May 10 | The Columbia Chronicle

MAY

10

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

2021

Columbia awaits a new beginning Campus, page 4

Arts & Culture, page 9

Opinions, page 10

Awkward, page 12

Web series builds excitement for Manifest

Student artists climb trees to create art in new spaces

This isn’t goodbye, it’s ‘thank you’

How workspaces can ally with menstruators

editor’s note

Editor’s Note: This was more than a newsroom » MARI DEVEREAUX CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THIS FEELS SO strange to write. Is it

weird to say I never thought this day would come?

Watching everyone else at the Chronicle write goodbye columns and then leave is like waiting in line at an amusement park—you stand for what seems like an eternity hearing the screams and roaring of wheels against steel, but suddenly it’s you being strapped into the ride and there is no turning back. I guess it really is my time.

Part of me wants to just write, “peace out, it’s been real,” and another part wants to write a 10-page essay on how all my co-workers at the Chronicle have become my best friends and changed my life forever.

I suppose I could write about the time I accidentally crashed a wedding while on assignment, or when I got to talk with former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang or that day I sat in the courtroom during singer-songwriter R. Kelly’s hearing.

But those don’t fully capture my experience here.

I could write about how much I will miss our infamous Chronicle quote wall and the chaotic rush of the office—running out to cover events and collaborate on stories.

I could write about sharing snacks and joking around with Managing Editor Dyana Daniels, commiserating and bonding with former Co-Editor-InChief Kendall Polidori and current CoEditor-In-Chief Brooklyn Kiosow, and going over to annoy my roommate and designated work wife, former Director of Photography Camilla Forte, or any of our staff’s after-hours outings.

And there is always General Manager Travis Truitt’s inspirational talks, my love-hate relationship with his puns, and Faculty Adviser Curtis Lawrence’s wisdom and infectious laughter.

Another option would be to write about the times I have been up past midnight writing and editing articles or working over 40-hour weeks trying to train and manage a newspaper staff.

I could write about times when I have been pushed to the breaking point and just about ready to throw my laptop out

2 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 10, 2021

the window and scream into a pillow, or times when I am frustrated and burnt out and experiencing the lowest of lows, because it isn’t all sunshine and roses.

But then, I still remember standing in the same room as #MeToo activist Tarana Burke and reporting on issues that are important—topics that matter to people. I’ve learned so much on the job covering protests, presidential elections, writing larger investigative pieces, receiving invaluable feedback and managing to stay afloat during the pandemic.

The last two years have consisted of running to catch trains, buses and Ubers, going out in the cold and the rain to explore the city inside and out to properly write about it. And I didn’t do any of it alone. I relied on others at the Chronicle for advice, support and guidance on how to be a better person and a better journalist.

There is so much pride I have, looking back at it all, that I didn’t expect to feel.

It’s not monumental, but it’s mine. I still have so much to learn—so much more to do. But I started here.

I began all of this as a reporter coming into a normal college newsroom, and during a global pandemic, I took on the role of co-editor-in-chief and helped shape the publication into a functioning virtual workspace.

Where the Chronicle goes from here is not up to me, but I wish everyone who will keep the publication running all the best. I’ve learned more about myself and who I am as a journalist while working here than I ever thought possible.

Alumni of the Chronicle have gone on to work for NASA, The New York Times and hundreds of other reputable workplaces, and I am so excited to see where I go next.

I went into this looking for a resume builder, and I am coming out of it with the richest life experience and friends that I could call on for anything. Is it too cliché to say the real newsroom experience was the friends we made along the way?

At times, the work was nightmarish, but it is thanks to my Chronicle family that I am living the dream. I wouldn’t trade y’all for a Pulitzer.

MDEVEREAUX@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

»staff MANAGEMENT

Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor Director of Photography Audience Engagement Editor Sales Manager

Opinions Editor Senior Reporter Multimedia Reporter Staff Reporters

Copy Chief Copy Editors

Mari Devereaux Brooklyn Kiosow Dyana Daniels Kaylie Slack Paige Barnes Cale Holder

REPORTERS

Isaiah Colbert Mateusz Janik Shane Verkest Anna Busalacchi Camryn Cutinello Amaris Edwards Noah Jennings Rachel Patel Amina Sergazina Erin Threlkeld

COPY

Summer Hoagland-Abernathy Justice Lewis Ella Watylyk

MULTIMEDIA

Multimedia Editor Jonah Ocuto Deputy Director of Photography Abby McFarland Photojournalists Zachary Clingenpeel Sofia Felino K’Von Jackson Mengshin Lin Valentina Pucarelli

GRAPHICS

Lead Graphic Designer Lead Page Designer Graphic Designers

Savanna Steffens Vicki Lei Ryan Brumback Chloe McMullen

Faculty Adviser General Manager

Curtis Lawrence Travis Truitt

ADVISERS

VOL. 56, ISSUE 15

The Columbia Chronicle is a student-produced publication of Columbia College Chicago and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of college administrators, faculty or students.

All text, photos and graphics are the property of The Columbia Chronicle and may not be reproduced or published without written permission.

Editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Board of The Columbia Chronicle.

Columns are the opinions of the author(s).

