May 7 2018

A$AP FERG, BJ the Chicago Kid to perform at FEST See Arts & Life, page 16

A celebration of women in literature See Focus, page 16

DePaulia

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Volume #102 | Issue #25 | May 7, 2018 | depauliaonline.com

Faculty council vetoes proposed consensual relationship policy

By Megan Stringer Contributing Writer

Major Chicago universities such as the University of Chicago and Northwestern University both have explicit policies dictating relationships between faculty and students, but DePaul does not.

After a presentation from Title IX on the #MeToo Movement, DePaul’s Human Resources department is looking to change that with the proposed Consensual Relationship policy.

DePaul’s Faculty Council, the

governing body that works to involve faculty participation in creating university policies, met on Wednesday to hear the proposed policy and voice their thoughts.

Members had a variety of concerns, with most expressing worry that the language is not clear enough to properly enforce. Some also raised issues with the self-reporting aspect of the policy, asking how that would affect those who don’t feel comfortable coming forward about their relationship.

After the allotted 30 minutes of discussion, the Faculty Council unanimously voted to postpone the vote

until their next meeting on June 6, and they agreed not to pass the policy as it is currently written. Bamshad Mobasher, Faculty Council President, asked for a revision of the policy that addresses the council’s concerns by then.

Stephanie Smith, Vice President for Human Resources at DePaul, said they can work on that. The policy was drafted

by Human Resources in collaboration with other offices such as the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, according to DePaul spokeswoman Carol Hughes.

The policy would prohibit “undisclosed

FOR THE KIDS

Annual DemonTHON raises $250,896.07 in 24 hours

consensual relationships” between individuals at the university where there exists a managerial or supervisory role.

This would include a faculty or staff member and a student “whom that faculty or staff member teaches, manages, supervises, advises, or evaluates in any way,” according to the proposed policy.

It would also include coaches, student athletes and student employees who have managerial positions over other student employees. Smith emphasized that verbs such as “advising, mentoring, evaluating and supervising” would be

See POLICY, page 8

SGA cabinet members put Lynch on blast

By Jonathan Ballew News Editor

CODY CORRALL | THE DEPAULIA

Students participate in DemonTHON, a 24-hour dance marathon, which benefits Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

CODY CORRALL | THE DEPAULIA

CODY CORRALL | THE DEPAULIA

Above: A DemonTHON participant wears a Stormtrooper mask dances in a Star Wars themed number for Star Wars day.

Left: Chi Omega, Phi Mu and The School of Music, among other student organizations, show their support for DemonTHON.

Bully. Poor leader. Threatening.

These are just a few of the words that have been used to describe Student Government Association (SGA) President Michael Lynch.

But Lynch and his vice president say these allegations are both false and unfair.

In an interview with The DePaulia on Monday, cabinet member (and former vice presidential candidate) Katy Bozich and former Election Operations Board (EOB) member Brooke Beatty, described Lynch as a poor leader who failed to accomplish any initiatives during his time in office.

Bozich and Beatty questioned his leadership and wondered if Lynch only cared about the image associated with being president.

Both agreed that Lynch “let the power go to his head sometimes” and “played favorites.”

Treasurer Benjamin Bui also said that Lynch “straddles the line of bullying.”

During the controversial SGA presidential campaign, there was an unofficial closed-door meeting held

by Lynch and Bui with presidential candidate Josh Kaufman. Although the details of the meeting are hotly contested, all parties present during the exchange agree that Kaufman drafted a letter of resignation while in the meeting.

Matthew Drew-Caffin, a junior, was close to the KaufmanDarlington campaign and says that Lynch and Bui threatened Kaufman inside the meeting.

See LYNCH, page 7

2 | News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

First Look The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.

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News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018 | 3

CPS showing academic improvements, but schools are still closing

By Mikel Vrooman-Arroniz Contributing Writer

Once deemed the worst in the nation, Chicago Public Schools now lead America’s public schools in terms of academic growth.

In 1987, Former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett said, “I’m not sure there’s a system as bad as the Chicago system.”

Thirty years later, a Stanford study published in November 2017 found that from 2009 to 2014, CPS led the country in academic growth.

A 1987 finding that half of Chicago’s 64 public high schools ranked in the nation’s bottom 1 percent in terms of Academic College Test scores, prompted Bennett to advise parents to send their children to private and charter schools.

The Stanford Study measured the progress of groups of students from third through eighth grade using their Illinois Standard Achievement Test results and National Assessment of Educational Progress reports.

Both now show CPS improving at a greater rate than school systems in the rest of the country.

But Efrain Torres, a 21-year-old former PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVEN KEVIL | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS CPS student and current DePaul employee The shuttered Crispus Attucks Public School in the Bronzeville neighborhood was closed in 2008 and has remained empty ever since. at the Ray Meyer Fitness Center, is not convinced.

Patton, say the aim of the project is to get “High school is a different story,” Torres kids to college. said. “People are older, wilder and don’t “As it grows, we would like to get all care because we start to think high school the kids in low-economic standing into the is all fights and gang activity. Learning is program,” said Patton. very minimal.”

Similar programs exist as well such Torres grew up on the South Side of as Jumpstart, a national literacy program Chicago and attended CPS from 1990 to for preschoolers that helps to prepare 2005. them for kindergarten. Elizabeth Carrillo, “I think help has to come from within. a DePaul student who volunteers with If you do not want to help yourself, no one Jumpstart, says the program focuses on can ever help you,” Torres said. under-resourced communities to help with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made fundamentals like vocabulary, letters and improving Chicago’s education a priority names.” when he was elected in 2011, and in 2012 “We don’t go into a school looking to fix he wrote an opinion piece for the Chicago everything. We’re not the answer, we’re just Tribune where he explained the importance trying to help each other out,” said Carrillo. of reforming the system.

Despite improving academic Emanuel subsequently enacted policies scores, increased graduation rates and such as cancelling teacher pay raises, decreased dropout rates, Chicago Public lengthening school days and enforcing Schools continue to lose enrollment.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB SIMPSON | FLICKR merit-based pay corresponding to test School closings, the departure of scores. families from Chicago Students and teachers have expressed frustration of schools’ new emphasis on test scores.

Throughout his “(Charter schools) and the rise of charter schools have a certain student in mind, and Zeigler. “I would not send my child to a tenure, graduation schools have all education is more than standardized tests,” business model.”

Zeigler says rebuilding communities is rates have increased have defamed what contributed to the drop. said Eleora Lebre, volunteer coordinator for the Jumpstart program. as important for developing kids as schools from 56.9 percent In 2013, Chicago “Instead of working to fix the whole, themselves. in 2011 to 77.5 it means to be a closed 50 public schools, “Schools can’t operate without a sense of percent in 2017, with the largest mass closing people are trying to create their own solutions, ” said Lebre. community and that includes, healthcare, dropout rates falling community school.” in Chicago history.

Charter schools are publicly funded housing and jobs,” said Zeigler. from 39.8 percent to Following the end of a but emphasize academic success and are On Tuesday, April 10, as part of a 18.6 percent during five-year moratorium, in not restricted by the same measures as public conversation series at the Jane the same time span. which no schools would traditional schools.

Criticisms of charter Addams Hull-House Museum on CPS Chicago blacks Director of the Egan Office be closed, Chicago schools include the fact that they do not closings and the lifting of the moratorium and Hispanics, who introduced a plan to of Urban Education and phase out four schools necessarily produce more graduates, and this past December, a panel discussed the make up a majority Community Partnerships, over a period of three they see a greater percentage of students significance of the past closings and the of South and West transferring out than traditional schools. possibility of future ones.

Side schools, have DePaul University years. Phasing out the A University of Chicago study on Beatriz Ponce de Leon, one of the followed these trends. schools gradually rather charter schools published in November panelists and executive director of Dr. Kathryn than immediate closings 2017 supported these claims, showing Generation All, a citywide initiative Grant, a professor of clinical psychology in June, as was originally proposed, allows those schools had a one percent lower to improve neighborhood schools and at DePaul, began the Cities Project in students to finish their enrollment. graduation rate.

The study found that communities, shared Zeigler’s sentiments.

2008 – a self-sufficient project focused on As public schools continue to close and charter students were more than twice as “School improvement and community mentoring South Side students from fourth lose enrollment, charter schools get built in likely as traditional students to transfer out improvement go hand-in-hand, ” said Leon. grade through their first year of college. their place, with Chicago now home to 128 by their second year of high school.

“And it’s hard to look at what a school The project brings DePaul students of the publicly-funded private institutions.

John Zeigler, director of the Egan Office needs to do to succeed when the guidelines down to South Side schools such as Joplin Regular CPS attendance dropped to and Wentworth, where they play and tutor 316,000 this year from a 2002 peak of of Urban Education and Community change every year.”

While the Englewood schools will not the kids while also helping to teach them 428,000, while charter school attendance Partnerships at DePaul University, is not a proponent of privatizing primary be closed immediately, the moderator of coping mechanisms for stressors. rose to 55,000 this year from 10,000 in education. the panel, Kalyn Belsha, a reporter for The Cities Project co-directors of 2002. “(Charter schools) have defamed what Chicago Reporter, said, “We expect there communication, Monica Rauch and Emily “In theory they’re good, but charter it means to be a community school,” said could be many more (closings).”

John Zeigler

4| News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Invisible Illnesses

The challenge of caring for students living with chronic illness

By Timothy Duke Asst. News Editor

Managing one’s personal life with success at college is a difficulty that many empathize with, but for those who live with chronic illness and attend college, the balancing act can be even more taxing.

Universities have long sought to meet the needs of students who struggle with chronic illness. In 2004, former DePaul psychology professor Lynn Fuentes created the Chronic Illness Initiative, the first program in the U.S. created solely for the purpose of providing accommodations for students living with chronic illnesses.

“I have a son who has been really sick for the last 32 years. I wanted him to have a college education, but I knew it would be difficult for him because of his illness and that there were a lot of people in the same boat as him,” Fuentes said. “I put the program in operation, and we ended up with 200 students enrolled.”

According to Fuentes, part of the difficulty universities have had in understanding and helping students afflicted with these chronic ailments lies in their stealth and unpredictability.

“Many of these students with chronic illness look healthy from the exterior, but they feel very sick on the interior,” Fuentes said. It’s not like a sight disability or a mobility disability because that’s a disability you can solve at the beginning of term.

For people with chronic illness, it’s always up and down — one week they might feel better and the next week they might be in

the hospital.”

Psychology professor Leonard Jason was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in 1990, which made him become invested in understanding the illness. Sufferers of CFS experience longterm extreme tiredness which can make it difficult to complete daily tasks such as coursework or attending classes. Jason says there are other difficulties that students with chronic illness face as well.

“Not having insurance can be an economic hardship, just getting the medical treatment can be expensive. Also getting the treatment can take a lot of time,” Jason said.

“The second issue is having pain or fatigue, (it) can make getting to classes very difficult.

The third thing is that chronic illness can interfere with a student’s ability to socialize and stay out with friends at night, which is an important part of being in college I think.”

Jason says that he has had students in the past who had chronic illnesses, and any accommodations provided to them were largely due to communications between student and professor.

“If there is no communication happening, then it can be hard for each party to determine and understand the difficulties the student is facing and how best to help that student succeed. There is also the student counseling center that a student can go to to get emotional support and the disability office at DePaul which can help students too.”

Fuentes said the program was successful overall, with the professors who participated

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Coping with chronic illness can bring on fatigue, which makes it difficult to carry out daily tasks.

gaining a better understanding of what students with chronic illnesses go through on daily basis.

“A lot of time people living with these conditions look okay. These are invisible illnesses, but if they are sitting in a classroom looking like everyone else, a professor might think that they are making it up because they do not want to do the work,” Fuentes said.

While the program has seen success, there were still unforeseen difficulties in creating the initiative.

“I thought if I had a good idea and explain it to people, that it would go well,” Fuentes said. “A lot of people at DePaul thought that if we had this program, then every sick person in the U.S. would come to DePaul, and this program will become very expensive.”

But according to Fuentes, the program did not grow uncontrollably, remaining instead a focused program with an enrollment of 200 students from 2004 to 2012.

F u e n t e s says she made another mistake by introducing the initiative as representing diversity.

“I believe chronic illness is a diversity because many people are discriminated against because of their illness,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes says when she tried to explain to students how those afflicted with chronic illness represent a diversity, she was met with blank faces and misunderstanding because people could not see the illnesses’ symptoms may not be visible.

In 2010, Fuentes was tasked with creating a plan to incorporate her program

into the larger Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD), which was at DePaul established in 2012.

“There are a wide variety of conditions that students may have where the symptoms may be episodic, as well as of various duration. The CSD works with those students, faculty, and others to ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided,” the center’s director, Gregory Moorehead, said in a statement to the DePaulia.

While the responsibilities of Fuentes’ program were absorbed into the CSD, she still worries if the accommodations the school provides through the larger program are adequate.

“Students have complained in many, many universities about being ignored and not understood,” Fuentes said. “They would go to the regular disability office and not get what they needed, so my fear was that if they went back to the regular disability office, then those problems would resurface for them.”

F u e n t e s now works with Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n Teaching, an organization which helps provide online education to those with chronic illnesses.

As someone who lives with a chronic condition, Jason has advice for students who are struggling.

“Get good medical care. Create a support system, maybe a nutritionist if you have trouble getting adequate nutrition, or a pain specialist for any widespread pain one might be experiencing, or a physical therapist for any mobility issues,” Jason said. “It’s important also to stay in close communication with your family and friends.”

“For people with chronic illness, it’s always up and down—one week they might feel better and the next weel they might be in the hospital.”

Lynn Fuentes Former director of DePaul’s Chronic Illness Inititive

News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018 | 5

DemonTHON

Students raise funds by ‘raising the roof’ Photos by Cody Corrall Text by Timothy Duke DemonTHON organizes fundraising year-round for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago which culminates in a student organized 24hour dance marathon on May 4 and 5.

Students dance in order to bring awareness to and support the children afflicted with debilitating illnesses and disabilities.

Dancers stand and dance for 24 hours straight, every hour on the hour.

Students and families of children treated at Lurie Children’s came to celebrate the year’s fundraising efforts. Supporters came from DePaul and Miracle Families.

At DemonTHON 2017, the organization raised $276,261.50 for a running total of $1,276,261.50 through fundraising efforts. In 2016, DemonTHON became one of the fastest growing dance marathons organized under the Miracle Network Dance Marathons.

6| News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Student loan accumulation not understood by half of borrowers

By Brittney Bray Contributing Writer

After accomplishing the main goal of getting into college and choosing the right fit, one of the first burdens many students face is figuring out how they will pay for their education.

The reality sinks in when many students sit down and, combing through financial aid packages, find that some loans may be more than necessary to help pay for the academic year.

In 2015 Business Insider reported that between 1980 and 2014 college tuition increased by almost 260 percent.

