The DePaulia May 6

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Volume #103 | Issue #24 | May 6, 2019 | depauliaonline.com

Censure: What must be done

Faculty Council made the right call

By The DePaulia Editorial Board

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

A coalition of student groups hosted an anti-hate rally on the patio of Arts & Letters Hall on Thursday, May 2, in response to an article written by philosophy professor Jason Hill in which he wrote that Israel has the “moral right” to annex the West Bank.

See ANTI-HATE RALLY, page 5

Faculty Council condemns content of Hill article, reaffirms academic freedom

By Carolyn Bradley Copy Editor

A week after the controversial article DePaul professor Jason Hill published in The Federalist received a strong response from students, Faculty Council voted to condemn the content of the article at its May 1 meeting. The vote for the resolution was 21-10-0.

At the heated meeting, Faculty Council did not vote to condemn Hill himself, only his article’s content, as Council President Scott Paeth clarified.

“This is not a judgment on Jason Hill as a human being; it is, however, a judgment that his writing had a particular kind of content to it, which the majority of members of Faculty Council found to

be morally objectionable,” Paeth told The DePaulia.

Paeth said that although the council condemns the content of his article, it is not calling for sanctions; rather, it makes the point of affirming Hill’s academic freedom to write what he wrote.

“I would actually say that this is a resolution that is primarily about the affirmation of Jason Hill’s academic freedom, while at the same time affirming the Faculty Council’s position that the tone and content of his article were worthy of condemnation,” Paeth said.

Representatives expressed concern that the university should create specific processes that will help decide when free speech crosses boundaries.

But representatives also argued that

extramural speech from faculty is essential to a thriving academic environment. Some members pointed out that there is an obligation to display a variety of speech to students when free speech itself is under assault.

“When we don’t agree with something, we begin to shut them down,” said Cathy Elias, a music professor. “What happened to dialogue in the sense of talking about things? There is no debate anymore. We’re just showing students what to do, to shut things down.”

Laura Owen, a business professor, said she found the piece repugnant, but disagreed with the resolution to condemn its content.

See FACULTY COUNCIL, page 8

After the anti-hate protest on Wednesday, May 1, students and faculty were still not satisfied with the administration’s non-response to the article written by philosophy professor Jason Hill. At the current moment, the administration is not making efforts to hold Hill accountable for directly offending the students he teaches and the faculty he works with. Prior to this, President A. Gabriel Esteban wrote in a letter that DePaul “holds academic freedom in the highest regard” and that faculty have the right to have controversial opinions if they keep “mutual respect” in mind. It is unlikely that the administration will take any formal stance on the matter.

In his article published in The Federalist on April 16, Hill took the controversial stance that Israel has the right to annex the West Bank and strip Arabs living there of their right to vote, classifying them as non-citizens.

As journalists, we take the First Amendment as seriously as anyone.

Without it, we wouldn’t be able to publish stories that increase transparency in what the administration is doing, actions that directly affects students and faculty. We wouldn’t be able to hold them accountable.

We can do that here at our independent, student-run paper.

Hill doesn’t take the First Amendment lightly either, and he shouldn’t. Hill has the right to his beliefs, as controversial and offensive as they are. When he went on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to discuss the controversy, he discussed the backlash the article received and his experience with what he deems a suppression of this right.

“I’m a conservative independent who speaks his mind very clearly and will not be silenced,” Hill said on the show.

“Students are calling for my removal, for the president to fire me, calling for my downfall, for Professor Hill to be dumped.”

Later, Carlson responds to videos of students protesting inside the Arts

See EDITORIAL, page 8

Lenti Ponsetto: ‘We haven’t arrived yet’

By Shane Rene & Lawrence Kreymer Managing Editor & Sports Editor

DePaul’s men’s basketball program has seen brighter days. But now, for the first time in more than a decade, it can also look back on its darker ones.

The Blue Demons’ 2018-19 campaign ended an 11year postseason drought with the program’s first winning season since Jerry Wainwright marched the 2006-07 team to the NIT quarterfinals. However, unlike Wainwright’s sole winning season at DePaul, the Blue Demons only managed a 7-11 record in conference play to finish last in the Big East for the third consecutive season.

A winning record is a sign of light in what has been a very long and dark tunnel, but the Blue Demons are still the runts of the Big East litter. Climbing up the rungs of the conference standings will be a priority next season as Head Coach Dave Leitao enters his fifth year back in Lincoln

“I think we are constantly building, I don’t know about a rebuild. I don’t know what that means.”

Jean Lenti Ponsetto

Athletic Director

Park with what promises to be DePaul’s most talented roster in recent memory.

Now, just over a month removed from the conclusion of a DePaul men’s basketball season highlighted by a run to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) title game, The DePaulia sat down with Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto to get a sense of how she evaluates the state of

Blue Demon Basketball.

“I think the growth was significant from the previous year to this year,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “But I think a lot of it had to do with the experience of the team. As a fan, when you are watching it’s always about wanting [to have] a winning program as fast as you can. But I think last year, we had a lot of players who didn’t have as much experience on the court.”

Lenti Ponsetto pointed to the emergence of players like Paul Reed, who showed flashes of talent in his freshman season but pushed his game to a whole new level in 201819. Reed, along with fellow sophomore Jaylen Butz, played with a level of poise and experience in DePaul’s front court this season that has been lacking in years past. Both more than doubled their points and rebound totals.

At the core of the roster was Eli Cain, DePaul’s only 4-year starter, and star transfer Max Strus. One of Leitao’s first tasks when he returned as head coach was to salvage

See FUTURE, page 26

2 | News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

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.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Benjamin Conboy eic@depauliaonline.com MANAGING EDITOR | Shane René managing@depauliaonline.com NEWS EDITOR | Mackenzie Murtaugh news@depauliaonline.com

Interested in writing for The DePaulia?

Contact our Editor-in-Chief, Benjamin Conboy, to see your name in print and get real journalistic experience. Email eic@depauliaonline.com to get started.

ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Emma Oxnevad news@depauliaonline.com NATION & WORLD EDITOR | Brian Pearlman nation@depauliaonline.com OPINIONS EDITOR | Doug Klain opinion@depauliaonline.com FOCUS EDITOR | Ella Lee focus@depauliaonline.com ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Lacey Latch artslife@depauliaonline.com SPORTS EDITOR | Lawrence Kreymer sports@depauliaonline.com ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | Joshua Gurevich sports@depauliaonline.com DESIGN EDITOR | Annalisa Baranowski design@depauliaonline.com DESIGN EDITOR | Marlee Chlystek design@depauliaonline.com

THIS WEEK Monday - 5/6

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 - 5/7

Wednesday - 5/8

Sundaes on Mondays

Blue Demon Room Escape

Jazz Workshop

Arts & Letters Patio

Student Center 3rd Floor

Dempsey Corboy Jazz Hall

12 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

Friday - 5/10

Saturday - 5/11

DePaul After Dark: Grocery Bingo

Bon Appetit-Mexican Cuisnie

Queer Revolt: An Interdisciplinary LGBTQ+ Studies Conference

Student Center Atrium

Su Casa Mexican Restaurant

9 p.m.

1 p.m.

Thursday - 5/9

Student Center, 314AB 9:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.

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News

News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 3

OneVoice on campus Organization invites conversation on Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Ella Lee Foucs Editor

As debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict grows on campus, one club wants to ensure the conversation continues once the controversy passes.

OneVoice on Campus is a multireligion, multipolitical affiliation fellowship program which emboldens students on campuses around the United States to start conversations surrounding the conflict on their campuses.

“I [brought the group to DePaul because I] thought there was a lack of voice that was more solutions-oriented rather than agenda driven,” said Saad Ahmed, co-founder of DePaul’s OneVoice on Campus chapter. “OneVoice really strives and excels in being an organization that brings together diversity and inclusion into the conversation.”

Ahmed said he started OneVoice at DePaul in Winter Quarter 2016, and since then, it has grown to include students of varying religions and ideologies.

“There's people who are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, nondenominational—you name it,” he said. “We really attract people who are interested in learning about the conflict as well as potential outcomes that could be a result of it.”

OneVoice’s on-campus events primarily focus on providing a space for open discussion on the conflict.

Since the group started, they’ve had mayors, community activists, professors and a former IDF soldier, among others, visit to facilitate discussions for the club’s members.

They also do movie screenings often, utilizing films made by “people in the diaspora or on the ground in Israel and Palestine that tell their personal stories and drive home the messages of how life really is like in Israel and in Palestine,” according to Ahmed.

“You know, there are a lot of real people being affected by this conflict,” he said. “But what's important to note is that we cannot progress as activists and as people involved with this unless we have open dialogues and have an open mind to accepting—and not even accepting—at least just hearing different perspectives, and there are a lot of perspectives on this issue.”

KIND Foundation CEO Daniel Lubetzky founded the OneVoice movement in 2002 after realizing that there was a need to assist grassroots activists around the world who are trying to find a “negotiated and permanent solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Ethan Bennett, OneVoice’s national organizing director.

Bennett says that their work first began in Palestine and Israel. In Palestine, the movement is called “Zimam,” which means “the reigns of a horse” in Arabic, while in Israel, the sister movement is “Darkenu,” which means “our path” in Hebrew. Together, the two groups work with OneVoice to seek out compromise.

A few years after OneVoice got started in Israel and Palestine, they decided to grow the movement outward and to the United States. Bennett says the decision to grow their base on college campuses was a very conscious decision.

“We really took a look at the reality of our own country and recognized that the campus environment was somewhere that needed—and was right for—the One Voice brand of activism and education,” he said.

“Campus environments were—and continue to all too often—welcome really divisive discourse around the conflict, and on the campuses where we are active, we are addressing that.”

Ahmed agreed that given

“I really believe that his language is divisive,” Ahmed said. “It's derogatory and it has no academic or activistoriented purpose that would have a constructive contribution to the dialogue.”

Students on campus echoed Ahmed’s frustration with Hill’s rhetoric; many claimed this situation has made them view DePaul in a different light. “[Professor Hill]’s statements made me feel really uncomfortable,” said DePaul freshman Mahmoud Awadallah at a rally on May 1, where students protested the university and its choice not to censure Hill’s rhetoric. “I really wanted to come here because of diversity. My sister told me about it and that it’s a great university, but when I saw his tweet, it changed my whole image of DePaul.”

Other students were shocked that the article came from a DePaul professor. “[When the comments first came out], I was like, ‘This is a philosophy professor at DePaul?’” said Rifqa Falaneh, DePaul junior and rally attendee. “I was confused and outraged.”

Others have called for the university to do more when situations like these arise.

“I want the university to understand that they’re not the people in power in this situation— we are,” said DePaul senior Anais Donald. “You need to listen to us.

There’s a fundamental misunderstanding about who’s MARLEE CHLYSTEK | THE DEPAULIA paying who to do what.” the privilege that The university is making an effort to do just that. At naturally comes with a college degree, universities are a faculty council meeting May 1, Acting Provost Salma a good place to start.

Ghanem said that the university would host a panel “I think it's important for people who are given a discussion about Hill’s comments and the response that platform to start these discussions and to promote the followed, moderated by Carol Marin and featuring four professors. The event is set to be be on Tuesday, May 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., Ghanem said.

Ahmed says that he and other OneVoice members are looking forward to the university and students coming together to discuss how controversial topics can be tackled on campus and hopes that together, they’re able to define what ‘free speech’ looks like at DePaul.

“I do think it's important to make the distinction that freedom of speech is absolutely important, especially on campuses,” Ahmed said. “However, I hope this forum serves as something that marks a distinction between what is considered a conservative voice or a liberal voice and what is considered derogatory, discriminatory and just straight defamation.”

National organizing director of OneVoice Ahmed says he hopes OneVoice can be a leader on campus as students, staff and administration continue to discuss the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and free speech on campus. well-being of other people who may not have that sort of “I think even in the name ‘OneVoice’ itself is luxury, like people who are in an occupied territories,” super powerful, because we all come from different Ahmed said. “I think it's our responsibility to advocate backgrounds and different life experiences, and we for them and to promote their stories and just have their all have different things going on, but we sort of rally voices be heard and projected.” together behind this common purpose,” he said.

As of late, Ahmed says much of the group’s discussion — alongside the rest of the campus — has surrounded the statements DePaul professor Jason Hill in an article made in The Federalist.

“Campus environments were—and continue to all too often—welcome really divisive discourse around the conflict, and on the campuses where we are active, we are addressing that.”

Ethan Bennett

4 | News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

A conversation with Title IX

By Ella Lee & Emma Oxnevad Focus Editor & Asst. News Editor

Jessica Landis, the Title IX coordinator at DePaul, spoke with The DePaulia to offer her perspective on a previous story published about the Title IX office. While our conversation with her shed light on some questions raised by the article, many remained unanswered.

While Landis was unable to comment on certain topics discussed in the story, like individual student testimony, she detailed concerns she had with the content of one of the testimonies laid out in the piece.

In the original article, a DePaul student we named Megan in order to protect her privacy detailed a negative experiences, she had with the Title IX office. In her testimony, she said that she reported a sexual assault by a fellow student in October 2018.

After reporting the assault directly to Title IX via their website, a man who claimed he worked with the Title IX office spoke with her assailant prior to meeting with her, and determined the case could not be taken seriously due to the fact that both students had been under the influence of alcohol.

“I felt very betrayed and honestly, stupid for even trying to report the assault,” Megan said in the original article published on April 22.

Landis said that she has no knowledge of this incident, and that while she could not confirm or deny the student’s testimony to be true, she wanted to acknowledge the fact that the Title IX office did not have anyone who identified as male employed at the time Megan made her report.

She also said that the experience is not what she perceives to be a typical experience with the office.

