October 19, 2020 | The Columbia Chronicle

OCT

19

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

2020

RENEGADES SPORTS MAKE A COMEBACK WITH AN INVISIBLE COMPETITOR—THE CORONAVIRUS Story by K’Von Jackson, see page 3

Campus, page 4

Arts & Culture, page 7

Metro, page 10

Opinions, page 13

Students struggle to find work during pandemic

‘Creative’s March’ empowers Black creators

Protesters advocate for freedom of Jeremey “Mohawk” Johnson

Advice for when you find your roommate’s sex toy

editor’s note

Is objectivity possible when it comes to human rights? » MARI DEVEREAUX CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF AS A JOURNALIST, I think about objectivity

constantly and I strive to not let parts of my identity restrict my ability to report without bias.

On the first day of “Introduction to Journalism” in college, we are told to be wary of posting our opinions on social media, and we are instructed not to factor our religious or political beliefs, race, sexuality, gender or background into our writing.

We are told this because our purpose is to amplify others’ voices, rather than our own, and tell their stories while providing the public with critical and factual information.

Being unbiased and seeking objective truth are principles that apply to more than just careers in journalism.

Sometimes, they are expected in other lines of work, too.

Watching Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I realized how the concept of objectivity in law seemed to edge its way into public consciousness.

On Sept. 26, President Donald Trump nominated Barrett to replace the beloved U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18. The nomination has since caused partisan divides because although justices are not affiliated with any political party, each often produces decisions that align with either more conservative or liberal values, as a result of how they interpret the U.S. Constitution.

The possibility that Barrett could be confirmed is frightening for some, due to the discussion of faith and law in her academic writing and her perceived restrictive views on abortion. During the hearings, Democratic and Republican senators alike pressed Barrett about her perspectives, while others insisted her Catholicism not be taken into account.

On Oct. 13, Barrett told senators she is not decidedly against Roe v. Wade or other more liberal rulings, and if confirmed, she will not be taking on the role of justice with commitments to any specific agenda, according to reporting from the Washington Post.

Like judges, journalists are expected to put aside their personal convic2 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OCTOBER 19, 2020

tions to do the work in front of them, fairly and accurately.

But, is it possible to separate oneself from one’s identity when thinking about issues of human rights? Can the court’s five Catholic justices, two Jewish justices, six white justices or two justices of color completely distance themselves from their own beliefs and upbringings when making a decision on a case?

Can journalists do the same when writing an article?

Personally, as a student journalist and young adult with a lot to say about matters and decisions that directly affect me and my future, the will to be heard can be overwhelming.

Perhaps it is better to acknowledge our beliefs when it comes to human rights, rather than suppress them. By carefully examining my own thoughts and opinions, I can prevent them from seeping into my reporting.

Reporters should be able to turn down a story to avoid a conflict of interest or disclose the unavoidable conflict to readers when writing.

As investigative and Pulitzer-prize winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones said in the NPR podcast 1A, The Debate Over Objectivity In Journalism episode, as soon as a person knows enough about something, they form an opinion and complete objectivity becomes impossible.

“The only way you can be fair is to understand what your biases are in your reporting and report against them,” Hannah-Jones said.

The presence of feelings does not automatically mean the absence of truth.

But when reporting, it is not about what you believe or want to be true, it is about what truly is.

My identity as a lesbian, and being someone who supports reproductive rights, immigrant rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other things, is inseparable and intrinsic to who I am and the journalist I am. It is my hope that these intrinsic parts of who I am help guide what I choose to write about, but they do not dictate how I report.

As long as you are conscious about your thoughts and implicit biases and do not let them cloud your ability to see facts and reason, there is no reason to remain neutral on issues of humanity.

Just because your writing is devoid of your opinions, doesn’t mean you need to be.

MDEVEREAUX@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

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VOL. 56, ISSUE 4

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campus

Columbia alum Ray Cortopassi joins WGN-TV as a nightly news anchor » ColumbiaChronicle.com

» K’VON JACKSON PHOTOJOURNALIST WITH MASKS ON, shoes tightly laced and

sweat beading on their skin, team members run at the blow of a whistle.

But, they all maintain their distance and avoid any form of physical contact, sanitizing their hands and equipment every few minutes.

In the past few months, sports have taken a hit amid the pandemic and safety restrictions, including with Columbia’s own Renegades sports teams.

But with the campus reopened and the return of people to its buildings, Renegades members are returning, too.

I spent a few days with the quidditch and soccer teams to observe their adaptation to new precautions set by the Student Athletic Association With practice held outdoors, the first few gatherings for these Renegades teams were similar to those of the past, despite the attention paid to cleanliness and staying apart.

Tessa DeHart, senior animation major and the president of the SAA, said “anyone that comes to practice is required to wear a mask and no physical contact is allowed” in reference to the quidditch team’s approach to safe play.

When playing together in person, the quidditch team—mostly made up of returning members—came loaded with multiple bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes for the equipment being used, including volleyballs and the hooped goals.

DeHart said changing the rules for certain sports has been difficult

and that quidditch was one of the sports she worried about the most due to its closeness in nature.

“The nature of the sport is everyone is touching the same ball; everyone is running around, knocking into each other,” DeHart said.

Now, rather than using one ball, there are multiple balls, and they are switched out frequently and cleaned after each use, pausing a drill for a few moments.

The SAA provided specific safety guidelines and precautions for each team to follow that were given to team leaders to be shared with club members.

Rylie Smedley, a senior Cinema Art and Science and Interdisciplinary Documentary double major, said the quidditch team is trying to only do drills that are socially-distanced, because typically in the sport people are allowed to tackle other players.

Smedley had players run individual drills and mandatory sanitization after each drill was completed by quidditch players, while also encouraging team members to stay 6 feet apart.

