her I feel like as soon as she gets into this love, it’s like the urgency is actually gone now because she's like 'I just want to take this in for every bit of it.’” Conveying true emotion in a film like this can be incredibly daunting for any actor, and it was especially challenging for Schwarzenegger because it is his first leading role. He credits Speer for easing his initial discomfort with some of the film’s heavier scenes and helping to take some of the pressure off being a leading man for the first time. “One of the challenging aspects was the fact that this was my first thing,” Schwarzenegger said. “When you show up
to set for the first time as one of the leads of the film and you have like 40 people around watching, it’s definitely a different weight than a one-week role.” One of the other standout casting decisions in “Midnight Sun” is having comedian Rob Riggle play Katie’s devoted father. A tangible chemistry between Thorne and Riggle enhances the characters and adds depth to their relationship. Speer explained that he and the film’s producers specifically sought out comedians for the film’s cast because of the unique qualities he knew they’d bring to the screen. “Having Bella and Rob work together, I feel like they really got each other,” Speer said. “They both knew how to sit in a scene and make it funny and then knew how to let it organically become something much deeper without it feeling like a manufactured turn into something dramatic.” The connection Katie has with her father is also what initially drew Thorne to the film. “I really loved the father-daughter relationship in the movie. That's what really made me be like ‘I really want to do this,’” Thorne said. “I just felt so connected to Katie because of this relationship that she has with her dad, and I've always wanted that.” As the story within “Midnight Sun” unfolds, music almost functions as a third character within the love story. The film has plenty of scenes where there is little dialogue between characters, allowing music became the storytelling device instead. “It's a universal language so anyone can really watch this movie and understand what our characters are feeling when you're hearing this soundtrack,” Thorne said. Even though the exact situation in the film may be foreign to many viewers, “Midnight Sun” nonetheless speaks to universal truths about love and loss, with music as a major storytelling device to convey that. “I feel like all of the songs in the movie really serve their function and speak to
PHOTO COURTESY OF ED ARAQUEL
Patrick Schwarzenegger stars in his first leading role as Charlie in "Midnight Sun."
PHOTO COURTESY OF ED ARAQUEL
Schwarzenegger and Thorne in the film set to hit theaters March 23. both Charlie and Katie's character,” Speer said. “Whenever you can use music, I feel like you can speak to someone in a way that articulation won't accomplish." Speer hopes "Midnight Sun" will be considered on the same level as other
modern classic romance films like "A Walk to Remember" and "The Notebook." “I love great love stories,” Speer said. “The best part about a good love story is you get swept up in it.”
18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
Pitchfork picks By Marty O'Connell Contributing Writer
FRIDAY
Pitchfork is currently in the middle of unveiling the lineup for its 2018 festival. For the past two weeks, a live stream has gone up on Facebook, showing local artist Shelby Rodeffer painting artist names onto a mural outside the Wicker Park bar Violet Hour. It’s a reveal that feels charming, yet also painfully gimmicky at the same time (you’re literally watching paint dry). The final bunch of acts is scheduled to be revealed the morning of March 16, but in the meantime, you can start filling up your preparation playlist with these great acts.
Tame Impala
Big Thief
Friday, July 20
The only headliner to be announced so far, Tame Impala promises to start the weekend off with a bang during their Friday night set. This Australian band has become one of the top names in indie rock since their 2015 album “Currents,” and while there’s no official word on
Friday, July 20
a follow-up, there’s speculation that frontman Kevin Parker and company will use this set to debut their great new material. In the meantime, you know you can count on the hits like “Elephant” and “The Less I Know The Better” driving the Pitchfork crowd crazy.
Julien Baker
latest album “Capacity,” which earned high spots on several best-of-2017 lists, features stand-out songs like “Mythological Beauty” and “Mary” that will sound heavenly as you relax in the grass and the sun goes down over Union Park.
Melkbelly
Friday, July 20
Julien Baker entered our hearts back in 2015 with her heartbreakingly beautiful debut “Sprained Ankle,” and has stayed there ever since. Her 2017 record “Turn Out The Lights” was another excellent effort, as she incorporated new elements like strings and recruited friends to help sing her
It takes some guts to name your debut album “Masterpiece,” but in Big Thief ’s case, the title fits the music. This indie band out of Brooklyn began in 2015, and since then they’ve done nothing but release alluring and tender songs that steal your heart and stick in your head for days. Their
Friday, July 20
bitterly honest lyrics about mental health, addiction, and faith. Her music may seem out of place for a festival at first listen, but she’d sound right at home at the Blue Stage of Pitchfork, performing her beautifully sad songs under the trees for all of us to absorb.
Pitchfork always does a great job of booking local artists, and this year is no exception. Among the native Chicagoans on this year’s bill is Melkbelly, a four-piece noise rock band that will melt your face off. Based out of Pilsen, the band made up of a married couple and two brothers first
played together in 2013 as a Brian Eno cover band. Somehow, that was the start of something special. Their 2017 record “Nothing Valley” is full of earworm hooks, scattered riffs and moments where the instruments just devolve into loud and beautiful noise.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY The War on Drugs Saturday, July 21
If Japandroids serve as a punk approach to the classic rock themes you loved growing up, The War On Drugs can be your modern-day extension of those themes. The Philadelphia collective fronted by Adam Granduciel takes their influences of Petty, Young and Springsteen and adds synths and guitar effects that make every song feel
like a summer sunset on a highway. It’s a skill they perfected with 2014’s “Lost In The Dream,” and carried on to last summer’s “A Deeper Understanding.” When Saturday evening comes around, let yourself get lost in the euphoric guitar solos that the War On Drugs can offer you.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WAR ON DRUGS
Adam Garnduciel, David Hartley, Robbie Bennett, Charlie Hall, Jon Natchez and Anthony LaMarca comprise Philadelphia band "The War On Drugs."
Japandroids Sunday, July 22
If you’ve never heard of this Canadian duo, be prepared to be blown away. Japandroids put out one of the best rock albums of the 21st century with 2012’s “Celebration Rock,” and after a five-year hiatus, came back swinging last year with “Near To The Wild Heart Of Life.” Every PHOTO COURTESY OF JAPANDROIDS
Bryan King and David Prowse come together to form Japandroids.
song of theirs is meant to be sung to as loudly as humanly possible, all while thrashing around in a mosh pit. The band brought the heat to Pitchfork back in 2012, and are sure to come back stronger than ever this summer.