Views expressed in this publication are those of the writer and are not the opinions of The Columbia Chronicle, Columbia’s Communication Department or Columbia College Chicago. Letters to the editor must include full name, year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff should include their job title. Alumni should include year of graduation, or attendance, and major.

Other readers should note their city of residence and occupation or employer, if related to the letter’s subject matter.

All letters are edited for grammar and may be cut due to a limit of space.

The Columbia Chronicle holds the right to limit any one person’s submissions to three per semester.

campus Turning the page: Columbia looks ahead to a brighter school year Columbia Rack provides a safe place to find affirming clothing » ColumbiaChronicle.com

AS THE CALENDAR turns to the final week

of the spring semester and a school year unlike any other comes to an end, the Columbia community is looking ahead to the next year with high hopes for a return to relative normalcy.

CAMPUS CHANGES

One reason for optimism is the dramatic increase in the number of classes scheduled for Fall 2021 with an in-person component compared to the current spring semester.

During an April 16 student forum, President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim said he estimates 75% of classes will have either a completely in-person or hybrid modality in the fall, compared to just 25% of classes this spring.

Ben Sutherland, chair of the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department, said he is hopeful students in his department will be able to have a more immersive, complete experience in the fall.

“If 20 people are on 20 different sets of headphones and earbuds and laptop speakers, they’re having a very different listening experience than everyone together in a shared space,” Sutherland said. “Students will be back in the studios, touching the equipment, working with the microphones, but also hearing in a much more high fidelity situation.”

Tom Joyce, an internship and career adviser, said he was surprised by the number of calls from employers he has received in recent weeks, as the number of available internships is increasing.

Joyce said these in-person opportunities will allow for students to create more connections than they have been able to make during the pandemic.

“If we’re having events in person, I think it forces the students to get outside of their shell and to come to an event and really get to know people in the industry,” Joyce said. “I think it’s easier to engage in person, and it builds a skill for students—which is key to anything—which is communication.”

Joyce said he looks forward to

»ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE

» PAIGE BARNES AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR » NOAH JENNINGS STAFF REPORTER

seeing students working in shared spaces again during the fall semester.

SOCIAL CHANGES

Many Columbia students missed out on going to citywide events like parades, music festivals and theatre performances. This feeling of missing out may subside as the city inches closer to being fully reopened.

In a Thursday, May 6 press conference, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced his plans to fully reopen Illinois as soon as June 11, starting with the Bridge Phase on May 14. These plans are contingent on the state avoiding a spike in COVID-19related hospitalizations.

The phase would be the final step before Illinois moves into Phase 5, which would be a full reopening of the economy and no capacity limits.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the goal is for Chicago to reopen by July 4 if “COVID-19 metrics continue to tick downward,” according to a May 4 Sun-Times story.

According to the city’s COVID-19 dashboard, as of publication May 7 the positivity rate has decreased by 0.1% from the last week to 4.5%, while the 7-day rolling average number of daily cases is 485.

In April Columbia announced students will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for the Fall 2021 semester.

Tina Tan, a professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and an infectious diseases physician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said even though Columbia students will be vaccinated and the city will be more open, they need to continue to wear a mask and social distance.

She said there will be students who see the city is loosening its restrictions and resume their normal social lives, while others will remain cautious. The problem, Tan said, is health guidelines are divided into people who are vaccinated and those who are not, but there is no way to ensure someone is telling the truth about being vaccinated.

Tan said if individuals refuse to

COLUMBIA REQUIRING COVID-19 VACCINATIONS IS ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY WILL HAVE TO ACCLIMATE TO FOR THE FALL 2021 SEMESTER.

be vaccinated, the safest way to prevent spreading and being exposed to COVID-19 would be continuing with remote learning.

“I don’t think you can give people the option [of], ‘Well, I’ll wear a mask and I’ll socially distance,’ because you know that’s not going to happen,” Tan said.

Although safer than in-person interaction, remote learning can lead to Zoom fatigue—emotional, psychological and physical exhaustion from having to be more alert for body language and facial expressions— something that is more natural in a face-to-face conversation.

Tan said the lack of social interaction is contributing to burnout because people can only interact so much on a Zoom call.

Karen Gross, a senior policy adviser to the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama Administration and former president of Southern Vermont College, said her biggest concern from online learning is not so much the COVID-19 education gap, but the psychosocial gaps.

She said schools can always make up the content, but the developmental opportunities for students of all ages are being negatively impacted,

such as learning how to work in a group, resolve conflict, understand the feelings of others and accept separation and life’s transitions.

“When students go off to college, that’s another separation and developmental hurdle,” Gross said. “We learn to do transitions, and we get better at transitions.”

Gross offered advice for professors and college administrators as schools transition back to more normal operations.

“One of our jobs going forward has to be to help students process what happened in the 18 months since the pandemic started,” she said. “It’s not like you go back to school, switch on the light and pretend 18 months didn’t happen.”

But before the Columbia community places its full focus on the Fall 2021 semester, there are a few more boxes to check as the current semester comes to a close: This Saturday, May 15 the college will celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021, with a total of five virtual commencement ceremonies all beginning at 10 a.m.