Earlier this year Student Loan Hero, an online guide and website that aims to help students understand their loans, reported that in 2017 the average college graduate heads into the workforce with nearly $40,000 in student loan debt. This month they also reported that for borrowers aged 20 to 30 years old, the average monthly loan payment is $351.

Many students are also burdened with decisions about living on campus, travel, meal plans, expensive textbooks, additional fees, and cost of attaining a college education in America. Financial decisions also become important as students choose the loan that works best for them and their future as a college graduate.

These are some of the reasons that students tend to accept loans offered to them through various lenders. Among the types of loans students are likely to see are the subsidized and unsubsidized varieties.

Student Loan Hero also reported that 52 percent of student loan borrowers lack proper understanding of how their loan accumulates interest. Many even believe that their loans don’t collect interest while they are still enrolled in school.

“I do this work all the time and will go into a class and ask students, ’What‘s the interest rate on loans this year,’ and it’s rare that people can answer that question,” said Natalie Daniels, assistant director at DePaul Central.

“People don’t necessarily have the information. They should because they supposedly go though entrance counseling and sign a master promissory note, but we all know people don’t read that particular carefully. I wouldn’t say most students understand their loans,” Daniels said.

Despite not fully reading the fine print or understanding the results and interests tacked onto the loans, many students still accept, for a variety of reasons.

“I think the lenders provide information, but I think as with any loan, like a mortgage or a car loan, that they advertise it to students from the most positive perspective possible,” said Edward Doyle, an adjunct professor at DePaul who teaches accounting.

“But students do have to do research on or get an understanding, that (an) interest rate is very low but can change over time, and that is particularly critical now as interest rates are going up,” he said.

Lisa Jenkins, a DePaul graduate, realized this after she graduated. She couldn’t understand why her student loan amount had grown so immensely, adding further stress to her job search. “ I would just kind of accept all the loans being offered to me. But, in the end, it’s pretty confusing, “ Jenkins said.

“At the time that I accepted them it didn’t seem like a lot of money, but it was. I didn’t know that much about them, except that I needed them to go to school. I didn’t really have any other options anyway,” she added.

Jenkins is not alone in her experience.

She is one of the many college students across the nation who accept loans just so they can pay basic tuition costs.

According to Miranda Marquit, a

personal finance expert at Student Loan Hero, oftentimes students accept unsubsidized loans – which accrue interest even while the student is still in school – after they have exhausted other financial options.

“The reality is that if you don’t have your own funds or a scholarship, you probably can’t afford schooling unless you use unsubsidized loans.

The amount you borrow in subsidized loans rarely covers the entire cost of school,” she said.

I had both subsidized and unsubsidized loans during my time in college, mainly because the subsidized loans aren’t enough to get the job done,” she said.

Marquit also agrees that more could be done to help increase students’ understanding of loans, which could help them make better financial decisions. She acknowledges, however, that some of the cause for confusion and misinformation often comes from the loan services themselves.

“One of the biggest issues is that federal loan services don’t always give out accurate information. They might not help borrowers understand which incomedriven repayment plan they are eligible for, and sometimes they don’t have correct information about the requirements of Public Service Loan Forgiveness. It would be nice to see better training of representatives on these programs and greater efforts to provide accurate information about the requirements,” she said.

In fact, when it comes to loan forgiveness, many college students are also under the false impression that their loans can be forgiven, when it may not be the case.

“Students need to learn about what types of loans they actually have, and they need to be well-versed in the different programs available. They need to realize that not all loans qualify for forgiveness programs.

So before you move forward, check the requirements of the forgiveness program and make sure your loans are eligible,” she said.

When determining which loans are the best fit, Marquit advises students to review interest rates and consider whether a private, rather than a federal loan has more financial benefits for them. There are also several websites and resources on campus that can help make some of these financial decisions easier to understand.

Daniels and Marquit agree that a better job needs to be done on informing students of the stipulations that come along with the loans they accept.

“I do think that we need better financial education around the cost of attending school and the implications of borrowing money to pay for college. The reality is that we just go to school, and the loan exit counseling is often insufficient.

We need to teach students

ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA

how to think about their degree and work ahead of time to decide whether it’s worth the cost,” Marquit said.

Daniels hopes that in the future more attention will be placed on educating students about loan operations. As future economic changes result in the rise and fall of tuition prices and varying loan interest rates, this becomes increasingly important to college students.

“I think more awareness at every level is important,” she said.

“My dream would be to be able to get a two-credit class that students would have to go through, or even an appointment with a

person rather than just going through online calculations.”

“I know how easy it is to skip through that and not really read it. Just having someone that they can sit down with to explain things, I think, would be really great. It could be a class that talks about more than just loans, (such as) a class about basic finance, because it’s all tied together,” she said.

In the U.S. student loan debt is reportedly over a trillion dollars. Educating students about their loans, the effects of their loans, and how to choose the right loans could be a step towards decreasing that number.

News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018| 7

LYNCH continued from front “They implied that if Kaufman did not resign, they would ruin his reputation and future with potential employers,” he said.

Drew-Caffin said that Lynch and Bui used Kaufman’s political aspirations as leverage to scare him out of the race.

Kaufman has previously done work for both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker’s office.

Lynch and Bui both strongly deny the allegations.

“I never mentioned that,” Lynch said.

Lynch said that while Bui may have alluded to Kaufman’s political aspirations, both of them were only trying to impress upon Kaufman the importance of one’s reputation as it pertains to future candidacy and post-graduation employment.

Lynch said that at no point did he ask Kaufman to withdraw from the race, nor did he imply it. Asked if there were any attempts to intimidate or blackmail Kaufman, Lynch said “absolutely not.”

Kaufman declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting, but in an official statement on April 25 he cited “dirty politics” and “slander” as being among the reasons for his withdrawal.

“I’ve accepted the apologies of Michael and Ben,” he told The DePaulia on Friday.

Lynch agreed that the meeting was a mistake and says he regrets the way he handled it.

Although Bui was also in the closeddoor meeting with Lynch, their relationship has been far from amicable. Bui told The DePaulia on Wednesday that Lynch “carried an image” and a “brand” that seemed more important to him than actually dealing with policy.

“In my opinion, there was a lack of leadership,” he said. “The only times things were getting done is when Gracie was stepping in as vice president.”

At one point during Lynch’s tenure Bui even considered leaving his post as treasurer.

“I had a resignation letter written and ready to submit,” he said.

8

Bui said that other disgruntled members were also considering tending their resignations as well.

But current SGA Vice President Gracie Covarrubias defended Lynch on Friday.

“Michel is passionate about the issues we ran on and being an advocate for students,” she said.

Covarrubias said that although Lynch and her “did not always see eye-to-eye,” he was nonetheless an “effective president.”

While multiple sources have used the term “bullying” to describe Lynch, Covarrubias vehemently denied such allegations, saying that Lynch had never made her feel uncomfortable.

“It’s easy to point the finger,” she said. “But we were handed a crumbling organization, and Michael was determined in the way he did his job.”

Bozich and Beatty disagree. They complained about Lynch’s attendance during SGA meetings and crucial events.

They specifically cited a meeting with an political official from the Netherlands.

Bozich said the meeting was “a big deal” and that Lynch “just didn’t show up.”

“It was pretty embarrassing for all of us,” she said.

Lynch was candid with The DePaulia, admitting he had mixed up the date and location of the meeting. Additionally, he mentioned that his uncle had just passed away and he was distracted at the time. But overall, Lynch and Covarrubias deny that he had any substantial attendance issues.

“I think that he was making decisions on behalf of everyone,” Bozich said.

Bozich said that when it was time to make key appointments to staff, Lynch often would not consult his cabinet. Although Lynch is not required to consult his cabinet for such an appointment, Bozich said it is a standard best practice for SGA. “I think Michael is a nice guy,” Beatty said. “But he was not fit to be president.”

Lynch responded to comments from Beatty and Bozich, mentioning that they had run campaigns on separate tickets from

PHOTO COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Lynch continues to defend his presidency despite harsh accusations from his cabinet members.

himself.

“They have never cared for me,” he said. “People think I was forcing them to do things, but there were external realities outside the realm of my control.”

Lynch mentioned several initiatives that he says have been accomplished under his direct leadership. Lynch pointed to the creation of a new SGA position, the “executive vice president of institutional diversity and equity.” Lynch says that this position now works directly in conjunction

with the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity (OIDE).

Lynch also said that he has worked with the Strategic Resource Planning Committee in order to fight for increased funding of financial aid for students, which is up 9 percent, according to Lynch.

But Bozich and Beatty told a different story to The DePaulia. When asked what Lynch contributed during his time in office, Bozich said, “You know, I’m honestly not sure if he accomplished anything.”

CAMPUS CRIME REPORT: April 25 - May 1, 2018 f

LOOP CAMPUS Seton Hall 3

Richardson Library

Sanctuary Hall

4 5

3

DePaul Center

Student Center 3

6

1

Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center

7 2

9

2

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS APRIL 25 1) A theft

Drug & Alcohol

wallet taken from a bench in front of Seton Hall.

report was filed regarding a bike taken from the Student Center bike rack.

APRIL 28 2) A theft was reported at the Ray Meyer Fitness Center. Items were taken from the complainant’s locker.

APRIL 29 3) A theft

Assault & Theft

report was filed for an unattended

APRIL 30 4) A theft

report was filed regarding an unattended laptop taken from the Richardson Library.

MAY 01 5) An illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor

report was filed in Sanctuary Hall. Subject was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital for treatment.

Other

LOOP CAMPUS APRIL 25 APRIL 28 6) A criminal trespass warning was issued to a 9) A retail person in the DePaul Center.

APRIL 26 7) A criminal trespass warning was issued to a person in the DePaul Center.

APRIL 27 8) A theft was reported at a University Center

retail location. Chicago Police apprehended the offender.

theft and aggravated assault report was filed at the DePaul Center Barnes and Noble.

Subject had stolen a backpack full of merchandise, and threatened to harm anyone who detained him. Chicago Police were called and the subject fled the scene.

APRIL 30 10) A battery

was reported in the University Center dining area.

8| News. The DePaulia May 7, 2018

Live recording of political podcast discusses mass incarceration of Latinx immigrants

By Dirce Torca Contributing Writer

Latin American and Latino Studies professor Maria Hinojosa hosted a live recording of “In The Thick,” a podcast about politics from the perspective of people of color (POC), with co-host Julio Ricardo Varela at DePaul on Thursday, May 3.

Covering a three-part series on Latinos and mass incarceration in the United States, “In The Thick” welcomed five guests to join the conversation.

Part one of the series featured Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, who received a life sentence without parole at a prison in Pennsylvania, for a robbery-turnedshooting that resulted in a death. He was sentenced at the age of 17 for a crime he didn’t commit.

“I didn’t tell on anybody, cause at that time I believed in the code of the streets,” Suave said.

Suave was released on November 20, 2017; he is now a prison reform activist. As the discussion got started, Suave became emotional over the simple fact that he is alive after 30 years of thinking he was going to spend the rest of his days in prison.

“The fact that now he’s out and he can cry on stage is actually a really profound statement about who he is as a human being and where he is in life,” Hinojosa said.

When Suave was convicted he was offered a five year plea, but at the time he was also illiterate; he couldn’t read or write, and he didn’t understand that in Pennsylvania, going to trial without taking a deal meant getting the maximum sentence.

Fast forward to 2012: In Miller v.

POLICY continued from front key in determining whether or not the relationship need be disclosed.

The proposed policy is self-reporting, meaning that two people in any of these positions with a consensual relationship are expected to disclose it to the university.

Smith said that the person of “higher standing” would be expected to report, but that HR would still need to verify with the other person in the relationship; no one would be anonymous.

Some faculty council representatives expressed worries that the proposed policy would require revealing their sexual orientation, which could lead to potential issues of discrimination.

Ultimately, faculty wanted to see more explicit wording that protects the reporting couple — whether because of sexual orientation or power dynamics.

They wanted to see language that would ensure protection of the person in lower standing with the university, as the person of higher standing would be expected to first report the relationship.

The council also had concerns as to how reporting would work if a consensual relationship were to end.

Peg Birmingham, a College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Faculty Representative on the council and a professor in the philosophy department, was among the first to raise concerns with the wording of the proposed policy.

She inquired as to whether or not it would include professors and former students, worrying that the power dynamic could still remain unbalanced even if the student is not currently in a class with that professor. Advising and mentoring relationships continue beyond the classroom, she explained.

In April, The DePaulia published an investigation about a former student’s lawsuit against a former professor for alleged sexual coercion, battery and violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act. Neither are involved with the university

Alabama, the United States Supreme Court ruled that mandatory sentences of life without the possibility of parole are unconstitutional for juvenile offenders.

“If it wasn’t for Barack Obama who appointed (Supreme Court Justices) Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, juvenile lifers across the United States would not be out,” Suave said. “Those were the two deciding votes that said, ‘No, juvenile lifers should be let out of jail.’”

At one point, Suave spent five years in solitary confinement, which Hinojosa and Varela described as an inhumane punishment. But Suave pointed out that five years “in the hole” in the prison system is nothing compared to the 25-35 years of solitary confinement that some people in Pennsylvania get.

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” Suave said.

“We still have brothers in Pennsylvania in the hole that have been there 30, 40 years.

We should all be advocating for them to come out the hole.”

Roque Planas, an Austin-based national reporter for the Huffington Post who covers immigration, and Aisha Davis, a civil rights attorney at Loevy & Loevy, joined Suave in the second part of the series where the focus was on the fact that Latinos are being pushed into a system of mass incarceration.

“It’s an issue that goes beyond talking about mass incarceration; it goes into the conversation of why certain people are targeted,” Davis said.

Communities of color are often overpoliced, where any instance of “suspicion” means that POC are immediately targeted.

Planas questioned not just who is targeted by police, but who isn’t targeted. anymore, and the events allegedly occurred while the student was currently enrolled in a class with the professor during the spring 2016 quarter.

The lawsuit raised questions about relationships between students and professors, and the investigation found that no explicit policies regulate dating or sexual relationships between faculty and students.

The proposed Consensual Relationship Policy was prompted by the #MeToo Movement, according to Smith, who presented the policy at Wednesday’s meeting. She said the idea is to develop a mitigation plan to avoid any future “adverse effects.” Smith said “consensual relationships go awry,” so this proposed policy would provide documentation “down the road” if the university was faced with harassment claims.

According to Smith, HR looked at other institutions such as Loyola and Northwestern and found that “DePaul had one of the lightest policy treatments out there” concerning consensual relationships.

Previously, DePaul addressed consensual relations in a smaller section of the Anti-Discrimination and AntiHarassment policy, according to Hughes.

But Smith said at Wednesday’s meeting that the university still needs an explicit policy to address issues around sexual harassment and relationships that could affect discrimination.

Preliminary discussions and comparative research on similar policies from other universities began in the fall, and a draft of the proposed policy began at the end of 2017, according to Hughes.

Since then, the policy has been working its way through the DePaul governance process, which includes the Staff Council, the Faculty Council and others.