A Stinker in Time
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018| 19
By Garret Neal Staff Writer
After hitting a homerun with the critically acclaimed “Selma” back in 2014, Ava DuVernay landed the coveted spot as director on a big budget Disney project. That project was “A Wrinkle in Time,” based on the popular children’s fantasy novel by Madeleine L’Engle, that tells the tale of young Meg Murry as she journeys across the universe to find her father who disappeared four years ago. She brings her intellectual six-year-old brother and a friend named Calvin along with her, using the power of “tessering” to slip between wrinkles in the fabric of time and travel great distances. They are assisted on this journey by three powerful guides, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who. They help the kids on their quest to find Mr. Murry, fight the darkness and bring peace to the universe. This film swings for the fences but sometimes when you swing big you miss big. Such is the case with “A Wrinkle in Time.” The film’s characters are a major problem, which is a shame because the film has so many big names attached to it. The guides are all notable actresses who feel wasted because they hardly show up in the film and disappear from the third act completely. Oprah Winfrey plays Mrs. Which, who is the powerful guardian. Surprisingly though, she doesn’t come across as very powerful. The lines are not particularly uplifting or inspiring and Winfrey doesn’t give them as much oomph as one might hope based on who she is. The film settles for just making her bigger than the other guides the first few times they appear, shouting out how she is the “powerful one,” rather than showing her power. She doesn’t get much depth in her brief time either, only chiming in to repeatedly explain how Meg needs to believe in herself.
Mindy Kaling gets the shortest end of the stick, as she is hardly in the film as Mrs. Who, and barely talks when she is. Her quirk is that she speaks in quotes. Except when she doesn’t. Her character feels completely pointless to the plot and is entirely uninteresting. Reese Witherspoon as the infinitely happy Mrs. Whatsit is the biggest standout of the three, who uncoincidentally also has the most screen time. We get a brief
like, “you’re not ready to know yet” or “now isn’t the time.” In the final act of the film, however, the character makes a drastic turn and things become much harder to buy into. Finally, Calvin is another character who just does not need to exist. He feels like a shoehorned in “romantic” interest for Meg, who never comes within 100 miles of effecting the plot. Thank goodness he can chime in every 20 minutes to monotony
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
Storm Reid stars in the on-screen adaption of the beloved novel "A Wrinkle in Time." glimpse into what her life might be outside of helping these kids, which instantly makes her deeper than the other two. It’s always difficult critiquing younger actors because they are just kids, but outside of Meg (Storm Reid) it isn’t pretty. Deric McCabe as the young Charles Wallace is okay during most of the film, though the character himself is quite annoying. He is one of those that knows all the answers, but never divulges them because then the plot would lose intrigue; often spouting phrases
remind Meg how great her hair looks though. Storm Reid does do a fine job as Meg. As the main character she is naturally the most developed character and is a tad interesting. She stands out most when establishing the close relationship she had with her father (Chris Pine, another wasted name) in the only genuine bond in the film. Now, yes, I’m a college student who is not the target audience for this film and as much as I may sometimes wish to be
six again, it won’t happen. Some of what is mentioned may never occur to the children watching the movie, but the problem is it’s not effective with things kids will notice either. A wonderful way to bring in kids is with funky visuals and when you can go anywhere in the universe, that should be easy, in theory. The first planet they visit is an incredibly beautiful meadow where the flowers come alive and communicate through color. Perhaps the most visually intriguing is when Mrs. Whatsit transforms into a giant flying leaf and takes the kids on a ride. Yes, that happened and no there is no explanation. As soon as they leave a planet, nothing that happened there will be mentioned for the remainder of the film making each world feel disconnected. The visuals on the remaining worlds are all drab and ordinary. A crowded beach, a gray cave, and giant black space. Real attention grabbers. Another sure-fire way to grab the kids’ attention is with catchy pop music. This is thrown into the film in the most haphazard way, never matching the mood and taking the audience out of the film completely. Additionally, it feels like there are references that kids won’t get. Will they get how powerful a personality Oprah has? Will they recognize Zach Galifianakis (who is hilarious here) in his two minutes? The most recognizable child star is Rowan Blanchard from “Girl Meets World” and she is in the movie for less than a minute. At the very least, the children are the heroes and the film delivers a good message, so as a child’s film it has that going for it, but not much else. Uninteresting characters, moments of clumsy dialogue, poor visuals (and poor effects at times), it goes on and on. At least it’s relatively short and the few good moments come up just enough to pull you through, but this “Wrinkle” is a stinker.
The stage welcomes "Pretty Woman" By Carina Smith Nation & World Editor
A new musical is about to hit the Chicago theater scene, and it’s bound to elicit the memories of the ‘90s. “Pretty Woman: The Musical” is coming to the Oriental Theater on March 13, bringing the classic movie to the stage and telling the story in a brand new way: with music. “Pretty Woman” is a new take on the 1990 classic romantic-comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, which has been called a modern day retelling of Cinderella. The original plot follows a successful businessman (Gere) picking up a prostitute (Roberts) and convincing her to spend the weekend with him. The quirky pair form an eccentric duo that has kept audiences entranced nearly three decades after it first hit theaters. “Pretty Woman: The Musical” brings along new songs from Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams Jim Vallance, helping to rejuvenate the story in a completely new way. The DePaulia got the chance to sit down with Orfeh, a seasoned broadway actress and Tony award nominee who plays Kit De Luca in the upcoming musical. She says she is excited to bring the energetic and lively best friend character from the screen to the stage. “I really just think Kit’s an amazingly great character,” Orfeh said. “I have one of the best songs I’ve gotten to sing, even though I had a great time singing all the Janis Joplin songs … this ([insert what
song she is talking about]) is probably my favorite song I’ve gotten to sing in a Broadway show this far. I’m having a really good time playing her.” After leaving high school, Orfeh got a record deal and recorded albums and singles for a few years before finding out that her business manager hadn’t properly handled their finances. She left the record company and was soon approached by her former backup dancers about auditioning for the Broadway show “Footloose.” Since then, Orfeh’s career has been primarily in theater. “Pretty Woman” isn’t Orfeh’s first time with turning movies into musicals. Her last Broadway appearance was in “Legally Blonde: The Musical” as Paulette, a character not too far off from her new role as Kit. The ability to take a fan-favorite and put it on the stage is one of her favorite things to do. “I think with every experience, hopefully, you get a little bit better at what you do,” Orfeh said. “With anything, practice makes perfect, so I think you just gather a lot of experience, you forge your relationships, you are better at crafting a character – at times out of thin air.” Orfeh was brought onto the project by director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, whom she had previously worked with in “Legally Blonde.” Orfeh said when she got the call asking her to be part of the original musical, she knew she couldn’t turn it down.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGIE KORSHAK, INC.
Orfeh and cast member Eric Anderson at "Pretty Woman: The Musical" rehearsal. “Jerry Mitchell calls and says ‘you’re gonna be in my next show,’ a couple years ago, and he says ‘there’s no one else I can picture singing this song, so come and do this reading’ and pretty much from then on I’ve been involved,” Orfeh said. “So really, I have Jerry Mitchell to thank for getting me into this performance.” Working with the “all-around best cast I’ve ever worked with,” Orfeh looks forward to bringing the character of Kit to life in the new show. The upcoming musical will
have its worldwide debut on March 13 at the Oriental Theater, bringing years of hard work onto the stage for audiences to enjoy and sing along with. “I want (audiences) to be uplifted. I want them to be surprised, because I don’t think people are going to leave with the expectations they came in with as far as it being a story about prostitutes,” Orfeh said. “It’s the most classic love story, you know. The prince isn’t rescuing Cinderella, though – it’s Cinderella rescuing the prince.”
20| Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
These will suit you to a T
By Brenden Welper Staff Writer
There are three things that all Chicagoans encounter on St. Patrick’s Day: intoxicated people, beer and thousands of green t-shirts. Some of these shirts display clever phrases like “Whiskey makes me frisky.” Others are just plastered with clichés. You’re bound to see the overused “Kiss me, I’m Irish” at least a dozen times. Then there is the color-coordinated sports fan. “I’m wearing my green Cubs t-shirt that I bought a few years ago,” Andrew Garcia, a senior at DePaul University, said. “I love green sports apparel. There aren’t many teams that wear that color.” Finally, we have the guy with something crude written across the front of his tank top. Sorry, no example for that one; you’ll have to use your imagination. Shirts such as these can be found in stores throughout the city. But if you’re looking for a variety of merchandise, just go where to the tourists go. “We put (shirts) out at the beginning of March,” Jose Bahenn said. “Usually, you start seeing an increase (in sales) on that Wednesday leading up to the parade.” Bahenn is the manager of “My
Chicago!” a souvenir shop located along Michigan Avenue. He says St. Patrick’s Day is the only holiday he stocks up for. “We get them from different companies, along with hats, knee-high socks and other knick-knacks,” Bahenn said, “That stuff sells better than the shirts.” But there are only so many unique tees to go around. Some of the shops downtown even order from the same distributor. For those who want to get creative, customization is a better option. “The t-shirt making process is kind of complicated, yet cathartic for people doing it by hand,” Sam Breedlove said. Breedlove is a sophomore at DePaul. Back in high school, she made her own t-shirts through an intricate method. “Screen printing is a hands-on way of printing your own designs without a machine. Basically, you print a design onto a special piece of paper. You then put that paper onto a screen and coat it in this gross-smelling, orange putty.” This was the exposing process, Breedlove explained. The putty would then be placed in total darkness for 24 hours. Everything on the screen would dry up, aside from the black ink of the design. After 24 hours, she would blast it with a pressure hose. Finally, the screen was taken to the printing table and lined up
BRENDEN WELPER | THE DEPAULIA
A selection of themed t-shirts in the store My Chicago! in honor of St. Patrick's Day. with a t-shirt. “It was simple after that,” Breedlove said, “I just slapped some ink onto the screen and ran it over the design several times. You just had to dry your shirt, and you were done.” Despite being such a difficult process, she says she enjoys putting in the effort and
taking pride in her work. “Sometimes, people need to know when to make their shirts, and when to buy from the store.” With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, it would probably be wise to go with the latter.
Post-Paddy's Day precautions By Ross Greer Staff Writer
There is nothing quite like St. Patrick's Day in Chicago – just like there is no hangover quite like the day after. Whether you decide to spend your holiday at the parade in the Loop or marching around the city on a pub crawl, it’s more than likely you may have had a few too many drinks, and it's even more likely that you'll wake up
with a hangover the next morning. Everyone swears by a different hangover cure, from home remedies to over-thecounter medicine and even IV treatments, so there is bound to be at least one that works. Hopefully.
Drink smart • • •
Drink a glass of water between every drink or so. Drink a bottle of water before you go to bed. “It may sound a little rough but drinking a warm glass of water and doing some exercise does the trick for me. You feel so much better after burning some energy,” said Garret Erff, a local bartender.
Rehydrate • • •
Over the counter • •
Alka seltzer is a great remedy for an upset stomach, body pain and headaches. Vicks VapoRub is another supposed recovery aid: The pungent eucalyptus smell can supposedly counteract nausea.
Emergency IV •
Recovery IV is is designed to help cure your hangover. A 45-minute process of intravenous therapy consists of a one-liter fluid bag to rehydrate the body as well as a dose of B Complex to aid in detoxification. Oxygen is pumped into the room to clear your head and reduce headaches.
• •
Gatorade is a classic. It may help to restore some of the lost electrolytes but it’s also very high in sugar– which could worsen that headache. Pedialyte is another option that comes in a variety of flavors; it’s even sold in a nutrient-packed Popsicle form. Pickle juice is also known to help ease hangovers. Supposedly, the salts in the pickle juice replenish electrolytes lost while drinking.
Food
A nice greasy breakfast, preferably diner food. The food is really just nourishment, an attempt to get something solid in your stomach to reduce the nausea. Omega-3s are a fatty acids, typically found in fish oil supplements. They help block the production of inflammatory prostaglandins, one of the major contributors to your hangover symptoms. “Avocado toast is perfect because it has omega-3 and carbs,” said Anna Griff, a senior at DePaul.
Unfortunately the most effective cure of all is time. Waiting out a hangover may be painful, but give it a day and you'll be fine. If you can’t wait, though, give one these supposed cures a try.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018. | 21
"Black Panther" blazes trail for black films By Anna Stim Contributing Writer
Marvel’s “Black Panther” obliterated expectations at the box office in its opening weekend, changing the game for AfricanAmericans – and Hollywood – forever. Marvel’s newest addition to its plethora of blockbuster films, “Black Panther,” made history on its opening weekend and is being hailed as a groundbreaking piece of cinema. The film grossed over $242 million over Presidents’ Day weekend, making it the second biggest opening for Disney, sitting just behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” It also had the fifth-highest grossing opening in all of Hollywood history, as well as the biggest opening for an AfricanAmerican director. Not only does the film feature a virtually all-black cast, but it also boasts black writers, costume and production designers and executive producers to boot. “Black Panther” is now the highest-rated superhero film on movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and it has captured the attention of viewers worldwide. But it is the African-American community for whom the film really hits home. Emmanuel Noisette, an AfricanAmerican film critic in Chicago and creator of the website EmansMovieReviews.com,
says he got into the business because he felt that black voices were absent from the film community, and he wanted their voices to be heard. “We didn’t realize how much we needed this level of representation until we saw it,” Noisette said. He says African-Americans had similar feelings when Obama was elected President, which he refers to as the “Obama Effect.” “Black people never thought, or maybe even the world never thought, that we would have a black President,” Noisette said. Once that happened, “a world of possibilities flooded the conscious of black people in America.” There have been films with predominantly black casts and/or black directors that have gone on to be financial successes, like 2017’s “Girls Trip.” But once Marvel released a movie with so many black stars on a level that “general audiences are forced to engage with, that changed the game,” Noisette said. The film salutes the AfricanAmerican community in a way that leaves the conversation open to everyone, which is part of the film’s appeal. “It’s unapologetically black and the perspective is maintained,” Noisette explained. In his view, the film is both a positive depiction
“Queer Eye” redefines what it means to be a man By Amber Colón Editor-in-Chief
Masculinity is being challenged in all of the best ways with the Netflix’s reboot of “Queer Eye,” a reality TV show dedicated to giving men a complete mind, body and spirit makeover over the course of one week. The show is a revamp of Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” but this time the show has expanded to cater to more than just straight, young, single white men. The reboot features men of a variety of races, age groups, religions and sexual orientations. The show is back with a brand new cast, commonly referred to as the Fab Five. The new bunch come from a diverse set of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, adding an element of inclusivity to the show that wasn’t as important or easy to come by in the original series. Bobby Berk takes care of home design, Antoni Porowski focuses on health and food, Jonathan Van Ness grooms each of the participants, and Tan France helps revamp each man’s sense of style. “Queer Eye” 2.0 has done a very good job at showing that the queer male experience is not limited to white, masculine-presenting men. The first season is filmed in Georgia, a state that viewers might not expect there to be much acceptance of gay men. However, as each episode goes on, the cast makes sure to have honest conversations about their sexuality with participants that might have preconceived ideas about the LGBTQ+ community. The original “Queer Eye” was much more about exposure, said France in the very first episode of the reboot. Now, the
show is very much about the normalization and acceptance of gay men. As each episode goes on, the men featured are forced to take deep looks into their lives so that they can be the best versions of themselves by the time the Five Fab’s week is over. Sometimes, the show’s goofy tone is overrun with extremely emotional parts, such as when the participants are talking about their personal journeys with weight loss, divorce and religion. In episode four, Karamo Brown, the Fab Five’s culture expert helps AJ, the man of the hour, come out to his family. Brown tells AJ about his own coming out experience as a black man and how he has had to balance the expectations that he faces from the world and his family as someone who’s grown up being told that you can’t be black, masculine and gay all at once. Brown offers advice and support before AJ eventually introduces his stepmother to his partner. The conversation, while painful, is emotional and heartwarming as AJ learns how to be honest about his true identity. “Queer Eye” teaches that men can be stylish without having to give up the parts of them that make them feel not just masculine, but like themselves. Perhaps the most important lesson for all men watching and participating: it is totally okay to be emotional and vulnerable. Men, usually forced to fit into very tight boxes while still being seen as strong and independent.
