Inside
“Daley scores big for Chicago sports” Focus, page 14 Vol. # 94, Issue # 19
Del Valle will not work for Chicago again
April 25, 2011
Small starts in a big city
By JOE RUPPEL Miguel del Valle, Chicago City Clerk and former mayoral candidate, pauses, a wide grin running across his face when asked by eager DePaul students and faculty at a discussion panel Wednesday if he would consider running for office again. “I thought you were going to ask that question at the end” del Valle said laughing. “You never rule anything out. I have a lot of experience and things to offer,” he said.
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I would consider other levels of government, but not in the city. I want to be in a position to continue to advocate on local issues. Miguel del Valle
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Del Valle visited a DePaul journalism class Wednesday evening at the request of Mike Conklin and Margaret Ramirez, the journalism instructors for Reporting Latino Communities in Chicago. Conklin said he invited del Valle because of his insights into Latino political participation in Chicago and as a valuable opportunity for students to interview a key Chicago figure. Held on the eleventh floor of the Richard M. and Maggie C. Daley building, Del Valle, 59, was clear in stating that he is exploring a number of options for his next move and is not in a hurry to lock anything in. Asked about options that he would consider, del Valle let out another laugh and grin. “I could see myself spending time in classrooms,” he said. While he was a state senator, del Valle put together a class at Roosevelt University on Latinos and public policy for a semester on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. Del Valle began his political career in 1982 by campaigning for Harold Washington and in 1986 joined the Illinois State Senate. In 2006, del Valle was appointed Chicago City Clerk and then elected to a four year term a few months later. While del Valle admits he is not certain about what he will be doing in the future, he is certain about what he will not be doing. “I know what I will not do. I will not work for the city of Chicago,” del Valle said. “I would consider other levels of government, but not in the city. I want to be in a position to continue to advocate on local issues. By accepting a job with the city of Chicago, it would tie my hands.” Del Valle made it clear that he was sincere in stepping out of city politics the day after the election, when he was offered a position on the Emanuel transi-
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Photos by Brianna Kelly
In honor of Earth Week, Student Government Association hosted a tree planting outside of the Lincoln Park Student Center on Wednesday, April 20 (Left). “We are trying to set an example for our community about the significance of sustainability,” said Alex Moree, Senator of Sustainability for SGA of the group’s contributions to the city’s overall efforts. Chicago’s Friends of the Park organization invited community members to come together to clean up the city’s parks.
New program gives Digital Cinema students a taste of the big time By TIFFANY BONCAN The long wait is finally over. For the last month, DePaul’s digital cinema department has been abuzz with excitement and anticipation as they discussed who might be going to Hollywood for the Los Angeles Quarter. On April 15, program coordinators formally invited 30 students out of 107 applicants, to participate in this new internship program. This pilot program was developed by Cinema and Interactive Media instructors Matt Quinn, Shayna Connelly, and assistant professor Kristyn Benedyk. The centerpiece of the ten-week immersion program is to have an internship: to work for production companies and studios in a professional capacity, in the media capital of the world. “The best thing for them is to realize they can do this for a living,” Quinn said. Students will intern three days a week, and take class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (see sidebar). Classes will be held on a historic studio lot, where the films “Some Like it Hot” and “West Side Story” were shot, and “True Blood” is currently filmed. CIM Instructor Dan Klein said the experience will contextualize the last three to five years of the cinema students’ education. “Here in Chicago, sometimes it feels like we’re teaching in theory, or we’re referring to things that aren’t necessarily tangible,” Klein said. “Getting to be in California, getting to actually interact with industry
and work with industry, enables them to take all these lessons and actually apply them.” DePaul Senior Alison Velazquez described the application process, and the wait, in one word: intense. “It’s hard because we all know each other so well, and more or less what we are capable of,” Velazquez said. “Every day, we see each other for class, and people are talking about the program – about who might make it in, and how exciting it would be to go.” Students were to submit a creative work that best represented who they were as a filmmaker, along with a personal statement. The coordinators were blown away by the amount of talent they were privileged to see. “One thing that made it gratifying but also made it difficult for us was, it was exceedingly competitive,” Klein said. Benedyk said they took into consideration how focused each applicant’s personal statement was, and they gravitated toward students who had a good sense of what they
Graphic by Sam Schroeder
wanted to do in L.A. But this is also a chance for them to explore job options they might not have considered pursuing while in school. As soon as confirmation letters are turned in, students will begin to apply for internships. Velazquez describes this opportunity as the lucky chance that every film student or Hollywood hopeful dreams for. “We’re very fortunate to have this chance to show executives what we can do, in a comfortable, academic environment, with help from our professors and their network,” Velazquez said. “I mean, who gets
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2 The DePaulia. April 25 2011
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News
News. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 3
DAB blog keeps Fest countdown
SHA searches for “Sexperts”
By TIFFANY BONCAN
By CHERYL WAITY, Editor-In-Chief, DeLacy. “They didn’t want the parents and kids to see. But actually, we get reand TRICIA CATHCART ally good feedback from parents in genWhat exactly are the qualifiers to call eral. They want their kids to have this oneself a sexpert? For the DePaul Stu- education and see that sort of thing.” dent Health Advocates, all it takes is an Although DePaul may be attempting to interest in the intimate workings of the repress the sexual education on campus, favorite taboo activity, and a willing- SHA is determined to continue making ness to be trained according to common progress and striving for more of a preshealth standards when it comes to ma- ence on campus. Having been ranked by kin’ love. Trojan’s Sexual Health Report Card in You may have noticed the flyers around the bottom five schools nationwide for campus or SHA’s tweets, “Hello future three consecutive years, it’s safe to say sexperts! Still accepting applications for that DePaul could benefit from loosenthe 2011-2012 academic year… SHA NEEDS YOU!” This controversial DePaul group is on the lookout for new members, as a majority of their base is We really try to edugraduating this year. Stephanie DeLacy, the current presicate the student body dent of SHA, says that “for next year, on a variety of sexual we want people who are enthusiastic health categories. about health, outgoing, they want to learn more about sexual health… It’s a Erin Freund, next year's fun group, we chill and learn a lot.” SHA president Started in 2009, SHA is a group meant to promote sexual health and awareness for all DePaul students, working with ing up their beliefs in order to provide every belief, tradition and sexual orien- students with sexual education that is tation. For the past three years, DePaul important for them to attain. SHA has been steadily challenging the “I would like to see DePaul take on a restrictive boundaries that have been more progressive attitude towards seximposed on their group by the univer- ual health. SAGE Medical Center also sity. As DePaul is a Catholic university, does very little in regards to student’s they tend to have stricter rules when it sexual health. If they are unable to meet comes to sexual education than other the needs of the student body, at the very schools. least they should be offering students al“One event where we had trouble with ternative information about where their DePaul was the black student health fair. sexual health concerns can be met,” said There were high school students and Annette Lesniak, a member of SHA. their parents in attendance, we were doErin Freund, next year’s incoming ing the condom demonstrations-this was SHA president says that “DePaul overall right after the whole northwestern sex as an institution welcomes the group alscandal-the school made us put away though, there are some restrictions, like the condoms and penis models,” says we can’t hand out condoms for example.
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It’s not in our mission to oppose these rules. Generally, [DePaul] has been supportive of SHA.” “This is our 3rd training, our recruits undergo 20 hrs of training and this will be our 3rd session coming in the spring, which is big,” says DeLacy. This training is meant to ensure that their members are fully educated on the right facts to teach DePaul students. Their subjects include STI prevention, LGBTQ health, women's health, sexual violence and body image. The members make this information available through presentations and workshops in addition to working with individual campus groups to deliver custom sexual health programs. Operating on a peer-to-peer level to promote a healthier, more sexually knowledgeable campus, their goal is student-to-student education. “We really try to educate the student body on a variety of sexual health categories,” says Freund. They are currently attempting to work with SAGE Medical Center, the student health service on campus, in order to include more women’s health options and STI testing. Additionally, they work with Students for the Advancement of Gender Awareness, Spectrum, and Act Out to promote access to sexual health resources for the LGBTQ community. “We hold a lot of events, just now finishing sexual health awareness month and headed into LGBTQ month, we have events set up for that and we hope to see a lot of people come out to those,” says DeLacy. “We want to make SHA more of a part of the institution as possible, hold more events and have more people support the group.”
“Digital Cinema”
The Curriculum
continued from cover to do that?” Quinn explained that the internship coordinators which faculty have already contacted find DePaul students to be very appealing. Having a Midwestern work ethic and being part of a program that focuses student on getting the most out of their internship is a definite plus. Klein said that this batch of students might be very helpful in establishing a brand for DePaul, for the type of students the department produces. “Our students are the best advertising for our university,” CIM Associate Professor Matt Irvine said. “They are smart, kind and hard working. When a company uses our students as interns they always come back asking for more. In the city of Chicago our reputation has soared because of our students working on highlevel productions like “Transformers 3,” “The Chicago Code,” “Contagion” and “The Dilemma.” There is great optimism for the future of this program, which the team hopes to offer year-round. “It’s about seeing ourselves as global ambassadors not only
Every spring, DePaul students look forward to the largest annual event on campus: FEST. This concert, put together by the DePaul Activities Board, features some of the hottest musical acts in the industry, and students get to hear them in person. This year students are privy to the intricate workings of those planning the event. FEST Coordinator Rachel Lafranconi and Music Coordinator Liz Palermo contribute to a blog called Racket Soup, which sheds light on the student programming process. “We really wanted to show students that the planning process begins as soon as we are elected into our positions the previous year,” Lafranconi said, “and we put our blood, sweat and many, many tears into it.” The aim of the blog is to not only keep students up to date with what’s going on with FEST, but to remind them that their peers are coordinating this concert, not “an elite group in an ivory tower,” as Lafranconi phrases it. Any time Palermo or Lafranconi have time or feel inspired, a blog post pertaining to FEST gets posted. For FEST 2011, Lafranconi told the DePaulia that DAB was able to secure acts on the original survey, and honored requests for After Hours, the post concert show held in the SAC. She is ecstatic about this development, because DAB cannot always book who students request. Students are invited to the Big Reveal on May 4 from 5-7 p.m. in the Student Center. DAB will announce this year’s line up at this event. There will be games, prizes and giveaways – Lafranconi said not to miss out. DAB is also hosting a video contest, where students can submit their filmed guess of who the headliner and/or opening act will be. The first person to guess correctly will get two free tickets to FEST. Submissions can be emailed to akirvane@ depaul.edu. FEST 2011 will take place on Friday, May 27, from 5-10 p.m. on the DePaul University Quad, weather permitting.
Accepted students will take three classes while they are in L.A.: Internships in Production and Post-Production, Hollywood History and Filmmakers’ Forum. “We thought of the experience they would want to have first, and then we built the class around it,” Benedyk said. The internship class features workshops where students can work on resumes, interviewing techniques, and workplace etiquette. Guest speakers will also come in to tell students, first-hand, about the ins and outs of the current film industry. It also counts for junior experiential learning credit. The history class covers the birth and development of Hollywood as the epicenter of the of the university, but of our craft that we love,” CIM Assistant Professor Ron Fernandez said. Velazquez said this program is really bringing the department together. They feel that to be able to be the first group to go is very exciting, that they are part of
film industry, as well as classic films made in the lot where they’re taking classes. They will also be able to tour studios like Warner Brothers, Universal, and Sony. For each week in Filmmakers’ Forum, students will get to hear various writers, directors, producers, editors, agents and cinematographers. The speaker schedule caters to the wide range of interests each student brings to the program. At the end of the quarter, students will attend a networking event where they will get to meet DePaul alumni and industry professionals, and make mutually beneficial networking relationships.
something special. “It’s exciting to be a part of a school, a part of a program that supports these ambitious initiatives, and lets the faculty members really pursue making these things happen for the students,” Benedyk said. “It’s an incredibly supportive pro-
gram.” The estimated cost of this program is $5,000, in addition to standard DePaul tuition. The program begins on September 1.
