The DePaulia 5.6.2024

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

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Lilly Keller eic@depauliaonline.com

ONLINE MANAGING | Jake Cox online@depauliaonline.com

CONTENT MANAGING | Claire Tweedie content@depauliaonline.com

NEWS EDITOR | Lucia Preziosi news@depauliaonline.com

ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Rose O’Keeffe news@depauliaonline.com

OPINIONS EDITOR | Nadine DeCero opinion@depauliaonline.com

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Sam Mroz artslife@depauliaonline.com

ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Grace Logan artslife@depauliaonline.com

SPORTS EDITOR | Ryan Hinske sports@depauliaonline.com

ART EDITOR | Maya Oclassen art@depauliaonline.com

DESIGN EDITOR | Zoë Hanna design@depauliaonline.com

PHOTO EDITOR | Kit Wiberg photo@depauliaonline.com

ASST. PHOTO EDITOR | Erin Henze photo@depauliaonline.com

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER | Quentin Blais photo@depauliaonline.com

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR| Ariana Vargas multimedia@depauliaonline.com

COPY EDITOR | Amber Corkey copydesk@depauliaonline.com

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | Vanessa Lopez social@depauliaonline.com

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EDITOR | Ruchi Nawathe community@depauliaonline.com

ADVISER | Martha Irvine mirvine5@depaul.edu

La DePaulia es el noticiero oficial estudiantil en español de la Universidad DePaul, enfocado en proveer una voz para la comunidad latinx. Nuestras opiniones no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones de la administración, facultad o personal de la universidad.

JEFA DE REDACCIÓN | Alyssa Salcedo eicladepaulia@depauliaonline.com

GERENTE EDITORIAL | Rodolfo Zagal managingladepaulia@depauliaonline.com

EDITORA DE NOTICAS | Nupur Bosmiya managingladepaulia@depauliaonline.com

ASESORA | Laura Rodriguez Presa larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

CAMPUS CRIME REPORT

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS

Drug & Alcohol Assault & Theft Other

Lincoln Park Campus Crimes: Apr. 24

1) A Disturbance report was filed for an incident in the Ray Meyer Fitness Center.

Apr. 25

2) A Theft report was filed for a scooter taken from a bike rack on Kenmore Ave.

Apr. 25

3) A Disorderly Conduct report was filed for an incident in McCabe Hall.

Apr. 29

4) A Verbal Threats report was filed for an incident in the Ray Meyer Fitness Center.

Apr. 30

5) A Theft report was filed for food taken from Student Center.

Apr. 30

6) A Criminal Damage to Property was reported for an incident outside the Theatre School.

Apr. 30

7) An Intimidation report was filed for an incident in the Quad.

Apr. 30

8) A Disorderly Conduct report was filed for an incident in the Quad.

Apr. 24 - Apr. 30, 2024

LOOP CAMPUS

LOOP CAMPUS

Loop Campus Crimes: Apr. 25

1) A Criminal Trespass report was filed in the DePaul Center.

Reporting With Care During the Protest

By The DePaulia Staff

As DePaul’s encampment continues on the Quad, The DePaulia is committed to tirelessly reporting what is happening as it happens — without fear or favor. While we cannot stay on the Quad 24/7, we try our hardest to document the encampment thoroughly.

While we do not always get it right, we are committed to working as hard as possible to provide fair, balanced, and ethical coverage. If we make a mistake while reporting, we own up to it. If a factual error is discovered, a formal correction will be issued.

Even though we are student journalists, we are acutely aware that our reporting has real-world consequences. We are humbled by our responsibility and are in-

tently aware of the negative implications unethical coverage can have on people’s lives.

In our coverage of the encampment and related topics, we adhere to the Society for Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and our duty to our peers as DePaul students to report ethically and minimize harm.

Unless a photojournalist has gotten consent, The DePaulia editors have decided not to publish photos or videos of people’s faces if they are peacefully protesting at the encampment because of protesters’ concerns about safety. While photographs of people are the most compelling way to show what is happening on campus, safety is most important for our subjects and our staff.

Both in photo captions and reporting,

we are willing to run only a first name or no name if there is a compelling reason to do so, such as legitimate fear of retaliation. However, we ask our subjects for names so that our reporters and our editors know who we’re talking to.

Regarding reporting, we understand that talking to the media can be intimidating. However, the staff would like to reiterate that our only goal is to report what is happening as it is happening. Our only goal is to serve DePaul’s community with fair, balanced and comprehensive coverage.

We respect everyone’s right to decline a request for an interview and understand that everyone is a human being deserving of respect.

Faculty faces and DePaul’s ‘Liberated Zone’

By Lucia Preziosi News Editor

Lilly Keller, Editor-in-Chief assisted in reporting for this story.

Laura Kina, a DePaul professor, wears a button on her shirt as she stands near the perimeter of DePaul’s encampment, created recently in solidarity with Gaza. The button reads, “I work for the students, not the endowment.”

Kina, Vincent DePaul professor for the Art school, critical ethnic studies and global Asian studies, is one of several faculty members who have joined students, alumni and Chicago community organizers to support the more than 100 demonstrators in the Quad encampment, which entered its third day Thursday, May 2.

The encampment continues as DePaul’s Divestment Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) demand that the university “acknowledge the ongoing genocide and scholasticide in Gaza” and “Divest from companies that advance Palestinian suffering and profit off the occupation,” among other demands.

Kina said she admires the student protestors along with their organizational efforts.

“I’m very, very impressed with the student organizers…. It’s really impressive how peaceful it is and the sense of community here,” Kina said.

Jay Baglia, a professor in the College of Communication and member of faculty council, attended a meeting on Wednesday, May 1, where DePaul President Robert L. Manuel addressed the ongoing encampment.

“His message is that he would like to maintain dialogue with the student groups who are protesting,” Baglia said. “It would be ideal if all interested parties could come to the table and agree on a peaceful solution.”

Other faculty members have been coming to support their students who are demonstrating during midterm week.

Katy Arnold, a political science professor, has also voiced her support for the student protestors and the various demands they are pushing through the encampment.

Arnold says that not only does the encampment show a sense of community, but it helps create a space to talk about important issues.

Arnold also complimented the DePaul administration for its response so far. She believes they have prevented a possible escalation by not sending in the Chicago Police Department.

“They’re opening up a space for critical dialogue about a very asymmetrical humanitarian situation that has been inadequately covered by the major newspapers,” Arnold said. “They are fostering dialogue with other student groups, which I think might not be recognized very much.”

The organizers of the encampment have received support from other cam-

pus groups such as United DePaul and DePaul’s Planned Parenthood General Action (PPGA) group.

The various social action groups have continuously stated their shared interests and solidarity, as seen during Wednesday’s United DePaul strike. All groups also have called for an end to DePaul’s “condom ban,” which is one of DePaul PPGA’s main objectives.

These overlapping interests also present an opportunity for the university to take immediate action to the various demands from these groups, according to Kina.

She says that even though students are asking for “large things,” they also demand changes that are “very attainable, like tomorrow, such as ending the ban on condoms.”

“We’re supposed to care about students, and their health matters,” Kina said.

Police intervention in campus protests has been seen throughout the country in the recent week, with heavy police involvement, including arrests, at encampments at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Student protest has long been an instrument of resistance at universities throughout the country. Various faculty members referenced other movements that have happened on DePaul’s campus, which they said could serve as guidance for the “DePaul Liberated Zone.”

Kina noted protests she saw in 2016, following controversial British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos’ campus visit, which included a “heavy police presence.” She said she was grateful there has been no “huge Chicago police presence” at the DePaul encampment, so far.

However, not all faculty perceive the encampment the same.

Craig Klugman, a Vincent de Paul Professor of Bioethics & Health Human-

ities, said that his top priority as an educator is ensuring student safety, a task made increasingly challenging since the encampment’s establishment.

“As a Jewish faculty member, it’s heartbreaking and it’s terrifying,” Klugman said. “I am spending time at the Jewish Life Center with our students … and I’m mostly listening to them and hearing their stories of people lunging at them as they walk past the encampment to get to their classes, yelling at them if they’re wearing jewelry, or a skullcap or anything

If we can keep this from escalating, I think it will serve everyone’s interests. ”

Scott Hibbard Political Science Department Chair

that would signify them as being Jewish.”

Despite maintaining a secular environment in his classroom, Klugman said he worried about DePaul’s Jewish students feeling marginalized or “like the faculty are against them.”

“We need to prevent people from getting hurt,” Klugman said. “… This is a pretty small percent of our student population (in the encampment), so we need to remember that we have to take care of everyone and not just the small, very vocal minority.”

Scott Hibbard, chair of DePaul’s political science department, said that the

“heavy-handed response” at universities such as Columbia is “doing more harm than good.”

Hibbard agreed that DePaul’s actions, both by students and administration, have been “off to a good start,” noting, “If we can keep this from escalating, I think it will serve everyone’s interests.”

In email statements, DePaul’s administrators have stated that the encampment violates various university policies but also said they will continue to let the encampment stay on the Quad, if protests remain peaceful.

“The university has, on the one hand, said they’re negotiating with (the protestors), but they do keep saying that they’re violating rules…,” Arnold said. “They’re giving a warning to everyone.”

Baglia, the faculty council member, said that “faculty wants to be involved in negotiations” because of what he identifies as a closer relationship with students than administration may have.

Although Arnold respects the university’s response in not sending in higher authorities, she says there is still an inadequate relationship between the administration and the students as the encampment continues.

“(The administration) treats them as if they’re clients who can also be rejected or turned down…,” Arnold said. “Students feel like (DePaul) is their home and they have a right to do this.”

But, some faculty members, such as Baglia, are complimentary of President Manuel’s approach.

