The DePaulia 4.24.23

TheDePaulia

Supreme Court ruling protects access to abortion pill ‘We won’t go back’

By Olivia Zimmerman Staff Writer

Around two dozen protesters gathered on Wednesday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in the Loop to protest a lawsuit jeopardizing mifepristone, a drug that is used in termination of a pregnancy as well as to manage a miscarriage. Conservative groups sued the FDA, claiming the drug was approved without regard to safety and could be potentially taken off the market.

The protest came two days before the Supreme Court ruled Friday that FDA approval stands and mifepristone can stay on the market for now while the lawsuit plays out in lower courts.

“I think it’s outrageous that the judges have the right to take away a safe, legal medication that has been used widely for 23 years to manage abortions and miscarriages,” said Chicago for Abortion Rights member Cathleen Gutekanst. “It just shows the contempt with which they hold women and people who can get pregnant.”

The FDA approved the drug in 2000, but conservative anti-choice groups have opposed it, saying that the original FDA approval process was flawed.

According to the Associated Press, over half of U.S. abortions are done with pills. Since mifepristone was approved by the FDA in 2000, it has become the primary drug used in medicated abortions.

“The Supreme Court, the judges, the states: they’re all going to get rid of abortion for women. It’s our rights, our lives, it’s women’s lives,” said protest attendee Lynda Antman. “It’s [about] women’s futures. It is little girls who are coming up now who are not going to

have a choice. This is just an attack on women.”

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a conservative medical group, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, sued the FDA claiming that mifepristone was unsafe, it should not have been approved by the FDA and that several doctors also have been harmed by their patient’s use of the drug.

The plaintiffs also allege that mifepristone violates the 1873 Comstock Act, which bans the use of the postal service to send “obscene, lewd or lascivious,” “immoral,” or “indecent”

materials. This included materials such as medicine or pamphlets relating to contraception and abortion, even if written by a medical professional, resulting in the arrest of doctors.

While the plaintiffs used this law as part of their argument against the approval of mifepristone, according to a Dec. 23 memoranda from the U.S. Justice Department the sending of mifepristone and another abortive drug, misoprostol, is that it does not violate the Comstock Act.

Several organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA)

filed an amicus brief against the lawsuit.

“[Hippocratic Medicine] have taken a position that is fundamentally ideological, not scientific,” said the organizations in the brief. They seek to end the practice of medication abortion using mifepristone, encouraging the Court to upend the expert judgment of the FDA and overturn a 23 year-old approval. Their request is not based on rigorous scientific review and analysis but on speculation and the personal opinions of two physicians.”

See ABORTION, page 6

Linda Loew, activist and founding member of Chicago for Abortion Rights, was one of many activists who spoke on April 19 in opposition of conservative efforts to outlaw the abortion pill mifepristone at the oiutside Dirksen Federal Courthouse, at Federal Plaza.

LUCAS PAREDAS | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul Urban Gardeners plants herbs in a soil bed during Community Gardening Hours on Thursday.

Wisconsin man arrested after attacking three DePaul students

By Samantha Moilanen Asst. News Editor

A man was arrested near DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus after unlawfully restraining and attacking two female students at DePaul, according to Public Safety and Chicago police.

On Thursday, April 13 at 4 p.m., the DePaul community received a Public Safety alert notifying the university of two instances of aggravated assault on the Lincoln Park campus.

In the first incident, Public Safety was notified that a student was attacked in the first floor bathroom of the Schmitt Academic Center (SAC) located at 2320 N Kenmore Ave. Public Safety reported in the alert that the student was able to scare off the offender using the duress button in the bathroom.

While Public Safety officers were speaking with this student, they were notified of a second attack at the Sheffield Garage where another student was attacked by the same offender. This student was also able to get away and the offender fled the scene.

The same offender took a backpack from the Student Center belonging to a 22-year-old female student at DePaul just after 5:15 p.m., police say.

Chicago police identified the offender as Frank Redd, a 26-year-old man from Madison, Wisconsin, according to a press release.

All three incidents occurred over the span of two hours. Police arrested Redd the same day at 5:36 p.m. in the 900 block of West Belden Avenue.

Redd was identified by police as the offender who took the backpack from the Student Center. He was also charged in connection with the incidents of aggravated battery and unlawful restraint

of a 22-year-old female at 3:58 p.m. in the Sheffield Garage and the unlawful restraint of a 28-year-old female at 3:45 p.m. in the SAC.

According to Public Safety, all three victims are current students at DePaul.

Russell Dorn, a university media spokesperson, said in light of the recent incidents, they encourage all DePaul community members to sign up for DPU Alerts and be aware of the blue emergency call boxes, house telephones and duress buttons located throughout both campuses.

“We are incredibly thankful that both students were able to escape these attacks and have reached out to them to pro-

vide support and resources,” Dorn said. “Their quick thinking in the face of an attack was incredibly brave. There are inherent risks when out in public, but if we look out for each other, we can keep each other safe. Being safe is everyone’s responsibility. We are also appreciative of the Chicago Police Department’s quick work in arresting the suspect.”

Dorn said safety is the university’s top priority and they are currently exploring ways to further protect students on campus including possibly adding security features to DePaul’s buildings.

“DePaul Public Safety is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has offices in both the Lincoln Park and Loop

campuses,” Dorn said. “We encourage anyone in the DePaul community to call Public Safety if they see something suspicious. We also encourage everyone to have a plan and to think about how they would handle different scenarios in case of an emergency. They can use this approach not only on campus, but also anywhere they go.”

Redd was charged with two felony counts of unlawful restraint, one felony count of aggravated battery and use of a deadly weapon, and one misdemeanor count of theft.

His court date was Friday, April 14 at the Central Bond Court.

Budget: Manuel shares timeline, VSIP developments

By Patrick Sloan-Turner Online Managing Editor

It has been two weeks since news of DePaul’s sizable $56.5 million budget gap broke. Since then, a handful of developments have occurred including a student protest and the non-renewal of six term faculty contracts.

On April 20, DePaul President Robert Manuel shared an update in “Notes from Rob” via Newsline, outlining target dates for the budget process and new information regarding the proposed staff Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP).

Throughout the process surrounding the strategies to combat DePaul’s budget gap, faculty continue to voice criticism regarding a lack of transparency and short window for decision making. On Thursday, Manuel acknowledged concerns related to timing and released a new calendar with target dates for ongoing budget strat-

egies through July 1, 2023.

The new timeline marks May 8 as the deadline to present a “high-level” budget proposal to the Board of Trustees, but deliberations will continue past that date.

June 8 is the deadline for deans and university vice presidents to deliver budget proposals for FY24 to the president’s office regarding various strategies to combat the gap within the faculty, staff and operational expenses.

On June 30, the last day of the fiscal year, the university will publish the final budget for FY24.

VSIP update

One major strategy to help close DePaul’s $56.5 million gap is the offering of voluntary separation to current eligible staff through the program known as VSIP. Staff who are at least 55 years old with a minimum of 20 years full-time service, at

least 62 years old with a minimum of 10 years full-time service or the sum of their age and full-time service equals at least 75 are eligible for VSIP. Employees who accept the incentive will receive one year of gross wages.

In Manuel’s update on Thursday, he wrote that 120 of the 205 eligible staff expressed interest in the program, representing 58.5%. In his message, Manuel wrote that, historically, 50-60% of those who express interest opt into these programs, and if that figure holds true “this would reduce the budget by roughly $7 million dollars.”

The actual figure of those who opt into VSIP will not be known until June 8.

Council of the Whole

In a call for increased transparency in the name of shared governance, interest has arisen among a handful of faculty members to hold a Council of the Whole

meeting, according to multiple faculty sources.

Council of the Whole meetings are special governance assemblies open to all faculty, regardless of status, including adjunct faculty, Associate Deans and AVP's with faculty status. According to DePaul’s faculty handbook, 50 signatures from fulltime faculty are needed to hold a Council of the Whole.

If held, the meeting would be chaired by Faculty Council president Sonia Soltero.

In 2021, a record 578 faculty members attended a Council of the Whole meeting in which those in attendance convened over concerns regarding the leadership of previous president A. Gabriel Esteban and the Board of Trustees surrounding DePaul’s budget.

A determination regarding this possible meeting is expected this week.

KATIE WRIGHT | THE DEPAULIA

Frank Redd, the 26-year-old offender, took a backpack from a student in the Lincoln Park Student Center on Thursday, April 13.

Large gatherings, Loop violence prompt Lightfoot to enforce curfew

By Samantha Moilanen Asst. News Editor

Close to one year ago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot implemented a controversial curfew for minors visiting Millennium Park. About a year later, the curfew is back along with expected bag checks at Chicago’s beaches, according to police.

The rule bans all minors unaccompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age, from entering Millennium Park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. This rule came after the fatal shooting of a Chicago teen last May.

The Millennium Park restrictions were accompanied by the mayor’s decision to change the citywide curfew for minors from 11 to 10 p.m..

“Additional security measures such as bag checks at beach entry points and the curfew for minors at Millennium Park will also be in place. CPD is also working closely with youth and outreach workers

for when these gatherings occur,” police said in a statement released Monday night.

This announcement came shortly after hundreds of young people gathered downtown Saturday night, where videos circulating social media platforms show people jumping on cars, fighting and running across the street. Videos also show a similar incident Friday night near 31st Street Beach, where a 14-year-old boy was shot, NBC 5 Chicago reports.

The events on Saturday night resulted in two teens being shot near Millennium Park and 15 arrested in connection with the downtown gathering, police said. Of the arrests, nine were adults and six were juveniles.

While police officials said most of the charges were for reckless conduct, two people were charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and a 16-year-old male was charged with unlawful use of a weapon following the recovery of a firearm, po -

lice said.

CPD said they plan on working closely with youth outreach programs following the downtown disturbances Saturday night to ensure all gatherings by the city’s youth are conducted as safely as possible.

“We strongly encourage parents to accompany their teens or have them remain under the supervision of a responsible adult. We will continue working alongside our community organizations and leaders to provide safe spaces and alternatives for our youth across the city,” police officials said in the statement.

Both Mayor Lightfoot and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson issued statements following the large downtown gathering.

Johnson’s statement did not condone the violent behavior that occurred this past weekend, however, he urged the city not to demonize Chicago’s youth.

“In no way do I condone the destructive activity we saw in the Loop and

lakefront this weekend,” Johnson’s statement posted on his social media read. “It is unacceptable and has no place in our city. However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.”

In Lightfoot’s statement, she urged parents to be aware of their children’s whereabouts and to hold them responsible for their actions.

“As I have said before, we as a city cannot and will not allow any of our public spaces to become a platform for criminal conduct,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “Most importantly, parents and guardians must know where their children are and be responsible for their actions. Instilling the important values of respect for people and property must begin at home.”

DePaul receives $1.97 million donation

By Kiersten Riedford

News Editor

John Schreiber, founder of the Blackstone Group’s real estate investment management business, and Kathy Schreiber, co-founder of the John & Kathleen Schreiber Foundation, gave DePaul a $1.97 million donation that will be used for “transformative” programs, according to Newsline.

The donation will be split in two portions. The first, consisting of over $1.2 million, is designated to the Schreiber Catholic Future Teacher Leader Program, according to Newsline. The second portion, consisting of nearly $600,000, will be awarded to the DePaul Migration Collaborative, the Egan Hope Scholars and the Egan Family Engagement and Coalition Initiative.

Kathy Schreiber is the niece of Monsignor John Egan, the public figure honored by the statue in front of the Lincoln Park Student Center. She told Newsline she is inspired by Egan’s “strong legacy of social service” so the couple’s donation aims to honor his legacy.