While attempting to stay competitive and give their all to the sport, the struggle to stay cautious made it evident there is a certain loss of connection when those playing together cannot be physically near one another.

Smedley, who is one of the captains of the quidditch team, said players are not currently required to be tested for the coronavirus, but it is something they are looking to possibly implement in the future. Along with quidditch, the soccer team is also following similar

THE QUIDDITCH TEAM SANITIZES THEIR HANDS AND EQUIPMENT BEFORE THE START OF PRACTICE.

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

Renegades sports make a comeback with a new biggest competitor — the coronavirus

RENEGADES QUIDDITCH TEAM MEMBERS SET UP HOOPS FOR SHOOTING DRILLS.

guidelines that include the use of face masks and heavy sanitizer application.

Megan O’Brien, a sophomore technical theatre major and secretary of the soccer team, said the team is unable to hold scrimmages like last year and is focusing on passing and scoring drills that can be done 6 feet apart from other team members.

DeHart said the Renegades Dance team is also finding new ways to adapt, recently partnering with Kinema Fitness to hold socially-distanced warmups and dance routines in-person at the park, over Zoom and on Instagram live.

Despite a number of safety precautions and different methods of practicing, Renegades sports teams are staying active and competitive, she said.

‘’Renegades sports are focusing on making sure that there is a good balance of digital and in-person events because there are a lot of students that aren’t on campus this semester,” DeHart said.

Documenting sports for the first time during the pandemic was interesting, to say the least, due to the disconnect in how the players interacted. But, each member appears dedicated to bringing back the sport and creating a space that is warm and welcoming.

From my time with the players, I saw their efforts as a reflection of how the Renegades work together to forge inclusive environments for Columbia students.

KJACKSON@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

SINCE PLAYERS NEED TO BE 6 FEET APART, PRACTICE MOSTLY CONSISTS OF PASSING AND SHOOTING DRILLS TO MINIMIZE CONTACT WITH OTHERS. OCTOBER 19, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 3

campus

‘I just want to get a job’: Columbia students struggle to find work, on and off campus » SAVANNA STEFFENS/CHRONICLE

» LAUREN LEAZENBY NEWS EDITOR WHEN SHE TRANSFERRED to Columbia this semester, sophomore animation major Anne Gage hoped she would also be able to transfer from her job at a Des Moines-area Starbucks to one near campus—but the pandemic has temporarily stopped their location transfers, she said.

So, she started applying for oncampus jobs, including positions as a curatorial assistant at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S. Michigan Ave., a production tech at the Student Center, 754 S. Wabash Ave., and a Theatre Department work aid.

Gage said she has applied to at least six on-campus jobs since late August.

She has only had one interview and was later told all the positions had already been filled. “[I have applied to] anything I can do that I can learn easily, like IT or anything animation related, but I’ve had no luck,” Gage said.

Gage’s experience is not unique. Some students are facing a similar struggle in their job search, both on and off campus.

There may be fewer positions available on campus because of the lower volume of students in campus buildings, said Eric Wordlow, the assistant director of Student Employment.

Between July and mid-September, Wordlow said more than 130 students were hired for on-campus positions.

He said the peak time for campus hires is typically between August and the end of October, so students should still be on the lookout for open positions.

But “open positions” do not translate to a job for everyone. Some, like freshman film and television major Patrick Mallon, sent in several applications through Handshake—the online platform that hosts on- and off-campus job and internship listings—since early August, but have never heard anything back.

His applications still say they are “pending,” he said.

“Handshake has not been the best [with] getting stuff back to me,” Mallon said. “They have my recommendations … and cover letter, but I have not heard anything back.”

While he wants the disposable income an on-campus position would provide, 4 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OCTOBER 19, 2020

Mallon said his classes are keeping him busy while he waits for communication from a potential supervisor.

Wordlow said this is likely because supervisors have not updated the positions on Handshake. Applications that are pending on the app have not yet been reviewed by anyone, Wordlow said.

An application may remain pending for months if the hiring manager has already found a candidate but leaves the listing up for a predetermined duration.

Some positions will get hundreds of applications, Wordlow said, so hiring managers may not get through all of them before selecting a candidate.

He said there will be more communication in the future encouraging supervisors to use the notification system to “review” or “decline” pending applications.

However, he said students should know that any time they apply for a job, in or out of college, they may not hear back.

It is okay to reach out to the hiring manager to let them know you are awaiting communication, he said. To increase the chances of getting hired,

Wordlow said it is best to apply to many jobs at once.

In order to stand out from other candidates, Wordlow recommends students keep their resume up-to-date with relevant skills and experiences. Even if a student has not had a job before, they can list skills they have learned in courses. He said it is helpful to tailor a cover letter to the position a student is applying for and create a complete profile on Handshake.

Instead of trying to secure an oncampus position, other students have gone off campus to find work, only to find themselves in a similar predicament.

To make ends meet, freshman music technology major Isabella Sarmiento has been offering tarot readings for $5 each. While the readings are fun, they can also be draining, and Sarmiento said she would prefer a regular gig.

Unfortunately, her applications have not garnered any response from offcampus employers.

“I have not gotten a single reply back, not even to reject me,” she said. “It’s hard, especially during [COVID-19].”

The scarcity of off-campus positions

may be explained by city and nationwide unemployment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the total number of jobs in the Chicago metro area is down 7.6% compared to one year ago, as of August 2020.

That is 366,600 fewer jobs than last August, with the largest percentage of jobs lost in the leisure and hospitality sector.

Sarmiento said her experience is in entertainment and retail, so she has applied to museums and stores to no avail. She has also applied to a number of on-campus jobs through Handshake, like tutoring positions, and has not received any response there, either.

