85,000 march for life, gun regulation PAGE 20
PAGE 3
SPRING 2018
6,539 ENROLLED
Proposals made for program teach-outs, terminations
7,312 ENROLLED
7,179 ENROLLED
8,120 ENROLLED
FALL 2016
SPRING 2017
8,100 ENROLLED
SPRING 2016
8,961 ENROLLED
FALL 2015
8,532 ENROLLED
SPRING 2015
FALL 2014
ColumbiaChronicle.com
FALL 2017
April 2, 2018
9,442 ENROLLED
Volume 53, Issue 25
*GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT » INFORMATION COURTESY INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS INTERACTIVE REPORTING
» ZOË HAWORTH/CHRONICLE
Enrollment decline slows COLUMBIA’S SPRING 2018 enrollment declined 9.1 percent from spring 2017, down 640 students. However, the percentage decline is less than the 11.4 percent decline Columbia reported from SP16 to SP17 and the 10 percent decline from FA16 to FA17, as reported March 6, 2017, and Oct. 6, 2017, by The Chronicle. A Census Enrollment Report for spring 2018 released by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness showed this semester’s total enrollment at 6,539, in comparison to last spring’s 7,179. Enrollment has declined continuously since it began dropping between FA08 and FA09, when the college’s enrollment dropped 384 students. Of the 19 undergraduate departments listed in the report, 11 lost more than 10 percent of their enrollment between SP17 and SP18, five of which lost more than 20 percent. Theatre is the only department that reported an increase in enrollment.
From FA17 to SP18, nine of the undergraduate departments lost more than 10 percent of their enrollment. Despite the continuous declines, Chief of Staff Laurent Pernot said the college is retaining more freshman students and has seen an increase in transfer and international students. “We’re seeing some declines, but the declines are decreasing,” Pernot said. “We feel like we’re trending well and early indications [are] that trend will continue into the fall 2018 cycle.” Departments that experienced steepest
enrollment declines from SP17 to SP18 include Science and Mathematics, which lost two of its nine students, a 22 percent drop; Dance, which lost 28 of its 126 students, a 22 percent drop; and Humanities, History and Social Sciences, which lost 16 of its 47 students, a 34 percent drop. Chair of the Design Department Tim Cozzens said the declining enrollment was expected for various reasons. The department lost 53 of its 599 students, a 9 percent loss. “We can’t control if a student has the financial means to be able to come back,”
Of the 19 undergraduate departments listed in the report,
11 lost more than 10 percent of their enrollment
Cozzens said. “We can’t control if a student has something happening that makes it hard for them to perform academically and thus have a challenge from returning. We can control access to facilities, and the idea that students are being understood.” Cozzens said the department has spent the last three years actively trying to engage with Student Government Association to increase communication, so students do not think that their voices are being ignored. The college has an enrollment strategy group working to increase enrollment, and examine the issue from a variety of perspectives, according to Senior Vice President and Provost Stan Wearden. The group analyzes financial aid, retention strategies and freshman, transfer and international student recruitment, Wearden said. It is working to increase enrollment in continuing adult education courses with Columbia College Chicago Online, he added. Pernot said enrollment for SP18 was more than expected, given that the college projected 6,475.
SEE ENROLLMENT PAGE 4
» TESSA BRUBAKER & MOLLY WALSH CAMPUS REPORTERS
editor’s note
How can we turn a slower decline into no decline?
MANAGEMENT
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITORS
O
ne wouldn’t think seeing an enrollment decline of 9.1 percent would be exciting news, but for Columbia, it kind of is, which is just a little bit sad. But what can you do? In almost a decade of enrollment declines that began in fall 2009—when a drop of 2.7 percent was the first enrollment decline in 25 years, as reported Sept. 21, 2009, by The Chronicle—Columbia has reported declines reaching 1,000 students over the course of a year. With some decline percentages hitting double digits—a high of 11.4 percent from SP16 to SP17—slowing down the decline rate is pretty good news. While The Chronicle would love to report that Columbia’s marathon enrollment decline is finally over and students no longer have to worry about skyrocketing tuition, that’s not reality, and it’s not going to be for some time yet. Believe me, I’d love to be the first editor-in-chief to write a “Wow, we have more students” Editor’s Note in nine years, but instead, I’m trying to think of new points to make about something really not new. I could talk about how this is the lowest percentage of enrollment decline in two years, since the 5.1 percent decline from SP15 to SP16. But who knows whether this slightly slower decline will continue? Lowest in two years doesn’t mean much in nearly a decade of declines. I could talk about the minimal rises in some ethnicities on campus. But an additional three Hispanic, one Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and 23 non-resident immigrant students isn’t much when the number of students of Asian, Native-American or AfricanAmerican descent or those of multiple races declined by much more. I could talk about how the student center that is supposed to draw enough new students to save us broke ground this academic year, but the number of incoming and returning freshmen declined by 42. And sure, freshman enrollment declining by 42 isn’t a lot, but after incoming and returning freshman enrollment declined by 195 from FA16 to FA17, it just adds to the blow. I could talk about all that and so much more, but instead, I’m going to be a bit more blunt: Why are the 6,539 of us who 2 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR AD & BUSINESS MANAGER
CAMPUS REPORTERS
CAMPUS Tessa Brubaker Olivia Deloian Molly Walsh
ARTS & CULTURE
ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS
are enrolled this semester still here? METRO REPORTERS As someone who is graduating in less than two months, I do not regret sticking around for the full four years at Columbia. I’ve learned things I couldn’t have learned OPINIONS EDITOR anywhere else, I’ve made connections I couldn’t have made elsewhere, and I’ve found a love for my field and others here. COPY CHIEF But, like I’ve said time and time again, COPY EDITORS the attributes that make Columbia so great and make us students want to stick around until the end are disappearing. It’s not necessarily the typical classes GRAPHIC DESIGNERS that keep students coming back—especially since many of the most unique ADVERTISING DESIGNER ones are being cut—but rather the organizations, practicums and other extracurricular opportunities offered here. SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS The Columbia Chronicle, Semester in LA, AEMMP Records, A Semester STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS at Second City, Mainstage Productions, American Sign Language Silent Retreat, Hairtrigger, Frequency TV, WCRX-FM, Fashion in the Field, the Game Developers MULTIMEDIA EDITOR MULTIMEDIA REPORTERS Conference, Student Programming Board, Student Athletic Association, Student Government Association, Big Mouth, Manifest Urban Arts Festival, and MEDIA SALES REPS everything else that makes Columbia a college different than any others need to MARKETING ASSISTANT be invested in and emphasized. I speak to groups of incoming freshmen once a week or high school seniors at least WEBMASTER who come through The Chronicle on about what ONLINE CONTENT PRODUCER tours. I see teens who are sure they want from their college and those who are hesitant and nervous to make the look in OFFICE ASSISTANT a commitment. But I’ve seen students’ eyes when they learn about the practical experience they will get GENERAL MANAGER not only if they work at The Chronicle, FACULTY ADVISER but also through those other activities ASSISTANT FACULTY ADVISER mentioned above. So college leaders, you need to think about what makes Columbia unique, highlight that and find a way to use that not only to bring in students, but also to keep them. zeitel@columbiachronicle.com
» ZOË EITEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Zoë Eitel Eric Bradach Ariana Portalatin Brooke Pawling Stennett Zoë Haworth Micha Thurston
Mayan Darbyshire Miranda Manier
METRO Savannah Eadens Blaise Mesa
OPINIONS Tyra Bosnic
COPY Lauren Carlton Jay Berghuis McKayla Braid
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PHOTOGRAPHY Mackenzie Crosson Kevin Tiongson Erin Dickson Zachary Keltner
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Obituary: College reflects on assistant dean’s legacy » Page 6 » FILE PHOTO
campus
Discontinued programs may lead to faculty firing Responses from faculty and members of Columbia’s Faculty Senate will be sent to the Board of Trustees following recommendations of discontinuing programs and terminating their tenured faculty made by President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim and Senior Vice President and Provost Stan Wearden.
FACULTY SENATE WILL soon send the Board of Trustees its response to the administration’s proposal to discontinue education and creative arts therapies programs and terminate the programs’ tenured faculty. Raquel Monroe, Faculty Senate president and associate professor in the Dance Department, discussed a draft report from President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim and Senior Vice President and Provost Stan Wearden during the March 9 senate meeting. The report recommends discontinuing the BA in early childhood education and three creative arts therapies programs, including the MA in dance movement therapy and counseling, the alternate route in dance movement therapy, and the graduate Laban certificate in movement analysis. The report also said the college could not place the program’s tenured faculty in other departments but did not explain the decision. The college’s tenure policy requires a discontinuation report to include “any economically and academically reasonable measures” to retain tenured faculty.
In a March 16 email to senate members, Monroe included the reports and said the senate’s Executive Committee is seeking feedback on the programs’ discontinuation and termination of tenured faculty. The Executive Committee is awaiting a response from Wearden on why it was decided to terminate faculty as opposed to placing them in other departments. According to the Institutional Effectiveness Office, there were four tenured faculty in creative arts therapies and three tenured faculty in education for fall 2017. Monroe encouraged faculty to send their comments on the report by April 6. The Executive Committee will include feedback in its final response to be sent by April 17, according to Monroe’s March 28 email statement to The Chronicle. The Board of Trustees will review the report and responses May 5 and vote accordingly, according to the March 16 email. “We are deeply concerned by the implications this process sets forth as precedence for the termination of programs and tenured faculty, particularly in the absence of a discontinuance policy,” Monroe said in the statement. Wearden said a discontinuance policy is part of the college’s Statement of Policy on
Academic Freedom, Faculty Status, Tenure and Due Process, amended most recently in May 2017 and additional policies need to be in keeping with that document. According to the policy, the Board of Trustees can direct the president to close an academic program and terminate its tenured faculty without cause. Kim and Wearden said in the reports to the senate that the programs no longer fit the college and have struggled to establish long-term programmatic and fiscal health due to declining enrollment and revenue with high costs. Wearden said his action was guided by the college’s mission statement, enrollment trends and financial measures that examine the programs’ financial health, which he included in his advisory report. The report shows both programs’ declining enrollment since 2013. The education program had a total of 92 students in fall 2013 compared to 31 in fall 2017. While creative arts therapies increased from 67 to 80 students between FA13 and FA14, enrollment dropped to 48 in FA17. Tables in the report comparing the programs’ revenue to their costs of instruction show program deficits in fiscal years 2016 and 2017.
