TheDePaulia
SGA’s DEI committee campaigns for a Gaza Scholars Program
By Sadie Springer SGA Beat Writer
DePaul Student Government Association’s diversity and equity committee announced a student-led campaign, “Open Books, Open Hearts,” pushing for the implementation of a Gaza Scholars Program in December 2024.
The Gaza Scholars Program would be a scholarship initiative designed to support Palestinian students in response to the destruction of educational infrastructure in Gaza by bringing displaced students to DePaul.
“We are hoping that DePaul can offer full tuition scholarships to Palestinian students to have them study here,” Parveen Mundi, chair of diversity and equity, said. “I think students at DePaul could really benefit from studying and learning alongside students from Gaza.”
DePaul is one of the three Vincentian universities in the United States, along with Niagara University and St. John’s University. Administrators at St. John’s University provided four full-tuition scholarships to displaced Palestinian students in the fall of last year.
“I think St. John’s and the students there have really shown what’s possible,” Mundi said. “We often look to institutions with similar missions and affiliations to our own. So in a way I think St. John’s is a shining example of what does engagement with this crisis and holding a global responsibility look like. And then the question becomes, why can’t we do the same here?”
The DEI committee wants to ensure sustained attention and action within the campus from students and faculty in order to push the “Open Books, Open Hearts” campaign for-
The DePaulia & La DePaulia are going to inauguration in D.C. Help us get there.
ward. They are doing this through social media and word of mouth.
“I feel like (the Gaza Scholars Program) could be an appropriate way for a university to use their own resources to help with a conflict,” freshman Emma Anderson said. “I feel like it’s a tangible way to help with a crisis because it is not like DePaul is a hospital and we can send doctors over there, right? So our way would be educating people that need it.”
At this stage of the campaign,
SGA, continuned on page 5
CLAIRE TWEEDIE | THE DEPAULIA
FILE- SGA chair of diversity and equity Parveen Mundi speaks during an SGA meeting on Oct. 16, 2024. Mundi, a lead organizer of the DePaul Divest Coalition, helped organize the Gaza Scholars Program initiative.
The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | LUCIA PREZIOSI LPREZI@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
DIGITAL MANAGING | JAKE COX JCOX@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
CONTENT MANAGING | ROSE O’KEEFFE ROKEEF@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
DIRECTOR OF MULTIMEDIA | KIT WIBERG KWIBER@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
CITY NEWS EDITOR | LILI JARVENPA LJARVE@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR | AVERY SCHOENHALS ASCHOE@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
OPINIONS EDITOR | BRIELLE KOHLBECK BKOHLB@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | GRACE LOGAN GLOGAN@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | APRIL KLEIN AKLEIN@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
SPORTS EDITOR RYAN HINSKE RHINSK@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR | PEYTON HOPP PHOPP@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ILLUSTRATION EDITOR PRECIOSA RIOS PRIOS@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ASST. ILLUSTRATION EDITOR | YUYU BLUE YBLUE@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
DESIGN EDITOR | GENESIS COFFEY GCOFFE@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
PHOTO EDITOR | QUENTIN BLAIS QBLAIS@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR | WILL ROBSON WROBSO@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR | JEREMY BATTLE JBATTL@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR | LINA GEBHARDT LGEBHA@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
COPY EDITOR AMBER CORKEY ACORKE@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
ASST. COPY EDITOR | ANNIE KOZIEL AKOZIE@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | NADINE DECERO NDECER@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR | JADE WALKER COMMUNITY@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
FACULTY ADVISER | MARTHA IRVINE MIRVINE5@DEPAUL.EDU
La DePaulia es el noticiero oficial estudiantil en español de la Universidad DePaul, enfocado en proveer una voz para la comunidad latinx. Nuestras opiniones no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones de la administración, facultad o personal de la universidad.
JEFA DE REDACCIÓN | ALONDRA CASTAÑEDA EICLADEPAULIA@DEPAULIAONLINE.COM
GERENTE EDITORIAL | NUPUR BOSMIYA
EDITORA DE NOTICIAS | ALYSSA SALCEDO REDES SOCIALES | RODOLFO ZAGAL
EDITORA DE NOTICIAS | ALYSSA SALCEDO ASESORA | LAURA RODRIGUEZ PRESA LARODRIGUEZ@CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM
CAMPUS CRIME REPORT
DATA REPORTED BY DEPAUL CRIME PREVENTION OFFICE
Jan.1 - Jan. 7, 2025
| Claire Tweedie eic@depauliaonline.com
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS Drug & Alcohol Assault & Theft Other
Lincoln Park Campus Crimes: Jan. 7
1) January 7 A Graffiti report was filed for markings found on the DePaul Art Museum.
2) A Deceptive Practices report was filed in the Student Center.
LOOP CAMPUS
LOOP CAMPUS
Loop Campus Crimes: No crimes were reported on the Loop Campus during this time period.
Viruses on the rise: DePaul students hit by spike in flu
By Lucia Preziosi Editor-in-Chief
Influenza and RSV positivity rates are on an upward trend in Chicago, as a national spike in norovirus cases also burdens DePaul students with contagious symptoms.
The acute respiratory illness activity level is high across Chicago, with flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels remaining particularly elevated and increasing according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Emergency Department (ED) visits are up 5.6% this week for those struggling with the flu, with RSV ED visits seeing a 1.4% rise.
Jacob Martin, public information coordinator for the Chicago Department of Public Health, said the winter cold and flu season is amplified due to continued fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. “Surges of respiratory viruses are an annual occurrence around this time of the year, but surges of flu and RSV in particular have been much higher in the last couple years when compared to 20202022, when flu was heavily depressed by COVID-19 pandemic measures,” Martin said in an email to the DePaulia.
The runny nose, fever and cough that accompany illnesses like RSV and flu aren’t the only symptoms that Chicagoans are battling this winter. Norovirus, an extremely conta gious stomach bug, is also seeing a surge in
cases. There were 91 suspected or confirmed cases in the first week of December in the United States, according to the most recent available data from the CDC. Norovirus can bring about sudden and unpleasant gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea. Those infected with norovirus can also experience a low-grade fever and muscle aches.
Craig Klugman, DePaul professor of bioethics and health humanities, says norovirus is not one that we see rise on a “normal basis,” like respiratory viruses during the winter months, and warns students to remain diligent about cleaning surfaces and washing their hands. The number of norovirus cases surpasses the number of outbreaks that were recorded by the CDC during the same week in previous years. Norovirus symptoms also plagued DePaul students during the winter holidays. Noah Tomko-Jones was sick twice during winter break.
Tomko-Jones experienced a respiratory illness along with supposed norovirus that resulted in a trip to the hospital to receive fluids.