The constant search is disappointing to Sarmiento, who said she likes to work and is eager to find a job in a fast-paced environment. She said she also wants to save money to be able to move out and support herself.

“I just want something to do,” Sarmiento said. “I kinda want to grow up already. I’m just ready.”

LLEAZENBY@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

campus

Renowned educator, artist Suzanne CohanLange dies at 76 » MATEUSZ JANIK STAFF REPORTER

» VICKI LEI/CHRONICLE

LOCAL CHICAGO SCULPTOR, educator and artist-community pillar Suzanne Cohan -Lange, 76, had a warm spirit and was known for curating exhibits and uplifting the talent of those around her.

“She did not try to be anybody else. She did not change because the direction of the wind had changed,” said Ava BelisleChatterjee, an associate professor in the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department. “She was just a very grounded person.”

Cohan-Lange, a visionary among family and friends, died on Sept. 22 at Journey Care Center in Rush University Medical Center after being treated for cancer.

Her husband, artist Richard Lange, said the cancer was found six months ago, and Cohan-Lange underwent treatment.

Cohan-Lange, who grew up in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, created the Interdisciplinary Arts Education program with the Chicago Consortium of Colleges in 1976.

In 1980, she brought the program to Columbia as the chair of the Interdisciplinary Arts Department, helped establish the Graduate School at Columbia and created programs for Interdisciplinary Arts and Educational Studies, according to Belisle-Chaterjee and a statement emailed to the college community on Sept. 25 from Dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts Rosita M. Sands.

During the 1990s, she was involved in creating a new program in Education Studies at Columbia and went on to expand it to include two Master of Fine Arts degree programs in addition to the original master’s degree program, according to the statement from Sands.

She continued to chair the Interdisciplinary Arts Department until her retirement in 2005.

“Suzanne was an extremely innovative and dynamic teacher,” Cohan-Lange’s husband said. “She was a mentor to many artists … she would get people teaching jobs because she seemed to know everybody in the art business.”

Richard Lange said he first met his

wife at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s former Circle campus in 1974 when he was an undergraduate student taking art courses and working as a picture editor for the former Chicago Daily News.

They later reconnected in 1984 when Cohan-Lange convinced him to enroll in Columbia’s then-new Interdisciplinary Arts graduate program. Right after he graduated, they got married in 1985.

“I was always the introvert and she was the extrovert,” Richard Lange said. “In the art business … it’s hard to keep positive all the time, and she always was positive.”

Cohan-Lange was known for her work in art education and was part of projects like the Illinois ArtMobile, a 63-foot tractor trailer art gallery which she drove across Illinois to bring art to schools with no programs.

In 1982, she created and designed Expressways Children’s Museum, which eventually evolved into the Chicago Children’s Museum, according to the statement from Sands.

Belisle-Chatterjee said she first met Cohan-Lange when she was hired at Columbia in 1992 to become the founding chair of the former Education Department.

Belisle-Chatterjee said she and Cohan-Lange both had experience working in Chicago Public Schools and would share stories from their times as high school art teachers.

“It was not just the stories; it was the passion that came through for how she reached out to students,” BelisleChatterjee said. “She had this real commitment to honoring diversity and to appreciate everyone as human beings.”

Jeff Abell, associate professor emeritus in the Art and Art History Department, worked with Cohan-Lange for 24 years and got to know her strengths and weaknesses.

“Suzanne sometimes acted before thinking it through,” Abell said in an Oct. 6 email to Chronicle. “I’m thinking specifically of a meeting that our former provost, Steve Kapelke, spoke [at], and Suzanne, annoyed with what she thought was his condescending attitude, threw a bottle of water at his head.”

Abell said her approach to teaching

was a combination of innovation and mischief that even impacted how he approached both his own teaching and talking with college administrators.

“Columbia College is a much more controlled and carefully professional place than it was 40 years ago,” Abell said. “But along the way, that sense of discovery that comes from yielding to an impulse has gotten lost.”

Following her retirement, CohanLange and her husband bought a gallery in Michigan City, Indiana, in 2009 and opened the Blink Contemporary Art gallery. Here the two displayed their own work and invited other artists, dancers and musicians to showcase their art.

Cohan-Lange also served on the board of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City for 13 years and recently sat on the board of directors of Chicago Sculpture International.

“She was a positive force in a lot of people’s lives, and it’s going to be hard without her,” her husband said.

Cohan-Lange is survived by her husband of 35 years; stepson Eric Lange; three grandchildren, Maeve, Miakoda, and Fletcher of Missoula, Montana; and hundreds of former students who found her teaching to be impactful, according to her husband and the college’s statement from Sands.

MJANIK@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM OCTOBER 19, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 5

arts&culture

Blumhouse Productions to hold a town hall for college students » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Filmmaking alum Urwa Zubair taps into creative spark to make ‘something beautiful’ WALKING PAST vibrant-colored walls and magnificently detailed creations at a Columbia art exhibit, Urwa Zubair stopped abruptly at the sight of a certain photograph.

Her gaze traveled across the canvas, noting how the two human subjects intimately shared the space, foreheads touching lightly. To Zubair, the women in the picture looked familiar, as if they were the same person: two manifestations of the same soul, she said.

This photo called “Head to Head,” taken

by Kelli Connell, a professor in the Photography Department, was where she found inspiration for her thesis film project, “Silver Cord.”

Zubair, who graduated from Columbia in 2019 with a master’s degree in creative producing, is now working full time in Los Angeles, where she aspires to be a film producer while also applying for a new visa.

After traveling back and forth from Karachi, Pakistan, Zubair came to the U.S. in 2017 for school.