“It’s our responsibility to take a look at our whole array of programs and see, are there some we should stop offering so we have resources to devote to new things we’d like to begin?” Wearden said. Offering the programs until the last enrolled student graduates, known as a “teach-out,” was recommended in the advisory reports, including a one-year teach-out of creative arts therapies and a two-year teach-out of education. Kim stated in his report draft that the recommendation to terminate faculty in the programs stems from Wearden’s decision to not place faculty in other departments. Wearden said he has been in conversation with school deans and department chairs about the changes for several months to discuss the possibilities for tenured faculty but have not been able to find a solution other than termination. “Part of it also has to do with the fact that the board requested this review because the two programs are in serious financial trouble,” Wearden said. “Continuing to support those salaries just continues that financial issue especially if there’s no logical place to place those faculty.” SEE PROGRAMS, PAGE 13
» ARIANA PORTALATIN MANAGING EDITOR
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 3
campus “We look at our trends, applications and where we are with our rate of admission, and that’s the number we use to build a budget. So that’s our assumption [as] to how many students,” Pernot said. “We’re
actually over that projection, which is a first for us.”
Colbey Reid, chair of the Fashion Studies Department who joined the college in summer 2017, said the department is working to maintain
retention rates by making financial aid more available. The Fashion Studies Department lost 54 of its 482 students, an 11 percent drop. The department was awarded a $500,000 endowment by the Chicago Fashion Foundation that will go to student scholarships, according to Reid. Chair of the Communication Department Suzanne McBride said although having higher enrollment is preferable, the college’s graduation and retention rates continue to
rise, and the primary focus should be on that. The Communication Department lost 59 of its 438 students, a 13 percent decline. McBride, who has worked at Columbia for more than a decade, said there is always an expected decline in enrollment from fall to spring, and the college has to do a better job of communicating to attract more students. “[Enrollment] is an issue we are all cognizant of in the department
and across the college as we should be,” McBride said. “We all need to be thinking and working on how to make sure we are attracting and retaining the most diverse and creative group of students in all of our disciplines. ” The chairs of the American Sign Language-English Interpretation, Business and Entrepreneurship, Interactive Arts and Media, and Art and Art History departments did not respond to request for comment as of press time.
Wearden said the flat line of enrollment suggests an upturn in the next coming years. “We have some challenges right now, [but] I do not feel like we are in any sort of a crisis situation,” Wearden said. “We have got a great leadership team in place at the college both at the cabinet level, at the dean level, as well as the registrar office and in all the right places to turn the enrollment situation at Columbia around.”
chronicle@colum.edu
ENROLLMENT, FROM FRONT
4,000
Fine and Performing Arts Undergraduates
Media Arts Undergraduates
SPRING 2018
FALL 2017
SPRING 2017
FALL 2016
SPRING 2018
FALL 2017
SPRING 2017
FALL 2016
SPRING 2018
FALL 2017
1,000
FALL 2016
2,000
SPRING 2017
3,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences Undergraduates
» ZOË HAWORTH/CHRONICLE
YOU AND A GUEST ARE INVITED TO SEE MONDAY, APRIL 2 7:00PM
STOP BY THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE OFFICE TO PICK UP A PAIR OF PASSES WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! 33 EAST CONGRESS, SUITE 224 CHICAGO, IL 60605 Screening passes valid strictly for Columbia College Chicago students with a valid student ID, staff, and faculty only and are distributed at the discretion of the promotional partner. Those that have received a screening pass or promotional prize within the last 90 days are not eligible. *No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Please refer to screening passes for all other restrictions. Paramount Pictures, all promo partners and their affliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of a ticket. Participating sponsors, their employees & family members and their agencies are not eligible. This film is not yet rated. Theater is overbooked to ensure capacity. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis and is not guaranteed.
IN THEATERS APRIL 6
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4 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018 COLUMBIA CHRONICLE
@AQuietPlaceMovie |
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The Music Center at Columbia College Chicago 1014 S. Michigan Avenue
M u s i c
D e p a r t m e n t
Wednesday April 4 Wednesday Noon Guitar Concert Series at the Conaway Center
Thursday April 5 Jazz Jam Session – Hosted by Adam Dib
E v e n t s
12:00 pm
6:30 pm
campus
VOLUNTEER THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A STUDENT POWERED FESTIVAL IS YOU, THE STUDENT! APPLY TO JOIN “THE CREW” AS A GREETER OR RUNNER AND TAKE OVER THE STREETS OF MANIFEST ON FRIDAY, MAY 11TH!
GREETER:
Are you the chatty type who talks to just about everyone? Help us welcome our guests, answer questions & brag about our amazing school!
RUNNER:
Help with anything that comes up! You’ll ensure this amazing festival’s success! Wear your running shoes.
Be a part of Manifest! Get a Manifest Staff T-Shirt! Gain Experience! Network, Network, Network!
Visit colum.edu/manifest for more details.
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 5
» MOLLY WALSH CAMPUS REPORTER ASSISTANT DEAN OF the School of Media Arts Charles Castle passed away March 21 at age 60 after fighting cancer. Castle is survived by his partner, Kelley Wright; his mother, Lucy Ann Matz; three siblings; and his nieces and nephews. Castle joined Columbia in 2001 as an assistant to former Dean of the School of Media Arts Doreen Bartoni. The two administrators took office as Columbia was establishing its School of Media Arts, School of Fine and Performing Arts and School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Castle played a crucial part in establishing the new structure, according to Bartoni, who was recently named a dean emerita. Bartoni said Castle was a tremendous asset to the school as well as a dear colleague of 10 years and very good friend.
As assistant dean, Charles was known for his diligence, and he created procedures enabling the office to run at an optimal level to benefit students, faculty and staff, said Senior Vice President and Provost Stan Wearden in a March 27 emailed statement. “Those who knew Charles were swiftly exposed to his wry sense of humor, insightfulness and his willingness to always help,” the statement said. Castle was diagnosed in February 2017 with neuroendocrine cancer, according to Wright, his partner of 22 years. “Charles was a very intelligent individual, caring and very thoughtful,” Wright said. “He put everything into his career and into our relationship. We spent all of our time together and we never fought. We never even had a fight in 22 years.” Eric Freedman, dean of SMA, said in a March 29 email interview that Castle’s legacy is his
conscientious and committed work ethic as well as his professional ethics. “SMA is a complex organism, and Charles understood this and understood that evolving [and] moving forward is not without its challenges,” Freedman said. “His strong ethical grounding is an attribute I will look for as we move forward and look to fill the vacancy in my team,” Eileen Long, former manager of Administrative Services in the Cinema and Television Arts Department, met Castle at Northern Illinois University when she was 18 and they had been best friends ever since, she said. “We were both actors and became best friends,” Long said. “We moved into the city together. We liked to joke that we were the original Will and Grace.” Long said Castle was a talented artist, a driven worker in the dean’s office and had the best sense of humor.
Charles Castle, left, is remembered by his colleagues as a funny, caring and hardworking individual. He passed away March 21 after battling cancer.
“We always had each others’ back. I know he is out there in the universe but he’s not here, and that leaves a big hole for a lot of people,” Long said. “Just knowing that he is not here makes it tough.” Chair of the Communication Department Suzanne McBride worked closely with Castle since her start at Columbia in 2005. He was a pleasure to spend time with, McBride said, and she valued his work as a colleague.
“I often told him that he was someone I depended on greatly,” McBride said. “It will be very difficult for me to do my job without him.” The college is planning a memorial service to be held later in the semester, according to McBride. “I feel fortunate that he was in my life, and I’m going to miss him a lot,” McBride said. “He was a really great person.”
mwalsh@columbiachronicle.com
Charles Castle’s legacy remembered
» COURTESY KELLEY WRIGHT
campus
James Tsitiridis (’17)
The 2018 Paula F. Pfeffer and Cheryl Johnson-Odim
POLITICAL CARTOON CONTEST ATTENTION STUDENTS: Submit an original political cartoon for the 2018 Paula F. Pfeffer & Cheryl Johnson-Odim Political Cartoon Contest for your chance to win a cash prize. A panel of judges will select 5 winning cartoons for cash prizes up to $550.
6 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT CARTOONS IS MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2018. For more information, visit colum.edu/PCC or contact Dr. Teresa Prados-Torreira, tprados-torreira@colum.edu
Sponsored by School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Humanities, History and Social Sciences
campus
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 7
campus
» OLIVIA DELOIAN CAMPUS REPORTER COLUMBIA
EMPLOYEES
HAVE
8 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
manage anyone directly, she said she was interested in taking the course to learn how to work better with groups. “If there’s a way to provide an environment that is motivating and helps people feel like they’re involved, have the ability to get things done and work well with each other, I definitely want to promote that,” Whatley said. The second master class is “Understanding Your Leadership Style,” which will be held in May and June. Participants will be introduced to well-known skillsets practiced by leaders who have found success. The third program, “Building High Performance Teams” will be presented in July and August. “[Building High Performance Teams] is taking what you’ve done as part of the first and second
» FILE PHOTO
their first chance to participate in a Leadership Development Program. The new program is a goal of the college’s strategic plan, which call for opportunities to support continuing employees’ professional development. Three master classes are being offered, with the first beginning in March and the last ending in August. The program was announced in a March 1 email to faculty from Norma De Jesus, associate vice president of Human Resources. The master classes will be offered with flexible scheduling as well as classroom and web-based instruction, according to the email. De Jesus said the program’s creation stemmed from her
personal interests as well as requests from several college leaders and staff. The first master class is in DISC Assessment, an acronym for dominance, inducement, submission and compliance, to help employees improve their management style. “The sessions for managers will allow them to learn a little bit more about their personal preference style and about how to best use it working with their colleagues, and with their direct reports to enhance their leadership skills and management skills,” De Jesus said. Robin Whatley, associate dean in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, attended her first course March 28, which she said a number of faculty attended. Although Whatley does not
good cause. Faculty and staff are able to sign up for the classes with the link attached in an email sent by HR, he added. “Having [that] professional development for staff and administration is really important,” Corey said. “A healthy institution provides opportunities for not only doing the job well that you’re hired to do, but also to enhance your skills, allow you to pick up new ones and to attain mobility within [it].”
