The Columbia Chronicle, September 3, 2019

PAGE 4: CFAC votes to join the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

PAGE 8-9: An 85-year streak is broken after Norman Alexandroff is dismissed.

PAGE 6: More diverse productions are expected for Columbia theatre.

PAGE 13: Find out what policies 2020 Democratic candidates support.

Volume 55, Issue 1

September 3, 2019

ColumbiaChronicle.com

‘ONLY ONE RIGHT WAY TO BE AT COLUMBIA...

AUTHENTIC.’ SEE CONVOCATION, PAGE 4 » STEVEN NUNEZ/CHRONICLE

editor’s note

The Chronicle isn’t perfect.

But we’re working on it. » ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

W

ith breaking news filling our website the past few weeks, we never expected to also have news break in our own newsroom, much less on the first official day of training, when then-Co-Editor-inChief Molly Walsh announced she had accepted an opportunity at NBC5 and would no longer be able to work at The Chronicle.

After only a year working as a staff reporter and a few summer months as news editor, I never expected my name to pop up in the search for replacements.

Sure, I had considered applying to be editor-in-chief next year as a senior, but not this semester.

Nonetheless, I was eager to take on a role I always dreamt of. With my newfound position as co-editor-in-chief with Blaise Mesa—who, in addition to having worked as managing editor last year, also hosts his own show on WCRX radio—I started to consider how a college news operation should function in 2019.

Throughout the summer, immediacy and accountability were on my mind. I thought of this as I continued my coverage of the 2020 presidential election—which included one of the then-presidential candidates, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, stopping by WCRX studios for an exclusive interview with Blaise and me.

It seemed hypocritical and counterintuitive to me for any news organization to act as a watchdog without holding itself to the same standards.

We cannot expect The Chronicle to report on a lack of transparency from leadership in Columbia’s part-time faculty union without also expecting ourselves to be transparent with our readers on how we report stories; we cannot expect ourselves to report on state bills fighting the global climate crisis without also expecting our staff to recycle products in our office; and we cannot expect ourselves to identify as a student newspaper if we don’t experiment with the changing landscape of journalism.

With our shortcomings in mind and the reputation of journalism before us, The Chronicle is hellbent on delivering what consumers of news demand of journalists, which is timely news at their fingertips.

2 THE CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

MANAGEMENT CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Blaise Mesa Alexandra Yetter

MANAGING EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Grace Senior

DIGITAL CONTENT & BRAND MANAGER

Micha Thurston

Miranda Manier

REPORTERS

NEWS EDITORS

REPORTERS

Katherine Savage Kendall Polidori Paige Barnes Isaiah Colbert Dyana Daniels Marielle Devereaux Mateusz Janik Knox Keranen Lauren Leazenby

Our readers should expect daily, timely coverage on all beats ranging from campus to citywide news, whether it be a speech by Senior Vice President and

COPY Provost Marcella David or by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

COPY CHIEF Margaret Smith

COPY EDITORS Summer Hoagland-Abernathy And as a technologically-savvy genKaci Watt eration, we also realize not every reader wants to actually read a news story. That GRAPHICS is why we are committed to providing GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Maddy Asma news in multiple mediums, from video Jennifer Chavez highlights and short documentaries to Wesley Enriquez Twitter blurbs and podcast episodes.

Shane Tolentino Still, at the root of many of our articles MULTIMEDIA will be the watchdog core of journalism, as we strive to produce more investiSENIOR PHOTO EDITOR Mike Rundle

Ignacio Calderon gative pieces than we ever PHOTOJOURNALISTS have before Camilla Forte in the wake of disappearing resources, Jacqueline Luttrell widespread staff layoffs and distrust Marley Molkentin between the ranks at the college.

Steven Nunez Alex White At the same time, stories will be fully

PODCAST PRODUCER Yasmeen Sheikah and accurately reported, which means every issue will be balanced with reportADVERTISING/ ing on tested solutions. Because, in a MARKETING time where headlines are chock-full of

MEDIA SALES REPS Breanne Jacobs racist or sexist screeds from the mouth Anthony Karlsson of the U.S. president, numerical repreKathryn Williams Tara Woods sentations of mass shootings or sexual assault allegations against influential people, the media is, in large part, to SENIOR STAFF blame for the “IDGAF” attitude

GENERAL MANAGER Travis Truitt growing among Americans, especially FACULTY ADVISER Curtis Lawrence young Americans.

By providing solutions in journalism, The Chronicle will be giving readers the whole picture, rather than just the problem. Although the solutions to the climate crisis may be unknown to us, reporting on the fires in the Amazon rainforest without reporting on the efforts being taken by the Bolivian people to quell the flames is simply no longer acceptable journalism in our book. @c cchronicle

ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

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campus

Students get ready for the new year at Convocation. » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Provost Marcella David ‘saying all the right things’ in first collegewide address » STEVEN NUNEZ/CHRONICLE

» ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHEIF IN SENIOR VICE President and Provost Marcella David’s first faculty address since arriving in June, she went out of her way to show faculty she understood them, emphasizing her deep appreciation for creatives and highlighting her new initiatives designed to boost enrollment, retention and graduation at the college.

Calling attention to her floral-embroidered boots on Aug. 19 in a room filled with Columbia faculty, administrators and staff members who are also musicians, artists, writers and performers, David poked fun at her business background, but added she is a “closet creative,” having played instruments growing up, being a “master knitter” and having a portfolio of her photography work.

“I am a detail-oriented, process-focused, data-driven, problem-solving maniac,” David said. “Unless you think that being an engineer and a lawyer means I am a robot or a shark or some weird ... unfeeling combination of both, my scholarly agenda has included human rights, women’s rights and the aftermath of war and labor rights. I both appreciate and celebrate the human condition.”

David said her “newness” at the college inevitably means new initiatives, programs and goals.

Some of the new initiatives David plans to prioritize include: creating new undergraduate degrees; adapting curriculum to meet industry innovations; innovating graduate programs; launching an academic leadership program; being open with sharing information; being active on campus as an administrator; providing a support structure for adjunct faculty and staff members; making it easier for students to register for courses; and creating a new teaching award recognizing faculty efforts to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion elements into courses.

David assured faculty she’ll make an effort to “wander around campus” and keep abreast at what is going on throughout the college, something her predecessor, Stan Wearden, was often criticized for not doing.

David’s openness for change at the college was welcomed by many of the attendees who have sought more communication and initiatives.

