Feb. 3, 2020 | The Columbia Chronicle

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CANNABIS COMES TO CAMPUS High taxes and long lines are a buzzkill, students say

» PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/MIKE RUNDLE AND SHANE TOLENTINO

Story by Paige Barnes See “Cannabis” page 11

Campus, page 3

Arts & Culture, page 8

Metro, page 12

Opinions, page 15

College introduces several new minors for students to diversify their Columbia experience

The Chicago Cultural Center kicks off Lunar New Year with traditional dances and music

MeToo founder Tarana Burke emphasizes awareness of sexual assault in marginalized groups

A Chronicle reporter says goodbye to Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant

editor’s note

Where is #MeToo now?

Not where it should be » ALEXANDRA YETTER

MANAGEMENT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

W

hen news broke of Hollywood kingpin Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulting countless women throughout the years, it warranted a public reaction on par with that of the 1971 release of the Pentagon Papers, which exposed years of deceit by the U.S. government regarding the Vietnam War. The #MeToo movement started the conversation; we conversed about how best to have the conversation; the conversation was brilliant and inspired hope of cultural change that would keep the words “me, too,” from being shouted from future generations’ mouths; and just as society was on the brink of what could have been lasting action, the conversation veered.

It comes as no surprise that powerful men have used their wealth and resources to escape punishment. Although Weinstein is still facing criminal charges and is currently in the midst of a trial by jury in New York, he has a tentative $25 million settlement in place with dozens of the women who spoke out against him. The deal would not require Weinstein to admit any wrongdoing, and the money would not come from the mogul himself, rather the insurance companies representing the Weinstein Company, as reported Dec. 11, 2019, by The New York Times. Additionally, the more than 30 women would split the settlement.

Matt Lauer—who was booted from NBC News after The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow published reports of Lauer allegedly raping a co-worker during a 2014 work trip to cover the Sochi Olympics—is reportedly curled up in his home in the Hamptons, having recently vacationed in New Zealand, according to Town & Country Magazine.

The list of those accused, but who have not been convicted continues, and will likely grow.

Woody Allen is still making movies; Louis CK is still doing stand-up; former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has a political podcast and has not ruled out a future run for office; John Lasseter was hired at Skydance Animation just months after being pushed out of Pixar; and President Donald Trump remains in office and up for re-election in 2020.

What did a groundbreaking and awe-inspiring conversation on #MeToo get us?

Powerful men in tentative exile in the Hamptons, laying low until their slow return to gold-star status.

Even the reputation of #MeToo in

>> staff

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

MANAGING EDITORS

Alexandra Yetter Mike Rundle Mari Devereaux Kendall Polidori

Main Line: (312) 369-8977 Editor-in-Chief: (312) 369-8834 Director of Photography: (312) 369-8961

SENIOR VIDEO EDITOR

Ignacio Calderon

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Shane Tolentino

REPORTERS

NEWS EDITOR

Paige Barnes

OPINIONS EDITOR

Margaret Smith

pop-culture realm has grown tiresome

REPORTERS and trivialized.

For one, films about and created by powerful, independent women, such as Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” were snubbed by the Oscars, in favor of Hollywood’s age-old go-to—films about white, male rage, such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” Todd Phillips’ “Joker” all or Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” of which received nominations for Best

COPY EDITORS Director, to much controversy.

So, what did women get? On the one hand, nearly half of the men fired from their jobs were replaced by women; several states, such as California, have banned nondis GRAPHIC DESIGNERS closure agreements; and some survivors are receiving financial restitution from the accused.

But this is not justice when, at the same

time, states are also taking away the right PHOTOJOURNALISTS

to an abortion; women aren’t estimated to have equal pay for more than 250 years; and in some states, rapists have more rights than victims.

What does Hollywood’s praise of white male directors telling white male stories—

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER or of Harvey Weinstein not even having to open his wallet after allegedly raping numerous women—say to our youngest generation? It says that even if you speak up, even if you face national backlash and MEDIA SALES REPS are forced to carry this with you from job to job, partner to partner for the rest of your life, the powerful man you spoke out against will always get off easier than you will.

GENERAL MANAGER Let’s evolve the conversation.

It’s not

FACULTY ADVISER giving us the results we want. Instead, let’s do something about the conversation, from a cultural level to a legislative one. Support pop culture depicting and created by powerful women; demand equal pay at your workplace; and lobby your representatives for substantial, lasting changes.

2 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2020

ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

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College’s illustration awards program hopes to expand in the future » ColumbiaChronicle.com

New minors expand students’ ‘Columbia recipe’

» LAUREN LEAZENBY

STAFF REPORTER NEW MINORS have been approved by the provost’s office and will soon be introduced to the college’s course catalog to provide students with the opportunity of branching out into different disciplines and departments.

The minors recently approved by the provost’s office include illustration; philosophy and religion; television studio production and directing; and immersive media. The health and wellness minor has yet to be approved by the provost’s office due to a titling issue, said Senior Vice President and Provost Marcella David.

“Having the ability to study a particular minor provides a lot of flexibility,” David said. “It is something that allows a student to explore multiple areas of interest at once.”

The illustration minor is one of the latest introductions

» LUCAS SMITH/CHRONICLE

SEVERAL

and was coordinated, in part,

by Ivan Brunetti, an associate professor in the Design Department, along with other faculty members in the illustration program.

Brunetti said the idea was to create a minor for students from various disciplines that would allow them to take illustration courses in a sequence that made sense academically, rather than in a random order.

“That’s kind of what the purpose of a minor is,” Brunetti said. “It gives some structure to your learning.”

The minor is open to anyone with the credit space to take five required courses and two electives, Brunetti said. In doing so, it may also help strengthen the skill sets of those in coordinating majors, such as English and creative writing or animation.