“I lost about eight pounds in a week. It was probably the worst I ever felt, and I have a feeling it was almost certainly norovirus although I never received an official diagnosis,” Tomko-Jones said. Martin, from the Department of Public health, recommends certain safety measures to protect students from getting sick, such as staying home, resting,
washing hands frequently and getting plenty of fluids. As flu season comes around, the attitude surrounding sickness and preventative measures has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Klugman.Klugman identified a culture in the pre-pandemic years that he says encouraged “a point in pride” of working or attending classes despite being sick. There is now more leeway granted to those who decide to stay home when symptomatic, as isolating is now perceived as an act of care in order to prevent the spread of viruses, Klugman says. As a professor, Klugman has implemented certain measures in his classes to ensure students can have an easier time not attending in-person classes when having symptoms, as he includes a Zoom link for every class so students aren’t “penalized” for not being able to come to campus.
DePaul students and Chicago residents can also utilize the numerous public health resources the city provides. The Chicago De partment of Public Health offers flu vaccines
for all residents six months or older.
The department also hosts vaccine popup events, where residents can go to get vaccinated for the flu and Covid-19. Klugman recommends that DePaul students stay diligent in their efforts to get vaccinated this winter season. In Chicago, 23.6% of residents have received their flu vaccines as of Jan. 4. Klugman says there’s “still time” to get vaccinated and to ensure adequate immunity as flu season continues. Klugman added that DePaul students should continue to communicate with their professors throughout flu season and the norovirus surge.
“Don’t just not show up and assume everything will be fine. Send me an email an hour before class that day … let me know what’s going on. That way, I’ll be more willing and able to help you,” Klugman said.
Blue Demon
PRECIOSA RIOS | THE DEPAULIA
New additions in the SGA house of representatives for winter quarter
By Sadie Springer SGA Beat Reporter
DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) is beginning the winter quarter with fourteen newly elected members in their house of student representatives. These new members will join SGA’s existing representatives as voices for DePaul’s academic colleges and firstand second-year students.
Who are my representatives?
Representatives for Driehaus College of Business:
Isabella Simkus
Sreekar Reddy
Lina Alhasan
Ali Hamid
Representatives for College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences:
Nora Riba
Maryam Naveed
Representatives for Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media:
Noah Schremser
Tinbit Dogisso
Representative for College of Education: Angelo Battung
Representative for College of Law: Rawshan Rasha
Representative for First Year Students:
Peyton Deck
Andrew Kaiser
Representatives for Second Year Students:
Jadynn Gilmer
Ahmad Barakat
What happens next?
SGA’s first general body meeting of the winter quarter will take place Wednesday, Jan. 15. This quarter, SGA plans to continue with their food sustainability initiatives. An additional pri-
ority is the “Open Books, Open Hearts” campaign, pushing to implement a Gaza Scholars Program at DePaul. This would be a scholarship initiative designed to support Palestinian students by bringing displaced students to DePaul.
Student body president Isabella Ali will be appointing a new position, government and community relations coordinator Leo Dominguez. The goal of this role is to promote campus-wide connections.
“Throughout history, the student government has had poor relationships throughout the DePaul community. I inherited that; that’s not our administration. We’re trying to rebuild connections,” Alisaid.
In another effort to strengthen the community, Ali wants advocacy for international students to be at the forefront of SGA’s agenda.
“DePaul does not make it easy for international students to integrate into the DePaul community. International students face so many struggles in terms of tuition, in terms of employment, in terms of adjusting to just the systems here at DePaul,” Ali said. “I am very optimistic that we will make change and it will be lasting change.”
Ali plans to meet with the administration to discuss student Metra passes. The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is piloting UPass+, a program that includes Metra rides.
“Over 50 percent of DePaul’s student population consists of commuters,” Ali said. “A large portion of commuter students commute through the Metra train, yet we don’t have student Metra passes.”
Sophomore Jadynn Gilmer was one of two write-in candidates for represen-
tative for second year students, and she aims to foster a comfortable atmosphere for all students.
“The main thing that I want to get done is to create more opportunities for connections. Last year I lived in the Loop Campus in the UC (University Center), and I just generally felt kind of separated and lonely,” Gilmer said. “I want to be the person who makes more opportunities.”
Gilmer hopes to put more effort into bridging DePaul’s two campuses and create a heightened sense of community.
“I’m here, I’m excited, and I’m ready to fight for them. I’m ready to do all the work,” Gilmer said.
Representative for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Nora Riba wants to improve DePaul’s mid-quarter reflection system.
“I am very interested in enhancing and expanding academic resources at the College of Liberal Arts and also bridging communication gaps between faculty and students,” Riba said. “I really just want to serve as the voice for students to have their concerns heard.”
Isabella Simkus also wants to emphasize stronger communication between administration and students in her new role as representative for Driehaus College of Business. She decided to get involved with SGA following last year’s encampment.
“There’s a lot of entrepreneurs in the College of Business. A lot of students take on small businesses,” Simkus said. “I want to see if there’s a chance, working with the entrepreneurship programs on campus — is there a way we can kind of help students?”
At the last general body meeting of fall quarter, SGA held a new member
retreat for newly elected members of the house of representatives. They wanted to promote community building and to conduct training on how to uphold DePaul’s mission through their roles as representatives.
“The goal of this quarter’s fall retreat was to walk our members, including our newly elected members, through any logistics they might not have known about, how to engage with the student body in a positive and helpful way and brainstorm what projects members wanted to begin working on,” chair of marketing and communications Kiersten Riedford said.
The retreat included lessons on diplomacy, mediation, media training and goal setting. Members also received mission and ministry training with staff from the Division of Mission and Ministry office.
“I am excited to support the reps through their initiatives and also internally help organize SGA so that in the years to come it is a better transfer process,” SGA vice president Samara Smith said.
DePaul student organizations that are seeking SGA support should contact SGA through email sga@depaul.edu or by direct messaging the SGA Instagram @sgadepaul.
“Our representatives will be hard at work over the next quarter going to student organization meetings and events so we can understand the needs of students by directly communicating with them,” Riedford said.
File- Crowd members talk amongst themselves during the SGA meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in McGowan South. The SGA fall election took place in Fall quarter, which determined its new representatives.
CLAIRE TWEEDIE | THE DEPAULIA
Our repOrting is essential — Help us gO tO inauguratiOn
By The DePaulia Staff
The DePaulia and La DePaulia team of student journalists are embarking to Washington D.C. next week to cover the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
The second inauguration of Donald Trump is a pivotal moment in the United States and around the world, and it should be documented in all forms of news media.
Many of our student journalists have had the opportunity to cover events like these, whether it be the Democratic National Convention or local election events. But many have not yet had the opportunity.
Students at The DePaulia and La DePaulia have dedicated time both in and out of the classroom to make sure the election is documented at the student level. Not because we’ve had to but simply because it is our passion.
Regardless of our passion, we also feel a responsibility to offer a behind-the-scenes view of the event–capturing not just who is there but also the mood and underlying message.
Our coverage is about the truth, storytelling and the valuable lessons that come from hands-on experience like this.
With Chicago being 600 miles away from the action, we hope to bring personalized coverage to an event that many students may feel far away from.