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
Chadwick Boseman stars as King T'Challa in "Black Panther." of black culture and a “celebration of blackness without blaming the white man for all the issues of the world.” “We’ve proven ourselves that if you let us tell our stories and maintain the integrity of our perspective without being confrontational to the general audience, we can be equally successful,” Noisette said. Perhaps most importantly, “Black Panther” finally gives African-American
kids around the world a chance to see themselves on screen in a way that they haven’t before. “Black Panther” has become more than just another superhero movie; it has become a triumph for African-Americans in the entertainment industry and beyond. As Noisette says, it has, once and for all, “(broken) down the myth that black movies don’t sell.”
Are you shy? • Are you overly concerned that you may do or say something that might embarrass or humiliate yourself in front of others? • Do you fear that you will act or look anxious in social situations? • Do you avoid social situations? If you are between 18 and 64 years of age and feel that these problems interfere with your goals or to enjoy life fully, you may be eligible for a study at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Rush University Medical Center. Participation in the study is completely voluntary. If you qualify, you will receive a medical evaluation, study-related medication and transportation at no cost. For more information, call (312) 563-6687.
22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
There's always more to the story.
Get your news how you see fit at
depauliaonline.com Visit the depauliaonline.com: a fully responsive news platform offering the best coverage of DePaul, Chicago and beyond. Log on for up-to-date reporting, exclusive content, multimedia storytelling and much more.
Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018 | 23
what’s FRESH on Amazon Prime
The Big Sick
Fleabag
This romantic comedy is based on the true love story of the film’s writers, comedian Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”) and his now wife Emily V. Gordon. In “The Big Sick,” the interracial couple must deal with their cultural differences after Emily unexpectedly falls ill.
British comedian Phoebe Waller-Bridge writes and stars as the titular character, Fleabag, in this dark comedy. The show follows the incredibly self-centered Fleabag as she navigates life in London after the death of her best friend. Fleabag is a hyper-sexual, complex and deeply flawed character that makes for great entertainment.
Nanjiani stars as himself while Zoe Kazan plays Emily. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are also featured as Emily’s parents in the film and are a perfectly awkward comedic match for Nanjiani. The film was widely praised by critics and earned multiple award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It was also successful at the box office, eventually becoming one of the highest-grossing independent films of 2017. “The Big Sick” breaks away from the traditional romantic comedy landscape and provide a fresh and honest perspective on love. The fact that the story is based on real-life events makes the movie and the characters all the more intriguing. This movie is definitely underrated and is worth checking out next time you’re scrolling through Amazon Prime.
LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA
In theaters Feb. 23 "Game Night" A group of friends finds themselves solving a murder mystery on one of their regular game nights. Stars: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler March 9 "Wrinkle in Time" Three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find her father, a scientist who went missing. Stars: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling March 9 "Thoroughbreds" Childhood friends Amanda and Lily rekindle their friendship and vow to solve their personal problems by all means necessary.
While the premise hints at the dark undertones of the show, “Fleabag” is also blunt when touching on topics like female sexuality and grief. The comedy has been praised for its refreshing perspective and entirely unique and flawed main character. The show does deal very blatantly with death so if you’re recently experiencing a loss of your own, this show is probably not for you. After gaining much critical acclaim after the six-episode first season, Amazon picked the show up for a second. It’s worth mentioning that the show does deal very blatantly with death so if you’re recently experiencing a loss of your own, this show is probably not for you. Because the seasons are so short and the episodes are only a half-hour each, “Fleabag” is the perfect opportunity to get caught up on a show that is sure to get more buzz in the future.
LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA
24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. March 12, 2018
St.Vincent’s
D e JAMZ “Spinning fresh beats since 1581”
1 4 1
22
3
4
Find this and all our DeJamz playlists on depauliaonline.com and on our spotify account By April Lane Online Editor
Winter quarter finals are stressful. It’s the dreadful blend of sharp, cold weather, little to no sleep and an out of whack schedule. Whether you’re knee-deep in research papers, preparing for a handful of exams or a cocktail of the two, this week is a breeding ground for stress. My remedy? Good ol’ neo-soul. These four mellow jams will meet you halfway and temporarily soothe your worries, clearing your mind and giving you a wellneeded push to carry on.
1. “On & On” – Erykah Badu Right off Badu’s 1997 debut album “Baduizm”, the lyrics of “On & On” are tightly threaded with beautiful imagery and social commentary. Lines like “You rush into destruction 'cause you don't have nothing left,” will allow your mind to wander, giving you a mental break from your work. Paired with her soulful and jazzy tone, this track will envelop you completely. Just sit back and listen.
Crossword
2. “Gettin’ In the Way” – Jill Scott Jill Scott is known for her power-packed lyrics and her smooth, alluring tone. Her background in spoken-word poetry and acting easily seep through in this song about her significant other’s past lover bitterly meddling with their relationship. With just the right amount of drama and allure, this is the type of track to have you guiltlessly rocking back and forth and humming along without even realizing it.