Monique Maye, a n associate

Senior Vice President and Provost Marcella David addressed Columbia’s faculty and staff for the first time Aug. 19. She highlighted some of the changes and areas for growth she would like to address as provost.

professor of instruction in the Business and Entrepreneurship Department, which will be David’s academic home, was particularly excited for David’s proposals to move forward in the areas of student recruitment, DEI and communication with faculty and students.

“She’s saying all the right things,” Maye said. “[I am] looking forward to working with her and more collaborative efforts throughout the college, throughout the departments. We’re ready. The faculty is energized and ready to work with her, as well. We’re going to have some great results from our new provost.”

The core of David’s address, however, was focused on boosting enrollment, retention and graduation rates at the college—an ongoing struggle for Columbia, although registration numbers for Fall 2019 semester show an upward trend, as reported by The Chronicle Aug. 14.

The fastest way to boost enrollment is to retain students year-to-year, according to David, whose goal is to retain 80% of first-year students to their sophomore year and then shepherd 60% of those students to graduate within six years.

Currently, only 70.5% of students stayed at Columbia for their sophomore year, 57.9% for their junior year and 54.5% stayed through their senior year, according to a Fall 2018 Institutional Effectiveness report for the Fall 2015 cohort.

“As we grapple with enrollment challenges, the trend is not in our favor,” David said. “To be successful, colleges like Columbia must have a sophisticated way

of accessing those segments of the market that value what Columbia offers, and those segments of the market who are willing to pay our tuition.”

David also proposed strengthening collaboration with the Faculty Senate through regular conversations with the executive committee, and encouraged fulltime faculty members to get involved with their senators.

Faculty Senate President Sean Johnson Andrews, who is also an associate professor in the History, Humanities and Social Sciences Department, was encouraged by David’s address.

“The new provost brings a lot of important experience, and I am very encouraged and hopeful about the areas she suggests we need to be focused on, especially around new curricular development and faculty vitality,” Andrews said. “These are especially important for the kinds of retention goals that she’s saying we need to meet, and I’m also excited and interested to learn more about the DEI pedagogy and other curricular-based initiatives that she’s suggesting.”

Another priority for David is addressing the academic success gap at Columbia, where she said minority students are substantially behind in terms of graduation rates, particularly the college’s African American student body.

David’s commitment to Columbia’s growing population of students of color— an estimated 900 of 1,750 students in the incoming freshman class identify as a person of color—is meaningful to faculty

members such as Shannelle ArmstrongFowler, an assistant professor of instruction in the Communication Department.

“As a faculty member of color, it is great to see other administrators of color holding significant positions that can actually direct some of these initiatives, especially those ones that are going to impact students,” Armstrong-Fowler said. “One of the biggest things we see is students of color are concerned there are no faculty members of color and no administrators of color, and a lack of other students of color, and they feel isolated. The more we can grow our rank-and-file ... with people who are dynamic and as exciting and ready to take charge, the better our student body will be.”

By the end of her self-admitted lengthy one-hour address, loud applause and jovial laughter were signs of her success, and possibly the college’s future success, according to President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim. “It’s obvious to everyone who was there that she is brilliant and totally engaged,” Kim said. “ It’s remarkable how well she understands the school only having been here since June. To me, all that is a great indication of the work the faculty will be able to gauge with the provost in this first year and, hopefully, over many years to really move the school forward.”

Additional reporting by Steven Nunez. ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 THE CHRONICLE 3

campus » MIRANDA MANIER MANAGING EDITOR TO A SOUNDTRACK of a pounding bass and cheers coming from a stage-side dance circle, freshmen and transfer students milled about Grant Park at New Student Convocation on Friday, dipping in and out of booths that offered henna tattoos, psychic readings and information about student organizations.

Paper fans waved in the air as students mingled and moshed, ringing in the new school year with an energy that had pass-

ersby on Michigan Avenue pausing to peer into the park. Around 70 student organizations gathered and various speakers and performers took the stage to share values, goals and words of encouragement with the new students, including President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim, Manifest 2019 Song Winner Charlie Curtis-Beard and Student Government Association President Kierah King.

“I want to remind you that what’s really unique about you as a group is what you bring here,” Kim said. “You bring every possible way of being, way of thinking, experience, background—in other

New Student Convocation welcomed freshmen and transfer students to the South Loop at a new location in Grant Park, between 9th St. and 11th St.

words, you represent the radical difference that is at the core of this institution.”

This year’s freshman class is the most diverse in Columbia’s history, as reported by The Chronicle on Aug. 14.

Orientation Leader Sara Dipaolo also spoke to new students, encouraging them to use Convocation to meet with organizations. Freshman creative writing major Amanda Daquila was looking forward to finding out more about these organizations.

“I was really excited coming to [Convocation],” Daquila said. “I’m really excited for the different clubs that I get to join and a variety of people I can meet in all different kinds of majors.”

Analea Harris, sophomore music major and orientation leader, remembers her Orientation as the time when she realized Columbia was the place she was meant to be.

“It’s cool to be on the other side and help students realize they’re in the right place,” Harris said. “[Convocation] is where every-

CFAC votes to affiliate with Illinois Federation of Teachers » ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF COLUMBIA’S PART-TIME teachers union has voted in favor of affiliating with the Illinois Federation of Teachers—the same union that includes the Chicago Teachers Union—it was announced Wednesday.

With 57% of members participating according to the union website, 76% of voters favored the decision, which had been in discussion for more than a year and was spurred, in large part, by the ratification of the union’s contract with the college in May, according to Columbia Faculty Union President Diana Vallera, who is also an adjunct professor in the Photography Department.

“For me, it was when we started to see this real corporate takeover, not just at our institution but across the country, and certainly when it started to come in con-

text at Columbia when we started to see all the mergers, the elimination of programs, student debt rising and the quality of education plummeting,” Vallera said. “When we started to bargain our contract in August 2017, the administration made it really clear that they want to break the union.”

In an email statement to The Chronicle, Lambrini Lukidis, assistant vice president of Strategic Communications and External Relations, confirmed the college was informed about the affiliation.

“We will continue to work productively and positively with CFAC, whether it be an independent union or an affiliated local,” Lukidis said.

The vote included decisions on percentage-based dues increases and some constitutional changes, which Vallera said were required for affiliation.

By affiliating with IFT, Vallera

4 THE CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

said CFAC will not only receive support, but also have access to resources ranging from databases to assistance with grievances. However, CFAC will still maintain its autonomy, with IFT acting as a support system, Vallera said.