“I think you have to be a little bit insane in order to be a filmmaker because it’s an incredibly unstable field,” Zubair said. “You have this sense of urgency, that you have to put your beliefs … out in the world at such a great level that you don’t stop.”

Growing up in Pakistan with a father in the U.S. Navy, Zubair said she developed a love for storytelling. Her family’s frequent travels ignited her curiosity and desire to

» URWA ZUBAIR/COURTESY

WHILE

understand and explore different cultures, traditions, languages and histories.

She currently works full time at GoDigital Media Group, an entertainment industry technology company, while freelancing and creating short films whenever she can.

“My filmmaking stems from a level of curiosity about all the things I don’t have knowledge of,” Zubair said.

Eric Scholl, associate professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department, said Zubair is a meticulous producer who is on top of everything from the budget to cinematic artistry and great at working collaboratively.

“She sets her sights on what she wants and she makes things happen,” Scholl said.

He said Zubair was an exceptional student and helped curate the PakIndia Film Festival, a graduate initiative at Columbia meant to showcase films promoting stories, culture and talent from Pakistan and India.

Bridget Botchway, one of Zubair’s grad school classmates at Columbia, said she and Zubair bonded over similar cultural backgrounds while working together on projects.

“She never took anything lightly,” Botchway said. “She’s like, ‘We’re about to make this into a Hollywood production.’”

Both now live in L.A. and collaborate on everything from music videos to short films, Botchway said.

Zubair said one of the biggest and most ambitious projects she undertook at Columbia was her thesis film “Silver Cord,” about a woman trying to cope

WORKING WITH HER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ON “SILVER CORD,” URWA ZUBAIR HELPS REARRANGE THE FILMING SCHEDULE AFTER AN UNEXPECTED STORM THROWS OFF THEIR PLANS. 6 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OCTOBER 19, 2020

» URWA ZUBAIR/COURTESY

» MARI DEVEREAUX CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

COLUMBIA ALUM URWA ZUBAIR’S THESIS FILM, “SILVER CORD,” TELLS THE STORY OF A YOUNG WOMAN COPING WITH THE LOSS OF HER FATHER AND HER OWN NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE.

with the loss of her father and her own near-death experience.

The plot came from the idea that every human is composed of two entities—the physical body and the soul—and the “silver cord” is what connects one’s body to their soul, Zubair said.

If the cord breaks, then one dies. But if the cord pulls one’s soul back to their body again after seeing part of the afterlife, this is considered a near-death experience, she said.

Zubair said the production process was extensive, from crowdfunding thousands of dollars and rigging a pool with underwater equipment, to working with a visual effects team and overseeing different crew members.

Nicholas Graham, a graduate student studying cinema directing at Columbia, said he enjoyed working on the film because of its “enormous scope” and the way Zubair embraced his ideas.

“As a person, [Zubair] is so kind-hearted,” Graham said. “As a producer, she’s tough.

She’s challenging. She’s the person you want in your corner. If something needs to get done, Urwa is on it. She’s incredible.”

Scholl, who was Zubair’s thesis film adviser, said she had multiple script drafts and refined the film to the point where she portrayed the connection between life and death in a way that was relatable and moving, but not cliché.

Several of Zubair’s films made in the past five years have been nominated and won awards internationally, including “Nanu Aur Mein,” “Arz-e-Pakistan” and “Prohibited.”

“Silver Cord” was given Columbia’s Albert P. Weisman Award, which is used to help “advanced undergraduate and graduate students complete a substantial media-based project.”

Zubair said the most invaluable thing Columbia taught her was to control her fear of failure and become more confident in her abilities. “[Professors] were always [saying] this is the only time you can test, trial, mistake, fail and then get back up,” Zubair said.

“You don’t necessarily have the same kind of opportunities when you’re out in the professional world.”

As an immigrant, Zubair said her next biggest challenge will be applying for a new visa to stay and work in the U.S. She said the immigration process is “very draining,” and the country’s current administration is putting a limit on the number of visas given to immigrants.

Moving forward, Zubair wants to keep working on the development of her new feature film, a coming-of-age drama exploring gender expression and culture, which she intends to shoot in Pakistan in 2022.

Zubair said the most fulfilling aspect of filmmaking is seeing her creations come to life in ways that exceed her expectations.

“You get these goosebumps and chills throughout your entire body, and you know that you’ve created something beautiful for the rest of the world,” Zubair said. “Maybe only five people see it, but you’ve created something that’s going to exist for way longer than you.”

MDEVEREAUX@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

arts & culture » K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

‘Creative’s March’: Empowering the next generation of creatives JAY POST OF OUT PAST MIDNIGHT PERFORMS A RAP FROM THEIR ALBUM “I MISS OWNSIDE” AT THE CONAWAY CENTER AT 1104 S. WABASH AVE. FOLLOWING THE CREATIVE’S MARCH SATURDAY OCT. 3.

» PAIGE BARNES AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR THROUGH A SLEW of different creative

forms, ranging from singing and dancing to spoken word, Fusion of Light Entertainment hosted the “Creative’s March” to help drown out social injustices and shine a light on the positive creativity the Black community in Chicago has to offer.

The march gathered outside the Media Production Center, 1600 S. State St., Saturday, Oct. 3, before ending at 1104 S. Wabash Ave., which offered a stage for diverse emerging artists to speak and perform.

Fusion of Light Entertainment is a talent resource that offers college underground creatives in Chicago the opportunity to network and a platform from which to be showcased, currently at no cost to them.

FOLE co-founder Jordan Blair said she was inspired to host her own creatives’

talent showcase after attending a similar event in New York and prompted the FOLE team to contact Black creatives in Chicago to express how they feel in light of current unrest.