The Egan Hope Scholars is a program the Schreibers have supported for a long time, according to Newsline. The program was created to honor Egan’s, “lifetime work of social activism and community service.”

But DePaul is not the only school the Schreibers donation will go toward.

On June 2, 2022, Loyola University Chicago announced that the Schreibers donated the school’s largest ever gift, amounting to $100 million. John Schreiber attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette for high school then attended Loyola’s School of Business Administration for his undergraduate.

The couple’s gift to Loyola completely funds “full scholarships, room and board and an array of comprehensive support services for aspiring Black, Latino, first generation and other ethnically and racially diverse students who are historically underrepresented in higher education,” according to Loyola’s University Newsroom.

According to the John & Kathleen Schreiber Foundation, the foundation supports only Chicagoland “welcoming communities where underserved and vulnerable populations have access to high-quality education and supportive services that help people reach their full potential.”

Because of this value, the couple chose the DePaul Migrant Collaborative as one of the programs to support because it is a collaboration between the university’s College of Law, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Division of Mission and Ministry that works on migration is-

sues through community-engaged projects, advocacy and research, according to Newsline.

“The Migration Collaborative will use this generous gift to pursue innovative scholarly and community-engaged projects to advance better public policy, stronger communities and a more just society,” Sioban Albiol and Shailja Sharma, the program’s codirectors, told Newsline.

Donna Kiel, the director of DePaul’s Office of Innovative Professional Learning, told Newsline the Schreiber Catholic Future Teacher Program will continue to “grow” because of the couple’s donation. The program is aimed to develop a diverse pipeline of future Catholic school teachers and leaders who will serve in underrepresented communities, according to Newsline.

John and Kathy Schreiber’s gift supports programs the donors think are exemplifying DePaul’s Catholic Vincentian values well.

“John and I believe deeply in the importance of investing in the next generation of socially minded leaders and doing so with a focus on equitable access to educational attainment,” Kathy Schreiber told Newsline. “DePaul’s dynamic programs are working to address social needs and changing lives in the process.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED TO NEWSLINE BY THE SCHREIBERS Kathy and John Schreiber donated $1.97 million to DePaul.

Police patrol Millennium Park after the curfew was implemented in May 2022.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

Design DePaul student session disappoints with lack of engagement, Q&A

By Kiersten Riedford News Editor

The only student session for Design DePaul had lackluster attendance, failed to discuss all of the Design DePaul topics and did not give students an opportunity to ask administration questions.

There are currently no upcoming Design DePaul sessions that include students, so many attendees said this session was underwhelming.

Some attendees like Nana Ampofo, DePaul junior, said there should have been a Q&A session scheduled into the event, especially since the event ended 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Haley Penningon, second-year law student and Student Government Association (SGA) Senator for the College of Law, said she wished the administrators would have taken advantage of the intimate setting and ditched the grand presentation and usage of the stage.

“The stage made it a little separated and not a real conversation,” Pennington said.

Ampofo said even with the audience engagement from the stage, she still felt the event was focused too much on what DePaul is doing well instead of what DePaul should be improving on.

“Let’s get to the root of the problem,” Ampofo said.

Manuel said during his presentation that DePaul has an alumni network of more than 200,000. Pennington said the university should work on building this base while also taking advantage of those numbers to secure internships and jobs for current students in a more direct manner.

“A lot of this stuff, it doesn’t have to do with money,” Pennington said. “[The alumni network], it’ll be a better streamline for students. It would be a good opportunity to show first generation law students what the law world is like.”

Chloe Crosby, SGA Senator for Disabled Students, said during the interactive session that they would like to see more community building opportunities for disabled students. Crosby said one way to do this would be to create a disabled students cultural center.

Crosby also mentioned the session taught them more about the lack of resources graduate students have. Many graduate student attendees, like Pennington and Jaslynn Hodges, spoke during

the event about some graduate students not having access to a UPass and the disproportionate amount of benefits being given to the undergraduates compared to the graduate students.

“And our mental health resources are still abysmal,” Crosby said.

Pennington said that while she wants to see a lot of these resources and programs get inserted into the university’s to-do list, she would like to see university leadership actually follow through with implementation.

“When are we actually going to see some of this stuff come to fruition?” Pennington said. “It’s daunting because I feel like most of us think this is not going to be something we’re going to see in our time here.”

Pennington said if administration hosts more student-administration discussions, they should be in a more intimate setting so students are not scared to approach leadership about their thoughts.

Ampofo said the moderators could have created a more comfortable setting by giving the audience members more opportunities to ask questions.

Design DePaul sessions for digital presence, philanthropic expansion and geographical and community expansion were completed as of Thursday’s student session. There are still upcoming sessions

for faculty and staff regarding institutional efficiency and effectiveness and also program distinction and expansion. The next session, which will center on institutional efficiency and effectiveness, is set for May 2 and will be for faculty and staff.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Nana Ampofo, a DePaul student who attended the Design DePaul session on April 20, said she wished there was a formal Q&A session at the event.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Student attendees stuck various shaped post-it notes on boards dedicated to institutional efficiency and effectivess and digital presence. Many wrote notes about what the university needs to improve on.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA

Chloe Crosby said they would like to see a cultural center for disabled students to grow community with one another.

“It’s daunting because I feel like most of us think this is not going to be something we’re going to see in our time here.”

Haley Pennington

Second-year law student and Student Government Association Senator for the College of

Law

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA Design DePaul posted boards where students can brainstorm ideas about student success.

In a transcript of the trial so far, the plaintiffs presented evidence suggesting that the pill was unsafe, a claim that these organizations dispute.

“The FDA based its initial approval on robust evidence which showed mifepristone was extremely safe,” they wrote. Serious side effects occur in less than 1% of patients, and major adverse events occur in less than 0.3% of patients. The risk of death is almost non-existent. Mifepristone is also recommended for the safe and effective treatment of miscarriage, which can be dangerous if left untreated.”

Furthermore, some attendees at the protest expressed fear that banning abortion and mifepristone could lead to unsafe, illegal abortions.

“I have a lot of family in the Dominican Republic and abortion there is not safe and accessible at all. You hear every day about women dying from trying to do it themselves,” said University of Chicago student and attendee Viviana Hilario. “And if they can do it safely and legally then that saves the lives of millions.”

If this case is ruled in favor of Hippocratic Medicine, any person with a uterus could find themselves without access to the drug, according to a Planned Parenthood press release.

“I’m most concerned that it will affect millions of women who will have a harder time or find it impossible to get an abortion because they’ll be afraid of the results, they’ll be afraid of what will happen if they can only take one pill,”

said protester Phil Passen. “It will destroy healthcare for a lot of women.”

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, some protesters said reproductive rights will be an issue they take to the ballot box.

“You can see that in every single state where [there] has been a referendum [for abortion], it has won,” Gutekanst

said. “I think the majority of American people, the majority of people who are Catholic; I was raised Catholic, and all my sisters, everyone in my family, supports the right to abortion. It’s your decision, not a judge.”

However, other attendees stressed the importance of activism and protesting in voicing concerns for issues sur-

rounding reproductive rights.

“I’m not waiting until 2024,” Antman said. “We can vote, I can vote, I’ve been voting. It has done no good. We need to be on the streets, people need to be in the streets. In other countries women have led the way, and then whole populations have followed, and they’ve won! And that’s what we need to do.”

Illinois bill pushes to decriminalize sex work

By Casey Snow Contributing Writer

When the Chicago Sun-Times published a headline including the words “pimping” and “prostitute,” DePaul student and sex worker, who goes by the stage name Cruel Valentine, discussed the problematic connotations of the words.

“The term prostitution is actually considered a slur to many sex workers,” Valentine said, speaking alongside their colleague, who also goes by their stage name, Rosemary Maybe on a panel called Sex Work in the Digital Age last quarter. “Generally, since it was something kind of assigned to us by law enforcement and the stigma attached to the work that we do, please don’t say it.”

The language considered problematic in the sex work community was recently changed by the Illinois House. As of March 27, Illinois House Bill 3150 was moved forward by the state's attorney which will amend various acts to change the term “prostitution” to “commercial sexual activity.”

“(The bill) is a good start to the possible de-stigmatization, but it could have a positive impact, but alone it’s not enough. The charges are still available to be pursued,” Valentine said.

The panel was organized by Adrianne Stoner for her class “The Dark Web.” Since the first session in the winter 2020, Maybe has spoken to Stoner’s classes on four separate occasions. This was the first time the discussion had been opened to the entire college, not just those enrolled in the course.

“I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with students' reactions and being not only super open minded in talking about it but really embracing the idea and embracing pushing for the safety and rights and protection of sex workers,” Stoner

said.

Stoner’s course is based on Jamie Bartlett’s “The Dark Net.” The book features multiple anecdotes surrounding both sexually exploitative and consensual activity, prompting the discussion about and including sex workers.

“We need to have more conversations and be more open about pornography consumption, whether it be pornographic films or sex work or engaging with sex workers online,” Stoner said. “If it’s this whole thing that’s shrouded in secrecy,

which it is, then we’re less likely to hold ourselves to ethical standards.”

The overbearing negative stigma associated with sex work is precisely what Valentine is working to diminish in their career at DePaul.

“Statistically speaking, everyone reading this knows someone who has done sex work at some point in their life, if not currently,” they said. “We try to distance ourselves from that, but really, it’s our neighbors. It’s important to have empathy for the people around you, even

if it’s things you don’t know. It’s important to take that into consideration when making political decisions.”

One of the main focuses of the event was the difference between the decriminalization and legalization of sex work.

“Decriminalizing would remove the criminalization of the act. People can exercise their right to contract with one another with one another without government interference,” Valentine said. “Legalization is something that often creates regulation. We’ve seen it in action in Illinois and elsewhere with marijuana. People have to work very hard to get license, very expensive license. It adds a lot of constraints.”

The panel was accessible both in person and virtually, widening the possibility for student and staff education.

“I didn’t know that that distinction existed, and they did a really good job of explaining why we should support decriminalization and not legalization,” said DePaul senior and attendant Charlie Adams. “It did a good job at humanizing and dignifying their work, and sex workers as people.”

Valentine shared that they are working with a coalition that is providing education and conducting research and polling on decriminalization of sex work. They are not at the point of advancing the bill at the moment.

“The criminalization of sex work enables trafficking. It gives clientele leverage over you. It’s something that people can threaten your safety with, threaten your children with, threaten your job with,” Valentine said. “When sex work is decriminalized, we see that people are less afraid to report trafficking or things that they witness, they feel more protected.”

SAMANTHA MOILANEN | THE DEPAULIA

Andy Thayer, a reproductive rights activist, speaks at a rally on Wednesday, April 19. Activists met in wake of the recent mifepristone ruling.

COURTESY OF CRUEL VALENTINE | THE DEPAULIA

(Left) Cruel Valentine and Elizabeth Ricks speak at the College of Law on decriminalizing sex work.

Antisemitism panel discusses education, prevention for hate on-campus

By Claire Tweedie

SGA

Beat Writer

Student Government Association (SGA) and Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) co-sponsored an Antisemitism Panel Discussion on April 19, bringing together students and administration to address anti-Jewish hate speech and violence on-campus.

Guest speakers Trent Spoolstra, the associate regional director for the Midwest office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and Alison Pure-Slovin, the Midwest director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, gave presentations about past and present antisemitism in the country. Shortly after, a panel of guest speakers and Jewish student leaders answered questions from attendees regarding topics ranging from Jewish identity to why antisemitism is increasing.

“It was about making sure people knew there is a Jewish presence on this campus,” said Justin Fisher, vice president of Jewish student club Chabad and senior. “In the past, people have been scared to show their Jewish identity here but with the actions we’re taking to help, it is really making students feel more accepted.”