IFT is a 103,000-member strong statewide organization representing more than 200 local teacher unions, including the Chicago Teachers Union.

“As a high school English teacher, I saw many of my students go to Columbia College, where they studied with leading artists and practitioners in their respective fields,” said IFT President Dan Montgomery in a Wednesday press release. “I’m thrilled that these faculty members have chosen to join our IFT family. We understand the unique needs of contingent faculty, who are fighting powerfully against institutional changes that

» PHOTOS STEVEN NUNEZ/CHRONICLE

CONVOCATION, FROM FRONT

Manifest 2019 Song Winner Charlie Curtis-Beard performed at Convocation, jumping down from the stage to dance with the crowd.

one gets to come together and see friendships blossom and help people get where they’re going.”

Sophomore interdisciplinary arts major and transfer student Arya Woody is excited about Columbia because of the opportunities for collaborations. Kim reminded students that through collaboration, they can help Columbia become more welcoming and inclusive.

“We have an opportunity to become this fierce, forward-looking creative body,” Kim said. “I want all of you to constantly be reaching out, squeezing this place to get everything you want.

There’s only one right way to be at Columbia College Chicago. And that is to be your most authentic self. I want you to remember that.”

directly impact their work and their students’ education.”

Jason Betke, an adjunct professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department, said affiliating with IFT gained support from some CFAC members in part due to issues with leadership, as reported April 16 by The Chronicle. He said a parent union could potentially help improve relations between members and executives.

The vote itself came as a surprise to some members who were not aware CFAC leadership was pursuing affiliation in the first place, said Betke, who favored the affiliation but questioned the voting process.

Betke said holding the vote before the end of summer break felt rushed, since many members could not attend a teleconference call, which would have answered any questions surrounding the vote. He said some members may have missed emails with clarifying information.

“This is the union leadership not sharing facts with us,” Betke said. “[There is] no harm in slowing down the process.”

In response to the “rushed” vote, Betke, along with other members, circulated a petition to delay the vote until after the CFAC election this fall. More than 60 people signed the petition, and it was delivered to Vallera after the vote closed.

Vallera confirmed she did receive the petition and is reviewing it, but said some of the people who signed it were not union members and possibly at least one was an administrator. She said some eligible members who signed the petition also participated in the affiliation vote.

“No one approached me before [the vote] with the petition,” Vallera said. “I’m interested to hear what members say, but as union president I have to follow what the majority of the members want. … It’s the votes that count.

When you have 76%, there’s just no questions. If we had a low voter turnout, I would be concerned, but we didn’t.”

mmanier@columbiachronicle.com

Story developments to come on columbiachronicle.com. ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

campus

Professors will register students to vote during class A YEAR AFTER a successful voter registration pilot program within the Communication Department, Associate Professor Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin was at a “point of despair” over how to broaden student registration efforts at the college.

Finally, she found a way.

Matthew McCurrie, an associate professor in the English and Creative Writing Department, and Jennie Fauls, the assistant director for the Writing and Rhetoric Program in the department, offered to train instructors to register students during class.

Because some combination of the Writing and Rhetoric I, II or honors courses are required for all undergraduate degrees, the trio hopes to reach every Columbia student.

“I was just trying to think, ‘Who sees everybody?’ Well, Student

Convocation and Orientation, Residence Life—[but] none of those [programs] felt that it was a good fit for their existing efforts,” Bloyd-Peshkin said. “I’m really impressed with the commitment to civic engagement that [Fauls and McCurrie] expressed.”

During an Aug. 16 meeting for instructors in the First-Year Writing Program, Bloyd-Peshkin presented the idea to faculty members and passed out interest forms for those wanting to take part in the initiative. Bloyd-Peshkin thought if even half of the instructors participated in the program, it would make a huge difference in voter registration at the college.

By the end of the meeting, 24 of the 26 faculty members present were interested in registering students during classes. The two who did not choose to participate were either not instructing courses this semester or teaching international students. Some pro-

fessors were more than eager, and wanted to start registering students on the first day of classes, Sept. 3.

Alongside Bloyd-Peshkin at the meeting was her brother Michael Peshkin, a professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, where he spearheaded Northwestern’s award-winning voter registration initiatives.

In 2016, 65% of students at Northwestern who were registered to vote cast a ballot in the presidential election, according to Michael Peshkin, who attributes Northwestern’s success to in-person interaction. Nationally, only 46.1% of registered voters aged 18–29 voted in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“We all think our students are on social media … [but] actually students are more likely … to get engaged to register to vote if they are individually approached by a human being,” BloydPeshkin said.

» STEVEN NUNEZ/CHRONICLE

» ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Associate Professor in the Communication Department Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin hopes to reach every Columbia student through voter registration efforts.

Another major aspect to voter registration on college campuses is providing out-of-state options.

Many students feel more connected to hometown politics, and more than 1,000 Columbia students are from Midwestern swing states, Michael Peshkin said.

During last year’s pilot program, 93 of the 107 students who attended the Communication Department’s Connections activ-

ities registered to vote, Bloyd-Peshkin said. Roughly half of those 93 students registered to vote out-of-state, she said.

“Youth actually vote at the same rate as anybody else who recently moved,” Bloyd-Peshkin said.

Visit columbiachronicle.com for additional reporting. ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 THE CHRONICLE 5

arts culture

Pizza Museum has stolen a slice of our hearts » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Theatre Department shifts toward more diverse and engaging productions » MIKE RUNDLE/CHRONICLE

» KENDALL POLIDORI NEWS EDITOR

for a lack of diversity in previous productions, Columbia’s Theatre Department will focus exclusively on “everyday people” who are overlooked by society for its upcoming 2019 season.

Associate Chair and Artistic Director in the Theatre Department Jacqueline Penrod said the new goal for the department is to get as many voices on-stage as possible.

“We want every student to come in here and feel like their voice is valued on our stage and in the classroom,” Penrod said. “It is something we [continue] to work on. We are not perfect.”

The department is focusing on creating an environment that is ever-changing along with society, according to Khalid Long—Diversity, Equity and Inclusion scholar-in-residence and faculty dramaturge.

Earlier this year, students in the production “HOME/LAND” held a meeting to discuss alleged racial insensitivity in casting after white actors were cast in minority roles, as reported April 29 by The Chronicle.

In a May 2 email statement to The Chronicle, then-Interim Chair of the Theatre Department Peter Carpenter said the department was working on curriculum changes to support DEI goals.

Shortly after, Carpenter announced he would be leaving the college to take a position as director of theatre and dance at the University of Florida.