“In this president, it seems he wants to hear more from the faculty and more from the students,” Baglia said.

As the encampment continues despite rainy weather, faculty remains involved in protests and negotiations with administration.

“There feels like there is a lot of respect here,” Kina said.

A professor wears a button, “I work for the students not the endownment,” as they stand on the Quad with other faculty in support of the encampment, May 2, 2024.

Demonstrators firm in demands for divestment from Israel; encampment continues on DePaul Quad

By Lilly Keller, Lucia Preziosi, Jake Cox, Rose O’Keeffe Editor-In-Chief, News Editor, Online Managing Editor, Asst. News Editor

Claire Tweedie, Content Managing Editor, contributed to the reporting for this story.

For several days, the Quad has been a site teeming with chants, art, prayer, shared food and drink and speakers as students call for DePaul University to divest from Israel. With no resolution in sight, encampment organizers are determined to stay on the Quad until their demands are fulfilled.

“I do think they underestimate how long we plan to stay here,” DePaul sophomore Henna Ayesh, and media liaison for the pro-Palestinian encampment, told The DePaulia Thursday.

DePaul Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine, the groups behind the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” committed to staying on Quad until DePaul meets demands outlined in an April 30 Instagram post, which include:

Acknowledge the ongoing genocide and “scholasticide” in Gaza.

Disclose investments, budgets, and holdings up the university with the greater DePaul community.

Divest from companies that advance Palestinian suffering and profit off the occupation.

Join the city of Chicago in calling for a cease-fire.

Eliminate study abroad trips to Israel that discriminate and normalize Israel’s occupation.

Establish an ethical advisory team on investment responsibility that included students, faculty, and staff.

Since organizers first set up the encampment Tuesday morning, alumni, professors, community members and Chicago residents have visited the site to show support — and some to counter-protest or observe the scene. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have lined the fence that separates the Quad from Fullerton Avenue with dozens of signs, with slogans such as “Money for education, not for the occupation” and “No more $$$ for war crimes! Divest!!! Divest!!!”

The move comes as students across the country protest their universities’ involvement in the Israel-Hamas war. Some students elsewhere have been arrested. Since mid-April, protesters have set up similar encampments at universities nationwide, including Columbia University and Harvard University. Students at other universities in Illinois, such as Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, also have established encampments in recent days.

Since the war’s start, over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and 77,704 wounded in the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 last year, the Gaza health ministry said Tuesday. Hamas also continues to hold hostages taken from Israel in brutal attacks there, which set off this latest conflict.

Negotiations between organizers and DePaul administrators began Wednesday afternoon, according to a joint letter released Thursday afternoon by the student body president Parveen Mundi and DePaul Divest Coalition.

The student encampment negotiators claim that the engagement team — nine representatives from the Office of Academic Affairs, the Division of Mission and Ministry and the Office of Student Affairs — lacked “decision-making authority” from top administrators on critical demands like budget disclosure and divestment.

According to the statement, the university engagement team did not respond to encampment organizer demands — which include divestment from corporations affiliated with Israel and disclosure of DePaul’s investment portfolio — and instead “prioritized creating and distributing inaccurate correspondences filled with tired Vincentian platitudes.”

Encampment negotiators also said that “at no point did the engagement team inform the encampment leadership that the encampment was having a ‘moderate impact on university operations.’”

Lexa Murphy, the College of Communi-

cation dean and engagement team member, said her group’s goal is to create a channel of dialogue and a sense of transparency between protesters and administration.

“The overall charge is just to make sure that we have open lines of communication, that we have moments and opportunities for dialogue to really talk with and work with the student protesters,” Murphy told The DePaulia, Tuesday, April 30.

Ayesh, the media liaison, told The DePaulia Thursday night that its negotiations team will not meet with the university’s engagement team until at least one of their demands is met.

Many of the demands from the DePaul Divestment Coalition “could have been easily done that very same day,” citing calling for a cease-fire or acknowledging the Israel-Hamas war as a “genocide,” Ayesh said.

Ayesh said they have not heard anything from the university administration since DePaul Divestment Coalition posted an open letter on their Instagram account and throughout the encampment.

Organizations in the DePaul Divestment Coalition have been meeting with university administration since the beginning of the academic year, according to Ayesh. She said the

demands presented now are the same ones from months ago.

“DePaul’s administration does not support us, but the student body and the community does,” Ayesh said.

Elsewhere at the university, opinions about the encampment differ.

Craig Klugman, a Vincent De Paul Professor of Bioethics & Health Humanities, recounted instances where Jewish students reported harassment by members of the encampment.

“There are people calling them ‘dirty Jew, dirty pig,’” said Klugman, who is Jewish. “We have rules and regulations on campus to keep us safe and to keep us orderly, and my concern is, will those who have violated those regulations be held to account?”

Klugman opposes a police presence on campus and restrictions on students’ freedom of speech. However, he believes that acts and speech intended to harm others must be taken seriously.

“You don’t have a right to free speech without consequences,” he said. “I want our community to be safe, and I want us to be able to engage in productive scholarly dialogues, and yelling at each other and calling each other names does not permit that.”

ALYSSA N. SALCEDO | THE DEPAULIA

A man sits on a bench while reading a book beside the DePaul encampment on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. His bicycle is decorated with a sign to show support for the cause.

In a Wednesday night email to the DePaul community, President Robert L. Manuel’s office reported receiving “multiple reports of signs and chants used by protesters that are intimidating and inciting violence.”

“Such speech stands in conflict with our guiding principles for speech and expression. We have raised our concerns with protesters and communicated a clear message that this be addressed and not allowed to continue,” the email said.

At the time of publication Saturday, May 4, Kristin Claes Mathews, DePaul’s senior director of strategic communications, said in a text that there were “no updates to share at this time.”

On the first day, more than 25 pro-Israel demonstrators gathered around the Seminary Avenue entrance to the Quad for a counter-protest.

Upon their arrival, the pro-Palestinian protesters linked arms across from demonstrators draped in Israeli flags before returning to the encampment.

DePaul freshman Lily Hecht, co-president of the Jewish student organization Hillel, said she and other Jewish students were

concerned about antisemitic rhetoric on college campuses across the country.

“They’re just spreading a lot of hate,” Hecht said of pro-Palestinian protesters. “I mean, at Columbia, we’ve seen a lot of laws broken and a lot of extremely antisemitic rhetoric, like not even just anti-Zionist, but purely antisemitic.”

Nick, a Jewish Lincoln Park resident and member of the counter-protest, who asked that his last name not be used because he feared retaliation, believes that the events of Oct. 7 have been “whitewashed” and says that Israel’s proposals to Hamas have been “extremely generous.”

“There is no cease-fire because (Hamas) has not accepted it,” Nick said.

Since its formation last week, the encampment has rapidly expanded from a few tents to a self-sustaining complex. It now includes two portable toilets and food, medical and art tents. The camp offers protesters free meals and a daily agenda that includes scheduled prayer, guest speakers and performances from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Many of its supplies and donations are provided by community members, former

DePaul alumni and resources initially allotted for the Northwestern University encampment, which has since ended, Ayesh said.

Demonstrators have largely complied with the university’s request to observe the city’s noise ordinance, which prohibits amplified sound or music between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. However, an email from the Office of the President to DePaul’s community Wednesday night stated that “the encampment is in violation of multiple university policies, which must be ultimately addressed.”

The email concluded by acknowledging the university’s commitment to maintaining an open dialogue between organizers and administrators.

Among the organizers’ six demands, the call for DePaul to divest from Israel is the most consistent with other encampments nationwide.

Divest — defined as the opposite of investing — refers to a university’s endowment, which is donated funds generally invested in stocks, bonds and other financial instruments to help the university earn money.

By demanding that DePaul divest from Israel, student protesters are urging the uni-

versity to sell its investments in companies with ties to Israel.

At DePaul, the endowment sits at $817.8 million, according to a 2022 fiscal audit. It is lower than the national collegiate average of $1.2 billion.

The protest has remained peaceful so far, according to various faculty members, such as political science professor Katy Arnold and art school professor Laura Kina.

“I’m very, very impressed with the student organizers …. It’s really impressive how peaceful it is and the sense of community here,” Kina said.

While there have been no additional counter-protests, members of the Lincoln Park community have voiced concerns about the encampments.

Jeff, another Jewish resident of Lincoln Park and father of three school-aged children in the neighborhood, who also asked that his last name not be included out of fear, has been monitoring the encampment since it was established.

“I think the biggest concern for me is, as a parent of Jewish children, who walk to school who play outside who are in this area,” he said. “Yesterday when we came, there’s a there’s rage, there’s anger, there’s intimidation.”

Jeff said he wasn’t surprised by the encampment’s creation, noting similar setups at schools nationwide and in Illinois. However, he finds its proximity to his home “concerning.”

“Anybody has the right to free speech to protest,” he said. “My concern is for the safety of the community, our kids.”

Still, others who came to see the encampment were supportive.

Tom Pace, an Avondale resident, described the encampment as “inspiring” and said he feels validated in the many political and social beliefs he has held since childhood.

“You young people are fearless,” Pace said as he stopped at various tents around the encampment to give students fist-bumps in support of their cause.

So far, there has been no police presence on campus. Murphy, from DePaul’s administrative engagement team, told The DePaulia

that the university intends to approach the encampment differently from other higher education institutions and has no intention of calling the Chicago Police Department on protesters.

“They’re not looking to bring in external forces or anything like that,” Murphy said. “Their goal is just to maintain open dialogue and a peaceful setting, and as long as it doesn’t interfere or pull away from the core operation at the university — meaning classes (and) the ability of all students to still get their right to education — then there’s no plan that I’m aware of to, to call in CPD or external forces.”