“The policy could be implemented before the end of the academic year, but that is contingent on approvals as it continues through the governance process,” Hughes said.

YAZMIN DOMINGUEZ | THE DEPAULIA

Maria Hinojosa, Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, and Julio Ricardo Varela discuss Suave’s false conviction.

Hinojosa and Varela stressed the fact that while discussing the prison industrial complex, the ICE industrial complex – immigration, detention and deportation – cannot be overlooked. Hinojosa said more money is spent on immigration, detention and deportation enforcement today than all federal law enforcement agencies combined.

That means more money is being spent on tracking down, detaining, housing and then deporting immigrants than the FBI and the Department of Justice budgets combined.

“It’s not about immigration enforcement so much as reinforcing the idea that crime looks a certain way, that crime has a color,” Planas said.

Davis raised the idea that if you’re “dark enough,” it is likely that you can be targeted.

Joining in for the last part of the live recording was David Manuel Hernández, an assistant professor of Latina/o & Latin

American Studies at Mount Holyoke College and Mony Ruiz-Velasco, an immigration attorney and activist in Chicago.

Hernández and Ruiz-Velasco dug deeper into the issues of immigration detention and deportation, stressing that immigrants are being targeted regardless of criminal backgrounds.

“You have fewer rights in the civil justice system if you’re an immigrant than if you’re someone in the criminal justice system,” Ruiz-Velasco said.

One thing was agreed upon by all of the guest speakers: We need to move forward alongside our communities of color that are being impacted in this day and era and consider strategies that might help us reverse the criminalization of POC. Hinojosa and Varela will be producing these conversations into a series of podcasts within the coming weeks.

News. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018 | 9

10 | Nation & World. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Nation &World

Stories from the melting pot DePaul students tell their stories about being immigrants

By Hector Cervantes Contributing Writer

The melting pot is what America calls itself, and at DePaul University there are many cultures represented in the student population who are immigrants.

Sophomore Alan Zientarski and freshman Andriy Dutka are just a few of the many students who are immigrants at DePaul University.

Zientarski is from Elk, Poland and he moved to the United States when he was nine.

“American culture is a lot different from Poland. A lot of people in Poland and Europe fantasize about America saying that it is a great place and it is the land of opportunity,” Zientarski said.

At first, Zientarski thought it was harder to adjust because he did not know English well enough. It took him some time to learn English, but he says it was a great experience.

Zientarski moved to America because his parents were looking for more opportunity. He already had some family members who settled in America two years prior to moving.

One difficulty Zientarski had to face as a new citizen of the country was the process of applying to become a citizen.

Since Zientarski’s parents did not apply for citizenship, he and his family were undocumented for a long time.

“Until about two years ago there were quite a bit of other hardships that I faced where I don’t have family here anymore,” Zientarski said. “Being undocumented and not having citizenship has put a lot of struggles and difficulties on my life because it limited me from all of these opportunities we came here for.”

Julia Lieblich is an adjunct professor in peace studies at DePaul University, and she points out how students who are immigrants face numerous challenges.

“Dreamers worry about being deported. Immigrants with undocumented parents fear their mothers and fathers will be forced to leave the country. Some first-generation students, whose parents work two or more jobs, care for their younger siblings and handle the family finances," Lieblich said.

Zientarski points out that being an immigrant is something to feel proud of despite the inflammatory rhetoric being used in the political world.

“It is important that you stay true to your character and who you are ... despite the fact that you might face a lot of obstacles,” Zientarski said.

One of those opportunities Zientarski said he was unfortunately not able to participate in was studying abroad.

Despite these hardships, Zientarski feels that some of the opportunities for education in the United States are greater than elsewhere around the world.

“I feel like people here are able to manage difficult situations. For example, there are some scholarships here that I have not heard of when I was in Poland ... I do see education as an opportunity here,” Zientarski said.

One thing that Zientarski misses, though, is his native Polish language and culture.

“I definitely miss (the Polish language) and my family, because I am the only one here that is left and I don’t have any more family,” he said.

Dutka, meanwhile, is an immigrant from Ukraine, which borders Poland to the east. He

GRAPHICS BY ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA

moved to the United States at the end of his middle school career.

His goal is to get his masters degree in finance.

“The biggest difficulty (I had to overcome) was the language, because coming here I only had a limited knowledge of British English which is different than American English,” Dutka said.

Nevertheless, he learned English quickly by making friends and watching American television shows. For him, English was an easy language to learn.

While Dutka misses Ukraine, he always travels back to visit during the winter.

“I definitely miss my family ... I have a fun time in Ukraine because I feel like the social life is way better over there ... over here it is a busy environment,” Dutka said. “In Ukraine it is more laid back and there are a lot of more cool places to be at. I feel more at

home over there since it is more fun.”

Despite missing his native Eastern European country, Dutka says the DePaul community has made him feel at home.

“There is a lot more acceptance here and more diversity here. It is a much more diverse country then Ukraine.

All you see in Ukraine are white people who are European, and over here there are many different cultures represented,” Dutka said.

One difficulty he does faces in America, however, is social interactions; he admits it was an adjustment to learn some of the unique social gestures in this country.

“It took me some time to become better at interaction with people,” he said.

In terms of government, Dutka sees similarities between the Ukraine and U.S. systems.

“Government wise, it is sort of similar: there are more than one political party in Ukraine and there are many in the United States as well,” Dutka said.

One of the primary differences Dutka sees is how there is a free market trade, while over in Ukraine there is more of a labor force economy.

Although Dutka enjoys life in America, he prefers to make his own living in Ukraine.

“Ideally, I don’t want to get my education here in America and get my masters in finance, but if the income would allow me to and my socioeconomic status would allow me to, I would love to move back to Ukraine because I feel like it is a lot more fun for me over there,” Dutka said. “Since the salaries are way lower there ... it is more economically stable here.”

Immigrants currently living in Illinois, based on birth place

GRAPHICS BY VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA

Nation & World. May 7, 2018. The DePaulia | 11

Nation&Worldbriefs

ROSS D. FRANKLIN | AP Teachers chant as they continue to protest for a new funding bill in front of the Arizona Capitol on Thursday, May 3, 2018, in Phoenix.

Content written by the ASSOCIATED PRESS Compiled by Carina Smith | THE DEPAULIA

MAJDI MOHAMMED | AP KEVAN KAMIBAYASHI |U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY VIA AP Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during Red ash rises from the Puu Oo vent on Hawaii's Kilauea a meeting of the Palestinian National Council at his Volcano after a magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck the Big Island, Thursday, May 3, 2018 in Hawaii Volcanoes National headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Park.

Palestinian president apologizes over anti-Semitic remarks

Arizona schools reopen after funding deal reached Phoenix, Arizona Hundreds of thousands of Arizona schoolchildren returned to classes Friday a day after state lawmakers approved 20 percent raises for teachers and they ended a six-day walkout that shuttered most classrooms around the state.

Teachers at a high school in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa lined up to greet students with cheers and handshakes. An elementary school principal greeted students with high-fives on the other side of metro Phoenix.

Strike organizers called for an end to the walkout Thursday after an allnight legislative session resulted in a 20 percent pay raise by 2020. Most districts planned to reopen Friday but Tucson's largest district said it would resume classes next week.

The education funding plan approved by lawmakers shortly before dawn was immediately signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, awarding teachers a 9 percent raise in the fall and 5 percent in each of the next two years. Those increases, which are in addition to a 1 percent raise granted last year, will cost about $300 million for the coming year alone.

The Arizona walkout was part of a bubbling national uprising over low teacher pay and funding. The movement started in West Virginia, where a strike resulted in a raise, and spread to Oklahoma, Kentucky and, most recently, Colorado.

Thomas said educators should now focus on a campaign for a November ballot measure that would seek more education funding from an income tax increase on the wealthiest taxpayers.

Education cuts over the past decade have sliced deeply into Arizona's public schools. Teachers wanted a return to pre-recession funding levels, regular raises, competitive pay for support staff and a pledge not to adopt any tax cuts until per-pupil funding reaches the national average.

The new funding package provides schools with a partial restoration of nearly $400 million in recession-era cuts, with a promise to restore the rest in five years. Other cuts remain in place.

Jerusalem

Hawaii volcano erupts, residents flee homes nearby Pahoa, Hawaii Nearly 1,500 people fled from their mountain-side homes after Hawaii's Kilauea volcano sent molten lava chewing through forests and bubbling up on paved streets in an eruption that one resident described as "a curtain of fire."

After a week of earthquakes and warnings that an eruption could be imminent, steam and lava poured out of a crack Thursday in the community of Leilani Estates near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island, officials said.

Television footage showed lava spurting into the sky from a crack in a road. Video from an aerial drone showed a line of lava snaking through a forest. The activity continued early Friday, with reports of eruptions from volcanic vents on two streets.

"It sounded like if you were to put a bunch of rocks into a dryer and turn it on as high as you could. You could just smell sulfur and burning trees and underbrush and stuff," Resident Jeremiah Osuna, who captured the drone footage, told Honolulu television station KHON. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but at least 100 people were in staying in shelters Friday, with many more evacuees believed to be with relatives and friends.

The Hawaii governor activated the National Guard to help with evacuations and provide security to about 770 structures left empty when residents sought shelter.

Scientists have no way of predicting how long the eruption will continue, said Asta Miklius, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

A key factor will be whether magma reservoir at the summit starts to drain in response to the eruption, which has not happened yet, Miklius said.

County, state and federal officials had

been warning residents all week that they should be prepared to evacuate because an eruption would give little warning.

The geological survey on Thursday raised the volcano's alert level to warning status, the highest possible, meaning a hazardous eruption was imminent, underway or expected.

Geologists said new ground cracks were reported Thursday afternoon. Hot vapor emerged from a crack and spattering lava began to erupt.

Areas downslope of the erupting vents were at risk of being covered by lava. Leilani Estates appeared to be at greatest risk, but scientists said new vents and outbreaks could occur, and it's impossible to say where.

The eruption came after days of earthquakes rattled the area's Puna district.

A nearby school was closed due to the seismic activity, and several roadways cracked under the strain of the constant temblors. A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded Thursday, hours before the eruption began.

Kilauea's Puu Oo crater floor began to collapse Monday, triggering a series of earthquakes and pushing the lava into new underground chambers. The collapse caused magma to push more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) downslope toward the populated southeast coastline of the island.

Civil defense authorities closed the area to visitors Tuesday and ordered private tour companies to stop taking people into the region.

Kilauea has erupted periodically for decades. Most of its activity has been nonexplosive, but a 1924 eruption spewed ash and 10-ton (9-metric ton) rocks into the sky, leaving one man dead.

Puu Oo's 1983 eruption resulted in lava fountains soaring over 1,500 feet (457 meters) high

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued an apology Friday following uproar over a speech he made this week that was condemned as anti-Semitic and dismissive of Jewish historical connections to the Holy Land.

Palestinian officials said Abbas was under "tremendous" pressure from numerous diplomats and foreign ministers to apologize.

Abbas, in remarks that were part of a lengthy speech to the Palestine Liberation Organization parliament on Monday, said it was the Jews' "social function," including money lending, which caused animosity toward them in Europe. He also described the creation of Israel as a European colonial project, saying "history tells us there is no basis for the Jewish homeland."

The Palestinian president's remarks were sharply condemned by the United Nations, European Union, United States, Israel and others as perpetuating antiSemitic stereotypes and falsifying history.

The official Palestinian news agency quoted Abbas as saying on Friday that "if people were offended by my statement ... especially people of the Jewish faith, I apologize to them." He condemned anti-Semitism "in all its forms" and said he remains committed "to the two-state solution, and to live side by side in peace and security."

Abbas also said "I would also like to reiterate our long held condemnation of the Holocaust, as the most heinous crime in history, and express our sympathy with its victims."

In his doctoral thesis in the 1970s, Abbas questioned the extent of the Nazi genocide of Jews during WWII, drawing accusations that he was a Holocaust denier. He has since distanced himself from the claims.

Israel's Defense Minister later lashed out at Abbas on Twitter, rejecting his apology.

"Abu Mazen is a wretched Holocaust denier who wrote his doctorate on Holocaust denial and later also published a book about Holocaust denial," Avigdor Lieberman tweeted, referring to Abbas by his nickname.

12 | Opinions. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Opinions

Puff puff pass – in class?

GRAPHICS BY ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA

How vapes are changing the futures of teenagers

By Mackenzie Murtaugh Opinions Editor

As college students, it might be difficult to imagine high school students unapologetically vaping in classrooms.

It’s common for us to see it on campus, as it’s legal and mostly normalized for college students to smoke. Most college students, I would hope, wouldn’t think to disrespect their professors, who very much determine their life’s next steps, by smoking in their classrooms. But in high school classrooms, teenagers can take a puff of their crème brûlée-flavored vape when the teacher has their back turned.

The most prevalent vaping device found in high school classrooms is the Juul, a nicotine-heavy, tobaccofree apparatus that looks dangerously similar to a USB drive. Even though James Monsees and Adam Bowen, the minds behind the device, say it is “an alternative for adult smokers” on their website, students can easily get their hands on them through underage sales at local gas stations and older siblings purchasing them. These Juuls present the fundamental issue with Generation Z: Teenagers are so willing to accept and embody a trend without thinking about how it might affect them later in life.

It’s no question if the Juul is truly as addictive as it seems, since one pod has the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. It even helped me stop smoking cigarettes for a while, which is what the FDA hoped e-cigarettes would do for citizens. This presents an issue for regulation, as vape companies do not have to list the ingredients for their products like tobacco companies do; this could be why 51.8 percent of vaping high school seniors think their devices consist of “just flavoring” and no nicotine at all, according to a survey from The National Institute of Health.

There are plenty of reasons why high schoolers have started vaping, but in my view it came down to students desiring to fit in amongst their peers. Once teenagers hear their classmates were receiving an ill-fated buzz from the “USB drives,” the potentiality for a nicotine addiction was

thrown out the window and Juuls became commonplace for classrooms.

Additionally, vaping is meme-worthy, and high schoolers love the humor of it all. The image of men in newsboy hats hitting their obnoxiously huge vape rigs and blowing their huge vape clouds that somehow signify the size of their manhood is a classic and weirdly relatable meme. Seeing those huge clouds makes me visibly ill, especially when the vaper is donning that one Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt everyone bought from Target in 2012. Many teenagers participate in vaping because of this humorous, and frankly embarrassing, culture behind it. “(My sister) vapes for the memes,” said Dirk Molek, 19, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student and brother of a vaping teenager. “Vaping is honestly so funny, and it makes me laugh that she would vape to make light of those random dudes who blow fat clouds.”

She’s since become somewhat addicted, but Molek said her addiction is nowhere near that of her classmates. Now, since everyone does it not only at parties but in the classroom, Molek said he fears his sister might be doing it for the wrong reasons.