odeloi@columbiachronicle.com
Columbia launches Leadership Development Program
master classes and continuing to develop on that,” De Jesus said. “To develop a more effective, high performing team basically with your direct reports.” Steven Corey, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor in the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department, has not attended a session but plans to do so in April. Corey said he is enthusiastic about attending the sessions as his colleagues have enjoyed them, and he believes they will serve a
Steven Corey, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said he is excited to attend his first Leadership Development Program session in April and believes the classes are a great addition to Columbia.
campus
Sam Weller (Associate Professor,
SAM WELLER
English/Creative Writing Department) discusses and signs copies of  the new edition of LISTEN TO THE ECHOES: THE RAY
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY SIGNATURE SHOWCASE
BRADBURY INTERVIEWS by Hat and Beard Press (2017). Photo: Philip Dembinski Monday, April 9, 2018 6:30pm - 8:30pm Library , 3rd Floor North 624 S. Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60605 library.colum.edu
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 9
» TESSA BRUBAKER CAMPUS REPORTER COLUMBIA’S FIRST ROLLER derby team will be gliding onto campus this semester. Roller derby is a contact sport in which two teams race around a track and attempt to block a skater, called a jammer, on the opposing side from passing and scoring points. The Student Athletic Association tried to start a roller derby team last fall, but the idea fell through, said Matt Coyle, president of SAA and senior audio arts and acoustics major. Then Myranda Risley, a junior theatre major, approached the organization this semester about starting a team and taking the steps to gauge interest, he said. The first meeting for prospective team players was held on March 30 at the 916 S. Wabash Ave. Building.
Risley said after watching roller derby games she was instantly intrigued and wanted to bring it to Columbia because it is primarily a women’s sport. However, Renegades is gender-inclusive, so any student can join the team, according to Coyle. “It’s a contact sport where you’re on skates, so it makes it a little more dangerous,” Risley said. “I always thought it was cool how they can take each other down,” she added, referring to the sport’s competitive nature. Jacob Schmidt, community representative for SAA and sophomore audio arts and acoustics major, said he is interested in joining the team. He said he is excited to see a team practice indoors because cold weather can sometimes cause problems in other sports. Being involved in athletics is a great outlet for students, he said, because it allows them to meet new people
The first interest meeting was held at 916 S. Wabash Ave. Building on March 30 to inform prospective team members about roller derby, Renegades and what being involved with a team entails.
and enhance their physical being as well as mental health for everyone involved in sports. “That’s something students may not know until they get involved with it,” Schmidt said. “They’ll find some people to network with and fitness to make themselves feel better physically and mentally, and it would be helpful for all students.”
The goal is to build a team with strong student players and possibly start practices by the end of the semester so the roller derby team can start playing games next fall, Risley said. “I’m pretty sure not a lot of people at Columbia have played roller derby before, me included, so [the goal is] to be able to understand and get the rules, get a good
team going and maybe play somebody,” Risley said. Coyle said he is very excited to see what the team does and their progress over the next couple of weeks. “It’s not a conventional sport and we’re not a conventional school, and it’s something everyone can get behind,” Coyle said.
HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD You have the opportunity to enter one of three competitions that will feature your work during the commencement ceremonies. Applications are open to undergraduate and graduate students who will be graduating May 2018.
All applications are due Monday, April 2nd, 2018 by 12 AM (midnight)
Apply at: www.students.colum.edu/commencement/competitions 10 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
• You must attach an outline of your proposed speech, along with a brief personal statement setting out the reasons why you wish to speak on behalf of your fellow graduates and how your Columbia experience has shaped what you might want to say • 3.0 cumulative GPA required • You must submit two letters of reference, one from a Columbia faculty or staff member and the other may be from a professional leader in the arts and communication industry
tbrubaker@columbiachronicle.com
Stop, drop and roller derby
» KEVIN TIONGSON/CHRONICLE
campus
campus
(FSSI)
SAVE THE DATE Thursday, April 19 Silent Auction | 4:30–7 p.m. Performances | 5–8 p.m. 618 S. Michigan Ave. | Stage Two
All proceeds benefit Scholarship Columbia! Register for your Silent Auction bidding labels through EVENTBRITE.COM SEARCH: COLUMBIA’S RAISING THE ROOF! Come Play With Us: • Enjoy Performances and a Silent Auction featuring creative works and unique experiences by our faculty, staff, and alums • Mix and Mingle with colleagues over catered food and beverages Call For Silent Auction Items: Have you considered offering an item to our silent auction? You may wish to donate a… • Creative Work (autographed book, music, arts and crafts, jewelry, • wearables, etc.) Walk your creative work over to the circulation desk at the • Library and complete a Silent Auction Form (available at the Library) • Unique Experience (Zumba lessons, craft beer tasting, screening and chat, • comedy and chat, music or voice lessons, kayak tour, etc.) Please contact • Kim klivingstone@colum.edu to plan and discuss
Deadline for Silent Auction submissions is Monday, April 2 Join our Facebook Community. Search: Faculty and Staff Scholarship Initiative at Columbia College Chicago Stay up to date on details leading up to the event!
FSSI needs Event Volunteers! Please contact Pattie pmackenzie@colum.edu or Kim klivingstone@colum.edu for details on how you can help.
SPONSORED BY
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 11
campus
» OLIVIA DELOIAN CAMPUS REPORTER A STUDENT IS attempting to create an anti-abortion organization on campus, despite opposition from students who are supportive of abortion rights. Larissa Ogurkiewicz, a sophomore design major, said she interns for Students for Life of America, a nonprofit organization that supports anti-abortion groups at various colleges. She decided to start an anti-abortion group at Columbia after the organization suggested it, she said. Nick Shinners, Student Organization Council president and senior cinema and television arts major, said the SOC constitution allows people of all viewpoints to start organizations. The SOC constitution states: “Memberships and student
» ZACK JACKSON/CHRONICLE
organizations shall not be denied to any student of Columbia College Chicago on the basis of sexual orientation, creed, religion, political affiliation, physical disability, race or age. Student organizations of all viewpoints
and perspectives are welcome on this campus and are supported through SOC.” Student organizations must have a faculty adviser and at least seven members, according to Shinners.
Currently, there are eight other students who want to join the organization, Ogurkiewicz said, adding that she met with SOC March 29 to discuss the club’s possible formation. After posting in Columbia student groups on Facebook about the organization, Ogurkiewicz said she was not surprised by negative comments she received from students who opposed the club’s formation. “I would only respond to [criticism] respectfully because I don’t want anyone else to cause anymore bad backlash,” Ogurkiewicz said. “But that’s obvious it was going to happen, I wasn’t surprised that people were against it.” Ogurkiewicz said the group’s meetings will be spent promoting the anti-abortion movement to other students. “We would just try to promote and inform more people about what the pro-life movement is about,” Ogurkiewicz said. “People only see one side of it.” Piper Mandle, a sophomore cinema and television arts major,
said even though she does not agree with the club’s viewpoint because she supports abortion rights, she does not oppose the group becoming an official student organization. “I would be interested in sitting in on the meeting just to see their perspective, because I’m always interested in hearing other people’s perspectives, especially if they disagree with me,” Mandle said. “I don’t think it would change my opinion, and I don’t think it would change theirs, but it would at least help to have less of a negative energy around the discussion of it.” Although Columbia is wellknown for its liberal student body, Mandle said she actually is not surprised that the organization is in the works. “[Student Organization Council] is here to support any student and give a voice and guidance,” Shinners said. “If the student was having any issue, they’re more than welcome to come and speak with us and we’d [then] support them as needed.”
odeloian@columbiachronicle.com
Pro-life group may come to campus
IN THEIR OWN FORM Contemporary Photography + Afrofuturism April 12 – July 8, 2018 Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago 600 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago IL 60605 Monday–Saturday 10–5 Thursday 10–8 Sunday 12–5
mocp.org Mohau Modisakeng, Endabeni, 2016
12 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
campus Keith Kostecka, associate professor in the Science and Mathematics Department and chair of Faculty Senate’s Financial Affairs Committee, said he is strongly against the faculty terminations. Kostecka said it is possible for creative arts therapies faculty to be placed in other Dance Department programs while faculty in the education program can be placed elsewhere within the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department. A discontinuance policy is necessary before a program is discontinued, Kostecka said, and the decisions made by college administration negatively affect faculty morale. “I can’t understand the reason or rationale for why the administration did this,” Kostecka said. “This is another specific instance that is going a long way to completely destroy faculty morale at our school, if it hasn’t already been completely destroyed at this time.”