“It's not the way that we work with

survivors or work with students in general,” she said. “I would want to say that, our definition of consent— you cannot give consent if you are incapacitated by drugs or alcohol. So the response that Megan shared that she received — that's one reason it's concerning. The other part is just making sure that it's important to know that our staff who does this work — we receive trauma informed training, and there's always ways that we can do better.”

Landis said that it is not impossible for an accused student to be contacted by the Title IX investigator before the victim, but it is uncommon.

“I’m not gonna say it would never happen, right? Because I don’t wanna imagine hypotheticals and then it's not accurate or – what we don’t wanna do is set unrealistic expectations for someone, right?,” Landis said. “Again, that’s a scenario that I really have no information about except for what you shared with me and what was in The DePaulia article. So, I don't know the circumstances of that.”

At this time, neither The DePaulia nor Title IX office can confirm whose employee the man Megan spoke to is. When asked if in the preliminary reporting phases whether a report made to the Title IX office might be directed elsewhere before or in lieu of a direct connection with the Title IX office itself, Landis indicated that there is a chance he could belong to another affiliated office. “[The employee who connects with the student first] could potentially be someone else, depending on the nature of the report,” she said. “So it could be Health Promotion and Wellness following up, it could be the Dean of Students Office following up, it could be me.”

Landis confirmed that an example of this might be if she decides a report is “more fitted” to another office.

Another disparity The DePaulia

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL

Title IX Coordinator Jessica Landis

asked Landis to expand on was in regard to a vast jump in anonymous reports of sexual violence detailed between the 2017 and 2018 Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act annual reports.

The reports showed a 548.5 percent increase in anonymous reports made between 2017 and 2018, as there were 33 anonymous reports made in 2017 and 214 in 2018.

When asked what accounts for this large jump in numbers, Landis said that the office was able to “find some additional information from University Counseling Services, which is one of our confidential resources.” She was not able to confirm how that information was found.

“Because I wasn't the person having those conversations the year before, I don't know the answer to that,” Landis said. “I can just tell you when I worked with University Counseling Services this year, and we were having those conversations, we were able to find that information.”

Another aspect of the Title IX story

that The DePaulia asked Landis to comment on related to an incident while Landis was deputy Title IX coordinator at Loyola University. The original article, published by The Loyola Phoenix, detailed a situation where Landis did not inform a student reporting an assault of her ability to give her testimony via a written report, as opposed to an oral report.

While she did not directly address whether students are told upfront that there are multiple methods by which they can report, Landis said that students are able to report in any way they are comfortable and that she is not generally in charge of making students aware of those rights.

“Our goal with survivors is to do whatever they are most comfortable doing and sharing the information,” she said. “...I’m not the person having that conversation typically, but those are the options that students have available.”

Landis said she took issue with the way Title IX and Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) are described in the story, explaining that she felt that it pitted the Title IX office against HPW. “I think every survivor has a different set of needs, right? And the role that HPW plays and the role that Title IX plays — we each have unique roles to play, and then sometimes those roles overlap,” she said “And so sometimes, students will find that what they need is a better fit with Health Promotion and Wellness.

Maybe they don’t want the university involved, maybe they just really wanna talk to someone confidentially — have a place to process and get connected with resources.”

Despite the fact that some questions remain unanswered, Landis indicated that she wanted to keep the issue of sexual violence at the forefront of the conversation at DePaul.

CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: April 24, 2019- April 30, 2019 LOOP CAMPUS

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS Seton Hall 3

Whole Foods DePaul Art Gallery

University Hall

4

5

2

Sheffield Garage 6

DePaul Center 7 8

2 1

7

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS APRIL 24 1) A criminal damage to property report was filed for items taken from several buildings on the Lincoln Park Campus.

2)

A criminal damage to property report was filed for graffiti in front of the Art Gallery.

APRIL 25 3) A bicycle theft report was filed for a bike

taken from the rack at Seton Hall.

Assault & Theft

Drug & Alcohol

Other

LOOP CAMPUS

4) A bicycle theft report was filed for a bike taken APRIL 29 7) A distrubance report was filed for a person from the rack at Whole Foods.

APRIL 26 5) An illegal consumption by a minor report was filed for a person in University Hall. Person was transported to Illinois Masonic by Chicago EMT.

APRIL 27 6) A criminal damage to vehicle report was filed for vehicle damage in Sheffield Garage.

screaming in a building. Chicago Police took the person into custody.

APRIL 30 8) A threats by electronic means report was filed for threats made to students via Twitter.

News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 5

Students stand against hate

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Students chant "What do we want? Censure! When do we want it? Now!" outside the Arts and Letters Building on Thursday at 4:15pm. This protest was in direct response to a controversial article by DePaul philosophy professor Jason Hill.

By Shane Rene & Mackenzie Murtaugh Managing Editor & News Editor

A crowd of students took to the Arts & Letters patio on Wednesday, May 1 in protest of an article written by philosophy professor Jason Hill. The article, published in the right-wing online magazine The Federalist, expressed Hill’s view that Israel has “the moral right” to annex the West Bank and take away the right to vote from Arabs living there.

“Today we are here to stand against hate,” said event organizer Jinan Chehade, a junior public policy major. “We are here to stand against racism and violence. To stand for Vincentian values of dignity and community that DePaul claims to embody, but the administration refuses to do the same.”

The protest sought to stand against racism on campus and demand that DePaul “censure Jason Hill for his heinous statements against marginalized communities immediately,” for “Hill to commit to racial sensitivity training and give an immediate public apology from Hill addressing his conduct that made it difficult for Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims and other marginalized groups to feel safe on campus and freely register for classes,” according to the protest’s Facebook event page.

On Wednesday, May 1, the Faculty Council voted to censure the contents of Hill’s article, which they call “an abuse of his academic freedom.”

“I would like to say that this is a resolution that is primarily about the affirmation of Jason Hill’s academic freedom, while at the same time affirming the Faculty Council’s position that the tone and content of his article were worthy of condemnation,” Council

President Scott Paeth said.

The administration has not taken any formal stance on Hill’s article — President A. Gabriel Esteban wrote in a university-wide letter that states DePaul “holds academic freedom in the highest regard [...] Should faculty be allowed to express a provocative position? The short answer is yes, yet, DePaul aspires to be a community marked by mutual respect, always aware of the potential impact of our words and actions. Both of these outcomes are achievable.”

The letter received backlash on campus and solidified some students’ criticisms that the administration will choose to accept Hill’s comments as “academic freedom.”

“I call on the administration to truly commit to the Vincentian values it claims to embody and condemn professor Jason Hill’s pattern of racist rhetoric and commit him to racial sensitivity training,” Chehade said during the protest. “I remember one of the first things I learned coming to DePaul was these Vincentian values of social justice, community and dignity. And in a way, it made me proud to be from DePaul. However, Jason Hill’s comments are in direct conflict with these values.”

At the moment, the student and faculty criticisms of Hill, his article and the university’s response do not seem like they will go away without more accountability being placed.

“I hope they listen to our demands, and we get a meeting going where we all get to sit at the table and discuss this moving forward, which is the most important thing,” junior Rifqa Falaneh said. “How are we going to move forward from this and recuperate and make DePaul a better and safer campus for people of color?”

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Jinan Chehade, a junior public policy major, speaks at the Anti-Hate protest outside the Arts and Letters building on Thursday. The protest calls for the censorship of DePaul philosophy professor Jason Hill.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Students gathered in support of the Anti-Hate Rally, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and other student organizations.

6| News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

SGA candidates prepare for upcoming election

By Emma Oxnevad Asst. News Editor

Candidates for the Student Government Association (SGA) advocated for their campaigns at the Meet the Candidates event on Friday.

Submissions to apply to run for SGA office were due by May 1, and the election will take place from May 6-9. When asked about the quick turnover for the election, Election and Community Engagement Coordinator Anna Pierce explained the organization has recently focused their attention on the Jason Hill scandal.

“It's just the way it worked this year.

I think we had a lot going on with the Jason Hill situation and so we believed it was more important to put a lot of stress on that situation rather than elections just because students’ voices needed to be heard in this situation,” Pierce said. “We wanted to make sure we were getting a referendum, a resolution out and so we weren’t focusing on the election so then, at the end, we really had to push it.”

Students running for SGA office gathered in the Student Center to speak on their platforms and what they hoped to bring to the organization.

In their speech, candidates for president and vice president Giselle Cervantes and Landon Campbell stated their campaign is focused on “accessibility, sustainability and visibility.”

“One of the initiatives we are focused on is getting free feminine hygiene products on campus,” Campbell said. “It’s something that’s been spoken about for a while but we’re looking to really take care of that early on.”

Cervantes went on to say that their campaign wants to improve accessibility for mental health services on campus.

“Another thing we’re also looking to do is have University Counseling Services offer three free counseling sessions for all students because we believe mental health is a right; it's not a privilege,” Cervantes said. “So everyone should have access to the resources that they need here at DePaul.”

Alexis Pottebaum is a sophomore running for treasurer. She hopes that by having SGA stepping in for funding events, the organization will be able to build a larger presence on campus.

“We find that there are a lot of events we want to do but we need to find a consistent source of funding for them, and so there will kind of be a lull

in between planning ideas and then actually getting a consistent source of funding for them,” Pottebaum said.

“What I think is a good idea is for SGA to be stepping into the interim and being able to fund these types of events for long-term programs so they can be on campus sooner and have a bigger presence on campus, instead of having the lull in between finding long-term funding and actually planning the event.”

Voting for SGA elections ends on May 9 at 5 p.m. and winners will be announced shortly after.

“I joined SGA exactly a year ago and throughout this past year I've served as the senator for the College of Communications,” Campbell said. “I was looking to get involved on campus, but not only as an individual.

I wanted to also partnered up with likeminded individuals who shared that same drive, determination and motivation to make DePaul a better place.”

MARLEE CHLYSTEK | THE DEPAULIA

Giselle Cervantes - President

Landon Campbell - Vice President XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Giselle Cervantes and Landon Campbell are running for president and vice president, respectively. For their campaign, they want to focus on “accessibility, sustainability and visibility,” including providing free feminine hygiene products on campus, more accessible mental health services on campus, and boosting awareness for the Monarch Butterfly Scholarship.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 7

Alexis Pottebaum - Treasurer Alexis Pottebaum is running for treasurer. She would like for SGA to step into the interim for funding on-campus events and continue to have the Student Activity Fee Board (SAF-B) prioritize funding for campus events for SGA.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Misael Alejandre - Executive Vice President of Student Affairs Misael Alejandre is running for Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs.

He would like to make course evaluations available to students in order to increase transparency about courses and professors. Additionally, he wants to promote “diversity and equity” in each college. Alejandre would also like to increase student engagement by way of creating more commuter lounges and expanding on existing student lounges.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Kaitlyn Pike - Executive Vice President of Operations Kaitlyn Pike is running for Executive Vice President of Operations. Pike would like to expand on her current work as Senator for Sustainability by working with student organizations to increase awareness on sustainability initiatives on campus and work with different colleges across Chicago to “create a more robust network for sustainability across Chicago.”

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Kennedy Cadichon - Senator for CSH Kennedy Cadichon is running for the Senator for the College of Science and Health. Cadichon stated she wants she wants to bring developmental workshops to the College of Science and Health to help students “grow as individuals” and create more opportunities for internships and study abroad for students in the College of Science and Health.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Camila Barrientos - Senator for Intercultural Awareness Camila Barrientos is running for Senator for Intercultural Awareness.

Barrientos would like to have DePaul registered as an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Additionally, Barrientos would like to start a quarterly culturefest, in which students of all cultures can make food, listen to music and dance, among other activities.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Piper Law - Senator for Mission and Ministry Piper Law is running for the Senator for Mission and Ministry.

Law is one of the few candidates who is not running unopposed. Law stated that, if elected, she wants to emphasize “what it means to be a Vincentian today” and how to apply Vincentian Values to the daily life of a college student.

XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

8 | News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 FACULTY COUNCIL continued from front “He has the right to his opinion, even if it is not well-argued,” Owen said.

An anonymous representative vocally expressed his concern for students. He asked to remain anonymous because of how fervently he expressed his opinion.

“Their freedom to walk the campus is in danger,” the representative said. He wanted to invite Palestinian students to the discussion but was unable to.

“One of the things that’s important for us to do is to model discourse for our students,” Faculty Council Secretary Kelly Kessler said. She added to her point a mention of the current age of much content being posted online.

“With free speech comes responsibility,” said philosophy professor Peg Birmingham. “We have a responsibility as a faculty to respond to Hill’s argument. I know it can be chilling.”

Acting Provost Salma Ghanem announced that there would be a forum on Tuesday, May 7 to discuss the concerns Hill’s article provoked. “[The forum will be] one of a series of these types of discussions,” Ghanem said. “We need to be able to have these difficult discussions.”

The forum is set to take place 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Cortelyou Commons.

Professors Scott Hibbard, Jason Martin, Scott Paeth and Shailja Sharma plan to participate in the discussion, with journalism professor Carol Marin serving as moderator, Ghanem said.

In addition, professor of political science Valerie Johnson presented a report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

“Differences matter based on parts of the community we’re talking about,” Johnson said in the report.

Johnson said the ethnicity-related problems do not affect the majority of the population.

The majority of the population is ambivalent at best about the issues. The issues can make white people feel both guilty and uncomfortable, she said.

Addressing the issues “goes against the grain,” Johnson said.

“We are socialized to believe we live in a society that is fair,” Johnson said.

“We all want to believe that with all our hearts and souls. We are still working on democracy, equality, fairness and justice for all.”

Johnson said the DePaul community is not immune to problems associated with a racialized society, so there is no reason to act as if it is.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at DePaul are symbolic in that efforts are only event-oriented and speaker-oriented and don’t impact the entire community.

They also don’t address substantive and systemic issues, Johnson said.

In addition, Johnson described Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts as defensive and vilifying of critics.