The discussion was part of a continued effort between SGA and Jewish student organizations that began last fall, when they collaborated to draft a statement condemning antisemitism at the university.

“I remember the statement was put out after helping student government edit that document for hours,” said Emily Fridland, president of Chabad and senior. “Even if more than half of all students didn’t open that email, the headline of it and putting out that statement made me feel infinitely more like I belonged here.”

Both organizations were planning separate antisemitism discussion events until Fisher reached out to Adora Alava, SGA Executive Vice President for Diversity and Equity and junior, about merging them together.

For SGA, planning the event was a months-long process that Alava said helped strengthen the bond between SGA and Jewish student life organizations on-campus.There are 675 Jewish students at DePaul according to a Hillel International study from an unknown year.

“One of the main things that concerned me about what I heard from Jewish life was that they didn't feel like they could reach out to other

organizations on-campus,” Alava said. “Even outside of SGA, no one should feel this way. No one should ever feel isolated. I wanted to make sure everyone in that community felt supported.”

Fridland came up with the event two years ago while talking to the rabbi of Chabad about student experiences with antisemitism. She said it began as a longer project of compiling those students’ stories of anti-Jewish hate at DePaul as an initiative to bring them to the administration’s attention.

“I have found my community here, and it's made me realize how much of a passion I have for this fight,” Fridland said. “I’m with these people and we’re going to be supporting each other so that when there are times of antisemitism, we don’t feel like the only Jew in the room. It

makes me feel very seen and heard.”

Spoolstra said in his presentation that antisemitism in the country has been increasing rapidly over the past five years and can be attributed to worsening social and political issues. A 2021 study from the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that 51.4% of the 1590 religion-based hate crimes were anti-Jewish. Spoolstra said people are looking for someone to blame and minority groups have become that outlet. Additionally, people are facing increased stressors from post-pandemic fallout like inflation and even more prevalence of racial injustices.

“A lot of Americans right now are experiencing anger, fear and anxiety,” Spoolstra said. “There’s something in us as human beings that when we feel these, we look for scapegoats as a reason for why this is happening. That is

why organizations like the ADL are here to fight this. We’re not just going to accept it and wait for times to get better but rather we’re going to be proactive.”

Spoolstra said education is the biggest tool to prevent antisemitism by breaking down ignorance and finding commonality. He encouraged students to educate themselves not only by looking online for information about antisemitism but also by attending events held by Jewish student organizations like Chabad, Hillel and AEPi.

“There’s still a lot of ignorance in the world,” Spoolstra said. “We think that we know things based only on assumptions even though most of us have a smartphone with a ton of information at their fingertips. DePaul is also very lucky to have Jewish organizations so you have those resources right in front of you. Reach out to each other and learn.”

Fisher and Fridland said cooperating with SGA is one way the university has stepped up to help the Jewish community. They both have experienced less antisemitism on-campus because of the administration's work to recognize anti-Jewish rhetoric at DePaul and their efforts to prevent it.

“We’re seeing a lot more people wanting to meet with us and the Jewish groups on-campus,” Fridland said. “Administrators and student government have really taken on the initiative to acknowledge that they haven't always done the greatest job in dealing with antisemitism in the past.”

SGA and the Jewish student organizations hope to collaborate again as they continue addressing antisemitism at the university. Fridland said after working with administration and SGA, she wants to focus her efforts on peer-to-peer conversations to make sure all levels of the community are involved in stopping antisemitism. Fisher said educating people about antisemitism will continue using DePaul’s resources.

“I know the ups and downs when I hear these stories of antisemitism because it breaks my heart but I can do something to help,” Fisher said. “We are trying to be that push to improve our community and fight for what we care about. There will always be a drive to make sure this campus is as safe as possible for everyone.”

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD | THE DEPAULIA Chava Novogrodsky-Godt, social chair of DePaul Hillel, speaks at a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting about antisemitism on Nov. 10, 2022.

DIRECT FROM BROADWAY TO CHICAGO

COURTESY OF AEPI

Illinois Senate works towards cannabis reform, equity concerns remain

By Lucia Preziosi Contributing Writer

Recent legislation coming from the Illinois Senate is a reflection of efforts to further reform cannabis use and possession in the state, while a haunting history of the War on Drugs still looms in marginalized communities.

Senate bill 125 and 1886 are both pieces of legislation working to establish a more progressive approach to cannabis in Illinois.

Senate bill 125 would prevent police from conducting searches on vehicles on the sole basis of the smell of cannabis.

“People, especially people of color, are unnecessarily pulled over way too often,” said Rachel Ventura (Party-District) during debate regarding these bills.

2021 traffic stop data from the ACLU reveals that Black drivers were 1.7 times more likely to be stopped by police than white drivers in Illinois.

“Historically, Chicago is one of those places where there has been over policing,” said Don Opitz, director of the cannabis studies minor at DePaul. “There is no coincidence that Illinois arrest rates of possession are higher than the national average.”

The ACLU also rules that Black people are 7.5 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession in Illinois, indicating that widespread legalization of cannabis in 2019 did not automatically erase the inequity that surrounds the substance for marginalized communities.

“I think that this kind of legislation is particularly relevant for major cities like Chicago, where there is still a struggle to reform police practices that disproportionately affect Black and brown communities,” Opitz said.

Peter Contos, Deputy Director of the Cannabis Equity Commission of Illinois and DePaul alumni, voiced his organization’s support of these two bills, but believed they should have occurred alongside the initial widespread legalization of cannabis.

“Frankly, these are things that should have happened in 2020,” Contos said. “To us, first and foremost, we have to make sure that the criminal legal system is updated to reflect that [cannabis] is actually legalized.”

Contos believes that Senate bill 125 is a step in the right direction in ensuring a complete legalization of cannabis in every aspect.

Xavier Perez, a professor of criminology at DePaul, is warry to quickly establishing these bills as a win for equity on a larger scale.

“These bills are steps in the right direction, but it's incredible to think how these minor laws are going to change

policy that has decimated working class communities of color for decades,” Perez said.

Perez also worries that despite these new laws, police practices will largely remain the same.

“I don’t know to what effect these laws change police practices,” he said. “It’s not dealing with the sort of institutional racism that we have, which has a premise in social control.”

The second bill awaiting approval from the House allows for those on probation to have the freedom to consume cannabis and alcohol without repercussion.

Senate bill 1886 includes a series of exemptions for those under 21, and for those who had “the presence of an intoxicating compound in the person's body,” as an aspect of their offense, according to the Illinois Senate.

“We don’t want anyone to go all the way back to square one just because they smoked a joint,” Contos said. “We’re super excited that [Senate bill 1886] is going to reduce some of the harm that people face when they come home.”

Perez notes that life for formerly incarcerated people requires deeper legislation which transcends past what Perez characterizes as the symptoms, instead of the causes of these issues.

“I like to address causes…a principal cause of crime is poverty, if we don’t address poverty then all we’re doing is addressing symptoms,” Perez said.

As indicated, a widespread equitable and intersectional environment surrounding cannabis does not stop with this legislation.

“There is a very small portion of dispensaries and craft grown businesses which are owned by Black/Brown people,” said Opitz. “When there is more representation in the business, there is more opportunity for change.”

The cannabis industry in Illinois accumulates millions of dollars annually, with Illinois grossing $445 million from cannabis in 2022, but discrepancies are seen in how this large sum of money is allocated.

“The reality is that wealthy white [people] own the majority of cannabis dispensaries,” Perez said.

Out of the $670 million which came out of cannabis revenue in Illinois in 2021, a large majority of this share was allocated solely towards white men, according to NPR.

“This whole thing has been a com

plete dumpster fire, this is the American story in one microcosm,” Contos said.

“You have the government with no justification other than racism, criminal -

izing millions of people across Illinois and the United States, once they realize there is money to be made on this, for the state and a handful of their friends, it is palpable for them to legalize.”

Both Opitz and Contos are calling upon college students to mobilize and educate themselves about cannabis equity, in Illinois and across the country.

“I think it’s important for universi -

ties to be a part of this conversation,” Opitz said.

“I would just ask people to get involved… call your lawmakers, whether it's supporting cannabis legislation or something else… the more support we have the quicker we can get work done,” Contos said.

AMBER STOUTENBOROUGH | THE DEPAULIA

In 2022, the state of Illinois grossed close to $445 million from sales of cannabis.

-

“These are things that should have happened in 2020 ... we have to make sure that the criminal legal system is updated to reflect that [cannabis] is actually legalized.”

Peter Contos

Deputy Director of the Cannabis Equity Commission of Illinois

DePaul panel discusses social and legal barriers to re-entry after incarceration

By Rose O'Keeffe Staff Writer

Students, faculty and community members gathered in McGowan Hall at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Campus Wednesday April 12 to discuss the epidemic of mass incarceration in America and what “re-entry” into life after prison really means.

Greeted by cheers from friends and supporters in the crowd, a five-person panel of experts and formerly incarcerated people spoke about their work toward prison and post-prison rehabilitation.

The panel was sponsored by Chicago PBS station WTTW and organized by DePaul Professor Judith McCray’s social justice reporting class.

Antonio Pizarro, a panelist who served 17 years in prison for a crime he claims he did not commit, questioned the term re-entry in the context of being released from prison.

“How can we re-enter a society we were never really a part of?,” Pizarro said.

He pointed to decades of what he called legal slavery that implicates the justice system by keeping men and women of color at the bottom of society.

“There is a lack of life-affirming resources in correctional systems that leads to more crime and demonstrates little effort to get to the root of the problem,” said panelist Grace Siegelman, president of DePaul’s Students Against Incarceration.

The panelists who had been negatively impacted by the justice system suggested an emphasis on trauma-centered care in communities with high rates of violence as a way to create equity in governmental resources.

Panelist Marcos Gray spoke from nearly three decades of experience in the corrections system drawing connections between poor mental health in underserved communities and drug addiction that often leads to illegal behavior.

“I was basically an alcoholic at 16,” Gray said. “It was a form of self-medication because there was no access to mental health services.”

Gray, who said he is still trying to “decompress” from his time in the prison system, believes mandated therapy must be part of the re-entry and rehabilitation process for formerly incarcerated people to manage trauma and develop coping mechanisms.

“Someone that suffers from mental illness is not really diagnosed after he's in prison,” said Javier Reyes, who attended Wednesday’s event. “The focus is on the crime that he committed, not where he came from.”

Reyes is an ex-convict turned advocate and founder of Challenge II Change which provides wraparound services for men and women who are coming out of prison.

“The system is not broken; it is designed to keep Black and brown demographics down,” Reyes said. “We lost an entire generation of Black and brown kids because of the 1994 crime bill.”

The 1994 crime bill established stricter rules about the length of prison time by setting mandatory minimum sentences and three-strikes laws, creating a prison pipeline for communities of color.

Reyes said Challenge II Change is part of a larger coalition of seven states that are drafting legislation to repeal and replace this bill.

The panel agreed that educating all citizens about incarceration legislation promotes civil responsibility.

Christina Rivers, panelist and DePaul political science professor, discussed the importance of understanding legislation and rights.

She said Illinois has permanent punishments for felony convictions, but a permanent restriction on voting is not one of them. This means that convicted felons who are released from jail are able to re-register to vote.

The bad news, she said, is that many people do not know this and therefore, do not reclaim their rights.

“Just because there is low voter turnout among ex-convicts does not mean there is lower interest in voting and political engagement,” Rivers said.

She took pride in St. Vincent DePaul’s legacy as a minister to incarcerated people of France for more than 40 years.