We can think of no better way to wrap up a presidential election season by finishing what we started. In an era marked with an overload of information, it’s important that as reporters we offer people the opportunity to consume news that’s accurate, independently produced and reflective of our political landscape.
Our team of 13 student journalists humbly ask for your support to help bring our passion and drive to fruition. Whether it be a small donation to contribute to gas prices or to feed one of our journalists, we would be eternally grateful.
SGA, continuned from page 1
SGA is working to straighten out the strategy behind the implementation of this project, which cannot be done without help from administration. Mark Laboe, Interim Vice President for Mission & Ministry, and GianMario Besana, Associate Provost for Global Engagement and Online Learning, have said that they are willing to work with SGA to codify a plan for the Gaza Scholars Program.
“We appreciate students raising the need and calling for support for their peers in Gaza,” Laboe and Besana said. “We are exploring a scholarship program that pays careful attention to the immediate crises of the moment and offers a stable path to success for eligible students from any part of the world experiencing
Scan the QR code to donate to our Inspire DePaul campaign
conflict. We will share more about this effort with the community as details become available.”
Student body president Isabella Ali and vice president Samara Smith met with DePaul President Robert L. Manuel and Chief of Staff Arbin Smith to discuss the implementation of this program on Dec. 10, 2024.
“President Rob said he likes the idea, is very on board with it, but we have to go through the logistics of whether we can actually bring students from Gaza,” Ali said. “But I also think that if we can’t, we can still enroll them in Zoom classes. We’ve done that for students from Ukraine.”
DePaul implemented a similar project in 2022 to aid Ukrainian students in response to the Rus -
sia-Ukraine war.
“Even just considering the application of the mission statement, we know now that when DePaul wanted to help Ukrainian students, they found a way,” Mundi said. “Over one hundred students were enrolled in online classes within weeks, and so now when Palestinian students face the complete destruction of educational infrastructure, talented students lose precious opportunities.”
The DEI committee believes this could be used as a framework to design and build a similar program for Palestinian students. Member of the DEI committee and representative for College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Maryam Naveed thinks that a program like this would contribute to the work that last year’s encamp -
ment was pushing for.
“These are people living in war zones, and a scholarship program like that would be great if we could implement (it),” Naveed said. “I think pushing this is very important, especially in this day and age.”
Ali believes that a Gaza Scholars Program would allow DePaul to exercise its mission statement and core values.
“This would be a very very good opportunity to show that DePaul does follow its Vincentian values. It is not performative, we are actually doing service. We are doing right by others,” Ali said.
LiLi Jarvenpa contributed to this report
Alondra Castañeda, La DePaulia Editor in Chief (left) and Lina Gebhardt, Multimedia Editor (middle) pose for a photo at the Associated Colliage Press awards in November 2024. The DePaulia and La DePaulia won awards for previous political and live coverage.
How ‘Dress to Impress’ took over all my free time
By Jaime Villalpando Contributing Writer
Growing up, I would sometimes watch “America’s Next Top Model” with my two older siblings, secretly hiding the fact that I found it entertaining. Years later, I am once again getting that same feeling.
Whenever I have any free time I find myself playing a game with my girlfriend curated for children on Roblox called “Dress to Impress.”I am not alone in this craze. The game has seemingly broken the internet.
When I open Instagram, it’s there. On TikTok, I scroll for a bit, and something related to it shows up. Everyone is in a frenzy.Growing up, I always played Roblox. Games like “Natural Disaster Survival” and “Work at a Pizza Place” kept my 10-year-old mind busy. Now it’s 10 years later and I am still playing games on this curated-for-kids app.“Dress to Impress” is one of the best games I have played in a while.
My obsession started this summer. My girlfriend and I were on Roblox one night when we stumbled upon a game that caught our eye under the “trending” tab. The game’s colorful thumbnail was enough for us to click on it.
The game is simple. Every round there is a new theme for that round. Each round lasts five minutes and at the
end of the round there is a voting period where everyone in the lobby votes for the best outfit with every person having their 10-second moment on the runway to showcase their look. The final three make the podium.
It’s so simple, yet so addictive. I got hooked.
For a period of time, it seemed like every night, my girlfriend would ask to play dress to impress.Discussing our outfits for each round and then ultimately being mad that we don’t make the podium at the end of the round is what makes the game so addictive. My girlfriend, Sofia Viscarra, has simple motives for liking the game.
“I like to win,” Viscarra said. “I also like playing it with you, but I also like to win.”
Naturally, the game is extremely competitive. Everyone wants to be on the podium at the end of the round. Everyone wants to be a fashionista, there is a reason why shows like America’s Next Top Model are so popular. This translates to the popularity of this game. The competitive nature and creative aspect of it is what makes the game so perfect.
Dress to Impress is extremely accessible to anyone. All it takes to join the fun is a Roblox account, which can be ac -
cessed on numerous devices, including a phone, tablet, computer, gaming console, etc.
I usually play on my laptop and have played it in class, in the library, and even on my phone while on a CTA bus. Accessibility is a major factor in why the game is so successful. That is why there are constantly 300,000 players online.
Interest in fashion is usually catered to teens and adults, which results in its massive following. The game has a realism factor that fully encapsulates the user into believing they are in a fashion show.
Dress to Impress is different from other Roblox games.
While the game is intended to be curated for kids, the game built a cult following, of mostly adults, online through creative expressiveness and following popular online trends.
In a Mashable article by Elizabeth De Luna about a thirty-year-old playing Roblox, she describes the site, which is catered for kids, as a “place to be creative,” emphasizing that she is not a gamer in the slightest. Em Jennings, an animation major, and member of DePaul’s Digilab adds on to this claim by saying, “I believe the appeal of kid’s games to adults is the simplicity, the aesthetics, and the safe escapism that they can provide. Of these three, I believe the latter is the most important factor.
The safety and innocence of a game meant for children can be especially appealing to those looking to feel unburdened by adult responsibilities.”
Games that can be catered for kids do exactly that. A game can suck you into an inner world, distracting the user from the outside world, which can be used as an escape for some.
Dress to Impress does exactly this, playfully luring you into the world of fashion.Fashion bleeds through society, and “Dress to Impress” is a representation of that. It’s so easy to share and express creativity through fashion; without irony, this game does this in a harmless and effortless manner.
“I really live this fashion stuff. I don’t play around when it comes to it” said Johnathon Holley, a DePaul junior.
Holley, like I, also has a slight obsession with the game.“It’s simple yet so complex, but so competitive. I really love getting on the game and seeing my name on the podium,” Holley said.
“Dress to Impress” has constant updates that keep players coming back for more. In the summer, the game updated to a “Brat” theme, referencing Charli XCX’s 2024 release, which is arguably the biggest release culturally for music of the year so far. After “Brat Summer” was done, the game transitioned quickly to a Halloween theme.The game’s developers seem to know what they are doing, and this game is only going to get better with time. Consistent players will continue to return to the game for more updates and improvements, and new ones will also join in the fun. I will certainly be one of those returning users as the game continues to only get better and better.