She described efforts as silencing and delegitimizing, provoking tension, which

DANAKA KATOVICH | COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

Protestors in Arts & Letters Hall on April 24 calling for DePaul to censure Professor Jason Hill for his article in The Federalist. she said is what lands the university in publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“It is well-meaning, but it’s just not easy to do, to confront the status quo,” she said.

Diversity efforts at DePaul are “riskaverse,” Johnson said.

The leadership of the diversity efforts often includes those who are not versed in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Johnson said, and whose views are to “keep the peace rather than confront the problem.”

Because of these characteristics, diverse groups often feel “lonely, devalued or misunderstood,” Johnson said.

“In order to resolve the problem, we must face the problem,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she wants to see more support from the diversity efforts, and accountability and change from those behind the efforts.

“I would like to see love and concern to address the problems affecting diverse groups,” she said.

EDITORIAL continued from front & Letters Hall, calling them “hysterical children” who have taken control of the political discussion on campus.

Students accused Hill of advocating for “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide.”

Hill pushed back against this claim in an interview with The DePaulia and on Carlson’s show by saying that he never said that — which is true.

B u t when white supremacists advocate for a white ethnostate, for example, that is something that cannot be achieved p e a c e f u l l y.

It cannot be accomplished by politely Professor Jason Hill. asking nonwhite people to leave the country that is their home — a place where they have roots, family and friends.

The same principle applies to Hill’s argument regarding the annexation of the West Bank. If Israel begins to move further into the West Bank, Palestinians will not give up their land peacefully.

Israel will be forced to take military action, which would unquestionably result in countless Palestinian deaths.

What Hill and Carlson fail to understand is that students and faculty do not want to censor him. Rather, they want him to apologize for spreading hate speech so publicly and aligning our campus with it. As a tenured professor, when he speaks, he represents DePaul, whether he agrees with that or not.

We are a very diverse campus with students from all cultures and ethnicities.

Student protestors have a point when they say they shouldn’t have to be in fear of signing up for classes and getting stuck with a professor who finds their culture “abysmally inferior,” as Hill wrote of the Palestinians.

The Faculty Council voted to condemn the content of the article as an “abuse of academic freedom” but not condemn Hill himself.

We stand with this vote. We cannot suppress s om e on e’s opinion, no matter its c o n t r o v e r s y.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON HILL It goes against everything we have learned as reporters and students at a large university. Of all places, college marks a time in our lives when we can critique what’s happening around us and create open discussions with individuals who have the opposite stance as us.

As an academic, Hill chose to use his platform to place racist and xenophobic ideology into our campus. As a member of the DePaul community, Hill disregarded his duty to serve his students and colleagues. Hill shouldn’t apologize for his opinions because he has the legal right to free speech, but Hill needs to reevaluate his position as a member of the DePaul community and apologize for abusing his platform.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum CLASSICS MADE MODERN

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News. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 9

21 years of Vincentian service DePaul students gather on the quad for the 21st annual Vincentian Service Day.

AMY DO | THE DEPAULIA

Vincentian Service Day was started in 1998 to celebrate DePaul's centennial. The event exists to help uphold Vincentian values.

By Emma Oxnevad Asst. News Editor

On Saturday, students and faculty gathered in celebration of Vincentian Service Day. Vincentian Service Day first began in 1998, in honor of DePaul’s centennial.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of Vincentian Service Day. Registration for Vincentian Day is on a first come, first serve basis due to capacity limitations at the various service sites.

This year, participants partook in service with community partners in the Chicagoland area and other cities.

The event kicked off at 8:30 a.m. and students, faculty and alumni provided a day of service in honor of Vincentian values.

AMY DO | THE DEPAULIA

Participants at Vincentian Service Day eat a complimentary lunch as a part of the day's activities.

AMY DO | THE DEPAULIA

10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

Nation &World Sri Lanka struggles with fallout after deadly terror attacks

By Brita Hunegs Contributing Writer

On the morning of Easter Sunday, April 21, 29-year-old Meredith Tanner unlocked the door of Prana Lounge, a yoga studio in Sri Lanka’s capital of Colombo.

She went about her usual opening task: turning on the lights, lifting the blinds, practicing poses before clients arrived.

Around 9 a.m., she heard a few sirens in the distance, competing for airspace with the cathedral bells ringing for the holiday.

But, unusually, the blaring noises didn’t stop after a few minutes. They didn’t even stop after an hour.

Information began to trickle in throughout the morning. There was an emergency situation in a nearby hotel — in three nearby hotels. There was an attack on a church. On three. Scores of people injured and dead.

Over 250 people were killed in what authorities later said was a series of targeted suicide bombings on luxury hotels Cinnamon Grand, The Shangri-La and The Kingsbury; and three churches, Shrine of St. Anthony, St. Sebastian and Zion Church. The Islamic State terror group (ISIS) later claimed responsibility. ISIS is thought to have worked in conjunction with National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a local MANISH SWARUP | AP extremist group that didn’t have the means In this Friday, April 26, 2019 file photo, a Sri Lankan Muslim boy looks out from the window of a Mosque before Friday prayers in Colombo, Sri Lanka. to carry out an attack of such magnitude Authorities had told Muslims to pray at home rather than attend communal Friday prayers that are the most important religious service for the faithful. by itself. and is clearly directed at Muslim women, “There was an international network some of whom wear burqas or niqabs, without which these attacks could not garments that cover the face of their have succeeded,” said a Sri Lankan cabinet wearer. There is no evidence that any of the minister, Rajitha Senaratne, in a statement. bombers wore a niqab or burqa.

In the wake of the attacks, the Sri Babcar Mbengue, an Islamic world Lankan government was criticized for studies professor at DePaul, said ISIS failing to act on Indian intelligence is likely hoping to use the attacks and reports that an attack was likely. President any resulting divisions they spark as a Maithripala Sirisena asked for the recruiting tool. “[ISIS wants] to play into resignations of the defense secretary and a global tension antagonism between the inspector general of police; the latter Muslim communities generally, and the refused and was put on compulsory leave. rest of the world — especially the Western “There’s a lot of corruption, bribery, world,” he said. nepotism that goes on,” said Ross Mbengue said a global, concerted Matthews, a 30-year-old Sri Lankan. “It’s all effort must be made to promote the ideas politics and I don’t think they are serving Sri Lanka resident, guide at Prana Lounge yoga studio in Colombo of common humanity and respect for the people, only their own interests.” religious diversity.

Matthews was away from his Colombo It’s been hard for Tanner to reconcile For now, those who remain in Sri apartment when the attacks happened. mile from the yoga studio she helps run.

He’s currently staying with his parents in Had she not had to work on Easter, she her experience within the context of this Lanka feel that their home has undergone the city of Kandy, about 80 miles east of said, they probably would have spent the religious chaos. In the aftermath of the a change. attacks, she’s seen a very different Sri Tanner said that although the island Colombo. He hasn’t yet returned to the holiday there again.

In the days following the terror attacks, Lanka than the harmonious one she’s used feels like like a different place after the capital.

In the immediate aftermath, the thousands of soldiers were dispatched to. She’s seen one of her employees, an attack, she didn’t think twice about leaving.

“This country captivated me and it’s president placed a temporary ban on Wi- across the state to protect public areas and accountant who practices Islam and wears Fi services and social media, intending to religious institutions. Authorities called a hijab, being berated over her faith and home now,” she said. “These things happen all over the world. I have to be vigilant and disway the spread of misinformation. The on worshippers to stay home, and some appearance.

Muslims told reporters they feared reprisal “She stepped out after the attack [and] careful, but I’m not going to pack up my block was lifted after eight days. people started yelling at her saying, ‘Your bag just because this happened.”

Tanner, a native of Florida, originally attacks. Many reported being harassed.

William Cavanaugh, a professor of people did this.’ She got into an elevator But every time she has to get searched only planned on vacationing in Sri Lanka for two months; that was two years ago, Catholic Studies at DePaul and author of and everyone stepped out. Taxi drivers at the grocery store, or watch people she knows leave the country, she’s reminded of and she now calls the South Asian country the book “The Myth of Religious Violence,” won’t pick her up,” Tanner said. said that Sirisena, the country’s president, Tanner said the girl also asked her if the the new reality in Sri Lanka. Just last week a home.

“Everyone shares each other’s religion had been working toward harmony among yoga studio was ashamed to have people see friend of hers in the country on a Fulbright here,” Tanner said. “I always thought that the different ethnic groups in the wake of a her working there, and if Tanner though Scholarship had her Visa revoked by the was really beautiful. The country honors 30-year civil war. That conflict, between the their coworker, a religious Christian, U.S. Embassy; the Embassy on April 26 every religious holiday, no matter if it’s government and Tamil separatists, ended would be mad at her. An Australian man raised its travel advisory to level 3, ordering Ramadan or Christmas, Easter or Buddha’s in 2009. He said the Easter bombings had Tanner knows who converted to Islam after school-age family members of government birthday, and everyone celebrates a bit less to do with grassroots instability and marrying his Sri Lankan wife has faced so employees to leave and authorizing more with ISIS grappling to maintain a much abuse he’s leaving. voluntary departures for non-emergency together.”

On Monday, April 29th, Sirisena personnel and their family members.

In Sri Lanka, Hindu temples co-exist stronghold.

“ISIS wants conflict and this is one way invoked a ban on “all forms of face “It saddens me because I don’t think next to Christian cathedrals, and speakers are set up in cities throughout the country to get it,” he said. “The relationships among covers that may hinder one’s identity things are going to be normal here for a so that the Islamic prayer, the adhan, can the different religious groups in Sri Lanka, been ascertained, as a threat to national very long time,” Tanner said. since 2015, are better than they’ve been in security and public safety,” according to a be heard by all. presidential statement.

Tanner and her boyfriend spent decades.”

“This is a step back,” he conceded.

Cavanaugh said this is an overreaction Christmas at the Cinnamon Grand, just a

"Everyone shares each other's religion here. I always thought that was really beautiful. The country honors every religious holiday ... and everyone celebrates a bit together."

Meredith Tanner

Nation & World. May 6, 2019. The DePaulia | 11

Spanish elections: Socialists gain seats, still short of a majority

By Bella Michaels Contributing Writer

As predicted by a number of preelection pollsters, Spain’s center-left Socialist Party, PSOE, emerged on Sunday, April 28 with 29 percent of the vote, failing to gain a majority, and the nationalist Vox Party scored seats in the Spanish parliament — the first far-right party to do so since 1982.

The Socialists greatly increased their seats to 123 in the 350-seat parliament, a large improvement from the 85 seats they held in 2016.

However, for an absolute majority, PSOE would need the support of smaller parties like Unidas Podemos and regional parties like the Basque nationalists or Catalan separatists.

Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s 47-year-old prime minister and Socialist Party leader, must now combine forces with other parties to form a coalition government.

Left-wing Podemos is the most willing to form a coalition, while the right-wing parties have ruled out cooperating with Sánchez.

But even with the alliance of PSOE and Podemos, they would not reach a majority of their own — so they have to rely on at least one other party’s support to pass legislation.

The national elections are Spain’s third since 2015.

They came in the wake of a sudden change of government last June, when former Prime Minister and center-right Partido Popular (PP) leader Mariano Rajoy

BERNAT ARMANGUE | AP Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez smiles during a campaign event in Toledo, Spain, Friday, April 26, 2019. His Socialist Party took 29 percent of the vote in the Sunday, April 28 elections.

was ousted in a no-confidence vote amid a series of corruption allegations. Sánchez, who introduced the motion to unseat him, became the new PM. “People are tired of Partido Popular because they are just so corrupt and they robbed a lot of money from the Spanish people,” said Manuel Alva, who lives in Malaga in southern Spain and supports Ciudadanos.

“I am relieved that the far-right wing party didn’t do better, because a lot of us were afraid that they would gain more seats,” said Glen Carman, Spanish program director at DePaul. “It’s bad to see them

entering into the fray, but most of the seats they got were also among the other rightwing parties — so they didn’t gain too much ground.”

But others are upset to see Sánchez and the Socialists strengthen their hold on government.

“The results of the election are truly sad. I think all we can do now is wait to see what happens,” said José Luis Sánchez Pando, sports editor at Chicago Tribune’s Spanish-language newspaper Hoy, who hails from Seville in the southwest of the country. “Pedro Sánchez is a liar. One day he says something and the next day he says

the opposite. The only thing that matters to him is gaining power at any cost.”

Unlike the United States, Spain has a multiparty system at the national and regional levels. Its five dominant political parties are PSOE, center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens), center-right PP and right-wing Vox. Because of its structure, it is difficult for a coalition to achieve an electoral majority because the regional parties are strong within the autonomous communities of Spain, such as the Basque Country and Catalonia, which wants independence from Spain. Talks about forming a coalition could last for weeks because of the local and European Parliament elections in late May; the government might not be formed until June or July.

“The results didn’t really surprise me,” said DePaul environmental science student Andres Carrera, who is from Madrid.

“We’ve had enough elections in the last couple years, and the Spanish people were so disappointed in the previous government, so this time they just wanted a clear government that could put an end to the corruption that we had. The truth is that I blame Partido Popular for these election results.”

Sanchez Pando, the sports editor, said he believes it will be tough to create a coalition.

“The coalition we’re talking about is an authentic bomb — because you have a guy whose only desire is power,” he said.

“If he forms together with these people, they’re not going to give him their support for free. They’re going to want something in return.”

Two Navy recruits dead after training at Lake County bootcamp

By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor

The U.S. Navy is grappling with a variety of internal problems of late, ranging from ex-SEAL commander Eddie Gallagher’s arrest for war crimes to two 2017 ship collisions that resulted in the deaths of 17 sailors — crashes deemed “avoidable” by the Navy itself.