HHSS Department Chair Erin McCarthy—the department in which education is housed— declined to comment on the drafted reports in a March 26 email to The Chronicle. But she said conversations between her and School of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Steven Corey have involved a commitment to “explore all avenues for alternative placement” for the tenured faculty once the teach-out is fully completed. Susan Imus, director of creative arts therapies and former chair of the former Creative Arts Therapies Department, said she is saddened by the discontinuance of the programs and disagrees with the idea that the creative arts therapies programs do not fit the college. The program’s discontinuance may have a negative impact on the greater Chicago community, Imus added. The creative arts therapies programs have 30 internships and have a reach of almost 46,000 thousand clients in Chicagoland. The program is also the graduate
We are deeply concerned by the implications this process sets forth as precedence for the termination of programs and tenured faculty, particularly in the absence of a discontinuance policy. RAQUEL MONROE program with the second-highest enrollment at the college and has an 86 percent employment rate among alumni, according to Imus. The programs have received a great amount of support from students, alumni and professionals, Imus said. “It’ll be a huge loss for the students, colleagues and current faculty in the study of the arts for health and well-being,” Imus said. “We are artists who have applied the use of our art form to help other people in the world.” Wearden acknowledged the program’s success and national reputation. But he described the
creative arts therapies programs as having more of a health science focus rather than an artistic one. Both education and creative arts therapies would be better suited at colleges with departments or schools dedicated to the programs, Wearden added. Wearden said the college will continue to examine whether faculty can be placed in other departments, adding that the decision to terminate faculty is being made as humanely as possible. Following the teach-outs, terminated faculty would receive one year of salaries and benefits. “I’m confident they’ll find teaching positions at other institutions
that have similar programs,” Wearden said. “I’ve also encouraged both departments to inquire of other institutions whether they would like to absorb the programs where they might be a better fit.” Wearden also said these such decisions made by the college, while difficult, are in Columbia’s best interests. “It’s difficult for our faculty to be in this position, but our policy is as kind and humane as can be,” Wearden said. “It’s difficult, but in the end, we have to act in the best interest of the college as a whole and the best interest of our students present and future.” aportalatin@columbiachronicle.com
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Color me green: St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago » ColumbiaChronicle.com/Multimedia
An Apple on every teacher’s desk » MIRANDA MANIER ARTS & CULTURE REPORTER IT WASN’T A PEP RALLY or a talent show that had the auditorium of Lane Technical College Prep High School packed to capacity March 27. Instead, it was a man in a dark purple sweater and a striped tie pointing at a screen behind him announcing the release of a new iPad. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the company’s new product, a new 9.7 inch iPad that has support for Apple Pencil. This new iPad is available for $299 for educators and $329 to the general public. Cook also emphasized the crucial relationship between technology and education to a room of hundreds of teachers, reporters and guests. “Education is such a big part of who we are as a company,” Cook said. “We believe technology can help teachers deliver a unique and personalized learning experience to all kids.” Apple demonstrated this philosophy in December 2017, when it teamed up with Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago to offer coding opportunities to nearly 500,000 students.
It also announced in a March 28 press release that it will be expanding this program in collaboration with Northwestern University and CPS. This collaboration will establish a Center for Excellence at Lane Tech, 2501 W. Addison St., that will serve as a hub where teachers can become familiar with Everyone Can Code, Apple’s user-friendly coding program. According to a March 12 Columbia news release, Columbia is the first college in the Chicagoland area to offer online courses that feature Swift, Apple’s programming language. According to Dekker Dreyer, course author of Columbia College Chicago Online’s “Producing Augmented and Virtual Reality Experiences” course, knowledge of coding will soon become an essential skill. “[In the future], we are going to require everybody to have a basic understanding of, if not coding, at least how coding works,” Dreyer said. “Having that base level understanding in the next 10 to 20 years is going to be as fundamental as knowing how to use a spreadsheet.”
At the March 27 event, Apple announced forthcoming products and apps geared to the educational market. Greg Joswiak, Apple vice president of iPod, iPhone and iOS Marketing, noted that the new iPad has an A10 Fusion chip, giving it greater processing power than most PC and Mac products, Joswiak said. The Apple Pencil, a stylus-like device that lets users draw and write directly on the iPad, was previously only available for the iPad Pro. According to Joswiak, its availability on this budget iPad will let students easily take notes on their devices. Upgrades to Apple’s iWorks apps—Pages, Keynote and Numbers—will also support
Apple Pencil. An upgrade to Pages called Smart Annotations will make digital grading easier for teachers. The annotations made by teachers with this upgrade will not just be a superficial layer of ink, Joswiak said, but will instead be permanent marks and changes made to the documents. According to Susan Prescott, Apple vice president of Product Marketing, a new offshoot of Apple’s Everyone Can Code program is being released, called Everyone Can Create. The program, currently available for preview with more content planned to be made available this summer, is meant to develop skills in music, video, photography and drawing. “[This is a] program designed around the idea that technology can unleash kids’ creativity and creative genius in the classroom,” Prescott said. “We believe Everyone Can Create will develop and discover new skills for kids, and we can’t wait to see what they do.” The Classroom app, which lets teachers monitor students’ activity on all iPads being used in the classroom, is being brought to Mac in June, so teachers can keep tabs on their students from their desktop, Prescott said. A new app called Schoolwork is also being rolled out, which allows teachers to make handouts, send reminders and assign students to specific activities within specific apps that they want completed. Joswiak said a new feature called Shared iPad will allow classrooms or schools that have students share a pool of iPads to still have a personalized experience. Shared iPad will allow iPads to have multiple logins via multiple Apple IDs made for the students. Apple is also drastically increasing the amount of free storage available from 5 gigabytes to 200 gigabytes for educational Apple IDs. “We believe that our place at the intersection of technology and liberal arts makes it possible for us to create powerful products and tools that amplify learning and creativity,” Joswiak said, To Dreyer, these new services are a step in the right direction. “These devices are becoming integral parts of how many artists in the industry create,” he said. “Apple’s announcement will have a huge impact on getting industry leading tools into the hands of the next generation of makers.” mmanier@columbiachronicle.com
» PHOTOS COURTESY APPLE
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» ARIANA PORTALATIN MANAGING EDITOR
‘Roseanne’ series reboot entertaining, but problematic
W
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Overall, it was the middle class and wealthy who contributed to Trump’s election, contradicting Barr’s viewpoint of how the working class supports Trump. A major standout of the premiere is the diversity of the reboot’s characters. Roseanne is at odds with her more liberal sister, Jackie, and also has a gender-nonconforming grandson as well as a black granddaughter. While the representation in the show is great and should be encouraged and continued, it’s also hard to forget that Trump marginalizes these groups every day with no end in sight. Trump is constantly displaying signs of racism and bigotry, most recently with the announcement that the White House would ban most transgender people from the military. Barr’s character has never come off as a discriminatory person, as seen in the original series and reboot. However, it’s hard to understand any amount of support for an administration that displays discrimination on a regular basis. The character’s simple reason for her support—jobs—makes it seem as if that is the only reason, and this one reason should not easily override the questionable acts of the president. Despite the unrealistic viewpoints of the reboot, I do support different opinions being discussed in a show that has historically tackled important topics. While Trump may figure less in the remainder of the seven episodes, his support is important to keep in mind while watching how the Conner family handles obstacles and storylines. aportalatin@columbiachronicle.com
hile the “Roseanne” reboot is entertaining to watch and brings back nostalgic memories of the iconic Conner family for many, actress Roseanne Barr and her character’s identification as a Trump supporter cause some problematic issues. The back-to-back episodes of the longawaited reboot premiered March 27 to a whopping 18.2 million viewers, a number ABC says makes this its highest-rated comedy telecast on any network in nearly four years. The premiere also beat out its own 1997 series finale. The support for the show doesn’t stop at numbers. One fan of the show called Barr to congratulate her on the reboot: President Donald Trump. Trump’s phone call is not a surprise considering Barr’s reciprocal support for Trump, in real life and on the show. “Roseanne” has always been easily loved by many, but the reboot is questionable. Longtime fans of “Roseanne” remember the controversial and taboo topics tackled in the original hit 1980s series, including domestic abuse, poverty, substance abuse, LGBTQ relationships and racism. The show has been praised for its ability to confront these issues effortlessly, so is it surprising that the reboot would tackle these topics as well? Not really, but it’s hard to ignore the Trump support in the show’s premiere. Not because it’s painfully obvious, but because making Trump a working-class hero belies reality. For example, Roseanne Conner said she voted for Trump in the first episode because of jobs, and Barr has previously explained the working-class’s support for Trump. However, according to a March 29 New York Times article, 41 percent of voters earning less than $50,000 voted for Trump while 53 percent voted for Hillary Clinton. Forty-nine percent of voters earning between $50,000 and $100,000 voted for Trump while 47 percent voted for Clinton. The median income of Trump voters was $72,000, while the median income of Clinton voters was $61,000.
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» COURTESY BRUCE PHILLIPS
in January 2016, the group has added cast members and adjusted the show so it can feel more like a novel, Tuor said. “The show [was] created to challenge improvisers, so we threw a few more obstacles in front of us,” Tuor said. “The idea [is] reining in the chaos each week to create an ending the audience finds engaging and intelligent.” Many of the cast members were pulled from the ongoing show “Hitch*Cocktails,” a thriller improvised show in the style of Alfred Hitchcock, which was awarded Best Improv Troupe of 2016 by the Chicago Reader. Although there are more cast members added into the production, Madelyn Murphy, a founding ensemble member, said creating a gender-balanced cast for this show was a priority. “Three men, three women. There is simply no reason to not have it be balanced,” Murphy said. “The cool thing about that is you are not only going to see a variety of characters but very strong women and men all paired equally.”
Murphy said the show appeals to viewers because it asks the audience to solve a mystery, collaborating to create an incredible story. The costumes and production values strike a similar note, he said. Bruce Phillips, an actor in “Clued In” and executive director for High Stakes Production, the show’s producer, said the show is similar to “Hitch*Cocktails,” but “Clued In” has different challenges. In “Hitch*Cocktails,” the audience knows all the information at the top of the show, while “Clued In” leaves the audience on the edge of their seats until the end of the show, Phillips said. Hungry for different challenges as an improviser, Tuor said the show is the perfect opportunity to test improvisers’ skills by building a narrative based on the clues given. “The thing we like about narrative improv is that you are telling a story,” Tuor said. “It isn’t about being visual. It is about people coming together and telling a narrative.” kvilliesse@columbiachronicle.com
Can I have a ‘Clue’?