4 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
Polish presence absent at university, strong in students By ANGELIKA LABNO The first anniversary of Smolensk, referring to the plane crash that claimed the life of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and 94 other prominent Poles, was remembered on April 8. Pope John Paul II’s Beatification will take place on May 1. Polish Constitution Day is May 3, with Chicago’s massive Polish Constitution Parade expecting to draw 250,000 people on May 7 this year. These events hold great importance and pride for Poles and Polish Americans, but will any DePaulians be waving their red and white flags? Are they even aware of these Polish celebrations? The Chicagoland area is home to more than 820,000 Polish people, according to the 2000 Census Report. Despite being set in the largest Polish city outside of Warsaw, DePaul is void of Polish representation in its academic curriculum. Loyola, University of Chicago and University of Illinois-Chicago all offer at least a minor in Polish studies, and courses are not limited to the Polish language. The curriculums encompass a variety of topics such as culture, history, economics and literature. DePaul has not offered a Polish course in over two years, a stark contrast from rival Chicago universities. It’s not even that DePaul hasn’t offered a class in years – it also doesn’t plan to in the future. “It’s been essentially phased out,” said Matthew Sebastian, who works in the modern language department. “Brochures for modern language are being redone, in which Polish won’t be listed anymore.” Polish has already been removed from DePaul’s website as well. Sebastian, who deals with student inquiries in the department, receives plenty of e-mails from students asking about placement tests to prove they can speak Polish and test out of DePaul’s modern language requirement, but rarely gets a proposal to reinstate Polish classes. If one were adamant about taking a course, the department wouldn’t call it impossible to do so. The only way to take a Polish class is to do an independent study with Professor Adam Hilevsky, currently the sole professor with the capability to teach Polish. The problem is, he’s at his maximum workload teaching French. If he were to hypothetically drop a few classes to make room for Polish ones, the French department, one of the most popular within modern language, would undoubtedly feel the repercussions. The hiring of a new professor would be a more probable solution, though it is uncertain at this time if the department has room in its budget for it. DePaul students, Polish and not, weighed in on the lack of Polish classes. “If I had the option to choose between an American history and Polish history class, I’d pick Polish,” said sophomore Jessica Dabski, daughter of Polish immigrants. “With all the general education requirements we have to take, I might as well learn something about my heritage.” “I had no idea Chicago was so Polish, but knowing that, it’s disappointing that DePaul has excluded Polish from its curriculum,” said junior Elliot Obregon. “It would
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
People demonstrate one year after the accident that killed President Lech Kacynski and 95 other officials in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland.
What other universities offer Loyola University Minor in Polish Studies University of Illinois-Chicago BA with a major in Polish; Minor in Polish University of Chicago Minor/BA/MA in Slavic Languages and Literature (Polish classes offered under West Slavic concentration) Northwestern University Minor/BA in Slavic Languages and Literatures (Offers Polish classes) make DePaul more cultured.” One way Polish DePaulians can tap into Polish culture is by joining the DePaul Polish Student Alliance (DPSA), an organization where students of Polish descent gather to discuss Polish topics, watch Polish movies or generally meet fellow Poles. In comparison to the Polish student clubs of aforementioned Chicago universities, however, DePaul’s seems to lack structure and organization. Although DPSA has an updated Facebook page, the official website hasn’t been updated with events since 2005. Loyola and Northwestern’s Polish clubs, on the other hand, post a current calendar of events on their official websites. Remek Jakimow, a Polish-American
junior, wanted to join DPSA this year, but became frustrated at the poor planning of meetings. “I would get a Facebook invite to the next meeting a day or two beforehand,” said Jakimow. “I’d like to see meetings planned out a bit more in advance.” DePaul has another saving grace to counteract the Polish void: the Kraków study abroad program. Although it is fairly unpopular-only four students participated last fall quarter-it’s unique in the sense that it is the only program with extensive travel. Students tour Central Europe during the first three weeks, visiting major cities such as Berlin, Budapest, Prague and Vienna before finally settling in Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Multiple excursions are also taken throughout Poland on the weekends. Jakimow, who studied abroad in Kraków, Poland last fall quarter, suggests others learn more about Poland’s interesting past. “I think a lot of people don’t know how important Polish history is. Poland was the first country to take a stand against Germany; if they didn’t, maybe we’d be speaking German right now. Poles have a history of being brave and proud, even when they’re defeated and get wiped off the map.” The fate of Polish teachings lies in the students’ hands, as the modern language department says it would offer them if a significant amount of students were interested. Just as Poland was repressed and taken off the map, so too may a population of students yearning to reclaim a spot back on the academic map. And as silence does not set things in motion: speak now, or “indefinitely” hold your peace.
News. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 5
“Del Valle” continued from cover tion team. “Rahm called me the next day and asked me if I would be a culture of transition to him and I said no,” del Valle said. “I’ve been around long enough to know how transition teams work. He was asking me to implement his agenda, which I criticized during the campaign. It would be totally inconsistent and would have affected my credibility quite a bit. People would have perceived that as me setting the stage to get some kind of appointment and I made it very clear from the beginning that I would not do that.” Del Valle resigned from his position as City Clerk, which he held since 2006 to run for mayor in 2011. Del Valle said his plan was always to leave city politics if he lost the mayoral election. Del Valle said his involvement in various committees is currently his focus. He is the chairman of the P-20 Council, a statewide body that makes recommendations to all levels of education in Illinois. Del Valle reflected on the outcome of the mayoral elections and on mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel and his campaign. “The main reason for Emanuel’s victory was his resources. The second reason was his contacts and his experience at the national level,” del Valle said. “$12 million and two presidents, that’s what we were up against,” del Valle said, referring to Bill Clinton’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel, Clinton’s former senior advisor, and President Obama’s public praise of Emanuel, which del Valle says could not have been any closer to an endorsement. Del Valle, who ran on a grassroots campaign, said short of a grassroots movement that involved every citizen in the city, his campaign could not compete against the massive resources of Emanuel, or even Chico. Compared to Emanuel’s $12 million
and Chico’s $2 million, del Valle raised just under $60,000. One reason for the huge discrepancy between campaign funds is that Del Valle promised early on that he would reject contributions from contractors doing business with the city. “When I said I’m not accepting campaign contributions, I said I’m drawing the line in order to regain the confidence of the people,” del Valle said. Del Valle says the 40 percent voter turnout in the mayoral election shows that citizens are cynical about politicians, something he hoped to combat by not accepting connected contributions. Del Valle says he is in favor of tighter campaign finance restrictions that would ensure those in business with the city are not contributing to city officials. We can’t “allow for our democracy to deteriorate because only rich folks run for office and only rich folks who know rich folks can run for office and [then have] that money used to drown out opponents,” del Valle said. Juan Manuel Rodriguez, a student who attended the discussion said, “To be honest, I saw del Valle as an underdog candidate during the mayoral elections. Now I see him as a public servant who is still willing to look out for his fellow man.” A recurring point he made was the importance of improving neighborhood schools. “While we’re creating more academic options for students and families in the city of Chicago, we need to improve our neighborhood schools.” Del Valle stressed that charter schools and neighborhood schools should not oppose each other. Del Valle said, “That’s what I tried to say during the campaign, it's in everyone’s best interest to have good neighborhood schools as well as those options [selective enrollment] for families.”
Del Valle said a key difference between his campaign and Emanuel’s in the education debate was that while del Valle was talking about the two tiered Chicago education system and stressing neighborhood school improvement, he was talking to a shrinking segment of the population and Emanuel was talking about charter schools to a growing segment of the population. “But I knew that,” del Valle said. “And I just couldn’t have a campaign that ignored the most serious problems in the city of Chicago in the areas that needed the greatest help.” Diana Hinojosa, a student who attended the discussion said, “What stuck to me the most was his emphasis on readjusting neighborhoods to have better education.” Hinojosa said she grew up in the Chicago Public School system and was fortunate enough to attend a selective enrollment high school, but also believes that neighborhood schools need to be improved so that a quality education is available for all students regardless of economic background. In addition to addressing growing problems in neighborhood schools, del Valle said to what extent Emanuel will address issues of unemployment and immigration will determine how popular he becomes in the Latino community. Del Valle said Emanuel has a history of blocking comprehensive immigration reform, but anticipates he will be responsive to immigration issues and will support Chicago as a ‘sanctuary city,’ meaning local law enforcement will not enforce federal immigration laws. On immigration, del Valle said, “The real concern is how ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is going about enforcing law and how families are being broken up and people are
Photo by CK Dexter Traylor
Chicago City Clerk and former mayoral candidate Miguel Del Valle visited DePaul on Wednesday, April 20 to speak to students and faculty about city politics. being deported.” Del Valle continued, saying that many, including himself, feel the president can take action through executive order to change the procedures in the department of homeland security, but is not doing that. “This country needs labor. There are needs. If we just close up, our economy will be hurt. If we say we’re going to cut off visas from other countries because we’re going to protect jobs for people that are here, well if those jobs aren’t filled by people here, business is effected and it effects our economy,” del Valle said.
Del Valle also addressed Chicago’s economic burdens. “Economic development is a tough issue, but one that needs to be addressed because people feel that its a tale of two cities and that the gap between the have and have nots that is growing on a national level is also quickly growing in the city of Chicago,” del Valle said. Del Valle ended the discussion talking about the student debt bubble, which he believes is becoming eerily similar to the housing bubble that burst in 2008.
6 The DePaulia. April 18, 2011
News. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 7
Campus crime report April 13-19 LOOP CAMPUS April 13 • A suspicious person report was done by Public Safety at 10 E. Jackson. Offenders left the scene before the officers arrived. • A criminal trespass to land warning was given to a female in the Daley building. Female refused to comply to rules of the building.
LINCOLN PARK CAMPUS April 13 • A damage to property report was done on furniture in the Munroe basement. The furniture was damaged by a leak in the ceiling. • A traffic accident report was done by Public Safety for University Ministry. A student hit the van by accident. • A damage to property report was done by
Public Safety for the railing at McGaw Hall. • Public Safety was called to the Richardson Library in regards to a theft of a laptop. The computer was left unattended. April 14 • A damage to property report was done for blinds falling off the window in a classroom in O’Connell. • A damage to property report was done for scratches on a vehicle in the Clifton Garage. April 15 • A suspicious person report was done on a subject in the Student Center. The subject was asked to leave the building; he did not have any I.D. • A theft report was done on a purse that was taken from S.A.C. building. • A criminal trespass to land warning was given to a subject at St. Vincent de Paul Parish . April 16 • Public Safety was called to Belden-Racine Hall in regards to a suspicion of marijuana. No drugs were found. • A criminal trespass was given to land warning for a subject who took a bowl of soup. Individual was told to leave the building. April 17 • Public Safety was called to McCabe Hall in
regards to a suspicion of marijuana. No drugs were found. • Public Safety was called to McGaw hall in regards to a theft from a practice room. The purse was left unattended. April 18 • A criminal damage to property report was done about two subjects jumping on a Chicago Police vehicle. • A suspicious person report was done a subject in Student Center. The subject was disturbing other patrons, and left the scene. • A computer was taken from the Richardson Library. The computer was left unattended. • A fire alarm was activated in the S.A.C. building by a faulty smoke detector. • A student's wallet was taken out of the Student Center. April 19 • Tires were taken off a bicycle in front of Seton Hall. • A criminal trespass to land report was given to a subject in the Student Center. • A damage to property report was done on a chair that was damaged in the Student Center.
8 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
Ring out the old, Ring in the new
The NEW DePaulia Online
www.depauliaonline.com
@The_DePaulia
PC survives Mac attack
News. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 9
By MATT HARDER
Graphics by Sam Schroeder
For the past two weeks, The DePaulia has been conducting an online survey to see where the DePaul community stands in regards to their computer preferences. The survey, entitled “MAC VERSUS PC,” consisted of four questions that asked what people used, their preferences, why people would buy either a Mac or PC, and what they think the majority of the DePaul community uses. While some responses were quite similar, most were surprisingly original. There is a plethora of statistics that influence the decision to use either a Mac or a PC. Most of the classrooms, labs and lounges in all DePaul buildings use a standard PC. There are, however, a few exceptions. The Lincoln Park campus has an all-Mac lab located on the third floor of the Student Center, and the entire Maggie C. Daley Center building in the loop is stocked with Mac computers. Despite the token Mac labs and classrooms, the fact is that DePaul University uses mainly PCs, and according to the DePaulia’s online survey, 59 percent think the DePaul community uses PCs. This stat, however, contradicts the results of another question from our survey: “which type of computer do you use?” Just over half of the people surveyed responded that they use Macs. The two other questions were aimed at trying to find out why people prefer what they use, and why people make the selections they do. Personal Computer users all seem to agree they are more comfortable with PCs because it is how they grew up, and that they are easier to use. One PC user commented, “those who use Macs say they love them, but those who use PCs probably don’t, because they may have never used a Mac.” Although PCs are the industry standard, Mac and PC users alike have labeled PCs as being “old, less innovative and discouraging to creativity.” While these criticisms were seen in the survey results, numerous people also commented that PCs are much cheaper, and more compatible with different software. Laurie Melvin, from DePaul University Procurement Services, explained the Macs vs. PCs debate as being a matter of personal preference. “I personally think it is contingent on what type of work is generated by the computer, not necessarily popularity. If the computer is used to output files for print, then the Mac platform is the primary industry standard. PC has only crept into the graphics industry within the past seven years or so. I am basing that on my experience as being in the graphic industry for over 20 years.” Mac users argued that Apple just makes better machines. The benefits of using a Mac seemed to pour out of those who prefer them: from having fewer command questions, to its sleek look, durable body, faster hardware, and virus
Geniuses vs. Geeks By DANA MORONES
The Genius Squad is the free technology support and repair services for DePaul students. The service has been offered at the Loop Campus for many years but just recently started their Lincoln Park support center during winter quarter of 2007. The Squad now resides in the SAC room 235 today. The team provides walk in service to students free of charge. They can work with MAC or PC and can do physical or software support. “Anything that is electronic we can take a look at it for you,” said second
year graduate student Stefan Keir. Anything from data recovery to operating installation and hardware replacement and upgrades, the genius squad can help. “I was having a problem with my internet connector and I was planning on going out and buying a whole new computer but someone told me about the Genius Squad and they fixed it right away,” said sophomore Jaclyn Martin. At the local Best Buy Geek Squad a person could end up paying enormous prices, since the average price to just “look” at a non warranty computer is $69.00. At the local Apple
immunity. Notwithstanding, Mac users seem to be perfectly aware this is not a one-sided debate. Many of the people who prefer Macs addressed the cost issue. Macs, depending on the size and version, can triple or quadruple the price of PCs currently in the market. Iyo, a graduate student working at the Loop campus’ Genius Squad said, “I am a Lynx user, and I bought a Mac because they operate more closely to the way Lynx does. However, the price was definitely a sacrifice for me.” DePaul’s resident computer repair specialists were questioned about their personal preferences, and information on who mainly come in for repairs, and why. Mike O’Malley, a junior at DePaul has been working at the Genius Squad desk in the Lincoln Park campus for two years. He expressed that “99.9 percent of all the
Support store a person could end up just buying a whole new computer if the problem isn’t physical. Prices at local computer repair shops vary but do not compare to the free service the Genius Squad can provide. At the Genius Squad’s station you would usually see five-10 computers all running repair programs at once. The Squad remains very busy but with three Genius’ on staff at a time they are open to taking on anyone’s technological problem. Their success stories tower over their failure stories and they take on any challenge head on. “We get paid to work here but I enjoy it, it’s relaxing,” said Keir.