With no foreseeable end, organizers are determined to stay on the Quad until their demands are met.

“We have the supplies, we have teams and we have support from the community. We have enough to last us for a long time,” Ayesh, the encampment media liaison, said.

Coverage for this story is ongoing. Follow The DePaulia’s live updates from the encampment.

GRACE LOGAN | THE DEPAULIA

Two anonymous protestors color in their tent, passing the time during the pro-Palestinian encampment at DePaul University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The encampment began at 10 a.m. and many protestors plan to continue participating throughout the night.

ALYSSA N. SALCEDO | THE DEPAULIA Students hold signs and chant as counter protestors march towards the Depaul student encampment on Thursday, April 30, 2024. Many people were gathered in the Quad shouting different chants to generate attention to their cause.

ALYSSA N. SALCEDO | THE DEPAULIA Students work together to paint a banner at the DePaul encampment on Thursday, April 30, 2024. The Quad was covered in art to show support.

PPGA showcases Catholic supporting abortion rights

By Rose O’Keeffe Asst. News Editor

“My Catholic identity is my advocacy, they are one in the same,” said Jamie Manson, president of the national organization Catholics for Choice.

Out of love for her faith, not in spite of it, Manson said she has been “butting-up” against the Catholic Church since she was 14 and felt called to the priesthood.

“Telling everyone that clearly God wanted me to be a priest helped me understand the profound misogyny of the Catholic Church and that my body makes me illegitimate and unworthy,” she said.

Manson said mainstream Catholicism’s prejudice against women explains the Church’s opposition to gay marriage, contraception and abortion.

“It really is the understanding of women, and what we can and cannot do,” Manson said.

A panel of experts convened in DePaul’s Theatre School Thursday evening to discuss the unlikely compatibility of being pro-choice and a person of faith.

DePaul’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) organized the event.

Maya Roman, treasurer of PPGA, said the panel discussion acts as a kickoff event for PPGA’s campaign opposing DePaul’s contraceptive ban.

“One of the most important aspects of this is bringing people in who have affiliations with the Catholic religion, who are also pro-contraception and pro-choice, to discuss that the contraception ban – although the church implements them – doesn't necessarily mean that access to contraception is inherently anti Catholic,” Roman told The DePaulia.

It turns out being Catholic and prochoice is more common than many people think.

Catholic Church doctrine states that human life begins at conception and that all human life has inherent dignity. Using these principles, the Church calls all procured abortion “a moral evil.”

However, 63% of U.S. Catholics support legalized abortion in all or most cases, according to a 2022 poll from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Only 8% of Catholics support the Church’s position that there are no circumstances in which abortion is admissible.

Manson called this “a barbaric teaching of forced births.”

She said opposing abortion exposes irony in the Church’s call to prioritize the most vulnerable.

“One of the most beautiful things about the Catholic tradition is our social justice,” Manson said. “And yet, abortion and contraception bans and restrictions cause disproportionate harm to those who are already disproportionately suffering.”

She said the poor around the world and people in the Global South are especially affected by the Church’s position against abortion and contraception.

“I got very radicalized when I saw the ban on contraceptives, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa,” Manson said.

Even amid the AIDS epidemic, the Church refused to abide the use of condoms.

DePaul’s policy banning “inappropriate health and medical devices” has religious and health consequences, according to panelist Morgan Beatty, a family medicine physician who practices on Chicago’s West side.

She said contraceptive bans both result from and advance stigma about sex.

“The same things that lead to the stigma

around abortion are the same things that lead to the stigma around all sex and being a sexual being,” Beatty said.

She said promoting restrictive healthcare that excludes resources for sex and reproduction contributes to the shame people feel about sex.

“Catholic or not, people need contraception, people are gonna have sex,” Beatty said.

Panelist Megan Jeyifo, Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said she is proud of her Catholic education and being raised a “Catholic Socialist.”

But, she lamented how Catholics further stigmatize sex by not talking about it.

She left school in ninth grade, meaning Catholic elementary school was the end of her formal education.

“Sex-ed was just not a part of that,” Jeyifo said.

When she became pregnant at 16, Jeyifo said she did not know for many weeks because she did not know what her body would be going through.

“The less we talk about all of these things, the more we have the outcomes that the Catholic church says that they don't want,” she said.

Manson pointed to “the procreative norm” promoted by the Catholic Church, meaning that all sex has to have the possibil-

ity of creating life, according to Church doctrine.

“If we allow you to have contraception, that means we think it's okay for you to have sex, and you're having sex is opposed to our Catholic theology of procreative norm,” Manson said.

However, she also called attention to a teaching in the Catechism, or official dogma of the Catholic Church, called “the primacy of individual conscience.”

“It says that in all that we say, and in all that we do, we must follow faithfully what we know to be just and right,” Manson said.

DePaul student and panel attendee Sky Mest believes abortion and contraception are just and right, although she has struggled to align these beliefs with Christianity.

She said no longer identifies as Christian because of it.

“Tonight almost makes me think I can maybe go back one day because there are still Catholics here who are still very fundamentally Catholic,” Mest said.

Manson’s organization Catholics for Choice demonstrates the compatibility of Catholic social justice teaching with prochoice ideology.

“I do the work because I realized that there are things about the Catholic tradition that are beautiful, and true, and helped me make meaning of my life,” Manson said.

Nevertheless, Manson choses to fight Catholic teaching because she said “the Church is a menace to bodies, especially vulnerable bodies.”

The disjunction between the social justice-oriented teachings of the faith with the formal doctrine of the Church is the crux of Manson’s fight.

“God is with the suffering most, that's a beautiful Catholic idea,” she said.

Roman, the DePaul student and panel organizer, said PPGA is in talks with university administration about overturning the contraceptive ban.

As a Catholic looking to advance the social justice mission of Catholic institutions like DePaul, PPGA’s fight makes Manson proud.

“Not in the name of my faith will the Church take away basic human rights,” Manson said. “I cannot live with the fact that a tradition that I do genuinely love is causing so much harm.”

WILL ROBSON | THE DEPAULIA President of Catholics for Choice Jamie Manson, center speaks at a DePaul Planned Parenthood Generation Action panel Thursday, May 2, 2024, at The Theater School. The panel included abortion rights advocates and health experts.

Tensions flared, CPD present during counterprotest of DePaul’s encampment

By Rose O’Keeffe & Lilly Keller Asst. News Editor, Editor-in-Chief

Members of DePaul’s encampment locked arms and guarded the site’s perimeter the morning of May 5 as counter-protesters amassed outside the Quad on Fullerton Avenue.

The Chicago Police Department was already on the scene before the protests began, and, according to Kristin Claes Mathews, DePaul’s senior director of strategic communication, the university did not call them in.

“The police called for backup, as they would do in any similar situation. The police will determine how long it is necessary for them to stay in place,” Mathews told The DePaulia in an email after the protests dispersed.

She said university leadership will share a full update with the DePaul community as soon as “calm is restored on the Lincoln Park Campus.”

During the four-hour confrontation, there were no physical altercations because police and security were separating the two sides.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted from inside the Quad, “Racists, go home!” and “Palestine is ours alone.” Pro-Israel

counter-protestors on Fullerton Avenue, shouted, “Free, Free the hostages” and “Show your face,” referencing the face masks many pro-Palestinian protestors were wearing. Pro-Israeli demonstrators also shouted “USA, USA” at various points during the conflict.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators reiterated that they would not leave the encampment until DePaul divests, chanting “Disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest.”

DePaul issued multiple Public Safety alerts during the demonstration, notifying students of the police presence on the Quad and telling them to avoid the area.

CPD shut down the sidewalk on Fullerton at about 1:30 p.m.

Both Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Zdziarski and DePaul’s director of public safety, Bob Wachowski, did not comment on the situation.

18th district CPD commander Michael Barz did not grant The DePaulia comment after the protest dispersed.

More frequent updates are available on The DePaulia’s X (formerly Twitter) account: @thedepaulia and

and concluded around 1:50 p.m.

Stay up to date with The DePaulia’s live encampment updates

‘We’re going to make them care about us’: United DePaul strikes on May Day

By Lucia Preziosi News Editor

United DePaul, a group of undergraduate, graduate student workers and adjunct faculty members staged a strike Wednesday, May 1, across DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus to voice their demands for higher wages and health insurance.

The strike occurred on the Quad as the encampment in solidarity for Gaza entered its second day in the same location.

About 150 protestors participating in the strike convened towards the Seminary Avenue entrance of the Quad, carrying signs with messages such as “union strong” that also encouraged fellow students to not cross their picket line, urging them to not attend classes or shifts.

John Gould, United DePaul organizer and graduate student, presented opening remarks, stating the group’s solidarity with the encampment and the two groups’ intersecting interests.

Following Gould’s remarks, Nitaawe Banks, a DePaul graduate student, took the microphone.

Banks reiterated the similar interests between the encampment’s mission and United DePaul’s demands that the University divest from Israel and instead invest in

| THE DEPAULIA

Students with United DePaul storm the Quad in Lincoln Park on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, to demand better wages and conditions for DePaul workers and divestment from Israel.

its students.

United DePaul’s demands also include an end to the “condom ban,” which doesn’t allow for contraceptives to be distributed on campus.

“(The condom ban) is ridiculously unsafe for our student population,” Banks said.

Over the microphone, Banks also called upon the university to give attention to the “many issues on campus.”

“They don’t listen to us, they don’t care

about us, ” Banks said. “We’re gonna make them care about us. … That’s why we’re here.”

Many also pointed out DePaul’s commitment to Vincentian values as a reason for the administration to support unionization efforts.