Beat Lounge Saturday’s from June 2–30, both at 230 W. North Ave., “Clued In: An Improvised Murder Mystery” will be making a return Improvised Murder Mystery,” an to the stage. » KENDRAH VILLIESSE ONLINE CONTENT PRODUCER audience participation-themed Inspired by Agatha Christie’s entertainment. mystery novels, the play allows the IN A DIMLY-LIT cabaret, a detective Performing at The Blackout audience to choose at the begininterrogates individuals, hoping Cabaret on Thursdays April ning of each show which of the to solve a murder in “Clued In: An 5–May 31 and moving to Judy’s six rotating characters will play the detective. The detective has to solve the murder using clues from the other members, according to C.J. Tuor, creator of the show. The show’s outcome differs each performance based on the suggested setting and detective chosen by audience members, he added. Since the “Clued In: An Improvised Murder Mystery” is playing at The Blackout Cabaret on Thursdays April 5–May 31, then moving to Judy’s Beat Lounge Saturday’s June 2–30, both at 230 W. North Ave. show’s launch
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March for ou
Liv
» ERIC BRADACH MANAGING EDITOR AT ONLY FIVE years old, Eduardo Medel began to notice gun violence in his South Side community. While he remembers how Fourth of July filled the night sky with bright lights, he also recalls abrupt flashing gunshots on his street corner, Medel—now 18—told the crowd of approximately 85,000 at Union Park. The sounds of gunshots became police sirens and the thuds of collapsing dead bodies. Those sounds echoed in his eardrums and would keep him awake until his mind forced him to sleep after becoming accustomed to these violent nights, he said. Medel is now a representative of Young Urban Progressives and a senior at Jones College Prep, 700 S. State St. He was one in a series of speakers at the March 24 March For Our Lives Chicago rally at the West Town park where march organizers and advocates called on lawmakers to act on gun violence and for Chicagoans to vote out those who fail to do so. More than a million people frustrated by continuous mass shootings and a lack of action from the federal government took part in the marches in various cities throughout the nation. Tammy Stams, a stay-at-home mother from Lincoln Square, said she came to the rally to support her 17-year-old son, Eli, who participated in the march.
20 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
Thousands at the March 24 March For Our Lives rally at Union Park had signs raised criticizing the NRA and GOP for blocking stricter gun regulation.
It is incumbent upon older generations to encourage young people to advocate for stricter gun regulation because “we couldn’t get it done, so it’s our job to support them,” she said. Her husband, Bob Walsh, a land surveyor, said he is sick of the continuous nationwide gun violence. Both Walsh and Stams said they become consumed with anger whenever
politicians say it is not the time to discuss gun regulation but instead offer “thoughts and prayers” after a mass shooting. They said politicians are more interested in not antagonizing the gun lobby than on acting on their constituents’ wishes. “It’s hard to believe it’s anything more than a desire to protect their positions,” Stams said. “It doesn’t seem like the
greater people feel as though guns are more important. I don’t think most people feel as though a Second Amendment right is any more important than a First Amendment right, or a right to live and exist without fear.” Politicians are unable to empathize with victims or their friends and families because they do not live in neighborhoods plagued with gun violence, Walsh said.
feature » PHOTOS HAWK THOTTUPURAM/CHRONICLE
h
ur
High school and college students as well as parents turned up in droves to stand for safety in schools and elimination of gun violence.
They simply toss aside citizens pleas for help, he added. While gun regulation critics cite the Second Amendment, Walsh said “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is also in the Constitution, and all amendments should support those goals. Money from gun lobbyists, particularly from the NRA, is the greatest barrier to creating stronger national gun regula-
tions, Jeremy Liskar, one of the march organizers and a senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, 211 S. Laflin St., told The Chronicle after the march. Politicians who support gun regulation reform are scared of blowback from donors, he added. The large number of participants in the march was encouraging and shows that poll numbers do not lie, and people are in
favor of common sense gun regulation, Liskar said. The march turned out better than expected and was also unique compared to the others nationwide, he added. “In Chicago, we march for our lives every single day,” Liskar said. “We were able to give a platform to the black and brown communities that are primarily affected by gun violence in Chicago.” Speakers were able to call for more
community and educational resources to reduce gun violence, which is the core of the issue, Liskar said. While Chicago is often used as an example by gun regulation critics, they misinterpret the city’s environment, he added. Sixty percent of illegally possessed firearms confiscated by the Chicago Police Department between 2013–2016 came from surrounding states with looser gun regulation, according to a 2017 Gun Trace Report, as reported Nov. 6, 2017, by The Chronicle. The Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, has triggered a powerful wave of student activism for gun reform and has generated critics who claim young activists are misinformed, a viewpoint that Liskar called obnoxious. “Young people have been ignored for far too long,” Liskar said. “They’re our representatives too, and we deserve a voice in government.” Thanks to the media attention and elected officials making public statements about the marches, Liskar said student voices were heard and might soon be taken seriously. However, some Chicago march media coverage lacked an important message, he said. “While it’s important that [the media] was talking about young people having a voice and getting empowered, we were a little disappointed to see less attention to the communities of color that got the mic at the rally,” Liskar said. “They weren’t covered as much as we’d hoped.”
ebradach@columbiachronicle.com
ves
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 21
» MIRANDA MANIER ARTS & CULTURE REPORTER
1980s pop culture he loved, and inherit his shares of the company. The story follows Wade Watts, played by Tye Sheridan (“X-Men: Apocalypse”), an unremarkable misfit boy-turned-reluctant hero after he cracks the first task. Watts is every nerdy straight white male protagonist, given little personality other than his fascination with Halliday. Despite having little to work with, Sheridan nicely incorporates nuance and emotion to his performance. The plot of “Ready Player One” is fairly predictable. Watts gets swept into and eventually leads a rebellion against IOI, a company funneling all its money into beating Halliday’s quest. This David and Goliath narrative of the little guy taking on the corporate giant has been done to death, and “Ready Player One” adds nothing new. The movie also uses women as plot devices. Halliday’s fixation with Kira, his business partner’s wife, plays a large role in his quest.
her as a pawn on Halliday and Watts’ chessboard of character development. One of the tasks even turned a It certainly could have betUltimately, though, as a chilvirtual version of her into a lit- ter explored why people of color, dren’s story of good versus evil, eral damsel in distress. Art3mis, women or people who are not tra- it didn’t have a responsibility played by Olivia Cooke (“Me and ditionally attractive might feel to do either of those things. So, Earl and the Dying Girl”), who has compelled to present as attractive, if you’re able to overlook its a character arc of her own, exists powerful avatars in the OASIS. It problems, “Ready Player One” only for Watts to finally prove to also could have given Kira more is fun, nostalgic and, for the himself that he does not have the agency, rather than placing most part, harmless. fears Halliday had. Although some of these troubling, unoriginal details are hard to ignore, “Ready Player One” is incredibly fun to watch. Alternating between the hazy aesthetic of the real world and the vibrant neon of the OASIS makes the movie a visual treat. The tropey characters have few surprises to offer, but they are still compelling, well-acted and funny, particularly Aech, played by Columbia’s 2006 television alumna Lena Waithe. The writing is witty and chock full of cultural references that will delight most audience members. It is a pleasant 2 hours and 19 minutes “Ready Player One” stars Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts, a reluctant hero whose priof entertainment. mary weapon in the virtual world of the OASIS is his knowedlge of 1980s trivia.
» COURTESY JAAP BUITENDIJK
ADD ONE PART “Tron,” one part “Hunger Games” and one part “Wreck-It Ralph,” then subtract a few degrees of quality from each, and you have Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” which premiered in theaters March 29. Adapted from Ernest Cline’s 2011 science-fiction novel of the same name, “Ready Player One” is set in 2045, when everyone’s lives are dominated by a virtual-reality wonderland called the OASIS. In the OASIS, people can appear as an avatar of their design, presenting as any gender, race, body type, warlock or Iron Giant they desire. James Halliday, played by Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”), the creator of the OASIS, has left behind a quest after his death: Complete three hidden tasks, based on players’ knowledge of
‘Ready Player One,’ fun but flawed
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Recipe
» MAYAN DARBYSHIRE ARTS & CULTURE REPORTER
This wonderfully simple dish anyone on a tight budget can afford is sure to impress that person you humble-bragged to on Tinder about your cooking skills. You probably have most of the ingredients already! Enjoy the thrill of eating a meal you cannot pronounce; its visual elegance makes your paper plates look like fine china.
mdarbyshire@columbiachronicle.com
Pasta Aglio e Olio Ingredients
•1 box dried linguini or similar pasta •Handful finely chopped parsley •Half a lemon, juiced •1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil •Half a head of garlic, peeled and sliced •Red pepper flakes •Salt to taste
Instructions 1. Heavily salt and boil a pot of water, add pasta and cook 7-10 minutes. 2. While the pasta cooks, heat a pan to medium low and add olive oil and sliced garlic. 3. Stir until garlic is slightly brown, add red pepper flakes and reduce heat 4. Once the pasta is cooked, strain and add to the pan with a splash of leftover pasta water. 5. Add chopped parsley and the juice of half a lemon, mix thoroughly and serve
» JOCELYN MORENO AND KEVIN TIONGSON/CHRONICLE
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our staff’s top 5 picks:
TV Review: ‘Rise’ doesn’t live up to title » MIRANDA MANIER ARTS & CULTURE REPORTER
I
mmanier@columbiachronicle.com
f there’s one thing I want from NBC’s “Rise,” it’s that it stops trying to be “Glee.” At first view, the two shows are marginally different. One is about a high school glee club, and the new show is about a high school theater group undertaking a controversial performance of “Spring Awakening.” But the football player-turned-leading man? The high school teacher failing to find his own purpose, so he finds purpose for his students instead? The skeptical principal standing in the group’s way? It’s a formula that was done to death by an incredibly successful show that concluded five years ago, and “Rise” brings nothing original to it. While the similarity between “Rise” and “Glee” means comparisons are inevitable, those would have drifted away if the show had measured up. But I can’t watch a single scene with Josh Radnor, who plays the teacher-slash-director, Mr. Mazzu, without thinking that he lacks the charisma of his “Glee” counterpart, Mr. Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison. Not to mention the storyline of an outcast scoring a leading role over the talented blonde evokes “High School Musical” in all the wrong ways. I’m disappointed in Jason Katims, creator of “Rise,” who has also been associated with hits like “Parenthood” and “Friday Night Lights.” His shows are usually able to pull at my heartstrings, but with “Rise,” the only strings I hear are those of the world’s smallest violin.
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TRAIN JAM 2018 BROWSER GAMES
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“Found”:
Sneakers:
Blink-182:
This game sets two players wandering in a snowy forest trying to find each other with the aid of their footprints, elegantly evoking the experience of finding your teammates for a game jam.