people who come in have problems with their PC.” One of the perks of Macs, as was repeated multiple times within the survey results, is that they are not prone to any type of virus. This fact is contrary to PCs, which fall victim to viruses in both hardware and software. Another Genius Squad employee, Issa Haddad, said people who come in for issues with Macs usually just need to solve internet or network connection issues. Some Mac issues have even been related to physical damage to the exterior of the machine, but aside from this and connectivity issues, they seem to not need the services of the Genius Squad. Whether you prefer Mac's virus immunity and sleek look or if you are more comfortable with a PC, DePaul is an equal opportunist when it comes to computers.
Political organization promotes discussion on foreign conflict By MEGAN BERKERY DePaul University is now one of the many colleges across the country with a JStreet U chapter, and they have senior Cole Eastman to thank. Eastman is the student responsible for taking on the difficult task of bringing a JStreet U to DePaul. JStreet U is a political organization that discusses the Israel Palestine conflict, as well as other broad issues in the Middle East. Their mission statement, according to Eastman, is to “change the political discourse regarding the conflict on campus and therefore hopefully change American foreign policy toward it in some fashion…what we are trying to do is moderate the conversation about how to actually create peace.” Eastman has been interested in the Israel Palestine conflict for several years, and was disappointed with the discussion on campus about the conflict. Eastman believes that the discussion has either been about being pro-Israel and anti-Palestine, or pro-Palestine and anti-Israel. He feels that it is important for there to be a middle ground when it comes to this topic. “It really irked me that there wasn’t somebody who was talking about it in more of a logical and moderate fashion,” Eastman said. He feels that Israel has a right to exist, but it does not have a right to occupy Palestinian lands in the West Bank. After Eastman came to this realization, he discussed it with one of his professors at DePaul, who told him to attend an event with John Ging, a worker for UNRWA, the United Nation Relief Workers Association. The event, in which Ging gave a speech about educating children in Gaza about creating healthy economic transactions between Israel and Palestine, inspired Eastman to learn more and he later introduced himself to Daniel May, the director of JStreet U.
Photo courtesy of Cole Eastman
Senior Cole Eastman began DePaul's JStreet U chapter, an organization that discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict. Eastman began talking to May, who eventually, threw out the idea of bringing a JStreet U group to DePaul. “It just kind of snowballed from there,” Eastman says. Starting the DePaul chapter of JStreet U has allowed Eastman to travel and experience things he believes he would never have been able to before. Earlier in the school year, he traveled to New York for a leadership conference, which was for all leaders of different JStreet U organizations to come together and discuss their strategy
for how to approach bringing JStreet to campus and how to expand and reach out to new people. He has also attended conferences in Washington D.C. where he and fellow leaders discussed some of the radical rhetoric that has taken place on campuses across the country. Eastman’s only connection to the Jewish faith is through his father so he is not technically Jewish, however, as he grew up, that half of his family was highly influential towards his religious beliefs. “I think I speak for my brother and myself when I say our religious upbringing was complicated. I had the option of being bar mitzvah’d or confirmed at 13, and ended up doing neither,” Eastman said. Eastman, however, feels a strong connection to the conflict and helping resolve it. “It’s weird it’s like in my blood,” said Eastman. While Eastman enjoys discussing the conflict and hopeful resolutions because of his background and connection, he still admits that leading the JStreet U can be very time consuming. Eastman spends half of his time on JStreet U and the other half is spent on work for his classes, leaving not a lot of time for social activities. Zack Eastman, 25, Eastman’s brother says, “Cole’s always so busy that I barely ever see him anymore, but I’m glad that he got the opportunity to be a leader of a group like this because for as long as I can remember he has always been interested in politics.” Zack continued by saying, “in fact, all he ever talks about is politics, I can’t get him to shut up about it.” Eastman is planning on graduating next fall with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He hopes to build a career in politics, specifically having to do with conflicts in the Middle East, and he hopes that his involvement and all of his work that he put into the DePaul chapter of JStreet U will help him to achieve his goal.
10 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
Nation & World
Illinois continues aid for Japan, some Japanese ‘unsatisfied’ By SACHIKO YOSHITSUGU Six weeks after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck the northeast region of Japan, Illinois and Chicago residents continue support for relief efforts. Illinois, with one of its largest trading partners being Japan, was the first state in the U.S. to pool together resources statewide for humanitarian aid in Japan. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency volunteered 2,000 radiation detectors to assist Japanese aid workers monitor radioactivity levels and minimize health risks. Caterpillar Logistics Inc. offered to pay for all transportation costs of detectors to Japan, according to an official statement from Governor Quinn's office. However, some living in Japan express frustration over the government and the Japanese Red Cross taking too long to put international funds to use. “At first, I understood that it must be terribly hard to organize everything and clean up the city, but then I started to feel unsatisfied,” said Rena Maneski, 20, a student at Temple University in Tokyo. “The government agencies seem to not make much progress, even though more than a whole month has passed,” she said. Local organizations like the Japanese American Society of Chicago (JASC) and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce have fundraised over a million dollars from donations and counting. “Still today many people are sending checks and memos,”
Photo courtesy of The Associated Press
In this photo taken Friday, April 15, 2011, dozens of clocks hang askew on a shop's wall in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, in northeastern Japan. Having survived the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, most of Futaba was intact, but thousands had to evacuate the city in the wake of the radiation warnings from the neighboring Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear power station.
said Mitsukuni Baba, executive director of JASC, “people's willingness to support is huge, so far has never gone down and is getting bigger.” JASC began fundraising
immediately after the earthquake and tsunami hit. Baba said more than $80,000 has been donated in online contributions and mailed checks with personal memos that “really touch your heart.”
A month after the earthquake, the Japanese Red Cross confirmed more than 13,000 people died and 14,000 are still missing. More than 100,000 people are without homes, many staying in school
gyms. All of the donations will go to the Japanese Red Cross to aid relief and recovery efforts in the affected areas in northeastern Japan.
Watergate reporter Bob Woodward speaks with The DePaulia By HOLLY PENNEBAKER The growth of Internet media, lack of reporters, and budget constrictions have restructured our present news age. Given these circumstances, some journalists say that if 1972’s Watergate scandal were to happen today, it would not be uncovered. But not all agree. Bob Woodward, now the associate editor of the Washington post, was one of the two journalists to unearth the Watergate burglary. “The important, new details of the Watergate investigation were not on the Internet,” Woodward said. “Watergate or any story depends on the quality of information and the quality of the sources with firsthand knowledge.” “Should something similar happen, I believe it would be uncovered,” he said. “It might be newspapers, TV, or even blogs if they have good, substantial
Photo courtesy of MCT CAMPUS
Bob Woodward, reporter of the 1972 Watergate investigation leading to the end of Nixon's presidency, said such a scandal could still be uncovered today. sources.” Woodward said there were “two keys to the Watergate story.” One is “incremental coverage, sticking to it and writing the small, medium and
large stories,” he said. Woodward said the other is, “hoping people in the government pick up the ball or accelerate their interest in what reporters are finding and publishing or broadcasting.”
DePaul Journalism Professor Bruce Evensen said the changing Internet capabilities, fewer reporters and scarce budgets are opportunities for the media. “We have so many more reporters now than we had then, so many more distribution points for information, that it is highly likely Watergate would again be front page news,” Evensen said. “We’d get to the bottom of things earlier now with 24/7 news cycles than we did then,” he said. Evensen said he applauds the Internet for speeding up and facilitating the investigation by constantly updating news stories online. While the Internet can act as a catalyst to investigative news work, Joe Cappo, a journalism instructor at DePaul, said he is cautious of the Internet in the present media world. Online news has “substantially more misinformation and erroneous information because of the participatory aspect of the Internet,” he said. Former Fox reporter and
Peabody award-winner Lilia Chacon is an internet enthusiast and said she favors the quickness of online investigation. “Just like the old days, you are only as good as your sources, but it really gives you access to information that would have required months of digging and miles of walking.” However, Chacon said the lengthy Watergate investigation could not be uncovered with today’s newsroom obstacles. “I don’t think today’s journalists would be given the time and resources to stick with a story like Watergate that took so many days and weeks to generate copy,” Chacon said. “In most newsrooms the production who do the calling and digging are some of the first people to get cut.” “The public is not well-served, and the crooks must be rejoicing because getting away with it is only getting easier,” Chacon said. At the time the scandal broke, “it was really a different time and age,” she said.
Nation & World. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 11
Informed confused
&
By TIFFANY BONCAN
Americans are more aware of what is happening in international and national news than the current politics in the capitol, says a new study by the Pew Research Center (PRC). Seven-in-ten people know Moammar Gadhafi is the leader of Libya. But only 43 percent can identify John Boehner as the Speaker of the House, and young people are mostly not aware of the new balance of power in Washington. In light of the events that took place in early 2011, such as the revolution in Egypt, Japan natural disasters, and the turmoil in Libya, international news has become prevelant in the U.S. “Americans may gravitate towards these events simply because they don’t concern us, but are still momentous enough to be called news,” said George Pitsilos, a DePaul film student. “These other worldwide stories are big enough to cause concern,” he said. “But in a sick way, they may come as a relief, [because] we’re hearing less and less about how our lives may be in trouble.” “Exclusively following American politics can get to be depressing, especially when you start to talk about the influence of corporations in the actual decision-making process,” said Michael Venegas, a DePaul political science student. “Reading news on other countries acts as a sort of release in that sense.” The survey results also stated that 63 percent of people under 30 years old know that Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook. International and technology news topped that of Washington politics. DePaul journalism professor, Bruce Evensen, shared an optimistic view. “I think college age students are more interested in politics today than was the case 20 years ago. Technology may be a reason for that,” Evensen said. “The information is instantly available, convenient and portable.” “A person may not be able to give you names and dates, " Evensen said, “but that doesn’t mean they haven’t come to a decision about an issue or a candidate. They often follow an issue well enough to know enough to make up their minds.” DePaul business student Kevin Lange said that people keep up with only certain aspects of the news
simply because they want to. Interest pulls readers, users, and viewers – not necessarily because it is in people’s best interest to be informed. “It follows the same principle of driving past a car accident, everyone may not admit it, but they all want more information about what happened,” Lange said. “People are going to gravitate towards what they’re interested in, and for a lot of people, U.S. politics isn’t it.”
Americans are very knowledgable of recent national and international news, but know little about Washington politics, study says.