The department’s new chair, Carin Silkaitis, said she will work toward the department’s diversity goals. She plans to involve a range of students and faculty by incorporating collaboration in ways that have not been executed before, but did not specifically identify how that will be done. She also plans to respond to related issues quickly and directly, as reported July 1 by The Chronicle.

For the upcoming season, the department will highlight stories of marginalized groups of people with a lineup of productions that discuss race, class, gender and the environment. According to Silkaitis, this season’s show lineup is AFTER STUDENT BACKLASH

(Clockwise from top left) The Theatre Department’s Khalid Long, Carin Silkaitis, Jacqueline Penrod and Noelle Humbert discuss the upcoming season.

incredibly rich, both in the stories being told and the people who are telling them.

Penrod said the department as a whole is shifting and rethinking how to go forward. She met with groups of students to see what they want to do and talk about in theatre, and listened to suggestions they had to benefit the department as a whole. “[The students] are very much involved in not only creating and making theatre, but really creating conversations,” Long said. “Getting them involved in the process can then transfer to skills when they graduate.”

To implement those goa ls, the department will kick off its season Oct. 17 with “Space,” a play written by theatre alumna Keli Garret. The play brings together two environmental disasters, the 1927 Mississippi Floods and Hurricane Katrina of 2005, to reveal the destruction of a civil society from racial terror and “environmental upheaval.”

Long said “Space,” along with other shows in the upcoming season, “interrogates” people who find themselves on the margins and who are continually oppressed during both global and local traumatic events.

6 THE CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

“Because they are already on the margins, these traumatic events put them in even [more] dire situations [compared to] folks that are able to get out of those situations,” Long said. “Often times it is because of issues around identity such as race.”

Amy Gerwert Valdez, junior theatre directing major and former stage manager for “HOME/LAND,” said she thinks it is great the department is focusing on marginalized groups of people, but it is not a strong enough apology for what happened during “HOME/LAND.” “I wish we could have more, almost like retribution for what happened,” Gerwert Valdez said. “It was very emotional for some people. ... With this new focus, I am skeptical.”

Gerwert Valdez hopes for more empathy from—and supports more training for—the faculty, along with hiring more faculty of color, she said.

“For this year, I have high hopes,” Gerwert Valdez said. “I am hoping things will get better [and that] faculty [and] people making these efforts and promises to diversify Columbia, and being more inclusive, will pay off.”

Along with a performance of “Space,” opening weekend will include a workshop

and post-show discussion with Garret to further students’ involvement and understanding of the show.

“It is about what the bigger meaning of theatre is and why we are doing it and why all of these hundreds of students are here,” Penrod said. “If we do productions where they are not engaged in the process, then we are doing a disservice.”

With a shift in the department’s production focus, Long said it will introduce a new area of dramaturgy for students to get more involved in working on productions.

Penrod said another goal for the department this year is to open up productions to all students within the Theatre Department. “[We want to] create more community around our productions,” Silkaitis said.

A way to do so is to have other departments at the college embrace the Theatre Department, Long said. He said the department is not putting on productions purely for entertainment purposes, but also to create an environment where students and faculty members can critically engage. kpolidori@columbiachronicle.com

Asian film festival pop-up crosses cultures and local neighborhoods CHICAGOANS WILL BE able to watch an “unconventional” film festival this fall as Asian films pop-up in different neighborhoods across the city, from the Alliance Française de Chicago to the Illinois Institute of Technology.

“It’s a little bit unconventional compared to some of the traditional film festivals,” said Sophia Wong Boccio, the founder, executive director and artistic director of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema.

“Pop-up cinema gives us more freedom, more mobility and I’m really trying to make it more accessible to a bigger audience.”

Founded in 2015, the event occurs every spring and fall, and typically features about 17 films shown within a five-week span at different locations across the

city. This fall’s festival will run from Sept. 10 to Oct. 10, and will feature a range of genres, including

» COURTESY ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA

» ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

thrillers, musicals, romances and period movies.

Six of the 17 films screened this year will be free to the public; and for the screenings which have a cost for admission ranging from $8–$15, there are also 20 free tickets reserved for students on a first-come, firstserved basis, she said.

“I want to see all students coming to our screenings,” she added. “It’s easier for the American audience to relate to the stories.”

Some of the screenings also offer other features for their audiences, such as “exclusive, intimate” Q&As with directors, guest speakers and actors.

arts & culture A screening of the film “Shadow” on Sept. 15 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 W. 35th St., is not only free, but will also offer mooncakes, which are Chinese pastries, served during the MidAutumn Festival.

“Ten years ago we probably never saw any Asian films. Now we do have some at certain cinemas, but they are all very limited releases,” Boccio said. “Seeing them on the big screen is definitely what the films were made for.”

Many of the films include varying cultural influences which impact where they are shown in the city, which is why Boccio said she tries to screen films in neighborhoods where the content is geographically convenient for the target audience.

For instance, the Japanese film “Bento Harassment” about a mother trying to connect with her teenage daughter by putting notes in her bento box—a Japanese home-packed meal similar to the American lunch box—is being screened Sept. 27 at the Midwest Buddhist Temple, 435

W. Menomonee St., as Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in Japan.

A number of Asian films, including “Swing Kids,” a South Korean film starring an African tap dancer, will be shown at IIT, Boccio said. And on Oct. 5 at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, 238 W. 23rd St., the China-Hong Kong co-production “Office” will be screened.

In doing so, Boccio hopes to share Asian films with different cultural demographics of Chicago’s ever-changing city, where there are currently more than 100,000 Asian residents in the city, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. “[The goal is to] bring more awareness of Asian culture.

We’re living in a global village, basically. We should be more receptive and respect each other’s culture,” Boccio said. “It’s wrong to deprive the American public [from] watching Asian films.” ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

ways of thinking, according to Chenoweth.

Through a night of Native WITH ITS DIVERSE mix of dance American drumming, a 2-mile styles, Emily Johnson’s production silent walk, 84 handmade quilts was exactly what Ellen Chenoweth and live performance, the season was looking for to start the Dance opener will call attention to the Center of Columbia College history of Calumet Park, which is Chicago’s 46th season. based in the Calumet region—an Johnson’s “Then a Cunning area that was inhabited by Native Voice and a Night We Spend American tribes in the 1600s. The Gazing at Stars” had only one performance will take place at the previous presentation in New Calumet Park Cultural Center and York City, and in September will Fieldhouse, 9801 S. Ave. G. kick-off the Dance Presenting Although this upcoming season Series off-site in Calumet Park, does not have a specific theme, just south of the city.