CHRONICLE@COLUM.EDU MAY 10, 2021 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 3

campus

Web series celebrates Manifest’s 20th anniversary, work by seniors and alumni » ISAIAH COLBERT OPINIONS EDITOR » ANNA BUSALACCHI STAFF REPORTER WHILE THE OFFICIAL livestream began

at 7 p.m., Jello Thompson had to have everything set more than 90 minutes ahead of time to make sure on-air talent were cued and all elements for the stream were in place.

“Being one person trying to manage a stream, it can be done, but there’s a lot of things I have to worry about [to] make sure that things are running smoothly,” said Thompson, a senior film and television major.

Thompson was one of many Columbia seniors working on the first ever Manifest live web series, a group that also included student co-hosts Ora Damelin and Jori Roberts and co-producers Alejandra Marroquin and Paige Brunsen.

Marroquin, a senior social media and digital strategy major and co-producer of the series, said the livestream series acts as a documentation of the Manifest process leading up to the actual festival that will begin May 10.

Manifest Urban Arts Festival is Columbia’s annual student-run event that highlights graduating seniors’ work and celebrates the end of the school year. In previous years, Wabash Avenue has been blocked off for Manifest activities and hosted live music, art galleries and more.

Due to the pandemic, last year’s Manifest was held online and organized remotely just a few weeks before the event. But this year, students began working remotely on Manifest during the Fall 2020 semester in order to properly celebrate its 20th anniversary.

“I feel very connected with Manifest,” said Brunsen, a senior editing and post-production major.

“It’s a senior showcase at its heart, so it’s been awesome to see [it] through a producing lens and also have my work shown this year as a senior.”

The Manifest web series showcased the work of graduating seniors and alumni, along with a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the festival, a live makeup contest and an announcement of this year’s headliner, the musical group Boy Pablo.

The series had a total of five episodes and streamed through the Department of Exhibitions, Performance and Student Spaces’ Twitch channel. Select alumni and past Manifest creative directors JJ McLuckie and Paulina Ryt were among the people showcased on the series.

The first episode debuted April 1, and a new episode was released every Thursday, with the final episode streaming May 6.

Damelin said it can be difficult for people to truly understand what Manifest is and that the web series helped build excitement for the festivities to come.

It also allowed students and student organizations to learn and interact throughout the process by commenting in the Twitch chat or participating in activities to win prizes like a Manifest PR box with a water bottle, face mask and tote bag sporting the Manifest logo designed by Sol Salinas, a senior illustration major. “[The web series] is putting you in the buildup so you really do get this feeling that you’re working toward something, that you’re watching something being made, and that’s what Manifest is,” Damelin said.

On Monday, May 10, the Manifest festival kicks off with Columbia upbeat musical artist T-Star Verse, a senior music business major, followed by a showcase from the English and Creative Writing Department on Tuesday and the HAUS mural reveal on Thursday, among other virtual and limited in-person activities throughout the week.

Marroquin focused on student engagement and program coordination with co-producer Brunsen. Brunsen edited the live content while collaborating with Marroquin on the preparation of the production schedule, writing scripts and reaching out to alumni and seniors to be on the stream.

LeAnna Toles, a senior television executive producing and entrepreneurship double major and content producer at Frequency TV, worked on the editing and graphics for alumni videos

for the Manifest web series.

Toles said the idea for the Manifest web series originated from their experience working as a content producer at Frequency TV. After talking to Carlos Diaz, the student activities coordinator at Columbia, they were able to bridge the gap between students and alumni through interviews.

Starting in the Fall 2020 semester, Toles said it took them between 20 and 30 hours a week to get in touch with alumni and record and edit interviews over Zoom for the series.

In comparison to last year’s online Manifest, Thompson said the biggest difference was the web series incorporating live content.

“This year, it was taking what we learned from last year with Manifest and making it even better,” Toles said.

Thompson said the web series is a useful resource for current and graduating students.

“Getting the chance to interview the alumni was a lot of fun,” Toles said.

“Now other students can reach out to these alumni to get help and find resources on how to further their careers.”

Damelin said the web series gave her a lot of creative freedom to be herself. “[Manifest] is a celebration of the creative process, not just the end result, which I think is so wonderful,” Damelin said.

CHRONICLE@COLUM.EDU

» VALENTINA PUCARELLI/CHRONICLE

» VALENTINA PUCARELLI/CHRONICLE

THE SOUTH LOOP IS FILLED WITH MANIFEST SIGNS PROMOTING COLUMBIA’S ANNUAL STUDENT-RUN FESTIVAL. ONE OF THEM CAN BE SEEN IN A PARKING LOT ON WABASH AVENUE. 4 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 10, 2021

MANIFEST, COLUMBIA’S URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL THAT SHOWCASES STUDENT WORK, IS CELEBRATING ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH VIRTUAL AND LIMITED IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.

campus

Honorary degree recipients to be celebrated for noteworthy contributions to Columbia » ANNA BUSALACCHI STAFF REPORTER PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF History Dom-

accepted the honorary degree at this time, and also accepted the offer to serve on the Board of Trustees. The more current industry professionals Columbia College has in its folds, the better informed the college will be in its quest to create the next generation of artists and craftspeople,” Goi said.

Goi will be honored during ceremony three with the 2021 graduates from the Cinema and Television Arts Department.