Now, the Navy is facing issues at the recruit level following the deaths of two aspiring Seamen at the Recruit Training Center Great Lakes, about an hour north of the city outside of Lake Forest. The two recruits, Kelsey Nobles, 18, and Kierra Evans, 20, both died during physical fitness tests — and both were mere weeks away from graduation.

“The Navy is conducting an investigation into Seaman Recruit Nobles’s death, as it does for all sailors who pass away on active duty,” said Lt. Joseph Pfaff, Public Affairs Officer for RTC Great Lakes. “The investigation into this tragedy will absolutely include investigation into linkages between this and Seaman Recruit Evan’s death in February.”

According to Pfaff, these tests comprise the standard physical fitness evaluation given to all recruits prior to

PHOTOS COURTESY OF U.S. NAVY LEFT: Seaman recruit Kierra Evans, 20. RIGHT: Seaman recruit Kelsey Nobles, 18. Both died this year while training at RTC Great Lakes.

their graduation, as well as to all sailors periodically throughout their careers.

Quade Compton, a former Marine Corps Sergeant, attended the threemonth Marine Corps boot camp from July to September 2013. He describes the military’s physical training as grueling but but essential.

“I was in the best shape of my life coming out of boot camp,” he said. “All we did was prepare.”

Compton also notes that there may be oversights in the recruit intake process that contribute to deaths like these.

“I do know that there's a lot of preexisting medical conditions that recruits may have that aren't brought up to anyone during boot camp because they want to keep going and they want to progress and graduate,” he said. “So those medical conditions could flare up and it could cause issues. I know that that is definitely something that happens.”

Compton said he felt that the military took care of him and his fellow Marines while he was on active duty.

“As far as the treatment by the drill instructors within boot camp, I don't think there's anything detrimental to anybody's health to where people are dying,” he said.

“I don't think that's something common.”

A 2004 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined all sudden recruit deaths over a 25-year period.

The study concluded that, “Cardiac abnormalities are the leading identifiable cause of sudden death among military recruits; however, more than one third of sudden deaths remain unexplained after detailed medical investigation.” While the authors acknowledged that military recruit mortality rates are lower than the same-age civilian population in the U.S., preventative measures can still be taken to lessen the risk of in-training deaths and increase the ability to identify emerging threats during

basic training.

A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that over the course of two decades, there were 15 sudden deaths of female recruits who entered basic military training — the leading cause of which was sudden death despite a structurally normal heart. The rate of death was also significantly higher for African-American female recruits compared with everyone else.

Pfaff, the army public affairs officer, emphasized that the Navy’s position is the primary caretaker of hundreds of thousands of sailors who have committed themselves to a career in the branch.

“The Navy and Recruit Training Command take the welfare of our recruits and sailors very seriously and are investigating the cause of this tragic loss,” he said.

12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

Opinions Cultural Appreciation

Navigating the gray areas between appropriation and appreciation

SOPHIA GERMER | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two members of the 9th Ward Black Hatchet Mardi Gras Indians parade through the New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival. A centuries-old African-American practice, Mardi Gras Indians have come under scrutiny for their adoption of Native American garb. Practitioners named themselves after natives because of historical native assistance in escaping slavery.

By Stacey Sheridan Contributing Writer

A few weeks back, on an unreasonably snowy April Sunday, I attended a first birthday party, the theme of which was “First Fiesta!” — it was adorable; everything was bright and cheery. There were three different kinds of tacos and an assortment of imported Mexican beers. Guests chatted over chips and guacamole while sipping homemade margaritas. On that wet, cold day, we were almost able to pretend that we weren’t stuck in a seemingly perpetual Chicago winter, but on a beach south of the border. I was having a great time. Until it was time for the birthday boy to eat his cake.

There was nothing wrong with the cake itself, although to gourmands, confetti cake may be slightly offensive to their sophisticated palates. What gave me pause was the tiny little sombrero adorned with a “1” that the parents put on the baby’s head. The family had zero Mexican blood in their ancestry, so I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is this okay?” While the baby looked as cute as a button in his sombrero, I refrained from taking any pictures of him eating his birthday cake.

Others, however, didn’t seem to have the same worries as I did; everyone was snapping pictures left and right. Not wanting to draw attention to the fact that I wasn’t documenting this momentous occasion in the baby’s life, I retreated to where I’ve always felt safest: the kitchen. Over my second (okay, fourth or fifth) taco, I tried to push my concern aside. The parents, I know, would never do anything intentionally offensive, but it seemed like the sombrero could be just a tad bit culturally appropriative.

Fast-forward to a few weeks later when I was

walking with a friend, who just so happens to be Mexican-American. As two budding journalists, our conversational topics sometimes veer into social issues and today I was telling her about the piece I was writing on cultural appropriation. I told her about the birthday party and, of course, the little sombrero. To my relief, she didn’t think it sounded like cultural appropriation. “They weren’t mocking Mexican culture,” she said. “They were celebrating it.” In other words: The parents’ intentions were good.

Intent and cultural appropriation go hand-inhand. At the 2019 Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence Awards luncheon, The New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet offered a bit of his own personal insight in regard to cultural appropriation.

When one student asked Baquet whether the tradition of Mardi Gras Indians in his native New Orleans constituted appropriation, Baquet’s answer proved my personal theory. “I think it’s intent,” said Baquet.

During Mardi Gras, groups — called “tribes”— of African-American people dress up in intricate, handsewn Native American regalia, replete with beads and feathers. The tribes march through the streets of New Orleans. The practice is centuries old. There are about 38 different tribes. It is a significant part of both Mardi Gras and New Orleans culture as a whole. “It has a completely different meaning that’s not only accepted, but embraced by the black community in New Orleans,” Baquet said of the practice. “I think in the more recent examples of blackface by politicians in Virginia, the intent was quite different.”

The intent behind wearing blackface is obviously to degrade African-American people, but intent isn’t always easily identifiable. Maybe it is the intention of the Mardi

Gras Indians to preserve their own special Mardi Gras tradition or perhaps to show camaraderie with Native Americans, another historically marginalized group. But if you type into the Google search bar the terms “Mardi Gras Indians” and “appropriation,” you’ll get numerous results arguing that it is, in fact, cultural appropriation.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to identifying what is cultural appropriation or intent behind actions that could potentially be perceived as appropriative.

Cultural appropriation means something different to each individual. I am by no means an expert on the matter. In fact, I am aware of how ridiculous it is for a white person, as I am, to be writing about cultural appropriation when white people reign supreme in appropriating cultures.

However, I really want to know more about it, so I make a point to continuously educate myself on cultural appropriation. And there will always be opportunities to do so because I believe that cultural appropriation is an ever-evolving concept.

There are a lot of gray areas. Not everyone will understand that your intentions were honorable. The line blurs between what is and isn’t appropriation. If a little boy who isn’t black wants to dress up as Frederick Douglass for his school’s historical figure day because he admires Douglass, he absolutely should, so long as he or his parents aren’t covering his face in dark makeup.

If you want to wear suede moccasins because they’re comfortable and you like them, go for it. Just don’t wear a Native American ceremonial feather headdress, especially not to a music festival. I don’t think that cultural appropriation is ever a good thing, but I do believe that cultural appreciation is. We just have to be sensitive in how we choose to show our appreciation.

The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of The DePaulia staff.

Opinions. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 13

The case for saving capitalism

The Left flirts with democratic socialism, but the answer lies somewhere in the middle

By Evan Sully Staff Writer

The U.S. currently has the largest economy in the world, thanks to corporations that conduct business in financial services, healthcare, technology and even retail. Despite the economic prosperity that some politicians and Americans say that we have, more people than not are getting left behind.

The American Dream in our current system is not working for everyone as it should be. College students and young adults especially are being hit the hardest while facing stagnant wages, soaring costs of living and a $1.5 trillion student loan crisis that may never be solved.

Stephen Moore, one of President Trump’s economic advisors, was quoted last month saying that he would choose capitalism over democracy when picking between both options. In response, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg hit back with the opposite idea.

“I would say the reverse ought to be true — that at the end of the day, we prioritize democracy,” Buttigieg said during an interview with CNN. “I think the reason we're having this argument over socialism and capitalism is that capitalism has let a lot of people down.”

Buttigieg has a fair point. When “authoritarian capitalism” runs amok, Buttigieg says a society ends up like Russia—full of exploitative oligarchs.

He endorsed a form of “democratic capitalism,” perhaps giving an interesting counterargument to the common rightwing argument that Democratic economic policies will lead to catastrophic failures

like we see in the socialist state Venezuela.

“I feel like capitalism isn’t a horrible system, but definitely has some negative impacts,” said Josh Clayton, a DePaul junior studying political science. “The inflated tuition prices of colleges puts a lot of pressure on young people to take out loans and work during school, or just not go at all. I feel like prices of products have increased exponentially while wages have been left behind.”

According to data sets from the University of Michigan and Deutsche Bank Global Research, 2018 was the first time Americans younger than 35 said that they have less consumer confidence than those aged 55 and over. This is a profound change — previous generations felt life would be good, and the current generation largely does not feel like that.

There’s also reason to be concerned about economic prospects in the future.

According to a 2017 Pew Research Center study, only 37 percent of Americans believe that today’s children will grow up to be better off financially than their parents. Comparably, it found that 49 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds believe that the next generation will be worse off.

Some Democratic politicians, including Bernie Sanders and most recently Elizabeth Warren, have proposed policy ideas to completely wipe out college debt. But an independent analysis of Warren’s student loan relief plan found that it would mostly help middle-income borrowers.

Junior Jack O’Connor agrees with the idea of tuition prices being lowered at public universities but thinks it would be tough for private colleges to do the same

thing.

“I’m 100 percent on board with that because education is very important,” he said. “I do think it’s possible and I think there are ways of doing it, but I think that it would be very difficult.”

Perhaps money in capitalism could be allocated to different resources.

Consequently, millennials are struggling to afford basic necessities despite a strong labor market.

“I would say student loan debt, combined with the ratio of recent graduates to available jobs, can affect things like being approved for a mortgage, as well BEBETO MATTHEWS | ASSOCIATED PRESS as buying anything Pete Buttigieg listens during a lunch meeting in Harlem with civil valuable, like a car,” rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton. said DePaul senior Aurora Lawrie. “I think even if a perfect system doesn’t exist, that that money would be better spent on doesn’t mean the current system can’t be education and on rehabilitating people changed. who have committed crimes.”

Democracy and capitalism are Even if you lean to the right on adequate systems, but it’s time that economic issues, it should be evident that Americans take a step forward and our system needs to be tweaked in order collaborate on ways in which we can to fit the needs of everyone. I don’t believe develop a system that doesn’t just work for that socialism and free college tuition, a few people at the top. for example, will necessarily make things better or more equal for young adults. But

Damned if they do, damned if they don't After Warren breaks the taboo on impeachment, Democrats need to take a hard look at strategy

By Cole Bursch Contributing writer

Elizabeth Warren took a bold stance in an April 19 tweet by calling for Congress to begin the impeachment process on President Trump. In the wake of a redacted version of the Mueller Report going public, many Democratic presidential hopefuls are avoiding taking a firm stance on impeachment. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris are some of the only major candidates that have called on Congress to take steps toward impeachment. If Democrats want to avoid a Trump re-election, they should focus more on the information from the report that benefits their campaigns and less on the politically dangerous process of impeachment.

First, the process of impeachment will not be swift and politically successful if the Republicans control the Senate and the Democrats stay divided on the issue. If Elizabeth Warren wants to set herself apart in the race for the presidency, she should try other strategies besides calling for an impeachment.

“In the last primary debate, Warren spoke about the checks and balances process and the role that impeachment plays in that. She is right,” said DePaul political science professor Ben Epstein.

“However, if the question is only about helping a Democratic candidate win in 2020, then I don't think impeachment proceedings are a strong political move. They would focus much of the attention in that direction and give Trump exactly what he wants most; an opposition that he can say is unfairly trying to single him out and take him down.”

According to Epstein, another significant argument against impeachment is the way it would play into Trump’s political strategies — some of which are the most divisive in history. “Trump stokes fear and plays to his base almost completely. He is about ‘us versus them’ and he is very successful,” Epstein said.

“Calling for impeachment would be a much

bigger and more obvious ‘us versus them’ than the Mueller Report and would speak to many of the ideas of opposition from the Democratic party that he is constantly relaying to his supporters.”

When Warren and other Democratic candidates stray from their campaigns’ objectives and start using tactics that stoke distrust in Trump instead of trust in them as a candidate, they lose originality. The report is vast and offers up so many different avenues besides impeachment

that could potentially be used as fuel for potential Democratic nominees. For example, Trump potentially obstructed justice and asked multiple members of his cabinet to commit illegal acts. Those are not qualities of a transparent and honest leader, so instead of stating how impeachment will hold the president accountable and lead to Democratic victory in 2020, which is not certain whatsoever, candidates should use their own strengths of transparency and honesty to counter Trump’s faults in the report.

Thomas Bowen of New Chicago Consulting, a political campaign consulting firm, reiterated the seriousness and political danger Warren would be pursuing in impeachment.

“Impeachment is the most serious act allowed in our form of government and it's never successfully happened in our history," said Bowen. "So candidates would do well to take the challenge very seriously and responsibly with the American people.”

"The responsibility that Warren is undertaking by personally calling for impeachment is a heavy load that historically leads to conflict and takes away from the actual campaign," Bowen said.

In a recent editorial in the Washington Post by Hillary Clinton, a former New York senator and Democratic presidential nominee of 2016, she stated that “while House Democrats pursue these efforts, they also should stay focused on the sensible agenda that voters demanded in the midterms, from protecting healthcare to investing in infrastructure.” This further supports the notion that rushing toward a stance of impeachment will not benefit the Democratic candidates. If the Democrats want to win the 2020 election, they need a vision that supports justice where it is due, but they also need an agenda that taps into the actual problems plaguing the country as a whole.