Chenoweth said the lineup for Chenoweth, director of the each year is based on artists Dance Presenting Series and who support the curriculum of assistant professor of instruction Columbia’s Dance Department, in the Dance Department, said with an emphasis on West African, Johnson, an indigenous artist, is hip-hop, ballet and modern. good at sparking community con“I look for artists who are pushversations. Having her perform ing those forms in interesting ways is a good opportunity to push the and doing work that contemporary Presenting Series in an interesting art students should experience direction and toward non-Western in-person,” Chenoweth said. » KENDALL POLIDORI NEWS EDITOR

» COURTESY PAULA COURT

‘Be open to being surprised’: 46th Dance Presenting Series kicks-off

The event, to be held Sept. 28, is open to the public with a suggested donation of $1–$10, making it accessible for a wide audience, Chenoweth said.

Along with Johnson, the series will include nine other performances and will present local artists for the first time.

Emily Johnson’s “Then a Cunning Voice and a Night We Spend Gazing at Stars,” Abby Zbikowski, creator of Abby will kick-off the Dance Center of Columbia College’s 46th season.

Z and the New Utility and one of the spring season’s presenters, dance, there’s infinite ways to Chenoweth said the series holds looks forward to bringing her work, break something down—perspec- a unique niche in the city and there “Radioactive Practice,” to a new tives, viewpoints [and] lenses to is no other organization that is community in April. look through,” Zbikowski said. doing what Columbia is with a The piece will draw from hisMolly Shanahan, a Chicago- large space of 268 seats, and a tories in hip-hop, modern dance, based choreographer, has been focus on dance, exclusively.

West African cultures, tap, syn- involved with the series for Dance can connect to everychronized swimming and basket- nearly two decades and last cre- one because the body connects to ball to challenge dance. ated a piece in 2018, “Of Whales, everything, Chenoweth said.

It will call everyone into the Time, and Your Last Attempt To “Even people who think they room to understand the differ- Reach Me.” don’t like dance, I would encourage ences and similarities of all who “[The] series has been ... a vitally them to come see a performance, attend, Zbikowski said. important part of the Chicago check it out and be open to being “There are so many interpreta- dance scene,” Shanahan said. “It surprised,” Chenoweth said. tions of what something means is only increasing in vitality as the in the room. When someone views work becomes more diverse.” kpolidori@columbiachronicle.com SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 THE CHRONICLE 7

feature » MIKE RUNDLE/CHRONICLE

END OF AN ERA

COLUMBIA’S LAST ALEXANDROFF DISMISSED » MIRANDA MANIER MANAGING EDITOR WHEN THE FALL 2019 semester begins, it will be the first time since 1934 that an Alexandroff is not on Columbia’s payroll.

On May 22, Norman Alexandroff, whose last-held position at the college was as a communications specialist in the Library, was dismissed when the college eliminated dozens of positions.

Alexandroff worked at Columbia since 1990, but his relationship with the college has lasted his entire life, as both his grandfather and father served as president.

“Columbia … was so much a part of the fabric of our life,” he said. “Columbia was like a stepbrother to me, because my dad spent every waking moment building the

college. It was like he had another family he was living with most of the time.”

Norman’s grandfather, also named Norman Alexandroff, developed the radio curriculum at Columbia when it was still owned by the Pestalozzi-Froebel Teachers College. In 1944, Alexandroff was named president of the college. He then broke the school off into its own institution, making it Columbia College.

Norman’s father, Mirron “Mike” Alexandroff, took over as president in 1961 when enrollment was low and the college was struggling.

“Columbia came of age during the presidencies of Norman Alexandroff [Senior] and Mirron Alexandroff, who between them led our institution from 1944 to 1992, achieving full accreditation for our undergraduate and graduate programs

8 THE CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

for the first time,” President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim said in an Aug. 14 email to The Chronicle. “The Alexandroff family and name are an indelible part of the Columbia identity and legacy.”

According to Alexandroff, the fact there still is a Columbia is amazing.

“When you only have 175 students and three part-time faculty members, you’re looking around for another job,” he said, referring to the period around the spring of 1963. “My dad almost took another job at Syracuse University. He decided not to do that, but if he did, he would have closed the door and Columbia would not have existed anymore.”

Alexandroff’s father stayed and pioneered the concept of working professionals as professors. He initiated open admissions, giving minorities access

to the arts in a way that had not been available before, Alexandroff said. Because of a mass media boom across the country at the time, the skilled technical workers Columbia was producing in radio and TV often left the college after just one semester because “they knew how to use the equipment and they were getting jobs.”

“Mike’s impact on Columbia was terrific,” said Dominic A. Pacyga, professor emeritus of history. “He ruled over a period of extensive growth for the college. He made its footprint in the South Loop much larger. He really created this unique niche for Columbia in the market at that time period, which many other colleges ... have [since] copied.”

Alexandroff’s mother, Jane Ann Legnard Alexandroff, was also involved

feature

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in the college, serving as the only fulltime employee from 1955 to 1961. A year later when his father was required to spend four months in a tuberculosis sanitarium, his mother returned to the college and took a leading role in the college’s operations.

Norman Alexandroff became president in 1944.

He transformed the radio program and launched the new Columbia College.

She was “the college’s mother, confidant, counsel, and cheerleader,” Mike Alexandroff wrote in “A Different Drummer: The History of Columbia College Chicago.”

Norman Alexandroff started a scholarship in the name of his mother, who died in 1996. The Jane Ann Legnard Alexandroff Endowed Scholarship for Social Change is awarded to two students each year who use their creative skills for social justice. According to Chief of Staff Laurent Pernot, this scholarship will continue.

Because of his family’s dedication to the school, Alexandroff’s life was intertwined with Columbia in more ways than one.

“Almost every honorary degree recipient literally slept in my bed,” he said.

“I’m talking about people like Rosa Parks and Duke Ellington and ... Cesar Chavez.

I was only 5 years old, so I mean, these people didn’t mean anything to me at the time. It wasn’t like I was going to my kindergarten class and saying, ‘Hey, you know who’s staying in my bed now? Duke Ellington! Wow! That’s cool.’ It wasn’t like that. It was just a part of my life.”

During his tenure at Columbia, Alexandroff said he started five different offices: the Office of Media Relations, the Chicago Center for Arts Policy, the Office of Student Publications, the Of-

fice of Student Communications and the Office of Business and Community Partnerships. Of these, the Office of Student Communications remains, and the Office of Media Relations ultimately became the Office of Strategic Communications & External Relations.