Illustration courtesy of MCT CAMPUS
12 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
Opinions
Smart phones: intelligent, but unnecessary By KIRBY FOOTE Senior, Journalism In the past few years, smart phone technology and sales have increased so rapidly that owning one is no longer thought of as ‘trendy,’ but as a necessity. Looking around, it appears everyone already has one—especially to people like me who still have what are called ‘feature phones.’ Surprisingly, there are still more people in the U.S. using feature phones, but by the end of 2011, the scales are expected to tip—leaving us feature-phone users in the dust. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the advantages of having a smart phone. My first encounter with one was when my father’s company issued him the earliest version of the Blackberry, and he tried to impress me by showing me how he could get his e-mail right on his phone. And yes, the concept was intriguing, except in the time it took him to connect to his e-mail through the device, I could have just turned on my computer and checked it for him. Also, I was a teenager and couldn’t fathom ever receiving an e-mail urgent enough to need my immediate attention. Now, things are different. Not only can smart phones connect to the Internet in an instant, but they also have more apps than anyone could possibly know what to do with. As smart phone technology advances and the cost of owning one becomes more affordable, sales are rapidly increasing. From a business aspect, I can see how owning a smart phone is now necessary. With the smart phone comes the concept that to have access to e-mail via computers is no longer fast enough. The business world adapts as smart phone sales grow, whereas before, being able to send out e-mails on the go put people a step ahead in business; now, not having that ability would be seen as archaic. As a college student, it’s still not necessary for me to have access to my e-mail at the drop of a hat. I can access the Internet from my apartment or any of the numerous computers around campus, and staying up-to-date with e-mails is entirely possible without using my phone. It’s not like I’m completely off the grid; those who need to get in contact with me quickly can simply do what the phone was originally intended for and just give me a call. Seeing as the majority of college students aren’t primarily using their smart phones for business reasons, the obvious draw is the apps. Games, music, videos and social media can all be accessed in the palm of one’s hand, and if your phone doesn’t have any of these capabilities, it’s grounds for humiliation. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been out in public, pulled out my good ol’ Verizon Chocolate 3 flip-phone and have gotten ridiculed
Photo courtesy of MCT Wire Service
Jenny Ngo, left, and Va Vang use smart phones at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for owning such a historic piece of technology (that is barely two-years old, by the way). When the iPhone first came out, I remember everyone—myself included—being in awe but turned off by the price. Sometime between then and now, more smart phones came to the market, and as costs lowered and options increased, it seems like everyone started drinking the smart phone Kool-Aid. I remained oblivious to the fact that my flip-phone and I were gradually being left out of the loop until one day I woke up and realized that when my friends talked about “Angry Birds,” they weren’t actually speaking about furious feathered little creatures. My phone may not be the newest or sleekest phone, but it’s reliable, works well and has all the features I find necessary for a phone. I can text, take pictures and video and, of course, make phone calls—not to mention the fact that since it’s a flip-phone, it has a large screen and keypad
and is still much more compact than any of the smart phones I’ve seen. So I can still do crazy things—like fit it in my pocket. Those of us without smart phones have learned by now that not having one can come with advantages. “It’s kind of nice to be the only one in a group without the Internet on your phone,” said Allison Casale, a DePaul student and proud owner of a Verizon LG enV 2. “It’s like being the only one without a driver’s license. I can just sit back while my friends do the work and look up directions or store times or useless trivia online.” Eventually, I know I’ll have to switch sides and join the masses as a smart phone owner, but I’m hoping that day won’t come until I’m in the business world and have legitimate usage for one. For now, I don’t need 24/7 access to Facebook or Twitter, and I’ll proudly pass the time by doing something other than playing Angry Birds.
A word from our editor...
For love of the Easter egg and all that’s commercial By RACHEL METEA Senior, Nation & World Editor I am an atheist and I love Easter. I am single and I love Valentine’s Day. Christmas? Oh your god, do I love Christmas. When it comes to commercialized holidays—you name it, I love it. The meaning of holidays has been lost in translation. We look for reasons behind our celebrations, all while missing the holiday’s true purpose—to celebrate life; to live in the moment. Philosopher Joseph Pieper explained that we celebrate holidays for the purpose of joy. “Where love rejoices, there is festivity,” he said. However, Pieper argued that festivities can’t be celebrated based on mere ideas—we need concrete purpose. Holidays offer us a chance to take a break from everyday life and come together in celebration of life, goodwill and the ingenuities within culture. Holidays celebrate joy. Many people have lost this. Many people require purpose. Valentine’s Day is a scheduled…no, required day of romance. Single people often hate the day. Why? How could anyone hate a day that has pink candy hearts bearing Love’s bold message: “U R CUTE”? Bring pink candy hearts by the thousands. Bury me in them. Festivities are about simple pleasures, our
pursuit of happiness. By focusing on why we celebrate, by requiring meaning, simple pleasures become complicated. To top it off, many of the meanings we assign to holidays aren’t even accurate. In the late 1990s, the term “War on Christmas” was coined after Nativity scenes and Christmas celebrations were banned in many schools. But modern “Christmas” is not an ancient holiday. Jesus Christ was not born December 25. Historians believe early Christians celebrate his birth in April or May. December 25, a date selected in the early Middle Ages, was traditionally a pagan holiday and many of the holiday’s meaning and traditions are actually rooted in Paganism. Last week, Sir Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, released research claiming that Jesus’ Last Supper did not take place on Maundy Thursday, but instead was held on the Wednesday before the crucifixion. According to Humphreys, Easter Day is on April 5. Even if Humphreys’ research proves true, the scheduling of egg hunts and chocolate bunnies probably won’t change. Easter Sunday will still be celebrated…on Easter Sunday. What are we really celebrating? We live in a world where the meaning of many holidays has morphed across centuries. Instead of insisting that there be only one right way to celebrate, Photo courtesy of MCT Wire Service and instead of making the holiday exclusive to the religious or to only people in relationships, Christine Parker checks out thousands of Easter eggs as she prepares for an Easter egg hunt at let’s just be happy. Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. Let’s celebrate.
Opinions
Opinions. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 13
There is nothing funny about eating disorders
What a government shutdown would mean for students By ANGELIKA LAZARICIU Senior, Journalism The U.S. government narrowly avoided a shutdown recently; the last time the government completely shut down was during 1995 and 1996 when GOP leaders clashed with President Bill Clinton over budget issues. A government shutdown, which could last as little as a few hours or as long as a few weeks, occurs when a government discontinues providing services that are not considered “essential.” The services that are usually considered essential include police, fire fighting, armed forces, utilities and corrections. A government shutdown is caused by lack of political agreement between Republicans and Democrats on funding for the residual six months of the current fiscal year, 2010-2011. This time around, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders forged a lastminute agreement on a deal to cut $38 billion in spending and allowed D.C. to keep their lights on…for now. So who is to blame for this possible shutdown? Ever since taking control of the House in January, Republicans vowed to chop what they considered out-of-control spending. Democrats accused the Republicans of wanting to cut necessary government services. A recent poll released by CNN stated that 54 percent of Americans surveyed said they approved of the way President Obama handled the budget negotiations, while 38 percent said they disapproved of the agreement. It seems like all that the House has been capable of doing is bickering back-and-forth instead of coming to a solid budget agreement that could benefit everyone. I don’t suspect Americans would have been nearly as pleased with a government shutdown. What would have been the effects on the U.S. if our
government were to stall? For starters, workers would be terminated without pay. An estimated 800,000 workers would have been directly affected if the government were to close shop. Even though a lot of us who are full-time students and do not have a full-time paying job yet cannot really relate to this, we can only imagine what it would feel like having to worry about paying for rent or other important necessities if we were not getting paid at our jobs. And what about the tax refund you’re waiting for? With no one working for the IRS, tax refunds would not be mailed (though returns still had to be filed by April 18). For the many people who are expecting a refund, a government shutdown could mean a much longer wait than usual. A shutdown would also have meant that police and public safety would be impacted, government programs involving the environment would have stopped and newly eligible recipients for Medicare would have been delayed in applying. Many young Americans, however, think this shutdown would only directly affect their families and not them personally. But how would a government shutdown have impacted students? For one, students who use work-study programs to help pay their bills might have lost their paycheck. Also, according to an article written by Slate, the shutdown also might have affected low-income students who use the Perkins Loan Program, which provides low-cost loans for college. The program works by making new loans to students as older loans get repaid, but new loans would not have been able to be made during the shutdown period. Republicans also recently unveiled a spending bill that would trim the maximum Pell Grant, another student financial aid program, by 15 percent, making 1.7 million students ineligible for Pell Grants. This would be the largest
By NICOLE ARMOUR Junior, Journalism
Photo courtesy of The Associated Press
President Obama spoke at the White House after a deal was made between Republican and Democrat lawmakers to avert a government shutdown. cut in student-aid funds in the history of the Pell Grant program. Worrying about how and when we as students have to pay our loans back after graduation is a burden that sits on top of many of us. Congress is sending us a message that ensuring we can graduate into the work force is not one of their top priorities. Another effect of the possible shutdown that would have had a strong impact on many students would be the shutdown of Planned Parenthood, and many clinics like it. Title X Family Planning provides essential health care services to women (and men) all over the country, including family-planning services. Programs like these are the reason why Republicans wanted to shut the government down over. Holding these programs hostage is meddling with the well-being of everyone and puts the people who depend on the services these programs offer in jeopardy. It seems like the well-being of citizens is not being considered in the Washington battle over the budget. Even though the compromises between Republicans and Democrats is close to complete and we were thankfully not hit with an actual government shutdown, it is time for them to work together to properly take care of this country.
By MATT IAMMARINO Freshman, Digital Cinema
There is nothing funny about eating disorders. National Eating Disorders Awareness week was recognized from Feb. 20 to 26 of this year. I didn’t know until a friend mentioned it on Facebook only to be mocked. This DePaul student, who was hospitalized and weighed 80 pounds two years ago, received comments from fellow students such as, “People need to quit whining and eat a sandwich.” Her bravery for speaking out was rewarded with ridicule and ignorance. After more than a month of thinking this over, I speak up on her behalf now. Anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating and other disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Bulimia can lead to a ruptured esophagus, and anorexia can lead to heart failure. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Diseases estimates five to 10 percent of anorexics die within 10 years of contracting the disease, 18 to 20 percent are dead after 20 years and only 30 to 40 percent fully recover in their lifetimes. Awareness does not mean acknowledging the problem exists and quickly moving on. It means understanding the problem and doing what you can to help. It means not being an idiot and not hurting others around you. It is estimated that 10 percent of female college students suffer from eating disorders. Chances are, one of your friends is fighting a disorder right now. Chances are, you don’t know how to help or at least not make it worse. Hopefully this helps. Anorexia and bulimia are not for insecure white girls. It is not about vanity. It is not a choice. It is not about food. It is about control. It is a way to deal with pain that has nothing to do with eating. Eating disorders are diseases, not choices. They are diseases just like alcoholism or depression. Just like alcoholism, there is always the possibility of a relapse. Unlike alcoholism, there isn’t the equivalent of AA, and most cities only have a few support groups. Eating disorders are lonely and a source of shame. Treatment can run from $500 to $2,000 per day and is rarely covered by insurance. This means recovery and treatment are often left up to the one suffering. I know these things because I’ve had an eating disorder for more than half of my life. For 11 years, it’s been a secret, but I no longer see the point of feeling ashamed of a large part of my identity. It is a disease I will fight until the day I die. Every day is a struggle, and telling me to quit whining and eat a sandwich only makes the struggle worse. I can’t speak for the millions of people with eating disorders. But I can share what I’ve learned in the past 11 years. If doing so helps make one person’s experience better, I’m happy. Despite the grim statistics, there are things you can do for someone who has an eating disorder. Don’t tell him or her to eat. Don’t comment on his or her weight. I’ve experienced firsthand how a seemingly innocuous comment can trigger a week without food. Don’t try to put a Band-Aid on a problem rooted in deep emotional issues. Don’t think an eating disorder is gone because she’s gained weight. Don’t trivialize a serious mental illness. As you wouldn’t take a recovering alcoholic to a bar, don’t take someone recovering from an eating disorder to a restaurant. Don’t mention how beautiful or thin other people are to someone whose happiness depends on the numbers on the scale. Understand that because someone isn’t emaciated doesn’t mean they aren’t starving or bingeing and purging in secret. If you see a friend struggling, encourage him or her to get help. Try to be positive and understanding. Know that your friend may have a disease, but that isn’t what defines her. Help him or her find support groups and therapy. Do things together that don’t involve eating. Compliment him for things other than his appearance. More than anything, just listen. If anything, know that there is nothing funny about eating disorders.
The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of The DePaulia staff.
Foc
14 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
1989
Daley
Photos courtesy of MCT Wire Services
May 7th
Mayor Daley (an outspoken Sox fan) and Gov. James Thompson break ground for the new Comiskey Park.
Sept. 28th
Daley attends a downtown Cubs rally for their 1989 playoff run. “Chicago is enjoying the sweet taste of success,” Daley said to the crowd. “And believe me, we’ll savor every minute of it.”