YU YU BLUE | THE DEPAULIA
In’s and Out’s
Ins:
Lunchboxes (Lucia)
Remixes (Lucia)
The indomitable human spirit (Jeremy)
Double texting (Jake)
Pasteurized milk (Jake)
Minions (Lina)
Desperate Housewives (Lina)
Solo Dates (Peyton)
Journaling (Peyton)
Ins:
Piercings (April)
Healthy Sleep Habits (Grace)
Voice memos (Rose)
Shameless (Rose)
Of the DePaulia Staff
Outs:
Forcing yourself to read books that you don’t actually like (Nadine)
Politics (Rose)
Stubbed toes (Jeremy)
Dry shaving (Quentin)
Assuming (Annie)
Short attention spans (Annie)
Facebook Marketplace (Nadine)
Stretching in public (Rose)
Irish goodbyes (Annie)
The check engine light (Quentin)
Barbie Mermaidia (Rose)
Emma Stone (Rose)
Unmounted TVs (Will)
Rotting (Jake)
Ghost trains (Jake)
Award shows (Lina)
Doomscrolling (Lina)
$7 coffees (Lina)
Impulse buying (Peyton)
Golf (Peyton)
Slow Walkers (Will)
Rushing everywhere (Jade)
Outs: Jackson Blvd Dunkin (Lucia)
Baby Carrots (Grace)
La DePaulia
Carta del Editor: Nuestro equipo está comprometido en elevar las comunidades subrepresentadas de Chicago
By Alondra M. Castañeda
La DePauLia Jefa De reDaCCión
Cuando me uní a La DePaulia en el trimestre de invierno de 2024, no tenía idea del tremendo impacto que tendría en mi vida.
Estaba en mi primer año en DePaul, apenas adaptándome a vivir mi primer año y medio en Chicago, después de mudarme de Indiana siendo madre de dos hijos. Mi profesora de Periodismo 275, Sandra Guy, había aconsejado a la clase a involucrarse en los medios estudiantiles, y pensé: “Claro, ¿qué es lo peor que podría pasar?”
Tres trimestres después, ¡les escribo como la nueva jefa de redacción de esta maravillosa publicación! Pensar “¿qué es lo peor que podría pasar?” resultó ser lo mejor que me ha pasado en mi carrera en DePaul.
Desde que publiqué mi primer artículo en La DePaulia en dos de los principales medios de comunicación en Chicago, hasta compartir innumerables momentos de alegría y risas en nuestra
pequeña sala de redacción con el equipo, escribir para esta publicación me ha brindado mucha alegría. Nos ha brindado oportunidades para sumergirnos en la creatividad, lo que nos impulsa a convertirnos en mejores periodistas para las comunidades marginadas de Chicago.
Siempre he creído que cada uno de nosotros tiene una historia especial e importante que debe compartir con el mundo algún día, y resulta que este es el lugar perfecto para hacerlo. Es nuestro mayor orgullo, como publicación universitaria, compartir las voces de aquellos que necesitan ser escuchados. Como inmigrante que llegó a los Estados Unidos a los tres años, no hay nada más importante para mí que resaltar mi cultura y su hermosa gente.
Estoy agradecida por las increíbles amistades y vínculos que he podido compartir con nuestro equipo y por nuestros esfuerzos conjuntos para amplificar las voces de nuestros vecindarios, nuestra
cultura y nuestras raíces aquí en la ciudad de Chicago. Gracias a la experiencia de nuestras asesoras, Laura Rodríguez Presa y Martha Irvine, hemos aprendido a transmitir las historias de nuestras comunidades de manera compasiva y respetuosa.
También quiero agradecer a mi pasada jefa de redacción, Alyssa N. Salcedo, por darme esta oportunidad de compartir mi amor por la escritura y por inspirar a nuestros increíbles miembros del equipo: Nupur Bosmiya, Rodolfo Zagal, Emily Díaz, Riley Sommers, Laura Vázquez David, Agustin Alamo, Sofia Joseph y Damaris Rodríguez, para crear historias significativas e impactantes. Estoy llena de gratitud al saber que puedo compartir un espacio con personas que hablan mi idioma nativo y que comparten mi mismo amor por la escritura.
Estoy orgullosa de decir que nuestro equipo de La DePaulia ha tenido múltiples logros este año, como ganar premios de la Associated Collegiate Press. Continuar nuestra colaboración con los
equipos de noticias digitales de NBC y Telemundo Chicago también ha brindado a nuestros reporteros la oportunidad de que sus artículos se publiquen en estas plataformas, ampliando así nuestra audiencia. Esto permite a nuestros reporteros compartir más historias centradas en las comunidades Latine, negra, inmigrante, LGBTQ+ y otras en toda la ciudad. Uno de mis objetivos para los próximos años de publicación es aumentar nuestra audiencia en las redes sociales y curar cuidadosamente historias interesantes, junto con contenido multimedia atractivo, para incrementar nuestra base lectora.
Nuestro objetivo es crear un espacio para grupos subrepresentados y hacer que se sientan lo suficientemente seguros como para compartir sus historias, con el fin de generar conciencia sobre los prejuicios que puedan enfrentar en sus comunidades y destacar los logros de sus miembros.
Seguimos comprometidos con el uso de “Latine”, un término inclusivo para referirnos a los miembros de nuestra comunidad, respetando al mismo tiempo la preferencia de una fuente de ser llamada Latina, Latino, Latinx, Chicana, Chicano o Hispana.
Estoy segura de que habrá mucho más crecimiento y éxito en el futuro aquí en La DePaulia, ¡y no puedo esperar a ver a dónde nos llevará!
Como jefa de redacción, me emocio-
na presentarles al equipo editorial 2025:
Alyssa N. Salcedo - ELLA
Título: Exjefa de redacción, Editora de Noticias de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Alyssa. Soy periodista bilingüe de datos e investigación que está cursando una maestría en DePaul. Me apasiona el periodismo de investigación basado en datos y la cobertura de noticias locales. Nací en Santiago de los Caballeros, República Dominicana, pero emigré a los Estados Unidos cuando tenía cinco años. ¡Me encanta escribir historias sobre la comunidad Latine y culturas diferentes a la mía! Me siento honrada y emocionada de pasar el rol de editora en jefe a Alondra, y estoy emocionada de asumir mi papel como editora de noticias de La DePaulia.
Nupur Bosmiya - ELLA/ELLE
Título: Gerente Editorial de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Nupur. Soy estudiante de maestría en DePaul, donde estudio periodismo, y espero cubrir temas de arte, cultura y entretenimiento después de graduarme. Con La DePaulia, espero apoyar a los periodistas en su proceso de escritura y elevar las voces de la comunidad Latine. Si no estoy investigando intensamente un nuevo fenómeno de internet, probablemente estoy poniéndome al día con algo de cine.