“I was thinking for myself, ‘What makes me happy?’ And music has always been that main source for me, so that’s why I started thinking about the festival,” Blair said. “Our goal as a Fusion of Light team is to shine a light on a path for different types of creatives, artists, singers, dancers [and] fashion designers to simply just be who they are and get noticed.”

Blair, a sophomore music business major, said she and Tandrea Hawkins, a junior music business major, founded FOLE in March when the coronavirus pandemic caused a lockdown in many parts of the U.S. Blair said she felt trapped and isolated watching everyone quarantine and witnessing death after death of Black Amer-

icans, so she was empowered to create an uplifting space for artists to feel comfortable sharing their sentiments.

Hawkins said she was talking to God about manifesting her goals when she heard the word “festival.” The same night, coincidentally, she said Blair messaged her about organizing an event at Columbia, thus creating FOLE. The name comes from the group’s motto, “Be the fusion of light that covers the universe”—one that Hawkins said she lives by.

Sean Sturdivant, a sophomore musical theatre performance major and captain of the Renegades Steppers team, performed two strollings and three steppings with other team members at the showcase to “They Don’t Really Care About Us” by Michael Jackson and “Wipe Me Down” by Boosie Badazz.

“This event was excellent for people to go to because it shows that as young adults we

do care about our future and everything,” Sturdivant said.

Ethan Partington, a sophomore fashion studies major, learned about the march and showcase from FOLE’s social media assistant Liam Taylor but did not know what to expect.

He said the event turned out to be a “powerful and moving performance.”

“It’s important to [uplift] Black artists and Black voices right now, so if you’re a young person, if you believe in change, if you believe in equality, if you just believe in artists in general … I think it’s a really important movement, and I’m really glad I went.”

Check out Fusion of Light Entertainment, @fusionoflightent on Instagram, for more information about upcoming events and rising Chicago artists.

PBARNES@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

JORDAN BLAIR, CO-FOUNDER OF FUSION OF LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT, LEADS A MARCH DOWN STATE STREET CHANTING “BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

STUDENTS HOLD A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THOSE KILLED DUE TO POLICE BRUTALITY NEAR COLUMBIA’S MEDIA PRODUCTION CENTER, 1600 S. STATE ST.

FUSION OF LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT’S (LEFT TO RIGHT) DUPREE, LIAM TAYLOR, JORDAN BLAIR, TANDREA HAWKINS AND SOFIA FELINO SPEAK BEFORE THE EVENT’S PERFORMANCE SERIES. OCTOBER 19, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 7

arts & culture

» PAIGE BARNES AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR STACK TWO THICK pancakes, add a substantial amount of vanilla crème anglaise and hot pink berry mascarpone filling, top it off with an assortment of fresh berries and you will have an #InstaWorthy, #NoFilterNeeded sweet taste of Honey Berry Cafe.

Honey Berry Pancakes and Cafe, 901 S. State St., is the newest and trendiest South Loop breakfast and brunch place. The small breakfast chain officially opened Sept. 21, replacing Bulldog Ale House.

Since the sports bar chain closed in July, the location has received a David Tutera-esque makeover, from the rustic white dinner tables inside to the gargantuan artificial hedges against the wall that screams, “Take a brunch selfie in front of me.”

The menu caters to those with a sweet tooth or in need of something savory and warm for the cooler weather.

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are also available.

Its “Signature Honeyberry” pancakes are slightly denser than angel food cake and lighter than the texture of a Bundt cake, but the toppings are what make this signature pancake worthwhile for $13.

The drizzled berry mascarpone filling looks like a mixture of hot pink Silly String and freshly-dressed fondant. Together, the mélange of tastes mixes perfectly with the vanilla crème anglaise and the blackberry coulis.

It was hard to eat the pancakes in one sitting due to the generous portion and how saccharine the combination was.

Remember when Buddy the Elf from “Elf” makes his candied spaghetti breakfast? That was how I felt looking at the layers upon layers of syrupy goodness.

If that was not enough sweet excitement, Honey Berry also offers coffee for $3.50 and lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos with vanilla, cinnamon, caramel or mocha flavor for

$5.50, including the optional flavoring.

When the “Veggie Skillet” was placed on my table, I was ready to give my sweet tooth a rest and try something on the savory side.

The saying is true—you do eat with your eyes first.

The two eggs of your choice sizzled on an assemblage of THE “SIGNATURE HONEYBERRY” PANCAKES ARE TOPPED WITH COLORhash browns, cheese, FUL BERRY MASCARPONE FILLING, FRESH BERRIES, VANILLA CRÈME ANGLAISE OVER A SPREAD OF BLACKBERRY COULIS. mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, onions, tomatoes and would be open to discussing the broccoli and comprised a hearty entrée possibility of a discount with the for $16. cafe’s owners.

It comes with your choice of toast My high expectations for a place or regular pancakes, but for $3 extra, with “berries” and “pancakes” in the you can substitute the standard pan- name were met by the service and cuicakes for specialty pancakes, like the sine. It was an elevated version of Yolk while still meeting the expectations “Signature Honeyberry.”

Currently, there is no student dis- of an overrated Wildberry Pancakes count in place—only a discount for those and Cafe.

When I finish my box of leftovers, you living in NEMA, 1210 S. Indiana Ave., will be sure to see me again at Honey and Astoria Tower, 8 E. 9th St. However, Tiffany Frederick, gen- Berry Pancakes and Cafe. eral manager of Honey Berry Cafe, PBARNES@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM said if there is student interest, she

‘Jazz Kitchen,’ a livestream exploration of jazz and food » RYAN ROSENBERGER STAFF REPORTER THE HYDE PARK Jazz Festival organization

» GIANELLA GOAN/CHRONICLE

has launched a new virtual livestream series, “Jazz Kitchen,” which explores the intersection of jazz music and food and how that relationship played a role historically and still manifests itself in everyday life.