June 24th
1990
Daley tossed out the ceremonial first pitch at (old) Comiskey Park.
1991
By ROB LARSON and
What do Michael J They’re both part after the Bulls won th 16, 2011, Richard M. end as mayor-elect R
June 7th
Daley bets with Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley on Bulls/ Lakers Playoffs. Bradley bets a crate of oranges while Daley bets Chicago-style pizza and Fanny Mae Candies.
June 14th
The Bulls return to Chicago, after winning the NBA Championship, and celebrate in Grant Park. Daley, going on stage before the Bulls, officially declares June 14th “Bulls Day.”
Jan. 26th
2007
Daley issues a public apology to Saints fans for being heckled by Bears fans at the BearsSaints NFC Championship Game. Bears fans allegedly jeered Saints fans by shouting things like “Go home and rebuild your house.”
Oct.1st
Daley and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon bet on the Cubs-Diamondbacks National League Division Series. Daley’s bet included hot dogs from Best’s Kosher, root beer from Windy City Soda, and pizza from Connie’s.
July 10th
2008
Daley, holding a “bunt” sign, makes a cameo in a White Sox TV ad.
Sept, 23rd
Daley publicly approves of a proposal (which went into effect the following month) to prohibit liquor sales in bars around Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field near the end of MLB playoff games.
Nov. 20th
Daley travels to Turkey, along with Chicago 2016 Chairman Pat Ryan, to promote the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
2004
2002
July 1, 2004
Aug. 4th
After falling debris nearly hits Cubs fans, Daley said he would not hesitate to shut down Wrigley Field. Soon after, netting was put up to prevent any more debris from falling, and the Cubs continued playing in the Friendly Confines.
Daley strikes down the T proposal to expand Wrig by 2,000 seats and the i adding more night game through the 2003 season
2009
Oct. 2nd
Chicago loses the Olympic bid to Rio. “I’m disappointed but you go on with your life.” Daley said, along with admitting that a 2020 bid wasn’t likely.
2
cus
April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 15
y scores big for Chicago sports TIFFANY MA
Jordan and Mayor Daley have in common? of a Chicago dynasty. MJ’s dynasty ended he 1998 NBA Championship, and, on May . Daley’s reign over Chicago will officially Rahm Emanuel takes office. It’s the end of
1992
June 16th
After the Bulls won their second NBA Championship, riots break out around Chicago. Daley responds by halfjoking that he wished they’d won “some place else.”
Tribune’s gley Field idea of es “at least n.”
a political era, lasting just over 22 years. Sure, the Bulls’ and Daley dynasties are different, but in Chicago, both politics and sports are certainly newsworthy subjects, especially when the two come together in the same story. As a send-off to Mayor Daley, here are his most memorable times in the sports section.
July 17th
Chicago’s Soldier Field hosts the 1994 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. Daley has Soldier Field undergo a $14 million renovation.
1998 Feb. 27th
Daley attends Harry Caray’s funeral.
Oct. 15th
Daley offers new stadium proposal to the Bears: play in Comiskey Park.
Dec. 13th
Daley eyes Raiders franchise for Chicago. “I’d love to have them,” Daley said, according to the Eugene RegisterGuard. “New York supports two teams. I think we can.
2010
1996
1994
Feb. 9th
Daley rejects Bear’s President Mike McCaskey’s plan to put a dome over Soldier Field.
Sept. 13th
Daley unveils $395 million dollar renovation plan for Soldier Field. The plan included a retractable roof that closed in 10 minutes.
1997 Sept. 20th
Mayor Daley announces that Sept. 20 will be Ryne Sandberg Day.
2011
June 10th
Blackhawks win The Stanley Cup against the Philadelphia Flyers.
January 21st
Daley and Mayor Jim Schmitt of Green Bay wager on the Bears-Packers NFC Championship. After the game, Daley sent over local products like 25 pounds of Tootsie Rolls and “a 24-inch-long football-shaped corned beef and pastrami combo sandwich with everything…except cheese” from Manny’s Deli.
16 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
Arts & Life
Cup o’ quality
Dark Cloud Urban Coffee Lab offers up a steaming attention to detail
By LAURA FITZGERALD With Starbucks and Caribou widely available in Chicago, it is easy to get sucked into big-name branded coffee and tea. Yes, these brands are conveniently located near DePaul campuses; yes, the employees have a knack for remembering you like a vanilla skim latte; and yes, these products are often sold in local grocery stores to brew at home. However, in an industry with a mass marketed product, in this case coffee and tea, it is often necessary to meet the demands of serious coffee and tea drinkers, though there is some loss of quality and passion over what is being brewed. Andy Atkinson, owner of Dark Cloud Urban Coffee Lab, located at 2122 N. Halsted in Lincoln Park, has brought to Chicago what he thinks has been missing from local coffee and tea businesses: quality. “There is a lot going on in the coffee industry in Portland and New York that is really progressive,” said Atkinson, “it isn’t happening in Chicago—Chicago is very sucked into Starbucks because there aren’t enough good independent coffee shops here. It’s just become a mindless thing for people to think coffee equals Starbucks.” In order to bring this progressive coffee and tea movement to Chicago, Atkinson opened Dark Cloud Urban Coffee Lab, what he said is the “Alinea of coffee,” in late December of 2010, just blocks from DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus. Atkinson said that although the cold weather has prevented some DePaul students from making the (short) walk to Dark Cloud, the shop is student-friendly, offering free Wi-Fi and a 10 percent student discount (small coffees are $2.50 for students), and even buying and brewing tea from Wiseman Tea Co., founded by DePaul commerce students, seniors Bryan Comiskey and Jordan Scherer. Comiskey said that Wiseman Tea Co. has been in business with Dark Cloud since its startup, and Wiseman Tea Co. itself has been in business since 2008. “There is a growing interest in fine tea,” said Comiskey, “We sell loose leaf tea and source directly from the origin of the tea when it is flush [in season] to ensure quality.” At Dark Cloud, Atkinson said that the products are brewed very precisely, and that the ten-person staff does blind cuppings, meaning that cups of coffee and tea are lined up and numbered, then tasted by Dark Cloud managers who are trained in palate development. He said that cupping is a way to test quality control. “Cupping is like wine tasting for coffee,” said Atkinson. “It’s tasting coffee in its rawest form, no filter,” he said. Atkinson said that by cupping in raw form, coffee managers are able to pick up different tastes. “You can taste more subtle notes,” said Atkinson. “We look for coffees that stand out as having more than a regular coffee taste-fruity, spicy, chocolately, there are a variety of different notes that can be picked up. We go beyond ‘strong’ and ‘mild’ to much more specific.” Once the coffee is selected blindly, it is typically on the Dark Cloud menu for six weeks until rotated with other smaller roasters. After products are selected through blind cupping, the managers at Dark Cloud then brew using unique equipment and techniques to make the perfect cup. Atkinson said that in order to get the quality that Dark Cloud has set as its standard, certain methods in quality control are used. “We worked with Intelligentsia on quality controlling, but it takes a lot of messing around,” said Atkinson. “We brew very
Photo by Brianna Kelly
Dark Cloud Urban Coffee Lab is located at 2122 N. Halsted Street. precisely, by weight. We take the time to understand brew ratios [water to coffee],” he said. Dark Cloud also has siphon pots, devices that allow the efficient filtering of grounds to make a clean cup, as well as pour-overs, cone-shaped devices that hold coffee grounds. Hot water is poured into the pour-over, and this drips into a cup below, producing a single cup of quality coffee if the process is perfected. In addition to siphon pots and pour-overs, Atkinson said that Dark Cloud also has a device called the Slayer espresso machine, the only store-use Slayer in the U.S. “The Slayer gives us control over brewing and pressure profiling,” said Atkinson. In addition to cupping, which Atkinson said was typically done on Friday evenings, there are also free impromptu cupping sessions that take place at random and are available to the public, as well as pairing classes for customers to learn how to pair coffee with savory foods. “Pairings are usually once a month,” said Atkinson. “We look for apparent flavors in the coffee, orange clove, spices, thousands of different flavors, and find a way to accentuate and balance these flavors with something contradictory,” he said. The concept of Dark Cloud is unique, refined and reasonably priced, but not yet recognized by DePaul students like Courtney Carlstrom. Carlstrom, 20, a junior marketing student at DePaul said that brand recognition and accessibility are important in selecting a product to purchase. “People like brands,” said Carlstrom, “you have to build a brand. You can’t just expect people to know that there is better coffee and tea available. I see Tazo Tea at the grocery store and recognize that it is the same tea I drink at Starbucks.”Carlstrom said that distance could also play a role in reasons why students may be unwilling to go the extra distance for a cup of better coffee or tea.“Starbucks and Argo are kiddy-corner from my apartment,” said Carlstrom. “It’s a lot about brand recognition but it’s also about distance.” Atkinson also said that Dark Cloud’s presence on Facebook and Twitter has helped notify customers of upcoming deals, cuppings and food pairing sessions. “We want to be more student-friendly,” said Atkinson.
Tea-based bond inspires DePaul buds’business For Wiseman Tea Co. co-founder Bryan Comiskey, “Life’s too Short to Drink Bad Tea.” DePaul seniors Brian Comiskey and partner Jordan Scherer connected through tea in the Kenmore Townhomes on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Campus in 2008 and have been on a “tea journey” ever since. “Jordan and I were both transfer students living with a few other roommates on campus. We started having rituals around tea, having Japanese tea ceremonies,” said Comiskey. “We practically became half-British, having tea almost every day at three o’clock. He and I really connected.” Since then, Comiskey said that he has taken his “borderline obsession” with tea to a new level, selling varieties of loose leaf, mostly orthodox (tea from a single leaf) through wisemantea. com, as well as through distribution to other cafes and restaurants in the Chicagoland area, including Dark Cloud Urban Coffee Lab. Comiskey said that he realized the passion he and Scherer had for tea could make good business, and from there worked to get FDA clearance to import food products and hired an agent to purchase tea internationally on the behalf of Wiseman Tea Co. “We started sampling teas from all over the place,” he said. Between balancing school and a growing business, Comiskey said that it is challenging but rewarding. “It’s very worthwhile,” said Comiskey. “We have a following of DePaul students, and the groups of Atkinson said there is a need in Chicago for places that focus more on coffee and less on atmosphere. He said that instead of being called a coffee shop, a name that he said has a certain reputation, Dark Cloud is referred to as a lab, a place that is focused
people that buy tea on campus know about us,” he said. Comiskey said that Wiseman Tea Co. sells their product at the Bean Café in the Lincoln Park SAC (Schmitt Academic Center) and the Rey Meyer Fitness Center, giving students a chance to get a quality product on campus. He said that being involved with Facebook and Twitter has been a way to get the word out about he and Scherer’s company. “We’re lucky to be doing business during this time,” said Comiskey, “we’re very mobile, and having a great social media presence helps,” he said. Comiskey said that although a lot of tea-drinking DePaul students are aware of Wiseman Tea Co., the product following “could always increase.” He said that tea is a way to connect with other people and also a way to relax and meditate when having a cup alone. “You can really connect with someone else, boiling the water, steeping the pot,” said Comiskey, talking about sharing a cup of tea with a group of people, “It’s just fantastic.” primarily on brewing. “We want to stand out from every other coffee shop,” said Atkinson, “there is a status quo of coffee shops as places to hang out, do work, instead of getting quality, focused, meticulous brewing.”