Emily Díaz- ELLA/ELLE
Título: Editora de Arte y Vida de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Emily. Tengo un bachillerato en comunicación de DePaul y estoy finalizando mi maestría en relaciones públicas y publicidad este junio. Estoy emocionada de ser la nueva editora de Artes y Vida de La DePaulia. Creo que el arte es un catalizador para la libertad de expresión y la justicia social. Estoy emocionada de volver a inspirar estas creencias este año y destacar a individuos empoderados.
Laura Vázquez David- ELLA
Título: Editora de Redes Sociales de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Laura. Soy una periodista deportiva bilingüe de Puerto Rico y actualmente estoy cursando una maestría en Periodismo Deportivo y Comunicación y Medios Latinos en la Universidad DePaul. Tengo un bachillerato en Información y Periodismo de la Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto de Río Piedras. Tengo una gran pasión por los deportes y la narración de historias, y he cubierto diversos eventos deportivos, como el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol 2023, además de atletas, aportando una perspectiva fresca al campo.
Riley Sommers– ELLA/ ELLE
Título: Escritora Colaboradora de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Riley. Nací en Cincinnati, Ohio, y me mudé a Austin, Texas, en 2014. Estudié Inglés y Antropología en la Universidad de Texas, y ahora soy estudiante de maestría en periodismo aquí en DePaul. Algunas de mis historias favoritas incluyen eventos comunitarios en Pilsen y temas de interés humano. Fuera de la sala de redacción, disfruto pasar tiempo al aire libre con mi perro y mi caballo. ¡Estoy emocionada de unirme a La DePaulia por otro trimestre para reportar sobre una comunidad increíble!
Rodolfo Zagal- ÉL
Título: Escritor Colaborador de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Rodolfo. Soy un periodista queer originario de Chicago, estudiante de bachillerato en periodismo con una especialización secundaria en historia. Soy un mexicano-estadounidense de primera generación que espera crear conciencia sobre los problemas que afectan a las minorías en toda la ciudad. Disfruto ser parte de La DePaulia porque me permite conocer periodistas reflexivos y descubrir historias interesantes. Me interesa la justicia social, ver películas y viajar a nuevos lugares. Estoy emocionado de escribir historias desde diferentes perspectivas este próximo año.
Damaris Rodríguez- ELLA
Título: Escritora Colaboradora de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Damaris. Soy estudiante de segundo año de bachillerato con especialización en Inglés y una secundaria en Periodismo. Soy del suburbio noroeste de Elgin. Siempre me ha interesado la escritura, por lo que aspiré a unirme a una de las publicaciones de DePaul para desarrollar estas habilidades y ser un miembro activo de la comunidad. Uno de mis objetivos es escribir una amplia variedad de historias, especialmente perfiles.
Sofia Joseph- ELLA
Título: Escritora Colaboradora de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Sofía. Soy estudiante de tercer año de bachillerato de Periodismo. Estoy emocionada de unirme a La DePaulia como escritora colaboradora. Al hacerlo, espero destacar el trabajo y los acontecimientos de nuestra comunidad aquí en Chicago. Fuera del periodismo, me gusta pasar tiempo con mis seres queridos, escuchar música y ver películas.
Agustin Alamo- ÉL
Título: Escritor Colaborador de La DePaulia
¡Hola! Soy Agustín. Soy estudiante de posgrado en DePaul enfocado en el Periodismo Deportivo. Soy podcaster, escritor y un gran creyente en la positividad. Como alguien local, aporto verdad y conocimiento al campo, respaldado por muchos hechos. ¡Estoy emocionado de ser parte de esta increíble comunidad!
Siempre he creído que cada uno de nosotros tiene una historia especial e importante que debe compartir con el mundo algún día, y resulta que este es el lugar perfecto para hacerlo.”
Alondra M. Castañeda
La DePaulia Jefa de Redacción
Two sides of the turntable: Underground raves can be rewarding, but also dangerous for DJs
By Aubreonna Chamberlain Contributing Writer
The room inside Happy Gallery is painted a light orange that reflects on guests as they dance to music mixed by DJ Tee Vera (Teala Torres).
Torres focuses on her set behind the turntables, combining jungle and footwork genres. She mixes them into a fast-paced setlist, showcasing her personal style and technique at the art space in the city’s Humboldt Park neighborhood.
“I’ve always been someone that’s delved into the little nuances of music and been interested in music as a conceptual art form,” said Torres, a college student from the Chicago area. “A lot of it’s about creating a narrative and
expressing something about how I’m feeling internally. You’re the one that’s curating it.”
Having entered the underground music scene through internet communities, Torres prefers to form connections online before meeting people in person. But no matter how she finds her way to underground clubs, there are safety concerns about drug use, potential abusers and the condition of some buildings where raves are thrown.
Sam Taffet, a sophomore and president of the DePaul DJ Club, has witnessed too many times when organizations are not careful about the events they put on.
“Recently, an organization threw an event, and there was mold in the building,” Taffet said, noting that, later, some
guests got sick.
Often, raves are thrown in abandoned buildings, primarily for the aesthetic. Many DJs say few precautions are taken to protect attendees.
In 2021, the Chicago Tribune reported that guests of these underground events were reprimanded for trespassing for not having proper licensing, posing danger to all who attended.
Local DJs say the scene often hasn’t improved.
“Nobody really does the research to make sure that it's actually safe,” said Genesis Suggs, secretary of DePaul’s DJ Club. “Especially when people are on drugs and other substances, there needs to be precautions in place, and that's not valued.”
Student DJs like Suggs and others, can be put in difficult positions when performing at events that lack safety measures.
Torres also voiced her concern when working with others who don’t share the same values. She said she has cut off ties with organizations and promoters who are unsafe to work with.
Mya Collins, a DJ and communications and media major with a double minor in music business and sound recording technology at DePaul, agreed that there is a need for accountability within the underground music scene. Collins said it can work well when events in the underground scene are DIY, or “do-it-yourself” — like they are at Happy Gallery — because organizers can seek like-minded individuals
Teala Torres, also known as DJ Tee Vera, adjusts her headphones as she mixes for Humboldt Park’s Happy Gallery on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Happy Gallery hosted CityPill, a queer underground music showcase that featured various performers of the scene.
AUBREONNA CHAMBERLAIN | THE DEPAULIA
from the community to help keep these smaller events safe.
Collins witnessed this when taking part in a recent show organized by someone who was trying to raise money to help a friend’s family escape wartorn Gaza.
“I think people are much more capable than they think they are,” she said. “This person had never even organized a show before. They just really cared about helping their friend.”
Lindsey Williams, vice president of the DJ Club, says poor substance management and questionable leaders at bigger venues often create problems.
“Whether it be like Narcan or needle disposal areas, they need to be providing stuff like that,” Williams said.
Accessibility of resources includes overdose preventative tactics and providing DJs with their own mediator, said DePaul professor Daniel Makagon, who specializes in urban communication and underground culture.