Brunetti said such a “crossover” into various disciplines is the goal, along with making students more marketable by teaching them skills that go

beyond their area of study.

Junior illustration major Caleb Joaquin said he is frustrated that a minor in illustration was not offered sooner.

Joaquin, who is currently minoring in fiction writing, said he originally wanted to focus on creative writing as a discipline to supplement with illustration.

Because there was only a minor available in fiction writing, he said majoring in illustration pushed him to focus on an art form that comes less naturally to him.

Joaquin said that while the lack of an illustration minor complicated his plans at first, he found it beneficial to have a diversified education.

David said, looking forward, she hopes students engage in the 55 minors that already exist at Columbia in order to broaden their “professional proficiency.”

She said her focus now is promoting the existing and recently approved minors rather than creating a glut of new ones.

While students will not be able to declare one of the new minors until Fall 2020, credits already earned toward the minor requirements will be acknowledged at that time.

A well-rounded academic background looks good on a resume, said Erik Friedman, associate dean of Career Development and Industry Relations. It is not the minor itself that employers are looking for as a line item, he said, but a varied skill set that shows a background in multiple areas, which a minor can help a student develop. “[Minors are] kind of part of your Columbia recipe,” he said.

The philosophy and religion minor will supplement technical skills learned within a major with bigger-picture ideas, said Stephanie Frank, an associate professor of instruction in the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department.

“Ideas are something that make life interesting,” Frank

said. “We feel like that’s something we want to bring to as many Columbia students as possible—both because it will make their art better, but also because it will make their life better.”

Frank said many students, due to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and LAS or Columbia Core requirements, may have already taken several of the classes that can count toward a new minor. Some, she said, have already unknowingly completed it.

The requirements for the minor include one philosophy and one religion course, Frank said, and beyond that, students can pick and choose a total of four additional courses. Students who have already taken philosophy or religion courses will see the credits count toward the minor in Fall 2020.

Students interested in declaring a minor should not just be concerned with the marketable skills they could glean from the courses, Friedman said. Minoring in something can also be beneficial on a personal level and serve as an opportunity to explore interests unrelated to professional pursuits.

Gabriela Diaz de Sabates, coordinator of the Latino and Latin American studies minor, said communicating with people from other cultures helps students build a diverse professional profile. The LLAS minor has been an option for students for several years and is a “flexible program”—students have the opportunity to get what they want out of it.

To earn an LLAS minor, students are required to take six credits of Spanish language courses. A background in the language, Diaz de Sabates said, allows students to study Latin culture, history and art at a deeper level.

“I know people want to graduate and get a job, but it’s [more] about having a richer life,” she said. lleazenby@columbiachronicle.com

FEBRUARY 3, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE

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campus » IGNACIO CALDERON/CHRONICLE

Practicum film projects mimic showbiz, so don’t ‘expect a cakewalk’

Orlando Pinder (left), director for the 2019 practicum production of “Pegasus,” reviews footage on-set alongside student collaborators for the project. Practicum productions allow Cinema and Television Arts Department students to experience film sets similar to the industry before graduation, from production meetings to location scouting and set design. » JONAH OCUTO STAFF REPORTER

a practicum film at the college is fairly standard— under hot lights mounted six feet off the ground, production assistants zip through a jungle of cables, as production designers, occasionally faced with only a week’s worth of prep time, rush to dress the set.

“It’s a s--- show,” said Jack Stearns, senior film major and production designer on Columbia’s 2019 production of “Pegasus.” “It’s supposed to be hard. ... If you go into it expecting a cakewalk … it’s not going to happen. It’s [about] the challenge.”

Stearns’ comments illuminate an ongoing tension that has long been associated with the Cinema and Television Arts Department’s practicum, with students, on one hand, often saying the experience is far more complex and demanding than an actual set, while faculty members say they want their students to leave the program prepared to compete in a tough and competitive market.

Practicum courses are considered capstones—an experience-based project taken before graduation—in the THE SET OF

Cinema and Television Arts Department. In the practicum, students from various disciplines, including cinematography, production design and directing, to name a few, collaborate to produce a short film. The course is selective, as students must either be nominated or apply for admission, with approximately five students from each discipline making the cut for the course that can range up to 70 total students.

At first glance, practicum seems to mimic the standard studio functions in the industry in terms of production value and the large number of people working on-set, but Tom Fraterrigo, professor of instruction in the Cinema and Television Arts Department who has taught the course, said that’s a narrow way of viewing the experience.

“I’ve heard ‘the studio system’ used a lot by students to describe practicum, and I would say that it’s a model of professional practice,” Fraterrigo said.

Like many professional shoots, budgeting is of paramount importance. Practicum films at Columbia receive a baseline budget of $5,000 from the

4 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2020

college, with additional expenses approved on a case-by-case basis. This guarantees the school ownership of the final product, adding to the “real-world” feel of the course, said Carolina Posse, assistant professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department.

The final short films are screened at Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., at the end of the semester to celebrate student work and to inspire freshmen and sophomore students to begin envisioning their own capstone.

Practicum is first and foremost an academic experience and, as such, puts the college in a tricky situation by having to balance a professional practice with a learning environment, from dealing with work that extends far outside of class hours to working within tight budgets, Posse said.

Adam Cho, a 2019 film alumnus, said he experienced this juxtaposition on his practicum production. Cho said by the second or third week of the course, everyone met in a room and pitched their film one after another. Soon after, students workshopped the details of each film, such as location and visual style.

“We are all part of everyone’s films to some extent, up until people start shooting,” Cho said.

“People are getting so much information [in the class], they’re having way too much time to change things, and they’re being encouraged to change things too much where they can’t focus their ideas.”