Arts & Life April 25, 2011 The DePaulia 17
Conjuring Reliving California's coveted music festival one week later Coachella
By NIKA BLAKE
There are 128 miles that separate Indio from Los Angeles. In the middle of the Rocky Mountain Range and the desert spreads a small southwestern town that once a year becomes a capital to ravers, freaks and all kind of music lovers. That annual chaotic center that is the Coachella Music Festival manifested this year on April 15 through 17. Celebrity sightings occurred on every inch of grass at the Empire Polo Field that weekend from Whitney Port of The City at Afrojack to Mark Salling of Glee at the beer garden. Nothing can come close to the electrifying appearance by Sir James Paul McCartney, fist pumping at Afrojack to “Take Over Contro,” along with Usher. Of course, the performances served as the main event. Of the shows, it will be hard to forget Cee-Lo Green’s performance cutting out in the middle of “Forget You.” But one of the biggest headliners on Friday was Kings of Leon, who put on a great rock show. The hyped-up Black Keys were a little off their A-game. Saturday blasted off with an amazing electro beat from Laidback Luke at the Sahara tent. The newly-loved Mumford & Sons at the main stage got the crowd ready for the psychedelic Animal Collective and Empire of the Sun. The Grammy-winning Arcade Fire closed the night with the memorable balloon drop to “Wake Up,” which some referred to as life-changing. With all the goodness that the fest brought to the first two days, nothing, and I mean nothing, can come close to the lineup on Sunday. The electro magic started out with Wiz Khalifa and moved to Duck Sauce. A surprising crowd favorite, Foster the People, drew more fans to the Gobi tent than it did all weekend. The Coachella and the Outdoor stages were all the rage that night, showcasing classic Duran Duran and Chromeo, who always put on the best show even though they play the same 10 songs each time. The Strokes followed, mellowing the crowd out and getting them ready for what was the most memorable show at Coachella. At 10:30 p.m., Kanye West took the Coachella stage and all was forgotten. The production of his show, from the entrance, the dancers, to the three costume changes, left the crowd stunned. He dedicated his set to his mother, who passed away recently, only making the show that much more sentimental and memorable. Kanye West played a vast array of songs starting from “Runaway” to early hits like “Through the Wire.” For people who did not partake in the Kanye takeover, there was Axwell from Swedish House Mafia who destroyed the Sahara Tent with his techno beats. From my overall Coachella experience, I can tell you this: being at the Coachella Music Festival is like being in a land of no boundaries. The performances were one
The Coachella ferris wheel stood in the middle of festival grounds. thing, but the festival offered more. Walking along one paved road with the desert on each side aligned with Snowcap Mountains you feel as if you have entered a 95-degree alternate reality. The sun is high in the sky and beaming on you as if you are the 100,000 chosen ones. It is silent, except for the distant dub-step beat that you can feel in the soles of your shoes. The palm trees sway slightly from side to side producing just enough breeze to tickle your sweat-drenched neck. The first moments of being on the other side of the entry gates resemble approaching the rabbit hole. You are intrigued, yet you are scared. The Empire Polo Field is 16,000 square feet and stretches over what seems like eternity. I took a look around and mustered the strength to grab my friends as we all jumped into the unknown. The dusty road starts turning into grass, and once you walk up a hill you see it all. You can’t take your eyes off the lit up Ferris wheel, and mysterious structures that call your name as if they were sirens. You see “Canoe City,” a canoe-like structure that day and night shook from techno
beats. Past that you approach “Ron of Japan,” a Japanese structure where you can sit down and relax. These were great points of references when you got lost. And like at any music festival, you did. At night when the sun set, and the heat went down, the beats came out. People just let go, dancing into the late hours. The colorful and adventurous atmosphere took on a dark, funhouse and circus feel at night. The moon was high in the sky, but the stage lights overpowered its radiance. The festival didn’t close until late. The camping grounds were close to the parking lot and were jam-packed with people, tents and vintage VW buses. People seemed to embrace their inner Woodstock child. This explained the large array of bicycles that decorated the entrance/exit. It was one of those weekends that will stay with you forever, not only because of the performances, but simply because of the energy. There is nothing like it. So do some budgeting and start saving up, Coachella 2012 is only 365 days away.
Photos by Nika Blake
Above left: The crowd packs into the Sahara Tent for DJ Skrillex's set. Above: Cabanas are pitched for the Cabanas at the Oasis Coachella party. Left: Sky-writing reading "Coachella rocks" was one of the many messages in the sky alongside blimps and banners.
18 The DePaulia April 25, 2011
DePaul alums launch biz to help students save By AMANDA HADDAD Luxuries such as gourmet food, relaxing spas and other high-end items sound really good to us college students. However, these things all come at a price. Normally, we wouldn’t be able to afford all these items since textbooks and other school supplies usually empty our pockets. Now, thanks to a couple of DePaul alums, we can now afford great food, spa sessions, free daily giveaways and other items. Eugene Spivak and Salman Jahedi created the site LiveCheapR.com. The site is designed to do just that, help us live cheaper. LiveCheapR gives its users a daily deal to many different places in Chicago. How does a site like this work, you may ask. The DePaulia was assured by the creators that it is very simple to use. A user simply goes to the site, sees the deal, clicks to buy the deal, prints out the coupon, then brings it into the establishment to receive their discount. The DePaulia was able to sit down with the site’s creators to find out more information about how the site got started, what it is and why you should check it out. The DePaulia (DP): What is LiveCheapR? LiveCheapR creators (LC): We’re a daily deal website that offers 50-90 percent off local things to do in Chicago. DP: So an obvious question I have is, why isn’t the “e” in CheapR? LC: We wanted to be different and honestly, we just thought it looked better and cooler. DP: So how did your site get started? LC: “Don’t have money? We don’t either.” LiveCheapr was started by a couple of friends who had an idea…not necessarily money. However, with the resources we had we were able to get running and
grow our subscriber base, while focusing on getting some of the best deals out there. This line is a reminder that anything is possible. LiveCheapr was an idea that had been brewing in the back of our minds for some time. We both knew that we wanted to start a business -- and one night things just clicked. We came up with a business plan, and put it into play. There are many obstacles that we would have never imagined would be encountered, but we continually do our best to overcome them and continue with the passion and idea that started it all. Fast forward a few months and now we have a fully functioning site with a team that’s eager to succeed. DP: What kinds of things do you advertise/give deals on? LC: We give deals on restaurants, bars, spas, fitness, entertainment, movies and we’re currently expanding to include other deals. DP: So students can have a sense of some of things that your site offers, what were some of your past deals that you’ve had? LC: We had $5 for $15 worth of food at Sultan’s Market (which is the #2 most popular Mediterranean place in Chicago). Another deal we had was $5 for $10 worth of pizza at Chicago’s Pizza. DP: With so many other sites, such as Groupon and other daily websites, why would people want to sign up for your site? LC: Well, we offer daily giveaways such as t-shirts, free deals, and paintball tickets; just to name a few. For a full list of all the deals, you can visit LiveCheapR.com. In addition, we also give you $5 just for signing up and another $5 for referring a friend (up to $200). Again, all the details can be found online on the site. We also have a special promo code for the DePaulia readers; Enter promo code “DePaulia” to receive $5. DP: So how else are you different from Groupon? LC: We are different because we focus on helping businesses and working with
Images courtesy of Eugene Spivak
students to take suggestions to what they like the most. Then, based off what people like most, we contact the businesses and show them how many people are interested. DP: What are some upcoming things you are working on now? LC: This past week, we had promo tables in the Student Center, we passed out flyers at the Fullerton CTA train stop. We also have events planned at GrandCentral, SoundBar, Crescendo, and we’re looking into more places.
com and www.facebook.com/livecheapR.
Enter the promo code "DePaulia" on the site to receive $5
For more info, visit www.LiveCheapR.
Record Store Day: Vinyl, back with a vengeance By J.V. SIEGEL
Photos by J.V. Siegel
Crackle. Crackle. Pop. When the world thought that vinyl died some time ago, not many would admit to missing the garnered imperfections of a vinyl disc. But on Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m., there were 30 people lined-up outside of Dave’ s Records, waiting for a chance to purchase special records released specifically for that day. Strolling up to the store, I was certainly not expecting there to be as many people congregating outside of Dave’s establishment as there were. There was a certain giddiness amongst the gathered customers, something like Christmas morning [minus the gifts, plus the spending of upwards of $50] or a trip to the amusement park. I waited in line for thirty minutes, and unlike a trip to the amusement park, I did not care about the wait. There was virtually no discussion of the releases of the day; people must have wanted to get the limited edition records
in their hands before they felt comfortable speaking of it. Once at the counter, the customers would ask Dave if he had any of the records they wished for. Here, a sort of stage-fright arose. I was purchasing these records, and would not have been particularly disappointed if any of them were sold out, but there were 30 people staring daggers at the back of my head, hoping that I would not pick one of the records they had woken up early to purchase. Here, patrons would bust out tattered pieces of paper, lists, with plenty of checks and crosses. It was as if they were on a scavenger hunt. “Do you have the Jimi Hendrix single?” asked a visibly giddy middle-aged man. “Uh, no, but they sent me a CD, if you want it…” responded Dave, with obvious disgust. “…No thanks,” said the man, a bit crestfallen (noticing how stupid this must have appeared to the other customers). “You know what? I’m going to send this back. We’ve never sold CDs, and never will!” Dave yelled to the gathered
customers. Of all the purchases I planned on making, only one was no longer in stock: a Derek and the Dominoes 7,” featuring the song, “Layla.” But in stock were the Kings of Leon EP “Holy Roller Novocaine,” in red vinyl, a yellow vinyl Peter Tosh 7” with the stoner anthem “Legalize It,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ self titled album “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers” on white vinyl. The best bargain of the day, however, was the cupcake I received for shopping at the store.
Above left: Dave's Records hangs a reminder in the window. Above: People line up at Dave's Records for vinyl.
Arts & Life April 25, 2011 The DePaulia 19
“Atlas Shrugged” celebrates 54 years by hitting the big screen
By TRACY MARTIN
The film “Atlas Shrugged: Act 1” opened in a limited release across the nation to great expectations. Unfortunately, the novel’s transition to the silver screen isn’t as good as some might have hoped. Ever since Ayn Rand wrote “Atlas Shrugged” in 1957, the book has attracted worldwide fame for its controversial theme of “rational selfishness.” The story is similar to the plot of other Rand novels. A cunning industrialist feels she is being hampered by a society that places the interests of the collective over those of the individual, and seeks a way to overcome it. The film follows Dagny Taggert (played by Tyler Schilling), a cutthroat train mogul who is motivated only by her desire to make money. Luckily for her, several global economic crises have caused trains to become the predominant form of transportation in America. The movie was bad from the get-go. First, the movie’s premise of trains becoming the major source of travel is mind-boggling. The book’s focus on trains made sense back when the book was written, but it should have been updated to something more relevant for today’s audience, like airplanes or space travel. Secondly, the plot meanders around. It takes the movie around an hour for the story to actually take off. The plot suffered from awkward character interactions and stilted dialogue. Whether this was the fault of the screenplay or the source material is debatable. The acting in the movie was very uneven. While
Schilling did a great job with her role, several actors just phoned it in. The biggest flaw of the movie is the lack of relatable characters. The protagonists are all selfish and egotistical, while the antagonists are nebbish goodygoodies. None of the characters have a second-tier to them – they’re all one-dimensional. “Atlas Shrugged” felt like a cliquish ‘80s high school movie, but, in this instance, the audience is expected to empathize with the jocks instead of the nerds. An interesting premise, but the movie fails to execute. If the movie had better production and a stronger script, it could have been decent. There are dozens of films where the protagonists are the bad guys. But the thing about those movies is that the protagonists contained some sliver of a personality that allowed the audience to empathize with them and understand their motivations. The protagonists in this movie don’t have that; they’re as realistic as cardboard cutouts. It’s hard to care about what happens in a movie if you don’t care about the characters. The movie’s main draw is, of course, its ideology. But even this aspect is lacking. Supporters of Rand would find fault with the movie’s shortcomings, especially with how the movie presents her views. Newcomers might have difficulties understanding what the message being propagated is. If you don’t have at least some background knowledge of Rand’s works, then you will be completely lost. Some bad films have an appeal to it, but this movie’s so bad it’s hard to even watch it ironically. “Atlas Shrugged” should be considered the poster child of rushed movies. Skip it.
Emo no mo’
“No Devolucion” proves Thursday knows how to stay alive and relevant By HANNA GUERRERO The 14-year-old band from New Jersey, Thursday, has pulled the rug from underneath post-hardcore with their new album, aptly titled, “No Devolucion.” It means “no returns” in Spanish. Certainly, with this more atmospheric record, Thursday isn’t returning to their former emo roots that catapulted them to the mainstream. This album is a complete 180 degrees from their previous works, and this is a good thing. Singer Geoff Rickly’s voice is toned down for the most part, which is a change from the screaming we’re used to. There are bombastic beats from drummer Tucker Rule, and layered guitar riffs from Tom Keeley and Steve Pedulla. The album has its pop hooks sunk in deep on the track “Magnets Caught in a Metal Heart.” Tracks that stay within the vein of hardcore are “Open Quotes” and “Past and Future Remains.” All the tracks remain cohesive by adhering to a new re-vamped sound, created by Thursday and their producer Dave Friedmann, who has worked with the likes of The Flaming Lips and Weezer. The sound is dense with crooning dark melodies and explosive experimental tunes, perfectly showcased in the songs “A Darker Forest” and “A Gun in the First Act.” This dark mystic feel may come from the fact that Ricky recorded the lyrics in a forest, with dark eerie creepiness of
such a place perhaps inspiring him. The entire album was written in only one week. Taking little time to re-think has proven to be a successful strategy. This is the most forward-thinking album to date. While most emo bands of the early 2000’s are long forgotten and only living in the dark corners of Hot Topic, Thursday persists by staying innovative. The last track is titled “Stay True” and Thursday has effectively stayed true to their hardcore roots, but also added spacey elements that keep them in orbit in the present rock universe.