“(DePaul) loves to talk about their Vincentian (expletive) values, but they don’t practice that,” Banks said.

The protestors increased in numbers as

the speeches continued.

Led by Gould and other organizers, the group traveled down Belden Avenue.

Kaity Gallagher is a graduate worker at the Egan Office at DePaul. She said that working at the center has been a great experience and that she “wants this for other people” who are student workers at DePaul.

Gallagher has always been interested in workers’ rights and “jumped for joy” when Gould mentioned that United DePaul was “organizing for real this time.”

Organizers led chants over megaphones such as “Get up, get down, Chicago is a union town.” Many students carried homemade signs with slogans such as “Rent is due” and “Here, we organize.”

Groups dispersed in front of various campus buildings, with protestors marching around Arts & Letters, the Levan Center and both sides of the Student Center, each shouting chants.

Faculty also came to show their support for the strike, such as Marcy Dinius, a DePaul English professor.

Dinius is a tenured faculty member and the chair of DePaul’s American Association of University Professors chapter.

“For those who can, onwards my friends,” Dinius said before the marching began.

JESSICA GOSKA

ROSE O’KEEFFE | THE DEPAULIA CPD separates counter-protestors from DePaul’s Quad, on May 5, 2024. A counter-protest began around 10:30 a.m.,

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

Open letter to DePaul University President Robert Manuel and Provost Salma Ghanem from concerned DePaul faculty

133 faculty members signed the petition as of May 4. The faculty rank ranges from adjunct to professor emeritus.

We, the undersigned, call on DePaul University to realize its Vincentian promise to protect and respect the rights of our university community, including students, staff and faculty of all ranks. This includes the right to freely express their views on existing governmental policies and on the actions of some of our political leaders who, tragically and unwisely, have chosen paths of extreme violence that have already caused the deaths of nearly 40,000 non-combatant civilians and seriously endangered international peace, rather than those of diplomacy and de-escalation. We make this request at a crucial moment in our institution’s history and considering the great urgency surrounding the current humanitarian crisis in the Middle East facing civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and the wider region. While we understand the university’s obligation to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the community, we deplore tactical and misleading characterizations of peaceful student expression of political opinions

as dangerous, threatening or hate-driven. Recent attempts at other leading institutions of higher education in the United States to violently and coercively silence, criminalize, or eliminate public expression by students, staff, and faculty have backfired and had the paradoxical effect of heightening tensions on already divided campuses.

As we anticipate further protests on campus, we ask the DePaul administration to engage in the Vincentian personalism for which we are now well-known. This would involve protecting the voices and lives of our university community of students, staff, and faculty each of whom seeks in their own way to realize St. Vincent’s vision of moral consistency, courage and clarity. Such protection is especially important now, as they try to make sense of a world that threatens to careen toward escalating cycles of violence and repression. Peaceful and respectful deliberations will never come from threatening students with the punctilio of the university's student conduct code or by using executive authority to suspend university’s normal

operation to deploy the police power of the state. Neither measure will help us to grow our collective capacity to address the most contentious and deep-going commitments of divided campus communities. For us to make a difference, we need, as a community, to consider the long term consequences of any such heavy-handed dispensation of power. This will allow us to avoid the strategic errors currently unfolding at other institutions of higher education.

DePaul University’s Guiding Principles for Speech and Expression, and its governing documents unambiguously call for the protection of the rights to academic freedom and free expression of peaceful dissent. DePaul needs to honor the spirit of these principles in its response to our students, faculty and staff who may feel compelled at this time to call publicly for more responsible, just and peaceful approaches by governments and politicians exercising decision making authority over the fate of civilian populations most affected by the current situation in the Middle East.

The well-being of our students, faculty and staff must be prioritized as they voice and express their opinions at DePaul and beyond. As a community characterized by Vincentian values, DePaul has the responsibility to adopt an approach to conflict resolution that cares for the sanctity of human life, despite political pressure to comply with existing policy choices of governments and politicians. As a community, we must pursue a more peaceful and just resolution to the situation, one that rests on understanding, love and care, not repression and recrimination. Above all, we remind our university leadership that it is our duty to encourage, defend and protect our community’s civil protests against injustice and avoid threatening them with retribution. This is especially the case in relation to the youngest and most vulnerable amongst us, namely, our students. It is in the nurturing and productive engagement with these that our hope for a more livable and sustainable future must rest.

Op-Ed: Does DePaul care about Its Palestinians?

By Watfae Zayed Former SGA President

Editor’s Note: See online version for superscipts with additonal context.

As we are witnessing the revolution of college students around the country, I began to reminisce on my days as a student leader at DePaul who spent many years advocating against injustices. As a student, I served in many different roles, the biggest being vice president and president of SGA. Most importantly, I was a proud member of DePaul’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Within my first month as vice president of SGA, I was doxed for my advocacy for Palestine. My social media pages, pictures and posts regarding Palestine were compiled and made public. Additionally, the page linked me to terrorism due to my high school’s Muslim Student Association1.

Being elected president of SGA was a big accomplishment for myself and my community. I spent the entirety of my time at DePaul trying to advocate for Palestine and the safety of us Palestinians on campus. I felt that I was finally in a position to do something for my community. My predecessors warned me, however, that the DePaul community does not respect women of color who serve as SGA president, which I soon experienced myself.

I was elected in the spring of 2021. Our cabinet immediately began working to release a statement in support of DePaul’s Palestinian community in light of the recent attacks on Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah. Although DePaul prides itself on being a Vincentian institution, I faced extreme backlash. I received pressure from administration to “be careful” with my advocacy for Palestine. DePaul student Barbara Schiffer also published an article about me in the Times of Israel, further doxing me, which resulted in threats on social media2. When this was reported to university administration, no action was taken to protect me or other Palestinian students, who were also being doxed and threatened.

Despite all this, I continued to bring my identity with me into every space I entered, despite the censorship that would come with that. During my quarterly check-in with the Vice President of Student Affairs, it was suggested that I advocate less for Palestine because, as SGA president, I “represent all students” and that I was being unfair to Israeli students. I was basically asked to abandon my identity throughout my presidency, and this was not the first time. In every check-in we had, my advocacy for Pal-

estine was always brought up, whether directly or indirectly. However, to be Palestinian is not “controversial,”; it is the greatest honor of my life and I made sure everyone knew that, regardless of who it upset.

Later in the school year, we signed on to a list of demands made by SJP, one of these demands being to make the university’s investment portfolio public. I received even more critiques about this action, this time from our SGA staff advisor. She expressed that she was getting many phone calls and emails as a result of this action and that we needed to be more careful until everything calmed down. Shortly after, I was cornered by the VP of student affairs at President Esteban’s retirement party, asking me to expose fellow SJP members for a protest they had on campus. The administrators who were supposed to support and protect me always made me uncomfortable and scared, all while telling the rest of the university how much they support students of color.

I lived and breathed DePaul and our Vincentian mission as a student, as you can see from my campus involvement. Despite this extensive involvement and time I gave to this university, the care and compassion was never reciprocated. The needs of DePaul’s Palestinian students have continuously fallen on deaf ears.

We are now seeing a historic encampment take place on our campus and it’s reminding me of everything Palestinians and allies at DePaul have been trying to do for years. Students have been watching our people get murdered through social media for the past seven months and are expected to go to classes as if life is normal. Our lives are not normal and we are not okay. DePaul won’t even recognize the ongoing human rights violations in Gaza and how it’s affecting students. We ask ourselves, “What must be done?” How about DePaul actually DOES something? We are done letting DePaul scare us into silence. I am extremely proud of our students in the encampments and I hope our administration knows they will not move

Watfae Zayed graduated with her BS in Neuroscience from DePaul in 2022 and MS in Nursing in November 2023. roughout her time at DePaul, she was a Chicago Quarter Mentor, College Access Peer Guide, Community Service Scholar, a board member of UMMA, and served as vice president and president of SGA. She currently works as an emergency department nurse.

La DePaulia

Manifestantes pro-palestinos firmes en sus demandas de desinversión de Israel; el campamento continúa en DePaul Quad

Claire Tweedie ayudó en la redacción de esta noticia.

Durante varios días, el Quad ha sido un sitio lleno de cánticos, arte, oraciones, comida y bebida compartidas, y oradores, mientras los estudiantes piden que la Universidad DePaul se desinvierte de Israel. Sin una resolución a la vista, los organizadores del campamento están determinados a permanecer en el Quad hasta que se cumplan sus demandas.

“Creo que subestiman cuánto tiempo planeamos quedarnos aquí”, dijo Henna Ayesh, estudiante de segundo año de DePaul y enlace de medios para el campamento pro-palestino, a The DePaulia el jueves.

DePaul Divest Coalition y Students for Justice in Palestine, los grupos detrás del "Campamento de Solidaridad con Gaza", se comprometieron a permanecer en el Quad hasta que DePaul cumpla las demandas delineadas en una publicación de Instagram del 30 de abril, que incluyen:

Reconocer el genocidio en curso y el “escolasticidio” en Gaza.

Revelar inversiones, presupuestos y tenencias de la universidad a la comunidad de DePaul.

Desinvertir en empresas que avanzan el sufrimiento palestino y se benefician de la ocupación.

Unirse a la ciudad de Chicago en el llamado a un alto al fuego.

Eliminar los viajes de estudio a Israel que discriminan y normalizan la ocupación de Israel.

Establecer un equipo asesor ético sobre responsabilidad de inversión que incluya a estudiantes, profesores y personal.