“One of the most important things I learned from DJs I have met is that it is important to have a trustworthy team,” said Makagon, adding that having a safe person with the DJ at all times can lead to a better community.
Harm reduction organizations have been around since the underground music scene in Chicago became commercialized in the 1990s, providing a safe space for all patrons by educating them on drug use effects and informing
them about purity levels in substances.
Because of the structure of the underground scene, organizers can be held responsible for not taking the proper procedures to handle drug users, and the responsibility can fall on performers, says Torres.
“This sounds like something antithetical to DIY community-building and connection,” said Makagon. “But that person who works with the DJ can understand that community-building and safety are complementary, not at odds.”
Torres recalls not having full reign on what happens at the shows where she performs and having to handle
difficult situations, like someone using substances, by herself or with friends who attend.
Having only been a part of this community for a little over a year, Torres is still figuring out what she is OK with at an event — and what she is not.
Similarly, Suggs and Williams created “Girls Underground,” a DJ collective for women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), who are based in Chicago. The collective serves as a safe space for women and AFAB DJs to be a part of a group that values safety and promotes community.
While such things can be an afterthought for larger underground events,
spaces like Happy Gallery are trying to provide attendees with a safe underground experience that also features artists native to Chicago.
By promoting themselves on social media, the art gallery opens its doors to all people engaged in the underground music scene.
The self-proclaimed DIY gallery and artist studio features knick-knacks scaling the walls behind and around the makeshift dance floor. Strangers invite each other to dance, accepting one another into their circles with no issue.
“Someone working the venue, someone working the door, someone working at the bar, someone being at the show, someone being on the guest list,” Torres said. “That's a hierarchy that we've created within these scenes. So, people hold certain positions of authority, and there's a structure to it.”
That organizational structure, she said, can place DJs at the top while attendees depend on them, not only to keep the peace but to curate the vibe. While there is community in the underground scene, being aware of the exclusivity in it can lead to further community-building.
“It’s a very human thing I don’t want people to lose,” Torres said. “I think DJs are pretty important, even if we're kind of over-represented sometimes. I feel a part of something, not (just) as an individual.”
AUBREONNA CHAMBERLAIN | THE DEPAULIA Teala Torres fiddles with her sound deck while performing at Happy Gallery on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The DJ focuses on her technique to cultivate her unique sound for the crowd of partygoers.
What’s with texting now these days? Just answer already!
By Lindsay Freiberger
Contributing Writer
There are so many reasons someone might not return a text. People have busy schedules. They want to take the time to respond thoughtfully but never do because they forget. Whatever it is, there's a curiosity to see if people are taking texting as a form of communication for granted.
Frankie Haas, a DePaul junior studying psychology, admits he opens his texts when they first come in but sometimes does not immediately respond when he initially reads them. Although he has no unread messages on his phone, he said he often has five or six messages that warrant his response at any given time.
"I am a person who views face-to-face differently from text,” Haas said. “I put text at a lower stake than face-to-face interaction."
Haas also believes that circumstances distract him from responding to a person, leading him to forget about the message.
Geoffery Durso, professor at the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul, information about what he has studied/what makes him an expert. Durso believes that many people simply have other priorities than texting these days.
"Everything that's on your phone and everything that's off your phone are constantly competing for your attention,” Durso said. “Between apps and life in general, it makes sense that people feel distracted and lose track of responding."
Durso believes that people should not take a lack of response personally.
"Someone may want a response that is more thoughtful than fast," he said.
Unlike a phone call, he said, more time to respond is one of the strengths of texting. "It's important to make sure we don't attribute to malice what could be slowness," Durso said.
When asked about her texts, Reese Plagenz [Reporter’s Notes], a DePaul sophomore double majoring in physiology and English, looked at her phone and saw one unread message. However, there are three to five messages that she has yet to respond to.
"Sometimes I don't know what to say,” she admitted. “Reacting over text sometimes feels so artificial, and not all texts warrant a good response."
For instance, Plagenz does not respond to her messages when she knows she'll see her friends later and they can talk face to face about the content that would have been texted. In other cases, she will click on the notification when it first arrives on her phone to see the text but doesn't respond, intending to reply later.
"Sometimes, I'll see the notification and think, ‘Eh, I'll respond to it later,’ but then I usually don't," Plagenz said.
Phones are designed to entice consumers to keep using them, according to Durso, so habits form, such as checking notifications at every alert or vibration.
"It creates an addictive quality to wanting a particular signal so badly when you see the notification, and it's not what you hoped it would be,” Durso said. “You're continuing to wait for the top-of-mind notifications, which can lead to what the phone is designed to do, wanting us to use it more."
Another reason someone will not respond is because all the notifications can be overwhelming, causing them to freeze.
"I also don't text back out of fear that the person won't respond back to me,” Plagenz said. “Sometimes it's intimidating, and then I start to overthink why they haven't replied."
Durso believes that texting could also overwhelm someone because of the expectations and norms we assign it.
"Calibrate the expectations, and do not treat them as a judgment of yourself as there are many reasons why someone doesn't respond," he said.
You may simply have a friend who doesn’t like to text, he noted — so it’s a good idea to ask how they want to be contacted and convey how you’d like it. For Durso, it depends on the expectation that he assigns to a communication platform. His Instagram serves as the main outlet for his
memes. However, texting can be used to convey his live reaction of sports to his friend to get a timely response. "It's essential to communicate
your preference for communication,” Durso said, “to ensure no one feels anxious about it."
PAULA AREVALO | THE DEPAULIA
Duo in Harmony: Mark Maxwell and Anne Waller bring 19th-century guitar to life
By Grace Logan Arts & Life Editor
Mark Maxwell met Anne Waller at Southern Methodist University while studying classical guitar. At the time, the dean of SMU decided to cancel a handful of programs. A group of students, including Maxwell and Waller, put together a concert to save the guitar program. That was the first time Maxwell and Waller played as a duo.
The two, now married, have been playing together since 1981.
Maxwell, Coordinator of Guitar Studies and adjunct faculty member, presented a recital titled “The First Golden Age of Guitar” on Saturday, Jan. 11 at DePaul’s Holtschneider Performance Center alongside Waller. Six major pieces were featured in the program, all created by different 19th century composers from Paris and Vienna.
“Calling it ‘The First Golden Age of Guitar’ is not something we invented,” Waller said. “A lot of people writing about the guitar say that about this time period. It was a huge moment where so much music was being written and it's a vast amount of repertoire originally written for the guitar. So it's a ‘first’ moment.”
Throughout their time playing together, Maxwell and Waller discovered that 19th century guitars greatly complement the music produced during the same time period.
“Antique guitars from the early 19th century have a very light sound compared to a modern, robust, classical guitar,” Maxwell said. “They are lighter and the music has an ornamental melody with a lot of fast arpeggios and fast melodic lines in the textures of the pieces.”