“This work is central to our Vincentian mission, and we should own that,” Rivers said.

Siegelman encouraged students to take Rivers’s Inside Out Prison Exchange classes that are offered each quarter with Stateville Prison.

She also told students to sign the petition to “Ban the Box,” which is an effort to erase the question about criminal history from DePaul’s application process.

Siegelman said this movement is a step towards equality in re-entry.

The integral role of the next generation of activists was the panel’s closing message.

“Young people have a lot of power because we are up next,” Siegelman said.

According to Reyes, when lawmakers hear from young advocates about their concerns and grievances, they see longevity that cannot be ignored.

“Legislators don't normally hear from our younger counterparts that are doing this work and when they see the youth in these buildings, it really scares them,” Reyes said.

Re-writing the narrative on life before, during and after prison does not happen overnight, but with the involvement of younger generations, the panelists agreed the fight becomes stronger.

“We know how the story ends when you go to prison, and this has to change,” Reyes said. “The way the story ends has to change.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WTTW

Panelist Antonio "Tony" Pizarro spent 17 years in prison for a crime he said he did not commit. He spoke about his past trauma.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WTTW

The event had about 80 attendees that ranged from students to Chicago community members.

Opinions

Letter to the editor: A staff & adjunct perspective

By M atthew K rause Staff Council Member

Much has been written in this paper and on social media about DePaul’s financial picture, with an unfortunate wave of acrimony and outright misstatements being shared. What has surprised me as much as the vitriol is how very little has been expressed — or even considered — from the perspective of the two groups of employees most directly and severely impacted by next year’s projected budget gap: University Staff and Adjunct Faculty. (Notable exceptions are Samantha Moilanen and Kevin Holechko’s pieces.) These employees are the most vulnerable, working without contracts or job protection, and if we’re honest, often the most marginalized on and off campus.

I fall into both of these job categories, having just completed my 10th year as full-time staff and my eighth year as an adjunct of accounting. But I write as much in the hopes that my participation this year on the Strategic Resource Allocation Committee (SRAC) will provide greater context, facts, and grace to the conversations around DePaul’s finances.

Regarding SRAC:

It cannot be overstated that DePaul is not in a financial crisis, and I very much hope this paper will stop perpetuating that misnomer through its website banners. To the contrary, we are having these hard conversations now in order to avoid any crises or deficits in the future.

Second, despite what has been written and intimated SRAC includes four dedicated Faculty members and Kevin as SGA President, all of whom have given their hearts and minds to the over 40 meetings we have held since September — and all on top of our normal work

and study loads. Soon after he began as president, Dr. Manuel charged SRAC with working together and in good faith while working toward a FY24 budget proposal for his review, and I am very proud of the tough conversations this group has had in very trying times. The faculty, staff, students and administration represented on SRAC rarely make a comment, let alone a recommendation without considering the impacts on members of our community.

Many have rightly asked how DePaul’s mission and values are reflected in its budget. In considering this important question, I start at the top and see institutional financial aid increasing next year at a significantly higher rate than that of tuition increases (6% v. 3% increases, respectively). This contributes a great deal to the projected budget gap, but goes to the heart of our mission from the outset. It’s been a commitment DePaul has kept through recessions and the pandemic, and I amplify my pride in our financial support of the most vulnerable students every chance I get.

What also contributes substantially to the projected gap is the 3.5% merit increase proposed across all employee budget lines and the continued strong university contribution to eligible retirement accounts — both a recognition by SRAC and President Manuel that we need to take care of our own, particularly with high inflation at home.

As employees, however staff and adjuncts live on average in the lowest ends of the pay scale, receive the least in dollars from this merit pool, may not even be eligible for a university retirement account, and thus are the groups contributing least to the budget gap we face.

Regarding adjuncts:

Adjunct faculty teach over 40% of DePaul’s courses. They are often the first to be asked at the last minute to fill in for course staffing gaps — and are also the first to be asked to step down during financial challenges. In March 2020, for example, I was asked to pick up five accounting sections for the spring term starting just weeks away, as one or more FT faculty were struggling with Covid at home. I love teaching and, fortunately, had already taught the two courses I took on, albeit not online and not with 175 students at a time.

This happens to many adjunct faculty every year and needs to be appreciated.

Regarding staff:

Those of us who have been here 10 or more years have seen waves of layoffs and the sun-setting of positions. I have had the great fortune of working with wonderful and dedicated people across campus — from the University Library, Office of General Counsel, Human Resources, Financial Affairs, Academic Affairs, Facilities Ops, Public Safety, Advancement, Center for Students with Disabilities, Student Affairs — but our numbers have decreased steadily and almost dollar-for-dollar with decreases in tuition revenue (this includes the offices of top University Administration). As I cite in Samantha’s DePaulia article last week, both net tuition revenue and total staffing payroll have decreased by approximately 7% since 2013; total faculty pay has increased nearly 2%; this includes tenured, term and adjunct.

I say from experience and data that staffing levels have not contributed to the budget gap we are now facing, but staff are taking on a full 50% of reduc -

tions in FY24.

We staff are not administrative bloat. I hear this phrase and reject it wholeheartedly. If DePaul had bloat, it’s long disappeared. They were cherished and passionate colleagues who have left DePaul since 2013, whether voluntary or involuntary.

Please give our staff grace and support as you face decreases or slowdowns in services and support. Perhaps because I just turned 50 and have crested that proverbial hill, I no longer desire to live very long in a place of fear, resentment or anger — let alone work in one. I hope our community can move together with respect, dignity and grace.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Matthew Krause, MBA is the director of Business & Administration at JTR Library, as well as an adjunct accounting instructor.

A note on letters to the editor:

Letters to the editor are sent to the editors of The DePaulia expressing concern about the coverage of a certain topic. If the staff of The DePaulia feels the letter serves public interest it may be published. The DePaulia editorial board reserves the right to reject any letters or Op-eds submitted.

The DePaulia staff is committed to providing the paper’s readers with information they need to know, while trusting the readership to reach its own conclusions on the basis of that information.

-The DePaulia Code of Ethics

To read The DePaulia’s full code of ethics, please visit depauliaonline.com

Students gather along Sheffield Ave between Fullerton and Belden Ave on April 10 to show support for faculty and staff at risk of losing their jobs in wake of DePaul’s budget gap.

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

International students need on-campus jobs the most

By FatiMa h asan Contributing Writer

Upon admission into graduate school, the first thing that came to mind is how am I going to pay for tuition and living expenses. One option I thought I would explore was getting an on-campus job.

Having an on-campus job comes with perks like flexibility, job and physical security. It also provides students and parents relief from the high cost of tuition. Thus, schools should consider easing the employment process to allow more students on board, especially international students.

“In an academic year we have roughly 4,000 student employees and roughly 6,000 jobs posted,” said Fatima Mohammad, assistant director of student employment initiative. “The reason that there are more positions in comparison to student employees is due to students being able to hold more than one job, if they are within their work hour limits.”

This number includes international students as well.

“We at the office of Student Employment make sure that every job we post is inclusive to all work hour limits,” Mohammad said.

As an international student, I was very excited to start my education at DePaul, however, I found it difficult to get an on-campus job. During my first quarter in fall of 2022, I applied for an open library position. Days later, the position was filled by someone else. I noticed that my application was not reviewed at all during the hiring process.

The same thing continued to happen

whenever I applied for other job openings.

Later, in response to my follow up, they told me that the employer would contact me if he finds my profile suitable.

Therefore, I realized that there are no options for me except for waiting for my Curricular Practical Training (CPT) which becomes available after one academic year. This program allows students the opportunity to gain work experience through paid internships, employment off campus or by doing odd jobs at their own risk.

I am always worried that if I get caught, I will be deported as it violates the student visa status.

The two things that International students have to keep in mind is that they cannot work off-campus during the first year, but may work on-campus 20 hours per week during school and 40 hours in the off session, according to the United States Citizens and Immigration Services. If this is the case, the only option left to first year students is to do odd jobs.

Some benefits to on-campus employment for international students is the ability to get a social security number, which then helps students get a driver license, open a bank account and even rent an apartment on their own.

Some on-campus jobs like being a professor’s assistant, come with the advantage of getting an additional course fee waived.

Some students luckily get their jobs as freshmen and they jump to other jobs or get promoted in the same job during their study years. DePaul sophomore and international student, Erick Mauricio Rodriguez Ruiz is an office assistant at ACE Lounge and said it is important for him to

always have a second source of income as a student.

“I got this job last winter quarter by mid-February," said Ruiz. “For me, it is important to have a job [because] if I wouldn’t have one, then I wouldn't have a source of income because I cannot have outside jobs.”

Eito Kawaski, a DePaul sophomore and international student from Japan said he currently works as a Japanese language tutor at the SAC.

“I started working this winter quarter as a Japanese language tutor at SAC,” said Kawaski.

Kawasaki said he wished that more jobs were available for international students to teach languages from their native countries.

For Krishna Asoka Kumar Sajitha, a DePaul sophomore from India, on-campus jobs are much more flexible in terms of

hours and commitments because all the positions are filled by current students.

“I work three days per week so that I can attend classes the other days,” Sajitha said. “Most importantly, because of the job I was able to get a SSN number which is very vital for everything here.”

Ruiz also mentioned that his on-campus job was lenient about employees working on homework while they worked.

When I asked Michael Guda, a hiring assistant in the Office of Student Employment, if they typically hire more international than domestic students, he said, “ I don’t think it is feasible to employ more international students than national students as it really depends on who meets the criteria. But it is a good idea and we can probably get the topic to panel discussions.”

Apart from this, going to work on the days you don’t have classes can keep one occupied. Moreover, having on-campus jobs can enable one to manage assignments easily as they don’t have to travel elsewhere for work.

Since the college factual online portal that recommends USA colleges based on their popularity to prospective students ranked DePaul at 120th for popularity with international students in 2020, I hope the employment board will consider increasing the acceptance rate of international students for the job postings.

Every application must be reviewed and training can be given to applicants who do not meet the criteria. I believe this will add more positive reviews to the school.

I wouldn't have a source of income [without a campus job]... I cannot have an outside job"

Rodriguez Ruiz ACE lounge office assistant

La DePaulia

Residentes de La Villita conmemora el Día de La Tierra mientras siguen luchando contra la contaminación

Residentes de La Villita se reunieron en un jardín comunitario en el vecindario para celebrar el evento anual Semillas de Justicia con música, comida, pintura y muchas risas, el 22 de Abril.

El evento fue realizado por la Organización de Justicia Ambiental de La Villita (LVEJO) para conmemorar el Día de la Tierra, brindando a los residentes la oportunidad de embellecer su vecindario limpiando, plantando en sus camas de jardín, y ayudando a pintar un mural que refleja la historia de organización.

Manu Gámez, que recientemente se mudó al vecindario, dijo que ha querido aprender a cultivar su propia comida durante años y que nunca pensó que cuando se fuera del evento, dejaría atrás una cama de flores para que él lo pueda seguir nutriendo.

“Quiero que sea una parte de mi vida… la reciprocidad, como cuidar la tierra y luego tomar lo que esté dispuesto a darme”, dijo Gámez.

Sergio Ruiz, uno de los organizadores del evento, dijo que el evento no solo marca el primer día de la temporada de la huerta, sino que también es una forma de recordar cómo comenzó el jardín comunitario.

“Siempre tendemos a tomar este día solo para conmemorar las acciones que están sucediendo a nuestro alrededor ya que este barrio está rodeado de áreas industriales”, dijo Ruiz. “Así que hay mucha contaminación del aire. Es solo una lucha que la comunidad siempre ha conocido, y todavía está pasando”.

