Northeastern Illinois University’s
ndependent @NEIUIndieNews Tuesday, November 14, 2017
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Vol. 37 Issue 6
NEIU students shine at SACNAS
INSIDE
Is RateMyProfessor cyber bullying? Page 9 Lee “Scratch”Perry still has what it takes Page 11 Student channels MMA for family Page 15
News Students collaborate on zika research Photos provided by Uzma Ain
Theresa Cherone Three NEIU seniors began research on the Zika Virus in May and turned it into an interactive program to show how the virus spreads through a population. Biology students Uzma Ain and Estefania Figueroa, along with Computer Science student Jerry Santos, were selected to go to the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and
Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) conference on Oct. 22, for their research on the Zika Virus. While at the conference Ain won an award for Outstanding Poster Presentation. “Winning this [award] helps make NEIU more visible in the science spectrum,” Santos said. “It is a big deal to our departments of biology and computer science.” Ain said she was excited, grateful
and the award was unexpected because this was the first time she had done research and presented it at a conference. The title of the poster was “Simulating the Spread of Zika Virus Through Computational Modeling.” This poster showed background information about Zika Virus, the purpose of creating this simulation and the conclusion Ain, Santos and Figueroa want to find through testing at NEIU.
Editorial Board
Staff Writers
Theresa Cherone Grant Spathis Liz Varmecky Nihrien Prgam Nicoleta Girloanta Amy Buscemi Mackkeitha Mason Carl Kendrick Gray
The testing is currently available for students who are in the process of becoming teachers in one biology classroom, Ain said. “The program was well received so far,” Santos said. Ain, Santos and Figueroa will have the official results of the testing at the end of the semester, Ain said. Zika Virus is most commonly spread by Aedes Aegypti, a certain type of mosquito, Figueroa said. Sex-
Editor-in-Chief - Robin Bridges News Editor - Sarahy Lopez Opinions Editor - Cecilia G. Hernandez Arts & Life Editor - Bisma Zafar Sports Editor - Patrick Casas Online Editor - Miguel Casimiro Social Media Editor - Nallely Padilla Marketing and Advertising Director - Christopher Starnawski Payroll Manager - Cheryl Johnson Cartoonist - Brandi Nevarez
ual transmission or vertical transmission, which is passing the virus from mother to fetus, are other ways this virus can spread, Ain said. Ain, Santos and Figueroa wanted to make sure students from grade school through high school, as well as college students and professional researchers, could use and understand this program.
See ZIKA Page 6
The Independent is a public forum for the university and the community surrounding Northeastern Illinois University and its satellite campuses, El Centro in the Logan Square community and Jacob C. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies in Kenwood/Hyde Park. The Independent is completely student run and receives no prior review of its content by anyone other than its student editors. The Independent is published every other week except during summer and semester breaks. Deadlines are nine (9) days prior to the issue in which a contribution is to appear. Views expressed in letters are those of the university community and not those of the Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the content of the Independent, and views presented do not necessarily represent those of the administration, faculty or students. The Independent is a member of the Illinois College Press Association and Associated Collegiate Press.
www.neiuindependent.org Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Student Veterans Club pays tribute to veterans The Student Veterans Club of NEIU honored the nation’s veterans during a ceremony Friday, Nov. 10. The ceremony was followed by a wreath presentation and the addition of dog tags to the Peace Garden on the main campus. The SVC is a chapter of the Student Veterans of America and is open to all students who would like to become more connected to those who sacrifice their lives to support the freedoms of being in the United States. Photos (Clockwise from left): Lamont Vaughn adds dog tags to the Peace Garden on the main campus. The dedicated wall in the Peace Garden is adorned with dog tags to honor the women and men who put themselves in harm’s way to protect citizen freedoms. The bench in the Peace Garden on the main campus dedicated to all who have served the nation. Photos by Chris Laurent
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Tuesday, November 14, 2017
www.neiuindependent.org
NEWS
Crime stats up, NEIU still safest campus Liz Varmecky
The 2017 Annual Safety and Security Information Report is the first such report that includes statistics covering the first year since NEIU became a residential campus. Five robberies were reported at non-campus properties NEIU owns on West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Drug and alcohol abuse and Violence Against Women Act reporting may have increased, but crime at NEIU remains comparatively low for institutions in Chicago. According to NEIU’s safety report, released Oct. 4, crime reports have increased due to the acquisition of commercial properties for future development and changes the U.S. Department of Education made to the crime reporting requirements in 2016. Director of Public Relations Mike Hines said the university’s administration does “not expect the addition of a residential component to affect Northeastern’s reputation as the
‘safest campus in the state.’” The 2017 safety report comes out during a time of heightened safety concerns on campus, after reports of an armed intruder in the Nest on Sept. 20 and written death threats found on campus this semester, according to an email sent to students by the university. The 2016 increase in crime may have been influenced by several factors, and the authors of NEIU’s report added caveats for the first time to justify the upturns. All 28 crime reports that occurred on NEIU property in 2016 fall into one of three categories: robberies, drug and alcohol violations and Violence Against Women Act-mandated reporting. Robberies The report, which is divided into sections both by category and campus, indicates five