The virtual discussion-based series, hosted by Monica Hairston O’Connell, who holds a doctorate in ethnomusicology from New York University, dives into the aspects of influence that jazz music and food have on each other.

8 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OCTOBER 19, 2020

“The idea behind jazz kitchen is quite simple,” said O’Connell, the former executive director of the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia. “It’s really just to bring food and jazz together through intimate conversation with fascinating people in some, hopefully, interesting ways.”

The “Jazz Kitchen” series kicked off on Thursday, Oct. 8, with “A Woman’s Place” discussion, which focused on characteristics of care and hospitality that Black women have and how they put those into practice in the world, as well as in their own spaces.

“Our most cherished institutions, celebrations and rituals are marked by the presence of music and particular foods,” the Hyde Park Jazz Festival organization said in a Sept. 16 press release.

During the livestream, O’Connell was joined by Tammy Kernodle, a musician and professor of Musicology at Miami

University in Oxford, Ohio, and Maya-Camille Broussard, founder of Justice of the Pies, a Chicago bakery at 65 Chicago Riverwalk.

Broussard said her first encounter with hospitality in the kitchen was when she was younger and would visit her great-aunt’s house on the West Side, where she would eat gumbo.

“Yes, you’re coming to see me and the family, but you’re [also] coming for a bowl of gumbo because that’s my gift to you,” Broussard said. “In terms of hospitality, I see food as a love language. For me, I believe traditionally, it’s the women who are speaking that.”

Kernodle, who grew up in Virginia, said she did not realize the importance of how much kitchen hospitality played a role in her mother’s identity as a Black woman and homeowner until she witnessed her prepare a full meal for a documentary film crew who were there to interview Kernodle.

Kernodle said her mother would not let the film crew into her house without making them feel like they were a part of the family.

“I didn’t get until that moment just

how deeply tied identity is to this notion of hosting people,” Kernodle said.

“In this moment, it doesn’t even matter if you are biologically linked to me.

You’re going to be linked to me through this offering of food and this offering of community.”

Thursday’s livestream also touched on the hospitality of women in jazz, specifically pianists Mary Lou Williams and Alice Coltrane, who was married to renowned saxophonist John Coltrane.

Kernodle, who wrote an autobiography about Williams, said in the 1950s Williams rented an apartment in Harlem, New York with the hopes that her second husband, Harold “Shorty” Baker, would join her there.

Kernodle said after realizing her husband would not be joining her at her apartment, Williams made it a sanctuary for musicians, especially those who were recovering addicts, which were people she often cared for.

Visit ColumbiaChronicle.com more reporting.

for

RROSENBERGER@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

» CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

Review: Honey Berry Cafe gets an Instagram like from me

arts & culture

THE CHRONICLE’S TOP FIVE REASONS TO VOTE

» ERIN THRELKELD COPY EDITOR

» LAUREN LEAZENBY NEWS EDITOR

» KENDALL POLIDORI CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Voting is a chance to be included It gives you a chance to voice your concerns It’s a civil right It can help push for aid It makes you feel like you can choose your future

You can make a difference in local elections To be a part of the decisions, not just the conversations To represent your community Vote for those who can’t Because it’s your first time!

Voting is an opportunity for change Makes your voice heard Exercises your rights as a citizen Gives you the opportunity to have a say in the issues you care about Supports your community and those who cannot vote in the U.S.

» GIANELLA GOAN/CHRONICLE

COMIC

OCTOBER 19, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 9

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Columbia students’ thoughts on Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination » ColumbiaChronicle.com

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

Protesters take ‘freedom ride’ to support former Columbia student charged with hitting cop with skateboard at protest

PROTESTERS MARCH NORTHBOUND ON NORTH DEARBORN STREET TOWARD DALEY PLAZA AS PART OF THE FREEDOM RIDE DEMONSTRATION IN SUPPORT OF MOHAWK JOHNSON ON TUESDAY, OCT. 1.

» ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL PHOTOJOURNALIST

“We’re trying to raise as much awareness as we can so that he is not just another Black man lost in the system,” said Sofia Thompson, a protester who was there when Johnson was arrested.

In an Oct. 1 interview with the Chronicle, Johnson said he believes the “unusual” charges are a result of his race.

“Other [protesters] who are getting felonies who don’t look like me are getting their charges dropped, and I’m not,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s next court date was originally scheduled for Oct. 14, but was moved to Wednesday, Oct.

21 at the Bridgeview Courthouse, 10220 S. 76th Ave. Despite his arrest, Johnson said he still advocates for people to continue protesting police brutality and racial injustice.

“If you think there is something wrong with this city, you don’t fix it by staying at home and pretending everything is OK,” Johnson said.

“You have to show up for the things you believe in. People should absolutely be protesting.”

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

» ZACHARY CLINGENPEEL/CHRONICLE

DURING A PROTEST in August, former Columbia student Jeremey “Mohawk” Johnson was arrested for allegedly hitting an officer with a skateboard.

An official news release provided by the Chicago Police Department after Johnson’s arrest stated the incident took place on the 200 block of South LaSalle Street on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 15. The news release alleges Johnson struck a police officer with a skateboard in multiple overhead swings as conflict

escalated between protesters and officers, as reported by the Chronicle.

Johnson has been placed under the Electronic Monitoring Program since Aug. 17, when he was formally charged with “felony aggravated battery of a police officer,” and he is not allowed to use or own a skateboard while in the program.

Since his arrest, friends and family of Johnson have protested in the hopes of getting his case dismissed—most recently outside of the Cook County State Attorney’s office Oct. 1 in the form of a “Freedom Ride.”