14 | Focus. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

Focus

The Evolution of YouTube How YouTube has changed in recent years and the controversies that have helped shape it Gianfranco Ocampo Contributing Writer

With the release of PewDiePie’s (Felix Kjellberg’s) video “Ending the Subscribe to PewDiePie Meme� on April 28, he signaled the end of not only the battle for the most subscribed YouTuber, but also confirming the changing of the guard of the YouTube platform that many of us have recognized. The T-Series vs. PewDiePie subscriber war for the spot as most subscribed YouTuber may have led to numerous enjoyable moments. However, YouTube’s creators struggle to produce and profit off of content, and YouTube is in a situation where the culture war is centerfold on its platform.

YouTubers’ long-term prospects can’t be mentioned without highlighting the ongoing situation that has plagued the platform since early 2017. Dubbed as the “Adpocalypse� by the YouTube community, numerous advertising companies had cut ties with YouTube. For many content creators at the time, revenue from advertisements on their video was the

bulk of their income.

A major reason for the Adpocalypse at the time was often attributed to PewDiePie, because he was criticized by media outlets, most notably the Wall Street Journal, as espousing anti-Semitic rhetoric in many of his videos.

This resulted in him losing his partnership with Disney.

The incident was covered at large by the YouTube community alongside mainstream news outlets which, at the time, were varied.

Many blamed PewDiePie for causing the Adpocalypse while others rushed to his defense.

In retrospect, the incident has had numerous effects on the platform today. “A lot of people misinterpret the PewDiePie incident. I don’t think he fully affected the website. It was a stepping stone to something bigger,� said Quinton Reviews, a Youtuber that oftentimes reviews YouTube phenomena, reflecting back on the situation. “What happened was that for some time, PewDiePie had had a lot of hit pieces written about him. It got to the point where he started, as a joke, to include a lot of humor that tried

to mock that sort of thing. There was a video where he jokingly implied he was a Nazi. If you were fully caught up, you fully understood it wasn’t serious.�

The Right Opinion, a YouTube channel that focuses on documentary-style analysis of YouTube phenomena, argues that the Adpocalypse occurred not necessarily because of PewDiePie, but in conjunction with the incident. Rather, the problem was that around the same time, numerous articles by the mainstream media covered the fact that many advertisements were played in videos that featured ISIS propaganda. “With PewDiePie, the worst possible thing was his instance brought attention to the state of the platform of the time. But he was not the reason all the advertisers left,� he said. “It was necessary in many advertisers’ eyes to remove their support. They didn’t want to be seen next to terrorist content because people may feel they are being associated with that content.�

Though PewDiePie’s actions on the platform were put on full display, other, more subtle effects began to take place as a result of

Focus. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 15

Up next

Sanitized YouTube

To diffuse the situation with advertisers in response to the Adpocalypse, YouTube began to turn toward corporate media, celebrities and strongly promote harmless content. YouTubers, most notably PewDiePie, who the platform backed in the past, were soon distanced.

“They moved away from the independent creator and toward corporate creators, with guys like Colbert and Corden because they want to be safer to advertisers,” said Ethan Ralph, host of internet show The Ralph Retort. “You’ve had people that no one has heard and they’re suddenly famous.

Those people might use the n-word and advertisers get nervous. They can trust these corporate entertainers—they’re more stable. They have more respect for the leash they’re on more than PewDiePie. “YouTube wants to present themselves as a platform that can appeal to all demographics. Depending on who you are when you click on the homepage, you’ll see something different, YouTube caters to that,” The Right Opinion said. “It’s hard to say what YouTube wants. If you look at YouTube rewind you see what they’ve done there.”

To Samantha Close, associate professor at DePaul, the move is not a necessary one; the strategy YouTube is attempting is to also compete with rival media platforms.

“It’s taking away from what made it popular and groundbreaking at the beginning. The ‘you’ in YouTube is becoming less relevant,” said Samantha Close, associate professor at DePaul, criticizing the move. “It’s a decision that the folks in charge of YouTube is making. They see themselves in competition with Netflix, which is a different business model. The strength they got is a different kind of content. It’s vlogs and more independent creators. It makes me sad to [see] them going that way. They’re losing out what made them a successful platform.”

Rise of Far Right Politics

The Adpocalypse had also occurred at the dawn of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory.

With a Republican president about to take a seat in the oval office, the rhetoric was ready to change.

“Donald Trump had a strong social media following, and he was very active. As a result, you had more right wing political figures be so active on social media,” said Lauren Placek, a viewer of right-wing content. “So many people became interested in expressing their views online. There were right-wing Youtubers who felt there hadn’t been a fair right-wing voice, so they have been putting their own views online.”

However, the circumstances surrounding PewDiePie would have as much of an effect on rightwing politics on the platform.

“The problem was two groups didn’t get PewDiePie’s jokes—one was the mainstream media; one group was white supremacists. Both groups were fully convinced that he was non-ironically a Nazi and he was hiding it. The media attacked him for this saying that he was unironically spreading white supremacy rhetoric. The white supremacists treated him as a martyr,” Quinton said. “The major point was he normalized rhetoric. By constantly including those sorts of things in his videos, he was making a scenario where real-life white supremacists could use his face and his words to support their own horrible rhetoric.”

Ethan Ralph, whose online show has often had right-wing guests, argued in a phone interview that the right-wing politics have faced a constant takedown of their channels. This has been considered on YouTube as de-platforming, “I think the media and the activists are desperate to get back their gatekeeper role,” Ralph said.

“Now it’s a different ballgame. You can make a YouTube video to get an audience or fire up your blog to get people to read their stuff. They don’t like this stuff because they can’t control I it?. They know they can’t fully put it back in the bottle, but the best way to kind of get their credibility or power back is to attack people’s money, kick people off Patreon or PayPal. They say they do it to everyone, but you look at the list of people who they de-platform and it leans heavily towards the right.”

Demonetization on a Large Scale

Issues on the platform since the Adpocalypse have affected YouTubers on such a large scale that it affects even the side of YouTube apolitical and noncontroversial. Youtubers across the board have suffered demonetization more frequently. Just like with how YouTube decides which videos to promote, monetization is also tied to an algorithm. Topics that may seem controversial but handled mildly have the potential to be demonetized.

“It’s one thing if a YouTube channel is promoting Nazism or racism. But there’s other videos out there that speak against that,” Placek said. “Suicide is a big topic too. Even if it’s a video that’s supposed to be helpful and not spreading hate, those videos will get demonetized or taken just because it mentions certain topics.”

“The tricky situation isn’t just making content, it’s making content that satisfies a mysterious, mechanical force which controls everything about our professional career and the way I pay my bills,” Quinton Reviews said.

Another common problem attached with demonetization is once a video is published, the video may initially be uploaded as being demonetized based on the algorithm. A solution is to appeal for monetization by having it manually reviewed. The problem is even if the video is approved, it can not only take days, but once it’s monetized most of the bulk of views the video would have received has happened. The creator is not compensated for the views gained during demonetization.

The system has been in place for a while now and has had little change since implementation.

“I feel like they’re currently not looking for nuance and therefore they will continue to be criticized because they will be demonetizing videos that cover topics really well and they demonetize it just because it may be a bit insensitive, and that’s silly,” The Right Opinion said.

GRAPHICS BY MARLEE CHLYSTEK

16 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

Arts & Life

Artist reveal sparks mixed reactions

ALL PHOTOS BY XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA

Students celebrate the announcement of Lil Yatchy as the headliner for DePaul Fest. This Fest reveal party was held in the Student Center and Fest 2019 will take place May 24.

By Erica Carbajal Contributing Writer

This year’s annual FEST will take place on May 24 in the Quad with throwback artist 3OH!3 as the opener and rapper Lil Yachty as the headliner. Students gathered in lines for ice cream and giveaway contests at the Student Center on May 2 as they awaited the announcement of this year’s FEST concert performers, and expressed mixed feelings after the reveal.

FEST is DePaul’s end-of-the year concert event that brings in two artists to perform at an affordable price for students. Artists from the past few FEST events include Jesse McCartney, Logic, ASAP Ferg and BJ The Chicago Kid. As they eagerly awaited the artist reveal announcement, students danced to “Fergalicious” and registered for a chance to win Ariana Grande tickets by answering questions on how to stay safe at FEST this year.

When 3OH!3 and Lil Yachty were revealed as this year’s performers, many students in the crowd cheered in excitement at the news.

“I’ll be there,” said, Molly Katz, a DePaul freshman.

Kiana Gilzow, DePaul junior who has attended FEST before, said she appreciates the throwback artists that the event has recently brought in.

“FEST is a great price for a concert and is a fun event to attend with friends...I liked seeing kind of a throwback artist like Jesse McCartney,” she said.

Others didn’t reciprocate this level of enthusiasm and said it reinforces their decision not to attend.

A DePaul junior, who would like to remain anonymous for fear of potential repercussions impacting her employment, hasn’t been to FEST during her time at DePaul because she hasn’t been happy with the recent performer choices.

“I’ve not been to FEST because I don’t like this new mumble rapper phase

"I’ve not been to FEST because I don’t like this new mumble rapper phase we seem to be in. It feels like they’re trying to appeal to people, but not actually listening.

Mumble rap isn’t what I want.”"

Anonymous DePaul junior

IMAGE COURTESY OF DEPAUL ACTIVITIES BOARD

This year's official FEST 2019 logo. we seem to be in,” she said. “It feels like they’re trying to appeal to people, but not actually listening. Mumble rap isn’t what I want.”

She also noted the lack of female performers in recent years. “...the lack of female artists is not lost on me,” she said.

Alayna Meyers, a DePaul freshman, said she’ll be there since many of her friends plan on going, but is indifferent to the artists.

“I don’t know who that is,” she said.

A student poll with a list of potential FEST performers is conducted every year to try and gauge which genres and artists students would be most interested in. This year’s poll was shared on social media back in September, and included a long list of artists from a variety of genres including The 1975, Kesha, Louis the Child and Harry Styles as potential choices in the headliner category.

If DePaul had an unlimited budget to hire any artists, Katz said, “I’d like to see Rihanna.”

Rigo Gutierrez, program coordinator for campus activities and the adviser for the DePaul Activities Board (DAB) said while considering student interest in artist selection is important, the budget is another vital factor.

“We start planning as early as October or November by starting with prices and who’s available,” he said.

DePaul used to offer FEST tickets to one guest per student and stopped in recent years. This is the first year they’re reintroducing guest tickets as an option for purchase.

“This year we are reinstating it just because we think it adds a lot to the experience...students who have somebody who doesn’t go to DePaul that they might want to bring as a guest, that might make a change in their decision to not come,” Gutierrez said.

Doors will open at 4 p.m. and the show will start at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the show will still go on at McGrath arena. The early bird $5 special for tickets ended before the artist reveal event. Tickets are now $10 for both students and guests, and an after-hours gathering will follow at the Lincoln Park Student Center.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 17

Left: Students await the annoucement of the DePaul FEST headliner with arts and crafts in the Student Center.

Right: A student paints a record during the FEST Reveal Party at the on Thursday night.

THE BIG REVEAL Photos by Xavier Ortega The DePaul FEST Reveal party announces 3OH!3 as the opener for Lil Yatchy for DePaul FEST 2019.

Left: Students get the opportunity to guess which artist will headline DePaul FEST and receive a special meet and greet with that artist. Right: Students gather in the Student Center for the DePaul FEST Reveal Party. Some of the activities included painting a record, an ice cream sundae bar, and music.

"The Last Summer"

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

A conversation with those behind Netflix's new coming-of-age flick

By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor

The few months following your high school graduation before whatever your next step is a unique time period in that drastic change is imminent and the future remains uncertain while you’re also enjoying the last bit of unbridled freedom before adulthood. “The Last Summer,” a Chicago-set coming-of-age film is a new Netflix movie that takes an detailed look at what this time means for different people.

After taking a few years off from directing to focus on other projects, William Bindley, the film’s director, producer and writer, returned to the city in which he grew up to make his next movie.

After watching other Chicago-set films growing up, namely “Risky Business” and the work of John Hughes, Bindley wanted to create a deeply relatable coming-of-age story.

And of course a film set in Chicago wouldn’t be complete without a scene or two at Wrigley Field, all completed in one 20-hour day of filming.

“Filming at Wrigley was one of the greatest experiences, professionally and non-professionally I've ever had,” Bindley said.

Written in collaboration with his brother, Scott Bindley, the brothers focused on a specific time in life that would be most universal to the most amount of people.

“Scott and I really wanted to focus on that time period when young people are trying to figure out who they are and I think that's the best version of the coming-of-age film,” Bindley said. “I was just hoping that we could have a balance of what's fun about that time period but also what's serious about it.”

In the process, “The Last Summer” also highlights some of today’s most promising young stars as we follow intertwining storylines within a group of recent high school graduates. The cast includes “Riverdale” star KJ Apa, Maia

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Jacob Latimore as Alec in "The Last Summer," Netlfix's newest film.

Mitchell from “The Fosters,” Tyler Posey from MTV’s “Teen Wolf ” and “The Chi’s” Jacob Latimore.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Tyler Posey as a young Cubs player in "The Last Summer."

Because of the bustling careers of the star-studded young cast, the logistics of scheduling for the film proved a significant

challenge, Bindley said. Similarly, the sheer number of characters in the story complicated the production and coordination between all the sets.

Latimore plays Alec in the film, a hardworking kid dealing with a recent heartbreak. After working in a variety of heavier roles, he was excited to dive into a lighter, more comedic role in “The Last Summer.”

“I think I'm naturally a goofy person in my real life and I tried to give some sort of comedic relief, I think, but most of all I just wanted to ground the character,” Latimore said. “I wanted to just make this character feel absolutely real. That was my main goal and whatever comedy came out of it just kind of came.”