Across 1. Do a laundry chore 5. Like the Sahara 9. Rush job initials 13. “Das Boot” vessel 15. Movie pal of Stitch 16. Oblong tomato 17. Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins, essentially 19. “At which point” 20. Uncage 21. Picked out 22. “How are you?” reply 23. Rights org. 25. “Follow me!” 28. “What’d I Say” singer 33. Didn’t despair 35. Miners’ take 36. Peron of Argentina 37. Dismiss summarily 38. Newspaper publishers, e.g. 41. Suffix with “fact” 42. Galahad’s address
3. “Soul Sista” – Bilal Bilal is an independent artist who’s well-known in the music industry and his discography extends far beyond just R&B and neo-soul. “Soul Sista” truly shows off his expansive vocal ability. The sensual and seamless delivery of his lyrics pay tribute to a beloved female companion or lover. Regardless of your gender, Bilal’s silky voice has just the right amount of rasp to ease your mind into relaxation.
43. “Giant” star James 44. Meddlesome type 46. 1932 Spencer Tracy movie 50. Do lunch together, say 51. Yalies 52. Classic toon Betty ___ 54. Short-tempered 57. Sources of nacre 61. Assist nefariously 62. Just about everywhere 64. Like a griot’s stories 65. Many a DeMille movie 66. Cathartic-yielding plant 67. Cobbler’s piece 68. Heavy cart 69. Enlarge, with “out” Down 1. Brewskies 2. Bassoon’s cousin 3. Win in a walk
4. “Smooth Operator” – Sade You’ve probably never heard a voice as haunting or captivating as Sade Adu’s. “Smooth Operator” is a classic 1984 hit by the singer/songwriter about a charming man with a dangerous, player-like flow. But no man’s smoothness can compare to Sade’s velvety, enticing tone paired with a hypnotizing, jazzy melody. This song will easily relieve any lurking finals week woes.
4. “Just do it” for Nike 5. Denali’s state 6. Really rankle 7. Not up to par 8. Windows forerunner 9. Dudley Moore title role 10. Area of London or Manhattan 11. Iowa home of the Cyclones 12. French door part 14. ___ McAn shoes 18. Crude sort 21. Well-bred 23. Yard size, maybe 24. “Moonstruck” actress 25. Bottomless pit 26. Spunk 27. “Aida” or “Carmen” 29. In one’s salad days 30. Sierra ___ (African nation) 31. Digital party notice 32. Co-Nobelist with Begin
34. Nothing, slangily 39. Weigh station user 40. Comes out with 45. Give authority to 47. Prickly plant 48. Head monk’s jurisdiction 49. Usurer’s offering 53. GM make until 2004 54. Pueblo town 55. Zaragoza’s river 56. Jesse Ventura was one 57. Met highlight 58. Mudville ___ (Casey’s team) 59. Charlotte’s “Diff ’rent Strokes” role 60. Baseball feature 62. Paid, as a parking meter 63. Auto loan abbr.
Sports
Sports. March 12, 2018. The DePaulia | 25
ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA
The Blue Demons were once the face of Chicago basketball during the 1970's and 80's but under Jean Lenti Ponsetto's leadership they have faded into irrelevancy.
OVERHAUL cont. from front page fading men’s basketball program for the 2002-03 season. In his first year, Leitao brought the Blue Demons back to the NIT tournament and then to an NCAA appearance just one year later — a feat that no DePaul men’s basketball team has since achieved. As many rising coaches eventually do, Leitao left the program following a second straight 20-win season to take a higher paying job at the University of Virginia in 2005. The Lenti Ponsetto regime, however, didn’t really begin to write its own legacy until 2005, when the Blue Demons took a deep breath and plunged into the elite Big East Conference. “I am excited for student-athletes, coaches, alumni and fans,” Lenti Ponsetto said at the time. “This invitation to the Big East allows us to renew rivalries with some old friends and positions at DePaul to compete against institutions who share similar philosophies both academically and athletically.” To this day, the old powerhouse from Lincoln Park — the former face of Chicago basketball — has yet to resurface as Lenti Ponsetto continues to anchor the Blue Demons to the bottom rung of the Big East. Lenti Ponsetto’s first hire, Jerry Wainwright, was an interesting change of pace to say the least. Leitao was one of the hottest names in college basketball when he left for Virginia, so bringing in a guy in his late 50’s with zero experience in a top-tier conference felt uninspired. But, to the surprise of many, Wainwright managed to walk the Blue Demons into the quarterfinals of the NIT tournament in just his second year. But the revival didn’t last. Just two years later in 2008-09, Wainwright finished 0-18 in league play and was then fired after an 0-3 start to conference play in the following season. Scrambling to fix the program as quickly as possible, Lenti Ponsetto turned to Oliver Purnell out of Clemson — a coach with a reputation for fixing struggling basketball programs. He couldn’t have been a bigger
bust. Over Purnell’s five years at DePaul, he racked up a grand total of 15 conference wins, four dead-last finishes and zero postseason appearances while getting paid well over $2 million each year to do it. Hall-of-Fame coaches like Jim Boeheim at Syracuse University made less over the same time.
Late on Leitao When Lenti Ponsetto announced Leitao would be returning to Lincoln Park for the 2015-16 season, it saw mixed reactions. Leitao had been the last coach to take the Blue Demons dancing back in 2003, but in 2015 no program in the country wanted anything to do with him. After he left Virginia, Leitao found his way to the head coaching job for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA’s Developmental League before making his way back to college basketball as an assistant for the University of Missouri. By the time he was approached to come back to Lincoln Park and build up the ruins of Blue Demon basketball, he was a mere relic of his old self. Still, Lenti Ponsetto broke out the cash and made Leitao the highest paid employee at the university, where he signed a contract guaranteeing him over $1 million per year. "I absolutely love this school and everything that it stands for," Leitao said in 2015. "There isn't anybody more special in college athletics than Jeanne, and I am honored to help raise the basketball program to the level that she deserves." Years one and two back in Chicago did not go as planned for the New England native head coach. Walking away with less than 10 overall wins each season, Blue Demon fans started losing the last shreds of faith they had left. This year Leitao had a more talented roster than any Blue Demon team in recent history, but still only managed 11 wins, 20 losses and a tie for dead-last in the Big East. If more talent and effectively no progress doesn’t point at a coaching problem, what does? In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that the close losses and victories
from Leitao’s season had nothing to do with him at all. Former Blue Demon Levi Cook, who transferred from the school because he felt unsupported by the program during a family crisis, says it was former associate head coach Rick Carter running the show when it counted most. “When we (beat) Providence and we beat Georgetown, (Carter) was the guy on the clipboard calling all the plays at the end of the game,” Cook said. “I think they’d probably have couple more wins if Carter was there.” Carter resigned from the university to pursue a business opportunity after the 2016-17 season. "To everyone else out there, I dare you to give us a try,” Leitao said. “We are absolutely going to make you proud." Pride is currently the among the last words or emotions associated with DePaul men’s basketball.