“Norman is very dedicated [and] qualified,” said Craig Sigele, academic manager in the Communications Department.

“He loved Columbia. Columbia was in his blood. He had nothing but compassion and hope for its future, and it’s sad that they were unable to find a place for him here.”

In 2017, Alexandroff started working in the Library running The Big Read program, which uses books to engage communities in conversations about social issues. He also began a multi-disciplinary performance series titled Sez Me, which allowed students to tell stories in nontraditional ways.

Eric Scholl, the interim chair of the Cinema and Television Arts Department, worked with Alexandroff on several projects since 2009, including Sez Me. “Sez Me was great because it gave students a voice and a way of telling their stories in something that’s a little bit different from a traditional open mic,” Scholl said. “[Norman] was somebody who was very interested in making sure students had outlets for their creativity.”

Alexandroff was notified in Fall 2018 that his position at the Library had been deemed “non-essential” and it would be ending at the conclusion of the school year.

However, according to him, he was told “in no uncertain terms” by Kim he would be given another position at the college.

“In fact, [Kim] wanted me to write a history [book] or work him into the story of the college,” Alexandroff said. “That was one of his projects. He didn’t feel like he was reflected in the current history book. There was clearly expressed the idea that I was going to have a job and one of the things he’d hoped I’d do would be to include a history on him.”

In an Aug. 14 email, Pernot confirmed a conversation took place in which Kim asked Alexandroff to update and expand the college’s history to include more recent events, such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, the Student Center and Columbia’s decision to end its status as an open-access college.

Alexandroff expected to begin working on this project after the Spring 2019 semester ended, but was dismissed before it could happen.

Pernot said, in a subsequent email, there was never any follow-up to the conversation by either party.

“The college does not comment on specific personnel matters regarding faculty or staff members,” said Lambrini Lukidis, assistant vice president of Strategic Communications and External Relations, in a separate email exchange with The Chronicle. “As previously announced, the reorganization of departments and elimination of positions were carefully considered and based solely on the college’s desire to address revenue issues, streamline its operations, maximize its effectiveness and focus on mission critical objectives—instruction, student services and enrollment.”

When he was terminated, Alexandroff said he had a five-minute “perfunctory” conversation with then-Interim Provost Suzanne Blum-Malley and a representative from Human Resources. In this conversation, he was told he was deemed “non-essential to the long-term strategic direction of the college,” he said.

According to Alexandroff, he told Blum-Malley that if he had been contacted a few days after the incident he would have apologized.

“But it came through as this effort to intimidate me. It was very overblown for an offhanded comment,” he said.

The college declined to comment on this incident, or whether it contributed to Alexandroff’s termination.

Alexandroff also sat on the executive board of the staff union, United Staff of Columbia College. According to Sigele, who serves as the president of US of CC, half of the board was dismissed in May’s round of terminations, including Alexandroff.

Of the 12 board members, six were terminated, and two left Columbia for better-paying jobs, Sigele said.

This came in the midst of contentious contract negotiations, as reported by The Chronicle.

Mirron “Mike” Alexandroff was president of Columbia from 1961–1992 and pioneered open-admissions and the concept of working professionals as professors. His wife, Jane Ann Legnard Alexandroff, was the only full-time employee of the college from 1955–1961.

Alexandroff cited an incident this spring that he said may have contributed to his termination.

At a college assembly on March 6, Alexandroff said he made an offhanded comment to someone about the ongoing search at the time for a new provost. He said he hoped Marcella David—who was eventually hired as the new provost, as reported by The Chronicle March 13— would be chosen, but he had heard the college might not select either candidate.

Two weeks later, Alexandroff said he received a call from Blum-Malley, who told him she wanted to discuss his “conduct and comments” at the meeting.

This discussion was scheduled for two weeks later, a month after the assembly meeting. He said he was then accused of “spreading malicious rumors and falsehoods that could damage the candidate.”

According to Sigele, those negotiations are still ongoing but have slowed due to the loss of board members, who have yet to be replaced.

Alexandroff said he is confused why he was let go, despite years of going “above and beyond” in each of his positions to support the college.

“I can’t help but feel sad about the state of affairs. I had this very close and intimate relationship with the college. It was, in many ways, a part of my family.

It was like a sibling for me,” Alexandroff said. “Now, having been laid off, I feel a sense of sadness. I feel like I’ve almost been excommunicated from my family. I feel like I’m no longer welcome at a place that’s been a part of my family and I helped contribute to the success [of].” mmanier@columbiachronicle.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 THE CHRONICLE 9

opinions

Our loss is NBC5’s gain; Molly Walsh says goodbye to The Chronicle » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Listen to the voices of Hong Kong protestors

I

This would hand over an incredible amount of power to Chinese authorities, meaning that anyone who bucks up against the police could ultimately find themselves under the authority of China, a Communist government.

“In recent years, the Hong Kong government has disqualified elected lawmakers, banned activists from running for office, prohibited a political party, jailed pro-democracy leaders, expelled a senior foreign journalist and looked the

»MADDY ASMA/CHRONICLE

t is a core-shaking feeling to know you may wake up one morning to find your rights stripped away.

In Hong Kong, protesters primarily aged 15–30 have been protesting to protect their rights since March.

Hong Kong was handed over from British rule to Chinese rule in 1997, where it was to remain under the “one country, two systems” policy—in which it would be socially communist but economically capitalist, with a partially democratic political system—for the next 50 years, or until 2047. With that deadline a few decades away, the protesters see the early onset of the loss of their democratic autonomy coming quickly­­—within their lifetimes, even.

Hong Kong’s democracy was threatened when a proposed extradition law became public knowledge. This law would allow a person arrested in Hong Kong to face trial elsewhere, such as mainland China.

Queer representation, will you accept this rose? » MIRANDA MANIER MANAGING EDITOR

W

atching “The Bachelor” franchise has become a ritual for my friends and me. Every Monday, we gather to watch blonde women and brown-haired men compete for Instagram sponsorships. And love, allegedly. We, a group of LGBTQ+ people, marvel at the way they navigate their remarkably straight relationships.

This season’s “Bachelor in Paradise” is different for us, though.

This season, we have Demi.

Demi Burnett was a fan favorite from the most recent season of “The

Bachelor.” This summer she arrived at “Bachelor in Paradise,” a show where rejected contestants try to find love among each other, with a surprise announcement: She was in an open relationship with a woman, and she wanted to explore her options.