Desde que los organizadores establecieron el campamento el martes por la mañana, exalumnos, profesores, miembros de la comunidad y residentes de Chicago han visitado el sitio para mostrar su apoyo — y algunos para contraprotestar u observar la escena. Los manifestantes pro-palestinos han alineado la cerca que separa el Quad de la Avenida Fullerton con docenas de carteles, con lemas como "Dinero para la educación, no para la ocupación" y "¡No más $$$ para crímenes de guerra! ¡Desinviertan!!! Desinviertan!!!"

El movimiento llega mientras estudiantes de todo el país protestan por la participación de sus universidades en la guerra Israel-Hamas. Algunos estudiantes en otros lugares han sido arrestados. Desde mediados de abril, los manifestantes han establecido campamentos similares en universidades de todo el país, incluyendo la Universidad de Columbia y la Universidad de Harvard. Es-

Por Lilly Keller, Lucia Preziosi, Jake Cox, Rose O’Keeffe

Estudiantes sostienen carteles y cantan mientras los contramanifestantes marchan hacia el campamento estudiantil de DePaul el jueves 30 de abril de 2024. Muchas personas se reunieron en el Quad gritando diferentes cánticos para generar atención a su causa.

tudiantes de otras universidades en Illinois, como la Universidad de Northwestern, la Universidad de Chicago y la Universidad de Illinois Urbana-Champaign, también han establecido campamentos en los últimos días.

Desde el inicio de la guerra, más de 34,000 palestinos han sido asesinados y 77,704 heridos en la ofensiva militar israelí en la Franja de Gaza desde el 7 de octubre del año pasado, dijo el martes el ministerio de salud de Gaza. Hamas también continúa reteniendo a rehenes tomados de Israel en ataques brutales allí, que desencadenaron este último conflicto.

Las negociaciones entre los organizadores y los administradores de DePaul comenzaron el miércoles por la tarde, según una carta conjunta publicada el jueves por la tarde por el presidente del cuerpo estudiantil Parveen Mundi y la Coalición DePaul Divest.

Los negociadores del campamento estudiantil afirman que el equipo de participación — nueve representantes de la Oficina de Asuntos Académicos, la División de Misión y Ministerio y la Oficina de Asuntos Estudiantiles — carecía de "autoridad para tomar decisiones" de los principales administradores sobre demandas críticas como la divulgación del presupuesto y la desinversión.

Según la declaración, el equipo de participación de la universidad no respondió a las demandas de los organizadores del campamento — que incluyen la desinversión de corporaciones afiliadas con Israel y la divulgación del portafolio de inversiones de

DePaul — y en lugar de eso "priorizaron la creación y distribución de correspondencias inexactas llenas de cansados platitudes vicentinas".

Los negociadores del campamento también dijeron que "en ningún momento el equipo de participación informó al liderazgo del campamento que el campamento estaba teniendo un 'impacto moderado en las operaciones universitarias'".

Lexa Murphy, decana de la Facultad de Comunicación y miembro del equipo de participación, dijo que el objetivo de su grupo es crear un canal de diálogo y un sentido de transparencia entre los manifestantes y la administración.

"El cargo general es simplemente asegurarnos de que tenemos líneas de comunicación abiertas, que tenemos momentos y oportunidades para dialogar para realmente hablar y trabajar con los manifestantes estudiantiles", dijo Murphy a The DePaulia, el martes 30 de abril.

Ayesh, la enlace de medios, dijo a The DePaulia el jueves por la noche que su equipo de negociaciones no se reunirá con el equipo de participación de la universidad hasta que se cumpla al menos una de sus demandas.

Muchas de las demandas de la Coalición DePaul Divest "podrían haberse realizado fácilmente ese mismo día", citando el llamado a un alto al fuego o el reconocimiento de la guerra Israel-Hamas como un "genocidio", dijo Ayesh.

Ayesh dijo que no han recibido ninguna

noticia de la administración de la universidad desde que la Coalición DePaul Divest publicó una carta abierta en su cuenta de Instagram y a lo largo del campamento.

Las organizaciones en la Coalición DePaul Divest han estado reuniéndose con la administración de la universidad desde el comienzo del año académico, según Ayesh. Ella dijo que las demandas presentadas ahora son las mismas que las de hace meses.

"La administración de DePaul no nos apoya, pero el cuerpo estudiantil y la comunidad sí", dijo Ayesh.

En otras partes de la universidad, las opiniones sobre el campamento difieren.

Craig Klugman, profesor Vincent De Paul de Bioética y Humanidades de la Salud, relató casos en los que estudiantes judíos informaron de acoso por miembros del campamento.

"Hay personas que los llaman 'judío sucio, cerdo sucio'", dijo Klugman, quien es judío. "Tenemos reglas y regulaciones en el campus para mantenernos seguros y mantener el orden, y mi preocupación es, ¿se hará responsables a aquellos que han violado esas regulaciones?"

Klugman se opone a la presencia policial en el campus y a las restricciones a la libertad de expresión de los estudiantes. Sin embargo, cree que los actos y el discurso destinados a dañar a otros deben ser tomados en serio.

"No tienes derecho a la libertad de expresión sin consecuencias", dijo. "Quiero que nuestra comunidad esté segura, y quiero que podamos participar en diálogos académicos productivos, y gritarnos y llamarnos nombres no permite eso."

En un correo electrónico enviado el miércoles por la noche a la comunidad de DePaul, la oficina del presidente Robert L. Manuel informó haber recibido "múltiples informes de carteles y cánticos utilizados por los manifestantes que son intimidantes e incitan a la violencia".

"Este tipo de discurso está en conflicto con nuestros principios rectores para el discurso y la expresión. Hemos planteado nuestras preocupaciones a los manifestantes y comunicado un mensaje claro de que esto debe abordarse y no permitirse que continúe", decía el correo electrónico.

En el momento de la publicación el sábado 4 de mayo, Kristin Claes Mathews, directora sénior de comunicaciones estratégicas de DePaul, dijo en un mensaje de texto que "no había actualizaciones para compartir en este momento".

El primer día, más de 25 manifestantes pro-Israel se reunieron alrededor de la en-

ALYSSA N. SALCEDO | LA DEPAULIA

trada de Seminary Avenue al Quad para una contraprotesta.

A su llegada, los manifestantes pro-palestinos unieron sus brazos frente a los manifestantes envueltos en banderas israelíes antes de regresar al campamento.

Lily Hecht, estudiante de primer año de DePaul y copresidenta de la organización estudiantil judía Hillel, dijo que ella y otros estudiantes judíos estaban preocupados por la retórica antisemita en los campus universitarios de todo el país.

"Simplemente están esparciendo mucho odio", dijo Hecht sobre los manifestantes pro-palestinos. "Quiero decir, en Columbia, hemos visto muchas leyes rotas y mucha retórica extremadamente antisemita, no solo anti-sionista, sino puramente antisemita".

Nick, un residente judío de Lincoln Park y miembro de la contraprotesta, que pidió que no se usara su apellido por temor a represalias, cree que los eventos del 7 de octubre han sido "blanqueados" y dice que las propuestas de Israel a Hamas han sido "extremadamente generosas".

"No hay alto al fuego porque (Hamas) no lo ha aceptado", dijo Nick.

Desde su formación la semana pasada, el campamento ha crecido rápidamente de unas pocas tiendas a un complejo autosuficiente. Ahora incluye dos baños portátiles y tiendas de comida, médicas y de arte. El campamento ofrece comidas gratis a los manifestantes y una agenda diaria que incluye oración programada, oradores invitados y actuaciones de 10 a.m. a 10 p.m.

Muchos de sus suministros y donaciones son proporcionados por miembros de la comunidad, exalumnos de DePaul y recursos inicialmente asignados para el campamento de la Universidad Northwestern, que ya ha terminado, dijo Ayesh.

Los manifestantes han cumplido en gran medida con la solicitud de la universidad de observar la ordenanza de ruido de la ciudad, que prohíbe el sonido amplificado o la música entre las 10 p.m. y las 8 a.m. Sin embargo, un correo electrónico de la Oficina del Presi-

Dos manifestantes anónimos colorean en su tienda, pasando el tiempo durante el campamento pro-palestino en la Universidad DePaul el martes 30 de abril de 2024. El campamento comenzó a las 10 a.m. y muchos manifestantes planean continuar participando durante toda la noche.

dente a la comunidad de DePaul el miércoles por la noche afirmó que "el campamento está violando múltiples políticas universitarias, que deben abordarse en última instancia".

El correo electrónico concluyó reconociendo el compromiso de la universidad de mantener un diálogo abierto entre los organizadores y los administradores.

Entre las seis demandas de los organizadores, el llamado a que DePaul se desinvierta de Israel es el más consistente con otros campamentos a nivel nacional.

Desinvertir — definido como lo opuesto a invertir — se refiere al patrimonio de una universidad, que son fondos donados generalmente invertidos en acciones, bonos y otros instrumentos financieros para ayudar a la universidad a ganar dinero.

Al exigir que DePaul se desinvierta de Israel, los manifestantes estudiantiles están instando a la universidad a vender sus inversiones en empresas con vínculos con Israel.

En DePaul, el patrimonio se sitúa en $817.8 millones, según una auditoría fiscal de 2022. Es inferior al promedio nacional colegiado de $1.2 mil millones.

La protesta ha permanecido pacífica hasta ahora, según varios miembros de la facultad, como la profesora de ciencias políticas Katy Arnold y la profesora de la escuela de

Tom Pace, un residente de Avondale, describió el campamento como "inspirador" y dijo que se siente validado en las muchas creencias políticas y sociales que ha sostenido desde la infancia.

"Ustedes, los jóvenes, son intrépidos", dijo Pace mientras se detenía en varias tiendas alrededor del campamento para dar puñetazos a los estudiantes en apoyo a su causa.