Contempt for the crowd Lenti Ponsetto’s record running DePaul men’s basketball team speaks for itself and it’s inexcusable — no athletic director with her record handling a flagship program would have lasted half as long as she has. But what may be even more despicable is the way she lies and flip-flops publicly about the issues with men’s basketball. Earlier this year when speaking with The DePaulia about attendance at Wintrust, Lenti Ponsetto said she didn’t think feasibility projections of 9,500 fans at home games was reasonable and that it was never a target for the university. Upon review of The DePaulia’s archives, that turned out to be a bold faced lie. Lenti Ponsetto told the DePaulia in 2016 that 9,500 “was a relatively achievable number” and that “they are very confident.” Even outside the realm of twisting attendance figures, Lenti Ponsetto can’t seem to stick to one story about where the program is going. At the press conference held the day Leitao was announced as head coach, Lenti Ponsetto projected a lot of confidence about the immediate future of DePaul men’s basketball.
“We made it clear to everyone we talked to,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “We don’t see this as a rebuild.” This past Wednesday before the men’s team took the court at Madison Square Garden, she told the Chicago Tribune a very different story. “I appreciate we have some fans who want to win right away. I think there are some people who thought as soon as we opened the doors to Wintrust, that was going to equal winning right away,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “For us to be able to really realize the value of having a brand-new facility and amenity space that goes with it, it’s going to take us a few years to do that because it’s a recruiting process.” Lenti Ponsetto seems to have already forgotten that Tyger Campbell, DePaul’s biggest potential recruit in recent history, attended several games at Wintrust Arena throughout the year and still didn’t move to Lincoln Park. And even if it’s really going to take some time for Wintrust to turn the program around, Lenti Ponsetto may have repelled every recruit in the country with her own words. “I’m excited (for) what I hear from our longtime, loyal season ticket holders who come to games because they want to support DePaul student-athletes,” she told the Chicago Tribune. “They’re not coming to games expecting it to be the junior NBA.” Translation: if you’re really good at basketball and want to play in the NBA, don’t come to DePaul. Today the Blue Demons fester at the bottom of the Big East standings, out of everyone’s sight and mind. Once the face of basketball in the Windy City, programs like Loyola have passed us by, emerging as legitimate, NCAA Tournament worthy programs. While Lenti Ponsetto continues to lament DePaul’s unique circumstances as an urban university, Loyola — just a few stops up the Red Line — is proving that basketball teams can both win and draw a crowd in the city. Further proof that Lenti Ponsetto simply isn’t fit for that job at DePaul.
26 | Sports. March 12, 2018. The DePaulia
Defensive adjustment spurs Big East Championship By Andrew hattersley Asst. Sports Editor
It was an impressive three days for DePaul (26-7; 15-3 Big East) marched to their third Big East Tournament title in five years winning by an average of 31 points, including a 35-point win over Marquette in the championship game. In the process, the Blue Demons set both a Big East Tournament record with 40 made three-pointers in three games and a championship game record with 98 points against Marquette. As dominant as DePaul was on offense, their defense throughout the tournament also stood out. Coming into the tournament DePaul had given up an average of just over 70 points per game, but held Seton Hall, Georgetown and Marquette to 52, 53 and 63 points respectively. With the win in the conference tournament, the Blue Demons clinched the automatic qualifier bid and will head into the tournament playing as well as they have all season. They won six straight games and 12-of-13 overall while returning to the USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 24 entering into Monday. Their last loss was a one-point defeat to Georgetown on Feb. 16. DePaul head coach Doug Bruno said after the win against Marquette Tuesday that his team has experienced a “turning point,” and they have the Hoyas to thank. “We probably should thank coach James Howard and his Georgetown team for beating us in Chicago,” Bruno said.
“Because I think that might have been a turning point for our basketball team. We played some of the (most) solid defensive basketball I've seen our team play.” In that loss to the Hoyas, the Blue Demons gave up 86 points, and they haven’t given up more than 68 in the six games since. Bruno said even though his team has worked hard all year, DePaul is not traditionally thought of as a defensive team since they shoot so quickly and often, which allows other teams more opportunities to score. Still, after that loss to the Hoyas, they made some defensive adjustments and are now reaping the rewards. “I think we’ve done some things technically too,” Bruno said. “We’ve adopted more of the backline defense and extended defense. I think that’s been very, very helpful for us to stop dribble penetration of our opponent, and also to keep our opponents off the free-throw line.” Early in the season, DePaul struggled to keep teams like North Colorado and Florida Gulf Coast off the charity stripe, but they have improved in that area and done a better job limiting teams’ opportunities at the rim. “I think early in the year our two tough losses early to Northern Colorado and to Florida Gulf Coast, we put those teams on the line 37 and 38 times respectively,” Bruno said. “First time we play Marquette in Milwaukee, they got layup after layup after layup. We couldn’t keep them from getting to the rim. So I think we’ve adjusted a little bit as to how we’re defending, but it’s still always the players that do the job.”
DANCING cont. from back page
Demons’ victory as they held the Golden Eagles to just 34.7 percent from the field and sophomore forward Chante Stonewall and 28.0 percent from deep. Additionally, each had a double-double. Campbell and the Blue Demons dominated the boards Stonewall concluded with 11 rebounds a and pulled down 52 total rebounds, 40 of piece, and Campbell scored 10 points while which were defensive rebounds, and kept Stonewall scored 14 points. Redshirt junior the Golden Eagles off the glass by limiting them to grabbing 34 total rebounds. guard Ashton “You have to be Millender good when you’re not dropped 16 points, making shots and that’s including four where the defensive 3-pointers in the rebounding comes in,” second quarter, Bruno said. “That’s why and redshirt junior it’s so important for us forward Mart’e Grays to be a good defending dropped 14 points. and rebounding team.” Coming into As a result of the game, the Blue playing good defense Demons emphasized and racking up the ability to stay defensive rebounds, focused in order the Blue Demons were for the game to able to open up the floor come into its own. Marquette Head Coach and make timely passes “I thought we were that positioned them to really focused and taking numerous high percentage shots. just ready to play and when we focus Namely, the Blue Demons finished with and energize like that, (then) the team 27 assists while the Golden Eagles finished chemistry just builds and builds and that’s with only 11 assists. Accordingly, the Blue what we feed off of,” Grays said. A huge part of DePaul basketball is Demons scored 23 fast break points and 44 knocking down 3-pointers, and the Blue points in the paint. “I think we did a good job of really Demons were superb from behind the arc finding our teammates in fast breaks today en route to knocking down 45.7 percent of and getting assists there,” Campbell said. their 3-point attempts for 16 conversions. Perhaps the most notable impact of the The Blue Demons’ ability to make 3-point Blue Demons’ defense was their success in shots proved to be costly for the Golden shutting down Allazia Blockton, the Big Eagles. East Player of the Year, and holding her “They have five people on the floor that to scoring just eight points on four-of-11 can hit a three at any given time, and when shooting, which is well below her season that happens and the way that they space scoring average of 18.7 points per game. the floor, and the way that they cut and With the Big East regular season they move, it’s really hard to guard,” Golden championship and tournament Eagles head coach Carolyn Kieger said. “They out-toughed us, they out-hearted us, championship scratched off their bucket list, the Blue Demons now look onward and obviously clearly outshot us.” Equally important, excellent man-to- to Selection Monday where they will learn man defensive play was key in the Blue their NCAA tournament seeding.