Burnett then started a relationship with fellow contestant Derek Peth as she struggled to decide what she wanted.

This storyline came to a

other way when Beijing kidnapped its adversaries in Hong Kong,” Ben Bland, a Hong Kong expert at the Lowy Institute in Australia, said in a June 11 Vox article.

As with many social uprisings, its proponents have faced backlash for their actions, primarily for how they are going about the protests, which have been dubbed—even by those involved—as “chaotic.” The perceptions that often surround these movements, especially ones led by young people, are those in power feel disrespected by youth, and see their desire to control their own political narrative as unwarranted and extremist.

Point blank, Hong Kong youths are not happy. But can we not afford chaos and disorder when run-of-the-mill actions have little affect?

Those who sympathize with the Hong Kong protestors know there is something honorable in the passion that continues to bring them to the streets for months despite the violent reaction they face. The magnitude and resilience they display is powerful. Just as much as these swelling motivations don’t happen overnight, neither does a solution. With the months

head when Burnett’s girlfriend, Kristian Haggerty, appeared on “Paradise,” and Burnett was forced to make a choice.

She ultimately chose to be with Haggerty, and, despite Haggerty not being a contestant on any former seasons, it was decided the two of them would stay on “Paradise.”

This sparked tension between fans.

On one side there is homophobic backlash and people who don’t think Haggerty should stay on air. On the other side »JENNIFER CHAVEZ/CHRONICLE sit people like

EDITORIAL of work they have put in and no end in sight, there is a conversation that has taken place regarding how people navigate their own subjugation, and that has been broadcasted internationally.

Americans have shown this same commitment to change over the long haul, as well. The Civil Rights movement, for example, existed in its initial form decades before there was national traction. But protests in this same vein, and the loud voices that accompany them, continue because social justice matters and human rights matter, regardless of the chaos that ensues.

It can be said protests are a young person’s game. With their energy and ability to hold on, they know there is something waiting on the other side— something greater, hopefully. But as much as it is their future they are fighting for, it is also everyone’s future now.

If we abroad can be anything to these injustices, we can be informed witnesses.

This is not synonymous with being an observer. Rather, a witness can uphold the realities of those fighting for their rights and hold others accountable. chronicle@colum.edu

COMMENTARY my friends and me—LGBTQ+ fans who crave representation.

To us, there are no negative effects of this representation except leaving Burnett vulnerable to hateful attacks on social media. And while those have certainly rolled in, so have passionate defenses of her and Haggerty.

This representation from such a popular show is indicative of an incredibly important step forward for the TV industry. The producers made a hard decision to keep Burnett and Haggerty on the show, and that speaks volumes to me. It shows me they place value on fans like my friends and me. And I hope our vocal appreciation is all they need to give us more LGBTQ+ content.

Next stop? A bi Bachelor. Start looking, Chris Harrison. Queer people need Instagram sponsorships, too. mmanier@columbiachronicle.com

Editorial Board Members Katherine Savage News Editor Mari Devereaux Staff Reporter Camilla Forte Photojournalist Isaiah Colbert Staff Reporter Kendall Polidori Staff Reporter Mateusz Janik Staff Reporter

Lauren Leazenby Staff Reporter Margaret Smith Copy Chief Kaci Watt Copy Editor Wesley Enriquez Graphic Designer Maddy Asma Graphic Designer

10 THE CHRONICLE SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

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 Chronicle Editorial Board

opinions »SHANE TOLENTINO/CHRONICLE

COMMENTARY

20 ways for you to be ecofriendly as a Columbia student » ALEXANDRA YETTER CO- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

C

olumbia is known, in part, for its civic engagement and passion. On campus, unlike anywhere else in this city, someone can walk down the street and hear students discussing their most recent SoundCloud EP, while on the next block people are debating the role of gender politics.

However, there is one area where South Loop creatives often fall short—sustainability.

If a student were to peek inside compost bins and battery recycling containers—like I do, because yes, I am nosy like that—they’d find them empty. Even the garbage chutes at dorms like the Dwight Lofts can be found full of recyclables.

Of course, I am also guilty of using a plastic straw here and there, or occasionally indulging in a long shower. But as the next generation, we need to be better than our predecessors and much of our current political leadership when it comes to sustainability initiatives, lest we forge the planet into something more closely resembling Mustafar (remember, that is the planet of lava where Obi Wan Kenobi left Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a Darth Vader, to be burned alive in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”).

As a college that prides itself on civic engagement, we the students should be at the forefront of the sustainability conversation, especially in a state working to pass its own extended version of the Green

New Deal and a city rated among the most eco-friendly in the nation.

Not only must we work to change our personal habits surrounding sustainability, but we also need to keep our peers, professors, departments, school and our industries accountable for their actions.

Without further ado, here are 20 ways you can be eco-friendly as a student at Columbia: 1. Use a reusable coffee cup for your 8 a.m. caffeine jolt.

2. Carry reusable water bottles and refill at water stations on campus.

3. Don’t Uber—walk or take CTA. 4. Compost the remnants of your 3 a.m. Devil Dawgs run.

5. Recycle. Just do it.

6. Learn what you can and can’t recycle—pizza boxes are compostable, not recyclable.

7. Take reusable containers to restaurants for your leftover food.

8. Use reusable tote bags, not plastic bags (it is cheaper and eco-friendly).

9. Reuse or donate art materials leftover from projects.

10. At the cafeteria, only take what you’re actually going to eat. You can always go back for more.

11. Try going vegetarian or vegan, at least a few days per week (cutting down on red meat intake alone can actually make a huge difference in reducing the carbon footprint).

12. Shop at thrift stores, and only buy leather or furs secondhand (this one is for the fashionistas).

13. Buy sustainable clothing.

14. Say “No!” to plastic straws. Love straws? Pick up a stainless steel or bamboo reusable one online.

15. Stop ordering stuff from Amazon you don’t really need. Amazon uses a ton of plastic packaging.

16. Turn off lights or other electronics when you’re not using them.

17. Take the train home for the holidays instead of a plane (long train rides are perfect for writing artsy poems).

18. Grocery shop in bulk using mason jars or stainless steel containers (Mason jars are very “in” right now).

19. Make parties zero waste by having everyone bring their own cups.

20. Join an environmental club to educate students on the climate crisis and how to save the planet. ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 THE CHRONICLE 11

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As of press time, only 10 candidates have qualified for the September debates, including: former Vice President Joe WITH THE ILLINOIS primary election slated Biden; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor for March 17, 2020, and a diverse field of Pete Buttigieg; Sen. Elizabeth Warren more than 20 candidates vying for the Dem- (D-Mass.); former Rep. Beto O’Rourke ocratic presidential nomination, voters will (D-Texas); businessman Andrew Yang; be busy in the coming months monitoring Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.); Sen. Bernie the positions of their top contenders on a Sanders (I-Vt.); Sen. Amy Klobuchar variety of issues.