Cho said because of the classroom structure, there may be too many voices contributing, whereas in the industry the decisions weighed are typically decided quickly by the film’s department heads as opposed to a group of up to 70 students.

As a result, Cho said people’s practicum experience, whether good or bad, is entirely individualized depending on the students they collaborate with.

Kelly Hood, senior production design major, said practicum provides more than what is usually expected on sets, which can be a double-edged sword.

“In a way, we see more sides of a production than what we would normally see on a real set,” Hood said.

However, Adam Jones, cinematography coordinator and associate professor of instruction

in the Cinema and Television Arts Department, said the emphasis on collaboration makes practicum unique.

“There’s not too many people that have worked in film that are a jack-of-all-trades and know a lot about different jobs,” Jones said.

In addition to the more than 70 student voices, Posse said up to 12 or more instructors can be involved with practicum.

When compared to the capstone courses of other film schools, such as the University of Southern California, the emphasis on collaboration goes across the board at Columbia, with the capstone experience at USC providing only five faculty instructors to help oversee the production, according to the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Fall 2015 course syllabus.

Regardless of the hurdles students have to jump through for practicum, students are firm in their belief that the practicum experience prepares them for the future.

“That’s just showbiz, baby,” Stearns said. jocuto@columbiachronicle.com

campus

» LAUREN LEAZENBY STAFF REPORTER

show kicked off with a rare comedic beginning to its dance performance—a breathless, self-aware monologue on how the performance was already seven minutes late.

A member of the ensemble detailed his life growing up in Cuba, all while flipping someone through the air in an elaborate partnered dance. The metaphorical fourth wall on stage evaporated as the ensemble rushed into the crowd in search of a fictional “Kevin,” who was nowhere to be found.

Audience members took advantage of their only chance to see Lucky Plush Production’s untitled work Friday, Jan. 24 in the Columbia Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. It was a THE LUCKY PLUSH

work-in-progress piece—meaning it will be workshopped into a final production to be presented in late 2020 or early 2021—and the product of the dance company’s one-week residency in the Dance Center.

Time, memory and parentto-child relationships are a few themes Julia Rhoads, founding artistic director of Lucky Plush, wanted to explore in this work.

A portion of the show paralleled Alan Lightman’s novel, “Einstein’s Dreams,” which details an alternate world in which memory does not exist. In the book, characters must write down their lives in order to remember them.

In the performance, the ensemble—who acted as caricatures of themselves rather than fictionalized personas—used journals to remember everything from dance routines to their own names.

The ensemble members used the journals to make jokes of their own personal memories.

For instance, one character depicted the story of her father’s Alzheimer’s—showing how he was entertained by the humor of situations gone awry due to his memory loss.

Lucky Plush, one of Chicago’s most renowned dance companies, is the first Richard H. Driehaus commissioned artist to have a residency at Columbia’s Dance Center. The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation has been funding the Dance Center for more than 20 years, said Ellen Chenoweth, director and lead curator for the center’s Dance Presenting Series.

When Chenoweth came to the Dance Center three years ago, she aimed to ensure local artists were a prominent feature in the college’s productions. Previously,

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» CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

Dance company ‘lucks’ out with ‘dreamy’ partnership with college’s Dance Center

The Lucky Plush ensemble used movement and comedy as storytelling elements in their work-in-progress piece presented Friday, Jan. 24.

artists from out of town were paid to visit, while Chicago-based artists had to pay out-of-pocket to rent the theatre space—which is why the Dance Center now invites local companies like Lucky Plush to fill residencies through Columbia’s Commissioned Artist program, Chenoweth said.

The show was not just centered around dance, though, as it also blended in theatrical art with hints of comedy, storytelling and audience interaction.

While the company often incorporates humor into its work,

this piece is its first dive into stand-up comedy as a form of storytelling, said Michel Rodriguez Cintra, a member of the Lucky Plush ensemble and former modern dance professor at the college.

Rodriguez Cintra said he is excited to see how stand-up and dance come together as the piece continues to evolve.

“It’s going to change; it’s going to go places,” Rodriguez Cintra said. “And then we are going to find what we really want to do.” lleazenby@columbiachronicle.com

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arts&culture

Woodstock, Illinois, still celebrates the filming of ‘Groundhog Day’ » ColumbiaChronicle.com

The Exchange: an odyssey for hard-to-find pop culture items

STAFF REPORTER WALKING AROUND MILWAUKEE

The Exchange is located in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood at 1524 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Jordan Schaeffer, store manager, has been working at The Exchange’s Wicker Park location for five years. » CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

Originally founded as a record store in Ohio, The Exchange expanded to carry other forms of physical media and now has more than 30 locations across four different states. » JUSTIN ANDERSON/CHRONICLE

Avenue, MacKenzie Shumsky and Nathan Kornely were looking for different places to shop in Wicker Park when they stumbled upon The Exchange. The couple found something unexpected: an eclectic store carrying out-ofproduction DVDs. Although he lives in the age of streamed content, Shumsky said he likes to have a physical copy of movies because he does not rely on streaming services, which keeps him returning to The Exchange time and time again.

Founded in 1975 by John Shahinian in Cleveland, Ohio, under the name Record Exchange, the store has expanded over the years into a company that sells video games, movies, CDs, records, figurines and all things entertainment in 30 stores across Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

As the name would suggest, customers at The Exchange can bring in anything entertainment related along with their state ID or drivers license to exchange the item for cash or store credit.

Under the Illinois Pawnbroker Regulation Act, The Exchange is required to ask for identification in order to keep track of where items were traded from.

From there, the employees determine what they will or will not accept and assess the value of the item’s payout.

Jordan Schaeffer, general manager at the Milwaukee Avenue location, 1524 N. Milwaukee Ave., refers to the store as a “little museum” because of its meticulously alphabetized collection of retro and newlyreleased entertainment in various forms of media.