Let’s face it, heels are not comfortable. Yes, they may be cute and make our legs look phenomenal, but they are not realistic for every occasion, especially when you’re in the city. Just thinking about it makes my feet hurt. Thank goodness, sneakers can be a more fashionable yet comfortable substitute.
I try to convince myself I have outgrown whiny songs filled with childish, raunchy lyrics, but Blink-182 reminds me we’re all 12 at heart. Some songs give me the urge to pick up a skateboard and blurt out a crass “Your Mom” joke, but those catchy pop-punk rhythms are hard to resist.
“Lunar Drift”: In this heart-wrenching story “about letting go and being let go,” a player is in charge of a collapsing lunar station and must make choices to fix failing systems in the base to survive. “Lunar Drift” is inspired by the creator’s personal experience, described in the About section of the game, which is definitely worth a read before you start. “Hug Them Real Good”: In “Hug Them Real Good,” players roll around a park and make friends with big hugs. Friends have different comfort levels with hugs, so you have to read them and adjust your hug accordingly. “Princess Peppercorn’s Pug Plan”: “Princess Peppercorn’s Pug Plan’s” story is revealed as you trace the princess’s path through her land and relive her various deeds. It’s a wonderful twist on the trope of the hero saving the princess, plus the dialogue rhymes, so if you like poetry, you’ll want to stop and smell these roses. “Last Memories”: “Last Memories” is about going through your deceased grandparents’ house, remembering and learning about them by observing their worldly possessions. The story appears to be unfinished, but it embodies the feeling of exploring the notquite-finished life of a loved one as you’re still grieving.
A white tee: Ah, a classic white tee. Its simplicity can glam up a look or make it casual. Wear it with jeans, leggings, sweatpants, skirts, dress pants or even shorts. This simple and versatile garment looks good with anything on anyone. Little black dress or black dress pants: As iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld once said, “One is never overdressed or underdressed with a little black dress.” It can be worn on any occasion, making a person look elegant and sophisticated. The same goes for black dress pants. Wear them with a t-shirt and sneakers or a dress shirt and booties. You will always look elegant and chic. A perfect pair of jeans: Admit it, when you have those perfect pair of jeans on, your confidence automatically jumps. They fit your body just right and feel like a second skin. A light jacket: Leather, jean or bomber, the options are endless. When you’re living in the Windy City, or anywhere in the Midwest where the weather is inconsistent, a light jacket is a necessity. It makes an outfit look cool and you can still be warm.
The Smiths: The impressive vibrato of former Smiths’ frontman Morrisey makes secretly listening to the band’s discography worthwhile. However, some lyrics that merit and eye-roll like “I wear black on the outside ‘cause black is how I feel on the inside” make me question why I listen to the band at all. My Chemical Romance: Escaping one’s emo phase is not easy to do. With the first snare hit in the 2002 song “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” memories of the gothic motifs, lyrics alluding to death and despair and the angst-ridden middle school journal I carried come rushing back. The Beastie Boys: The 1986 album Licensed to Ill is essentially frat boy rap. As obnoxious as The Beastie Boys were, it’s hard to deny the group can easily elicit a party mood. (Early) Green Day: Green Day is a polarizing band among music lovers. To admit you like any of the band’s work is to risk being shunned as a sell-out by hard-line punks. Especially as Green Day’s later, much lower quality works like the 2016 album Revolution Radio ruined the band’s image as a pop-punk powerhouse, it’s difficult to praise actual classics like “Insomniac.”
arts & culture
SCALE
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VIDEO
VIRAL
RANDOM
SNOW PATROL’S ‘DON’T GIVE IN’
‘SILICON VALLEY’ SEASON 5 PREMIERE
‘MAD’ MIKE HUGHES’ TRIP TO THE MOON
TAYLOR SWIFT SUPPORTING MARCH FOR OUR LIVES
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After seven years of silence, Snow Patrol is supposedly back with what is hopefully a great new album. The debut song, “Don’t Give In,” released March 21, broke the Snow Patrol fast we never wanted, but is it really the group we are all familiar with? While the song isn’t necessarily bad, it’s almost unrecognizable as the beloved Irish-Scottish band we have grown to know so well since its debut in 1993 and all its great music thereafter.
Season 5 of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” premiered March 25. In this season, the Pied Piper boys are expanding after getting the decentralized internet all to themselves. The first episode shows Richard Hendricks starting to become what he despises the most: a bigshot CEO trying to make as much money as possible. But it keeps the clumsiness and indecisiveness we’ve grown to expect. Before I leave you, can I just say “gulp!”
It appears that Elon Musk and Space X now have a direct competitor, and his name is “Mad” Mike Hughes. “Mad” Mike is currently on a mission to prove the Earth is flat with support from his homemade, steam-powered rocket and B-list celebrities. After the small investment of $20,000, its March 26 launch propelled the rocket a whopping 1,875 feet up before the parachutes were deployed, ending his scrutinized trip.
Taylor Swift posted on her Instagram March 22 in support of March For Our Lives. While Taylor is usually silent on political matters, I’m glad she decided to speak up for something she believes in. In part of her caption she wrote, “No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub.” She said she was moved by all who have spoken out in hopes to prevent things like this from happening again.
MUSIC
VIDEO
VIRAL
RANDOM
SHAWN MENDES’ ‘LOST IN JAPAN’
JESSE MCCARTNEY’S ‘BETTER WITH YOU’
KRUSTY KRAB VS. CHUM BUCKET MEME
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The music video for Jesse McCartney’s “Better With You” premiered March 23, and it is a total disaster. The song itself is bad and the video features one cliche after another. There are so many cheesy slow-motion shots, weird split screens and a muted color palette that wouldn’t entertain any audience. It also looks like every other music video of his in the last decade. McCartney needs to evolve as an artist because, right now, he is just stuck in 2008.
There are many variations of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” Krusty Krab vs. Chum Bucket memes going viral on social media, but this one eclipses all others. I’ve always felt very strongly about my food, especially authetic, Mexican food. Eating some made-up version of Mexican food hurts my heart and feels like a betrayal to my ancestors. Paco’s Tacos is the only place I know I will always have an authentic, 10/10 experience. Embrace the truth and go to Paco’s Tacos.
It doesn’t even matter what you’re doing in the city; if more than 50 people are going, it’ll be over-priced. Scalpers and other forms of re-selling make reasonable ticket prices skyrocket after a day of availability. Taking part in the amazing arts shouldn’t break the bank for students trying to become the people on stage someday, and nobody should miss out on seeing their favorite band or a beloved play just because the tickets are resold for 300 percent of their original value.
I’m typically not the biggest fan of Shawn Mendes, but his latest single “Lost in Japan”—released March 22 along with another single “In My Blood—” is giving me serious John Mayer and Justin Timberlake vibes, which in the world of white boys who make pop music, is a huge compliment. The lyrics can be found in pretty much every generic modern-day love song, but the funky beat combined with acoustic guitar makes an enjoyable dance tune.
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 27
opinions
Supporting Austin bombings’ victims means addressing racism
A
fter mass violence, do we remember the victims or the perpetrators? A string of bombings beginning March 2 in Austin, Texas, terrorized the community. Of the seven explosive devices authorities connected to suspect Mark Anthony Conditt, three detonated in East Austin, home to the majority of the city’s black and Latino residents. The first three bombs were hand delivered to the victims’ homes, killing two men and injuring one woman. Suspecting the attacks were racially motivated because of where the explosives were placed, local authorities began investigating the bombings as a hate crime, but they quickly abandoned that idea after the fourth bomb exploded in one of Austin’s higher-income, predominantly white neighborhoods. As police closed in on Conditt, he used his final bomb on himself, detonating it while in his vehicle. Once the bomber was identified
as a white man from a conservative background, a familiar debate reemerged: Was the Austin bomber a domestic terrorist or just a troubled young man? Some publications described Conditt as “quiet” and quoted acquaintances who saw him as a “nice, young kid,” and even Austin’s police chief referred to the vicious bombings as a cry for help. In response to such a sympathetic portrayal of a serial bomber, many quickly criticized such depictions of Conditt, and rightfully so. But what may be an even greater offense to Conditt’s victims is how easily their stories have been forgotten and how their communities’ fears have been disregarded. Many have already begun to pay more attention to Conditt than to supporting those he targeted. Although authorities said Conditt’s motive is still unknown, his reign of terror in Austin has already deeply affected the city’s people of color. For
Don’t forget the rest of the world during US political turmoil
A
t 17 years old, Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi has already gained widespread attention for her role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After being informed her cousin had been shot in the face with a rubber bullet by Israeli soldiers in December 2017, Tamimi physically confronted soldiers, shown in a viral video. Shortly after, Tamimi was arrested for assault and incitement. After already serving three months in jail, Tamimi agreed to a plea deal and will serve five more months. Tamimi was active in anti-occupation movements for years, and this was not the first time she made her opposition to West Bank settlements known. In the U.S., all eyes are on the Parkland, Florida, students who immediately
mobilized after the devastating Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Tamimi is an example of such political engagement by youth existing worldwide, but many international movements young people organize receive far less attention—despite being just as important as American youth fighting for gun control. In our current political climate, in which Donald Trump’s administration regularly introduces new draconian policies and increasingly legitimizes hateful ideology, it is no surprise many Americans believe we should focus on our nation’s own troubles before devoting attention to international crises. It’s a common rebuttal when news breaks around the world: “We have our own problems here.”
more than two weeks, black and Latino families had to live with a constant fear of being the bomber’s next targets. Certainly, the use of bombs to terrorize people of color is a familiar chapter in America’s painful history of racism. The 1963 bombing of the 16th Street church in Birmingham, Alabama, and the bombs that detonated during the 1921 race riots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, serve as grave reminders of past racist attacks. Suspecting the Austin bombings were racially motivated is not far-fetched when the 2015 Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting by admitted white supremacist Dylann Roof is still a recent memory. It is important for the public to reject any sympathy for Conditt, but while fighting to hold the perpetrator accountable, we cannot be distracted from supporting the groups of people hurt most by his attacks. We must validate the Austin community’s concerns, deny attempts to unjustly dismiss their fears as baseless when motive does not negate the panic the bombings caused, and we must continue to strive for a future in which such fears will no longer be a reality for people of color. The possibility that the bombings
EDITORIAL were racially motivated is enough evidence that people of color have already been targets of violence too often. We must fight even harder to abolish an oppressive system that invites such violence. Part of denying any sympathy for Conditt includes providing a platform to celebrate the lives he took. Both men who died came from families with deep ties to the Civil Rights movement, and there was more to their character worth honoring. The bombings’ first victim, Anthony Stephan House, planned to mentor youth this summer by providing them with successful black businessmen to look up to as role models. House, described by friends as humble and highly respected by those around him, wanted to empower young people in his community. Draylen Mason, the second person killed in the attacks, was a talented musician and was on his way to college after spending years sharing his passion for music beyond Austin. Loved ones stated he was the “true definition of a friend.” The Austin bomber should be remembered as the ruthless killer he was, but he is not the only one who deserves a place in our memory.