David Broz, principal at Gensler, a global architecture and design firm that designed the Student Center, 754 S. Wabash Ave., which opened in 2019, said it was an honor for him and the Student Center design team to be awarded an honorary degree for their work on such a “pivotal place” on Columbia’s campus.

“Our profession is our passion,” Broz said. “It’s our natural craft, and when you do it for a while you forget the impact, or you don’t realize the impact it truly has on those around you.”

Broz said Kim and the board of directors came to the Gensler team with a strong vision of what they wanted the Student Center to be: a place for all students to come together.

Broz said he has worked with Columbia for 15 years on other projects including the Getz Theater, 72 E. 11th St., the journalism workspace in the 33 E. Ida B. Wells Drive building and the

art and design studio space at 623 S. Wabash Ave. Moving forward, Broz said the Gensler team is working with the college to find ways to instill the qualities of the Student Center in all campus buildings.

The Gensler design team, consisting of Broz, Brian Vitale, Scott Hurst, Meghan Webster, Linda Chávez and Stephen Miller, will receive their honorary degree during ceremony four, in which graduates will receive degrees in Art and Art History, Design, Interactive Arts and Media and Music.

Broz said Gensler’s acceptance speech was written by the entire Student Center design team, and it focused on the collaborative process and the importance of incorporating different perspectives.

Similarly, Pacyga values the blended community at Columbia, which he said enables interactions between different people of various backgrounds and talents.

“All these different kinds of people that interact with each other ... that’s what a great college is about and that’s what a great city is about,” Pacyga said. “Those two combined make the experience at Columbia for me— and I think, for students—spectacular in many ways.”

ABUSALACCHI@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM » K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

inic Pacyga said he was surprised when President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim’s assistant called him saying Kim wanted to talk.

Initially, Pacyga said he thought Kim might ask him to give a lecture, as he frequently does now that he is retired.

Instead, Kim informed Pacyga that he would be receiving an honorary degree.

Pacyga is one of three Columbia community members being honored for their contribution to the college and work embodying the institution’s mission.

“It means a lot to me,” Pacyga said.

“When you do that much teaching [and] you know that many students, you are happy to have that acknowledgment that something like this was worthwhile.”

This year, the college is also recognizing Columbia alum Michael Goi and Gensler, Columbia’s Student Center design team, as honorary degree recipients.

Columbia awards honorary degrees each year to “outstanding” individuals whose “life work and example embody the college’s ideal and spirit.”

The recipients were announced in an April 12 email from the Office of the President, and they will be recognized at the virtual commencement ceremonies on May 15, when their pre-recorded speeches will be shared with attendees.

Pacyga began working at Columbia in 1980 and became a full-time faculty member in the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department in 1984, before retiring in 2017.

Pacyga, who earned his doctorate in history from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981, has published eight books about Chicago history and said he is currently working on a ninth book about Chicago politics.

Pacyga said students largely knew him as a professor of the “History of Chicago” course at Columbia, where he would take students on walking tours around the Loop, observing the architecture of various buildings.

Pacyga said he is of Polish descent and grew up in the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago.

“I used to read history books, and I wasn’t in those history books,” Pacyga said. “My family wasn’t in those history books, people that I knew weren’t in those history books, and I felt they were just as important as everybody else, so I ended up writing about them.”

Pacyga will receive his honorary degree virtually during commencement ceremonies one and two and at a special fifth ceremony dedicated to 2020 graduates.

Goi, an award-winning cinematographer and director, is receiving an honorary degree for his continued engagement with the college through alumni groups, hiring recent Columbia graduates to work on his film projects and serving on the Columbia Board of Trustees.

Goi, who graduated from Columbia in 1980, said he remembers taking his dad to see the college as a student in 1976 when the entire Cinema and Television Arts Department was only two floors in the Lake Shore Drive building.

Goi said he does not think he would have achieved what he has in the motion picture and television industry without his experience at Columbia.

“In a way, this honor really belongs to the college, because it was responsible for molding my future into what it became,” Goi said.

Among his accomplishments, Goi is the co-chair of the Directors Guild of America’s Diversity Task Force and wrote and directed the feature film “Megan is Missing” about internet predators. Goi has also worked on various television shows including episodes of “American Horror Story.”

In response to Columbia’s recent decision to remove celluloid film from the Cinema and Television Arts curriculum, Goi said as a working professional in the film industry, he has seen the use of film as a medium increasing, but to assess whether this decision is “smart business” or an “uninformed decision,” he said he needs to be “more in tune with Columbia College and its overall agenda.”

“It’s part of the reason why I

THE STUDENT CENTER, 754 S. WABASH AVE., DESIGNED BY GENSLER, A GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FIRM RECENTLY ANNOUNCED AS AN HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT, PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH A STATE-OF-THE-ART CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT. MAY 10, 2021 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 5

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MAY 10, 2021 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 7

arts&culture

What to expect when visiting theme parks in the COVID-19 era » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Faculty member’s new gender-neutral clothing brand focuses on sustainability » CAMRYN CUTINELLO STAFF REPORTER

JACOB VICTORINE MET three of his clos-

est friends and soon-to-be business partners while working at a retail store in Logan Square. Five years later, the four would create their own gender-neutral clothing brand.