Customers who visit each store will find them distinctive because of their varying selections, such as Schaeffer’s self-titled section “Island of Forgotten Systems” in the Milwaukee Avenue store.

This section is comprised of vintage gaming systems, including TurboGrafx cards from the late ‘80s, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer consoles of the early

‘90s and rare video games that are priced with collectors in mind.

“I have enough agency that I can say, ‘We have the space, we have this product, let’s make a nice spot for it,’” Schaeffer said. “[The company] gives us a little bit of room to cater to the things that people want.”

Before the Lakeview store General Manager Grant Price started working for The Exchange four years ago, he said he was burnt out at his former job where he worked long hours behind a desk making cold calls for industrial services sales.

“There was so much pressure making a sale, or not being able to enjoy what I do, or have the satisfaction of making a sale,” Price said. “I was always put in these situations where I was like, ‘Sell, sell, sell, don’t care about what you’re selling.’ I wanted to get out of it.”

For Price, he enjoys working at The Exchange because he never knows how finding an item for someone will make their day.

“We find a lot of needles in a haystack for people. That’s definitely rewarding,” Price said.

The diversity and extensive amount of items in the store’s stock led Nathaniel Uecker to become a regular shopper since 2015. Uecker said he has found miscellaneous and rare movies that he would not be able to find at other stores.

“They [have] a little bit of everything and a lot of everything,” Uecker said.

While other brick-and-mortar stores that sell similar products are experiencing downsizing and layoffs, The Exchange maintains its freshness with its interactive customer service, ability to adapt with the times and capacity to guarantee niche products for customers, Price said.

“We figure out what are the things that people want [and] what can we do to cater to the needs of the people that are coming in here,” Schaeffer said. “Just because it’s not the most popular thing in the world doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place here.”

» CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

» ISAIAH COLBERT

icolbert@columbiachronicle.com

FEBRUARY 3, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE

7

arts & culture

» ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL PHOTOJOURNALIST PERFORMERS ADORNED IN brightly-colored costumes,

ornate headwear and detailed makeup marked the beginning of Chicago’s Lunar New Year festivities at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The kick-off event, held at Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Friday, Jan. 24, was hosted by the Chinese Fine Arts Society, an organization that promotes young artist development, community engagement and Chinese culture. The Society held this event for the fifth year in a row at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The celebration featured several performances including the Zhejiang Shaoju Opera Theatre troupe from China’s Zhejiang province with percussionists, traditional lion dancers and a traditional Chinese New Year theatrical performance.

Performances by Angela Wan from Hao Dance, the Tu Vergen Mongolian throat singing band, the Flying Fairies Dance Troupe and Yang Wei, a local master pipa player, also brought life to the festivities.

“Over the last several years, this has grown from a small event to many Chicago organizations involved in a true celebration of Chinese New Year,” said Mark Kelly, commissioner of cultural affairs and special events for the city of Chicago and former longtime Columbia administrator.

Though the mood at the Cultural Center was festive, concerns about the widening coronavirus in China cast a pall over celebrations in Chicago’s Chinatown community where many celebrations reported lighter attendance than usual.

In an interview with the Chronicle, Elizabeth Clawson, the executive administrator for the Chinese Fine Arts Society, spoke about Chicago’s unique connection to China. The event was part of the Society ’s community engagement initiative.

“Cultural appreciation and cultural exchange are really important in this day and age,” Clawson said. “It’s really important for the greater Chicago area to see the vibrancy and the richness of Chinese culture and Chinese fine arts.”

» ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE

Lunar New Year kicks off at the Chicago Cultural Center

The Friday, Jan. 24 event featured the Zhejiang Shaoju Opera Theatre troupe (above) and Flying Fairies led by Jo Hsu (below).

zclingenpeel@columbiachronicle.com

A dance titled “Yearning in the Moonlight” is performed by Angela Wan, a member of Hao Dance, based in Buffalo Grove. “It is our responsibility to share our unique culture with society,” Wan said.

8 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2020

arts & culture

» JONAH OCUTO STAFF REPORTER

second hour of Netflix’s “the goop lab with Gwyneth Paltrow,” with each episode lasting only 30 minutes, one’s mind begins to wander. Eyes squint and eyebrows furrow—not from disbelief in the rejuvenating properties of the featured vampire facial or even the fact that Netflix has produced what is essentially a three-hour-long unskippable YouTube advertisement for Goop, but in an immediate, almost cosmic awareness of what is happening around you. Because “the goop lab,” really, is a sort of ever-expansive limbo—unending, sterile and so, so boring.

Before its Friday, Jan. 24 release, I was excited for “the goop lab.” The company, helmed by actress-turned-CEO GwynHEADING INTO THE

eth Paltrow, is a lifestyle brand selling everything from vitamins “for the effing tired” to sex toys nicknamed “the frenchman” and everything in between. Clearly, Goop is no stranger to controversy. In 2018, the company was fined $145,000 for false claims about the hormonal effects of their vaginally-inserted “Jade Eggs,” as reported by Vox Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. More recently, Goop achieved viral fame with its $75 “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle.

So heading into “the goop lab,” my expectations were set pretty high. Considering the controversial nature of the company, how could it not be enthralling? In my mind, “the goop lab” had a chance to do something extraordinary by offering an inside look into the Goop philosophy, or even the psychology of those involved.

The core of all good drama is born of conflict, of which Goop is clearly not acquainted. And without that conflicting viewpoint to the pseudoscience experiments, there was as much stimulation as watching the infomercial channel for hours on end. Actually, after watching the entire first season of “the goop lab,” infomercials don’t sound half-bad.