Events Approved by COC Oct. 5, Oct. 12, and Oct. 19 Meetings Earth Science Club Mock Field Camp at Lasalle Anticline $53.97 Dancers Society Dance Club American Central Conference - $2,200.00 Delta Tau Lambda Salute to Latinas $3470.86 Eagles Dance Crew Halloween Knight $684.10 Muslim Student Association MSA Comedian Night $1521.86
Black Caucus Black Homecoming $1862.56 Pin@y Club Coming Together Conference - $843.30 Beta Gamma Sigma Global Leadership Summit - $3357.90 Linguistics Honor Society Linguistics Beyond and Within 2017 - $627.14 Earth Science Club SEPM Fall Field Concerence - $1,756.90
Student Veterans Club Veterans Day $1364.25
Council of Clubs Updates
robberies took place on non-campus properties in the main campus section in 2016. Hines said the non-campus properties include properties on the north and south side of West Bryn Mawr Avenue, which were mostly acquired in December 2015 and January 2016. The safety report’s robbery statistic is followed by this caveat: “The increase in robbery is the result of acquiring commercial properties by the University for future development.” The Board of Trustees proposed the parcels of land as a potential location for an anticipated additional residence hall. When asked to confirm the university’s plans for the newly acquired properties, Hines said the board “is expected to discuss and possibly make a decision on Phase II of the residence halls” at their Nov. 16 meeting.
Events Funded by Student Activity Fee for Oct. 31 - Nov. 14 Oct. 31 - Golden Eagle Dance Crew - Halloween Knight 6pm - Alumni Hall Nov. 10 - Students Veterans Club - Veterans Luncheon Peace Garden outside of Cafeteria Student Leadership Development Oct. 31 - Halloween Hangout 3pm-4pm - Pedroso Center
Drug and Alcohol Violations There were fewer reports of these violations in 2014 and 2015, prior to the opening of the residence hall. According to the safety report, liquor law violations were reported on NEIU’s main campus 12 times in 2016, and drug law violations and referrals for arrest were reported three times. The liquor and drug portion of the safety report is followed by this caveat: “Increase in liquor law violations was a result of newly opened on campus residence hall in 2016.” Violence Against Women Act Offenses compiled under the Violence Against Women Act represent the only violent crimes reported other than robbery, as defined in the 2017 safety report. Drug and Alcohol Violations
See CRIME page 6
Senate Updates There are still open SGA positions for Senators and Council of Club Representatives. If you are interested in being in Student Government, please contact Olivia Goree at o-goree@neiu.edu To read approved Senate minutes and passed legislation visit neiu.edu/sld and check out the SGA tab.
Nov. 2 - Alternative Spring Break Trip Deadline Applications are accessible at neiu.campuslab.com/ engage/submitter/form/start/143848 Nov. 13-18 - National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Northeastern Programming Board Nov. 6 - I Love Mondays Churros, Peppermint Spice Mocha 1pm-4pm - Village Square Six Flags Tickets $20 ticket - 2 tickets per student (with student ID) Purchase your tickets in NPB Office E-060. Last day: November 17
STUDENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
To request disability accommodations please contact Student Disability Services at (773) 442-4595 or SDS@neiu.edu at least 48 hours in advance.
Demarre McGill presented by Northeastern Illinois University’s Jewel Box Series
Friday, November 17 7:30 pm neiu.edu/tickets Student tickets $10 at the Information Center NEIU Auditorium 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL Neiu.edu/directions Parking Permits are required on campus
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NEWS
www.neiuindependent.org
Crime from page 4 There were fewer reports of these violations in 2014 and 2015, prior to the opening of the residence hall. According to the safety report, liquor law violations were reported on NEIU’s main campus 12 times in 2016, and drug law violations and referrals for arrest were reported three times. The liquor and drug portion of the safety report is followed by this caveat: “Increase in liquor law violations was a result of newly opened on campus residence hall in 2016.” Violence Against Women Act Offenses compiled under the Violence Against Women Act represent the only violent crimes reported other than robbery, as defined in the 2017 safety report. However NEIU had the most robberies total compared to the other universities. North Park, the closest
university to NEIU’s main campus, Depaul and UIC all had a single report each. Chicago State University had 2 reported robberies last year and NEIU had five robberies. According to its 2017 Campus Safety and Security Report and Fire Safety Report, North Park University, 3225 W. Foster Ave., saw an increase of rape reports in 2016. There were eight reports at their main campus in 2016, up from one in 2015. The Clery Act Reporting Changes The Clery Act was passed in 1990 and mandates a public, proactive, annual disclosure of crime reports on university and college campuses, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. Because of changes made to the reporting requirements in 2016, additional properties must be included in the 2016 reports, compared to
the 2015 statistics. The 2016 changes also provide updated guidance and definitions of sexual assault and similar crimes. Alcohol and drug violations and VAWA reporting no longer fall under a hierarchy rule, which would have allowed these offenses to go unreported in the drug, alcohol and VAWA categories if a more serious crime were reported while that offense was taking place. The new guidance does not require reporting marijuana use and possession in areas like Chicago that have decriminalized possession of small quantities of the substance. The purpose of the Clery Act is to empower students and prospective students by providing them with data about crime in and around university campuses.