“They outtoughed us, they out-hearted us, and obviously clearly outshot us. " Carolyn Kieger
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP
Big East Player of the Year Allazia Blockton was held to just eight points in the loss. As an undersized team, defensive rebounding was another key focus for improvement, according to sophomore guard Kelly Campbell. She said the team had focused on defense going into the matchup against Marquette and was proud of the way her team guarded the ball. “Rebounding was definitely a huge key. In the first game we lost the boards and in the second game we won. So it was big for us to come and win the battle of the boards. I think we won it by 18, so that was huge for us,” Campbell said. “Then really just digging in and guarding, because that’s been a problem for us in the beginning and we executed that well tonight.” Marquette head coach Carolyn Kieger
credited DePaul’s defense for not allowing her players to get to the rim or find second and third options. “I think they did a really good job of gapping,” Kieger said. “(I’m) not denying that they were taking away our dribble attacks. When that happened, we didn’t have a second or third option. So I credit they’re packing the paint and just getting out of the passing lanes.” After DePaul’s win against Georgetown in the Big East Tournament semifinal, Bruno said he thought his team was dialed in and focused. Now they have the opportunity to put their dancing shoes on and continue this momentum into the NCAA Tournament.
Sports. March 12, 2018. The DePaulia | 27
Close losses define another frustrating season By Paul Steeno
something that he diligently works on at practice and hours before tipoff? "I'm trying to get more comfortable with my shot form as a whole," Reed said. "I want my shot form to be more fluent. I want it to be the same every time I shoot. [So], it feels the same when I shoot, because that's what I've been struggling with." It's a lot of what ifs, but there's reason to believe that DePaul can dramatically improve their shooting next season and usher themselves into the modern age of basketball.
Staff Writer
If you didn't watch a second of DePaul Blue Demon men's basketball up until a 72-69 defeat against Marquette in the first round of the Big East tournament Wednesday that game provided you with everything you need to know about these Blue Demons. So close all season. Another missed game-winning attempt, this time a 3-point field goal from guard Max Strus, whose shot was centimeters short from cresting the side iron of the rim and dropping through the net. From the highest highs (70-62 win over Marquette on Feb. 24 that marked the first conference win at Wintrust Arena) to the lowest lows (71-64 loss to the Providence Friars on Jan. 12 that featured a 22-0 run by the Friars), it was a roller coaster of emotions for DePaul this season. A roster with seven new faces, one that had to improvise without their starting point guard Devin Gage for most of the season, was predictably as tumultuous as the game to game attendance at newly built Wintrust Arena. "There's a lot of reasons to be very, very proud and to be very, very optimistic about not only what we just completed as a season but as the five seniors move on, what lies ahead," head coach Dave Leitao said after DePaul's loss to Marquette in the Big East tournament. "We build character. We build more toughness. We build sustainability. And there will come a day very, very soon we'll get some payback on all the games that we had that were just like today." With the book on this season written, what should we watch out for between now and the beginning of the 2018-2019 season? Development Key: Justin Roberts’ speed? You can't teach that. Paul Reed's wingspan and athleticism? Still can't teach that. Flynn Cameron's innate playmaking abilities? He probably didn't learn that from a coach out in Australia or New Zealand. But, does Leitao have a track record of successfully developing talent? The most obvious case study is Eli Cain,
MEN'S, continued from back page turned in a game-high 25 points on 8-of20 shooting — hit a floater at the first half buzzer to send DePaul into the second half with 12-point deficit. “It’s (about) what the game presents,” Rowsey said. “The game presented me an open 3 and then it presented me a drive to a pull-up. So I took what I saw and I made it.” After a slow start in the first half, Strus came out swinging to open the final 20 minutes. Breaking toward the basket and launching himself into the air to catch and slam home a lob from Eli Cain, it took Strus eight seconds to set the tone for the Blue Demons in the second half. The junior, Division II transfer followed up an underwhelming three points (on 1-of5 shooting) in the first half with 19 (on 6-of-12 shooting) on in the second half to tie Marin Maric (7-of-12 shooting) as the team’s leading scorer with total of 22. Maric also corralled 10 rebounds. “I’m so happy I came to DePaul,” Maric said. “These guys made me feel like I was here for four years, not just one year. I want to thank all my teammates, all the coaches (…) they keep believing in me and they keep encouraging me to be what I am now and I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity.” Cain finished his night with a doubledouble, dropping 12 points on 4-of-12
KATHY WILLENS | AP
DePaul finished the season with a 1-7 record in games decided by five points or fewer. who arrived in Lincoln Park the same year that Leitao did the second time around. Cain's true shooting percentage and player efficiency rating have sharply regressed between last season and this one, as did his per 40 minute scoring and rebounding numbers. But, he was thrust unexpectedly into the point guard role and averaged 4.6 assists per game which was the seventh best mark in the Big East, so perhaps all the criticism isn't fair. Either way, using one player to make a sweeping conclusion is irresponsible and lazy. During Leitao's first stop in Lincoln Park, Quemont Greer grew from DePaul's third or fourth option during his first season under Leitao, to the leading scorer on the Blue Demons (18.3 points per game on 45.7 percent from the field) in his last season under Leitao. He also became better at rebounding each year. Drake Diener's points per 40 minutes and 3-point shooting percentage improved every season under Leitao. LeVar Seals went from reserve early in his Blue Demon career to starting 31 games his senior season under Leitao. A reasonable argument can be made either way. But, whether he still has that touch in the development department is a critical factor in whether DePaul can improve next season. Talking Shooting: shooting to go along with 10 assists. Thanks largely to an explosive second half from Strus, the Blue Demons were able to keep the score close in the final 10 minutes. DePaul did an exceptional job getting to the charity stripe, often on three-point-play attempts, giving the Blue Demon’s a handful of easy points to keep the deficit in check. With little more than a minute to play, the ball was called out of bounds off DePaul, giving possession to Marquette. Video replay changed the ruling, giving DePaul an extra possession — the kind of break that can turn a close loss into a win. So, what did they do? They threw it carelessly across the baseline and out of play — Marquette ball. With 21 seconds to play, Strus took the ball at the wing with a chance to make it a one-possession game. Blanketed by defenders, he hucked up an off-balance, line-drive right into the heart of the basket. The score now 70-69 with 19 seconds remaining, DePaul needed a clean turnover. Cyrus delivered with 11.5 seconds remaining, wrestling the ball away from a scrappy Rowsey. The Blue Demons had earned one last possession. Leitao called his play and it all seemed to work; Strus was standing all alone, ball in hand, staring down a shot he’s made hundreds, if not thousands, of times. “They got a little confused on their communication and left Max wide open,”
In an era of basketball where the best teams sport dangerous shooters at all five positions, the 2017-2018 iteration of the Blue Demons lagged decades behind. DePaul settled in at 334th in the nation in team 3-point field goal percentage (31 percent), with Brandon Cyrus leading the way at 35.3 percent from that range. Their big men were ineffective from deep, with Marin Maric spearheading the effort at a 32.1 percent clip, but on only one attempt per game. Tre'Darius McCallum and Paul Reed shot 28.6 percent and 21.4 percent respectively, from behind the 3-point line, which did little to space the floor and open up driving lanes for the guards. Not only was DePaul inaccurate from deep, but they shied away from attempting these shots. They finished the season with 607 3-point attempts which was the 262nd most in the country. The insertion of transfer shooting guard Jalen Coleman-Lands will help. In two seasons in Fighting Illini country, he was a 40.2 percent 3-point shooter on a high volume of attempts. Incoming freshman John Diener is a good shooter too, although it's anybody's guess how much he will play. Can former top 50 high school recruit Austin Grandstaff put two disastrous seasons in college behind him, and regain the shooting stroke that made him special as a prep? Can Reed fine tune his shooting stroke enough to become a stretch big,
Fire JLP? If we're taking DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto at her word, it's difficult to argue that her recent management of the men's basketball program has been anything but a failure. "We don't see this as a rebuilding project, but an opportunity to take the next step in the process," Lenti Ponsetto said in the introductory press conference for then new head coach Leitao three years ago. "Our expectation is to win now. We have talent here that needs to be re-engineered." But that promise has rung hollow, as seasons of nine, nine, and 11 wins respectively and a permanent residence at or near the bottom of the Big East standings followed. An impatient fan base on the brink of hysteria flood writers' mentions on Twitter with #fireJLP. Beautiful Wintrust Arena is often a sea of unoccupied blue seats. A 1-7 record in games decided by five points or fewer, coupled with a roster oozing with budding potential and more shooting on the horizon suggests that better days could be ahead for DePaul. But after so many years of losing, are fans willing to give the benefit of the doubt? Is this optimism from the athletic department just talking points (some would call them excuses) rehashed after another losing season? "I've said to everybody that we are scary close to being what everybody wants us to be," Leitao said. "It requires me, sometimes the most impatient person in this world, to practice more patience. This process, it had to go through something like this season [a losing season], to experience what is out in front of us [winning]."