JEREMEY “MOHAWK” JOHNSON EMBRACES PROTESTERS AFTER RECEIVING A COURT DATE NOW RESCHEDULED FOR OCT. 21 10 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OCTOBER 19, 2020

MANY OF THE ATTENDEES AT THE “FREEDOM RIDE” ARE SK ATEBOARDERS WHO DISPLAYED STICKERS WITH THE WORD “MOHAWK” OR IMAGES OF JOHNSON ON THEM.

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Same store, same history, new location: Central Camera prepares to reopen » NOAH JENNINGS STAFF REPORTER WHEN DON FLESCH reopens Central Camera

in its temporary location later this month, the store’s longtime customers will not be traveling much farther than before. That is because the store will be reopening right next door to its original location.

Flesch, the owner of Central Camera, is planning to open the doors Friday, Oct. 30, exactly five months after the store was destroyed in a fire, as reported by the Chronicle June 12.

The fire was set as a result of an escalation of violence following the death of George Floyd, after video of his killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis was made public. Flesch garnered attention after speaking live on air with CBS Chicago about how upset he was over Floyd’s death, while his store continued to burn down in front of him, holding no anger toward the people involved in the looting and destruction of his store.

Flesch also spoke to this on a GoFundMe page set up to support the rebuilding of the store.

“Although this is a tough time for the store, it doesn’t compare to the loss of George Floyd’s life and the countless other Black lives lost. We stand with the African American community in solidarity,” Flesch said on the page.

The GoFundMe campaign has so far

raised more than $220,000—something Flesch said leaves him in disbelief.

Central Camera will occupy 228 S. Wabash Ave. until repairs are completed at 230 S. Wabash Ave. Flesch said he intentionally decided to take up the space, which was previously occupied

by Kramer’s Health Foods, to help the landlord, and for the benefit of his business. Kramer’s closed the Wabash location three years ago.

“Once you move, you’re trying to learn the new [location] yourself,” Flesch said, explaining the decision to temporarily move next door. “But how do the people who are dependent on you learn about you [and] where you went?”

Despite his store being destroyed, Flesch said he was always confident he would be able to reopen Central Camera.

“We lost lots of inventory, lots of history, a lot of important things that were special, but you make new ones,” Flesch said. “Otherwise, we’re going to be living in the Stone Age, right?”

Central Camera has been in business since 1899 when it was opened by Flesch’s grandfather and moved to its current, well-known location at 230 S. Wabash Ave. in 1929.

Flesch said he is working on getting more inventory for the new store including camera accessories, photo paper and film, but the focus will remain on what is needed for the original store, which will

take more time to replace.

“It’s going be real simple in the temporary store,” Flesch said. “There’s no sense of building out and then having to take it all down and start all over again.”

In the five months since the fire, Flesch has been holding sidewalk sales three days a week—weather permitting—offering a selection of products like film, photo chemical kits and photo folders, as well as photo finishing services.

Jeffery Spitz, an associate professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department, has been a regular visitor to the store since he came to Chicago in 1983, despite not being a professional photographer. “[I would go] to just stand in that camera shop and inhale, look around and appreciate all the history of photography that’s in that one little storefront,” Spitz said.

Spitz said he often wears his black Central Camera T-shirt, donning the logo on the store’s marquee sign, and his students comment on how the shirt is starting to become worn. The store continues to sell merchandise like T-shirts, stickers and tote bags on its website.

“I love wearing my Central Camera T-shirt because I’m happy to have some part of the store with me wherever I go,” Spitz said.

Because he was inspired by Flesch’s

resilience after the store was burned down, Spitz decided to create a project for his “Chicago Film History” class where students will film public service announcements in support of Central Camera’s reopening, he said. “[The students] resonate with Central Camera and that little store front on Wabash,” Spitz said.

“When they see it, something just touches their heart.”

Luke Davis, a frequent visitor from the west suburbs, supported the store’s sidewalk sale on Friday, Oct. 9 and said he will visit again once the new location is ready.

“This is an excellent institution,” Davis said. “I’m glad that despite burning down, the spirit is still burning strong.”

When he does reopen the doors to the original location, Flesch is not planning any special ceremonies. Instead, he hopes to get back to business as usual and talk to frequent customers, like Spitz and Davis.

“I like talking to people and meeting them every day,” Flesch said. “That’s the best part of life. That’s what life is for, human community sharing.

I don’t care about money. I never have been rich, never will be rich and never wanted to be rich, except with people by sharing and having fun.”

NJENNINGS@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

» MENGSHIN LIN/CHRONICLE

» MENGSHIN LIN/CHRONICLE

OWNER OF CENTRAL CAMERA DON FLESCH (RIGHT) OFTEN WELCOMES HIS CUSTOMERS WITH FREE PINS AND MINT CHOCOLATE AT THEIR TEMPORARY SHOP.

CENTRAL CAMERA HAS BEEN HOLDING SIDEWALK SALES IN FRONT OF ITS TEMPORARY LOCATION FROM 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M. ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY. OCTOBER 19, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 11

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Remote students struggle with broadband inequities » LUCAS MARTINEZ/CHRONICLE

» SUMMER HOAGLAND-ABERNATHY OPINIONS EDITOR DURING THE EARLY days of quarantine in the spring, Brianna Burke’s better school days happened when the lectures would actually load on her computer.

Burke, a former Illinois Valley Community College student from Utica, Illinois, said she had to use ingenuity to find ways to complete her schoolwork.

Without internet access at home, she used phone hotspots until her data dried up and she was forced to find other means of internet connection.

“I would have to go down the road and sit in my car outside of the gas station … because it had a McDonald’s [Wi-Fi] I could connect to, or I’d go down to the Utica library also sitting out in my car,” Burke said. “That issue was, ‘I hope my battery on my computer stays working.’”