In the first episode, a group of six Goop staffers travel to Jamaica to drink magic-mushroom tea.

Alarmingly, one employee proclaims their hope to “free” themselves from a traumatic past—a disconcerting thought that perpetuates the audience’s potential belief that a substance is the only thing that can reveal the real “you.”

Even worse, there are no skeptics present, no information on the potential dangers of psyche-

» GETTY/RACHEL MURRAY/STRINGER

Review: Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘goop lab’ has a cure for everything but boredom

“the goop lab with Gwyneth Paltrow” was released Friday, Jan. 24 on Netflix. It features six 30-minute episodes on wellness and pseudoscience.

delics and no acknowledgment of the financial reality of flying to Jamaica. Instead, the Goop staffers, sold from the moment they heard “free trip to Jamaica,” laud their experience with the vocabulary of an infomercial, coating it in a cheeky smile that screams,“I know something you don’t.”

Three hours of “the goop lab” later, one may be left wondering

where their head has gone. By the end of it all, the viewer may feel more like a focus group subject than a human being. Taking a moment to breathe, I myself can’t help but ruminate on Paltrow in my mind’s eye.

I’m sure she’s got some cure for this, but I’ve never wanted to take a Tylenol more. jocuto@columbiachronicle.com

‘Project Runway’ contestant has done sew much after Columbia » PAIGE BARNES NEWS EDITOR

may have noticed a familiar face on this season of Bravo’s “Project Runway”: 2016 Columbia fashion design alumnus Delvin McCray.

Featured in the February, March and April 2019 issues of British Vogue, McCray is known for his timeless items that give a

» JUSTIN ANDERSON/CHRONICLE

THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

nod to dark romanticism with a touch of artistic flair.

While season 18 of “Project Runway” was pre-recorded, McCray remains on the show along with six other contestants and said he wants to show the judges and viewers the craftsmanship and quality he puts into each garment, despite not having attended a world-renowned fashion school or being formally

Delvin McCray’s brick-and-mortar boutique for his second fashion line, REDD

by Delvin McCray, inhabits the first floor of Block 37, 108 N. State St.

trained like other contestants.

McCray said his biggest takeaway from the show is to follow his gut. After receiving feedback on ideas he was hesitant about, he has learned to block out others’ opinions. “[‘Project Runway’] molded me [to be] better as a designer, and I was able to clearly see what my style and what my aesthetic is as far as designing goes,” McCray said.

McCray said fashion has helped him to express himself as an artist for the things he cannot express through words, along with functioning as a way to manage his anxiety and depression.

His creations begin with a concept in mind, then he finds the materials that best align with the story and the emotions he is trying to convey. Sometimes, he said, the fabric will inspire him when he designs with a specific one in mind.

He initially began his college education at Northern Illinois University for fine arts before

switching to film and then to nursing, hoping to pursue a “more secure” career. But after taking a terminology class for nursing at NIU, McCray decided fashion design was the best choice.

“If I am going to possibly fail at what I don’t love, I might as well go for what I do love and have fun while possibly failing,” McCray said. “So, I switched to Columbia.”

While the “cookie-cutter” classes he took at Columbia did not compare to the realities of the fashion industry, the college’s professors and their real-world experiences were the most valuable takeaways for him, he said.

McCray would have preferred to be given a harsh dose of the reality of the industry by his professors so he could have been better prepared for the real world, but he said he appreciated that the college was able to provide the foundations of his training and resources he still uses in his work today.

McCray owns a boutique in Block 37, 108 N. State St. unit 136,

called Redd by Delvin McCray.

When he applied to be part of “Project Runway,” McCray said it felt like a long shot because it was his second attempt. However, he said applying again two years later gave him the time he needed to be ready to compete in the high-stakes competition.

McCray has won multiple awards from various fashion competitions, such as the Richard Driehaus Design Initiative, the Chicago Fashion Foundation Fashion Competition and the Stanley Paul Fellowship Scholarship. He said he discovered them from a list of competitions Columbia listed and applied to every single one.

“One thing that my mentor [Sandra Henderson-Williams, a former adjunct faculty member] made me promise was to always pass down knowledge to somebody else,” he said. “It’s a $3.5 trillion industry. There’s enough for everyone.” pbarnes@columbiachronicle.com

FEBRUARY 3, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 9

arts & culture

10 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2020

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Candidates debate their worth to constituents of the 7th District » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Cannabis comes to campus: High taxes

and long lines are a buzzkill, students say NEWS EDITOR

Editor’s note: The Chronicle refers to an anonymous source under the pseudonym of John Doe for the source’s legal protection from criminal punishment for selling cannabis.

THE TIME pharmaceutical technician Jose Romero got his place in line at 9:30 a.m., an extensive line of people who began waiting as early as 7:30 a.m. had already been formed, even though the cannabis dispensary did not open until 11 a.m.

Romero visited the dispensary for the first time Saturday, Jan. 4, three days after recreational marijuana officially became legal in Illinois.

“Going in there, I was excited,” said the 22-year-old Romero. “I was like, ‘OK, it’s going to be awesome. It’ll be a cool experience. Finally, it’s legalized here.’ And once I saw the prices, I was like, ‘This is a bit too expensive.’”

The sticker shock associated with dispensary cannabis may be one reason younger people, including college students, are preferring to stick to buying marijuana from dealers instead of going the more legal route.

Romero said the process at the EarthMed dispensary, 852

» MIKE RUNDLE/CHRONICLE

BY

S. Westgate St., was simple. He was given a piece of paper that outlined what medicinal and recreational cannabis was in stock before he went up to the counter to order a vape pen and a couple of Sativa lemon-lime fruit chews.