Zika from page 2 “Students in biology classrooms usually just look at textbooks and then look at the facts generated by the text,” Santos said. “We wanted to reintroduce the Scientific Method.” Santos said, the program will allow students to manipulate the variables that fuel a viral outbreak, allowing them to watch the epidemic spread. When students create a hypothesis to test, even if the outcome doesn’t match the prediction, they can come up with a new one. Figueroa said that for visual learners in particular, this is better than simply reading about how the virus is spread In this program, the population moves through three stages: susceptible, infected, and recovery or SIR. SIR modeling is used by both professors and epidemiologists to help students learn about viruses.
A susceptible person is green, an infected person is red and a recovered person is gray. Those in the population who can get the virus are in the susceptible stage. Once a person is in the recovery stage they can no longer contract the Zika Virus. “As a biologist, research and reading articles is an everyday occurrence, and it was fascinating to see this project come to life,” Figueroa said. Ain, Figueroa and Santos have been asked to continue with the research. However nothing has been decided. Santos said the important thing was that they got the ball rolling and hopes people in the future will look at this program and make it better.
www.neiuindependent.org Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Police Blotter
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NEWS
The following incidents occurred between the dates of October 16th to November 9th at NEIU’s main campus.
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Oct. 16 - The Nest: A student pushed someone in an elevator and slammed the door in their face. The student was asked to speak to a counselor. Oct. 16 - Library: A victim was uncomfortable with the unwanted romantic advances from an acquaintance. Incident was reported to the Title IX coordinator. Oct. 16 - Parking Garage: A verbal altercation occurred between two drivers over a traffic issue. Oct. 17 - Parking Garage: An unknown offender struck and damaged another car while it was parked in the garage. Oct. 18 - Lech Walesa Hall: A verbal altercation occurred between two employees over work related issues. Oct. 18 - Bernard Office Building: An unknown offender wrote graffiti on the basement door and on the stair handrail. Facilities management was notified for a clean-up. Oct. 19 - The Nest: A resident reported verbal threats from a non-student over a mutual boyfriend. Oct. 20 - The Nest: Police responded to a resident violating the overnight guest policy. The guest was escorted out and banned for one year. Oct. 20 - Parking Lot F: An unknown offender struck and damaged a victim’s vehicle while it was parked in the lot. Oct. 26 - Parking Office: Police responded to a distraught person talking about struggles in academic and personal life. Counseling was provided to them. Oct. 27 - Lech Walesa Hall: Faculty reported receiving disturbing phone calls from an unknown caller from an out-of-state line. Oct. 27 - The Nest: A resident became agitated and verbally abusive after being escorted out for violating the after hours sign-in procedure. Oct. 28 - The Nest: Officers responded to a call of possible underaged drinking. The offenders were not found. Oct. 28 - The Nest: A resident was warned she was in violation of a policy that states minors are not allowed to stay overnight. Oct. 29 - The Nest: A resident became verbally abusive when she was told her underaged daughter could not spend the night because of the residence policy. Oct. 30 - E-Building: A witness reported an unknown person in a wheelchair striking and breaking a hallway window. Facilities management was notified. Oct. 30 - Student Union Building: Officers responded to reports of a loud female in cafeteria causing a disturbance. Peace was restored when officers arrived. Nov. 1 - The Nest: Four females were arrested for battery to another resident. Chicago police assisted in the matter. Nov. 1 - The Nest: A verbal domestic dispute occurred between a boyfriend and girlfriend. Peace was restored by the resident assistant. The boyfriend was asked to leave. Nov. 2 - The Nest: Officers were notified of physical altercation between two residents. Offender left when police arrived. Nov. 3 - F-Building: An officer found several papers with death threats. The papers were indicative of previous letters and notes found around campus. Nov. 6 - NEIU: A faculty member reported receiving disturbing phone calls from someone claiming to be the FBI. Incident is still under investigation. Nov. 7 - B-Building: An officer observed a subject violate university regulations about smoking inside the building and also found a knife in their possession. Nov. 7 - Bernard Brommel Hall: An unknown offender stole victim’s calculator from the study room. Nov. 8 - The Nest: Officers responded to call of couple arguing. Peace was restored when they arrived, and no arrests or complaints were made. Nov. 8 - Library: An unknown offender stole victim’s textbook after it was left unattended. Nov. 8 - P.E. Building: Officers responded to a verbal altercation between two subjects playing basketball. Peace was restored when they arrived. Nov. 9 - The Nest: A resident assistant witnessed a resident drop a small bag of suspected cannabis down a toilet. Police were called, and a warning was issued to the subject. The following incident occurred on October 30th in El Centro Oct. 30 - El Centro: There was a verbal altercation between a student and faculty member during a test session.