A May 2017 poll by National Public Radio and Ipsos found that 51 percent of 1,009 respondents believe the U.S. should stay out of foreign countries’ affairs. But thanks to years of U.S. involvement across the globe, Americans have a stake in some of the most pressing international issues. U.S. tax dollars already help fund government intervention in regions like Israel and Palestine, yet we refuse to afford the people affected by our government’s decisions enough empathy to understand the conflicts they face. In the same poll, respondents were asked questions about U.S. foreign policy, including whether American defense aid to Israel had declined under the Obama administration. About 39 percent incorrectly answered that it had, and another 35 percent admitted they did not know the answer. The results of this survey show the extent to which Americans are disengaged from the government’s international policy. With more than $130 billion in aid provided to Israel by the U.S. government
EDITORIAL so far, according to a February 2018 Congressional Research Service report, the U.S. has provided more assistance to Israel than any other government since World War II, and the majority of it comes as military assistance. After Trump made the controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, the nation’s role in— and impact on—the conflict is even more apparent. Following Trump’s announcement, violence erupted in the region as protesters clashed with Israeli forces and multiple casualties were reported. Humanitarian activists nationwide need to be reminded they are not alone in their struggle for peace and equality, and Americans who want change in the U.S. can turn to international examples of how to resist the most common societal ills. But Americans have a duty to educate themselves on international affairs for a much simpler reason: We can no longer make excuses to avoid caring about fellow human beings wrought by conflict.
Editorial Board Members Brooke Pawling Stennett Digital Managing Editor Tyra Bosnic Opinions Editor Blaise Mesa Metro Reporter Zack Jackson Graphic Designer
28 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
Hawk Thottupuram Multimedia Reporter Zachary Keltner Staff Photographer Kami Rieck Media Sales Rep
Did you catch a mistake, think we could have covered a story better or have strong beliefs about an issue that faces all of us here at Columbia? Why not write a letter to the editor? At the bottom of Page 2, you’ll find a set of guidelines on how to do this. Let us hear from you. —The Columbia Chronicle Editorial Board
opinions
COMMENTARY
15 years in Iraq takes a costly toll » ERIC BRADACH MANAGING EDITOR
T
urn on a cable news channel, and you’re likely to see a panel discussion about President Donald Trump rolling back regulations, updates about the Russia investigation or, if you’re in Chicago, the latest shooting. While those are important stories, reflections on a costly American war seemed to have been absent in headlines last month. March 20 marked the 15-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion in Iraq. Think about that: People who were born after the war are going to start learning how to drive a car. Even those who have just become eligible to vote probably can’t remember a time
unfortunate steady flow of forgotten human and financial costs. $805 billion has been spent on the war in Iraq as of September 2016, according to the Cost of Wars project at Brown University. That doesn’t include the medical and psychological treatment for veterans as well as other future costs, such as the interest taxpayers will need to fork over to pay for the money borrowed to finance the war. There have also been almost 4,500 American soldiers killed in the war, according to the Defense Department, as well as nearly 203,000 Iraqi civilians killed, according to the Iraq Body Count project. So why aren’t these numbers provoking more outrage and demands for the war’s end? Because war has been ingrained into the American consciousness. Although there was heavy backlash against the Republican Party in the 2006 midterm elections because of the war, it hasn’t ended military involvement. The longer U.S. troops stay in Iraq, the more we seem to become content with staying there. The Iraq War has evolved into an American way of life, and most of us have either been personally affected by the war or know someone who has. As someone who has a brother currently serving in Iraq, as well as several friends who have also served there, I’ve seen first hand the psychological toll war inflicts on the mind. I’ve seen grown men tear up over what they’ve done and seen in war zones and consoled them in my arms. I’ve seen soldiers come back with severe injuries and become addicted to pain killers.
The longer U.S. troops stay in Iraq, the more we seem to become content with staying there.
@CCChronicle
Although I’ve witnessed shootings, death and even suicide, nothing can compare to what veterans face in a war zone. We’re always told to “support the troops,” but what does that mean? In the case of the Iraq War, it should mean demanding elected officials justify staying in a war that has lasted for more than 15 years. It’s incumbent upon every citizen to ask what their tax dollars are used for and why it’s justified. The Iraq War has inflicted irreparable physical and psychological damage to veterans, their family and friends, both in this country and abroad.
ebradach@columbiachronicle.com
before American and allied forces toppled the Saddam Hussein regime. There seems to be no sign of the war ending in the near future. The Department of Defense’s budget was recently raised to $700 billion, more than what the Trump administration initially requested. It’s a sad state when citizens are demanding Medicare for everyone and free tuition at public colleges and universities and are ignored in favor of more military spending. Along with the Afghanistan War, the longest in the nation’s history, which began in 2001, the Iraq War has triggered an
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Mayoral campaigns heat up with election a year away Days after former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced his candidacy for mayor, he and Mayor Rahm Emanuel began running ads attacking each others’ campaign. METRO REPORTER WITH THE RACE for Chicago mayor a little less than a year away, some candidates have started rolling out ads announcing their candidacy—as well as attacking their opponents. In the past few weeks, several candidates have come forward to challenge incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel, including former Chicago Police Department Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who was fired by Emanuel after the Laquan McDonald shooting video was released in November 2015; Willie Wilson, who campaigned against Emanuel in the 2015 mayoral election; and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas. This year’s race will be more heated than in years past, said Nick Kachiroubas, associate teaching professor in the School of Public Service at DePaul University. “McCarthy was an employee, theoretically a direct report of the mayor. [Meaning there are] stresses that we didn’t get to see because of that former relationship,” Kachiroubas said. “Some of that is going to come out in the election process.” Emanuel—who was first elected in 2011— beat out five other candidates for his first
term, capturing the majority of the votes. During his re-election in 2015, Emanuel beat Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in a runoff for his second term after none of the candidates claimed the 51 percent threshold. However, since the 2015 mayoral election, Chicago has endured record high gun violence and homicides as well as a decreasing population. Emanuel’s opponents can capitalize on his previous decisions as mayor, Kachiroubas said, but the mayor’s heavy political and election experience should not be underestimated by his opponents. John McCarron, former columnist for the Chicago Tribune and adjunct journalism lecturer at DePaul University, compared McCarthy’s run for mayor to the 2016 presidential election when President Donald Trump capitalized on voter anger to secure an unexpected victory. Suggesting McCarthy could become mayor is almost as ridiculous as saying Trump would become president when there were 19 Republican candidates, McCarron said. McCarron also expects the race to be more engaging than most people expect it to be. Emanuel is not the most popular mayor either, McCarron said. There are
Chicagoans who may find him “annoying” and “not a terribly warm person,” which could affect public opinion and hinder his re-election, he added. Emanuel, Vallas, McCarthy and Wilson, who have all announced their candidacy as of press time for the February 2019 election for mayor, have some level of name recognition in Chicago. However, name recognition may not be required to win this election because advertising could bring the race into more homes, said Colin Williams, policy director for the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. “We are definitely seeing a trend in Illinois elections toward races up and down the ballot costing more and more [money],” Williams said. “In such a high profile race as the Chicago mayoral race, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see big money coming in and big spending on ads to continue through the primary and election next year.” However, McCarthy’s campaign should not be taken lightly as it is being “grossly undervalued,” McCarron said. “If I were Rahm Emanuel, I would be recruiting people to jump into this primary to break up the McCarthy vote,” McCarron said. bmesa@columbiachronicle.com
» BLAISE MESA
Emanuel was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015 when he defeated Jesus “Chuy”Garcia in a runoff.
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CHICAGOANS WILL HAVE a new way to travel around the city following City Council’s approval of the free-floating, car-sharing company Car2Go’s pilot program. Instead of being picked up— which is how Uber, Lyft and the CTA operate—Car2Go operates similarly to Zipcar, a car-sharing service. After ordering a ride, customers locate the car using a live map on the company’s app, unlock the car with an access code and, when their trip is completed, drop it off at an approved Car2Go parking spot, according to the company’s website. The Car2Go pilot program, which was approved at City Council’s March 28 meeting, will introduce 500 cars to the Near Northwest Side from May 1 until
June 2019, but the city can opt out of the pilot as early as December, according to Ald. John Arena (45th Ward), a member of the Economic, Capital and Technology Development Committee. Even though Arena voted in favor to test the program on Chicago’s streets, he remains uneasy about some of the program’s possible drawbacks.
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32 THE CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 2018
“[Car2Go is] going to take up room in a traffic lane. It continues to undermine our public transit system, [and] it continues to undermine the taxi cab system, which is already on its knees,” Arena said. “It creates competition to Uber and Lyft, which may be good, but they aren’t the ones hurting in this whole scheme.” The program may reduce traffic over time, but only if users opt for the car-sharing service in lieu of owning cars, Arena said. Cars involved in the pilot program can park in virtually any parking spot, according to Arena.