En 2012, los vecinos al otro lado de la calle del sitio fueron a LVEJO, quejándose de un hedor que luego encontraron que emanaba de un sitio industrial que había sido utilizado para depositar barriles de petróleo. Según su sitio web, LVEJO y la comunidad lucharon contra la ciudad, y en 2014 finalmente pudieron transformar el lote en un jardín comunitario.

Cuando se creó por primera vez, más de 20 familias cuidaban la tierra y tenían sus propias camas de flores para cultivar plantas, pero ahora han ampliado el espacio para incluir camas de flores para casi 70 familias.

La Villita “tiene la menor cantidad de espacio verde per cápita en la ciudad de Chicago”, según el sitio web de LVEJO.

En abril de 2020, hubo una explosión que ocurrió por la demolición de la antigua planta Crawford Coal de Hilco Development

Partners. La explosión cubrió el barrio en una nube de polvo y causó un gran revuelo entre los vecinos de la comunidad.

Leslie Cortez es una organizadora juvenil de LVEJO y se ha estado organizando con otros para luchar por respuestas después de la demolición. Fueron al estado de Philadelphia para hablar con otras personas que también han experimentado desechos tóxicos de proyectos de Hilco Development Partners en ciertos vecindarios. Algunos líderes comunitarios sabían sobre la demolición y pidieron que la ciudad escuchará las necesidades de la comunidad.

Cortez dijo que quiere “asegurarse de que los miembros de la comunidad decidan si queremos o no grandes negocios o si queremos ventas locales”

“Es ese derecho a la autodeterminación”, Cortez agregó.

Jac Vázquez, una activista por la defensa de los parques para LVEJO, ayudó a limpiar la basura tirada en el jardín y dijo que disfrutó de las conversaciones que tuvo con otros voluntarios mientras discutían por qué la gente a veces piensa que es aceptable botar basura.

“Podría ser ignorancia, o también podría ser simplemente la suposición de que la ciudad lo limpiará y ese no es el caso”, dijo Jac

Vázquez.

Sin embargo, la comunidad se asegura de crecer e invertir en su propio vecindario. Su hermana, Jocelyn Vázquez, también organizadora de LVEJO, está emocionada de tener su propio jardín este año, donde podrá plantar hierbas, tomates, jalapeños y más con su mamá.

Ella dijo que el Día de la Tierra es una

forma en que la comunidad se toma un tiempo libre del trabajo y se cura a sí misma al crecer con la tierra.

“El Día de la Tierra es un momento para simplemente pasar tiempo conectándonos con la tierra, cultivando nuestra propia comida, tocando la tierra húmeda, sabiendo que la comida que vamos a cultivar es para un buen uso”, dijo Vázquez.

CARY ROBBINS | LA DEPAULIA

Manu Gámez trabaja en su nuevo cama de flores donde va cultivar tomates, hierbas, jalapeños y más durante el evento anual de Semillas de Justicia.

Por Cary Robbins Editora de Noticias, La DePaulia

CARY ROBBINS | LA DEPAULIA

CARY ROBBINS | LA DEPAULIA

Semillas de Justicia está orientado en la comunidad y tiene lugares para que jueguen los niños.

Tulipanes rojos se plantan en una parcela en el jardín comunitario frente a las casas que ayudaron a crear Semillas de Justicia.

Entre prisiones y pandillas: El Salvador busca salidas a una historia de violencia

Por Alexa Bañuelos Escritora Contribuyente, La DePaulia

Sin acceso al exterior, recluidos en celdas superpobladas sin colchones, son las condiciones que esperan los presos salvadoreños durante el estado de emergencia de El Salvador.

Desde Chicago, diversas voces se expresan sobre la complejidad del surgimiento de pandillas que aterrorizaron a la población y las soluciones que dió el gobierno actual a ello.

Hace un año el presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, declaró un estado de emergencia buscando responder a la violencia generada por las pandillas. Desde entonces, Bukele ha encarcelado a más de 65.000 personas.

“La gente se está muriendo de hambre”, dijo el profesor de política latina Joe Tafoya sobre los presos.

El estado de emergencia promueve un estado de excepción declarado por la asamblea legislativa que permite la suspensión de ciertos derechos constitucionales.

De acuerdo con información obtenida del Latin Alliance por la profesora de estudios sobre refugiados y migraciones forzadas Kathleen Arnold, explica qué les han suspendido a los presos.

“Derecho a asociación; derecho a conocer motivos y derechos de la detención; límite de 72 horas de detención administrativa; y derecho a privacidad en comunicaciones”, dijo Arnold.

La cultura de las pandillas ha sido tan prominente que llegó a haber una población de más de 70.000 pandilleros.

Para explicar el porqué de esta afluencia de pandillas debemos remontarnos a la guerra civil de El Salvador, entre los 70s y los 90s.

La guerra civil fue un conflicto entre el gobierno salvadoreño y organizaciones revolucionarias de izquierda y causó que muchos emigraran a los Estados Unidos para

buscar refugio.

“El conflicto entre los dos bandos en [la] guerra se convirtió en una hipermilitarización. Creó una afluencia de armas y una agresión exagerada del gobierno a su propia gente”, explicó Tafoya.

En su lucha contra las pandillas, Estados Unidos deportó a un gran número de pandilleros latinos.

Juan Antonio Padilla estuvo en el ejército salvadoreño durante la guerra civil. Él explica que los acuerdos de paz disolvieron a la policía original, que había promovido la violacion de los derechos humanos, esto dejó al estado muy débil y sin una policía nacional estable.

“Después de una guerra civil existe ese vacío de seguridad y pues surgen muchas pandillas o grupos armados”, dijo Padilla.

Bajo estas condiciones muchos ex combatientes salvadoreños que tenían

entrenamiento de combate y poca educación se fueron involucrando en las pandillas.

Padilla testifica que la falta de oportunidades y corrupción de los partidos políticos, causó que las pandillas se siguieran desarrollando, “como un pequeño cáncer”.

El profesor Tafoya reconoce que la influencia extranjera de los Estados Unidos durante y después de la guerra civil tuvo un gran impacto en este conflicto con las pandillas.

“Efectivamente creamos las pandillas que fueron exportadas de regreso a El Salvador por las personas que fueron deportadas. Y esas pandillas luego se replicaron y su estructura de liderazgo se volvió internacional”, dijo Tafoya.

También agregó que la influencia de la industria penitenciaria privada estadounidense puede verse reflejada en instituciones como el Centro de

Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT).

“Te preguntas acerca de la influencia estadounidense. Piensa en las prisiones privadas que fueron muy grandes entre 2010 y 2015”, expresó Tafoya.

Pero aunque los arrestos masivos y la institucionalización del sistema de prisión le ha proporcionado seguridad a los ciudadanos salvadoreños, también ha provocado varios debates sobre este sistema de encarcelamiento y si está violando los derechos humanos de los que han sido capturados.

“Estar sujeto a arresto arbitrario, detenido sin acceso a asesoramiento legal, recluido indefinidamente sin juicio y recluido en una prisión sobrepoblada son todas violaciones de derechos humanos”, añadió Rose Spalding, profesora de política latinoamericana.

Ella explicó que esto ha provocado que las autoridades arresten a individuos con sólo sospechas y sin un proceso judicial. Hay más de cinco mil que han sido arrestados incorrectamente sólo por asociación.

“Simplemente fueron arrastrados junto con los demás porque estaban en la vecindad o eran jóvenes de un barrio de bajos recursos”, comentó Spalding.

Los salvadoreños, tanto en su país natal y en Chicago, siguen divididos considerando si los cambios drásticos que ha implementado el presidente Bukele han sido adecuados.

“Es como si me diga que prefiere una medicina amarga o continuar con la enfermedad”, expresó Padilla.

Mientras algunos expresan que, aunque las medidas radicales aún son necesarias para poder exterminar las pandillas, otros indican que no es suficiente para construir un cambio permanente.

“A menos que se aborden los problemas estructurales más importantes, es poco probable que la detención masiva sea una solución duradera al problema”, dijo Spalding.

OPINIÓN: Los vacíos que deja el gobierno en salud mental los llena la comunidad

La larga historia de colonialismo, discriminación y opresión ha demandado de la comunidad latina tener una gran capacidad de resistir para no dejarse vencer.

Digámoslo como prefiramos: Que somos chingones, que somos berracos o como lo dice Calle 13 en su canción Latinoamérica, “Un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina”.

¿Pero cómo nos está afectando esta constante necesidad de aguantar, a pesar del abandono? ¿Qué hay de nuestra salud mental? En la comunidad latina de Chicago, los vacíos que deja el gobierno en salud mental los llena la comunidad.

Ese es el espacio que busca llenar ‘SALUD’ en la comunidad Latina de Chicago. SALUD es una organización que crea espacios para que la comunidad, especialmente los jóvenes, hablen abiertamente sobre salud mental.

Entre el 2009 y el 2013 el presupuesto total para servicios de salud mental en Illinois sufrió una reducción de 113,7 millones, según el Chicago Tribune.

El entonces alcalde Rahm Emanuel cerró seis de las doce clínicas de salud mental en la ciudad. Y, aunque la administración de Lori Lightfoot aumentó el presupuesto dedicado a servicios de salud mental, no se reabrieron las clínicas cerradas.

La cofundadora de SALUD y magíster en salud pública, Jazzine Acevedo, aseguró que los recortes en el presupuesto de salud mental de Illinois “causaron que los terapeutas se trasladaran o limitaran la capacidad de los pacientes, especialmente aquellos que aceptaban pacientes de Medicaid o Medicare debido al hecho de que no obtenían ningún ingreso”.

En Chicago hay una larga tradición política de ignorar la importancia de la salud mental y la vulnerabilidad en la que se encuentra la población latina lo hace aún peor.

Aunque ni manifestaciones, ni votos han logrado que el gobierno cumpla, la gente no se ha dejado vencer.

El Dr. Ricardo Camacho, director y cofundador de SALUD, comenta que la organización siempre tuvo como objetivo encontrar una solución que viniera desde la comunidad latina.

“Una organización que diga: vamos a normalizar la salud mental a nuestro modo”, dijo Camacho.

A pesar de que SALUD organiza los eventos, son los asistentes quienes hacen la conversación y crean un espacio seguro.

Entre estos asistentes estuvo The KiD from Pilsen, (cuál es su nombre?) quien habló sobre la importancia de poder sentirse en confianza para hablar abiertamente.

“La razón por la que la gente fue es porque había un espacio seguro para

aquellos que querían hablar sobre salud mental”, reiteró KiD.

Crear estos espacios desde la comunidad misma se vuelve la única forma de superar el día a día bajo un sistema que ignora las necesidades de las personas.

“Fue muy frustrante, como administradora de casos, no poder brindar los servicios que las personas necesitaban en el tiempo que necesitaban”, expresó Acevedo.

Además, es necesario recordar que una solución que venga desde la comunidad va a tener mejor en cuenta las necesidades específicas que enfrenta esa comunidad.

A pesar de que casi el 19% de la población de los EE.UU. es latina, la American Psychological Association o APA reveló recientemente que solo 4% de terapeutas pueden prestar sus servicios en español.

“Generalmente no sabemos el gran poder que tiene, por ejemplo, hablar español”, dijo Camacho.

Esto no debe tomarse como un mensaje para dejar de presionar a políticos y al gobierno. Si no que es necesario seguir votando, protestando y organizándonos para que los impuestos se inviertan en lo que más se necesita.

Pero, ante el desinterés gubernamental, hay algo poético en ver cómo se puede trabajar conjuntamente para cubrir aquellas necesidades.