Opinions
To hell with your morals, give me birth control Sarahy Lopez
The Trump administration is making it harder for women to get access to birth control, under the guise of “religious morals.” The Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury and Labor will allow employers, colleges and universities to deny contraception coverage if they have a “religious or moral objection.” The departments have made it harder for women who are denied birth control coverage to get no-cost contraception directly from insurance companies, under a process established by the previous administration, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I just can’t stress enough how birth control allows women to decide their own future. Some women do not think they are financially ready for a child or they simply don’t want one. That’s a decision that every woman should be able to have and make. Denying a woman her birth control is denying her choices she can make. And “religious morals” doesn’t always equate to the best sex education for the young. Growing up in a religious household, birth control and condoms were out of the question. My family believed in marriage first, and having sexual relations outside of marriage was constituted as sinful. My cousins and I were always taught that abstinence was the safest form of birth control, and I wasn’t given any actual education about birth control until about middle school. Before I get into how my 16-year-old cousin ended up impregnating his 15-year-old girlfriend, let me just say that abstinence is
not how we should educate the young. Don’t do what my eldest aunt would say to all of us, “You’re going to burn in hell if you have sex!” Don’t scare your children about the topic, we should be educating them on the proper usage of condoms and forms of birth control. My cousin, who is a sophomore in high school, is clear proof that abstinence is not enough. Despite my mother being the most progressive of all her sisters and brothers, when I brought up the topic of birth control pills to her, she immediately attacked the idea and accused me of wanting to have sex outside of marriage. When I told her I couldn’t handle the horrible cramps that happen every month and birth control wasn’t just about preventing sex, she began to understand what birth control truly meant. I don’t personally blame her for attacking my decision to get birth control pills because I understand she grew up in a time and place where religion had a strong hold on birth control ideals. But because she was taught that abstinence was the way, she then tried to implement those ideals onto her children. Sex education was seen, for the longest time, as an incentive to go have sex instead of a preventive, at least within the religious morals of my family. The new rule implemented also makes it seem like birth control is not a necessity in a woman’s life, further establishing the idea that sex education is not important and that it encourages sex. Birth control is vital, and it is an important health service that should not be denied, no matter the moral standpoints of companies deciding for women.
Chicago women march for equality Jan. 21. Photos by Elena Malloy
www.neiuindependent.org Tuesday, November 14, 2017
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OpINIONS
Students call on peers to take a stand
Nihrien Prgam & Nicoleta Girloanta
The Dan Bilzerian picture posted on National Women’s Day 2017 portrayed Bilzerian in a hot tub with naked women as one is bent over to represent a table. Bilzerian has a plate and is eating steak off of her tweeting, “It’s National Women’s Day, be thankful, they are good for so many things!” Sadly, Bilzerian didn’t take it down ignoring everything and seeing it as an “angry feminist” issue. It was great to see feminists and women around the world attack Bilzerian about how disrespectful his post was. Women tweeted things like “This is disgusting” or “Shame on you for making her your table.” A lot of men however were tweeting “Dude, you are my hero” or “Dan is the man!” A feud happened between men and women on Twitter, a lot of men were praising Bil-
zerian, and continue to praise how he has an entourage of beautiful women he picks from. We must ask why is this happening? It has a lot to do with the way women are represented in the media. Films like “Bad Teacher,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and “Mr. and Ms. Smith” are some examples. In these films, although women might be a main role, their character lacks depth, and instead is portrayed as overly sexualized and existing only for benefit of men. Young impressionable minds learn how to treat women based on how they see women being treated in movies, music videos, and other forms of media. Viewers of media, regard what they see as “the truth” or an example, for how they too should act. If the only women they see in the media, are overly sexualized women, and they see other characters responding to them by engaging them only because of their “sexiness,” this sends out a strong message that this is how people should
behave around women. Although it is a societal issue, men can prevent it from happening and women can begin to stand up and fight! Men can talk to their sisters, mothers, and friends.Women are more complex than how they are shown in film. Ask them how they feel about the topic. When you watch a movie, question the way women are being portrayed in their roles. Are they given as many lines as men? When they speak, is it something of substance, or simply regarding fun, or fashion? How are they dressed? Paying attention to things like this will make you aware. Once you are aware then you can begin to recognize that it’s wrong, and dismiss those representations of women as not-good. On another note, women themselves can also fight against this. They can remind the men in their lives to treat them with respect by demanding respect. They can call out sexist remarks, and remind men about their
worth and value in society. Although we are talking about society, this can also be looked at, on a smaller scale, here at NEIU. NEIU should care about women-student’s opinions because we are paying tuition. Although there haven’t been any reports of sexual harassment, objectifying comments definitely happen. It may not always be physical, but there have been male-students who have not respected women. For example, the “yoga pants trend” has made a lot of male students literally stare instead of a natural quick glance. Things like that make women feel uncomfortable and is still a form of objectification. It is fair to say that no one likes those creepy stares which goes to men as well. It is important to recognize these issues and make ourselves aware of them so we can end them. Finally, we want to end this piece with some resources both on campus, and off.