Burke is not alone. Across Illinois, 5.5% of people, or nearly 700,000 residents, do not have access to the internet, and there are even more people whose internet connection is slower than average, according to a Broadband Search data compilation.

With remote instruction ongoing in many places due to the coronavirus pandemic, an internet connection can mean the difference between class attendance and absence.

Robert Edlebeck, senior vice president and chief technology officer of

Next-Level Technology Partners based in Paw Paw, Illinois, has helped connect principals, teachers and students to the internet during the pandemic by setting them up with equipment that receives a connection from internet towers within a 10-mile radius.

With more than 1,200 clients between DeKalb, Winona, Plano and La Moille, Illinois, he sees learning complications in schools that lack technology and funding.

“The bigger schools that are closer to Chicago or metropolitan areas—they do very well as far as getting their [internet] infrastructure,” he said. “In the rural area, they have very minimal staffing as far as IT for schools. They are kind of behind on technology.”

Although Columbia’s campus is in the heart of downtown, many students are based elsewhere for remote learning and need technological help connecting to the internet for their classes.

Ed Medina, senior director of IT Operations and Security, said approximately 90 Columbia students have requested and received hotspots from Client Services. Wi-Fi access is shipped to students in the form of a phone with a hotspot.

Naysha Boyd, who graduated from Columbia in 2020 with a degree in fashion studies, received a phone from the school because she experienced internet connectivity errors due to

12 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OCTOBER 19, 2020

a full house of people working remotely.

While the hotspot came with minor issues, in the long run it helped Boyd graduate.

“When I started my summer classes, the usage kind of slowed down,” she said. “[But that] came with the territory of dealing with the pandemic. I probably would have finished [college] if I didn’t have [the hotspot], but it would have taken a lot.”

Connect Illinois, a broadband program designed to bring internet to everyone in the state, has received $50 million in grants since June 2019. However, the program’s goal to complete its mission by 2024 could mean many Illinoisans will remain disconnected in the meantime.

Medina said he believes if the need for college-provided hotspots persists until then, Columbia will have enough resources to continue providing them.

On a national scale, short-term solutions like the Computer and Internet Equity Act—which would give low-income households access to broadband and phone service—and the Emergency Educational Connections Act, both co-sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), have not made it past the introduction stage.

“This pandemic has highlighted the magnitude of the digital divide,” Durbin said in a Sept. 24 email to the Chronicle. “Now more than ever, Illinois-

ans are relying on broadband so their children can keep up with their classwork and patients can stay in touch with their doctors.”

Durbin said fixing the geographic broadband inequities should be a top priority, but until the government can address every corner of Illinois, communities will need to rely on short-term fixes of their own.

While Burke had to put a pause on her education at Illinois Valley Community College due to a lack of internet access and the continuation of the pandemic, she has heard from friends and family of one short-term solution implemented in some communities: Wi-Fi buses.

These buses are repurposed with the proper Wi-Fi routers and driven to various underprivileged neighborhoods so students have the ability to complete their homework, she said.

Edlebeck said if he were in charge of the state he would create a group to assess and reallocate school funding used for in-school services to instead go toward helping marginalized and low-income families secure an internet connection.

“Take some of the funding from transportation or student lunches, and put infrastructure in place to help better the communication between the schools and the students,” he said.

SHOAGLANDABERNATHY@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

opinions

Living with an eating disorder during the pandemic requires care and attention » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Awkward: What do you do if you find a roommate’s sex toy? » LAUREN LEAZENBY STAFF REPORTER IT IS HARD to miss: There is a dildo on the coffee table and it is your roommate’s.

You do not have a problem with sex toys as a concept, but you do think it is a little gross to find someone else’s out in the open like that.

What do you do when you find something you know you probably were not meant to see? Some experts weigh in: “We can be pro-sex toy and anti-sex toy on the table,” said Alexandra Solomon, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University. “We can be sex-positive and desirous of boundaries.”

Leaving any kind of sex toy on the

table, whether it be a dildo or a leather whip, is a boundary violation, Solomon said. The shock of finding your roommate’s private items in a common area might feel disrespectful to you, she said, but when you talk to them about it, it is important not to shame them.

Solomon said to “go meta first,” by having a high-level conversation about the issue rather than diving straight into the specific problem. She recommends asking your roommate if they are available to receive feedback, and then framing your complaint as an “X-Y-Z” statement: “When you did ‘X’ in situation ‘Y,’ I felt ‘Z.’” Then, Solomon said she suggests setting up a policy or rule that personal items should remain in each roommate’s personal space.

A loose sex toy in a common area implies that it was also used in a common area. A roommate using the shared couch for sex or masturbation may represent a crossed boundary. But, Kendra Knight, an assistant professor of communication studies at DePaul University, said it’s better to talk about the toy rather than the sex.

She said it might be best to treat found sex toys like they are any other personal hygiene item like a retainer or a toothbrush. This takes the “sex” part out of the equation when having a discussion.

It’s not going to go well if someone feels “like you’re policing their sexuality,” Knight said. “Instead of a conflict about an object, it becomes a

conflict about identity.”

Chances are your roommate is already embarrassed that you found their sex toy, Knight said, so all they may need is a gentle reminder that personal items should remain personal.

“A lot of these awkward moments derive from the same principle [of] things that I study and teach. … [They are] efforts to balance mutual influence and respect each other’s autonomy,” Knight said. “Even if a situation has an idiosyncrasy— like, it’s a dildo—you can resolve it by getting back to those core principles: How do I show respect to another person and ask others to respect me?”

LLEAZENBY@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM »SAVANNA STEFFENS/CHRONICLE

OCTOBER 19, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 13