Typically, he said the price of a chocolate bar infused with tetrahydrocannabinol—the chemical commonly referred to as THC that causes some of marijuana’s most common psychological effects, such as euphoria—purchased from his illegal dealer is around $15, but at EarthMed it was $35. He said the prices for products would be comparable without the added tax.

Some cannabis products are taxed more than 40% in Cook County, due to a slew of taxes ranging from a 3% retailers tax to a 10–15% tax based on the level of THC, as reported Thursday, Jan. 16 by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Romero said he is going to wait a few months until going to another dispensary because he wants to “wait until the whole pandemic of people going to dispensaries is over.”

Illinois dispensaries reported nearly $3.2 million in sales on the first day of legal recreational cannabis retail.

Some dispensaries, such as MOCA, or Modern Cannabis dispensary,

It is still illegal to smoke marijuana in public and on campus.

2847 W. Fullerton Ave., had to close for a few days the second week of January after running low on products.

The high demand has many new dispensaries vying for open retail space across the city.

The PharmaCann company is currently considering renting space on Columbia’s campus below Fairbanks Lofts, 900 S. Wabash Ave., just one block away from Columbia’s Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., as reported by Block Club Chicago Monday, Jan. 27.

Despite the legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois, Columbia’s campus, as a federal grant-receiving institution subject to federal law, remains a drug-free zone. Thus, marijuana products are still prohibited from campus buildings and residence halls.

While recreational marijuana is now legal, it remains illegal to smoke in public spaces, and users must be 21 years old.

In the Chronicle’s reporting for a separate story, Adam Kubiak, assistant director of Community Standards and Programs for Residence Life, said, “Residential students found responsible for a controlled substance or alcohol policy violation are typically assigned educational sanctions to help correct undesirable behavior that is disruptive to roommates and/or the residential community. Possible sanctions include suspension of guest privileges, reflective essays, online educational modules, Residence Life probation, or administrative housing contract termination dependent upon the severity of the policy violation, conversation during a judicial meeting, and a student’s conduct record.”

Despite campus policies and the state’s legal restrictions, many Columbia students still prefer the tried-and-true way of turning to street dealers.

Romero said the benefit of buying from an outside dealer

» MIKE RUNDLE/CHRONICLE

» PAIGE BARNES

Illinois residents who are 21 or older can possess up to 30 grams of marijuana.

is that the prices are cheaper and “more reliable,” but he said the downside with street dealers is not knowing if the cannabis products are laced with other substances.

John Doe, a student at Columbia and dealer for three years, said, thus far, his customers’ demands have not changed since the legalization.

“I still have my regular customers,” Doe said. “They’ve had friends go out to these dispensaries that have popped up and say that they’re really overpriced or have a lot of tax involved with it.”

Doe said he has not changed his prices to account for newlyopened dispensaries and said his prices are competitive enough for him to remain in business.

Doe gets his supply from another dealer, who he said has purchased it from other states where cannabis is also legalized.

While there may be concerns of “tainted” products from illegal dealers, Doe said he does not worry about that because of the official packaging it comes in.

However, he said he feels more comfortable now selling weed because it has been legalized, despite increased scrutiny

from police on unlicensed cannabis dealers.

Melaney Arnold, a public information officer from the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a Monday, Jan. 27 email that the IDPH recommends youth not use recreational cannabis because it can “physically change a developing brain.”

Some young people, however, have been prescribed marijuana for medical purposes. Since Sept.

2, 2014, the IDPH has approved 98,171 applications for an Illinois medical marijuana card, 579 of them intended for people under 18, as of Monday, Jan. 6.

Matthew Bruyere, a senior filmmaking and art history major, said after waiting nearly an hour to place his order, he bought THC peppermint breath mints for about $30 at MOCA, which also sells medicinal cannabis in addition to recreational.

“I would rather go to legal places, but it was really inconvenient and took a long time, so I think I’ll actually go back when there are more of them or it’s quicker because, at the moment, it was needlessly inconvenient,” Bruyere said. pbarnes@columbiachronicle.com

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#MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke talks about taking control of the narrative » MARI DEVEREAUX MANAGING EDITOR

activist Tarana Burke first coined the term “me, too” in the 2000s, it was not intended to raise global awareness for victims of sexual assault.

“It was about creating empowerment for the young people we were working with,” Burke said. “It was connecting survivors together ... so we knew that we didn’t exist in a vacuum and that we weren’t alone. The vision was always for it to be this rallying cry among survivors.”

During her keynote address for Northwestern University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Week, held Wednesday, Jan. 15 to Tuesday, Jan. 28, Burke spoke about her experience after the #MeToo movement went viral on social media in 2017, the mark of sexual violence on the black community and the WHEN SOCIAL JUSTICE

importance of survivors as leaders going forward.

Hundreds attended Burke’s Monday, Jan. 27 address at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave. A rape survivor herself, Burke’s career in activism spans over 25 years and centers on empowering women of color, youth leadership and victims of sexual violence.

In 2017, Time magazine named Burke one of “The Silence Breakers,” and in 2018, Burke was listed as one of The Root’s 100 most influential African Americans. That same year, Burke launched the MeToo movement website, which provides professional resources for sexual assault survivors and advocates to find the local or national help they need.

Currently, Burke serves as senior director of Girls for Gender Equity in Brooklyn, New York, and supports sexual assault survivors

through public speaking events across the country.

Burke said the #MeToo movement is not something that can be hijacked by rich, privileged white women or tweets, news articles and TV broadcasts.

“Don’t buy what the media is feeding you as a movement,” Burke said. “We create the movement. ... We get to change the narrative.”

Avery Dews, a graduate journalism student at Northwestern University, said while sexual assault often goes unreported and is a daily struggle for many, the media tends to focus more on white women.