Rate My Professor used for backlash
Grant Spathis
RateMyProfessor.com is a wonderful way to determine which professors fit with your learning style, but it can also harbor something much darker. Like the rest of the internet, RMP can turn into a hive of cyber bullying and attacks against professors. The anonymity provided can serve as a breeding ground for hateful or derogatory attacks, which has affected NEIU. Like elsewhere, these attacks can be sexually demeaning or plain spiteful. While the site guidelines ask students reviewing professors to “be honest and objective” and avoid personal attacks. However, the same can be said about Twitter, another anonymous posting site that has dealt with an ever-increasing issue of threats. One of the primary problems with RMP, as anyone who has used the site can attest to, is that the reviews have very little middle ground. Either a professor is excellent or miserable, too hard or laughably easy. This gives students an inability to accurately assess their future professors,
and can even keep them out of classes due to a preponderance of negative reviews. This is chilling effect, as students are only able to get a piece of the puzzle, instead of the whole. The assumption that the worst review on the site is indicative of the whole is one of the issues that plague review sites, as consumers don’t typically leave reviews unless they have a miserable or wonderful experience. This can lead to personal grudges about grades or conflicting personalities spilling out onto the internet, where it is nearly impossible for them to be scrubbed. The categories that students can review on Rate My Professor range from humor to difficulty of the class to “hotness,” which is where things can get thorny. As one would guess, the possibility for sexually explicit messages is readily available. The same goes for demeaning messages. The problems run deepest for female professor because, like the rest of the internet, RMP has become a place for students to objectify and vilify women, as
happened to a professor at a Canadian college, who refused to repeat the insult, but said it was “sexually derogatory.” Another instance came during a Boston University report on the subject, with one review suggesting through insinuation that the professor was sexually harassing his students. These examples are a small drop in an ocean of reviews, but to ignore them is to ignore the danger that any and all harassment brings to a learning environment that values diversity in thought and action. As with most online content, RMP must be taken with a grain of salt. The anonymity of the site provides a platform for disgruntled students to take out their grudges, without repercussions. The site, while useful in small doses, often finds reviews on either ends of the extreme, with very little middle ground. The opportunities for harassment are right there, so next time you check a professor’s rating, be wary of what the students are saying.
150 Careers for the Future: Using Technology Across the Disciplines
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wednesday, november 15, 2017 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
10:30-11:30 AM | Alumni hall
7:00-8:00 pM | lwh 1002
Technology, Creativity, and Being the Boss!
Partner at Bain & Company (Chicago) and co-author
Using WOWs to jumpstart your careers (plural!)
Time, Talent, Energy: Overcome Organizational Drag & Unleash Your Team’s Productive Power
Randi Brill
Eric Garton
*Free Workshops Throughout the Day
VISIT NEIU.EDU/NETTDAY FOR MORE INFORMATION SPONSORED BY: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, OFFICE OF CULTURAL EVENTS, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND THE NEIU FOUNDATION.
Lee “Scratch” Perry performs on North Side
A&L
Amy Buscemi
Photos by Jake from Manchester, UK, via Wikimedia Commons
At 81 years old, Reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry took the house down during an epic north side performance of over two hours of music on the evening of October 27. While New York City dub backup performers Subatonic Sound System played an enthusiastic dub intro, the seas of the sold out room at the Beat Kitchen split to allow Perry to make his entrance through the crowd and up on to the stage where he would remain performing until well into the midnight hour. Dressed in a colonel blazer style jacket decorated with various types of flare including an embroidered badge with a heart on it, Lee Perry’s eccentricism in appearance didn’t end there as he wore a flat brim hat also shimmering with flare and carried a microphone
with a large gold colored Egyptian ankh, a symbol meaning “life,” attached to it. He performed reggae songs with messages of love, unity, freedom and peace to a packed audience diverse in age, ethnicity and lifestyle. Although there wasn’t much wiggle room in the sold out venue, one attendee Meagan Panici of Rogers Park said, “It was totally worth dealing with the crowd and heat [to watch the performance].” She also said, “Even though the room was uncomfortably packed at times, there was still a really great vibe coming from the audience that matched the vibe being given off on stage.” Subatonic Sound System is a New York City group lead by an artist that goes by EMCH, also known as scientifik, and is known for
integrating 1970s Jamaican sound system culture and dub reggae studio techniques into current music genres. When EMCH wasn’t mixing on stage with Lee Perry, he was playing the melodica, a small keyboard like instrument with a tube that is blown into to produce effect. A saxophone player and a percussionist accompanied Lee Perry in this Subatonic Sound System lineup as well. Darcy Levy of Madhatter Promotions which helped to promote the event proclaims, “Lee Scratch Perry is the most eccentric dub artist out of Jamaica that you’ll ever find!” Hailing from Jamaica and hitting the peak of his career in the ‘70s, Perry holds an important place in the history of reggae, producing acts as great as Bob Marley and the
Wailers and creating reggae music of his own. He is known to have his own unique style and sound as he is held responsible by reggae gurus for shaping the sound of dub and taking it to experimental levels of no other. He also has a reputation of being an innovator of dub mixing. M.J. Skok, a North Center resident and attendee of the show, said, “It was an honor and a privilege to get to see such a legendary performer so late in their life. I am grateful to have been able to go to this sold out show.” Lee “Scratch” Perry headlined Reggae Fest Chicago in 2016 and is currently playing live performances in promotion of his latest release alongside Subatonic Sound System entitled “Super Ape Returns to Power.”