Desde tocar los problemas específicos

que enfrenta la gente, como hablar un idioma común para la comunidad, estos esfuerzos de la población crean espacios donde podemos sanar y crecer de forma segura.

Tal vez, poco a poco, podamos ir logrando algo que propone el Dr. Camacho: “Imagina un mundo donde, en lugar de ser resiliente, el mundo que nos rodea pueda ser menos traumático”.

SIN CREDITO | AP

Dr. Ricardo Camacho, director y cofundador de SALUD presenta durante un evento en Abril.

Por Santiago Posada-Jaramillo Gerente Editorial, La DePaulia

Un grupo de presos identificados como pandilleros sentados en el piso del Centro de Confinamiento de Terrorismo en Tecoluca, El Salvador en Marzo.

Nation & World Remembering the legacy of Jimmy Carter

By Lucia Preziosi

Following the news of Jimmy Carter’s admittance into hospice care at the age of 98, many are taking the time to reminisce on the former president’s dedication to kindness, compassion and peace.

Carter held qualities of a unique leader which were overshadowed by a turbulence of explosive international conflicts and complex domestic issues throughout a short one term presidency.

Carter’s dedication to care and empathy transcended past political issues, and proved unwavering, establishing Carter as a true outlier in American politics.

James Earl Carter Jr. was born on Oct. 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. Carter’s upbringing in rural Georgia was intertwined with religion and agriculture.

Carter’s plunge into the political world was a result of success in the Naval Academy, where Carter excelled in operating nuclear submarines and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Following his time in the Naval Academy, Carter returned to Georgia to inherit his family farm and established Carter’s Warehouse, making position preceding his presidential nom-

Scott Hibbard – an associate professor of political science at DePaul – redefines the narrative many may hold about President Carter, which characterizes him as an unsuccessful politician, attributed to an oil crisis, domestic inflation and escalating Cold War conflicts

“Jimmy Carter was actually a much more successful president than history has given him credit for,” Hibbard said. “The Camp David Peace Accords were massive...he really understood government.”

The Camp David Peace Accords represent a pinnacle point in the Carter administration, creating an important framework for peace agreements between Israel and Egypt after years of complex conflict, whilst upholding the Carter doctrine of peaceful solutions.

Hibbard, who grew up during the Carter administration, speaks admirably about Carter’s commitment to human rights and peaceful solutions, especially in terms of the Iranian hostage crisis.

“Carter chose to negotiate for the hostages, he did not want to resort to military force. Many people were very critical of that,” Hib-

Foreign affairs characterized Carter’s presidency, with some of the most significant events of his one term presidency being oversea relations. The events of the Iranian hostage crisis and the Camp David Accords became defining moments

“He was in many respects a victim

Scott Hibbard

of circumstance,” Hibbard said, referencing the recent revelation of Ronald Regan’s meddling in the Iranian hostage crisis. In an effort to secure a victory in the 1980 election, a series of backroom deals were conducted to ensure the hostages were not released until after the election, further harming Carter’s image.

Carter’s foreign policy initiative focused on human rights also called for cooperation between nations to work together to solve collective issues, an approach not always popularized in American politics.

“[Carter] was so far ahead of his time…he put solar panels on the rooftop of the White House,” Hibbard said.

Carter was also an advocate for weaning off fossil fuels and oil, a debate which remains ignited throughout American society as the threat of climate change persists.

“All people remember is that he lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan,” Hibbard said.

Many reflect negatively on Carter’s policies throughout his time in the White House in terms of the game of politics, but are able to see the potential of Carter’s character in American political culture.

“Part of the problem with Carter was that he was not a good politician. He was a principle man who believed in doing the principle thing, even if that didn’t necessarily play very well politically,” said Colleen Doody, an associate professor of history at DePaul.. “I have always admired him for what he did after his presidency.”

“It sounds like there was no one in his administration that looked at his political landscape and thought about how his actions were going to play,” Doody said.

Delaney Kaufman, a political science student at DePaul, considers her perception of President Carter throughout her education in the realm of politics.

“I think my professors focus more on the negative aspects of his presidency,” Kaufman said. “Rarely do we ever hear about his successes.”

Carter’s continued emphasis on human rights and other progressive values did not fare well in the American political arena, resulting in a deteriorated vision of what Carter’s presidency was.

“The legacy is very mixed, in part because he was president when the Iranian Revolution happened, it really tarnished his legacy,” Hibbard said. “His emphasis on human rights is all seen as utopian...to me that is really unfortunate.”

Following Carter’s loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980, Carter remained an important figure in American society, continuing to engage in complicated foreign issues which persisted past his presidency, such as conflicts in the Middle East and the nuclear threat.

In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his evident efforts and commitment to democracy, human rights and continued emphasis on peaceful solutions in international affairs.

Americans remain thankful for Carter’s commitment to his cause, despite important reassessment of the former president’s political actions in an American climate that has faced true evolution from the 1970s.

“There are ways in which his legacy continues to live on, even if the view of Carter as a president is mixed,” Hibbard said.

“Jimmy Carter was actually a much more successful president than history has given him credit for.”

DePaul Associate Professor

Contributing Writer

ROGER HARRIS | CREATIVE COMMONS

Former president Jimmy Carter delivers a lecture on the eradication of Guinea worm disease at House of Lords in London in 2016.

MARION S. TRIKOSKO | CREATIVE COMMONS

Former president Jimmy Carter during the Egyptian president’s visit to the White House in 1977.

Arts & Life

Where to shop onBookstoreIndependent Day

By Noah Tomko -JoNes Contributing Writer

The Chicago spring is slowly arriving, and the blooming trees around the quad are the perfect place to spread out a blanket or hang up a hammock, enjoy the much-needed sun, and spend some time reading.

With Independent Bookstore Day, a celebration of local bookstores and their impact on communities, approaching on April 29, DePaul students may want to check out their local brick-and-mortar bookstores to seek out reading materials and connect with the Chicago community outside DePaul.

The world of independent bookstores can seem like an unstable world and the past few years of the pandemic made it even more fraught.

“For all of 2020, bookstore sales fell 28.3% from 2019,” according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Despite this, the New York Times reported in 2022 that “something unexpected happened: Small booksellers not only survived the pandemic, but many are thriving.”

Independent bookstores are important parts of any community by providing a space for people to congregate and connect over a love of literature. Here are some recommendations that might help DePaul students find some new favorites or reconnect with old loves.

Unabridged Books on 3251 N Broadway St. is a welcoming and open storefront only a brief walk or bus ride from the Belmont El stop.

Inside, new releases crowd the shelves next to handwritten, impassioned staff reviews on index cards. Their collection varies from science fiction to photo collections. They also have a large section devoted to queer literature and symbols of all kinds, which is an important gesture given the store’s location near the historically queer neighborhood of Northalsted.

“We strive for a friendly, inclusive environment where one has a feeling of solidarity with their fellow book lovers,” said Shane Khosropour, the manager and frontlist buyer at Unabridged. “We also hope that customers will find something they didn't know they wanted, either through one of our handwritten signs or a verbal recommendation or from just browsing on their own.”

Community is also encouraged at Volumes Bookcafe at 1373 N Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park, a cozy bookstore that includes plenty of seating areas, string lights and a café counter that “adds to the allure of coming to a bookshop in the middle of the day,” said owner Rebecca George.

The cafe also provides some additional income for the store, a helpful move in a business where margins can be small.

George says the store also hosts events such as open mic nights and poetry writing workshops for kids and teens, things that “not just help the community, but are engaged with the community directly.”

For those DePaul students in the Loop, there are close options as well, such as a downtown mainstay Graham Cracker

Comics on 77 E. Madison St. Slightly hidden by scaffolding, the revolving door entrance of Graham Cracker brings you into a place that feels like what a comic shop should be.

The shelves of brightly-colored covers may be overwhelming at first, but upon closer look, one will find a meticulously organized collection of both classic superheroes and lesser-known and artsier indie pieces.

“There have been some, you know, indie titles that have been wowing a lot of people,” said employee Julio Manzano. “Since they're indie, nobody expects them to be amazing. So whenever we get orders in, it's like, ‘oh, we got maybe five, 10 copies.’ And then it turns out that word on the street is it's a new masterpiece.”

If Blue Demons travel south on Michigan Ave., they will find a place with a much different appearance than Graham Cracker but a similarly enthusiastic staff and community.

Exile in Bookville, located on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building at 410 S Michigan Ave. and named after the iconic Chicago indie record Exile in Guyville, lets you gaze out at Grant Park from floor-toceiling windows while browsing floor-toceiling shelves and admiring posters from classic indie bands.

“[Customers] really enjoy sort of the atmosphere of the bookstore,” said Exile co-founder Kristin Enola Gilbert. “We’re not, You know, stuffy. We're not playing classical music. We're out and about talking to everyone and you know, everyone's thinking to feel very at home at our bookstores, and that's what we really want. We want everyone to feel like they have a place there.”

Exile’s second birthday happens to fall on Independent Bookstore Day. They are hosting a party, filled with drinks, music and readings to unite and celebrate the passionate community that has made them a

successful bookstore.

A bit farther from the Loop, nestled underneath a brick building at 23 E. Illinois St., resides after-words Bookstore. The store appears small at first glance, but the basement contains all manner of books, including more niche used books on spiritualism, homemaking or celebrity photo collections.

“You can't really find it anywhere else,” customer Aria Reynolds said about the books she was looking for. “Something that you might not even be able to find online.”

Reynolds also shared their thoughts on what makes after-words, and other stores like it, appealing.

“You look at everybody around here and you know, everybody's like looking for

knowledge and you're all here for the same reason,” she said.

Finally, Gallery Bookstore at 923 W. Belmont Ave. provides a more vintage experience. Open since 1927, Gallery’s high shelves and narrow aisles are filled with new and used finds from sports almanacs to queer fiction.

Books truly own the space in this store, reflecting the anti-Kindle philosophy of enigmatic owner Bill. If you decide to take a trip here, remember to silence your phone, don’t take any photographs and allow yourself to get lost in a piece of Chicago bookstore history.

LUCAS PAREDES | THE DEPAULIA

Within Exile in Bookville, vinyl and literature line the wall's emulating their mission that books and songs are synonymous.

LUCAS PAREDES | THE DEPAULIA Exile in Bookville is located in the Fine Arts Building on 410 S. Michigan Ave.

LUCAS PAREDES | THE DEPAULIA Unabridged Bookstore in Lakeview opened in 1980 and has operated for 40 years.

Bob Ross painting night maintains community through creativity

By Claire Tweedie Staff

Laughter erupts from students and brushes splash watercolors while students energetically copy the movements of the Bob Ross video in front of them.

The 15 attendees only devote some attention to the projected episode of “The Joy of Painting” as they share smiles and small talk over the half-completed watercolor masterpieces adorning the tables.

While the room may look and sound chaotic, this was no happy accident.

Spectrum DePaul, a queer student organization on campus, sets a playful and social atmosphere for all of their events.

This holds true for their Bob Ross Paint-Along on April 19, where the paint, paper and good times were all provided.

“I’m always happiest in Spectrum meetings when I look at the room and everyone is sort of talking, even if they didn't know each other at the beginning of the meeting,” said Leena Jere, president of Spectrum and sophomore.

“Seeing people laugh with each other, that's the tone I want to cultivate.”

Spectrum is currently the largest and oldest active LGBTQ+ student organization on campus.

They have roughly 250 members and have operated at DePaul since 2001.

Their Bob Ross Paint-Along nights each quarter started during the pandemic as a way to maintain community online through a creative outlet.

“In a queer context specifically, creativity and art has always been a really important part of queer expression and meetings,” Jere said. “There’s so much history of zine making, painting, printmaking and of all these things that have turned themselves into a queer tradition.”