(D-Minn.); Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.); and

» ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.

Although many of the candidates agree on certain issues heralded by the Democratic party, such as abortion rights, there are a handful of issues that set them apart, such as universal basic income.

The Chronicle has compiled a chart highlighting what candidates support which issues. A candidate’s full face appears when

they are in support of the stated policy. A half face appears when they support a variation of the policy. A “U” indicates a candidate is undecided on the topic, and empty spaces indicate a candidate does not support the policy.

For more information on the specific policy stances, check out our coverage at columbiachronicle.com. ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

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Illinois tackles global climate crisis with Clean Energy Jobs Act » ALEXANDRA YETTER CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BLUE STATES SUCH as New York have been passing legislation in waves to combat the climate crisis amid a congressional stalemate on the topic. Illinois hopes to be one of these states, as it attempts to pass its own pseudo-Green New Deal.

Yet, it is already falling behind in

a key area: reaching its renewable energy goals.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act, or CEJA, is currently being debated in the Illinois General Assembly, although it is not expected to pass as is, according to Illinois Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), one of the bill’s many sponsors.

The bill has not yet come up for a full vote in the General Assembly. » SHANE TOLENTINO/CHRONICLE

“We’re no longer talking about ensuring we protect our environment in a soft way,” Williams said.

“We’re fighting for the future of our planet. We have no choice but to do whatever we can to make sure Illinois leads the way.”

As CEJA is debated, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also signed a bill Aug. 15 allowing Illinois to set its own limits of greenhouse gas emissions.

“While the federal government unravels the progress made under the Obama Administration, Illinois will not stand idly by,” Pritzker said in a statement, as reported by WTTW Aug. 20.

“We’re stepping up to protect the lives of generations to come.”

CEJA—or what Williams calls a “blueprint for the future”—is described by those familiar with the bill as a more detailed version of the Green New Deal. CEJA, as it was originally proposed, is nearly 300 pages long.

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However, according to the Illinois Power Agency, Illinois is already behind on this goal, as the state is only projected to be at 10% renewable energy come 2025.

“We are facing a funding bottleneck in the next few years that will make it difficult to meet the 2025 goal and remain hopeful that legislation to address that bottleneck (and other issues) will be enacted,” said IPA Director Anthony Star in an Aug. 20 email statement to The Chronicle.

Both CEJA and the Green New Deal tackle two main aspects: Implementing eco-friendly infrastructure and cutting down on greenhouse gases; and ensuring the working class does not suffer as a result of sustainable changes.

One environmental advocate who supports the Green New Deal pending in Congress is Mary Freelove, a senior illustration major at Columbia.

“People who are all riled up about the Green New Deal probably don’t actually know what all it entails because they think it’s a lot more specific than it actually is,” Freelove said. “It’s about implementing more environmentally-friendly policies, but no specific [restrictions]. They’re not coming after the cows, they’re not trying to make everyone a vegetarian.”

When politicians propose changes that work to downsize industries such as coal and gas, it is often the workers who are put out of a job and suffer the consequences, Williams said. To combat this, CEJA is focused on creating a new economy based on green jobs so workers have access to training for jobs in renewable energy fields.

Visit columbiachronicle.com for additional reporting. ayetter@columbiachronicle.com

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» IGNACIO CALDERON PHOTOJOURNALIST PEOPLE AROUND THE world are starting to feel the tangible effects of the climate crisis as parts of the planet are on fire.

Last year, California was swept by wildfires, and this year, Alaska has seen record-breaking high temperatures and an unexpectedly long fire season. But this goes beyond the United States.

There is another place affected that has a global impact: the Amazon rainforest, which covers both Brazil and Bolivia.

“I realized there was no coverage about this, and [the] little there was only talked about the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, but Bolivia wasn’t mentioned anywhere,” said Andres MacLean, a photographer in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, who is documenting how the fire has impacted locals.

The fire began nearly three weeks ago, and according to Latin American TV network teleSur, “the intense smoke has reached … the entire Bolivian highlands that are located at more than 13,000 feet above sea level,” causing acute respiratory problems, it said..

The Amazon plays a vital role in absorbing almost one-third of the world’s carbon emissions and is home to one in 10 of all known animal species on Earth, 40,000 plant species and 30 million people from 350 indigenous and ethnic groups.

If another 20% of the Amazon burns, it would cause irreversible damage and convert the rainforest into a dry savannah, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In this event, instead of releasing oxygen, the rainforest would instead release approximately 140 billion tons of carbon dioxide that has been sequestered over time and

raise the global temperature.

Last week, leading industrial nations offered Brazil $22 million in emergency aid to quell the fires, but Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro declined the aid due to a personal feud with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Brazil later accepted some aid from Britain.

However, Bolivian President Evo Morales has accepted aid from G-7 countries and is attempting to use a U.S. “supertanker” to drown out the fires.

According to a report by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 80% of Amazon rainforest deforestation can be traced back to the livestock industry. And this year, Bolsonaro cut Brazil’s Environmental Enforcement Agency’s budget by $23 million, which resulted in lax implementations of laws protecting the Amazon, making it easier

» AP/VICTOR R.CAIVANO

Bolivia’s sky darkens as Amazon rainforest fires rage on for weeks

Weeks of fires in the Amazon rainforest spreading through parts of both Brazil and Bolivia are due, in part, to politics and the cattle industry.

for ranchers to clear land illegally for cattle grazing.

Brazil-based JBS, the largest meat exporting company in the world, was found guilty of bribing 1,829 politicians with close ties to Bolsonaro. These activities were further encouraged when, in July, Morales announced a decree legalizing the logging and burning of land for agricultural activities in Bolivia.

One month after the decree, the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon is

in the midst of a massive fire where about 1 million hectares have been burned, an area more than 16 times the size of Chicago.

“This is getting out of control; they are burning areas that should be protected,” he said.

Ignacio Calederon is a Columbia Chronicle photojournalist from Bolivia. Visit columbiachronicle. com for additional reporting. icalderon@columbiachronicle.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 THE CHRONICLE 15

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