Harambee event celebrates African American culture Mackkeitha Mason
The Harambee Celebration that took place in the Angelina Pedroso Center on Oct. 25 was a celebration of African Diaspora’s culture and life. The event was created to bring together the African and black community at NEIU. With speakers, poets, artists, dancers, and musicians, this two part event featured food, speakers and performances that showed the greatness of diversity and unity at NEIU, and provided opportunities for networking. The word “Harambee” comes from the Swahili phrase meaning “Let’s pull together.” This event was organized by Dr. Sharon L. Bethea and presented in collaboration with The Task Force for African, African American, and African Diaspora Student Success, African/African American Studies Program and the Division of Student Affairs. Bethea is very involved at NEIU as an Associate Professor, Counselor Education, Coordinator of African African Amer-
ican Studies Program and Affiliate Faculty member of the Inner City Studies Program. She “created this event as a celebration of African diaspora culture and life and as a way to begin to pull together the African American community at NEIU.” Bethea also wanted to provide a space and place for black students voices at NEIU. The event started with libations done by Dr. Derise Tolliver of DePaul University. Libations are drinks poured out as an offering to a deity. Libations promote unity and balance as well as safeguards the relations between all beings and things in existence. Speakers from different communities spoke about their experiences. Sudan’s Red Army member and NEIU alumnus Peter Magai Bul described his experience both here as a student and in Sudan. Seenaa Jimjimo, an Ethiopian activist and part of the Coalition of Oromo Advocates, also spoke and discussed how
long it took for the Oromo people of East Africa to be proud of their culture. The event also featured artists Phenom, Abraham Mellish, Princess Kazayah and Rooby Man presented diverse styles of music. The MOYA African Dance Troupe, a West African group of three women, performed in traditional wear. Student attendees that don’t identify as black also came and enjoyed the event. Summer Azzami stated, “It was a great learning experience.” Aj Turner said, “I’m not of African descent [but] Harambee taught me the ways that people express their experience through their cultures.” Spoken word artist Shawna Johnson said, “The event made me feel like we need to come together more and unite on an everyday basis. Like this night, we all came together, praised each other for our work and it was a beautiful feeling.”
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Review: Greatest games of the past year Carl Kendrick Gray
Fall is upon us and you know what that means: colder weather, football, Halloween, and newly released video games. Fall is for many gamers the main event of the year since highly anticipated games are finally released to the public. Before we can talk about how good this season’s games are, I figured I would talk about five games from last year that you may have overlooked but should definitely try.
great music, diverse enemies and a slew of ridiculous weapons and ways to take out your enemies, you’ll have quite the blast.
Sonic Mania: For quite a few years now, Sega has really put their iconic mascot Sonic the Hedgehog in the purgatory of mediocre to just plain terrible games. The more recent nightmare people remember for Sega’s mascot was Sonic Boom back in 2014. Since then, Sega talked about bringing the series back to its roots and delivered a few months ago. Sonic Mania is a true masterpiece with the classic 2-D left to right style of gameplay. If you loved the classic Sega Genesis games like I did, you are truly in for a wonderful, nostalgic experience. Play as Sonic, Tails or Knuckles as you go through levels of old and new. Whether you’re new to Sonic or just a fan of the classics, Sonic Mania will be sure to be a great game to play.
Pokemon Sun and Moon: Believe it or not the Pokemon Series (shows, games etc) was out for two decades. ,The series started out with 151 diverse monsters with different typing and attacks. Now look at the series twenty years later and there are now a whopping 802 Pokemon. You’d think after twenty years the developer of Game Freak would be running out of ideas for their beloved series, but last year generation seven of Pokemon came out with Pokemon Sun and Moon. If you’re an old fan of the series or have played all of the games up to this point, you will love this game. The starter Pokemon are all really cool in their own ways and each final evolution has a certain creative theme to them. Sun and Moon brings a different approach to playing through the story. Instead of having the traditional gyms and gym leaders, they have island challenges with Kahunas as bosses. With new and old Pokemon in the game, this is sure to keep fans of the series excited.