“She’s old enough to make her own decisions, but I just hope she isn’t doing it to fit in since most students do it to fulfill some strange and deep desire to feel like they belong to something bigger,” Molek said. “It’s affecting them more than just their physical health by getting addicted to nicotine, but it could possibly affect their self esteem too.”

One high school senior from Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois said she began vaping as a way to stop smoking cigarettes. She started smoking cigarettes early because of her friends, and once she found out about Juuling, she realized she could quit the cigarette smell without really quitting nicotine.

“For me, at first, it wasn’t about impressing my friends or fitting in at school,” said the student, who did not want to be named. “I was so embarrassed about my smoking habit and would hide it from them, but now they’re all doing the

same thing except with a vape instead of cigarettes.”

While high school students will happily ridicule others for smoking cigarettes, Juuling has become completely acceptable. Though the risks involving tobacco are taken away with a Juul, students can develop an insidious and severe nicotine addiction. With sweet and fruity flavors like the crème brûlée and fruit medley, teenagers are basically invited into vape culture. The cigarette smell on their fingers has been replaced

issue facing teen smokers. Nicotine levels in vapes vary widely from zero to very high. It just so happens Juuls have some of the highest nicotine levels for vapes.

Those teenagers who have already used a vape in the past and enjoyed it are four times more likely to smoke a cigarette later then become fierce and fiery smokers if they allow the addiction to take hold, according to a study by The BMJ. There’s hardly a realistic solution to this problem. Maybe it is simply a trend that will soon disappear into the hole

GRAPHICS BY ALLY ZACEK | THE DEPAULIA Data from the 2017 Monitoring the Future survey done by the National Institute of Health

with a cloud of artificial fruit following behind them. I can’t tell which is worse.

Conflicted and confused realities are the future for these teen smokers.

They’ve been taught that vapes aren’t as bad as cigarettes, even though experts say they haven’t been around long enough to know for sure. To smoke a cigarette, or to refuse further addiction, is the biggest

where trends go to die. Yet this problem is more insidious than Thrasher t-shirts and dabbing. Vapes like Juuls cause serious addiction problems that most teenagers can’t wrap their heads around. Even though college students might not believe it, when it comes to teens, tasty flavors and higher social comfort can outweigh future plans for their health.

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

Opinions. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018 | 13

Kanye West's pro-Trump views don't add up His support for conflicting ideologies ignites racial conversation

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP NEWS

West has come back to social media after a yearlong break with full support of President Trump, to much confusion and clap back from fans and news outlets alike

By William Sullivan Contributing Writer

Kanye West has created a furor on Twitter and in the media since his tweet on April 21, which supported black conservative commentator Candace Owens. “I love the way Candace Owens thinks,” he said. This began a period of political tweeting from West in support of President Trump and his policies.

Owens is a staunch Trump supporter. She said in an April 16 tweet “I truly believe that @realDonaldTrump isn’t just the leader of the free world, but the savior of it as well.” Owens has every right to her beliefs, but Kanye West’s public statements about his politics do not add up.

West thinks he and President Trump are kindred spirits. “You don't have to agree with Trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought,” he tweeted.

Most recently West got in trouble for a comment he made during an interview with TMZ. “When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice,” he said. That remark sparked many impassioned articles and tweets. “Kanye must not realize it, but his rants are a gift to racists,” said Brian Stelter of CNN. West apologized for his statement on TMZ. “To make myself clear. Of course, I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will,” he said in a now-deleted May 1 tweet. But that’s not what it sounded like when he spoke to TMZ. Why say “400 years” otherwise?

“Kanye’s rhetoric continues to fuel the racist rightwing folks who believe that black people are responsible for their oppression,” said DeRay McKesson, an activist supporting the Black Lives matter movement in a May 1 tweet.

There was also support from people who agree with West’s political statements. “Kanye West has performed a great service to the Black Community - Big things are happening and eyes are being opened for the first time in Decades,” said President Trump in a tweet.

“It is good to hear that he is speaking what he thinks,” said John Minster, chairman of the DePaul College Republicans. “It was nice to see that he was not

afraid of the inevitable mob that would come at him if he said things that didn’t exactly go along with the Hollywood dogma.”

Minster’s remarks are typical of many other conservative voices who jumped on Kanye’s switch.

“It is amazing how fast conservatives picked up on it, I think the DePaul College Republicans retweeted it,” said Doug Klain, secretary of the DePaul Democrats.

These tweets are a change from what West has said in the past. He famously said during a charity telethon for Hurricane Katrina on NBC that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

Even though that was the most famous clip of him from the telethon, West also said that “if you see a black family, (the media) says, ‘They’re looting.’ “You see a white family, it says, ‘They’re looking for food.’”.

West has also expressed opinions on police brutality and race relations in lyrics that are definitely left-leaning.

“Racism's still alive, they just be concealin' it," he rapped in the song “Never Let Me Down” on 2004 album “The College Dropout.”

“Can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage?” he asked in “Heard ‘Em Say” from his 2005 album “Late Registration.”

“Meanwhile the DEA/ Teamed up with the CCA/ They tryna lock n---as up/ They tryna make new slaves/ See that's that privately-owned prison/ Get your piece today," he recited in 2013’s “New Slaves” from his sixth studio album “Yeezus.”

But his tweets are not necessarily consistent. On April 28 West tweeted a photo of Stoneman Douglas massacre survivor and gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez with the text “my hero Emma Gonzalez.”

That does not match Candace Owens’ views. On March 4 Owens tweeted that “The @NRA is the oldest civil rights organization in the country,” which hardly matches up to West’s support for Emma Gonzalez.

Owens, in a video posted to her YouTube channel, argues that “racism has gone from an actual threat to a simple voter strategy.” In other words, she denies that racism is serious. She has also been critical of Chicago, West’s hometown. She has tweeted comments that suggest that police brutality does not exist, because cops in black communities are always there to help them.

West has the right to change his mind, his political opinions and views. Maybe he doesn’t personally experience racism and segregation like he used to.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TWITTER

West caused controversy after he declared support of Trump

“Being famous can often shield people from the worst expressions of racism, at least in public,” said DePaul professor and Director of the Center for Black Diaspora Christina Rivers. “But I wonder if being famous also invites a certain amount of racism, simply from being out there as a public figure.”

“I can only assume that he experienced racism in the same way other black men in Chicago would, before his fame,” Rivers said.

Fame won’t get him away though. “No matter who you are, where you are, from how much you make, what car you drive, (or) how many Twitter followers you have, there will always be people out there who believe you should stay in your place,” said Evan Moore, a journalism professor.

Kanye West may not experience racism the way he did when he was not a celebrity. But he can’t escape it. Racism is real. West doesn’t deny it in his lyrics. His support for Candace Owens, who denies police brutality, who thinks that racial disparities are not because of discrimination, but because of a “victim-mentality”, does not mesh with West’s previous political beliefs. Until he expounds more, it is impossible to know what he really thinks, or whether his political philosophy adds up. But from what he has said so far, it doesn’t. Even he admits that he is unsure. In a tweet on April 27, West said “I haven't done enough research on conservatives to call myself or be called one.”

Focus

14 | Focus. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Women writers Hall of Fame Three centuries of a few of the women who have heavily shaped the literary world.

By Amanda Krupp Contributing Writer

With the upcoming release of the new film “Book Club”, a story about lifelong friends who come together each month to reminisce and chat about their favorite books, the subject of female authors who have had a major impact on the literary scene comes to mind.

While there have been a multitude of women who have influenced change and inspiration around the world, there are a few in particular who have had a substantial influence on the literary world from century to century. Just like the women in “Book Club”, these women illustrate a sense of boldness and authenticity, forever changing what we read and have been able to write.

In the 1800’s, women were called upon to be the face of the family. They were expected to smile and harbored the daunting responsibility of putting all of the pieces together without a single complaint or worry.

Emily Dickinson, on the other hand, was an up and coming writer who believed something different. She broke out of that classic mold and decided to bring forth a different idea of the way a woman should be able to present herself to the world. She wrote about the life that she wanted, rather than what was wanted for her.

She conveyed the need to resist being bogged down by society’s standards, and she did so through detailed imagery and sentiment. The majority of her poetry centered around loneliness, which, at the time, was not something talked about in detail by women. Instead, she spoke through the heart and with stern honesty, and introduced writing that was dictated by pure emotion.

“Dickinson was always someone I enjoyed reading growing up. I feel like her novels paved the way for many writers in the future,” Emma Williams, DePaul student said.

To this day, Dickinson’s words are something that have transcended the test of time and remain a viable outsource of material for women who are growing and changing.

Perhaps somewhat inspired by Dickinson was Charlotte Bronte, whose most famous piece of work “Jane Eyre” is an exemplary addition to Dickinson’s string of storytelling. When the novel was initially published it was done so under Bronte’s male pseudonym in order to get more attention and recognition for the work. The novel was groundbreaking in the sense that (similar to Dickinson’s viewpoints), the main character wanted to be presented in a different light in society, and stood on her own.

“Her [Bronte] novels were my favorite from this time period. I always loved reading her books in school,” Zach Miller, student, said.

This rebellious nature in novelists only began here and grew in the 19th century, showing how influential these women really were.

Another instance of impact in the 1800’s would be Jane Austen, who was so invested in telling stories throughout her life that she decided to write her own.

Austen always resisted the idea of losing yourself in another when you were in love, and wrote according to that viewpoint. With “Love and Friendship”, she created a satire on what would typically be considered a romantic novel, therefore breaking the boundary of how people looked at or read about love stories. Some of her most popular books have even turned into films, like “Sense and Sensibility”, “Pride and Prejudice”, and the hit movie “Clueless”, which is based off of “Emma”.

“These movies [based off of Austen’s novels] had a huge impact on me while growing up and helped me to become the woman I am today,” Grace Jones, student, said.

Agatha Christie’s book was set up by the women in her past, and propelled the same notions forward

in the 1900’s. With her most famous book “Murder on the Orient Express,” she dove into the world of mystery and suspense and changed the genre forever. No longer being bogged down by writing romantic novels, Christie helped open many different genres for future novelists to come. Many of her books have also turned into successful movies, such as the most recent iteration of “Murder on the Orient Express” starring Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Sylvia Plath was also a product of her environment in the early 1900’s, particularly in the political arena. When she was growing up, war was a big topic of conversation in films and books. While she had been publishing poems since she was a child, she grew into her own during this time period by publishing works on the matter at her school. Throughout her career, she wrote about resisting what life already wanted from her, and continuously noted that she wanted to love her life the way she wanted. Even if that meant not getting married, and even if it meant having different viewpoints on almost anything.

As time has gone on, inclusiveness has been a motto by many female novelists, particularly Maya Angelou. In the 1900’s, Angelou’s most famous poem, “The Caged Bird”, was released and has been admired and analyzed ever since. The poem speaks on this very idea, and further speaks on the notion of being able to be yourself. J.K. Rowling would later pick up on this idea in her life.

Throughout the 21st century, the “working woman” was an image that many now recognize, but also one that was not always fully accepted. J.K. Rowling revolutionized what it meant to be a female writer (and a working mother all at the same time) with the “Harry Potter” series. To this day, Rowling is an outspoken advocate for many things, but also for women’s rights.

She frequently tackles the notion of women having to prioritize work over family, or vice versa, and praises those who do both. With over 400 million copies sold, Rowling changed what it meant to be a working mother and quickly became an inspiration to parents who have had to juggle the multiple responsibilities that many others face as well.

Gillian Flynn is another example of a female novelist who has thrived in recent years, with her most popular book “Gone Girl” becoming a best seller and a hit movie. What makes that story special would be the idea of the flawed woman. The book presents a main character who can be seen as either the protagonist or the antagonist, depending on what you take away from the story. This is important because it provides a dynamic and complex female character that is not only interesting, but can be relatable to those who are not the picture perfect idea that others want them to be, which can only be reflected on the early writers from the past.

Another current novelist who provides a different outlook on characters we are used to seeing is Zadie Smith. Particularly in “White Teeth”, we see two mixed-raced friends who have known each other since childhood and both teach each other about their lives and cultures along the way. Through her stories, she is able to portray different lifestyles in an understanding way that may be able to provide some insight to those who are unaware of various cultures. This author in particular takes control of pre-existing genres and creates a teachable and genuine story that paves the way for other authors wanting their stories to be told.

“Book Club” features a cast of characters who come from all walks of life, but they all have one thing in common. They, just like Emily Dickinson and J.K. Rowling, are strong and confident women who face the

Graphics By Ally Zacek

same hardships and struggles that any other woman faces. However, their body of work and testament to their own moral compass prove that their impact on this world is greater than they could have ever imagined, and will always be an inspiration to those who are growing and finding their own voice.

Virginia Woolf

Mrs. Dalloway (1925) To the Lighthouse (1927) A Room of One’s Own (1929)

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter series (1997-2007) The Casual Vacancy (2012) The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013)

P

Focus. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018 | 15

Charlotte Brontë

Emily Dickinson

Sense and Sensibility (1811) Pride and Prejudice (1813) Persuasion (1818, published posthumous)

Jane Eyre (1847) Shirley (1849) The Professor (1857)

Because I could not Stop for Death (1890) I’m Nobody! Who are you? (1891) Hope is the Thing with Feathers (1891)

19th Century

Jane Austen

Agatha Christie

Sylvia Plath

Maya Angelou

20th Century

Murder on the Orient Express (1934) And Then There Were None (1939) Crooked House (1949)

Zadie Smith

Mad Girl’s Love Song (1951) The Bell Jar (1963) Lady Lazarus (1965)

Gillian Flynn

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) And Still I Rise (1978) Phenomenal Woman (1995)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

21st Century

White Teeth (1999) On Beauty (2005) Swing Time (2016)

Sharp Objects (2006) Dark Places (2009) Gone Girl (2012)

Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) Americanah (2013) We Should All Be Feminists (2014)

16 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Arts & Life

A$AP Ferg to headline FEST

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT BORDMAN

Five-piece band Books was one of four local bands that played amongst the skyscrapers leading up to the much anticipated artist reveal for this year's FEST.

By Marissa De La Cerda Contributing Writer

In an effort to try something different, DePaul Activities Board (DAB) held their first FEST Rooftop Reveal on Friday night on the DePaul Center’s 11th floor rooftop.

FEST is an annual concert that occurs at the end of the academic year featuring performances from two to three musical artists. The concert begins at 6 p.m. on the Quad with the opening act and concludes with the headliner. There is also FEST After Hours that features a DJ performance and is free to all students.

At the end of the event, DAB announced that A$AP Ferg and BJ the Chicago Kid will be headlining FEST. Previous FEST announcements took place in the Lincoln Park campus student center or Lincoln Hall, but this year Hannah Sinclaire, DAB’s Fest Coordinator, decided to host the event on the rooftop.

“It’s a very beautiful venue, and hopefully it’ll be a tradition from now on,” she said.