Hasta ahora, no ha habido presencia policial en el campus. Murphy, del equipo de participación administrativa de DePaul, dijo a The DePaulia que la universidad tiene la intención de abordar el campamento de manera diferente a otras instituciones de educación superior y no tiene intención de llamar al Departamento de Policía de Chicago sobre los manifestantes.

"No buscan traer fuerzas externas ni nada

por el estilo", dijo Murphy. "Su objetivo es solo mantener un diálogo abierto y un entorno pacífico, y mientras no interfiera ni se aleje de la operación central en la universidad, es decir, las clases (y) la capacidad de todos los estudiantes para seguir obteniendo su derecho a la educación, entonces no hay un plan que yo conozca para llamar a CPD o fuerzas externas".

Con ningún fin previsible, los organizadores están determinados a permanecer en el Quad hasta que se cumplan sus demandas.

"Tenemos los suministros, tenemos equipos y tenemos el apoyo de la comunidad. Tenemos suficiente para durar mucho tiempo", dijo Ayesh, el enlace de medios del campamento.

La cobertura de esta historia está en curso. Sigue las actualizaciones en vivo de The DePaulia desde el campamento.

arte Laura Kina.

"Estoy muy, muy impresionada con los organizadores estudiantiles... Es realmente impresionante lo pacífico que es y el sentido de comunidad aquí", dijo Kina.

Aunque no ha habido contraprotestas adicionales, miembros de la comunidad de Lincoln Park han expresado preocupaciones sobre los campamentos.

Jeff, otro residente judío de Lincoln Park y padre de tres niños en edad escolar en el vecindario, quien también pidió que no se incluyera su apellido por miedo, ha estado monitoreando el campamento desde que se estableció.

"Creo que la mayor preocupación para mí es, como padre de niños judíos, que caminan a la escuela, que juegan afuera, que están en esta área", dijo. "Ayer cuando vinimos, hay furia, hay enojo, hay intimidación".

Jeff dijo que no estaba sorprendido por la creación del campamento, señalando configuraciones similares en escuelas de todo el país y en Illinois. Sin embargo, encuentra preocupante su proximidad a su hogar.

"Cualquiera tiene derecho a la libertad de expresión para protestar", dijo. "Mi preocupación es por la seguridad de la comunidad, nuestros niños".

Sin embargo, otros que vinieron a ver el campamento fueron solidarios.

ALYSSA N. SALCEDO | LA DEPAULIA

ALYSSA N. SALCEDO | LA DEPAULIA

Un hombre se sienta en una banca mientras lee un libro al lado del campamento de DePaul el miércoles 1 de mayo de 2024. Su bicicleta está decorada con un cartel para mostrar apoyo a la causa.

Arts & Life

DePaul alum Vera Drew: Breaking studio boundaries with ‘The People’s Joker’

By Zachary Klein Staff Writer

A packed house at the Music Box Theater on April 26 waited in anticipation as a moderator tried to introduce the evening’s special guest: Vera Drew, the director/editor/star of “The People’s Joker.” One of the two microphones was malfunctioning. The moderator futzed with the defective mic for a few moments before Vera made a grand entrance from behind the curtain and grabbed the working microphone. She marched on stage clad in a neon green tutu and a pink translucent poker visor.

“I usually do these things unmoderated, so I’m used to being on stage alone,” Drew said. “My lawyers don’t advise it, but I’m an attention whore, so what are you gonna do?”

The crowd, consisting of groups of queer people adorned in clown makeup, cheered.

Trans filmmaker and DePaul student Joi Segreto saw “The People’s Joker” for the first time last October at the Chicago International Film Festival. “I spent the rest of the day on and off in tears,” Segreto said. “Seeing the film at that time in my life was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had in a theater.”

Segreto is hardly alone in her adoration of the film. Richard Brody, film critic for The New Yorker, calls it “the best superhero film I’ve ever seen — because, unlike studio-produced films in the genre, it responds to the filmmaker’s deep personal concerns.”

The film is currently playing in a roadshow across the United States two years after its first and nearly final screening at Toronto International Film Festival.

Before hosting sold-out screenings across the nation, Drew started out as an editing major at DePaul in 2007.

“I was not a good student at DePaul,” Drew said. “I was clearly a stoner who was making stuff that was a little edgier than what the rest of the student body was making.”

Yet, her intuition as an artist was noticed by a select few professors in the experimental film department. They helped her get accepted into the very first Los Angeles quarter program organized by DePaul, despite her poor grades. “I don’t know if I would’ve ended up in LA at all if it weren’t for DePaul.” Drew said.

After graduating in 2011, she hit the ground running. Via a cold call to their offices, Drew took on an internship at Absolutely Productions, the production studio behind shows like “Tim and Eric,” “The Eric Andre Show” and “Comedy Bang! Bang!” Drew later worked as an editor, eventually winning an Emmy in 2019 for her work on Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who Is America?”

In 2020, a year after she began her transition, Drew said the seed of “The People’s Joker” was planted.

During her Q&A at the Music Box, she

said the project began as a re-edit of Todd Phillips’ “Joker” for her friend Bri LeRose. LeRose ended up with a co-writer credit on the final film.

“I thought it was never going to leave my friend group,” Drew announced. “Now it’s become something much bigger and I’m in indescribable amounts of debt. But it’s out and it’s here!”

Connor O’Keefe, a trans filmmaker and adjunct professor at DePaul, made his own independent documentary short “Imagine A Body” for the same reason.

“It started in a place of exhaustion, a place of loneliness, and definitely a desire to reconnect with the trans community,” O’Keefe said. “I didn’t think it was going to sell, because it’s pretty experimental.”

O’Keefe sold “Imagine A Body” to The New Yorker in June 2022. Along with Drew’s roadshow, Jane Schoenbrun’s new film, “I Saw The TV Glow,” being released by A24 this month and Lily Wachowski being slated to direct her first feature in a decade, it’s clear there’s a burgeoning indie scene full of trans filmmakers.

While the indie scene booms, the big studios falter. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)’s annual “Where We Are On TV” report said trans representation in basic cable and streaming shows is at its lowest in 7 years.

Even then, GLAAD is just counting the number of trans characters in larger media — not necessarily the quality of that representation.

“I think we’re in an interesting era in the US, at least right now,” O’Keefe said.“Queerness is marketable in a way that it hasn’t been before, which comes with pros and cons. There’s a very narrow set of narratives that we’re allowed to explore which rely on us being able to explain our queerness in a coherent way, when often queerness isn’t coherent.”

Drew said she feels the pressure to conform not only as a trans person, as seen in the

film, but also as an artist working in the film industry.

“I got pretty boxed in as an editor,” Drew said.“People will always see you as the thing you did most. What’s happening with ‘The People’s Joker’ doesn’t really happen anymore, but it’s happening to me. I think it’s because I

made something very personal outside the studio system that was a big hit.”

O’Keefe is of the same mind about the indie scene.

“I think it’s independent creators who are really breaking that seal of what queer people can look like, because it’s not easily visible all the time,” O’Keefe said. “More is more right now in terms of wider representation, but what really excites me is when a writer or a team uses queerness to show me something about the world.”

With the combined creative effort of over one hundred queer artists from around the globe, “The People’s Joker” combines Drew’s own experience coming out as a trans woman, a defiance of strict copyright laws held by major movie studios, and a celebration of non-conformity at large.

“I hope I was able to bring something to this project and amplify rising artists’ voices, instead of just moving back into this dying studio system overrun by sex pests and assholes,” Drew said. “I gotta be working on my own or helping my friends. I can’t be in the editing bay telling other people’s stories anymore.”

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

One piece at a time: Student mosaic maker creates beauty from broken glass

By Anna Barth Contributing Photographer

Dawson Hobbs sits in his studio apartment in Chicago, using tiles and glue to showcase his passion for art. As the DePaul junior pieces each detail together, a mosaic emerges, telling a story through its intricate patterns.

“Capturing images in shiny tiles allows you to see them in a new lens and appreciate them differently, frozen on a frame,” he said.

Hobbs’ mosaics range from displays of floral arrangements to customized tabletops, each a unique work of their own. His love for the art began years ago, after he found a mosaic kit at a garage sale. He began experimenting by creating works of art for his friends and family.

“The lower stakes really helped me experiment and find my groove,” he said. “I found people taking interest and appreciating the pieces.”

He has turned his passion into a job. Through his Etsy shop, he takes custom requests and transforms others’ ideas into artistic masterpieces.

“I took a leap in hoping people would trust me to make them mosaics,” Hobbs said. “The freedom of having broken glass still be beautiful allows me to be bolder and more autonomous.”

Runners Unite: DePaul Students Form ‘Demons on the Run’ Club

By Sophie DiBenedetto

Contributing Writer

Look out, Lincoln Park! DePaul’s newest running club is ready to dominate the Lakefront trail. On Wednesdays and Fridays, Demons on the Run, a new recreational club for DePaul runners, meets at the Lincoln Park landmark known as the “Lemon Tree,” an enormous tree with a large sculpture of a lemon placed atop the stump. From there, they start their practices on Chicago’s wellknown running path.

The club originated with president and founder Rheema Ayyash, a DePaul sophomore. Ayyash, who started running in high school, decided to pick up the sport again in college and wanted a community to motivate her. Her roommates wanted to start running by her side, and Ayyash recruited her fellow computer science classmates to help. Thus, the executive board was born. It includes Ayyash, Hazael Weilandgruber, Dhruti Amin, Ariana Rosales, Ximena Rangel and Alyssa Miller.

According to their mission statement, one of the main goals of the club is to “promote practices of safety and personal health while running.” Ayyash recalled finding herself in a rut in her own marathon training. She wanted to run fast, but sustained injuries

were getting in the way of her goals.