Notably, Alec is one of few black kids in “The Last Summer” meaning his friends, classmates and love interests are all predominantly white. For Latimore, this provided an even more interesting acting opportunity when it came to playing the character. Luckily, he was able to lean on his personal experiences and friendships to understand the role more intimately.

“I think my own reality has kind of helped me in that way because I have so many different types of friends,” he said “There's a lot of black kids I know that just grew up in these white communities. They have a lot of white friends, they go to a white high school and have white girlfriends.

That's just their lifestyle and that's okay.”

“I wanted [Alec] to seem intelligent and articulate without trying to be another race,” he continued.

Most importantly according to both Latimore and Bindley, “The Last Summer” has something for everyone, regardless of where you are in life, but especially if you’re currently in a similar period of uncertainty.

“The people in that age group who’ve seen the movie, the one word that has come back is they've called it real,” Bindley said. “And they've felt like it was honest. An honest representation of where they are and the kinds of things they're thinking about.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Maia Mitchell and KJ Apa in "The Last Summer," now streaming on Netflix.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 19

Spuds provide perfect side for any plate

MARLEE CHYLSTEK | THE DEPAULIA

By Keira Wingate Contributing Writer

Whether it be a midnight snack or a holiday meal, potatoes give you many options to choose from, bringing you an instant rush of joy and a carb overload.

Potatoes are the superhero of any meal, and each time they end up saving the day.

You may be wondering how potatoes are even remotely related to superheroes, but think about it for a second. What saves a bad burger better than french fries? On top of that, don't forget the variety of french fries. There is string, waffle, steak, crinkle, curly; the possibilities are truly endless.

There is a type of potato for every meal of the day, breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. It's comparable to when Batman saved Gotham City for the millionth time and everyone was overjoyed. Now compare that to your boring morning omelet that was saved by the crispy, golden pile of hash browns you didn't think you needed, but did.

"I think that baked potatoes are one of the best sides," said Abigail Kayman, a senior at DePaul. "They go with basically everything. Salad? Baked potato. Fish?

Baked potato. Burger? Baked potato. Come on. So good."

Potatoes are definitely America’s favorite vegetable,with every person consuming about 110 pounds of potatoes a year. Ever wonder how many chips you eat while watching Black Panther save Wakanda? Let’s just say the average

"Tony Stark would be a loaded baked potato. Very flashy and might make you regret it later as it's got so much going on."

Katherine Holmes DePaul junior

American eats over four pounds of potato chips each year. About 40 percent of yearly potato consumption is of frozen french fries and other frozen potato types, according to National Potato Council.

Potatoes are the saving grace of holidays, picnics, parties and every other gathering involving a large number of hungry adults, kids and probably dogs.

They will never fail you. They may not turn out the way you want them to, like how The Avengers tend to cause a lot of damage before saving the day, but in the end, you can't go wrong with a potato salad or chips.

They bring good memories, good food and plenty of options—even for the pickiest of eaters.

"My favorite memories with potatoes would be making potato latkes with my grandma during Hanukkah," Kayman said.

"It's a family tradition that we make them all together and still do. It was a whole day production so truly an amazing memory."

If you look back at every holiday you've had, there was probably a steaming side of buttery homemade mashed potatoes or roasted baby reds seasoned up with just the right amount of rosemary, salt and butter.

Those summer cookouts won't be complete without your local grocer’s potato salad you picked up on your way there because you are a last-minute type of person, but that's okay because potatoes have saved the day again, like Iron Man — Tony Stark — did after Spiderman failed to save the people on the ferry boat.

"Tony Stark would be a loaded baked potato," said Katherine Holmes, a DePaul junior. "Very flashy and might make you regret it later as it's got so much going on."

You can't forget about the original goto for potatoes — chips. Every person loves chips — on the side of a sandwich, hot dog, soup or just sticking your fingers in a bag half full of air and salt. But it's still worth the $3. Think of all the birthday parties that

have multiple bowls of different styles of potato chips with every dip you could pick up from Jewel. For those who still want to keep up on their diet but indulge on salty, crunchy goodness, baked potato chips are now available to, once again, save the day.

"Waffle fries would be Superman because they kind of look like abs," Kayman said. "But Superman could also be some original Lays potato chips because, like him, they are the OG." No matter what the occasion calls for, potatoes will bring a staple food item to each one. They are one of the most diverse foods on the planet, even coming in different colors such as orange and purple, offering a whole new flavor-packed punch in each bite. There are many superheroes in the world, and all offer their own special set of skills just like potatoes do. French fries are best made from russet potatoes, scalloped dishes with Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes of course, for that delicious sweet potato pie that never fails to disappoint when the holidays come around and for grandma’s cooking.

"I think roasted potatoes would be Wonder Women,” said Hannah Czarnecki, a DePaul junior. “They are always seasoned the best and flavorful. They're adaptable to any season and don't make you feel bad about yourself like after you eat a bunch of fries or mashed potatoes."

Don’t forget your favorite bag of potato chips when you see “Avengers: Endgame.”

The more superheroes in the theater, the better.

20| Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

Inside the charcoal coffee craze

By Joey Cahue Contributing Writer

A dash of glitter and an abyss of smoky black froth swirls around in a glossy white mug accompanied by a delicate golden teaspoon. The fresh vanilla scent and the laughter of other customers creates a homey feeling.

That dash of glitter and abyss of smoky black froth aren’t the first things that come to mind when drinking coffee. For customers at Limitless Coffee & Tea, it’s the cup of Joe that can’t stop customers from coming in every day.

Limitless Coffee & Tea has four locations all in the heart of downtown Chicago. If it’s not obvious, they’re a café that sells artistic coffee, tea and pastries.

The latte that would be considered their starchild is the charcoal latte. This piece of art isn’t complete without the added glitter, which is an additional 50 cents that most will shell out to get their Instagramworthy photo or 10.

Charcoal-based products are starting to make their way to shelves for everything, from charcoal toothpaste to facemasks, and now decorative latte art. Most people like to take pictures of them and put them on social media. Many cafes around the country have jumped on the bandwagon and started making them. Instead of being warded off by the unusually pretty color and design, they keep drawing customers and coffee fanatics in. Rather than just making the latte look aesthetically pleasing, there are also some benefits to that dark, deep charcoal abyss.

According to WebMd, activated charcoal is used to treat poisonings, reduce

intestinal gas, could alter can prevent the design of hangovers the latte. and lower “ A n y cholesterol milk tastes levels.

It’s amazing with also used it,” Kaplan for healing said. “But the wounds. easiest drink Amanda to do latte art Kaplan is the with is whole marketing milk.” manager at Whole Limitless Tea milk is denser & Coffee. She than nonfat, said there are almond or many benefits soy milk. to adding The denser IMAGE COURTESY OF LIMITLESS COFFEE/INSTAGRAM the milk, the charcoal to The charcoal latte at Limitless Coffee & Tea. lattes. better the “Activated latte art will charcoal works by trapping toxins and turn out. chemicals in the gut, preventing their Kaplan couldn’t answer some absorption,” Kaplan said. questions, such as how it’s made, due to Kaplan also said the texture is porous, the company’s privacy policies, but the so it’s good for cleaning and whitening mystery behind it stirs up more excitement teeth, which explains why charcoal for customers. toothpaste has become a thing.

For the lactose-intolerant and vegans Aside from charcoal lattes having of the Chicago area, don’t fret; they also health benefits, their biggest attraction have oat milk and almond milk at every is the aesthetic and that it’s their No. 1 location. selling drink.

Ana Diaz was one the many customers “It is our No. 1 Instagrammed drink, who stopped in for a charcoal latte. Diaz and people show the barista our Instagram didn’t know what to expect because this when ordering,” Kaplan said. was her first time ordering one.

When it comes to food allergies, “I’m almost scared to drink it,” Diaz there’s no concerns here because charcoal said. “I know it’s not bad for me or is beneficial for anything, but I’ve never had one before health and it’s a natural product. and didn’t even know you could ingest For those interested in grabbing a charcoal like this.” smoky black latte, the type of milk you use “Of course I took a hundred pictures

of it already, my cousin and I came here because we’ve been seeing a lot of pictures of these pretty lattes on the Instagram explore page and noticed that a lot of cafes sell them, so we found this one and wanted to give it a try,” Diaz said.

Diaz took a few sips of her latte.

“I keep checking my teeth,” she said. “I feel like my lips and teeth are going to be glittery and black after this so next time I’ll bring a little toothbrush.”

Jenn Nowak has been to several cafes that serve charcoal and glitter lattes.

“I don’t really have a favorite and the taste is pretty standard to a vanilla latte, but I try to tell myself it’s a little healthier because of the benefits charcoal has,” Nowak said.

“I can see why the color and even the glitter is off-putting for some people, it’s like a visual thing and it makes them hesitant to drink it,” Nowak said.

“For first-timers, they might think, ‘Why am I eating art supplies?’ when they see the glitter,” Nowak said.

Nowak remembers she was hesitant the first time she had one.

“The first time I tried one I kept making my friends reassure me that they were safe to drink, not that they would know, it’s not like they’re baristas or anything but I won’t lie, I was thrown off at first,” Nowak said.

The latte itself doesn’t have an unusual taste like most would expect.

“I think the thing people don’t get is that it just tastes like vanilla,” Nowak said.

“It doesn’t taste funny and I’m willing to spend like $7 for a latte every now and then just because it’s fun and much prettier than an average old latte at Starbucks or Peets.”

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 21

'Hamilton': from stage to Chicago

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID KORINS

The Washinton Army Desk in "Hamilton: The Exhibition," a new museum opening on Northerly Island.

Right to left: The Schuyler Mansion Winter's Ball, uniforms from Great Britain and the election of 1800 on display at "Hamilton: The Exhibition."

By Michael Brzezinski Staff Writer

Fans of the smash-hit, Emmy awardwinning epic musical “Hamilton” have a brand new attraction to seek out in Chicago. This past week, The Hamilton Exhibition opened at the Museum Campus on Northerly Island and it will be there the entire summer until September 7.

The exhibit is a grand-scale, 360-degree immersive experience detailing Alexander Hamilton’s life story. Beginning with his childhood in St. Croix, it focuses at length on his trying economical status with his heritage. Then it moves on to focus on the American Revolution, the coming-ofage of American politics and the story of how Hamilton worked his way through the ranks and proved his worth not only to the Founding Fathers but ultimately to himself.

It is a big, bombastic history lesson told through beautiful, detailed sets, historic artifacts, some ingenious interactive multimedia shorts and a grand final 3D musical number. The exhibit is not so much just the story of Alexander Hamilton, but a truly invigorating ode to the power of simply preserving history and the power in writing your own story.

It’s a stunning work of inspiration that, much like the musical, manages to make history lessons actually fun.

Fans of the musical will not at all be disappointed as the whole exhibit is

The Legacy display at the museum. narrated by the show’s author, Lin telling a wide variety of stories that cover Manuel Miranda, along with special guest not only the big tentpole moments of the appearances by Tony-nominated actors revolution, but also choose to focus on the Phillipa Soo (who played Eliza Schuyler) lives and stories of the women and people and Christopher Jackson (who played of color in the era. It’s a spectacularly George Washington) and Yale History human and grounded lesson thanks to all and American Studies Professor Joanne of this.

B. Freeman. Their narrations lend a fresh Without a doubt, the biggest draw sense of character to the exhibition, with this exhibit has got to be the spectacle

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID KORINS

that the exhibit has to offer. Absolutely no expense was spared in terms of building the most fantastical and immersive sets as humanly possible. The sets are chocked full of dynamic, expressive and tantalizing arrangements, such as a huge carnival setup made to mimic the failing early economics of the United States.

“It’s extravagant,” DePaul student Symphony Kleba said. “There’s absolutely no lack of production value here.”

The creative director of the exhibition, David Korins, has spoken at length about wanting to make this exhibit the perfect mixture of being something safe and familiar with the musical, but also making it a totally singular experience that can offer something fresh and new. Those ambitious goals are more than met at The Hamilton Exhibition.

This is a rare experience that balances out being equal parts fun, enthralling, unique, interesting and genuinely inspiring to the core. There is a keen focus on process throughout the entirety of the exhibit. Process within the founding of a country. Process within building a name for yourself. Process within preserving our own story and image. And then the process within creating art that can serve as a meaningful ode. It is layers and points like this that will make The Hamilton Exhibition a refreshing and poignant attraction for Chicago this summer.

22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019 | 23

what’s FRESH in Comedy

I Think You Shoud Leave with Tim Robinson

Ramy

From the mind of “Saturday Night Live” alum Tim Robinson comes Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave,” an offbeat and consistently funny new sketch comedy show. The first season is comprised of just six 20-minute episodes, all of which are made up of a handful of separate sketches.

Hulu’s new comedy “Ramy” follows a young, first-generation EgyptianAmerican Muslim as he navigates the pressures pulling him from both sides — to be a typical millennial or stay true to the traditions of his faith, and more importantly the expectations of the Muslims in his community regarding those traditions.

The writing is consistently strong but even at it’s low points, the pace is quick enough to move you to the next sketch before you even realize you weren’t laughing at the previous one. Tim Robinson also relies heavily on his famous friends for guest spots in most of the sketches, providing an element of star power to each episode at various different points throughout.

Tim Robinson’s specific brand of comedy is surely not for everyone but “I Think You Should Leave” is certainly worth a try at least once, regardless of the comedy you usually delve into.

LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA

In theaters & upcoming films May 3 “The Long Shot" A journalist strikes up an unlikely relationship with the Secretary of State who was once his childhood babysitter.

Stars: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan May 10 “Pokemon Detective Pikachu" A boy discovers a pokemon who longs to be a detective in a world wherein pokemon are collected for battle.

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith May 10 “The Hustle” Two very different con artists team up to take down the men who have wronged them in the past.