Victorine, a part-time faculty member in the English and Creative Writing Department, Rob Johnson, Noah Zagor and Alex Van Dorp tried a variety of different ideas, such as T-shirts featuring poetry on the front, before landing on gender-neutral clothing.

At Meyvn, the Logan Square retail store where the four met, Zagor was the owner, Victorine managed the store and Van Dorp, who at the time studied graphic design and photography at Columbia, was a sales employee. Johnson was a regular customer at the store and said while he initially went to buy clothes, he started visiting the shop just to talk with the others.

“It became clear that we were all very different in a lot of ways but we shared a lot in common,” Johnson said.

All We Remember began as an idea

Victorine and Zagor had to create graphic T-shirts, but as it grew and gained other members from the Meyvn team, the brand evolved.

The group knew the main goal of their clothing brand was to create clothes that fit well and look good on as many people as possible, and they realized that meant the clothes would have to be gender-neutral.

The official launch on April 22 included a line of gender-neutral clothing fit for a variety of body shapes and sizes. The brand currently offers sizes 0-5, or U.S. sizes XS-XXL, and they want to create more sizes in the future.

Gender-neutral clothing does not have a distinct gendered design, which allows it to work for many people regardless of gender, Van Dorp said.

The group of four remained friends after Meyvn closed in 2017 — due to the market shifting away from high-end boutiques — and in the summer of 2020, Victorine, Van Dorp and Zagor reached out to Johnson to see if he would be interested in working on the All We Remember clothing line.

The brand initially launched with three products: a knit T-shirt, a drawstring jacket and a pair of drawstring pants. All of the

items are made with organic cotton and are produced by Blue Tin Production, a Chicago-based apparel manufacturing company.

Each of the three items is a neutral cream color and designed to be accessible and comfortable. The shirt is a knit-jersey material, and the pants have six pockets, along with a drawstring that allows people to adjust the fit. The jacket includes four large pockets to hold a variety of items and is also secured by a drawstring.

“A big part of the brand is responsibility,” Victorine said. “I don’t think any of us really feel that sustainability is possible right now because of all the various systems that we’re entrenched in, [such as] white supremacy, capitalism [and] patriarchy, and so I think for us ... it’s more about nuance and about doing things as ethically as possible.”

All We Remember clothing is produced

by Blue Tin Production, a worker cooperative that focuses on sustainability and exclusively hires “women of color, trans, gender non-conforming, intergenerational, queer, working-class, and/or immigrants and refugees,” according to its website.

Zagor said it is important to the brand that every material used is sustainable and

able to go back to the earth.

“If we’re going to create something in this world that’s already cluttered and filled with disposable design, then there has to be thought that goes into every detail, and we want to create as little impact in a negative way as we can,” Zagor said.

The three available clothing items range from $150 to $395 due to the cost of sustainable production, and the group understands not everyone can afford to purchase an item at that price.

The group also wants potential buyers to keep in mind that the clothes look good, and quality is not sacrificed to produce the clothes in a sustainable way.

While the four hope to continue to design clothes and expand their brand, Victorine said they do not want to sacrifice their message in order to achieve their goals.

They will continue to design and release new clothes, but not at the same rate as many fast fashion brands do.

“It’s more about making beautiful, thoughtful, meaningful things and connecting to people through those things,” Victorine said.

CCUTINELLO@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE

»ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE VICTORINE AND HIS FELLOW DESIGNERS SAID A LARGE PART OF THEIR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY CENTERS AROUND SUSTAINABILITY. THE BRAND OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED ON APRIL 2.

THIS JACKET IS MADE BY THE CHICAGO MANUFACTURING COOPERATIVE BLUE TIN PRODUCTION USING ORGANIC COTTON.

THE ALL WE REMEMBER CLOTHING LINE WAS DESIGNED WITH ACCESSIBILITY AND COMFORT IN MIND USING ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTION METHODS.

ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE

»ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE

JACOB VICTORINE, A PART-TIME FACULTY MEMBER IN THE ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING DEPARTMENT, WEARS A JACKET AND POSES WITH PANTS SOLD BY ALL WE REMEMBER, A CLOTHING BRAND VICTORINE AND THREE OF HIS FRIENDS MADE.

8 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 10, 2021

arts & culture

Chicago student artists create art way up in the tree branches

» K AYLIE SLACK /CHRONICLE

» K AYLIE SLACK /CHRONICLE RASPBERRY, ALSO KNOWN AS BEAN, LUCY POLKINGHORNE’S EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL, ENJOYS THE EVENT BY RELAXING IN A HAMMOCK AND RECEIVING LOTS OF LOVE.

SAMIRA CARR, A SOPHOMORE MUSICAL THEATRE MAJOR WHO LEARNED ABOUT THE EVENT THROUGH HER FRIEND CHARLOTTE BRISKIN, SITS IN A TREE AND DOODLES.

BRISKIN RELAXES IN A TREE WHILE TWO OTHER STUDENTS WHO SHOWED UP FOR ARTISTS IN TREES STRUGGLE TO PUT UP THEIR HAMMOCK IN THE EXTREME WIND.