Doom: If you’re a gamer of any sort, I’m sure you have heard of the classic game Doom from the 1990s. This true classic is known as one of the great early shooters of gaming. A couple years ago the news came out that Doom was getting a new game in the series with the same simple name. Last year it turned out to be one of the best games of that year. Whether you’re playing the single or multiplayer experience you’re in for a fun action packed shooter. With up-to-date graphics,
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard: Capcom’s iconic horror franchise found itself in troubled waters after the lackluster release of Resident Evil 6. Fans of the series were fearing that the franchise was well past its prime and on the chopping block. This all changed once Resident Evil 7 Biohazard was released. With Halloween right around the corner, this is THE game you need to be playing for your horror game fix. With an interesting and great idea of changing the camera from its
Your NEIU Independent wants to report everything Northeastern. We are currently looking for newshounds from both the El Centro and Carruthers locations to report on all things going on in those areas. Feel free to reach out to our staff to get you started on the path of building your writing portfolio and make some money. The first step is to reach out to the Independent Managing Editor, Rut Ortiz by submitting an email to NEIUManagingEditor@gmail.com.
typical third person to a first person view, this gives the game a truly scary experience all around. If you have played any Resident Evil game, expect a truly dark and disturbing story. The gameplay is beautiful with its first person view and expect more than enough moments of being truly creeped out. The bosses in the game are challenging and even more disturbing than the regular enemies. Resident Evil 7 Biohazard is a truly horrifying experience that you should into if you’re into the survival horror genre. Overwatch: Where do I start with this game? From the company Blizzard that has given us franchises like World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Starcraft, Diablo and Heroes of the Storm, comes yet another classic for the ages. Overwatch is a strategic shooter that has a huge cast of quirky and cool characters. From a cybernetic ninja to a knight with a jet propelled hammer, anyone who plays this game will find a character they will truly love. As I said before, this game is a strategic shooter with many ways to play the game. Whether you like playing the healer and keeping your team alive, being the tank character to the main attacker cleaning up kills you can play this game any way you want. My personal advice for anyone who plays this awesome game is that team composition is important. You should work towards a well rounded team. Of all the games I have played in the last year, Overwatch was the one I keep coming back to play. This game continues to update and get even better.
Sports
Students reflect on flag football season Christopher Starnawski After a competitive season, the 2017 NEIU at the end of the half which ended up being was when we alflag football intramurals concluded on Nov. the game winning touchdown,” Hani said. lowed six points in 2. The third-year Honey Badgers won deci- “Playing flag-football at NEIU is a great way the championship sively in the championship game against the to meet new people.” game,” Pena said. first-year team Beast Mode, 38 to 6. Hani also had some ideas to increase turn- “I was really hopNew faces and new teams highlighted the out for the next fall semester. “It would also ing for a complete start of the season. Beast Mode prevailed in be really cool to play a night game on campus. shutout season.” the season opener against freshman team Big I think an event like that would be a lot of fun Pena also shared Baller Brand, 31-12. Many players on these and could be a great way to get more students some ideas about teams have extensive experience playing in involved and support our teams.” ways to increase organized football, but the transition from Even though Hani’s team came up short student turnout for tackle football to flag football comes with a in the first round of playoffs, Big Baller Brand next season. significant learning curve. showed a lot of talent on the field and has “There should Despite the adjustments, Beast Mode was great potential to be a championship team be fliers posted able to score the second most total points in next season. in the hallways of the league, with some help from first-year flag Andrew Pena is a third-year flag football other buildings, football player Tristen Tanner. player at NEIU. In his first season he won the maybe even classTanner has been playing organized foot- championship with his then team Last Men rooms,” Pena said. ball for over 10 years, starting in grade school Standing. “I know a lot of stuand competing through high school. He At the beginning of the season, he and dents that didn’t even know we had a football played collegiate football at Millikin Univer- another member of Last Men Standing, pop- league or any other intramurals to be honest.” sity in Decatur for a year but transferred to ularly known as “Big Rob” on campus, de- Pena plans to be back next season to win anNEIU after experiencing an injury. cided to join the third-year team the Honey other championship before graduation. Despite that setback a year ago, he showed Badgers. Their championship experience and Karlton Watkins is a third-year starter no signs of slowing down on the field and was skillset played a big role in the Honey Badgers for this year’s championship team, the Honey a dynamic threat throughout the season. This dominant season. Badgers. He, like the rest of the students interfall semester was Tanner’s first time playing Pena has been playing organized football viewed, has an extensive football background organized flag football. for over 10 years. At Stevenson High School, surpassing 10 years. He played throughout “It was actually really fun but different for high school, at Trinity me,” Tanner said. “It was the first time I had International University, played with that group of guys which is cool and with semi-pro team because now I know them personally so anythe “Chicago Blaze.” time I see them we can catch-up.” “The Honey Badgers Tanner added, “One thing I’d like to see were pretty bad our first changed is to have more teams in the