Nat Van Hoorn, vice president of Spectrum and senior, joined the organization to make friends in a relaxing and safe space.

They said their experience as an animation major makes the Bob Ross nights more meaningful because there is no pressure to produce something perfect in a class setting.

“Here, I can just sit down and paint with Bob Ross using Crayola watercolors,” Van Hoorn said. “There’s something very therapeutic about it that puts a smile on my face.”

Ren MacMorran, freshman and secretary of Spectrum, said besides using Bob Ross for a relaxing atmosphere to paint in, the creativity also gives queer students a chance to explore their identity.

“It's important that we try to get people involved in the arts if they wish to,” MacMorran said.

“That's a lot of what queer culture has been with fashion, makeup, literature and all those expressive mediums. What better medium is there than art? Even if we’re copying someone else’s right now.”

While art is now being used to bring together DePaul’s LGBTQ+ at Spectrum, activism used to be the connecting factor for members of the organization.

“At the time of its conception, it was very much the main and only place on campus to meet queer people and talk

about being queer,” Jere said.

“Nowadays, people really just want to escape all the discourse they get on their social media feeds, so Spectrum doesn't have quite as much of that activism role.”

Jere and Van Hoorn began researching Spectrum’s history after finding a clause in their constitution requiring officers to keep all club documents for the DePaul Special Collections and Archives.

They said having access to these archived documents made them feel closer to the Spectrum community and let them reflect on how far the organization has come.

“You feel like you're part of a history that has grown and ended up with us here,” Jere said.

“Our issues are completely different, and we’ve changed so much. There’s still a sort of confusion though in figuring out the tone of Spectrum meetings, how we draw from our history of activism and the context of how discourse appears to us now.”

Among the archives Jere and Van Hoorn found details of Spectrum's old sponsorship with Coca-Cola from 2005 and 2006, information about the history of LGBTQIA+ community at DePaul and documents about the foundation of

the organization.

“It’s definitely hard to find that balance between past activism and now,” Van Hoorn said.

“Especially with our political landscape, it's important for Spectrum to be reserved as a social place. It seems everywhere you turn these days, you're faced with someone trying to get political by starting something and we just need that safe space.”

Jere and Van Hoorn said the function of Spectrum is still to maintain a safe and social space, even if they do not

have the historical push for activism.

They both believe art is one of the best ways to accomplish this, especially with Bob Ross’ calming voice leading the way to community.

“Creativity and queerness definitely go hand in hand,” Van Hoorn said. “There’s a correlation there.”

Spectrum meets at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday in the Student Center.

Information about their upcoming events can be found on their Instagram page @spectrumdepaul.

“Creativity is therapeutic,” Jere said.

"You feel like you're part of a history that has grown and ended up with us here,"

Leena Jere President of Spectrum DePaul

Writer

Since the pandemic started, Spectrum DePaul has hosted various Bob Ross paint-along nights as a way to maintain community through a creative outlet.

CREDIT TO @ SPECTRUMDEPAULON INSTAGRAM

'Beau is Afraid:' a miserable, freudian Odyssey

By laureN CoaTes Staff Writer

In the world of modern horror, few names have shot as quickly and undeniably to the top of the genre as Ari Aster. The writer-director behind unforgettable, twisted psychological horror films like “Hereditary” and “Midsommar,” any project bearing Aster’s name is sure to leave the audience with a visceral reaction.

His latest film, “Beau Is Afraid” is no exception, though perhaps not in the way I would have liked. Though undeniably ambitious and original, “Beau is Afraid” is Aster’s most incoherent, self-indulgent film yet: a tiresome, three-hour slog that fumbles in both execution and ending.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, “Beau Is Afraid” follows the eponymous Beau, an anxiety-ridden, 40-something-year-old living in a nightmarishly violent neighborhood and bearing a boatload of mommy issues.

When a series of unfortunate events cause him to miss his flight home to visit his aging mother, Beau embarks on a surreal, nightmarish quest to get to his mom’s house before it is too late.

films caused discomfort in a way that felt gratifying through the narrative, “Beau is Afraid” bears no such thematic coherence.

When it is down to brass tacks, this is probably Aster’s least scary film yet. Though it does offer a jumpscare or a bout of exceedingly brutal violence every

and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski are particularly due credit for the specific visual language of “Beau is Afraid.”

From animated sequences to flashbacks swathed in paradoxically warm and radiant lighting, the sheer variety of spectacle found in “Beau is Afraid” makes the film’s sprawling scope worth it at certain

their lives ruined: Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane’s kindly couple Grace and Roger are a prime example.

While Ryan and Lane turn in strong performances, their characters are both inconsequential in the grand scheme of the plot and bizarrely apathetic as a viewer. We are in Beau’s shoes, sort of. We at least see what he sees, which means we are inherently suspicious of anybody who shows him kindness or welcome. In that respect, it is hard to connect with any character outside of Beau himself, and spending three hours in Beau’s head is not an experience I would recommend others subject themselves to.

Yes, Joaquin Phoenix gives another tour-de-force performance to slot in his portfolio as one of the industry’s most extreme method actors, and yes, Patti LuPone is glorious in the third act. However, it is not so much a movie as it is a walk through Aster’s most basest, most Freudian, most Faustian thoughts, and the bare-bones narrative only makes the extended sequences of horror and trauma feel all more the vicious.

“Beau is Afraid” is a personal, well-crafted story to be sure, but it seems

YÙ YÙ BLUE | THE DEPAULIA

St.Vincent’s

D e JAMZ

“Spinning freSh beatS Since 1581”

By lilly k eller Arts & Life Editor

Since 1970, Earth Day has stood as a powerful reminder that our planet cannot thrive without our help. Occurring every April 22, Earth Day encourages all of us, no matter our age, to get out and help, even if it is supporting our pollinators by planting sunflowers or cleaning up plastic in our local park. While Earth Day will have passed by the time this DeJamz is up, I hope this carefully curated Earth Day-centric playlist will encourage you to continue caring for our planet no matter the season.

“(Nothing But) Flowers” – The Talking Heads

Talk about reclaiming nature. This jaunty tune illustrates a postapocalyptic setting where technology has been predominantly extinct. While lead singer David Byrne may be conflicted on whether

or not he enjoys this newfound paradise, I wouldn’t mind if discount stores became cornfields. Anyways this song makes me want to become the 21st-century version of Johnny Appleseed and wander across the country restoring the Earth.

“Big Yellow Taxi” – Counting Crows, Vanessa Carlton

Before you attack me for not using Joni Mitchell’s original version, know that it was not on Spotify. However, no matter the singer, this song serves as a warning to acknowledge our damage to the environment before it becomes irreversible. While it may be too late to heed Mitchell’s warning, now is the time to grasp the damage we’ve done to our Earth. Do not let them pave paradise and put up a parking lot!

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” –John Denver

Growing up in a John Denver-loving house, I had to include “Country Roads.” While I may not be from West Virginia,

Crossword

I can still appreciate Denver’s ode to Appalachian peaks and dust-stained sky. If there is ever a song that makes you want to return to nature, it’s this one.

“Ripple” – The Grateful Dead Shoutout to my dad for being a Deadhead and putting me on this absolute banger. While I have a curated taste when it comes to the Grateful Dead, “Ripple” is easily one of my favorite songs of all time. Always seeming to sting on the right side of nostalgia, “Ripple” invites listeners to make peace with themselves and their surroundings. Though not inherently related to the Earth, my dad always played “Ripple” on yard work days, so now I associate it with ripping weeds and cutting the lawn.

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” – R.E.M.

Haha, get it? No, but seriously, scientists have said we have seven years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate

ACROSS

1) Successfully pitch

5) Reads quickly

10) Tick off

13) In a tough spot

15) Carb-rich fare

16) Prankster's missile

17) WWII heroturned-movie star

19) Uncle Sam costume part

20) Shoulder-fired weapon, for short

21) "Alice in Wonderland" pastries

22) Sandcastle setting

24) Trample underfoot

26) Roget's abbr.

27) Mike Myers' spy

org.

43) Bowie's musical genre

45) Employs

46) For face value, as a stock

48) "The Thinker" sculptor

51) Tennis legend Arthur

52) Emcees' deliveries

56) Goodie from Linz

58) Titicaca's locale

61) Hobby farm denizen

62) "Tell me more ... "

63) Hanna-Barbera pooch

66) Versatile truck, for short

67) Tot's ride, briefly

change to our planet. Now I know that there is only so much we as individuals can do to help avoid this disastrous event from occurring, but there is strength in numbers. The more we educate ourselves, the faster we can take action, challenge the causes of climate change and encourage sustainable solutions.

DOWN

1) Marquee names

2) Blow one's stack

3) Place for flowerpots

4) Sweet-smelling necklace

5) Railroad siding

6) Links ride

7) Hieroglyphic snakes

8) To the_ degree

9) Verbally refuses

10) Bit of Apple software

11) Delivery door locale

12) Wins let of "Titanic"

14) Highway annoyances

18) Assigns workers to

23) Haunted house sound

3 3) "Beowulf," for one

34) Scopes trial org.

35) Place for an outdoor cuppa

40) Pleasing to look at

41) Spoils, as a parade

44) Has to

47) Blaster's need

49) Sword holder

50) Went kaput

53) Made like a hurricane

54) Chilling

55) Beef on the hoof

56) Like a tuned string

57) Knowledgeable about

58) Opposed, in Dogpatch

3

3) Lecherous deity

36) Son of Seth

37) Not of the cloth

38) Unreturned serve

39) Spread far and wide

42) After-school

68) Family reunion attendee

69) Scale unit

70) Gregory of "Tap"

71) River to the Baltic Sea

25) Settle up

26) Basilica center

28) Flirty sort

29) Prefix with "face" or "faith"

30) "Au contraire!"

31) The Beatles' meter maid

32) Emotional wound

59) Brand with a "swoosh" logo

60) Miserable marks

64) Ocean State sch.

65) Acqua di_ (men's fragrance)

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKI

Batavia brotherhood leads in record-breaking track season Sports

By Andy Thompson Contributing Writer

Despite being the current track and field distance coach at Loyola University, Gavin Kennedy’s name was immortalized in the DePaul record books for nearly two decades. While a member of the men’s outdoor track and field team in 2005, Kennedy ran a school record time in the 1500-meter which had gone unbeaten ever since.

However, at the April 15 Brian Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, a pair of new marks at the 1500-meter distance were written into DePaul history.

Kennedy’s final result of 3:48.23 over the 3.75-lap distance was bested twice in the same night by junior Damian Rodriguez and fifthyear senior Shane Knanishu, who finished in 3:46.38 and 3:47.49, respectively.

Although in separate heats for their record-setting performances, the pair have had extensive experience racing together over the years. Prior to running cross country and track for DePaul, Rodriguez and Knanishu both attended Batavia High School in suburban Chicago, where they formed a competitive bond that has transitioned into their collegiate careers.

“It’s special being able to train with [Shane] for so long. Going in, I already had two years with him in high school, and now coming to [DePaul] I’ve had three more years with him. It’s like a friendly competition,” Rodriguez said.

Knanishu was first to break Kennedy’s long-standing record under the lights at Azusa’s Cougar Athletic Stadium. A lower seed time as a result of his 3:48-high personal record slotted him in an “elite” heat that featured some of the strongest competition in the country including Cooper Teare, an American distance standout from Nike’s Bowerman Track Club.

“I had it circled on the calendar for a while. It’s a good place to get the regional qualifier. You go to California and race against great competition from all over, especially in the distance events,” Knanishu said. “Those are the top guys in the country, and being at the same meet and seeing they’re only a few heats ahead of me is really motivating.”