A customer will have to pay for parking while renting the car, but if the car is not being used, Car2Go will foot the bill. While meeting with aldermen, Car2Go was “vague” on how it plans to pay the parking meter bill, which concerned Arena; however, he said Car2Go promised to find a solution before the program starts. Car2Go may not currently have the solution to the problem now, but Chicago will not be the first city in which it operates. Currently the company operates in seven countries and seven U.S. cities including Austin, Texas;
Columbus, Ohio; Denver; New York City; Portland, Oregon; Seattle and Washington, D.C., according to its website. “We’ve seen positive benefits [in Columbus],” said Josh Lapp, chair of Transit Columbus—an Ohiobased group that advocates multimodal and alternative forms of transportation, and has followed the effects of the Car2Go program for two years. “Car2Go is a great opportunity to provide people transportation without having to have an individual car.” The Car2Go pilot program may also be more desirable for some Chicago commuters, compared to Uber or Lyft because the user does not rely on a driver to provide satisfactory services throughout the ride, said P.S. Sriraj, director of the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
SEE CAR-SHARING, PAGE 39
Car-sharing pilot program rides into Northwest Side
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STUDENT WORK FOR MANIFEST EXHIBITION The Columbia College Chicago Library invites students from all disciplines to submit samples of artwork for exhibition during Manifest. All visual formats will be considered. This is exhibition is for any non-graduating student.
APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL MONDAY, APRIL 23RD, 2018 AT 5 P.M. Please visit colum.edu/manifest to apply. Select Library Exhibition Program, and for program title, enter Manifest 2018
APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 33
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Illinois joins lawsuit against Facebook, Cambridge Analytica over alleged data breach » SAVANNAH EADENS METRO REPORTER COOK COUNTY STATE’S Attorney Kim Foxx has filed a lawsuit against Facebook and Cambridge Analytica on behalf of the state of Illinois, alleging the companies violated an Illinois fraud law. Cambridge Analytica is a British political consulting firm hired by then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. The lawsuit alleges Cambridge Analytica used fraudulent and deceptive practices to gain information on 50 million Facebook users who took an online “personality quiz.” The data was used to create “psychographic profiles” on American voters to influence the election, according to a March 26 press release.
Cambridge Analytica identified “the most persuadable voters” and targeted them with so-called “fake news” on various platforms, the lawsuit states. The data was not used only for purposes of motivating enthusiastic Trump supporters, or even to target and convince skeptical or undecided voters, the lawsuit claims. Rather, Cambridge Analytica used its data to engage in a broad voter suppression campaign to discourage supporters of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, from voting by directing “Defeat Crooked Hillary” advertisements to certain profiles. Dmitry Epstein, an assistant professor of Digital Policy in the Department of Communication at University of Illinois at Chicago, said such lawsuits have shifted
society’s vague ideas about privacy into something more concrete. Consumer privacy has become the inevitable currency of social media, Epstein said. “Nobody likes to be manipulated or controlled,” he said. “Since there is no federal regulation in regard [to online privacy], states have to take action.” Illinois has one of the strictest privacy regulations in the U.S. with the Illinois Biometric Information
» JOCELYN MORENO/CHRONICLE
Privacy Act established in 2008, which limits the ability of companies to collect biometric information about people, such as facial recognition and fingerprints. This is not the first time officials in the state have taken action against a data and privacy breach. In September 2017, Chicago sued Equifax on behalf of Chicagoans, whose sensitive data was compromised in a widespread breach. Then in November 2017,
Chicago and Cook County filed a joint lawsuit against Uber after it was revealed that more than 57 million drivers’ and customers’ data was stolen in a 2016 hack. “[The lawsuit] only treats the symptom of the real issue, which is our relationship with social media and the lack of privacy surrounding it,” Epstem said. “We are just scratching the tip of the iceberg in terms of private information that is owned by large internet companies, like Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple.” Tony Fargale, a senior business and entrepreneurship major, said he has seen posts for a campaign to delete Facebook but thinks it will not solve the problem. “Because we are digital natives, the only way to not have your information bought and sold is to not have an internet connection,” Fargale said. “I just don’t know how a checks and balances system could be in play in this digital space.” Facebook should be regulated by the government in some capacity, Fargale said.
SEE LAWSUIT, PAGE 39
Do privacy laws exist in cyberspace?
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AS THE VOTES from the 2018 primary elections are being finalized, the Illinois Green Party is complaining about the challenges third party political groups often face. The Illinois Green Party criticized the conduct of Cook County poll workers during the primary after receiving reports that voters were not given Green Party ballots when requested. Green Party voters were instead told to choose between a Democrat or Republican ballot in at least nine of suburban Cook County townships, according to a March 20 press release from the party. The Green Party—a grassroots third party political group that promotes environmentalism, social justice and gender equality—already struggles just to get its name on ballots. Illinois Green
Party officials called the problem “a flagrant disenfranchisement of voters” in the press release. But Cook County’s responsibility for allowing a problem in ballot access for alternative political parties is a complicated issue predating Election Day. Geoffrey Cubbage, a write-in candidate for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner, a major Chicago taxpayer agency with an annual budget of about $1.2 billion, said he was the only Green Party candidate in Cook County. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is an independent agency of state government that manages public water safety with an elected board of nine commissioners. Five of the nine commissioner positions in MWRD are vacant this year. Cubbage, who is also secretary for the Illinois Green Party, said he filed for the race at
the last minute at the Cook County Clerk’s office, vying for the seat that opened after commissioner Tim Bradford died in December 2017. Cubbage and Democrats running for the position sued Chicago because the Board of Election Commissioners refused to put write-in candidates on city ballots, claiming the candidates needed to file a ballot petition with the city in addition to Cook County. As a result, Cubbage was only listed on suburban Cook County ballots. His time to campaign was
wasted working on the lawsuit, Cubbage said. “The Cook County Board of Election Commissioners are historically a body that has acted to keep candidates off the ballot rather than enabling candidates to be on the ballot,” Cubbage said. “I’m certainly not the first candidate to have that experience.” So when calls started coming in on Election Day that suburban voters did not have access to the Green Party ballots, Cubbage called the Cook County Clerk to question whether poll workers were properly trained. The Illinois Green Party received 19 different voter complaints, but Cubbage believes the problem was more widespread. “It doesn’t matter much whether it was a deliberate conspiracy to suppress the vote, or simply a failure of training, the effect is the same: When voters [went] to the polls, they were told they didn’t have the option to vote green when indeed they did,” Cubbage said. “I don’t think you have to believe that the Cook County Clerk office was intently malicious to still say this
was a failure in training, a problem that they should’ve been ready for.” The misunderstanding could be attributed to a lack of physical Green Party ballots at the polls. Voting for the Green Party could only be completed electronically. But that was nothing new since the county has been voting electronically for years on non-partisan, Green and Libertarian ballots, according to James Scalzitti, deputy communications director for Cook County Clerk’s office. Cubbage also sent an email on behalf of the Illinois Green Party March 20 to report the problems, but never received a response from the Cook County Clerk’s office. Scalzitti said the issue was not a lack of employees or due to improper training. According to a March 28 emailed statement to The Chronicle from Scalzitti, there were two instances in which voters who wanted a Green Party ballot on Election Day did not get one, and there were errors made by election judges in Thornton and Palatine.
SEE THIRD PARTY, PAGE 39
» SAVANNAH EADENS METRO REPORTER
» JOCELYN MORENO/CHRONICLE
Ballot mishaps at primaries highlight third party struggle
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APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 37
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A misunderstanding between the Cook County Clerk and the Illinois Green Party resulted in a possible loss of third party votes during the March 20 primaries.
In one of the two instances, an election judge who called the help center to ask whether there was a Green Party ballot was given told there was not, according to the emailed statement. “We sincerely regret both occurrences,” Scalzitti said. “[The Clerk’s Office] contacted election judges ... to be sure they were giving out the Green ballot. We had no further incidents reported to our office the rest of election day.” Although the problem seemed to be a misunderstanding among poll workers, the Cook County
Clerk’s Office and the Illinois Green Party, it affected the election and possibility of showing up on the November elections ballot, Cubbage said, adding that the party is unsure whether it will pursue litigation. Dick Simpson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former alderman of the 44th Ward, said the political system is “rigged” to favor the two major parties. “Third party candidates have not won any elections in Cook County in living memory,” he said.
“A party cannot get traction if they can’t at least win at least a few offices and have a public spokesman for their party position.” In order to become an official recognized party, third parties often have to receive an unfair amount of signatures just to petition for ballot access, said Scott McLarty, communications director of the national Green Party. “Ballot access is the difference between being able to compete fairly with Democrats and Republicans, and being banished toward the margins,” McLarty said. “Ballot access laws are designed by Democratic and Republican legislators to privilege their own candidates and make it difficult for third party candidates and independent candidates to compete against them [in elections].” The la rger problem, McLarty said, is the people who are tired of “two-party racket” and decide not to vote at all. seadens@columbiachronicle.com
“We should all be okay with the idea that if we willingly give up our information it is going to be be used for marketing and advertising,” Fargale said. “The part that I have a big issue with is how that influences government officials. It bothers me that my data was being used to manipulate elections here and in foreign countries.” Cook County is being represented in the suit by Chicago law firm Edelson PC, which has filed privacy lawsuits against Facebook and other tech companies, including Google and Netflix. The suit asks that both companies be fined $50,000 for each Illinois user whose data was accessed. “We need to understand as citizens how the internet is designed, regulated and used,” Epstein said. “We have enjoyed this ignorant bliss for a while [because] using technology is convenient. Internet governance is the new civics, and it should become a more significant part of the curriculum.”
seadens@columbiachronicle.com
bmesa@columbiachronicle.com
Although Sriraj welcomes the car-sharing program, he is curious about how it will be received by Chicagoans when they still have Uber and Lyft at their disposal. Crosby Nelson, a junior interactive arts and media major—who uses public transit, Uber or Lyft about four times a week—said he would more likely use the car-sharing program after graduation when he is no longer eligible for a U-Pass. While unlikely to use the service now, Nelson said he might use it at the end of the school year when he has to move. While Arena is still skeptical about the program, he said test runs starting May 1 will provide the city with better data for future votes on the car-sharing service. “I’m happy to see how [Car2Go] plays out,” Arena said. “[But] if you pull people away from the system, you pull operating dollars out of the system.”
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APRIL 2, 2018 THE CHRONICLE 39
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