Three local bands performed before the big headliner reveal. Additionally, DAB provided Chartwell’s catering and Jimmy John’s sandwiches to feed their guests. Sinclaire said it took about a month to organize the reveal party and the entire school year to organize FEST. It all begins with a student forum that’s hosted by DAB in early October. “It all begins with a student forum hosted in early October. DAB sends out questionnaires that let DePaul students voice which musical acts they'd like to see, and from there the results are narrowed down by availability.”

After the forum, however, there were minimal rumors on who would be performing at the annual concert compared to previous years. Some students on social media said that last year’s lineup of Logic and Jesse McCartney kept them

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT BORDMAN

DePaul Activities Board switched up the FEST reveal this year and held the event on the new rooftop deck in the DePaul Center. from getting excited about FEST 2018.

Other students didn’t let the mix in genre discourage them from attending this year’s festivities.

Jimmy Tsogas, a sophomore at DePaul, says he’s looking forward to FEST despite the lukewarm reactions to last year’s concert. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I haven’t heard any rumors on the lineup so I’m excited to hear who the headliner is tonight,” he said before the Rooftop Reveal.

Tsogas said though he isn’t too familiar with the headliner, he will still be attending to listen to him. The other students in attendance, however, all screamed in excitement.

“A$AP Ferg! That’s going to be so much fun,” said Devany Perez, a senior at DePaul.

She said that the lineup sounds way better than previous years. Other students agreed, continuing to shout in the elevators about their excitement for FEST 2018.

“I do know that every year there’s going to be backlash,” Sinclaire said. “We know we can’t please everyone, but we try to get as many genres in as we can, and I think our lineup makes a bit more sense in regards to genre compared to previous years.”

FEST will be held on May 25 on the quad. Tickets are on sale now for $10.

A$AP Ferg is headlining FEST this year.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018| 17

'The Little Things'

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW NUNO

Star, co-writer and producer Lauryn Lugo stressed the importance of having comedy in the film. Lugo felt as though there is always room for laughter no matter the situation.

A short film's look at depression

By Garret Neal Staff Writer

Since early childhood twin brothers Adrian and Andrew Nuno have been a dynamic creative duo. As kids, they would often come home from movies and reenact their favorite scenes together.

As they began pursuing filmmaking as a career, that playfulness translated into the brothers bouncing creative ideas off each other and creating projects together.

Their latest work, which they co-directed and produced, is the short film “The Little Things.” It stars co-writer and producer Lauryn Lugo as Teddy, a woman who has suicidal thoughts.

The topics of depression and mental health have been a passion for the brothers for most of their lives. Adrian said it was kickstarted when a girl in their high school committed suicide. They felt like there was a lack of response from the school PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW NUNO community, and if students wanted to talk about the incident then they had to take a The Nuno brothers take an authentic look at mental health and the reality of battling with depression with "The Little Things." trip to the counselor’s office. There was no also something that they could chew on because they felt it ended up matching up wrong. Last summer, the filmmakers had open dialogue. afterwards.” well with real life stories they had heard to rush to book a new location in just two “It angered me that after this thing had Adrian said they have been working from those battling depression themselves. days, because their original location had happened, where people who didn’t even with NAMI for almost four years now, and Plus, comedy was a terrific way to lower been flooded by 20 feet of water. At the new know her were telling her to take her life, the group even helped provide one of the the audience’s defenses, Adrian said, so location there were swarms of mosquitoes that people weren’t allowed to have an locations for the shoot. Andrew said he has that when they came at the story with so big that changes had to be made to the open discussion about it,” Andrew said. “So been wanting to tell the story of “The Little serious themes it would be more effective script to get through the day’s shoot.

I let it out in the way I could, which was Things” for about that long, but “the time in opening up a conversation.

On another day, they heard from creatively.” was just never right for it.” However, after And once it was decided there would weather reports that a storm was coming Andrew wrote a slam poem, and the meeting Lugo on the McHenry County be a female lead, it went almost without in, but they weren’t sure when – so they just brothers worked with a few other friends College speech team and working on a few saying that Lugo would take on the role. decided to keep an eye out for it. to put it in a video. Once the video was smaller projects together, the three decided When playing the main character, Lugo “As we were getting ready to do our online, Andrew said they were contacted to team up and make a film. Andrew’s said it was not her goal to create a perfect first takes of the night, one of my producers by several groups including the McHenry original story pitch was a man walking portrayal, but rather to make it as real as comes over and says, ‘one of my friends County chapter of the National Alliance about Chicago at night encountering possible and to try and hit on something lives west of here and the sirens are going on Mental Illness (NAMI). According to strangers, but Lugo suggested a different that mainstream films hadn’t yet. She said off there,’” Adrian said. “I had to make a gut their website, the group is a grassroots angle. she hoped the realism would come through call, so I ran in and ruined the take, but I organization that works to “raise awareness “I said, you guys just did a male with a because behind Teddy’s sarcastic front, she didn’t care and sure enough, right after we and provide support and education that male lead, you should maybe switch up the feels almost hopeless. put things away it started pouring.” was not previously available to those in story a bit and make it a female,” Lugo said.

“My big thing for ‘Little Things’ besides Despite these setbacks, Andrew said need”. The brothers went to one of their Additionally, despite the Nunos the humor was to show how sad it is they are a week or so away from having the meetings to show the video, and afterwards initially being on the fence about it, Lugo when you don’t know why you are sad,” final cut. Once that is set, they are trying to the director of the organization approached stressed the importance of adding comedy. Lugo said. “In every portrayal I’ve seen, set up a screening at DePaul in late May or them.

“I think that even when things are especially among young people, there is June, before heading off the festival circuit.

“They told us that someone who had terrible there is always a place to laugh,” always a reason … but when you get older “One of the major points of reference been coming to their meetings for years Lugo said. “And I think it makes it a little and you’re sad for seemingly no reason, it’s for us while filming was the movie “50/50. and never spoke saw the video and spoke more relatable where it’s almost this feeling terrifying.”

I really liked how it could make you cry for for the very first time,” Andrew said. of ‘god this is so terrible, if I didn’t laugh I Once they got filming, Adrian said both reasons,” Andrew said. “I love those “Hearing that kind of response completely would cry.’” that it felt at times like Occam’s razor, kinds of films and I hope that’s what we can changed the way that we saw content. That The brothers really loved the idea where everything that could wrong, did go do with this short film.” we could give something entertaining, but

18 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Hip-hop in transition

By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor

In the lovely month of April, hip-hop fans were graced with three new albums from three of the biggest names in the industry. Cardi B released her debut album “Invasion of Privacy” at the beginning of the month, J. Cole dropped “KOD” on April 20, and Post Malone followed a week later with his sophomore album “beerbongs & bentleys.” The only issue is that it’s unlikely these albums attracted the same hip-hop fans. Today’s hip-hop landscape is so vast that three albums can be released in the span of a month and all represent an entirely different version of what fits into the boundaries of the genre.

Kicking off the month, Cardi B followed up a string of viral songs including the smash-hit single “Bodak Yellow,” which took over the internet for months. Her debut studio album is the least cohesive of the three as she covers various themes over the course of the record. But because of that, Cardi B is able to fully display her talents and showcase what makes her unique, serving her career all the better. Instead of relying heavily on featured artists, as is common, Cardi B instead highlights her Latinx background with the Latin-infused sing “I Like It” and her power as a female artist by calling on SZA and Kehlani for two different songs.

For many, Cardi B represents what is changing for the worse in the industry.

She is opinionated, irreverent and doesn’t necessarily jive with the norms of what women in hip-hop have done in the past.

Because of that, some could argue that her album had an uphill battle ahead of it from the jump. With very limited star power

to lean on for guaranteed success, Cardi B promoted the album leading up to the release but had to still rely heavily on the work to stand for itself. As such, “Invasion of Privacy” is the perfect example of what makes hip-hop great, a fresh and exciting

typical J. Cole fashion it is devoid of highprofile features. Instead, J. Cole leans on what he knows best to create a brilliant and introspective work that highlights artistry and lyricism over mainstream commercial success.

GRAPHICS BY VICTORIA WILLIAMSON | THE DEPAULIA

Cardi B, J. Cole and Post Malone all released new, very different, albums in April. album rising to the top of the competition based almost entirely on quality.

A few weeks later, on the unofficial stoner holiday April 20, J. Cole dropped “KOD,” his previously unannounced 5th album. He uses the album as a way to take a long look at today’s drug culture, and in

This is where J. Cole truly breaks away from the rest and carves out his own section of hip-hop. Over the course of the past few albums, J. Cole has taken a turn from talented young rapper to a revered lyricist who uses his music to discuss things of importance to him. Perhaps due

in part to his standing as one of the all time greatest in the eyes of many, J. Cole seizes the opportunity to fully embrace artistry over artificiality for success’s sake, a novel practice in today’s industry.

Post Malone closed out the month a week after J. Cole with his 18-track album “beerbongs & bentleys.” Essentially, the entire album focuses on the topic of love in some way, with each song tackling the theme from a different perspective. “beerbongs & bentleys” is Post Malone’s real taste of what it means to be a successful artist today. His style is the perfect embodiment of contemporary hip-hop.

Many of the songs on the album are catchy enough to be confused for singles, and the entire record’s style is heavily reminiscent of the emotional hit “I Fall Apart” from his first album “Stoney.”

Because of that, Post Malone is directly appealing to his mostly millennial fanbase, a decision that seems to have paid off with his album reaching immediate success after its release. His personality is even further from the traditional conception of how a hip-hop artist should behave, further expanding the industries acceptance of more voices.

These three are all in very different stages of their careers, and the music they have produced on these albums reflects how and why their versions of hip-hop are so different. Perhaps what these albums actually exemplify is that hip-hop is past the time when music fits neatly within its traditional boundaries. Instead, individual expression has risen to the top, giving way to a much more dynamic and inclusive version of hip-hop. No longer is hip-hop the genre for few to please many: Now it’s for many to please even more.

Five acts that will break out post-Lolla

By Cailey Gleeson

1

Contributing Writer

Lolla’s not just about the headliners.

Aside from the big names that will be rocking Grant Park this summer, the iconic festival features a ton of lesser known artists that are often overlooked when lineup announcements come out.

While all are talented, only a select few will climb the ladder of success. Just look at The 1975 — the Manchesterbased band opened the festival in 2014 but were almost headliners for the 25th anniversary.

This year’s lineup is no exception.

There are many talented smaller acts, but which will eventually become household names? Here’s five of artists who will probably hold headlining slots in the near future.

4

The Wrecks

One of the bandmates might’ve gone viral for a Vine of his dog drumming, but The Wrecks have yet to be recognized for their talent. Their EP “Panic Vertigo” is what emo dreams are made of — with powerful tunes like “James Dean” and “Revolution” showcasing their skill. It’s not a matter of if this band is going to break out following their Lolla set, it’s just a matter of when.

3

Sir Sly

2

Pale Waves

This British goth-pop group has some serious groovy tunes — which is what makes them unique. Their hardcore aesthetic is juxtaposed by their upbeat, power-pop anthems that have created a pretty solid fan base in the United Kingdom. Following the success of their breakout singles “There’s A Honey” and “Television Romance,” the group released their first EP in February — All The Things I Never Said — and went on a headlining tour. With their debut album scheduled for release mid-2018, their set at Lolla will give them the exposure they need to finally break out in the United States.

Sir Sly briefly blew up after “High” found its way into Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” — eventually holding a spot on Sirius XM’s countdown charts for 22 weeks. The versatility in their music — just listen to “&Run” and “Trippin” — shows just how talented they are.

They’ve already rocked Coachella and have some other festivals in the works as a part of their summer tour, but their Lolla set will definitely be the performance that tops off all of their appearances.

The indie and psychedelic rock vibes that fill their tunes make them an underappreciated standout act that’s a must-see — and an obvious choice for this class of breakout stars. Don’t be shocked if they end up headlining the festival in a few years.

Post Animal

Given their talent and connections to the city, it’s shocking that Post Animal didn’t secure a spot on the Lolla lineup sooner.

After four years, Chicago’s very own psychedelic rock troupe will be making their debut at the festival — and it’ll definitely be worth the wait. With their debut album “When I Think Of You In A Castle” receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike, the band is quickly making a name for themselves outside the local scene. They have some serious early Black Sabbath vibes, so there’s no telling just how far they’ll go. One thing’s for sure — their set at Lolla is just the beginning.

lovelytheband

5

This feel-good indie rock band has a ton of tunes just waiting to be enjoyed by the masses. The Los Angeles trio made their debut last July with “broken,” which has over 12 million streams on Spotify. Their debut EP “everything i could never say…” came out in September and features a tracklist that is pure gold — especially “coachella.” They have some smaller festivals booked throughout the summer, but Lolla will definitely be the set that gets them the attention they deserve. Oh, and Billboard named them one of the “Top 10 Rock and Alternative Acts to Watch in 2018.”

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018. | 19

Cooking her way through the glass ceiling

AMBER COLÓN | THE DEPAULIA

At Casa Yari, head chef Yari Vargas chops plantains, onions and cilantro to prepare traditional Latinx dishes from scratch. The 'jibarito,' in particular, is a Chicago-Rican classic.

By Amber Colón Editor-in-Chief

If you’re looking for the city’s best flan but want to stay true to supporting Latinxowned businesses, look no further than Casa Yari.

Yari Vargas is the owner and chef of the Latin fusion restaurant located at 3268 W. Fullerton Ave. The food is a mixture of Vargas’ Puerto Rican, Guatemalan and Honduran culture.

What sets Vargas apart from the rest, however, is that she is a Latina chef in the traditionally male-dominated field of culinary arts. Vargas has two strikes against her, especially in today’s political climate: She is a woman and she identifies as Latina.

Chicago’s kitchens have seen few women like Vargas, who started from the bottom and worked her way up. Vargas remembers the first time she fell in love with cooking; it happened not out of opportunity, but out of necessity.

“I was actually six years old,” Vargas said. “My mom and my dad weren’t married or living together, so she was a single parent raising us. My uncle was actually part of helping her raise us.”

Vargas’ mother and uncle attended school in the evenings after working all day. Some nights, this left Vargas and her siblings to figure out dinner on their own.

“I was the oldest (…) and we were home alone at the time, and we were hungry,” she said.

Vargas remembers the day she fell in love with cooking because the only thing she saw in the pantry was a can of Spam, rice, cooking oil and a can of corn. Then, she remembers pulling a chair up to her oven and boiling water.

Things didn’t go perfectly (let’s just say that one of Vargas’ discoveries that day was that you can’t deep fry an egg), but it was the day that set in stone her passion for cooking.

While Vargas might be the head chef in her own restaurant now, it took a lot of struggling to get there. She remembers always being questioned by everyone when she was first getting started in the industry.

She was — and is — frequently targeted for being Latina.

Vargas shared a variety of stories of coworkers getting her name wrong (calling

AMBER COLÓN | THE DEPAULIA

Chef Vargas uses a typical Puerto Rican kitchen tool, the tostonera, to make tostones — fried, flattened green plantain chips that can be seasoned with salt and garlic. her María instead of Yari) or expecting her to be knowledgeable in making Americanized food items, like burritos.