“Trauma just shows up differently for women of color, and people don’t listen to them,” he said. “A lot of women of color learn very early that what happened to them is second to something else— and that they don’t want to get anybody in trouble, or they

don’t want the attention because it’s negative.”

It is difficult to get people to rally around and acknowledge sexual violence as a social justice issue equal to gun violence, which is something else that causes harm to the black community, Burke said.

Maywood resident Rhonda Sherrod decided to attend Burke’s address while researching events honoring King. She said speaking with Burke after the event gave her the courage to continue working on the publication of her own book for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

“Dr. King said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” she said. “Seeing [sexual assault] as a social justice issue is something that has to come to fruition. ... You’re talking about violating people’s bodies and the subsequent mental trauma that people suffer.”

Burke pointed to R&B musician

R. Kelly, currently awaiting trial on numerous sexual assault charges in the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, as a sore on the black community for targeting black girls.

“Shouldn’t we want to excommunicate the folks who are causing harm to our community?”

Burke said. “Don’t you want to say to the world, ‘This not what black men do’? He is not representative of blackness. I don’t know black men like R. Kelly.”

Overall, Burke said she is hopeful for the sustainability of the #MeToo movement because of the shifting culture surrounding trauma survivors.

“As long as survivors recognize that you are not the sum total of the things that happened to you, that there is power in the fact that you are surviving every day, then we can do something with that,” Burke said. mdevereaux@columbiachronicle.com

» CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

Tarana Burke (right) addresses the future of the #MeToo movement and the value of intersectional feminism during a Q&A session during Northwestern’s MLK Dream Week on Monday, Jan. 27.

12 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2020

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‘We ain’t got it’: Panelists discuss Chicago’s need for aggressive environmental protection GREAT LAKES region, which holds 21% of the world’s freshwater supply and could be a climate refuge for more than 400,000 Americans, is being threatened by global warming.

Between decreasing oxygen levels and fish populations, increasing temperatures and precipitation, the future looks bleak, according to Climate!

Solutions for Action panelists.

Chicago stands at the center of it all as the largest city in the Midwest.

At Climate! Solutions for Action, a panel held by the City Club of Chicago on Wednesday, Jan. 29, environmental experts spoke on the effects of the climate crisis on the Great Lakes and wildlife in the Midwest region, offering systematic solutions.

Moderator Suzanne MalecMcKenna, who served on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s transition team and works with the conservation organization Audubon Great Lakes, began with a call-to-arms for businesses, politicians and community members to help

of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and internationallyrecognized climate scientist, said climatic change is leading the effects on the Great Lakes.

According to a study Wuebbles contributed to for the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Great Lakes region has seen a 10% increase in precipitation over the last century. Across the U.S., precipitation has increased by an average of 4%.

Heavier and more frequent rainfall can be a death sentence for crops and contribute to farm nutrient runoff, which produces the toxic algae blooms found in western Lake Erie.

Wuebbles said lake-effect snow will likely be more common for Chicago over the next 80 years because Lake Michigan will have less ice on its surface and more water to evaporate and be picked up by storms.

Jerome McDonnell, an environmental reporter and former host of WBEZ’s Worldview radio show, praised Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience

» JUSTIN ANDERSON/CHRONICLE

THE

reduce the severity of the climate crisis in Chicago.

“We don’t need a miracle,” Malec-McKenna said. “We just need to employ what we have.

We have so many resources, so much knowledge and so much technology already. … It is not an economic burden to do the right thing.”

An indicator of an unhealthy region is the lack of birds in the Midwest due to urbanization, pollution, cropland expansion, the Great Lakes’ water levels and confusing false springs, MalecMcKenna said.

Troy Peters, engagement manager at Audubon Great Lakes, said two-thirds of North American birds, approximately 389 species, are under threat of extinction from rising global temperatures and conditions surrounding the Great Lakes.

Research by Audubon shows that if carbon emissions are stabilized and warming does not increase more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, 76% of vulnerable species will be better off and 150 species will no longer be in immediate danger of extinction.

Donald Wuebbles, a professor

(From left) WBEZ’s Jerome McDonnell; Donald Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois; and Troy Peters from Audubon speak to the City Club of Chicago about ways to lower the carbon footprint.

» JUSTIN ANDERSON/CHRONICLE

» MARI DEVEREAUX MANAGING EDITOR

Katie Allgier, with the Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, holds Orbit the barn owl, whose species is no longer endangered in the Midwest, according to the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.

Plan as a model for what Chicago can do to impact change.

“They’re talking about net-zero greenhouse gas emission building standards,” McDonnell said.

“They’re phasing it in, they’re doing emergency preparedness [and] zero waste initiatives.”

McDonnell said because Illinois has a large amount of excess energy—as the third leading exporter of electricity— it has the potential for clean energy jobs and capacity markets.

Illinois also leads the U.S. in SolSmart designations, which pave the way for implementing and standardizing solar energy across the state.

Peters said an important part of combating the climate crisis is educating leaders across the political spectrum and engaging a broad range of people in grassroots movements to use collective action to affect change on local, regional, national and international levels.

“This includes communities of color that have been historically excluded from environmental efforts,” Peters said. “Those who live in neighborhoods with poor soil, air and water quality already know a lot about environmental impacts. … We want to give voice to that knowledge and build their awareness of environmental actions that can positively impact local areas.”

Wild Indigo, Audubon Great Lakes’ community engagement program, works with Chicagobased organizations such as Family Rescue and El Valor to provide community members with the opportunity to access outdoor recreation, health and wellness services, environmental education and stewardship.

The panelists also listed actions in which everyday Chicago residents can help ease the effects of the climate crisis.

These actions include refraining from air travel, reducing meat consumption, using sustainable energy at home and contacting representatives about the “dire state” of the environment.