“Eating, stretching and being careful will improve your running experience,” Ayyash said. “I don’t want people to go through what I went through because I lacked education and care for my body.”

Each practice begins with a thorough warm-up and stretches to guarantee that each runner is equipped to complete each run safely. The club also has two safety officers, Miller and Rangel, who will be at each run, monitoring everyone who attends and ensuring that no one is over-exerting themselves. Miller said the number of safety officers will increase as people join the club.

The club’s officers emphasized that no experience is required to join Demons on the Run. Ayyash said that the initial meeting and first practices had been an even mix of experienced runners and newbies.

“Half of the exec board aren’t even big runners,” Miller said. “We’re all starting our running journeys together.”

Due to the mix of experience, the first practices have consisted of mile trial times, where the officers get a sense of the members’ pace. This will allow them to split the club into pace groups for practices in the future. Additionally, Ayyash said this will give the runners an easy way to track their growth

over the quarter and technical season.

The club does not currently have funds due to its late start in the year and lack of time for fundraising. However, when fundraising begins in the fall, Ayyash hopes to begin having club members train for specific races. She envisions three tiers of membership: running for fun, training for local races, and training for out-of-state races. She also wants to begin fun activities for the group to get to know each other, like beach days, carb loads, ice cream post-runs and more.

“This is a pure hobby,” Ayyash said. “None of us are professional athletes, so I really want this club to be fun and exciting for everyone, while still allowing us to be active.”

Ayyash and Miller said that 15 to 20 people have been to each run thus far, which was more than expected. With the help of DeHUB, they said the club’s numbers are grad-

ually rising.

“I am really excited for the weather to get warmer for our runs,” Katherine Walsh, sophomore and Demons on the Run member, said. “I heard that after one of the warm runs last week, Rheema took a plunge into the lake. I hope that becomes a tradition.”

Demons on the Run hosts practices starting at the “Lemon Tree” in the Lincoln Park Zoo on Wednesdays, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Fridays, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. These runs take place along the Lakeshore path, allowing club members to run alongside others in the Chicago running community. Sundays are the club’s long run days with 10-plus miles, starting at the Armitage Brown Line after the group meets at 9:00 a.m.

Interested students can join the club through their DeHUB page or reach out with questions through Instagram DMs @DPU_

MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA

ANNA BARTH | THE DEPAULIA

Dawson Hobbs holds a handmade mosaic heart that he made in his hands on April 23, 2024, in his Chicago apartment. He says every cut on his finger, every drop of blood, was a cut towards achievement.

ANNA BARTH | THE DEPAULIA

ANNA BARTH | THE DEPAULIA

While in his Chicago apartment, Dawson Hobbs works on a custom piece for his Etsy shop on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. He started his shop in July 2023 after realizing he had a knack for mosaics.

Dawson Hobbs, a DePaul junior, sits at his workspace in his Chicago apartment on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. When creating a custom piece, Hobbs often listens to Grouplove, one of his favorite bands.

St.Vincent’s

D E JAMZ

“SPINNING FRESH BEATS SINCE 1581”

By Claire Tweedie Content Managing Editor

It’s officially May and you know what that means… It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander month! You did know it was AAPI month, right? If not, don’t worry. As your resident Wasian editor at The DePaulia, it is now my responsibility to educate you on the wonders of Asian American artists in the music industry. While there are a lot of ways I could do this, there’s one niche aspect in particular that caught my eye: Wasian artists dominating the pop music genre.

“Dance With You Tonight” by Laufey

In the spirit of full transparency, Laufey is the real reason I’m writing this DeJamz. I saw her in concert for the first time April 28 at the Chicago Theatre and it was a transformative experience. While her music definitely puts the pop in jazz pop, her masterful artistry between the two genres craft an unforgettable discography that I can’t recommend enough. The Icelandic-Chinese singer may not be Wasian American, but I’m bestowing AAPI month privileges to her anyway.

“Petals on the Moon” by Wasia Project

Okay, I will admit this one may also be a minor cop-out since Wasia Project opened for the Laufey concert I attended… Oh well! I have creative control here and you don’t. Suck it! Some DeJamz readers may recognize Wasia Project from their song “ur so pretty” which was featured in the Netflix television show “Heartstopper.” “Petals on the Moon” though is my personal favorite with its upbeat tempo, smooth vocals and easy beat to dance to. If you catch me doing a little shimmy on the Brown Line in the next week, it’s likely because this song is playing through my AirPods and lifting my mood.

“Last Words of a Shooting Star” by Mitski

I don’t know if I’ve revealed this on any previous DeJamz, but I exclusively listen to albums. Meaning, instead of putting on a playlist or shuffling an entire artist’s discography, I will choose one album for the day and listen to that on repeat until I’m sick of it. Mitski’s “Bury Me At Makeout Creek” notably lasted an

Crossword

entire week before I had to switch over to something new. Having “Last Words of a Shooting Star” as the final song of the album is a soul-crushing listening experience, though, as the song’s morbid lyrics and melancholic sound put me into a spell every time.

“so american” by Olivia Rodrigo Is this song currently one of Olivia Rodrigo’s most popular after she released the deluxe version of her album, “Guts?” Probably. Does that negate the fact that this song is an incredibly fun earworm that was stuck in my head for most of spring break? No, it doesn’t. Olivia Rodrigo is arguably the most mainstream and relevant name on this list but we love to see a Wasian queen collecting her bag. From a Disney Channel star to

ACROSS

1) Cartoonist who lampooned Tweed

5) Roe source 9) Night iers

13) Big Apple tennis venue

14) Glazed square 15) Courage, slangily 16) Foolish talk

18) Deck out 19) Flock leader, for short

20) Helpful connections

21) Units of force

22) Passes, as legislation

24) Generous giving

27) Slum scurrier

28) Elsie’s company

29) Some facial treatments

31) Meat-grading org.

32) Latch on to

36) Kadett automaker

37) Apportions, with “out”

38) Fallon’s predecessor

39) Cookbook amount

40) _ impulse (rashly)

41) Like an innie, maybe

42) Bring in

44) Ballpark g.

45) Old-fashioned to the max

48) Much of North Africa

51) Black-bordered notices

52) Apt. amenity

53) Pres., militarily 54) Deck with pentacles

55) 2000 presidential debate phrase

58) Manicurist’s material

59) Without a stitch

60) Creme- lled goodie

61) Tramp’s partner

62) ey may be rolled over

63) _buco red Pisco

a nationwide stadium tour is an impressive pipeline, and she deserves all of her accolades. Some people just hate to see a girl boss winning.

“Fight or Flight” by Conan Gray I’ve actually seen Conan Gray in concert twice, and both times someone fainted in the middle of his performance of “The Story.” That’s not actually relevant to this DeJamz, I just think about it every time Conan Gray pops up on my Spotify. That being said, his album “Kid Krow” sound tracked my 2020 and, as such, holds a special place in my heart. “Fight or Flight” in particular was one of my favorite songs to scream-sing even though I have never experienced heartbreak nor can I actually relate to the lyrics. It’s catchy, though!

DOWN

1) Mollusk shell liner

2) Visibly shaken

3) Noisy mock serenades to newlyweds

4) Downing Street address

5) Leaves speechless

6) Serenade the villain

7) Will Smith biopic

8) Boxing Day mo.

9) Golfer’s post-shot gyrations

10) Nerve cell conductors

11) Runs out of gas

12) Have a feeling

15) Madonna nickname

17) Baker’s protectors

23) Some saved iPhone data

24) Penmanship, it’s claimed

25) Impassioned, as a plea

26) Dietary gs.

28) _ Aires

29) Okra, essentially

30) Energy Star org.

33) Alamo or Dollar

o erings

34) Tiny tunneler

35) Any Little Leaguer,

once

37) Wear a puss

41) Needing sealant

43) Johnny Mathis classic

45) “Psycho” setting

46) Malia or Sasha

47) Did a stud’s work

48) Venti and trenta, at Starbucks

49) Bar mitzvah and bris

50) It may elicit a blessing

52) Cornell of university fame

55) Clarice Starling’s org.

56) Onetime Egypt-Syria alliance (Abbr.)

57) Holstein’s greeting

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

THE HINSKE HUDDLE

Bucks’ season ends plagued with injury, future in jeopardy

By Ryan Hinske Sports Editor

Just three seasons after winning their first NBA championship in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks might be falling back into league irrelevancy.

A brutal series against the Indiana Pacers saw superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard out with injuries, remaining star Khris Middleton limping his way through the series and starter Bobby Portis getting ejected just 10 minutes into game four. As a result, the Bucks lost in six games and have dropped out in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Three years ago, the Bucks sat on top of the league. 65,000 fans packed every corner of Milwaukee’s “Deer District” outside Fiserv Forum just to be close to where their

beloved Bucks won the coveted 2021 NBA championship. 2019 Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer, proved his worth after being labeled as a coach who came up short when it mattered most. Antetokounmpo became the first player in franchise history to win multiple MVPs and a championship since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Bucks also proved a “small market” team could succeed. Milwaukee is ranked 20th out of 28 NBA cities in population size and has the third-smallest NBA arena in terms of capacity. Yet, they built a championship team in a league whose victors tend to be larger cities. The key to their success was retaining their stars, as Antetokounmpo and Middleton had proven their loyalty (despite handsome offers from other teams) since they first arrived in Milwaukee in 2013.

“Oh yeah. I want to be here,” Antetokounmpo told TIME in 2017. “There are not a lot of players that have (spent their entire career with one team). Kobe (Bryant), Tim Duncan and Dirk (Nowitzki). I want to be one of them. I think I can do it.”