20 The DePaulia April 25, 2011
Mother Mother says “Eureka” on new album By JOANIE FALETTO Arts & Life editor In the wake of releasing their third studio album, “Eureka,” which came out March 15, five-piece Vancouver-based band, Mother Mother, discussed the new music with the DePaulia. Guitar player and vocalist Ryan Goldemond deconstructs “Eureka” and discloses why our lovely city won over Mother Mother’s Canadian hearts. The DePaulia (DP): So what’s the significance of that title, “Eureka?” What does that mean? Ryan Guldemond (RG): Well the word itself means a sort of original discovery in a flash, sort of like a flash of epiphany, I guess. There wasn’t too much thought that went into why or how that word correlates with the music. It was a song, actually. We decided to not record the song, but we liked the way the word felt and sounded. You kind of need a word that has a phonetic charm, right? DP: How is this album different from your first two? RG: It’s definitely more cohesive and it’s more of a rock record. And it’s more produced as well. I think those are the three elements that are different. The sound, the personality of the music is a little more playful than our last record. DP: This is also the first album since you replaced Debra [Jean Creelman]
with Jasmin [Parkin] as the singer and keyboardist. Has that affected the band in any way in terms of sound or otherwise? RG: Yeah, of course, I mean [Jasmin] has a different voice. And it affected us positively, the change needed to be made… It was what the doctor ordered for sure. Jas fits in, she sings great. And, I mean, it’s been so long since she’s joined the band (in 2008) that she has become a part of us and it’s past the point of it being any level of an adjustment. DP: Another member of the band is your sister, Molly. What is that like, being in a band with a sibling? RG: Well, it’s my world, it’s my life, and it has been for a long time. I mean, obviously it’s not a common thing for people to do, so I guess that’s why people are drawn to it as though it’s a strange thing. But for me, I’ve been in a band with my sister for six years and at this point it’s what my life encompasses. So, it’s normal, to answer your question, but I mean, it’s a really interesting way to carry out a relationship with a family member, playing music and traveling the world. It’s a great abnormality for sure. DP: Can you describe what Mother Mother sounds like? But, instead of using genres because that can get really confusing sometimes, in terms of existing bands, how do you think you can describe your band? RG: That’s almost worse than using genres in my mind, but I will do it. I don’t know,
Photo courtesy of RSM Press
Mother Mother's third full-length studio album, "Eureka," was released March 15. They will start tour in support of the album soon. Pixies meets B52s meets… Talking Heads. How about that? DP: You are also about to start the “Eureka” tour, which will come to Chicago at some point, I’ve been told. What do you like about playing here? RG: We’ve been to Chicago a handful of times, and it’s always been quite a fun experience. The fact that people show up is pretty sweet. That’s really what we equate our experience to of any city. It’s like, hey, there were people in the room and there was a good reception, and that’s what we’ve found with Chicago. We’ve been to Beat Kitchen a few times. There
are just some places in America where the interest is peaked a little bit more and Chicago seems to be one of those places. It’s definitely on our list of favorite stops. DP: Is there anything that you make sure to do when you’re in Chicago, or maybe something you haven’t done or seen that you want to try? RG: It would be great to go to hear some really great live jazz music. That’d be nice, we haven’t done that. We’ve never really had much time to peruse the city too much, but you know, the Chicago jazz is pretty quintessential, so that’d be an amazing experience.
Arts & Life April 25, 2011 The DePaulia 21
Freddie Highmore shares “The Art of Getting By” By COLLEEN CONNOLLY Freddie Highmore is a talented, young British actor who made his debut in “Finding Neverland” (2004), starring alongside Johnny Depp. He has since starred in “August Rush” with Keri Russell and Robin Williams, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” with Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and several other smaller films. He won several awards for his performances in all three movies, including the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer. Highmore stars in the upcoming indie film “The Art of Getting By” alongside Emma Roberts. Highmore plays the role of George, a fatalistic high school boy who deals with the trials of his first love (Roberts) and tries to finish all of his homework before graduation. The DePaulia was able to participate in a conference call with the young actor to dicuss his film and life. R: How did you transition from the child actor into the more grown-up role that you play now? What kind of roles do you choose? FH: Well, I guess, as you get older, you ought to carry on playing the same roles as your age, so you get older at the same time. R: How do you plan to balance your university life and your acting career? FH: I just carry on and do the same I did in high school. I started Cambridge in October, and I went to Sundance [Film Festival] a bit, and hopefully I’ll be able to carry on doing a few things in the summer.
I guess the main thing is just to carry on studying, enjoying Cambridge, and don’t give up on acting in any way. If you can do a film at the same time, then that’s fantastic. R: What made you want to do this film? FH: I think what stood out about this film is that it came across as incredibly real to me. I think that a lot of films that deal with the issue of growing up and coming toward the end of high school and that first love do it in a way with a kind of heightened emotion or something that isn’t [real]. It’s a stylized version of growing up, where this film really treats it in an incredibly real way that I hope people will be able to identify with. I think that’s what really drew me to it. R: How does your character [George] differ from the actual teenager you were in high school? FH: I think that’s the main difference between George and I—the way we deal with emotions that everyone goes through. I think that’s what’s great about the [film]. It encompasses what everyone feels. You know, being in love, having that pressure to succeed. I think all of those things are something that we all have to deal with, so in that way I can relate to George. But perhaps I wasn’t the teenager who was as disillusioned and fatalistic as he was. I dealt with things in different ways. R: You’ve been acting since a young age and you’ve worked with a number of veteran and high profile actors. How has having been exposed to those people
Photo courtesy of Allied Integrated Marketing
Freddie Highmore stars with Emma Roberts in "The Art of Getting By," which will be released June 17. impacted your growth as an actor? FH: You learn something in every film you do, and there will be actors that you work with that give you one special piece of advice. [One of the things] I learned quite early is, in fact, [my past co-stars], despite being fantastic actors, are actually normal people. Johnny Depp is just Johnny Depp. He’s just like you and me, really. He doesn’t think of himself as any better. He doesn’t think he’s above anyone else. Growing up, it’s been a real privilege to be around these kinds of people.
R: Since “Art” is a coming-of-age film, what do you hope audiences across the nation will get from watching [the film]? FH: I hope they’ll be experiencing the sort of things that George is experiencing. The film shows a reality, and that reality is that most people get through that period in their life[of high school and experiencing their first love]. So hopefully it will show people that everyone is going through the same thing, really. I think the film’s quite open and honest about the feelings that people have. I think people will really enjoy the honesty and accessibility.
22 The DePaulia April 25, 2011
Wildcard Stepping into Lincoln
Park’s Ace Bar is a gamble
By CANDICE SILVA
Above: Ace Bar occasionally hosts live music inside the venue. Left: Ace Bar, which replaced McDunna's,is located at 1505 West Fullerton Avenue.
Photos by Brianna Kelly
While Chicago is known for its hot dogs and deep dish pizzas, a new bar has opened up in the Lincoln Park neighborhood that highlights a different type of cuisine: hamburgers. Ace Bar, located on 1505 W. Fullerton Ave., opened April 1, replacing the old McDunna’s college bar. This bar is known for its nine different types of meat to choose from, making the possibilities of creating the perfect burger endless. However, these nine options were not very satisfying, let alone delicious. The choice of patties range from the original Angus burger to veggie to even ostrich. I chose the Angus patty, with a side of waffle fries, just to be on the safe side. Within 15 minutes, my dinner came sizzling out of the kitchen and onto my bar table, and my mouth started to water at the delightful sight. As I took a bite out of the tender burger, I was greatly disappointed. Halfway through my burger, the meat seemed to dissolve in my hands, only to reveal a slight greenish spot on the underside of the bun. I took a closer look and figured out what I was really looking at. Yes, it was mold. I tried not to gag as I immediately put the burger back onto my plate. The meat suddenly compared to a McDonald’s hamburger, and my stomach started to turn as I quickly asked for the check. While I did not give a complaint to the manager, I politely asked the waitress to close my tab as soon as possible.
Although this new joint does not serve the most appetizing food (from my experience), it does feature live music and comedy acts nightly. This past Saturday, a reggae-rock band named “The Beatdown” from Montreal performed for a very small crowd in the separate room of the bar. Their upbeat and lively music caused the few people posted at their tables to get up and move to the sound of the bass guitar and pounding drums. It was quite surprising to see how deserted Ace Bar was, especially on a Saturday night when most college students are out and about. Maybe it was because they are still new to the neighborhood and word has yet to get out to the public. It also could have possibly been the intimidating dark lighting that made the place look a little less college-friendly. Perhaps the screaming rock band that performed right before “The Beatdown” sent people running for the hills. The cover was quite high that night as well at $10 per person, particularly if you’re a student. This is quite expensive, especially for those who have empty pockets. These few reasons are understandable as to why people may have chosen to avoid this place altogether. But the most obvious reason why this place has yet to be popular would have to be their food. If Ace does not step their game up, they will soon be seeing many more people in line at McDonald’s for a double cheeseburger than people waiting for a table at their bar.
Image courtesy of MCT Wire Service
Arts & Life April 25, 2011 The DePaulia 23
Fishy feeding frenzy
The new GT Fish & Oyster is already creating a splash with fancy fishy fare at reasonal prices
By ALLISON BARINHOLTZ Eager guests filled the bar and dining room of Boka Restaurant Group’s officially unveiled GT Fish & Oyster, its newest establishment in River North, on Thursday, March 31. “We’re excited to be open,” said vice president and eight-year member of Boka Group, Ian Goldberg. GT (named after partner and executive chef at BOKA, Giuseppe Tentori,) assumed the location of the recently closed Mediterranean gem, Tizi Melloul, on the corner of Wells St. and Grand Ave. “There’s always obstacles around re-opening restaurants,” said Goldberg. “You have to be prepared for anything to happen.” Boka Group originally expected to open GT by the end of February, but the month-long delay did not faze the opening staff. “You just roll with the punches and try to get things done as timely as possible. Time is money,” said Goldberg. Food enthusiast and senior president of DePaul’s Epicurean food club, Christopher Chang has been anticipating the grand opening of GT. “Boka has been consistently coming out with great restaurants, and I am always excited to try one of their new restaurants,” said Chang. “There is a reason why BOKA, Landmark, Perennial and Girl & the Goat are still open.” Epicurean plans to schedule a club trip to GT in the near future. Chang said, “I would wait a few months, just like any other new restaurant because they will probably have to work out some kinks.” The opening of GT answered the call for a seafood restaurant with what Goldberg calls, the “Boka spin.” This chef-driven Boka touch, evident in other Boka establishments such as Perennial, Landmark, Girl & the Goat, and BOKA, emphasizes high-quality products “with a major focus on service in which hip/trendy meets traditional,” says Goldberg. GT proudly displays the trendy demeanor of Boka with a modern establishment
Chefs at River North's new GT Fish & Oyster prepare dishes behind the counter for the bar-style dining. design, featuring a boomerang-shaped bar, family-style round tables and intimate corner tables. Dim lighting, and a long glass-paned hallway visible immediately upon entering the restaurant accentuate all of these sights. Though GT has a high-end reputation, the innovative menu is reasonably priced.
Excluding market price Alaskan king crab legs and a 10-ounce strip loin, no menu item exceeds $20. GT offers six varieties of oysters and two chefs are consistently on “shucking” duty to maximize quality and efficiency of oyster consumption. Beyond the quality of physical aspects, Boka strives to perfect the intangible aspects of their restaurants. In preparation for the grand opening, Boka managers interviewed over 1,000 potential employees. The group held multiple open calls, which focused on snippet interviews and first impressions. Viable candidates were called back for final interviews and training. Video recounts of the open calls are posted on the restaurant’s blog: gtfishandoyster.wordpress.com. “We don’t hire just to hire. We’re very picky and specific–personality is ultimate,” said Goldberg. “We try to picture what our guests would experience if this person was going to be taking care of them at the table or at the bar. We want good energy–that’s what the key is.” Goldberg said, “We like to hire people that are confident, knowledgeable and professional. We want people to be passionate about what we’re doing.” This expectation stems from the amount of enthusiastic research and preparation the partners of Boka contributed to the future success of GT. Partners and Boka Group founders Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm teamed up with Chef Tentori for an inspirational trip to gain insight into how to make GT a thriving seafood restaurant in Chicago. The trip took Katz, Boehm, and Chef Tentori to New York and Boston, through the kitchens and dining rooms of 25 restaurants in just two days.
Photos by Allison Barinholtz
GT Fish & Oyster, located in the River North neighborhood on the corner of Wells Street and Grand Avenue, recently opened to join the Boka Group. Goldberg said the purpose of this “big collaboration” was to “maximize atmosphere and menu items. We wanted to nail the menu.” Every night since the grand opening, GT has been packed. The restaurant is open daily from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. with the oyster bar open until midnight Sunday through Thursday, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Though the hype about GT is strong, and will probably remain strong for quite a while, Goldberg said, “We’re not perfect. We have plenty of little things to work out and tweak. All you can do is take it one day at a time and improve.”