Malec-McKenna said, in general, Chicago is not doing enough to combat the climate crisis with legislation or policy proposals, aside from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s climate action effort, which was created to assist with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Greenest Region Compact.

“As far as a plan, a strategy, an aggressive set of things going on, we ain’t got it,” Malec-McKenna said. “We need it. It’s not just relying on our mayor, government or county presidents, it’s all of us pushing for it and saying it needs to happen.” mdevereaux@columbiachronicle.com

FEBRUARY 3, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 13

opinions

Get the latest news in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Took a DNA test, turns out the world 100% doesn’t care what you think about women’s weight

F

rom the legalization of recreational cannabis in Illinois to the military conflicts in Iran, which resulted in an uproar on social media, 2020 has come in hot. But certain jokes also trudged into this new year with a loud thud—and have only had toxic effects.

Some of these jokes came at the expense of musician Lizzo. The plussized singer promotes the idea of body positivity, and it can be seen through most, if not all, of her works, but some people just cannot seem to wrap their heads around seeing the world as she does.

From toxic tweets about her weight to her singing style, the singer left her Twitter account in the hands of her management team Sunday, Jan. 5 after internet trolls continued to leave nasty comments about her.

The jokes and comments about the singer’s body did not stop there. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, fitness personality

Jillian Michaels, who was being interviewed on Buzzfeed News’ AM2DM, was asked about Lizzo’s weight.

“Why are we celebrating [Lizzo’s] body?” Michaels asked. “Why aren’t we celebrating her music? Because it wouldn’t be awesome if she gets diabetes.”

But where are Michaels’ slants when celebrities are promoting meal suppression drinks? Where are Michaels’ criticisms when celebrities like Halle Berry and Tom Hanks have diabetes but manage to still live healthy lives? What did she have to say about her “Biggest Loser” co-host when he was in shape yet still had a heart attack?

From Michaels’ interview, it seemed as if she cared less about Lizzo’s actual health and more about her body shape.

The founder of the online community Break Binge Eating published “The Ultimate List of Body Image Statistics” Tuesday, Jan. 7, which stated Musician Lizzo won three Grammy awards Sunday, Jan. 26. that the “ideal

» AP/CHRIS PIZZELLO

» DYANA DANIELS STAFF REPORTER

O PI N I O N

body” is not always biologically possible.

“There is a great deal of evidence showing that mainstream media outlets continuously promote the notion that thinness is equated with numerous positive outcomes,” the study states.

Being thin may be “in,” but it can promote unhealthy habits and even drive some people to hate the way they look, even if there is nothing wrong with how they look. For Michaels to insinuate that Lizzo is unhealthy shows she has never seen Lizzo’s energetic performances filled with singing, dancing and playing the flute—which is no easy feat for even the healthiest of people.

The only person who has something worth saying about their looks is the person themselves. It is their body and, therefore, it is up to them to take care of it how they see fit. Weight jokes at the expense of someone else are never appropriate and can seriously skew how someone views themselves and others around them.

Toxic comments about a woman’s body help no one, especially her. It’s time to leave these comments in the past and reflect, rather than project an internalized self-hatred onto others. ddaniels@columbiachronicle.com

COMIC DOORS CLOSING » JEN CHAVEZ/CHRONICLE

14 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 3, 2020

opinions

Dear, Kobe... » MYER LEE STAFF REPORTER

D

ear Kobe, I was 11 years old when I first saw you. I had just moved to my first foster home and was a nervous wreck. I didn’t know what to make of my situation. I was angry, frightened and had no intention of connecting with my new foster family, until one day I came home and saw everyone glued to the TV. I wondered what was so captivating.

They were watching you.

As the years went by, I continued to move between different foster homes and group homes, but I never stopped watching you.

Although my life continuously shifted, you remained a constant.

I idolized you. I studied the way you interacted with the media, the way you approached the game and how you overcame adversity. After your third consecutive title, you struggled to make it back to the finals but ultimately won a championship again.

You fought through several injuries and defied the criticism that you were too selfish and that you would never win a title without your former teammate Shaquille O’Neal. How you rose from those situations helped me navigate my turbulent, young life.

Growing up, I never had time to truly build relationships with anyone, so I built a relationship with you. That relationship helped me develop a strong inner peace that could not be shaken by anyone or anything—until Sunday, Jan. 26.

I was devastated upon hearing the news of your death. You’re gone and I still can’t process it. It’s hard to be sensible when you lose someone

» AP/LENNY IGNELZI

O PI N I O N

You and the Los Angeles Lakers were playing against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals. I can’t remember which game in the series it was, but I do remember that you were giving it to the 76ers.

You played a fantastic game. I kept wondering, “Who is that guy?”

I eventually learned your name because every time you sank a shot, a 76ers fan in the room would say in anguish, “That damn Kobe.”

Instantly, I became your biggest fan. You played with confidence, doing anything to win. You showed your hunger to be great on every play.

I wish I could go back to when I saw you play in Atlanta. I remember there was a timeout during the game, and you were standing on the sidelines. I was sitting close enough for you to hear and see me.

For a moment, you stared in my direction, as if you knew your biggest fan had come to see you. I wanted to stand up, wave at you and scream that I loved you—but I didn’t. You taught me to be bold, fearless and to express what I feel and believe. Even if I didn’t act that way in the moment, those lessons have stuck with me.

you idolized so much. This experience is surreal; I feel both frozen and overcome with emotion.

My parting promise to you is a vow to tell those I love how much I love them as often as possible. I don’t want to feel regret—as I do now—for not conveying how I feel when I have the chance. Thank you for teaching me yet another valuable lesson. I will always be that 11-year-old kid who learns from you, dotes on you and loves you blindly and unconditionally.

All my love, Myer mlee@columbiachronicle.com

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