The fan base thrived on this loyalty, buying into the small market narrative while their players competed with a chip on their shoulder, using their underdog label as fuel to reach new heights. Finally, the players, coaches and fans were rewarded with the franchise’s first NBA championship after a half-century drought.

Since the Bucks reached their pinnacle, however, things have gone awry. In the 2022 conference semifinals, they lost to the Boston Celtics in a seven-game thriller. In the first round last season, they were quickly shut down by the Miami Heat in five games after Antetokounmpo was injured in game one. Shortly after, Budenholzer was fired and replaced by rookie head coach Adrian Griffin. Antetokounmpo was eligible for an extension with the team but did not move forward with it.

“I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same

page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do,” Antetokounmpo told the New York Times after electing not to sign the extension. “And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”

After just 43 games this season, when the Bucks possessed the second-best record in the league, Griffin was shockingly fired after Chris Mannix reported that several Bucks veterans had lost faith in the coach, including Antetokounmpo. Griffin was immediately replaced by veteran head coach and 2008 NBA champion Doc Rivers. Unlike the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers who fired head coach David Blatt midseason despite having the conference’s best record and went on to win the championship with their replacement head coach, the Bucks have been sent packing in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

The coaching change made no difference. The Bucks are stuck, and they are now at risk of losing arguably their greatest player in franchise history and starting from square one; a long way down from championship pandemonium at the Deer District, now a distant memory.

DePaul Men’s Soccer finishes spring season on high note, looks forward to fall

By Olivia Waletzke Contributing Writer

Following the win of the Chicago Cup, DePaul Men’s Soccer has completed its spring season with high hopes for the fall. With a new team dynamic and backto-back victories, the Blue Demons found themselves in a positive standing for the school year’s finale.

“We can take on anyone,” said Ethan Gordon, sophomore captain for the team, following the first victory of the cup versus Northern Illinois, which DePaul won 3-1.

The Chicago Cup is a tournament for D1 men’s soccer programs at colleges in the Chicagoland area. Winners of the cup can consider themselves the best in the city. Although the tournament is strictly an exhibition, coaches take it seriously and use it to showcase their team’s strengths.

The team advanced to the next chapter of their spring season story to face Northwestern, which – despite home-field advantage – lost to the Blue Demons 2-1.

“After (the cup), we can feel pretty confident going into the fall season,” Callum Watts, a junior center-fielder for the Blue Demons, said, foreshadowing the final win of the spring versus UIC. This was the second year in a row that the DePaul men’s team has won the Chicago Cup.

For soccer, the spring season equals a

time of adjustment, transition and adaptation.

“The team’s main focus has been preparing for the fall season,” head coach Mark Plotkin said.

Behind the scenes, the Blue Demons integrated new players during the winter, filling in the holes where players have transferred or where senior players will inevitably move on from.

“We’ve been out here (training) since January,” Plotkin said. “They’re really

starting to see the fruits of their labor.”

Plotkin talked about the winter training season as a chance for the team to get to know each other as players before the spring season began. According to Plotkin, the team “gelled” together and came out on the other side closer than ever.

“I’ve been so proud of their growth and how tight they all are,” he said.

Plotkin said the team’s closeness on and off the field shows in each game, with more experienced players welcoming and

bonding with newer players – and helping one another through hardships.

Gordon, the captain who plays center-back, described the team’s current state as “forward-looking.”

“Players in their fourth and fifth years are like family,” he said. “But we’ve built off of the new players. They’ve stepped right up to it.”

As a captain with approaching seniority on the team, the struggle and uncertainty of how new players would take to the team was at the forefront of their minds, but with the proof in their wins, Gordon seems to be proud of their accomplishments.

“I think this spring was a huge stepping point for the team as a whole,” Gordon added, after the team took home the cup. “What we’ve been doing works.”

According to Plotkin, the final game of the cup was won with a different set of players than their usual lineup. With several teammates experiencing injuries, lineups changed and allowed for newer players to get a chance on the field. Even with the new dynamic, the team still came out on top.

With a second win of the Chicago Cup in the books, the fall season for the Blue Demons is bright.

“If you were to have drawn up how we wanted this spring season to go, this is exactly how we would have planned it,” Plotkin said.

SONIA PURI | THE DEPAULIA

DePaul redshirt sophomore Christian Baumgartner controls the ball as the CTA brown line passes by on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Wish Field. Baumgartner’s previous school was Kentucky.

Proposed basketball practice facility raises questions of student displacement

By Ryan Hinske Sports Editor

DePaul hosted a community meeting Monday, April 29, at Cortelyou Commons to update residents and students on the modifications to the proposed basketball practice facility.

In his opening statement, Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy said DePaul athletics must return to national recognition and relevance, increasing applications and enrollment as universities nationwide struggle to continue enrolling students nationwide. Athletic performance elevates media attention, and DePaul’s athletes can’t perform well with its current facilities “in disrepair,” according to Peevy.

“Whether we agree with it or not, it’s much easier for an athletics department to garner media attention than our academic colleges and programs today,” Peevy said. “Recruits are turning us down at DePaul because of our facilities.”

Peevy then gave a virtual tour of the Sullivan Athletic Center, showing amenities such as the weight room, recovery room and locker rooms and comparing these to other Big East schools. He noted that DePaul is the only conference school without a dedicated basketball practice facility, with Seton Hall’s in construction and St. Johns’ set to be completed by Spring 2027.

“When I got here four years ago, I assessed where our department was and why we haven’t competed and won,” Peevy said. “We’re last in the Big East conference in every major category …. We’re investing in all of those at a high level to be able to invest in our future and our university.”

The speakers’ main criticism was the displacement of students from the roughly 40 student apartments set to be destroyed.

Some stressed the lack of flexibility with the loss of housing when students request room changes or enroll mid-year. Others pointed out that if DePaul’s plan comes to fruition and enrollment does increase, the lack of housing would push students into the Lincoln Park housing market, directly competing with residents and looking for housing they would struggle to pay for.

Richard Wiltse, DePaul’s vice president for facility operations, responded, saying there are currently 192 beds available on campus. He also said he conducted an apartments.com search April 18 and found 857 two-person apartments available for May 1 move-in at the price point equivalent to student housing (a maximum of $1,400 monthly per student) within the Vinnie Van’s boundaries: Ashland (West), North Ave. (South), Addison (North) and Sheridan (East).

“There’s not a demonstrable shortage of housing in this area … for the price point that our students are paying to live on campus, so I think we have to agree to disagree,” Wiltse said.

Peter Coffey, the associate vice president for community and government relations,

added that if DePaul’s enrollment does increase, long-term plans are in place to accommodate additional housing in three DePaul-owned lots.

Whether we agree with it or not, it’s much easier for an athletics department to garner media attention than our academic colleges and programs today.”

DeWayne Peevy Director of Athletics

“We currently have zoning approval to add more housing,” Coffey said. “There is a plan on paper that allows for housing to be built within our existing property footprint that’s already zoned.”

Some questioned why the surface lot on the corner of Fullerton and Sheffield would not be the location of the practice facility.

“Why would you put this tucked down inside the campus if you want everyone to

see it and miss the opportunity to really build this on one of the busiest streets on the North side of the city,” Barbara Perry, a Lincoln Park resident, said. “You’ve got that land just sitting there … these things aren’t making any sense to me.”

Coffey discussed the surface lot in detail, stating DePaul plans to utilize that space for a very large property that would build parking underground, running from Sheffield to Seminary and Fullerton to Montana. The university is required to replace the parking spots at that site if they are built over.

“That’s the kind of massive development that’s slated for that site. I cannot stand here and tell you when that’s going to happen,” Coffey said. “Moving the basketball site to that lot does not achieve what we’re trying to do long-term at DePaul University.”

Lincoln Park resident Maggie Grossman has been going to Blue Demon basketball games since she was a kid and believes the university has moved past its era of basketball greatness. She believes the facility would take away from the character of the neighborhood without bringing much support for the basketball team.

“From my point of view, that is the real value of DePaul education right now. In the last 20 years, DePaul education is about being part of the Chicago community,” Grossman said. “DePaul is not the little school under the ‘L’ anymore. They’re not coming here for the basketball team.”

DePaul student Tim Anderson responded later on, speaking about the university’s

legacy in basketball and how coach Ray Meyer and his son Joey represented the Vincentian values of the university at large. He said these values are best projected when leaders in the athletics program use their visibility and reputation to spread them, alluding to Peevy’s reference to the athletics program as the “front porch” of the university.

“When I speak about this from a basketball perspective, I’m not an athlete, but I care about it because I understand as a marketing student … attract the most talent to DePaul because that is ultimately the most outward-facing example and voice of our university,” Anderson said. “We are trying to do our best as universities to be open to make concessions and make adjustments so that we fit better within the neighborhood we’ve been a part of for 125 years.”

Timmy Knudsen, alderman for the 43rd ward, which includes DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, also spoke at the meeting. He said his office asked DePaul to make “significant changes” to their first proposal in November. These changes involved design, aesthetics, openness to the general student population, size, sustainability, long-term preservation efforts and use for youth sports leagues.

On Friday, May 3, the Alderman’s office sent an update via email.

“Our office has not made a final determination related to the project, and accordingly, will continue to negotiate in order to ensure that if a project is done, it is one that benefits our community for generations,” Knudsen said.

JEREMY BATTLE | THE DEPAULIA

Lincoln Park community members watch as DePaul’s Vice President for Facility Operations Rich Wiltse, left, architect Joseph Antunovich, middle, Athletics Director DeWayne Peevy, far right, and Associated Vice President of Community and Government Relations Peter Coffey talk about the proposed athletic facility on Monday, April 29, 2024, at Cortelyou Commons.