A former student of Waller’s built the duo a Terz guitar to utilize throughout this performance. The Terz guitar was a 19th century instrument popular in Vienna that was tuned a third higher than a standard guitar.
“It makes a lot of sense for duo writing, that you would have differently pitched guitars rather than two instruments in the same pitch range,” Waller said. “It is a different sound and it's quite an expanded kind of resonance.”
Jimi Wexler, classical guitar performance major, is currently studying under Maxwell. Among the composers featured, Wexler is most anticipating the pieces written by J.K. Mertz.
“It’s a very romantic kind of style and,
Anne Waller, left, and Mark Maxwell play a concert together at Northeastern Illinois University during the spring of 2024. The duo has been playing together since 1981. “When you get to the point of playing together for so long, it’s really a process of not only collaborating on the specific pieces of music, but also evolving a technique. You sound alike, your sound can blend, you can balance sounds, and you have a similar sort of ear for articulation.”
for its time, it was very innovative,” Wexler said. “Something we've been missing is having classical guitar performances in the area.”
The duo originally decided to play together because they had a similar ear and a similar musical point of view, Waller said. Since then, it’s always been a collaboration.
“When you play as a duo, you've made a commitment to the duo's musical goals,” Maxwell said. “You have to do everything else that a soloist does, but you've got to do it in synchronization. That makes it a lot harder. You have to really commit to that.”
The two moved to Chicago in 1985 after Waller received an offer to teach classical guitar at Northwestern. The following year, Maxwell got a job at DePaul.
“There’s a sort of business challenge,” Waller said. “How do you make a living when both people play the guitar? We always used to joke, ‘It takes a population base of about seven million to support two classical guitarists.”
Throughout their time together, Maxwell and Waller have recorded music, taught and traveled side by side.
“We’re one of those married duos, you know?” Waller said. “We pretty much do everything together. It’s an unimaginable amount of rehearsal compared to, say, professional chamber groups who are unrelated and only plan certain rehearsal times.”
As an extension of the philosophies the duo has established together, both Maxwell and Waller have guitar ensembles at their respective universities.
“We’re teaching guitarists who tend to be competitive with each other to be collaborative,” Maxwell said. “It is a really essential skill to be a chamber musician. Guitarists can’t always make their living as a soloist. They have to learn to play with other instrumental voices.”
Maxwell hopes that the recital provided students with the opportunity to hear new
repertoire and see that the guitar can be used as a serious chamber instrument.
“That’s been one of our big goals throughout our career is to have the guitar
be taken seriously as an instrument,” Maxwell said. “We can play in the same way piano duos play together and play with a high level of artistry.”
“Spinning
St.Vincent’s
D e JAMZ
freSh beatS Since 1581”
By Lucia Preziosi Editor-in-Chief
Happy New Year. Good tidings. Blah blah blah. It’s your Editor-in-Chief here, Lucia, author of Dejamz such as “lover girl spring.” I’m just here to set the record straight: Please forget anything I said last year. Times are a-changing baby. WTF is a lover girl era? In order to enter a new era of unapologetic independence — just in time to go along with the New Year’s resolution you make just to feel better about yourself — you’re also gonna need to reinvent your playlists. Here are my prime recommendations for January.
“Food for the Soul” by It’s Murph
Following Thanksgiving, it was actually impossible for me to listen to any music with actual lyrics in it. I couldn’t even bear to listen to music on my walks! Every song made me sad or upset or angry. I was exposed to the world without my Beats on for the first time in years. Even though that time of silence may have been necessary, I have come back full swing. I listen to the most cliche, probably insufferable house music when I’m cooking breakfast or folding my laundry. How fun
is it to dance around in your apartment like you’re at the hottest nightclub in Chicago?
This It’s Murph tune has such a lovely beat drop that I can’t help but bob my head just a little bit or full on dance around the apartment. If you take one thing from this DeJamz, it’s that love is out, DANCING IS IN!
“Bon Bon” by Fcukers
Just named by Dazed Magazine as a top ten musician to watch in 2025, Fcukers really continues the vibe I was discussing above. Sure, I still need my Lana Del Rey when things are feeling really bad. But I can’t be caught like that anymore. It’s just time to dance. 2025 is for dancing, and Bon Bon is a tune that made me set that resolution in stone. I recently saw this song remixed by a Chicago DJ collective, Lè Bump, but unfortunately the video is tainted by my screaming in the background, so don’t ask to see it. Also if you’re an EDM bro or someone who knows more about electronic music than me, just keep it to yourself. I’m trying to have a good time!
“Party 4 u” by Charli XCX
I think Charli XCX is perfect at creating dance songs that actually have some sadder
Crossword
lyrics when you listen deeper. So it’s kinda perfect, you can dance to it when you want to or feel sad if that’s your vibe for the day. But remember ladies, we are dancing in 2025. I don’t really know if that leaves much time for sadness. Because even though I did throw this party just for you, no one needs to know that. Party on-party on you, as Charli says.
“Scorsese Baby Daddy” by SZA I’m sorry but I have very much fallen victim to the pop girly rise that music has been taking in the last couple of months. Even though there are complaints about this music being “TikTokified” or whatever verb is trending this month, you can’t deny that it’s catchy. SZA’s deluxe of “SOS,” Lana, really came at the exact moment I needed it. You can tell me all the songs on the deluxe sound
ACROSS
5. Acronym for one of the schools in the College of Business which handles learning to record, summarize, analyze and report financial transactions.
6. College of business namesake: ________ Driehaus.
8. The Driehaus College of business was one of the first ___ business colleges in the United States.
10. Street name which Driehaus College of Business is located.
11. At the end of every quarter Business 101 students compete in this pitch competition in front of industry professionals for scholarship prizes and their name on a trophy.
13. Management consulting firm headquartered in Chicago with alumna Paula Price on its board.
16. The Halperin
_______ company fund provides capital for Depaul to make investments in startups founded by DePaul students and alumni.
17. A collaborative space in the Driehaus College that intertwines new technology with business, such as eye-tracking software, and VR experiences.
19. Depaul Driehaus College of Business is accredited by what organization.
the same, but the thing is they all sound good? “Scorsese Baby Daddy” is such a quintessential tune that captures the crash out you may, or definitely will, experience many times in your early 20s. I feel a very special place for songs that seem to capture whatever you’re feeling in that moment, and before the opening lyrics of “Scorsese Baby Daddy,” I always say “this is literally me!!!!!”
Best of luck in 2025 to all my girlies. I know we got this. I’ll be back to overshare soon. Dance on!
DOWN
1. The I in MIS.
2. ________ Entrepreneurship Center, a place to find guidance on all things entrepreneurship, including launching, growing, planning, etc.
3. The largest consulting and accounting firm in the world.
4. The School of Hospitality and ______ Business: HSB.
7. Depaul’s School of __________ and MIS.
9. According to Linkedin, 1.11% of DePaul Alumni work at this company, a financial services institution headquartered just a few blocks from DePauls loop campus.