Stars: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson

Ramy Youssef, one of the show’s co-creators and its star, has said that originally he set out to redefine the narrative about what it means to be Muslim. Today, the show is being hailed for doing just that and more.

If you’re in the market for a deeply personal, honest and most importantly, funny new comedy, “Ramy” might be the fit for you.

LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA

22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 6, 2019

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

“Spinning fresh beats since 1581”

1 The

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question was simple: What song pumps you up?

Below, The DePaulia staff responds.

By Shane Rene

By Benjamin Conboy

Managing Editor

Editor-in-Chief

1. “Walk”- Pantera Late-90s heavy metal band Pantera has a knack for punchy, chunky guitar riffs. On "Walk," all it takes is four distorted notes from guitarist Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P.) to create something truly heavy. The chorus is just a single word, but it's the perfect choice to get anybody going. "RE!" vocalist Phil Anselmo screams.

"SPECT!" he finishes. Before any job interview, big presentation or even a pickup basketball game, listening to “Walk” right before will make you invincible. If I were in the MLB, this would be my walk-up song. And I'd hit a home run every single time.

6

2. “Basket Case" - Green Day For three straight years in elementary school, I walked around my neighborhood on Halloween night dressed as Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. Nothing satisfied my preteen rage like that trio of poppunk legends. And on the groups’ classic 1994 album “Dookie” is one of my favorite pump-up anthems, “Basket Case.” One of their most popular songs, this tune isn’t as uplifting as most pump up songs. Fast-paced drums and distorted guitars rip through the background as Armstrong shouts on about his deteriorating mental state, running around in circles trying to figure out life. If you’re a selftalking anxiety monster like me, this song is for you.

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By Doug Klain

By Ella Lee

Opinions Editor

Focus Editor

6. “4th and Roebling" – The Districts I don’t care where I am when I listen to 4th and Roebling — without fail, it’ll put me in the driver’s seat on the road somewhere with the windows down and wind blowing. This hit from The Districts is all about the feeling and emotion flooding out of the song’s overloaded sound.

The build is perfect, with the first chorus setting the table, the second chorus filling it out with more instruments and a hint at what’s to come. Then, we have a quick guitar solo as things quiet down for a moment. The guitar keeps grinding and tension builds. Then the song explodes with the perfect auditory overload. For listeners, there’s no choice but to join the sprint and practically shout the chorus before the song disappears. Quite the pump-up jam.

7. “Zoom" - KYLE Zoom is one of the few songs that can pump me up in a bunch of different settings and moods.

Be it a party, job interview, good day or bad day, it never fails to help me zoom right past my problems and enjoy whatever moment I'm in, right then and there. The slow but driving bass keeps the song danceable while also being perfect for a morning commute or afternoon run, and its jazz-like undertones throw me all the way back to high school, when my friends and I would go to every jazz band concert and dance around to the music."

By Emma Oxnevad

By Brian Pearlman

News Editor

Asst. News Editor

Nation & World Editor

3.

“Gucci Gucci" Kreayshawn The “meme rapper” genre and its discredits only came into modern terminology around 2017 when Bhad Bhabie (Danielle Bregoli of Dr. Phil infamy) released “Hi Bich.”

But Kreayshawn’s influence on trashy, satirical rap precedes the likes of Bregoli and Lil Nas X who charted big with his sleeper hit “Old Town Road.” Kreayshawn came at the time when we needed her — in 2012 when teenaged girls like me needed to be reminded that it doesn’t matter which brands we wear or where we grew up, we still have “the swag and its pumping out [our] ovaries.” I haven’t forgotten my ovarian swag since.

4. “Only Angel” - Harry Styles My pump-up song is not by an artist traditionally associated with getting hyped. However, whenever this song comes up on my Spotify, I can’t help but feel more powerful and cool than is probably reasonable for me. Styles’s solo work has been compared by some critics to The Rolling Stones, and that is in full force on this number, with slightly more respectful attitudes toward women. Only Angel has all the components of a perfect 70s rock song: a raucous beat, a grooving bass line and swaggering vocals. Only Angel was my most-played song of 2018 and I don’t plan on ever skipping it when it comes up on shuffle.

5. “It's a Shame (The Reflex Revision)” - The Reflex Nicolas Laugier, known as “The Reflex,” is a French DJ who creates incredible remixes (“Reflex Revisions,” he calls them) of oldies and classics that, in his words, are “entirely done from the original multitrack or stems.” His take on the 1970 hit “It’s a Shame” by R&B group The Spinners is one my favorites: an immediate headnodding, foot-tapping pleasure.

The bass positively pops and the brass instruments swell as lead vocalist G.C. Cameron excoriates an unreliable lover; Laugier’s revision is a jazzy, catchy tribute to the original. A near-perfect song, that, yes, pumps me up.

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By Mackenzie Murtaugh

By Marlee Chlystek

By Xavier Ortega

By Bianca Cseke

Design Editor

Photo Chief

Online Editor

8. “Crimson and Clover" – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts My DeJam is no doubt Joan Jett's "Crimson and Clover." Not your usual pump-up song, but personally, this song bumps.

When I was little, my dad introduced me to Joan Jett and since then, I have definitely channeled her punk rock beauty whenever I need a pick-up in my day. Not only is Joan Jett my soul sister, but I love Crimson and I dig Clover and she sings it too well. Not embarrassed to say that I wanna dance with my soulmate to this song endlessly, and this is my No. 1 jam on the way to any event. Ask the many Uber drivers who have given me the aux.

9. “Everybody's Something" – Chance the Rapper (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid, Saba) Whatever mood I am in, there is one song that pumps me up and brightens my day every single time I listen to it, without fail. “Everybody’s Something” by Chance the Rapper is that song.

With the laidback beats and use of clever wordplay, something Chance is known for, the main message of this song is selfworth. When I listen to this song, it never fails to bring a tear to my eye because it makes me think of all the people in my life that support me and cheer me on. You are nothing to no one, you are something to someone.

10. “Shake It Out" - Florence + the Machine Dramatic and genre-defying, pretty much any song by Florence + the Machine will pump me up. “Shake it Out,” one of the singles from their 2011 album “Ceremonials,” is no exception.

It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in—“Shake it Out” will always either help fix it or make me even happier. Florence Welch’s voice is as haunting and powerful as always, and her lyrics emphasize letting go of whatever is dragging you down from your past. By the end, it’s impossible not to hum along and want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs.

Sports

Sports. May 6, 2019. The DePaulia | 25

From Amsterdam to Chicago: Get to know De Bruijne off the pitch

By Bella Michaels Contributing Writer

Imagine leaving everything you’ve ever known and taking on a new cultural journey in a foreign country at 18 years old. Alone. Adjusting to a city bigger than any you’ve seen before.

In the Netherlands, you either play soccer or you study. In the United States, you can do both. That’s why 6-foot-5inch Dutch defender, Max De Bruijne, chose to come to DePaul.

“My dad and I sent out probably a hundred emails to any D-1 college,” De Bruijne said. “I knew I wanted to play D-1 and I wanted a good academic school.

I only heard back from like 15 coaches.

Two were offers that my family could afford. One was DePaul and the other was UW-Madison. But I love Chicago, so I had to go for Chicago.”

De Bruijne, now 21, was born and raised in Amsterdam.

He grew up playing soccer and tennis, but as he grew older, he committed to soccer. From 10 to 14 years old, he learned his fundamentals at Dutch soccer club, SV Rap. Then he took a huge step.

Before coming to Chicago, De Bruijne was team captain for AFC Amsterdam, which is in the Tweede Divisie. That is the highest amateur level team in the Netherlands that also plays against professional teams.

“Max is a phenomenal person who brings a great amount of passion to training sessions, games and anything we do as a team,” DePaul soccer coach Mark Plotkin said. “He grew up in an extremely competitive environment in the Netherlands and brings that mentality to everything we do.”

De Bruijne had to make adjustments on the pitch. Back home, he played as a central midfielder. Once he got here, the coaches threw him at center back.

“It took Max a bit of time to get fully adjusted but he has become one of the best defenders in the Big East,” his teammate, Saša Labovic said. “Within his few years, his discipline has grown, as well as his ability to lead the team verbally. He also brought his unique style and knowledge to the team. It has been a pleasure playing next to him for the past three years.”

But not many people know what’s truly behind the towering defenseman

JONTHAN AGUILAR | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul junior defender Max De Bruijne dribbles past a Providence forward during DePaul's 2-1 win over the Friars on Sep. 14, 2018. off the pitch.

Besides his love for weight-lifting, Dutch rap and house music—De Bruijne goes beyond the surface.

“I think that few people know that I’m a very nice guy. I’m an emotional guy and a real family guy. I love my family,” De Bruijne said. “It’s funny ’cause a week ago a guy from our team walked up to me and said, ‘Yo you look like you’re 35-40 years old,’ and I was like, ‘I’m a real nice guy! I’m not like a huge, angry, scary guy or whatever—you know?’”

“He is one of the most polite individuals you’ll interact with. Max always greets you with a smile and shakes your hand,” coach Plotkin said.

As a polite, family guy—the distance hasn’t been easy. His parents and younger sister supported his decision to come here and have visited many times, but he gets homesick.

“What I really miss back home is— when it’s warmer out—everyone is sitting outside at a café, having a drink. Everyone is having a conversation with each other,”

De Bruijne said. “That is something that I really miss sometimes because here, for example, if I go to dinner and I’m trying to have a conversation, it’s like sports are on and everyone is watching that. It’s very loud—so I’m just like I want to get out of here.”

From the moment he landed here, De Bruijne had to quickly learn to adjust to the new culture.

“Something that is very hard to explain, just hard for me to even put into words, is the culture,” De Bruijne said.

“The culture is very different from back home. Lowkey, there is a big difference in people.”

The way people communicate here is different—De Bruijne said it’s something one just has to experience for themselves when in a foreign country.

Food was also a major adjustment.

In the Netherlands, breakfast is a slice of toast with cheese. In the afternoon, a banana and some bread are typical. In the evening, a hot meal like ‘stamppot’ and stew is the usual. Here, the food is

excessive and most people really eat whatever, whenever, he said His teammates love when he brings back Dutch food and sweets for them, Labovic’s favorite being the Dutch cheese.

When he arrived freshman year—the dorm life was tough. Living in a dorm is a big part of the college experience here in the States. In Europe, however, it isn’t.

Students live off-campus. School is just school—no sports, no dorms.

“I lived with Saša in just one room. I thought it was really weird to have a small bed and just one bedroom to share with someone on campus,” De Bruijne said.

His dorm situation didn’t end up that bad since Labovic became one of his best friends. Labovic’s family has taken care of De Bruijne like their own son.

De Bruijne finds his entire American experience helpful for his future career since he has learned a new culture and developed a foreign network.

He will graduate after autumn with a bachelor’s in mathematical sciences and then return to the Netherlands to pursue

GENERATION, continued from back work ethic. You need to develop a resiliency.

You need to handle what is in front of you day-to-day. If we do that, it’ll probably take some time to gel, because chemistry doesn’t come naturally just because you have that talent. We have to work on that a lot. Particularly if I’m going to play more people than in years past. We have to understand that role may change week-toweek with what is being asked and what is being sacrificed.”

Leitao identified defense as the key to maximizing the talent of his squad next season.

The Blue Demons were 223rd in the nation last season in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com and surrendered 76.4 points per game which was second-worst in the Big East. They surrendered 80 or more points on 14 occasions and were 6-8 in those games.

Following suit with seasons in the past, DePaul failed to defend the 3-point line effectively as opponents shot triples at a

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL

Romeo Weems committed to DePaul last May, joining Markese Jacobs as one of two four-star recruits joining DePaul in 2019-20.

37.3 percent clip against the Blue Demons (324th worst in the nation).

Nothing is guaranteed, especially in May, five months ahead of the new season.

But for Leitao and the Blue Demons, the future at least looks brighter than it has in a long time.

At least one player is confident that

things will work out well though.

“We’re going to be great, I feel like we are a top 25 team but I feel like we can eventually be No. 1,” Hall said.

26 | Sports. May 6, 2019. The DePaulia FUTURE, continued from front page what was left of Oliver Purnell’s recruiting efforts, including a young Cain, who spent most of his time at DePaul trying to get comfortable. Strus made an immediate impact once he was eligible to play after transferring from Lewis University, but often found himself the target of double teams in an effort to take him out of games. The senior duo led the team in scoring with 20.1 and 13.1 points per game for Strus and Cain, respectively, this season.

“I think through various times through the season, different people had to step up and it shortened our bench pretty significantly,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “But I think the coaching staff did a really good [job] of maximizing the potential of the players we had on our team and getting people experience that would help put us in a position to hopefully have a postseason opportunity. That was one of our goals at the start of the season, having an opportunity to be in the postseason.”

DePaul met their goal of making a postseason tournament, but it wasn’t exactly where they wanted to end up. Even in the midst of celebrating a postseason berth, senior Max Sturs expressed disappointment about falling short of an NIT bid. Still, fans, players and athletic directors alike looked positively on the experience.

“I think anytime you have an opportunity in men’s Division One basketball to participate in a postseason tournament is good,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “Again, that wasn’t what our young men and our coaching staff had set out to, but a lot of teams aspire to that and I don’t want to diminish the CBI experience, because I think it was a terrific experience.”

Logan Simios has been going to DePaul men’s basketball game since he was a little boy and has continued a half-century tradition of season tickets for men’s basketball games.

Like Strus, Simios was disappointed the Blue Demons fell short of an NIT experience but reflected in the CBI tournament as a highlight in a dark era of DePaul basketball.

“I have to tell you, as a longtime DePaul fan, I really enjoyed the CBI run and I went to every game,” Simios said. “And again I felt that we could have on it all and won that last game [without the injuries to Cain and Jaylen Butz]—but I think the run was kind of fun for DePaul fans. We haven’t had any kind of a run for such a long time, and even though it was the third tournament, it was fun and fans got into it.”