“It’s just the stereotype that comes, which is, ‘So are you legal? Do you have papers?’” Vargas said. “I’ve even been asked, ‘Oh, so you don’t know English?’”

Vargas is used to not being taken seriously, but she doesn’t let it break her spirit no matter how tough some days are.

“The other day I was sitting in the kitchen and I said, ‘Oh my god; I still have to continue proving myself,’” Vargas said.

She’s never let it deter her attitude, however. She says that’s because she understands that she must be an example for not only her two daughters, but for other women trying to break through glass ceilings in the culinary arts as well.

Vargas especially wants to be an example for Latina women who feel like all of the odds are against them during the age of a Trump presidency.

Vargas, said that comments, like the anti-Latinx ones Trump is famous for, affect everyone in the Latinx community.

“I remember my daughter coming up to me and (asking) me, ‘Mom, do you think Hillary or Trump will win the election?’”

Vargas said. She prepared to give her daughter an answer that spoke to her own

experiences as a Latina trying to make it in the world of culinary arts.

“I looked at her, and I go, ‘The truth — You want me to be honest? — is that this country’s not ready for a woman (…)

They'd rather pick somebody that has no experience over somebody that has the experience. “(My daughter) looked so confused.

I remember her looking at me again and telling me, “Mom, wait. Didn’t you say that us women can do anything we want?

“I remember telling her that’s the reason why I push,” Vargas said. “It’s why I keep going because I have to put up a fight.

I have to put up a fight, no matter how long.”

This is why Vargas makes sure that when customers enter her restaurant, they are made to feel welcome.

Casa Yari translates to English as “Yari’s house,” which was the vibe that Vargas strived for when she opened her doors to the public about three and a half years ago.

“I wanted to put some of the stuff that I had decorated with in my own home into the restaurant,” Vargas said.

The restaurant is decked out with furniture that looks similar to what she has in her own home, which she shares with her husband and two daughters.

Orange curtains hang in the windows and the lighting is dim, creating a warm and inviting environment.

Guests are greeted with a warm smile and an invitation to sit where they are most comfortable by Vargas’ “partner-in-crime,” Hector Ruiz, who identifies himself as the front-of-the-house manager, host, server and more.

Vargas sat down with Ruiz a few years ago to discuss opening up a restaurant.

The pair, friends since high school, work together to keep the restaurant running each day .

Vargas said that she is rarely referred to as a chef, despite her obvious skill for cooking and presenting dishes, especially when other publications cover her restaurant.

Ruiz has noticed it too.

“I’ve realized that everywhere, like in ‘Chicago Magazine,’ they always just say Yari Vargas,” Ruiz said. “I noticed that when they have different men who are chefs featured, they are always given the title of chef.”

Since it happens so often on television and in food magazines, it might be assumed that she experiences the same kind of shock from her own customers. But Vargas says most of the shock comes when they find out that the chef is a woman.

Ruiz recounted an evening where some guests asked to see the chef so that they could tell him that they enjoyed the food.

Ruiz was swift to correct them, explaining that the chef was a woman and her name was Yari Vargas, just like the restaurant’s name.

“Right when I said her name, they freaked out,” Ruiz said. “I couldn’t change it around to make them feel differently.

At least, when she came out, they said the food was amazing. Just to see the reaction was priceless.”

But still, Vargas doesn’t let experiences like this ruin her. In 2017, Casa Yari was featured on the TV show “Chicago’s Best.”

More recently, Chicago Now listed Casa Yari as one of Chicago’s top 100 restaurants.

“Chef is my title and I want to be called that, but I don’t get to be called ‘chef ’ often,” Vargas said. “It makes me feel like I’m being noticed.”

20| Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

Theron leads strong family dramedy 'Tully'

By Garret Neal Staff Writer

As the dust clears after the $257 million-sized impact of “Avengers: Infinity War,” we can peer through to see that in fact, there are still other films out there in cinemas at the moment, and at least one of them is good. The one I’m vouching for is “Tully”, the third outing for director/writer duo Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman (their previous collaborations being the 2007 teen pregnancy comedy “Juno” and the 2011 comedy-drama “Young Adult”).

“Tully” stars Charlize Theron as Marlo, a mom who has her hands full with a young daughter, a “quirky” son (it is suggested he has some kind of disorder, but his parents don’t know what it is) and a husband who hardly has time for her between work and video games. Ten or so minutes into the film, she has a third child, and in one swift montage it all becomes too much. She takes up her brother’s offer to hire a night nanny to take off some of the workload. As Tully, the new nanny who is played by Mackenzie Davis, begins helping, Marlo’s life begins to change. It doesn’t sound like the most game-changing plot, and for the most part it isn’t. But even for a generic parenthood dramedy, it’s executed well.

To start, the film does a really solid job setting up the family dynamics and the maddening levels of stress Marlo is reaching before Tully enters the picture.

If you ever need some motivation to not have kids, watch the first 15 minutes of this movie. The film opens with Marlo using “brush therapy” on her son Jonah, and we learn that she’s not even sure what it does; she’s only doing it because a doctor recommended it to calm him. Out of the gate this establishes that she is trying to do everything she can to help her family, even things beyond her own comprehension.

Then when the third child, Mia, is

born, the montage is a quick yet quite effective way of showing just how far Marlo has outstretched herself. As images flash by, we see her waking up in the middle of the night to nurse Mia – only to wake up later when she starts crying – and dealing with Jonah’s struggles at school. At least a few other things go wrong during the day, and though the movie mentions Marlo has a job it doesn’t get into what happens at her work. Now repeat these steps five or six times: Boom, montage.

While I wasn’t really planning on having kids anytime soon, after watching this movie it’s going to be, like, really not soon.

Where’s the dad in all this? Great question. I liked how Ron Livingston portrays him as not a complete deadbeat, and that is how he is written as well. We see him help the kids out with school work and go to their events; when he asks Marlo how she is doing it feels like he does actually care. But it is clear he is not doing everything he could. Right after he asks those questions, Marlo typically gives a classic “I’m fine” answer, after which her husband slips on some headphones and plays video games.

Setting up the family is key in establishing the emotional weight behind the actions of the movie and understanding why Marlo acts how she does. However, it is Marlo herself and her relationship with Tully that is at the center of the film. It is no surprise that Theron puts in a wonderful performance here. She goes through so much, but you never feel she loses the love she has for her family. She is always just trying to do what’s best for them, and it really feels like it’s a challenge for her to call in Tully. But as we see their bond begin to form, the chemistry between Theron and Mackenzie Davis really shines.

Tully sits and stares at Marlo from

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

Charlize Theron stars as an overwhelmed mother in the film "Tully." the shadows of her bedroom while she strong family dramedy, but I began this breastfeeds Mia. Tully discusses gigolos review by saying it is only a generic family with Marla. Tully asks about Marlo’s sex dramedy “for the most part.” The other life just a handful of days after meeting her. “part” comes in with the ending; it made This behavior could be strange considering me see the whole film in a new light. My the short amount of time the characters only major complaint is that it does feel like have known each other, but you get the some of the character arcs wrap up a bit too feeling that their relationship genuinely nicely. builds that fast. Tully works well as a foil To conclude, it’s a well-done film that for Marlo. She’s young, carefree, engaged should meet expectations for anyone in several relationships and thinks she interested in it, and it might even surpass knows everything. Davis does a fantastic some people's’ expectations with its ending. job pulling it all off, creating an intensely If you don’t feel the need to see “Infinity likable character that pulls the audience in War” (again) and are on the lookout for as much as Tully pulls in Marlo. something worth your while, give “Tully” All of this helps “Tully” become a your consideration.

Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018. | 21

Review: 'The Handmaid's Tale' season two premiere

IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB

The second season of "The Handmaid's Tale" premiered on Hulu on April 25. The critically acclaimed show is based on a famous dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood.

By Emma Oxnevad Contributing Writer

Note: This article contains spoilers for seasons one and two of “The Handmaid’s Tale”.

After much anticipation, “The Handmaid’s Tale” returned to Hulu on April 25. The series, based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian classic of the same name, first debuted in 2017 to critical acclaim, with both critics and fans alike praising the show’s timely political messages. The show later proved to be an awards juggernaut, sweeping the Emmys and consistently ranking on year-end best of TV lists. WIth the new season debuting, the question remains, as with many new iterations of beloved stories: will the new season live up to the glory of its predecessor?

For those in need of a refresher of season one, here’s a quick recap: “The Handmaid’s Tale” follows Offred, a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. Prior to the events of the series, the United States was gradually taken over by the Sons of Jacob, a fundamentalist Christian group who gradually subjugated the rights of women.

Sensing the danger to come with the new regime, Offred attempted to escape to Canada with her husband and young daughter, but was instead thwarted, with her husband being presumed dead and her daughter being placed under the care of the government. Offred’s real name is later revealed to be June, with the name “Offred” denoting her ownership to Commander Fred Waterford, a high-ranking Gilead official. Throughout the season, Offred is given bits of information regarding a resistance against Gilead called Mayday.

Season one ends with Offred pregnant, not with the Commander’s child, but his driver and government spy, Nick, as a scheme crafted by the Commander’s wife Serena Joy, who is desperate to be a mother.

After Offred protests the stoning of fellow handmaid Janine, her peers follow suit.

Season one ends with Offred being taken away in a van by government officials, towards an uncertain future.

Season two begins right where season one ended, with Offred sitting silently in the back of the van, headed towards the unknown. After minutes of silent

contemplation, the door opens, and Offred is yanked out of the van, where she is then muzzled and restrained. She isn’t alone; all of the other Handmaids are with her, shoved into a massive cluster and forced to run to their unknown location. After much confusion, they are revealed to be at an abandoned Fenway Park, with the empty stadium filled with rows of gallows.

The fear and desperation in Offred’s eyes conveys the entire mood of the scene, with actress Elisabeth Moss accomplishing wonders with no words. The camera pans over the seemingly doomed Handmaids, all weeping and shuddering in fear. After what feels like an agonizing amount of time viewing their desperation, the mass execution is revealed to be an elaborate ruse as punishment for their disobedience in the previous season. As Aunt Lydia, played with expert villany by Ann Dowd, emerges from the stands quoting scripture and reminding the Handmaids of their place in Gilead, one thing is clear: Rebellion is a death sentence.

Scenes of Offred’s life before Gilead are interwoven with the present-day terror.

We’re shown a normal day in the life of June, as she was known then, and her family.

June’s daughter Hannah is feeling poorly on account of a slight fever, which June attempts to heal by giving her some Tylenol.

While preparing to head to work and take Hannah to school, June asks her husband Luke to sign off on the required waiver allowing her to remain on birth control.

While Luke remarks at the ridiculous new law that requires a husband’s approval to have birth control, June coyly offers that he does not sign the form at all, implying that the couple wants a second child. The scene, while brief, accomplishes a great deal: It sheds a light on the slow progression of America’s descent into Gilead, with women needing spousal consent in order to use birth control.

Despite the oppressive nature of the law, June and Luke happily discuss the prospect of having another child; they are aware of the rigidity of the law, but their lives go on seemingly unaffected, with June carting Hannah off to school amidst a playful embrace from her husband, smiles and all.

Back in present day, the Handmaids are being punished once more for their act

IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB

Elisabeth Moss stars as Offred, a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. of rebellion by being forced to hold stones in the pouring rain. Aunt Lydia parades around them, kept dry by an umbrella, continuing with her warped scripture and punishing Handmaids buckling under the rain with a cattle prod. Offred’s suffering is not for long, though; her pregnancy is revealed to Aunt Lydia by a fellow Aunt, and the usually-terrifying villain rejoices, later weeping tears of joy. Offred is then taken out of the rain, and given a warm meal and dry clothes. Aunt Lydia joins her, still uncharacteristically chipper, and informs Offred that her pregnancy will result in special treatment for her. When Offred repeatedly refuses to eat the soup given to her, Aunt Lydia reverts back to her authoritarian demeanor and informs Offred that every Handmaid who followed her in defiance will suffer. She then leads Offred to a pregnant Handmaid, chained to a bed and left in darkness due to her disobedience during her pregnancy. It is a warning: obey or this will be your fate.

Offred forces a smile and obeys Aunt Lydia, eating her soup while her fellow Handmaids are lined up inside. The women then have their hands chained to a stove, screaming in agony as they are burned. Offred sits in silence and eats her soup, remembering Aunt Lydia’s lesson.

After her first ultrasound appointment

with the Waterfords, the ultrasound technician leaves Offred with the phrase: “Godspeed, June.” Offred is startled by the use of her real name, and finds a key with red tape on it. She exits the room, down a dark corridor, and into the back of a truck, where she escapes. She is eventually dropped off at an abandoned building, where Nick waits for her. Offred proceeds to burn her Gilead attire, cut her hair and gruesomely cut out the tracker in her ear that marks her as a Handmaid. As the blood gushes from her ear, Offred continues to hack away at the tracker, symbolically severing away the oppression she faced by Gilead’s hand.

The episode closes with Offred declaring: “My name is June Osborne. I’m from Brookline, Massachusetts. I’m 34 years old.

I stand five-foot-three in bare feet. I weigh 120 pounds. I have viable ovaries. I’m five weeks pregnant. I am free.”

Season two of “The Handmaid’s Tale” has a lofty legacy to uphold: Recapture the magic of season one while at the same time please fans of the book. It’s no small order, but the season two premiere proves that the series is more than capable of portraying both the dystopian hell of GIlead and the optimistic hope of a new future. If the rest of this season follows the example of “June,” it’s safe to say that season two will be even better than the first.

22 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

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Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018 | 23

what’s FRESH on Netflix

Kodachrome

Dear White People: Volume 2

It’s slightly ironic that a film that is named after the photo development system Kodachrome, essentially revering print photography, is streaming online, a testament to the ways in which we now use technology.

“Kodachrome” is set in the final few days of Kodachrome’s existence as a father and son take a trip to the photo lab in Kansas before they run out of time to develop their film.

Following a successful movie in 2014 and an even more successful first season on Netflix in 2017, the reign of the satirical comedy-drama “Dear White People” is far from over. The show has been lauded for narratives that hardly shy away from controversial topics that are affecting black lives today and for the unique perspectives it offers on each issue. “Dear White People” was incredibly relevant when it first premiered and its relevance has only increased, considering the obstacles people of color face today.

In the movie, Jason Sudeikis plays Matt, a man convinced by his estranged dying father (Ed Harris) to make the trek along with his father’s nurse (Elizabeth Olsen). Sudeikis is most well known for his skill as a comedian, but his performance in “Kodachrome” allows him to expand on his talents on an actor and reach emotional depths that audiences haven’t seen before.

“Kodachrome” also provides subtle commentary on the world we live in now, along with the almost complete switch from analog to digital in all aspects of life. While it may not be the most mainstream hit on the streaming platform, it’s still a film well worth your time. Plus, if you really want to lean into your hipster tendencies, a movie revolving around vintage film development is perfect for you.

LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA

Throughout the show, characters often face social injustice as they attend a predominantly white university that prompts many of the conflicts within the story. The cast is primarily made up of younger talent, which allows the actors, the characters and the show as a whole to grow as time goes on.

Netflix released the entire second season of “Dear White People” on Friday, May 4, which gives you the perfect amount of time to watch all of the episodes before finals roll around. Or watch them during finals – or even instead of finals. The choice is yours.

LACEY LATCH | THE DEPAULIA

In theaters & upcoming films April 27 "Avengers: Infinity War" The Avengers and their allies fight to defeat the powerful Thanos before he puts an end to the universe.

Stars: Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, Chadwick Boseman, many others

May 11 "Life of the Party" A middle-aged mother returns to college in order to complete her degree after her husband asks for a divorce.

Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Gillian Jacobs

May 4 "Tully" A young nanny, Tully, is enlisted to help a mother of three to help with her newborn.

Stars: Charlize Theron

May 11 "Breaking In" A woman fights to protect her family during a home invasion in her recently deceased father's home.

Stars: Gabrielle Union

May 4 “Overboard” A remake of the 1987 comedy, a wealthy yacht owner becomes the target of revenge from a mistreated employee.

May 18 “Deadpool 2” Wade Wilson must battle ninjas, the Yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines to regain his spice for life.

24 | Arts & Life. The DePaulia. May 7, 2018

St.Vincent’s

DeJAMZ

“Spinning fresh beats since 1581”

1 4 1

2

3

4

Find this and all our DeJamz playlists on depauliaonline.com and on our spotify account

By Lacey Latch Arts & Life Editor

Spring is on the horizon which makes this the perfect time to get your life in order and partake in some good old fashioned spring cleaning. There’s just something about cleaning up the clothes and loose cardboard boxes that litter the floor that makes you feel in control of things. Because midterms just ended, spending your time cleaning is the perfect way to further procrastinate work for finals that you should probably be getting a head start on. The DePaulia has compiled a playlist for you to take the rare opportunity to simultaneously be productive and procrastinate.

1. “Africa" - Toto Truly a song for any and every occasion, “Africa” is the timeless anthem you need to guide you through your spring cleaning. This is the perfect song to belt out as you break down those cardboard Amazon boxes that you’ll probably put in your neighbor’s recycling bin. With Toto doing what they do best in the background, your cleaning is destined to go smoothly.

Might I suggest the homemade music video by actors and reallife couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard on their African vacation to take the song to an entirely different level.

Crossword

2. “Pocketful of Sunshine” Natasha Bedingfield One of my all-time favorite songs, “Pocketful of Sunshine” will transform an average spring cleaning experience into a spiritually transformative event.

Accompanied by Bedingfield’s powerhouse vocals, singing along to this song is destined to make cleaning much quicker and more satisfying. The early 2000s nostalgia that it will stir up is a bonus byproduct of this hit.

Luckily, thid is the type of song that can be played on repeat for an incredibly long time without getting old so no matter how long you’ll be busy, your pocket will be full with sushine all the while.

Across 1. Wooden carpentry pin 6. Easy way to draw 11. “Gotcha!”

14. Editorialize verbally 15. Not inner 16. Be light, in a poker game 17. Airplane’s undercarriage 19. April payment 20. “May I get you anything ___?”

21. Desert delight 22. “Buona ___” (Italian greeting) 23. Bother, in a title of the Bard 25. Like a cozy infant 27. “Arabia” man 32. Architect’s detail 33. Chicken-king tie 34. Changes course suddenly 36. One who’s attained nirvana 39. Concealed, informally 41. Drysdale or

3. “ABC” - Jackson 5 I don’t know about you, but the extremely high-pitched voice of a young Michael Jackson is exactly what I need to get the motivation to do the dishes that have been piling up for days. It’s an upbeat tune sure to get you in the cleaning groove before you know it. “ABC” is probably one of the most recognizable songs from the Jackson 5 making it the perfect soundtrack to sing along to. Its popularity is also a plus when your neighbors hear your music because no one in their right mind can get mad at a young King of Pop seeping through the floors on a Sunday afternoon.

Johnson 42. Instruct 43. Capital of South Korea 44. Fiat 46. Things for savers 47. Basilica area 49. Computer cable 51. Uncooked condition 54. Important time in history 55. Sound bounceback 56. Best-seller list entry 59. Beliefs, for short 63. Expert fighter pilot 64. Advantageous situation 66. “Before,” when before 67. Varsity starters 68. Chill-inducing 69. The Erie mule 70. Director Almovodar 71. Sports commentator Musburger

4. “Underdog” - Spoon “The Underdog” is a song that deserves a listen when you want to feel triumphant and effortlessly cool, so it works best toward the end of your spring cleaning extravaganza. The brass instruments that comprise this easy-listening tune are the perfect background music for when you’re wrapping up and finally taking out those last few overflowing trash bags. At the beginning of your cleanliness journey, if you felt at all overwhelmed by the task before you, having “The Underdog” serve as the finale song is the poetic justice you deserve.

Down 1. Big name in pineapples 2. Certain birthstone 3. Comes in first 4. Make desirable 5. Hawaiian souvenir 6. Augustan attire 7. Floor coverings 8. Dined wearing pajamas 9. Brings to a stop 10. “To ___ is human ...”

11. Marriott, for one 12. Open-eyed 13. Group of six 18. “There’s ___ here but us ...”

22. Cubic meter 24. Pass on to another 26. Splash, as grease 27. Scottish guys 28. Common lotion ingredient 29. Wild West coach support 30. Turn over, as land 31. Wear away

35. Peeved mood 37. Piece of farmland 38. Just one of those things?

40. Eco-friendly fertilizer 45. Joyfulness 48. Assets, collectively 50. Poker player who takes risks 51. Gathers, as crops 52. Capital of Ghana 53. Positioned, as artillery 57. Ski lift 58. Classy wheels 60. Arid 61. Important street 62. “Don’t expunge that!”

64. Salary limit 65. Cotillion star, informally

Sports

Sports. May 7, 2018. The DePaulia | 25

Big East Golf Tournament Final Leaderboards: TEAM LEADERBOARD: 1.) Georgetown — 884, +20 2.) Marquette — 887, +23 3.) DePaul — 900, +36 4.) Seton Hall Univ. — 902, +38 5.) Butler — 913, +49 6.) Xavier — 925, +61 7.) Villanova — 930, +66 8.) St. John's — 932, +68 9.) Creighton — 945, +81

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD: 1.) Hunter Eichhorn MQU — 214, -2 T2.) Chris Yeom HALL — 216, E T2.) Matt Murlick MQU — 216, E 4.) Jack Musgrave GU — 217, +1 5.) Eduardo Blochtein GU — 219, +3 T6.) Patrick Allgeier BUT — 220, +4 T6.) Charlie Spencer DPU — 220, +4 T8.) Garrett Wood XAV — 223, +7 T8.) Joey McCarthy DPU — 223, +7 T10.) Andy Butler NOVA — 224, +8 T10.) Cole Berman GU — 224, +8

Ozanne to join men's basketball as walk on

Ozanne describes himself as an “energy guy” who is a good defender and a good Staff Writer athlete who can get to the rim. With After adding Femi Olujobi on Monday, more shooting at DePaul this season — the 2018 recruiting class for the DePaul bolstered by Jalen Coleman-Lands, John men’s basketball program got one man Diener, and a hopefully improved Austin bigger on Saturday with the addition of Grandstaff— spacing the floor for slashers, the complexion of the roster could play to Josh Ozanne.

Via his Twitter account, the 6-foot-3- Ozanne's strengths if he gets an opportunity inch Ozanne announced his commitment to play in his true freshman season.

With noted defensive stalwart Brandon to DePaul as a preferred walk-on. He hails from southwest Cleveland and plays Cyrus transferring away from DePaul at the end of March, there is also a need for shooting guard.

It's an improbable jump to the Division a good perimeter defender to fill the void he left. Plus, head I level for a guy coach Dave Leitao who played only has a soft spot for two years of varsity players who can basketball for the defend well.

Saint Ignatius “I’ve said this for Wildcats during the last two years, his prep career. To that the game has further accentuate changed all over the that underdog globe," Leitao said narrative, Ozanne in December after wasn't even a a loss to eventual starter at Saint national champion Ignatius, instead Villanova.

"And filling a sixth-man there’s such a sparkplug role. He high premium on even played for shooting and offense an obscure AAU that sometimes team, Murphy I feel a little bit AC, as opposed to like a dinosaur, one of the more because defense well-renowned and rebounding has AAU teams on the meant everything to Nike Elite Youth DePaul Blue Demon walk-on me, and it still does, Basketball League but at the same point circuit. in time you’ve got to be But, avoiding the trappings of superstardom in high school able to hit shots.”

But finding playing time could be has put a chip on his shoulder.

"As a kid I struggled with my difficult with incumbent starters Eli Cain confidence, and I've always been one who and Max Strus being virtual locks to start puts my head down and goes to work," next season and upperclassmen ColemanOzanne said. "Working is what I want to Lands and Grandstaff also playing the do, so I definitely feel a huge sense of pride same position Ozanne does. Last season, knowing that I can do this; I don't care Leitao was reticent to rely too heavily on what they say (…) Moving on to the next freshmen.

Plus, Ozanne will have playing time chapter, I'm going to have to prove myself at the Division I level as well."

See OZANNE, page 27

By Paul Steeno

"I definitely consider myself a self-made person.

I definitely feel going into Chicago that nothing will be given to you, you have to go and take things.”

Josh Ozanne

BLUE DEMON RUNDOWN SOFTBALL

TRACK & FIELD

CANDIS BLANKSON

For the second time in three seasons, the DePaul softball team is celebrating a Big East regular championship.

The Blue Demons finished off a sweep Sunday over Providence with a 5-2 win to clinch the top seed in the conference tournament beginning Friday in Rosemont, Illinois, where they will take on Villanova at noon.

The Friars opened the scoring Sunday with an RBIsingle in the first inning by Mackensie Compton, but the Blue Demons tied the game an inning later before taking the lead for good on a two-run homer from Megan Leyva in the third inning.

DePaul added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to open up a 5-1 lead.

Sophomore Missy Zoch picked up her 14th win of the season allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight batters. Zoch also went the distance for the 13th time this season.

She additionally picked up a save Saturday in relief of Kennedy Garcia in the Blue Demon’s 8-6 win in the second game of the doubleheader.

It was another record setting day for Emily Eller and Gabrielle Howard, who made a strong showing in what will be their final tuneup before the Big East Championship, Howard broke an 18-year old school record in the triple jump with a distance of 12.07 meters, topping the previous mark of 12.05 meters. Howard finished second in the triple jump, followed by Terece Brown in fourth place.

Eller also broke her previous shot put record of 14.66 meters with a mark of 15.06 meters, topping her teammate Jade Gates who finished in second place.

On the men’s side, DePaul took the top three spots in the 800-meter run, hammer throw and discus throw.

The Blue Demons totaled 14 first place finishes, while Simone Carr set a personal record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles.

DePaul now turns their focus to the two-day conference meet set to take place in Geneva, Ohio on May 11-12.

A familiar face will be back in an assistant coaching role for the DePaul women’s basketball program during the 2018-2019 season.

Blankson played at DePaul for head coach Doug Bruno from 1997-2001 before moving into the role of assistant coach prior to the 2001-02 season.

Last season Blankson served as the staff ’s Director of Corporate, Professional and Community Relations.

In the 2011-12 season, Blankson was named one of the “Top 25 High Major Women’s College Basketball assistant coaches” by CollegeInsider.com.

Since Blankson joined the staff, the Blue Demons have won 401 games that included 20 or more victories in 15 seasons. She also helped the Blue Demons advance to the Sweet 16 in 2006, 2011, 2014 and 2016.

The Blue Demons had a vacant spot on their staff after Jasmine Lister departed the Blue Demons after one season to join the Connecticut staff under Geno Auriemma.

26 | Sports. May 7, 2018. The DePaulia NCAA, continued from back page

JONATHAN AGUILAR | THE DEPAULIA

Polucha slides safely into third base at Cacciatorie Stadium.

SOFTBALL, continued from back page pitching responsibilities. But Moore, who has an 11-5 record this season with a 2.05 ERA, didn’t look as comfortable on the mound. Despite tossing two strikeouts, Moore uncharacteristically gave up four hits in 10 at-bats.

At that point Moore ended up exiting the field for freshman pitcher Missy Zoch who has a team-high 13 wins for the season. Unfortunately, this became the Wildcats’ time to shine in the eventual overcast conditions.

With two Wildcats on base, junior left fielder Morgan Nelson blasted the softball deep over the left field fence from a threerun homerun to give the Wildcats the 3-2 lead. Zoch pitcher her way out of the fifth inning, but ran into even deeper trouble once the top of the sixth inning rolled around, when the Wildcats tallied four more runs to push their lead up to 7-2.

Moore ended up taking the loss to put her overall season record at 13-5 to go along with a 2.06 ERA. The Blue Demons’ final run came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when freshman shortstop Miranda Gutierrez stole home plate.

Even though Zoch’s performance wasn’t stellar by any means, Lenti still expressed confidence in his pitching strategy involving three rotations for two-and-athird innings split by Garcia, Moore, and Zoch. His team will be traveling out east this weekend to face the Providence Friars and then hosting the Big East tournament in Rosemont, IL on May 11-12.

“That was a great strategy because

that was about getting them ready for this weekend,” Lenti said. “This game doesn’t change anything in regards to the NCAA tournament. We know we need to win the Big East tournament to get into the NCAAs.” Additionally, Lenti noted how integral of a role his three pitchers have on the Blue Demons’ chances of winning their second consecutive Big East title, while ranking No. 1 in conference play.

“We need to be Big East champions next week, and I need to prepare all three pitchers to pitch this weekend,” Lenti said.

“That’s been our bread and butter all year in the Big East, is the fact that we can throw three different pitchers in three different games.”

Aside from pitching serving as a key factor moving forward, the Blue Demons are looking to build on their mental toughness as well.

“We definitely have to just keep our mental game strong,” said senior rightfielder Megan Leyva.

Lenti further stressed the importance of mental toughness and its correlation to taking things on a step-by-step basis.

“We need to be sharper,” Lenti said.

“We need to play one pitch at a time. I think we let that kind of get away from ourselves today. We didn’t always pitch one pitch at a time or bat one pitch at a time.

We let things earlier in the at-bats or earlier in the inning affect us too much, and we have to be mentally tougher going forward for sure.”

Harper College is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status or sexual orientation. 24049 TC 2/18

Summer sessions start MAY 21 and JUNE 4.

View popular transfer courses and register: harpercollege.edu/summerDePaul

at a private university. And that’s true; the value of a college education is intangible and becoming necessary just to maintain a middle-class lifestyle in the United States.