KATHY WILLENS | AP
For the second straight game, DePaul missed a game-tying jumper at the buzzer. Leitao said. “And whether it was a last shot of the game or with 10 seconds to go or 10 minutes to go, or start of the game, that’s the shot that anybody that’s been around us would happily have. We’ve seen him knock down anywhere from 25, 30 of those in a row.” Strus put it on a perfect line, but didn’t give it enough gas. DePaul fouled Rowsey
in a last ditch effort to force an overtime period, but with 0.4 seconds to play, Strus’ final, three-quarter-court shot fell just short and wide left. “I think Dave’s done a really good job,” Wojciechowski said. “If you look at their season, they are a couple possessions (away) really in every game from having a much different record.”
Sports
Sports. March 12, 2018. The DePaulia | 28
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP
Dancing Demons
For the third time in five seasons, DePaul won the Big East Conference tournament with a 98-63 win over Marquette, avenging a loss in last season’s conference title game.
By Evan Sully Staff Writer
DePaul (26-7; 15-3 Big East) added another milestone to its already fantastic season on Tuesday night by running all over the Marquette Golden Eagles (23-9; 15-3 Big East) 98-63 to win their third Big East Tournament championship in the last five seasons. Senior guard Amarah Coleman poured in a career-high 27 points on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting from the field in route to being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. In fact, Coleman, knocked down five of her seven 3-point field goal attempts and also dished out five assists. “I was just shooting with a lot of confidence today. I struggled a little bit in the tournament with my shot, so today it meant a lot for me to really just come out, shoot with confidence and trust my
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST | AP
Senior Amarah Coleman was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, while Kelly Campbell and Mart’e Grays were named to the All-Tournament team. teammates to get me involved,” Coleman said. “I wouldn’t be able to have this award without my teammates or this whole opportunity playing with them.”
Offensive production was plentiful for the Blue Demons from tipoff, as they shot 51.4 percent on 38-of-74 shooting and maintained momentum by consistently
playing a fast-paced full court transition offensive scheme. Consequently, the Golden Eagles struggled to keep up with the Blue Demons and with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter, the Blue Demons led 9151 to put the scoring margin at 40 points, which was their largest lead of the night. “Our team has really not put it together all year, and tonight we put it together for about 30 minutes, and when your team comes together and comes together at the right moment, it’s special,” Blue Demons head coach Doug Bruno said. “This group can now claim a regular season championship and a Big East Tournament championship; that’s something pretty special.” Aside from Coleman putting up 27 points, every other starter for the Blue Demons put up double digit outings. Both sophomore guard Kelly Campbell
See DANCING, page 26
DePaul men’s season ends in familiar fashion By Shane René Sports Editor
NEW YORK — It was a movie DePaul fans had seen many times this season; an up and down journey to a single possession gone awry in the final seconds — so predictable it’s almost comical. But falling short in a must-win game at Madison Square Garden against a team you beat just two weeks before is hard to watch; even for the most cynical and fed-up Blue Demon fans. And so DePaul’s debut season at Wintrust Arena officially came to a close Wednesday night, dropping their first ever Big East Tournament matchup with the seventh-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles
(19-12, 9-9 Big East) 72-69 in a slushy Midtown Manhattan. “Obviously we were a little bit short, as we have been a number of times this year,” DePaul head coach Dave Leitao said after the game. “So that makes it a little more painful to endure when you know you have chances to win and you don’t.” The Garden seemed to be getting to the Blue Demons (11-20, 4-14 Big East) early on. Looking uncomfortable and unsettled as a unit, Brandon Cyrus scored DePaul’s only two points in the first five minutes. At the 15:40 mark, Eli Cain drove to the basket for what could have been a vicious, momentum shifting dunk, but it rattled off the side of the rim. After DePaul spent a solid five
minutes of failing to locate the basket, center Marin Maric found his groove. The Croatian big man broke the Blue Demon scoring drought with a lay-up, followed immediately by a steal from Max Strus. Cyrus took the ball down the court and dropped it off to Cain in the key, who then flipped it up to Maric for the lay-in and the foul. He knocked down his free throw to tie the game at seven. Just 30 seconds later, Cain kicked the ball over to the 6-foot-11-inch Maric at the top of the key to launch the go-ahead three-pointer to hand the Blue Demons what would be their only lead of the game. But of course, in an all-too-familiar fashion, the wheels started to fall off the bus just as they started to turn. After Maric’s
three, the Golden Eagles ripped off a 16-2 run to storm back into a lead they would not relinquish. “We have tremendous respect for DePaul,” Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. ”Their length in all three games, especially the last two, has presented a lot of problems for us offensively. But our guys found a way to win and that’s what this time of year is about.” Up until this point in the game, Strus — DePaul’s leading scorer at 16.6 points per game — was yet to score a single basket. Strus would finally drill a three-pointer with under five minutes to play in the half, pulling the deficit back within single digits. Marquette’s Andrew Rowsey — who
See MEN’S, page 27