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» K AYLIE SLACK /CHRONICLE

CHARLOTTE BRISKIN, A SOPHOMORE FINE ARTS MAJOR, USES COLORED PENCILS TO ADD DOODLES TO WHAT THEY HOPE WILL BE A COLLABORATIVE ART PIECE ON MAY 1.

» ANNA BUSALACCHI STAFF REPORTER THE MELODIC SOUNDS of the Julia Smulson Quintet, a musical group from DePaul University, traveled across Butler Field and captured the attention of passersby on a warm Saturday afternoon.

As the quintet held a jam session, junior illustration major Alejandro Martell sat nearby in a gnarly tree, illustrating stickers he plans to either sell, post on street signs around the city or drop in the Wabash art drop box at 623 S. Wabash Ave. Illustrating and playing music were some of the art mediums student artists chose as their contributions to Artists in Trees, a unique public performance art experience held on May 1 at Grant Park.

The event was organized by Charlotte Briskin, a sophomore fine arts major,

who regularly climbs trees to work on her own art and wanted to inspire others to “make art in weird places.”

About 20 student artists from Columbia, DePaul and other universities and high schools participated.

Briskin said they often take inspiration from nature in their artwork and chose to paint and dance at the event, while others played the French horn and the melodica, snapped photographs, made jewelry or sang.

Briskin said they have missed the inspiration and energy that comes from creating alongside other people.

“I’ve really missed not getting to be in-person [for] classes,” they said.

Annabelle Tuma, a junior at Lane Tech College Prep High School, painted in a tree at the event and planned on hanging her canvas off a tree branch.

Tuma said people doing random things like making art in a tree contrib-

utes to a world with more possibilities.

Artists signed up for the event through a Google Form found on the Artists in Trees’ Instagram bio. The form asked participants questions such as what they plan to create, if they are comfortable climbing a tree and if they are comfortable meeting in-person. Anyone was eligible to participate.

Briskin said it was amazing to witness their idea come to life and that the event was partially inspired by historical art movements in France that they learned about in an art history class.

Samira Carr, a sophomore musical theatre major, doodled in a tree and played her guitar in a hammock at the event.

Carr said being surrounded by nature gives her energy and opens her mind creatively.

Lucy Polkinghorne, a sophomore creative writing major, said they frequent-

ly create art outside but they had never done it in a showcase with other artists before. They brought paint and oil pastels, played their guitar and used chalk to draw trees on the pavement.

“There’s always in my head something about nature involved in my artwork because everything just comes back to nature and earth,” Polkinghorne said.

Briskin said they hope to make Artists in Trees a monthly event when it is warmer outside for artists to continue to gather and collaborate.

“We spend so much time, especially now, on our computers, our phones and looking at devices,” Briskin said. “Anytime that I sit down and use my hands to create something, it’s coming from such an honest and natural place. ... It’s so real. It is an extension of nature through me.”

ABUSALACCHI@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM MAY 10, 2021 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 9

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The fashion industry was not made for fat people » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Columbia was the only college I applied to, and the Chronicle became a proving ground for how far I could push beyond my limits as a journalist.

As with restarting anything, there were growing pains with coming back to a newsroom. In the beginning, I was dead-set on doing video game coverage and cramming in every tangential reference I could into my articles. But in time, the Chronicle humbled me and encouraged me not to report on stories I would like to write, but instead to write stories I needed to write.

I was able to change my mindset from whether or not I could still hang as a journalist, to how I could improve my skills with each article I wrote. Imposter syndrome is something I am still getting over, but who could blame me when I was surrounded by a talented newsroom of reporters, photojournalists, graphic artists and advertisement sales representatives.

My time at the Chronicle allowed me to take chances and invest in myself.

I was able to join the list of people who can say they produced their own podcast with my “Fear of Missing Out Podcast.” Even though I feel like I was just hitting my stride creatively in my last semester at Columbia, this rekindled

fire within me is something I’m going to run with like Prometheus into the next years of my life.

I cannot say I came out of my Chronicle experience entirely unscathed.

Covering the latter end of the 2020 election has permanently scarred me into hate-watching political events in my free time with the same level of enthusiasm I have for World Wrestling Entertainment.

While I would like to be able to say this fairy tale story has a capitalistically gratifying ending with internships lined up for me, that much is still lost in the chaos of 2021. My time at the Chronicle felt like a much-needed hug and a kick in the a-- to get out there and do the work rather than wait for the work to come to me.

I will miss spicing up Zoom meetings with funny backgrounds, and I hope I left an iota of the same impact that the Chronicle left on me.

So many have already told their stories and passed down knowledge from one journalist to another to serve the Columbia community and instill hope in those starting their journey, and now it is my turn.

If a kid from Cabrini Green could make it this far, imagine where the rest of the staff will go. Farewell, Chronicle.

worst. I could pitch anything and everything at the Chronicle—as long as it had a Chicago and Columbia angle, and some of those pitches were hits, while others were misses.

I was allowed to write about students who have YouTube channels, and it aging editor with professional clips to » DYANA DANIELS MANAGING EDITOR my name, I would probably look at you was somehow a front-page story. I as if you had two heads. I had come from got to write about something as random as sunflowers ne thing I learned quickly grow- a high school with a meand the impact diocre journalism proing up was to never say the word they can have on a gram, at best, and I “goodbye.” My dad used to always city environment. was going to a college tell my brother and me that it was fine to They even let me say “see you later“ or “see you tomorrow,” deemed a “halfway write about auhome” by that same but never use something so final. dio porn that one school.