league. season,” Watkins said. “In We only got to play four or five games beour second season, we cause there weren’t enough players.” did a lot better and this Tanner is working toward playing Division year we won the champi1 football next season at Valparaiso Univeronship,” sity where he was originally offered a scholWhen asked to reflect arship. on the season, Karlton “If I’m at NEIU next fall, I plan on playing said “I think the best flag-football here again.” Tristan said. part about this season Freshman Charlie Hani, captain of the was how well our team first-year team Big Baller Brand, played a worked together to win big part in his team’s success. Hani’s been in- Clockwise from top left Andrew Pena, Charlie Hani, Tristen Tanner, every game. The worst volved in organized football for several years Karlton Watkins. Photo by Christopher Starnawski. part was when we aland was a starter for Maine South last season. lowed our opponents to “My favorite moment from this season was he played both wide receiver and safety. score in the championship game, that really definitely when Kobe Hill caught a pick-six “The worst experience I had this season bugged me. I really wanted to have a com-
plete shutout season.” Watkins also spoke about the benefits of participating in intramurals at NEIU. “I met some new people playing each year, got to know a few of our rivals better and found out that I share the same class with some of them. Next season is probably going to be my last year at NEIU and I definitely plan on playing and going out with a bang.” As the writer of this article and captain of the Honey Badgers, for any students who are hesitant but are considering joining intramural sports at NEIU, I definitely suggest you take a chance and join. I wasn’t sure what to expect the first season I joined, but looking back on my third-year going from being the worst team to current champions, it was well worth leaving my comfort zone. It’s a great way of getting know your classmates better and you might even accomplish something you once doubted being possible. Being involved in other various groups on and off campus, winning the championship with my team will be the highlight of my college of experience because it took commitment and teamwork to achieve victory. For more information about available activities at Northeastern Illinois University, visit https://www.neiu.edu/university-life/ campus-recreation and also NEIU Campus Recreation on Facebook.
www.neiuindependent.org Tuesday, November 14, 2017
NEIU senior fights for family, relief
Patrick Casas
NEIU senior, Jessica Marie Beltran, is a Muay Thai fighter. In her freshman year of college she started to know that she was out of shape and needed to make a change. She started going to a Muay Thai gym and began to rapidly lose weight. Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that has been around since 1993. UFC, which is MMA’s best organization, has put mixed martial arts in the mainstream of sports. MMA takes place in a cage and incorporates fighters with multiple fight styles including boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, just to name a few. Beltran’s coach recognized on how hard she was working, and told her that she should consider fighting professionally. At first, Jessica didn’t
think her coach was being serious, eventually she made up her mind and she decided that she was going to fight. The sport is known to be brutal and barbaric, though it has changed dramatically. MMA unlike boxing or Jiu Jitsu happens in a cage not a ring. I find it to be quite glorious, and MMA recently took a huge leap into the spotlight of sports due to social media, sponsors, and superstars such as Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor and Brock Lesnar. When I see fighters in the cage, I don’t see animals or monsters. I see people who have something to fight for. I see people who are fighting for pride, honor and glory. Fighters fight for family and loved ones. Mixed martial arts is a lifestyle that has taken the sports world by storm. This past summer Beltran got into serious shape to prepare for her first fight. She quit
her job, the rest was focused on fighting and getting prepared for her first bout. She lost by split decision, but it gave her a huge amount of confidence to continue fighting. “If I could almost win my first fight, I think I’m pretty good at this,” she said. Beltran currently has a record of 2 wins and 2 losses. On Nov. 19, Beltran will not be just fighting for herself or her pride but she is fighting for her family members in Puerto Rico who were devastated by Hurricane Maria. Beltran grew up in Manati, Puerto Rico, would like nothing more than to return to Puerto Rico. “If I feel like I go to Puerto Rico I would be a burden and not make a change,” she said. Unfortunately she can not miss school and she is her grandmother’s main caretaker. Nonetheless, Beltran would like nothing more to help as many as she can in Puerto
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Sports
Rico during their time of crisis. In that spirit, Beltran has been collecting donations for Puerto Rico. Before her upcoming fight, she will be hosting a meet and greet where she will be collecting donations for Puerto Rico. She wants to do everything she can to help out the area where she grew up in. Beltran is a passionate person, she cares very much for her fighting and for her loved ones. She said, “I want to use my platform to help the people in Puerto Rico.” Meet Beltran in Village Square on Thursday, Nov. 16 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to drop off donations on Nov. 16 at the table. She will have tickets available for her bout on Nov. 19, she plans to donate proceeds from that fight along with her other donations.
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2017-2018 Ruth Page Dance Series
Victor Alexander, Co-Director Dolores Lipinski Long, Co-Director
Featuring Guest Artists from Cuba’s National School of Ballet
Saturday, December 2, 2017 - 3:00pm Saturday, December 2, 2017 - 7:00pm Sunday, December 3, 2017 - 1:00pm Sunday, December 3, 2017 - 5:00pm Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium Steinberg Fine Arts Center $25 Adults/$20 Seniors and Children Under 12 $10 NEIU Faculty and Students with ID Tickets: online at neiu.edu/tickets or in person at NEIU Information Center
Info: www.ruthpage.org
“Journey to a magical land!” • The Beacon News