Knanishu took the lead right from the gun, separating himself from the rest of the

pack by a wide margin and putting himself in position to hit a regional mark of around 3:44 over 1500 meters,which converts to about four minutes for a full mile.

“I wasn’t expecting to have any trouble hitting the record coming into this season,” Knanishu said. “I thought if I take the race and go for it by myself, I’ll be able to get a really solid time. But I fell off a bit in the end, and I need to do a better job at competing within the pack. But I think it was a good experience, and a good reminder of how you can’t get to those goals without that type of competition right there with you the whole time.”

Although short of what he wanted, Knanishu’s finishing time of 3:47.49 was still enough to write himself into Blue Demon program history, and he expects to make significant jumps over the next month of outdoor competition.

Just over two hours later at 11:05 p.m. Pacific Time, Rodriguez toed the line for his shot at the 1500-meter regional mark. Since he has less collegiate experience in the race, Rodriguez was seeded in the “open” heats. Although they still feature premier competition capable of hitting times just as fast as the “elite” heats, he says this placement lit a fire under him that carried him through the race.

“I think it put kind of a chip on my shoulder,” Rodriguez said.

After winning his heat and crossing the line in a final result of 3:46.38, Rodriguez became the 24th individual performance to set a school record mark across all DePaul distance programs since Jan. 22, 2022.

The night before Rodriguez and Knanishu raced at Brian Clay, senior Olivia Borowiak knocked down her existing 5000-meter record yet again at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, California.

Just a week prior, the men’s 5000-meter record that had been standing since 1984 went down twice in the same heat at the hands of graduate seniors Dominic Bruce and Gavin Glaza while racing at the University of Illinois on April 8.

For head distance coach Geoff Wayton, these successes represent just a fraction of the hard work his athletes have been quietly putting in day in and day out.

“They’re earnest, sincere hard workers and they’re blue collar. You have to be,” Wayton said. “You have to be gritty and you have to be a tough racer. They’re learning all these

attributes and each of them are putting all the pieces together to be really good runners. It’s just fun to be around kids who buy in and want to get better.”

Wayton joined the DePaul cross country programs, as well as the track and field distance programs, in December 2021 after a recommendation from longtime friend and DePaul throws coach Brandon Murer.

Wayton says he knew immediately that jumping on the opportunity to coach in Chicago was the right choice, and that being able to coach athletes of this caliber is an opportunity he does not take lightly.

“In this position you’re always trying to figure out what made the athletes confident before you got here, and what you can do to continue the progression forward. And it’s nice to see people catch fire, and start to see themselves and believe in themselves in a different way than before,” Wayton said.

Wayton cited junior Meghan Dieball as one of the best examples of taking a heightened belief in their training programs. During the 2023 indoor season, Dieball dropped over 30 seconds in the mile and became the first women’s miler in DePaul history to score at

the Big East indoor conference meet.

Coming back with a pair of school record times under their belts, Rodriguez and Knanishu hope to add points of their own to the team scores at the upcoming Big East outdoor conference meet at Villanova next month in one of the toughest distance conferences in the country.

With similar enough personal records to slot them in the same heats moving forward, the pair look forward to increased competitive spirit and pushing each other towards even faster times.

“A lot of our races now we’ll be in it together and it’ll be back and forth,” Rodriguez said. “And I think we can see ourselves breaking that [1500-meter] record left and right, battling with each other to see who can come out on top.”

Knanishu added that they’re proud to have come from a place like Batavia, and share their accomplishments together after the journeys that began during their high school careers.

“The opportunity to accomplish our goals with each other at a place like DePaul is very special,” Knanishu said. “I’m proud to be here with this team.”

DePaul alumni make early impact in NBA Playoffs

By Steven Francis Contributing Writer

Two former Blue Demons basketball stars in guard Max Strus (2017-2019) and forward Paul Reed (2017-2020) have each made significant contributions in the early stages of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Strus’ Miami Heat are currently in a tightly-contested series against the Milwaukee Bucks where he has seen significant playing time, while Reed’s Philadelphia 76ers have dominated the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, sweeping them 4-0.

Strus, the Hickory Hills, IL native, made an instant impact for Miami in the team’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls during the NBA play-in tournament. He made his presence known early, connecting on four 3-pointers in the first quarter. The former DePaul star ended the game with 31 points, six rebounds and one steal, while shooting 7-of-12 from three.

Strus’ performance helped lead his team to securing the eight seed in the Eastern Conference.

Miami then moved on to a series

with a Bucks team that is now two years removed from an NBA Championship. Strus has struggled thus far in the series, averaging eight points, three rebounds and one steal per game, while shooting 52%

from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. Strus’ performance was reminiscent of his time at DePaul, where he spent two seasons, averaging 18.6 points, 5.8

rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Reed’s contributions off the bench for Philadelphia helped his team eliminate the Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Reed started in his first playoff game in place of the injured Joel Embiid in the series’ conclusion, scoring 10 points while recording 15 rebounds and two assists. Reed, when called upon, has provided size and speed in place of the six time NBA All-Star, and proved his ability in Saturday’s game.

Although both players have seen a drop in minutes in the playoffs, there’s excitement for two former Blue Demons who have gotten opportunities to contribute on the biggest stage.

The fact that two former DePaul players are making such impacts in the playoffs could be seen as a benefit for the program. It shows that there is NBA-level talent being developed at DePaul, and might show potential recruits that the program can develop college players into legitimate NBA-caliber players.

Strus (31) and Reed (4) played together for two seasons under coach Dave Leitao from 2017-2019.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP PHOTO/MATT SLOCUM

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAMIAN RODRIGUEZ Knanishu (left) and Rodriguez both broke track records at the Brian Clay Invitational.

Hoops programs struggle to attract and retain talent despite NIL

By Preston Zbroszczyk

Sports Editor

Name, image and likeness (NIL) has opened new resources and tools for DePaul, but years of mediocrity and failing to produce wins has caused athletes to seek opportunities elsewhere.

“Frankly, a lot of it is going to come down to production on the court,” said Andy Wittry, an NIL business reporter for On3 sports. “ In the men’s basketball program, it’s been at or near the bottom of the Big East for a long time. So a lot of it is going to come to break through that pro market and all that noise.”

DePaul men’s basketball has failed to see sustained success since Ray Meyer roamed the sidelines from 1942-1984. The program is approaching 20 years since its last NCAA Tournament appearance and has not been a main attraction for players, nor has it been able to find a sustainable winning head coach.

There has been a lack of ability to bring high-level talent to DePaul out of high school and now the transfer portal.

As for the women’s program, the opposite is true regarding the head coach position. Doug Bruno has been at helm for 37 seasons and has 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, but success has wavered as of late.

Since April 5, Bruno has lost seven players to the transfer portal, all of which contributed to last season’s team.

DePaul women’s basketball had their first sub .500 season since the 1997-98 season, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament.

According to Bruno, one of the players left the program due to the lack of NIL resources as she felt undercompensated during her time at DePaul.

The new age of collegiate sports, with the transfer portal and NIL, has DePaul and its athletic department playing catchup with the rest of the NCAA Division-I and Big East teams before they lose all remaining and future talent.

After the Illinois legislature passed a bill in May 2022 that allowed student athletes and third party collectives to receive compensation for NIL, doors opened for DePaul to take the next step in NIL and guide its student athletes to the right path.

Following the passed bill, the Under the ‘L’ collective launched, which is an independent third party that is able to gain money and funnel it to its student athletes so they can be compensated for their NIL.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill

2338 lifting restrictions for schools to involve themselves in arrangements with their student athletes to sell their publicity rights.

While the guidelines have changed, universities in Illinois still cannot directly compensate and give student athletes publicity rights. Now under the new bill, universities can help arrange compensation and publicity opportunities for student athletes.

The new amendment does not require universities to get involved in the arrangement between student athletes and NIL partnership.

In the previous bill, student athletes provided their representation agreement to the universities, with seven days of officially signing. But now, the universities make the decision on when a student athlete must provide their representation.

On Sept. 1, 2022, DePaul and collegiate sports management agency Athlete Advantage announced an affiliation agreement, allowing the launching of Under the ‘L’ Fund.

Athlete Advantage’s mission will be to identify and secure NIL opportunities for student athletes, while maintaining compliance with all NCAA, state of Illinois and DePaul University, laws, regulation, policies and guidelines.

The funding raised can then be given to the company that reached an agreement with the student athlete allowing them to be paid for their name, image and likeness.

According to Wittry, with how unknown Under the ‘L’ is, it’s hard to tell what kind of alignment or support is there. But

with patience future recruits might learn that there is a support system and a program they can invest themselves into.

For teams like Villanova, Providence and other Big East powers, the support and alignment from alumni and coaching has been present, allowing for the collectives to gain leverage. Something that DePaul hopes will soon take place with the Under The ‘L’ Fund.

While the opportunities have reopened for DePaul and its players for NIL compensation, more must be done by the individuals to market themselves as well as perform in their sport.

The emergence of NIL has brought a larger social media component allowing for players to build their own brand, and has been another way for players to reach NIL deals individually.

Senior women’s basketball forward Anaya Peoples has over 15,000 followers on Instagram and has reached several NIL deals, including the Chicago White Sox, Wilson Sporting Goods and multiple food companies in Chicago.

“As soon as I got to DePaul, I got a variety of options,” Peoples said. “Honestly being at DePaul and the resources here, it was crazy how many people contacted me.”

The concept of NIL itself can be taken through many angles and is something that DePaul is still learning and figuring out.

For international players like basketball senior Nick Ongenda who is from the Bahamas on an F-1 Academic Student Visa, NIL deals are not a possibility.

Following 9/11 when the United States passed the Patriot Act, it changed the status of F-1 Student Visas that don’t allow students to make money in the United State while they are in school.

Graduate student Brenden Farve who is from Switzerland and Ongenda were only able to accept any kind of NIL deal during the teams mid-season trip to the Bahamas tournament, when they were outside the United States.

Ongenda said with the recent Big East success, there should be a new outlook on how teams should receive attention.

“Considering [UConn] just won the NCAA Tournament,” Ongenda said. “I feel like it’s going to have many more opportunities because they’ve seen how many teams made the tournament from Creighton, UConn and Xavier. So, I feel like it’s going to open up a lot of Big East players, and a lot of people are going to have eyes on us.”

The tools and resources are starting to build for DePaul and its student-athletes. Deals through DePaul merchandise stores have given student athletes the ability to profit off their NIL.

DePaul has also implemented the influencer marketing format to allow players to build a portfolio that might attract potential NIL deals. The application has a global and local exchange allowing connections to be made for players anywhere.

Men’s basketball general manager Litisha Hall wants future recruits to know there is help at DePaul and to educate its student athletes about NIL. She indicated that NIL could certainly be the reason players are leaving and not choosing DePaul.

“We have a financial literacy person that comes out at the beginning of every season that talks about savings, taxes and investing,” Hall said. “One of the messages I am working on is to instill that community service will help them build their personal brand.”

While NIL gains traction at DePaul, everything comes down to how the production on the court elevates the rest of the account of DePaul’s NIL success for the team and players.

“Well of course, in anything that anyone partakes in, if you’re doing well and people are watching, then the payoff comes,” Hall said. “I do think that once they conquer the court the community is going to want to buy in.”

Tony Stubblefield will be entering his third season as head coach of DePaul men’s basketball with an overall record of 25-39. During his tenure, he has lost four players to the transfer portal.

PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | THE DEPAULIA

Senior Anaya Peoples has NIL deals with the Chicago White Sox and Wilson Sporting Goods.

ERIN HENZE | THE DEPAULIA

Asst.