And I think that is one of the toughest time. A YouTuber My senior year of high lessons I’m still learning.

I followed at the school was far from Whether it is never getting to say time even tweetnoteworthy, and I felt goodbye to my dad for the last time when ed about a story I as if I was falling into I was 12 or writing this column at age 22, wrote!

How wild my brother’s shadow I refuse to use that word. So instead of is that? because I was going to saying “goodbye” to the Chronicle, I just If Curtis Lawthe school he graduatwant to say “thank you.” rence, the Chroned from with the same Thank you for taking a chance on me icle’s amazing major.

I won’t say that when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank faculty adviser, was rock bottom, but it you for giving me opportunities I never felt close. had not flagged could have hoped for. And thank you for down my mom’s truck or sent Lauren So to be here now is truly a showing me that I am capable of more dream I have yet to wake up from. The Leazenby, my work wife and the Chronithan I could have dreamed.

Chronicle and Columbia helped mold cle’s former news editor, to convince me If you had told me around this time in 2017 that I would somehow go from a me into the person I am today, and ev- to apply, I have no idea where I would be. staff reporter to a news editor to a man- eryone has seen me at my best and my And I am forever grateful.

If I didn’t work at the Chronicle, I would not have met some of my closest friends, written outlandish stories that I am proud of or be a cohost of the most random podcast to ever exist. But I wouldn’t trade this experience.

I come away from my time at the Chronicle as not only a better journalist but a better person. My courses at Columbia taught me how to give a voice to the voiceless and make sure I cross fault lines when looking for sources, but the Chronicle really helped me hone that and put it into practice.

I am eternally grateful for my time at both Columbia and the Chronicle, and I will never forget explaining Bon Appetit’s gourmet videos to Travis Truitt, our general manager, or the happy dances I would do after I finished talking to a source on the phone.

I’ll never forget every kind word said or every inside joke that was muttered.

So from the bottom of my heart, I just want to thank everyone at this newspaper for taking a chance on me. I now know I can truly handle whatever the future holds for me.

Column: The Chronicle allowed me to go beyond my limits and now it’s your turn » ISAIAH COLBERT OPINIONS EDITOR

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» RYAN BRUMBACK /CHRONICLE

..n the documentary “David Bowie: The Last Five Years,” Bowie said artists should not work for other people and that it is terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations.

“If you feel safe in the area you are working in, you’re not working in the right area,” he said.

The music legend went on to say artists should go a little bit out of their depths, and when they do not feel like their feet are quite touching the bottom, they are just about in the right place to do something exciting. To say the past five years has been uncomfortable is an understatement, but I have worked to reach my own expectations, and I can say I have done some exciting things along the way.

After taking a year off from school after quitting my editorial student newsroom job, I worked retail full-time in order to mail my belongings— and then myself—back to my hometown of Chicago from Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 2019 with the goal of not settling on my dreams of making it in the journalism industry.

The first step in my vague dream was finishing college and getting back in the saddle of being a student journalist.

Column: I’ll never say ‘goodbye,’ but I will say I am eternally grateful

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10 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 10, 2021

ICOLBERT@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

DDANIELS@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

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Featured: Winners of Columbia’s 2021 Paula Pfeffer and Cheryl Johnson-Odim Political Cartoon Contest

3RD PLACE: BLACK AND WHITE CARTOON ON “ARTIST’S BLOCK” BY JENNIFER ACEVEDO

1ST PLACE: “AM I NEXT?” BY SARAH MITRACHE

HONORABLE MENTION: MASKS - WRONG WAY TO WEAR THEM BY SAMANTHA CALDERA

2ND PLACE: BLACK AND WHITE-TWO-PANEL CARTOON BY ALLI DAVIS

HONORABLE MENTION: BLACK AND WHITE “WHEN I GROW UP” BY MAC MCGUIRE MAY 10, 2021 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 11

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Awkward: 5 ways professional workspaces can ally with menstruators » SUMMER HOAGLAND-ABERNATHY COPY CHIEF UNFORTUNATELY, YOU HAVE just bled through your sweatpants on the job.

Fortunately, you are working from home and you have the option to throw the pants in the washing machine and continue with your work day virtually.

As you take a short break from work to watch your pants tumble around in the soapy water, you remember the last time you bled through your pants was not so easy-going.

You were in the middle of the longest meeting you have ever been in, and your boss would not stop talking.

You were assigned the post-meeting write-up, so you felt like you could not go to the restroom or you would miss something important—even though you felt the distinct pain of menstrual cramps creeping into your uterus.

You did not realize you had bled through until you finally got to the restroom to use a pad.

How can workplaces and schools better ally with menstruators to ensure that experiences like this do not happen? The Chronicle spoke with mental health, vaginal health and sex experts to find out.

them and dealing with people who are upset at having to talk about periods or seeing menstrual products in unisex restrooms.

to use the restroom gives them the chance to change menstrual products as needed.