But in order to make that argument, you have to assume that all of your athletes are actually going to finish school, which is not the case. For the most elite athletes in college football and basketball, the NCAA is merely a stepping stone to the NFL or NBA, where a college education is worth next to nothing. So how can you argue that a college education, or half of one in many cases, is a just compensation for a service that equates to millions of dollars for somebody else?

The Commission did make a number of valid, sensible recommendations — which, at the end of the day, still need to be approved and implemented by the NCAA — but they don’t get at the heart of the issue.

Allowing players to enter the draft, seek career advice from an agent or a financial manager and then return to the NCAA after they go undrafted seems like an obvious policy. Why does the NCAA get to punish their athletes for taking a shot at their dreams? Still, that’s not going to stop players from taking some cash when they sign with their university.

Ending the one-and-done rule also makes sense and could push players that are taking money in college to skip college in the first place. But that’s not the NCAA’s rule to change, and the NBA has a perfectly valid reason for keeping it around: Nobody wants to gamble on an 18-year-old who has only ever competed against other teenagers.

“This is a not a social program, this

is a business rule for us,” Stern told ESPN in 2012 regarding the one-anddone rule. “It’s that we say we would like a year to look at them, and I think it’s been interesting to see how the players do against first-class competition in the NCAAs and then teams have the ability to judge and make judgments, because high-ranking draft picks are very, very valuable.”

The Commission also made the obvious recommendation of actually holding cheating coaches and administrators accountable for their actions with lifetime bans. Now that the job of instituting such a rule falls on the NCAA, I have my doubts. Not to mention that strengthening enforcement policies doesn’t always prevent behavior.

To return to my analogy with U.S. drug policy: Mandatory minimum sentencing for drug possession didn’t come close to solving the drug problem.

At the end of the day, the NCAA is ignoring a clear demand for compensation from its most valuable assets. So long as the NCAA is popular, providing a “front porch” for universities, entertaining millions of fans and generating $1 billion in revenues each year, interested parties are going to keep paying players under the table.

Nobody is asking the NCAA to take college out of college basketball. All we ask is that the NCAA stop hiding behind words like “student-athletes” and “amateurism” and recognize the value of revenue-generating athletes.

The details of paying college athletes is certainly tricky; nobody has any delusions about that. But that’s the conversation we should be having.

Instead, they ignored it.

Sports. May 7, 2018. The DePaulia | 27

DePaul rewards Bruno with extension

By Andrew Hattersley Asst. Sports Editor

With another successful season in the books and fresh off their 16th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth consecutive regular season title, DePaul showed their appreciation for head coach Doug Bruno by extending his contract through the 2023-24 season.

As perennial postseason contenders, DePaul is in elite company with the likes of Connecticut, national-champion Notre Dame, Tennessee, Stanford and Oklahoma as the only schools who also have a streak of that length currently ongoing. Bruno, 67, credited the administration for giving him the tools to succeed.

“I am really blessed to work for a terrific administration led by President Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban and for the best athletics director in the USA in Jean Lenti Ponsetto,” Bruno said. “(Jean) consistently puts all of her coaches in the best position to succeed.”

Bruno also praised his assistant coaches and players who have helped the Blue Demons win more than 20 games throughout 11 straight years and in 15 of the last 16 seasons.

“I’ve been fortunate to have great assistant coaches through all the years. My

JOSH LEFF | THE DEPAULIA

Longtime women's basketball head coach Doug Bruno was rewarded with a contract extension after his 16th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. current staff is absolutely one of the best in the country,” Bruno said. “Most important, the reason you succeed is the players. I’ve been blessed to have tremendous student athletes help build the DePaul women’s basketball legacy.”

The work is far from done, however.

Bruno said there is still a lot to be accomplished with the program, and this

PHOTO COURTESY OF USA TODAY

Femi Olujobi comes to DePaul as a graduate transfer from North Carolina A&T.

OLUJOBI, continued from back page as though he was back in his hometown of Long Island, N.Y with the city feel, he was impressed with the support Leitao received throughout campus and how he embraced everyone around him.

“The way he carries himself,” Olujobi said. “That's the way I would like to carry myself also, so just learning from him and being around him, I feel like not only will it benefit me as a basketball player but just benefit me as a person in the long run.”

Olujobi chose DePaul over Georgetown, Butler and Hofstra, the other schools included in his top four. He will be immediately eligible and will help fill the void left by Marin Maric and Tre’Darius McCallum, who both graduated. Olujobi said knowing the that the opportunity to play early was available helped in his decision to pick DePaul, but he was confident he would have earned playing time either way.

“I did want to go somewhere where I knew I had the opportunity to be on the floor,” Olujobi said. “Also just me being the competitor that I am, I pretty much knew

wherever I went I was going to get on the floor somehow, so it didn't really play too big of a role in it because at the end of the day nothing is guaranteed.”

Olujobi added that he knows how he performs will dictate his playing time but is excited to come in and earn minutes.

“I control my own destiny as far as playing time,” Olujobi said. “I have to go earn that but it was just being somewhere I had the chance to be successful and help others around me be successful, piggy back off one another and to help each other be better and accomplish our dreams together.”

The Blue Demons will be the third school for Olujobi, who began his career at Oakland before transferring to NCAT where he enjoyed a breakout season averaging 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while starting in 28 games.

Jeff Mills, a sports writer at the Greensboro News and Record who covered Olujobi this past season, said one of the biggest reasons he saw for the breakout was simply the 6-foot-8-inch forward getting

extension gives him the opportunity to reach those goals.

“I am excited about this contract extension because we still have work to do,” Bruno said. “As proud as we are of everything we have achieved, our expectation through the length of this extension is to take the Blue Demons to even higher places.”

the chance to be on the court.

“The jump he made was he just got the opportunity to play and play consistent minutes,” Mills said. “It was a case where he believed in a new second year coach (Jay Joyner), and a coach believed in him, and so they threw him out there.”

Olujobi started fast averaging 21.8 points per game during conference play before becoming the focus of every team’s gameplan.

“When they got into league season, the rest of the league basically decided that they weren't going to let that kid beat them,” Mills said. “So he got doubled and triple-teamed virtually every MEAC game.”

Olujobi said he’s a willing passer, but had to learn early in conference play how to deal with double teams, while staying aggressive.

“From seeing them a lot I know how to beat them and I know how to put myself in a good position, and it helps me read the floor better and become a better playmaker,” he said. “I love passing the ball, so if a double team comes and they show the double team I can surely find the open person and help get them an easy shot.”

Known for his rebounding and ability to score the ball, Olujobi said he is also just simply a competitor ready to do whatever it takes to help his team win. Heading into his final year of eligibility with the Blue Demons, Olujobi said his biggest focus will be being able to play with an all-out intensity during the entirety of when he’s on the court.

“Definitely conditioning, I just have to become better condition-wise,” Olujobi said. “Just being able to exert my best effort.

I (physically) couldn't play harder and I just want to make sure I give my all 100 percent, 110 percent, the whole 40 minutes of gameplay.”

When Olujobi committed to DePaul, he talked about being ready to terrorize the Big East when he arrives on campus in mid to late June; five days later, the message was very similar.

“I'm just ready to show them what DePaul basketball can do,” he said.

Lenti Ponsetto said keeping Bruno as their coach was something the school wanted to do because of the distinction he has brought to the program and university.

“We wanted to reward coach Bruno for all his dedicated years of service and the incredible contributions he has made to the DePaul women’s basketball program and the university community,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “It’s a reward for the way he has represented us nationwide in women’s college basketball and internationally with USA Basketball.”

Bruno’s time with the program began in the 1960s and early ‘70s as a player before he returned as head coach, and to this day he says he is thankful to those who first gave him an opportunity at the program.

“I am so thankful to be working at a great institution like DePaul,” said Bruno.

“I never would have been here without coach Ray Meyer, who gave me a basketball scholarship, Frank McGrath and Gene Sullivan who hired me in the 1970s.”

In May, Bruno will also receive the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s first-ever “Rich and Ron Herrin Award” for meritorious lifetime contributions to the game.

This past season, DePaul reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Texas A&M 80-79.

OZANNE, continued from page 25 competition from his own class.

He joins big men Mick Sullivan and George Maslennikov and the sharpshooting Diener as the Blue Demon incoming freshmen class.

Point guard Flynn Cameron, who arrived at DePaul in January from New Zealand (he went to high school in Australia) but never played, also has a full four years of eligibility.

His athletic experience in high school means Ozanne isn't coming to Chicago expecting to be handed playing time.

"The feeling in Cleveland is nothing is given to you. I've had to work for all my recognitions," Ozanne said. "I definitely consider myself a self-made person. I definitely like to work for what I need, and I definitely feel going into Chicago that nothing will be given to you, you have to go and take things.”

He added that the similar culture of the two cities played a larger role in his decision to come to DePaul.

While he has always had his heart set on playing basketball in Chicago, Ozanne said he's not going to shed his Cleveland connection nor his love affair with the city's NBA team and its star when he moves to the Windy City.

Ozanne said that connection began when LeBron James took it upon himself to attend a few games at one of the top high schools in the state, bringing the likes of Dwayne Wade and J.R Smith along with him. The connection James has built with the city is something Ozanne said has connected Cleveland in an inspirational way.

Ozanne hopes that same inspiration will yield success in his next chapter at DePaul.

Sports

Sports. May 7, 2018. The DePaulia | 28

Time wasted

The Commision on College Basketball represents a hollow step in the wrong direction

By Shane René Sports Editor

COMMENTARY

JONATHAN AGUILAR | THE DEPAULIA

Freshman outfielder Kate Polucha singles to left in the fifth inning during DePaul’s home series against Butler.

Softball drops final home game, clinch Big East regular season title

By Evan Sully Staff Writer

Drizzling rain on Wednesday afternoon cleared out Cacciatore Stadium for a 40-minute delay in the third inning and the mood remained DePaul (30-15, 12-3 Big East) competing against the Northwestern Wildcats (33-14, 13-6 Big Ten), as the Blue Demons dropped their final regular season home game 7-3.

Significantly, this game was the first since 2006 in the DePaul-Northwestern rivalry where the road team came out victorious.

“I don’t really think of this as a tough loss,” Blue Demons head coach Eugene Lenti said. “We haven’t played anybody of their competition for a while, so it

was good to get out and play a team like Northwestern.”

Coming into this matchup, the Wildcats had won 10 of their last 11 games, while the Blue Demons were riding on a five-game winning streak.

Following the rain delay, the Blue Demons quickly came out of the gate and took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. They were assisted by a run from freshman Skylor Hilgor, who scored off an error by Wildcats’ centerfielder Sabrina Rabin and by senior Megan Leyva’s sacrifice fly that allowed Kate Polucha to cross home plate. Leyva’s sacrifice fly wound up being the Blue Demons’ sole RBI. Mother nature seemed to feed into a lack of all-around team focus, which some attributed to the Blue Demons’ collapse.

“I think it’s always tough going off a rain delay,” sophomore centerfielder Angela Scalzitti said. “You’re focused, and you get that delay and you’re not as focused. I think next time if that ever happens, we need to do a better job coming focused right off the bat.”

The Blue Demons offense, however, did not hold up with the Wildcats, especially under the duress of pitching changes in which all three pitchers split two-anda-third innings apiece. Kennedy Garcia started on the mound and ended up being the team’s most efficient pitcher by not allowing any hits and striking out two batters in only 34 pitches thrown.

Once Garcia’s time was up, Lenti called on freshman phenom Pat Moore to take on

See SOFTBALL, page 26

DePaul adds size with grad transfer Olujobi

By Andrew Hattersley Asst. Sports Editor

For the second week in a row, DePaul picked up a transfer Monday afternoon when North Carolina AT&T graduate transfer Femi Olujobi announced he would become the latest to join the Blue Demons.

Olujobi pointed to the connection he developed with the coaching staff and current players during his visit as key reasons for picking DePaul.

“Everybody on the team, it felt more like a family,” he said. “That was big in my decision because I want to be part of something strong, close knit. The most successful teams are the ones that are closer.”

Olujobi also didn’t shy away from the challenge of helping DePaul, a program that has had six straight 20- loss seasons.

That’s similar to what he experienced at North Carolina A&T, where the team had just three wins during the year he sat

“I like a challenge. I want to help be part of the turnaround this season at DePaul.”

Femi Olujobi

DePaul Blue Demon forward out before a major turnaround saw them winning 20 games this past season.

“I like a challenge, I want to help be a part the turnaround this season at DePaul (...),” Olujobi said. “I want to be that piece that helps them get over the edge and back to the NCAA Tournament hopefully.”

While he didn’t play during the

disastrous season for A&T, Olujobi said he felt the pain, and he learned he has to focus on having a good mindset every day while being ready to work hard. From there, Olujobi said everything in terms of performance will take care of itself.

Although Olujobi has developed a good relationship with all the coaches on the staff, he communicates with DePaul head coach Dave Leitao on a daily basis.

He says he admires Leitao’s personality and the way in which he treats Olujobi not only as a basketball player, but as a person.

“When we spoke in the recruiting process a lot of it wasn’t about basketball, it was just more so about how my day was going, how I was handling everything and stuff like that,” Olujobi said. “I feel like he will be a great mentor and someone to really learn from because he carries himself well.”

When he was walking around campus with Leitao on his visit, aside from feeling

See OLUJOBI, page 27

I have to take my hat off to the fine folks at the NCAA and president Mark Emmert — they really know how to put on a show.

Neck deep in corruption scandals, Emmert declared to the world that it was time for change — real change. But how serious was he?

“You don’t waste Condoleezza Rice’s time,” he said.

I laughed too.

For months, college basketball fans waited, curious to find out how the “independent” Commission on College Basketball members — all of whom were appointed by Emmert, including himself in a limited capacity — planned to fix corruption in amateur basketball.

But all to predictably, those months of anticipation culminated in one royally disappointing Wednesday morning in Indianapolis.

How do we fix college basketball? “(…) Strengthen the collegiate model,” Rice said. “Not move toward one that brings aspects of professionalism into the game.”

Translation: Ignore the root of the problem. Time officially wasted.

The problem with college basketball isn’t that we moved away from the old collegiate model — the collegiate model is what brought us here in the first place.

The problem with college athletics is that we have created an industry in which the most valuable assets — the “student-athletes” or “athlete-students,” if you find that term more appropriate — are the only ones not compensated.

Coaches make millions, schools rake in admissions, grow endowments, soak in millions of dollars’ worth of free advertising and the NCAA brings in roughly $1 billion each year. The athletes? Nothing.

Just like the prohibition of drugs in the United States, the most obvious effect of prohibiting monetary compensation for NCAA athletes is the creation of a black market — the “dark underbelly of college basketball,” as it’s been called. So long as “student-athletes” in revenue generating sports like football and basketball are breadwinners for the university, they will seek and be offered cash and party favors for their services.

Proponents of the collegiate model argue that student-athletes are compensated with a free education, which can cost upwards of a $250,000 dollars over the course of four years

See NCAA, page 26