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the CBI tournament was the fan experience at McGrath-Phillips Arena. Forced to play on campus due to pre scheduled events at Wintrust Arena, the tight quarters created an endearing atmosphere and strong home court advantage for students and Blue Demons die-hards. Simios noted how impressed he was with the rarely rowdy student section—a reminder of what could be with an on-campus arena. Lenti Ponsetto agrees but pushed back on the comparison to Wintrut.

“Wintrust Arena has given us a tremendous advantage, the lower bowl at Wintrust, the noise, the numbers of seats we have sold at the lower bowl is really positive environment for our guys and they really enjoy [it],” Lenti Ponsetto said. “But you can’t beat when you come to play at a small gym like this and it’s your practice gym; there was a lot of energy and electricity, so they really enjoyed the experience. I think we all would have loved to have an on-campus facility, but that’s not in the cards.”

In the program’s second season at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop, attendance is still thin. After averaging less than 3,000 attendees during nonconference play in their first season, the 2018-19 nonconference slate saw an average of less than 1,300 fans. Five games welcomed less than 1,000 fans.

“It’s all about the scheduling,” Lenti

Ponsetto said. “In terms of the nonconference scheduling, it’s about when you can get opponents to play you, being able to secure more Saturdays is great if you are able to do it because those are dates that really boost your fan attendance because those are days when fans most want to attend games.”

The quality of their opponents was also an issue this season; DePaul’s nonconference slate was full of smaller-name teams. The Blue Demons’ nonconference schedule ranked near the bottom, according to KenPom rankings, with teams like Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and Incarnate Word—all of which translated to record-padding wins.

Conference play attendance fell in line with DePaul’s first season at Wintrust, filling up closer to half capacity for weekend games against rival opponents, and less for midweek matchups.

“I think the atmosphere is getting a little better but there [are] no students,” Simios said.

The response from DePaul’s athletic department to the issue of student attendance has always stressed the university’s unique relationship to its student body. Primarily a commuter school catering to students looking for robust extracurricular life, taking the time to support the men’s basketball team falls down the list of priorities. Lenti Ponsetto said that even when DePaul was ranked among the top teams in the country, student attendance still struggled.

Simios said he remembers big conference games in the early ’80s drawing sizable student sections, even after the program left Alumni Hall on campus for Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

While players like Cain, Strus and Femi Olujobi are graduating in June, DePaul returns a couple of key players from this year’s roster next season: Reed, Butz and Devin Gage. Going along with them, the Blue Demons will have a top-tier recruiting class coming in next season, their best since the 2007 season.

Both Lenti Ponsetto and fans pointed to the lack of depth this past season as being a reason the Blue Demons struggled at times in the Big East. Next season, however, Leitao will have plenty of options where the depth issue shouldn’t be an excuse anymore as to why the team couldn’t win.

With two four-star recruits being added to the 2019-2020 roster in Romeo Weems and Markese Jacobs, with Oscar Lopez being thrown into the mix as well, Leitao already has plenty of options for his fifth season back at DePaul. Besides adding Weems, Jacobs and Lopez as freshmen, the Blue Demons will also have Darious Hall, Carte’are Gordon and Charlie Moore, two former four-star recruits, eligible to play next season after they transferred to DePaul this past season.

“There are going to be new people and new expectations from them and from the outside world,” Leitao said. “Maintaining a formula that doesn’t change a lot over time.

You have to have good people who are willing to share themselves. You have to have an extremely high level work ethic. You need to develop a resiliency. You need to handle what is in front of you day-to-day. If we do that, it’ll probably take some time to gel, because chemistry doesn’t come naturally just because you have that talent. We have to work on that a lot. Particularly if I’m going to play more people than in years past.”

Even with Leitao having his most complete roster since he has come back to DePaul, Lenti Ponsetto believes Leitao still doesn’t have enough to be properly evaluated.

After moving from Allstate Arena to Wintrust Arena in 2017, Lenti Ponsetto wants to now upgrade the facilities on campus before she can clearly evaluate her coach.

“I think [considering a coaching change] presumes DePaul has everything in place we need for any Division I program to be successful, and we do not yet,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “Wintrust Arena was phase one, phase two really has to be a significant upgrade in

ALLY ZACEK & MARLE CHLYSTEK | THE DEPAULIA

the facilities we have here from a practice perspective. Our locker room, our weight room, training room, film room, academic advising space; we have room to grow significantly at DePaul.

“Our goal is to continue upgrading our facilities and put us in a position to continue [to] recruit the high-class athletes like he was able to this year. Wintrust Arena was phase one, but we’ve got another phase to go.”

Simios understands DePaul’s limits in terms of facilities but wonders if winning basketball games is the answer to improving facilities. Successful basketball programs, he said, drive alumni engagement and donations that could improve facilities on campus.

While DePaul has been mostly irrelevant in the national college basketball landscape

for more than a decade now, “rebuild” is a word Lenti Ponsetto stopped short of using.

“I think we are constantly building, I don’t know about a rebuild, I don’t know what that means,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “We are constantly trying to grow the program.

We are hitting a lot of our benchmarks, and I feel really positive about the growth of where we were heading.”

For long-time fans like Simios, the term “rebuild” also doesn’t feel right, but he doesn’t think that “building” is particularly appropriate either.

“I think they are trying to build,” he said.

Sports. May 6, 2019 The DePaulia | 27

Balanced group leads to joint best finish in Big East Tournament

By Joshua Gurevich Asst. Sports Editor

The men’s golf team at DePaul enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in its history.

The team culminated its season finishing second in the Big East Tournament, which tied their best finish in history.

Senior Charlie Spencer-White finished tied for second individually, which bested Freddy Thomas for best-ever individual finish for a Blue Demon when he finished third in the 2015 tournament.

“The whole year was definitely exciting compared to previous because we had some pretty good freshmen coming in,” SpencerWhite said. “The team was playing better and each and every tournament I was saying that we were going to get better.”

Spencer-White also spoke about the demeanor of the team being better this year.

“We had confidence down the stretch that we are going to play good going into the Big East, the younger guys were definitely playing better than before, Spencer-White said. “We were coming together as a team, we went in and only a few of us had played it before, we had a young team but we were really confident and prepared very well.”

As a leader and one of three seniors, Spencer-White knew that it was all about execution at the end of the day.

“We knew if we went out there and executed our plan and played to the best of our capabilities we would have a good

chance,” Spencer-White continued. “It was quite a shock to me when I came to this University because there are a lot of different experiences that I was not expecting.”

He spoke on his struggles adjusting over the first couple years as well.

“I struggled in my first few years here, and I think a lot of freshmen feel the same way, they come in with high expectations and it’s quite a big change for them,” Spencer-White said. “I was able to relate some of the struggles over the years that I went through with some of the freshmen this year, and hopefully that can get integrated into the system a little quicker than I was.”

Spencer-White looked back on his whole career at DePaul University and said he would not change one thing.

“I would say, you live and you learn, through your experiences you learn to be a better person, be a better golfer and improve your game,” Spencer-White said.

“I wouldn’t change anything necessarily, I think everything happens for a reason and experiences shape who you are, so I wouldn’t change anything but of course it would be nice to play a bit better now and again.”

Coach Marty Schiene joined the team as an assistant coach in 2016 and took over as the head coach in 2017 when Betty Kaufmann retired.

“We had a process of how we were going to estimate the conditions and do our routine,” Schiene said.

He was a member of the PGA Tour and competed in four US Open Championships.

Schiene has been around Illinois for a number

This summer get one class closer to

graduation!

GRADUATE – ONLINE Ten-Week Session

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS

DePaul senior golfer Charlie Spencer-White looks on after hitting his shot during the North Alabama Spring Classic on March 25. of years. His experience and expertise has our preparation was good and everyone helped lead the Blue Demons to their best bought in.” ever finish in the Big East Tournament on Schiene spoke on the type of players he April 28 in South Carolina. tries to recruit and the type of people he is “We stuck to it and it worked fairly well, looking for to come in and make a difference for a while,” Schiene said. right away.

Schiene has built the team into a true “For me, it starts with a quantitative contender in just two years as the head coach, analysis of their stroke average, their which is evident by the individual and team ranking, their power, their academics and improvement. their winning,” Schiene said. “I have five “This was a young team, but they were parameters, and if they don’t have those then focused and they had a plan, and they put I move on.” together how we were going to win the Big Next season, the team will have to East,” Schiene said. “They were confident, we overcome the loss of three seniors and try had classroom sessions where we went over to improve on one of the most successful how we were going to play the course, I think seasons in history.

UNDERGRADUATE – ONLINE Ten-Week Session

June 17th–August 25th CCA 185 Beatles & The Creative Process CCH 367 Leisure, Recreation and Health

CCS 267 Nutrition for a Lifetime DA 200 Data Analytics

June 17th–August 25th LLS 420 Collaboration Effectiveness: Global Leadership

Summer Session I

GRADUATE - IN THE LOOP Ten-Week Session

Summer Session II

Saturdays: 6/22, 7/13, 7/27, 8/3 and 8/17

EA 517 Facilitating Adult Learning

June 17th - July 21st DCM 317 Ethics in the Professions July 22nd - August 25th DCM 319 Creativity and Innovative Thinking CCA 153 The Art of Speechmaking

Check out go.depaul.edu/snlsummer for course descriptions, syllabi and course list.

Watch for these and other cool classes in Autumn Quarter, too!

Sports

Sports. May 6, 2019. The DePaulia | 28

Class of 2019

The next generation of DePaul men’s basketball

By Paul Steeno Senior Basketball Writer

The group of young adults who turn around this DePaul Blue Demon men’s basketball program will instantly become Chicago legends.

But just because Blue Demon head coach Dave Leitao has landed his best recruiting class since 2007, secured the services of three former four-star transfer players who are eligible to play next season and is blending these guys in with returning talent like Paul Reed, that doesn’t defaultively mean this 2019-2020 Blue Demons team is the group destined to pull the program

back into the national spotlight. They the team will be be so good next year that could be, but nothing is a given in the the caveats will disappear. take-no-prisoners world of college The Blue Demons boast the 30th basketball. best recruiting class in the country per That’s why Leitao and the Blue 247sports.com. ESPN.com has the Blue Demons block out the hype and Demon’s 2019 class tabbed as the 25th expectations best in the nation. that have already It’s the Blue begun swirling Demons’ best around the incoming freshman conversations class since 2007, about next when 247sports.com season. ranked them 27th “We’ve had in the nation. The to deal with only other time in the flip side of the database from things so much 247sports.com that [being really DePaul has been bad and having ranked higher was in no hype or 2003 when they were expectations],” No. 15.

Leitao said.

Integrating this “Now there’s class which, includes some level of Romeo Weems expectations or (2019 Michigan Mr. whatever you Basketball winner), want to call it Markese Jacobs but I’ll handle it (four-star, former exactly the same.

Kansas recruit) and I think when Oscar Lopez (threeI walk into star shooting guard), our gym with the existing core and talk to and now eligible-toMen’s basketball head coach play transfers won’t the guys or work be an easy process. them out Darious Hall is in practice, [the message is] a 6-foot-7-inch transfer from Arkansas preparing them to be better with off the charts athleticism who for that next moment and averaged 14.8 minutes per game his that next game. That won’t freshman season in Fayetteville and change. The things that played in the NCAA tournament. the outside world bring, Leitao said he has the athleticism and it doesn’t have a lot to do body length to become an elite defender. if anything with what we talk Saint Louis University transfer Carte’are about on a day-to-day basis.”

Gordon is a dense 6-foot-9-inch big Thanks in large part to the efforts of man who averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 the senior trio of Eli Cain, Max Strus and rebounds his freshman season at Saint Femi Olujobi, the 2018-2019 basketball Louis. Coupled with Reed and Jaylen season had the peripherals of a step in Butz, the Blue Demons are again looking the right direction in terms of where this at one of the most formidable frontcourts program wants to go eventually. Seven in the Big East. conference wins and 19 wins overall were “I wanted to go somewhere where the most since the 2006-2007 season. A I mean something and can make a run to the finals of the College Basketball difference,” Gordon said. “Coming here Invitational was a nice treat for Blue playing for a great community, great Demon fans deprived of postseason people, great coaches. Playing with some basketball since 2007. great guys is great.”

“We could say that we did that to “Just trying to come in to a different a certain degree, and then there were culture and change some things,” Hall challenges that we didn’t meet,” Leitao said. “Talking with coach Leitao and said when asked if last season was coach [Tim] Anderson, they wanted successful. “I kind of look at it from both me to come in and help rebuild the perspectives. I say yes...that there have program. That’s what we are trying to do been some strides and some things that by recruiting the top players. Just trying we can certainly build on that we haven’t to put all the pieces together and go to had [before]. As soon as I say that, there work.” is that word ‘but’ because we need to The newest addition is Charlie make sure that there’s more to come. The Moore, a 5-foot-11-inch guard who first way to know that [DePaul taking a had a successful freshman season at step back next year] won’t happen is to California before transferring to Kansas [not] rest on anything that we have done and struggling to reciprocate the success up to this point.” from his freshman year.

There are some caveats that must be “There are going to be new people and discussed when talking about the Blue new expectations from them and from the Demons season. They still finished in outside world,” Leitao said. “Maintaining last place in the Big East Conference a formula that doesn’t change a lot over for the third season in a row. Out of time. You have to have good people who 353 Division I teams, DePaul had the are willing to share themselves. You 342nd easiest non-conference schedule have to have an extremely high level undoubtedly inflating their win total at the end of the season. DePaul hopes that See GENERATION, page 25

“I think when I walk into our gym and talk to the guys or work them out in practice, [the message is] preparing them to be better for that next moment and that next game.”

Dave Leitao

MARLEE CHYLSTEK | THE DEPAULIA