12. DePaul University _______ Graduate School of Business.
14. Driehaus College of Business was founded in 1912 as the college of ________.
18. Course code for business classes.
20. Abbreviated degree that DePaul Business students receive.
15. Abbreviation for the third largest accounting firm in the world.
COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA
Sports
No football, no problem: New club bringing touchdowns back to DePaul
By Quentin Blais
Flag football is on the rise across the nation, and DePaul University is no exception. What began as a nonphysical version of its traditional padded counterpart has since grown into an Olympic sport. High school, college and adult flag football leagues are picking up traction as players find community.
For many, the appeal of the sport is its safety. Traditional American football is high-impact and injuries are common. Flag football is a nonphysical version of the contact sport. Instead of tackling, downs are made by pulling a flagged belt off the waist of an opposing player. Flag football opens the activity to a new market of individuals: those who are drawn to the sport but not to the concussions and bruises that may follow.
“That's one big difference between flag and tackle football is you really don't have to worry about that,” said DePaul senior Zac Carson, founder of the DePaul Flag Football Club. “Sure, injuries do come up. It happens. That's always every sport, no matter what. (But) you now get to actually be more mobile. You don't have to put on the pads. You can still get your jersey. It's always fun.”
Carson helped create DePaul’s club team three years ago after noticing the lack of football on campus. He has helped grow the team to a few dozen athletes who compete with teams at neighboring universities.
“The growth has been tremendous,” Carson said. “I even tell my officers now on the board (that) we're getting out of the startup era, and now going into the growth and continuation phase.”
Part of that growth is welcoming new members like DePaul sophomore Chris Nash. He said that flag football’s no-contact basis makes it a great starting point for
Editor
people looking to get into the sport.
“It's low-contact,” Nash said. “So without the injuries, it can be a good sport. It's a safety thing. Because it's just ripping the flag down.”
For others, flag football is a new way for women to get involved in a sport that is largely dominated by men. The contactless style of the sport levels the playing field so that individuals of all athletic ability can play together.
“I've learned that the teams that have the best girls are the ones that win, not the ones that just have the best athletic guys,” said Sydney Dillard, associate professor of public relations and advertising in DePaul’s College of Communication. “I think that kind of changes the dynamics of sports a little bit when you think about something being coed.”
Dillard is an avid fan of flag football. She has even started her own women’s team, named Shiesty, which practices in Bronzeville. She enjoys the opportunity for players to bring their own skills to the field.
“I like the idea of the merging of the sexes, and I think that it really can open up a new market for young people, and for it to be to see equity in a different way,” Dillard said.
Dillard began playing flag football in a coed league and said that she prefers playing that way. In the future, she would like to see it continue to grow and become a widely popular sport.
“It's a great way to stay in shape and a great way to stay competitive,” Dillard said.
“And I hope that it just keeps continuing to grow.”
Photo
QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA
Alexander Floyd dodges another club member during a scrimmage on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Chicago. The club meets at Maradona Field at Diversey Harbor for the majority of their practices.
QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA
Aja Johnson warms up during practice for the Terror Squad on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. The league takes members of all skill levels and allows the opportunity to play competitively against other teams.
Sydney Dillard and Lacy Stewart warm-up before practice on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. The league takes members of all skill levels and allows the opportunity to play competitively against other teams.
QUENTIN BLAIS | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul Hall of Famers inducted with Bruno in attendance
By Ryan Hinske Sports Editor
For DePaul legend Allie Quigley (200408) and the university’s athletic department, having women’s basketball head coach Doug Bruno present at the 2024 DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony made the evening on Friday all the more special.
“I could go on and on about Coach Bruno, but looking back, I appreciate how he coached us as people the most,” Quigley said in her acceptance speech. “And my favorite
coach quote, ‘Wake up in the morning with a smile on your face and show the world you’re beautiful.’”
Bruno, who was sidelined with health complications before the women’s basketball season, made his first public appearance at the event since his September health incident, watching his former player tell stories of her DePaul career.
Quigley said during her first season with the Chicago Sky in 2013, Bruno sat courtside at almost every game to cheer her on. Quig-
ley, an integral part of the Sky’s 2021 WNBA Championship team, said she “couldn’t write it any better,” having returned to Chicago after several years overseas and seen her college coach and former teammates supporting her in person.
Quigley is one of just four DePaul women’s basketball players to have scored over 2,000 points as a Blue Demon. She joined five other 2024 inductees: Lindsay Chouinard Platt, Drake Diener, Melissa Fraser, Karen Loiacono and Tim Nedow.
Chouinard Platt pitched for DePaul softball from 1999 to 2003 and is the only Blue Demon to earn NCAA Tournament All-Region MVP twice in her illustrious collegiate career. She holds five DePaul career pitching records to this day. After leading the Blue Demons to a Women’s College World Series appearance in her first year, Chouinard Platt attributed her success to the pride and “blue collar” approach to the game.
“Ultimately, it was about the standard at which we held ourselves, and I still feel myself circling back to that standard in my life, to be a Hall of Famer in every way,” Chouinard Platt said.
Diener, now the men’s basketball coach at Marian University, is DePaul men’s basketball’s all-time three-point baskets leader and free throw percentage leader. His four-year career, spanning from 2001 to 2005, was marked by a NCAA Tournament second round appearance during his junior season.
Fraser is a former track and field superstar who still holds the conference record for the longest javelin throw, 54.14 meters , at the 2012 Big East Outdoor Championship. The Canadian’s five-year career at DePaul
from 2007 to 2012 was marked by five Big East All-Academic nods.
Another DePaul track and field star from Canada, Nedow, is alike to Fraser in that he still holds a conference record of his own —the Big East indoor shot put record. After his DePaul career which spanned from 2009 to 2012, Nedow became a two-time Olympian, qualifying for the 2016 and 2020 games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, respectively.
Finally, Loiacono was the 2024 recipient of the Dr. Robert Hamilton Special Service Award along with her induction. Like Bruno, Loiacono could be considered a lifelong Blue Demon. After beginning as a women’s basketball and softball player at DePaul, Loiacono started working in the Athletic Department in 1986 and retired from the University in 2023.
“[Loiacono’s] impact on not only the athletic department but the university at large is one that has been felt for nearly 50 years and will be felt for many, many more years to come,” said DePaul public address announcer and event emcee Zach Zaidman. “Her legacy is felt by the many relationships forged with student council colleagues, community members, along with graduate assistants, student workers whom she mentored throughout her tenure … Loiacono embodies what it means to be a Blue Demon in everything she has given to this institution.”
The six inductees were recognized and celebrated at the DePaul men’s basketball game Saturday and the women’s basketball game Sunday to round out the weekend.
Allie Quigley accepts her DePaul Hall of Fame induction with Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. Quigley scored over 2,000 career points as a Blue Demon and went on to win a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky.
RYAN HINSKE | THE DEPAULIA