COMPLIANCES WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS

BATHROOM BREAKS

Allowing people the chance to use the restroom can mean the difference between clean and bloody underwear.

Dr. Josh Croland, private practice OB-GYN in Peoria, Illinois, said the two big problems people in their early years of menstruation have are heavy and irregular bleeding, which means they

Croland is involved in helping patients with endometriosis obtain the paperwork to be able to have a day off or work from home during painful menstrual cycles.

Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that usually grows and sheds inside the uterus will grow and shed outside the uterus, meaning it can

12 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 10, 2021

While knowledge on conditions like endometriosis or irregular bleeding can be important to maintaining a healthy work or school environment, knowing the basics can be just as supportive to menstruators.

Croland said there are a few basics everyone should know: the average age menstruators start having their period, different products that can be used, why periods occur biologically, how to use a pad or tampon and how long someone should use a menstrual product before changing it.

This knowledge can help you gauge ways you can be helpful, especially if you are teaching pre-teens or teenagers because there may be an instance in which you need to educate them on the fly or provide the right products if they do not have any.

NORMALIZATION

DESTIGMATIZATION

Catalina Lawsin, Ph.D., a clinical health psychologist specializing in sex and relationships at her private practice, said destigmatizing menstruation is important because it is a natural process.

Nearly everyone with a vagina menstruates during their reproductive years, yet a tampon tax affects many of those people in a majority of states, and periods are still shamed in our society.

Lawsin said menstruators should be supportive of one another, which may mean helping carve out time to take restroom breaks for those who need

SELF-EDUCATION

bleed through their products or they start bleeding at unpredictable times.

Additionally, the rate at which a person needs to change a pad, tampon or menstrual cup varies with the product, depending on size and manufacturer recommendation, Croland said. Most of his patients change their choice of product one to two times per day, but if they are having a heavy cycle, they may change it more often.

Thus, having flexible bathroom breaks or allowing people to quietly excuse themselves whenever they need

become trapped inside the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. This condition is often painful, sometimes to the point where a person cannot leave their bed to perform normal, daily tasks—let alone go to work.

Croland says there are different levels of pain, and everyone perceives pain differently. Being flexible with students and employees on days when they cannot work in-person shows them that their body and their well-being is important to you, whether their pain level is a nuisance or debilitating.

Jennifer Litner, sexologist and founder of Embrace Sexual Wellness, said menstruation is something society needs to shame less and understand more because it is just another natural occurrence in people’s bodies.

Holding a tampon should be like holding a piece of paper, she said.

Though similar to destigmatization, the two steps are not the same. To destigmatize is to remove shame from the subject, whereas to normalize is to make standard. In other words, it should not just be okay to discuss menstruation-based needs— it should be customary.

“Menstruation is a natural part of human life, and it’s not really any different than having itchy or watery eyes when it’s allergy season,” Litner said. “It’s a cyclical type of experience that happens, and I don’t think it’s something that we should have to hide.”

SHOAGLANDABERNATHY@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

opinions PLACES IN CHICAGO TO VISIT AFTER YOU’RE FULLY VACCINATED » ABBY MCFARLAND DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

» BROOKLYN KIOSOW CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

»K’VON JACKSON PHOTOJOURNALIST

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The Second City — When I tell you I miss going to improv shows, I mean it. This was one of the first spots I visited when I moved to Chicago in 2018, and comedians like Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert have performed here.

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Montrose Beach — I have never been here, even though I was a competitive swimmer, so I am excited to go and relax.

Chicago Jazz Festival — I am pumped for the Chicago Jazz Festival at the end of the summer.

It was one of the first events I attended after moving here, so it holds a special place in my heart.

.Quimby’s Bookstore — I am pumped about going to local comic book stores again and spending hours looking at everything without feeling bad for the people who have to wait outside due to the limited capacity.

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Glazed Expressions — I have been waiting to go here so I can paint pottery. I saw a similar experience last summer and thought it looked so rad.

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Wilson Skate Park — Wearing a mask while skating can get sweaty, so I am pumped for the day I don’t have to wear one anymore.

The Welcome Back Lounge — If you’re looking for a good, strong and Instagramable cocktail, this is the spot. Remember to tip your bartender!

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago — None of us have gotten our art fix in a while, but now that we can, check out the ever-changing art at this museum.

Beacon Doughnuts — This is technically a get-itand-go donut spot, but nothing beats grabbing a vegan vanilla lavender donut and eating it as you walk through Lincoln Park.

Hopewell Brewing Company — This spot is small but cute. Sip on a Sure Fire Hazy IPA and grab a pack to-go before heading out.

The Art Institute of Chicago — I’m a big fan of art, especially impressionism. I highly recommend everyone go see Monet in Chicago before it’s gone.

Allende Restaurant — This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. I always order the same thing—four chicken tacos with a horchata.

The 606 — As the weather warms up I like spending my time outside, and The 606 trail is the perfect place—a beautiful above-ground path that takes you through the Northwest Side of the city.

Northerly Island Park — This is another natural area close to downtown that has a very beautiful and lush landscape right next to the Adler Planetarium.

Volumes Bookcafe — I love reading in my downtime and Volumes always has the perfect selection of books for everyone.

COMIC

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