24 The DePaulia April 25, 2011
Dawn of the doughnut dynasty
Chicago foodies flock to the newest confection craze By LYNSEY HART The Doughnut Vault is Chicago’s first excursion into the latest food craze. Goodbye cupcakes, hello doughnuts. With the Harry Potter-like address of 401½ N. Franklin St., The Doughnut Vault is tucked into the side of owner Brendan Sodikoff’s other endeavor, The Gilt Bar. The small space is one of the reasons why The Doughnut Vault has gained such a cult following. With little room to work, supply is limited and the vault is often emptied out in about an hour. More times than not this means that at least a few people in line are sent home without doughnuts. However, there is often a coupon passed out to those who miss out for a free doughnut during the next visit. I arrived at The Doughnut Vault at 8 a.m. to find I was not the only one braving 39-degree weather, 25 mph winds and a slight drizzle in order to ensure I get a doughnut. There were 13 people in front of me and one guy walked up right after me…wearing sandals. The first group in line arrived at 7:30 a.m. and was already shivering. “It is just one of those things that you have to do at least once,” said Rachel Morton, a Riverside resident who came with her mom and boyfriend. “I mean, this is crazy, I know that. I’m just so curious.” Curiosity seems to be what draws most of the crowd to The Doughnut Vault, but the taste is what brings people back. These doughnuts may cost $2-3 a piece (cash
only!), but you aren’t going to get Dunkin’ Donuts or even Krispy Kreme quality— you are in for some fresh, handmade, hand-glazed, jumbo-sized doughnuts that even an hour-and-15-minute-long trip back home courtesy of CTA derailments won’t spoil. There are a few varieties to choose from, including old-fashioned buttermilk, the gingerbread stack (3 slightly-smaller, aka normal-sized, doughnuts for the price of one), vanilla, chestnut and chocolate glaze. My advice? Get the buttermilk. Get 17 of the buttermilk, because they will change the way you think about doughnuts. Besides that, the gingerbread and the vanilla are too close to call for second place. The gingerbread is not as Christmas-y tasting as it sounds, and having three smaller doughnuts is easier to share. However, they are less fluffy than the others. At the same time, the vanilla is a classic, fluffy and oversized doughnut. The chestnut variety is slightly harder to describe. It almost has the taste of sweet bread, often found in ethnic bakeries. However, it keeps the same fluffy texture that the vanilla variety offers. It is definitely worth a try, especially if you enjoy sweet bread. By the time I got inside the vault and was waiting to order, I couldn’t feel my toes, I was exhausted from waking up at 6:40 a.m. and I was cursing my curiosity, sure that these doughnuts would not be worth the price. Then I walked out with my half-dozen laid carefully in a brown box that was
Photo by Brianna Kelly
The Doughnut Vault is located at 401 1/2 North Franklin Street. hand-stamped with The Doughnut Vault logo, feeling as if I had just robbed an actual vault as I walked passed the yearning faces of those still waiting in line. There is no evidence at the moment to
Poetry proves its power DePaul Volunteers Serving Women host a night for high school poets By EDUARDO SAYAGO When you think of community service, what images pop into your head? Cleaning up trash at the park? Planting flowers? Painting fences? What about poetry slams? In fact, there’s one community service group on campus that can claim poetry slams as part of their repertoire. The DePaul Volunteers Serving Women (DVSW) is an organization that has been working with the Marillac House, a community center in East Garfield Park. One of the many programs that Marillac House offers is writing workshops for high school students. Several of these students performed their respective works at a poetry night hosted by DVSW at Brownstones on Wednesday, April 20. The emcee of the evening (as well as special guest speaker) was Brenda Matthews, a local poet who has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. She is better known as “Mama Brenda” to her audience and fellow performers. The energetic performer was impressed by the Marillac performers. The first performer, a young man named Courtney, wowed the audience with a two-minute piece on how violence is a part of everyday life, no matter where you live. “Violence is like birth/It happens every day,” spewed Courtney. The most impressive part of his performance was that he free-styled, or improvised, the poem on the spot. Five other students from the Marillac House performed. Two students from DePaul performed for the crowd. One of them was an impromptu rap concert that got the crowd chanting and clapping along. The other speaker, sophomore Angelica Medina, read a poem on how romantic relationships can become violent and abusive. When her name was called, the group of friends she had went wild, cheering and applauding like she had won the Pulitzer Prize.
Photo by Eduardo Sayago
Emcee Brenda Matthews speaks at the poetry night.
guest
“Violence crosses many barriers,” said Matthews. “It’s not just gun violence.” If you pick up a newspaper or turn on the news, the stories on violence are there. It seems that every day someone is being murdered, raped, robbed, beaten, or harassed. While it’s not possible to eliminate violence with one act, it can be minimized if you use words and reason instead of weapons and ignorance. “We’re gonna change the world with poetry,” said Matthews. Best line of the night: “They don’t need Batman when they be Robin,” said Sean, a Marillac House poet. His poem was about the plight of African Americans in urban areas.
suggest that The Doughnut Vault will start having regular business hours, or stop running out of doughnuts. But that may just be part of the annoying charm of this up-and-coming Chicago favorite.
Sports
“Golf season ends” continued from back cover tember, and we wanted to be a better team in April than we were in January. I think we accomplished those goals,” Kaufmann said. “It was a little up and down, but sometimes as you’re working on processes the results don’t show.” That was all certainly true with Maximilian Mayer. The freshman from Germany started the fall season slow, finishing 61st in the season’s opening tournament, then 33rd in the second, followed by an 81st-place finish. “At the beginning I was struggling because I wasn’t adapting to the differences,” Mayer said. “It’s first of all that you’re in a totally different environment. You have to get adapted to the courses. The courses are kind of different [from Germany]. “They are longer and the greens are faster, so it was kind of like an adaption for me, and also playing those 36-hole tournaments. It was a difference for me, and you have to get adapted to it and to feel comfortable you need a certain time. I think I needed the fall season to kind of get into it.” In the spring, Mayer finished up by tying for 44th at the Spring Break Championship, then recorded his two best finishes of the season: Tied for 16th at the Mizzou Intercollegiate and an 8th-place (+7) finish to wrap up the season in the Big East Championship. Overall, it was a strong finish for a team that struggled to find its footing at the start of the season. “I think we made a lot of progress,” Westley said. “I mean we’re a really young team so it’s kind of hard to predict at the beginning of the season how you’re gonna do. It can either go badly or it can go well, and I think it went re-
Photo courtesy of DePaul Athletics
Westley concentrates on a putt.
ally well…I think [the freshmen] learned a lot this season, along with our sophomore Russell [Budd]. I think they gained a lot of experience and got a lot better because of it, and I think we can only improve here.” Some of that improvement will come from playing in a number of tournaments over the summer that Kaufmann helps them pick out. The players will get about a week off, she said, before she sits down with each of them to talk about the season and plan their offseason, which will likely be “three or four good tournaments” per person. One of the included tournaments will be the U.S. Open Qualifiers, which are held all around the country. Those
Sports. Aprill 25, 2011. The DePaulia 25
tournaments pit the young college kids against tour professionals, which provides a learning opportunity. “It gives them a good idea of what separates them [from the pros] a little bit,” Kaufmann said. “It lets them see that some of the stuff they’re doing is the right stuff, and you just gotta get better at.” But it’s also about finding a balance— not over-working them after a long season, so they return fresh when school starts again. “You want more quality tournaments where they can practice and challenge themselves,” Kaufmann said. “I want them to play enough in the summer, but I want them to come back energized to come back and start fall season too.” When they return in the fall, Westley will be the only senior on the team. He said he hopes the leadership he displayed this year will help the younger players work hard and improve over the offseason, when everyone is separated. “I think they kind of know what they need to do,” Westley said of the younger players. “I think I’ve kind of—or hopefully I’ve showed them the way over the year. Now it’s kind of, everyone is up to their own individual improvement, because we don’t really practice as a team anymore…I think hopefully they’ve learned from me and from the other upperclassman throughout the year, and they can just kind of take those lessons with them and keep improving.” Just like they tried to do—and mostly did do—this season. “Each of them is a little bit better player than they were a month ago,” Kaufmann said. “We just ran out of holes.”
Results from men’s golf Big East Championship tournament
The golf team ended its 2011 spring season with a seventh place finish at the Big East tournament in Palm Harbor, Fla. As a team, the Blue Demons finished tied with Marquette with a total score of 904 (+52). Notre Dame won the event at +24, and Louisville ended in second at +30. The team shot 309 in the first round, before
coming back to shoot 294 in round two and then 301 in the final round. “We were in last place after the first round, and we put together a really good second round. We moved up all the way to fifth place,” Westley said. “And then again we struggled a little bit the third day.” Individually, freshman Maximilian Mayer led the
IMEOUT with
Casey Johnson
way for DePaul, with the team’s highest individual score. He shot 220 overall (+7) which put him in eighth place. He shot a 78 in the first round before settling down to shoot 71 in rounds two and three. Westley finished tied for 10th with a score of 222 (+9). It was the first time in school history two players finished in the top 10
Q: What is your strength on the field? A: That’s a hard question to answer about yourself but I think that everyone on our team is really good at backing each other up. I try to stay aggressive on the field and keep up the pace.
Q: What is your most memorable lacrosse moment? A: Last year in the semi-finals of playoffs, our team went into double overtime playing a great game against a really good team. The tension was high on the field and we all played really well. We lost the game but we had gotten really far and it was a great feeling knowing we had all played our best together and we were all Photo courtesy of Casey Johnson proud of each other. Casey Johnson, a junior on the DeQ: What has been the team's Paul women's club lacrosse team, begreatest success this year? gan playing lacrosse as a freshman in A: We have played a lot harder high school after being inspired by her teams this year than we did last older sister. She transferred to DePaul year, which I think has made us after spending her freshman year at a better team. We played a couthe University of Nebraska, where she ple teams early in the season played/co-coached. The team went to that we thought we were going the playoffs this spring but lost in the first round with a final record of 10-3.
of the conference tournament. The team’s next highest finisher was Russell Budd, who tied for 34th at +16. “We played ok, we just didn’t sink any putts,” Kaufmann said. “If you don’t sink some putts and make birdies, you make a couple mistakes and the next thing you know you’re shooting 75 or 76. And that’s what we did.”
to lose to by a lot. We did lose those two games but we played really well and only lost by a couple goals. We have just a few games left in our regular season and we are hoping to make it to playoffs in Toledo and do better there than we did last year. Q: Will you continue to be involved in lacrosse after graduation? A: I hope to be. Last summer I coached for Lakeshore Lacrosse and played in an adult league, which were both really great experiences. I know that those opportunities will still be there after I graduate. Q: What is the most difficult aspect of playing a club sport? A: Playing a club sport at DePaul is really challenging because we don't get funding from the school like other teams we play do. Our treasurer has to be really aggressive in getting SAF-B funding and we have an entire position
Bizoukas asks for, gets his release
Photo by Bartosz Brzezinski
Michael Bizoukas
By SHAYMUS MCLAUGHLIN Sports Editor Michael Bizoukas will not be a Blue Demon next season. The junior guard from Munster, Ind., asked for and was granted his release, the school confirmed on Thursday, April 21. He is looking to transfer to a different program and according to WeAreDePaul.com has interest from teams in the Horizon League and Conference USA. The 6’1” guard saw his playing time dip to 16.0 minutes per game this season after being a staple in former Head Coach Jerry Wainwright’s system the previous two years. He appeared in 28 games with no starts in the team’s first season under Oliver Purnell, and averaged just 1.3 points per game on 31 percent shooting. His role for next season was likely to decrease even further with the emergence of freshman point guard Brandon Young, and the influx of young players coming in. As of now, the team is expected to have six freshmen next season, including well-regarded guards Shane Larkin, Charles McKinney and Macari Brooks. As a sophomore last year, Bizoukas started seven of the 23 games he appeared in and averaged 19.6 minutes of playing time a game. That season he shot 48.6 percent from the field, good for 3.7 points per game. Bizoukas will be eligible to play next year under an NCAA guideline that allows student-athletes going to graduate school to transfer without having to sit out for a year.
dedicated to fund- raising. The teams we play get funding from their schools for tournament fees, travel costs, money to pay their coach, etc. We often have to split field time for practice and we don't have a home field to play games on so every single one of our games is far away which also makes it hard. Everyone on our team is extremely dedicated. Q: Cubs or Sox? A: Definitely Cubs. I grew up on the North side and my Cubs fanatic Granddad took me to my first Cubs game when I was 13 months old so I pretty much had no choice. Q: What is your favorite pro sports team? A: I follow college sports teams more than pro but I love football so probably the Bears. Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? A: After graduation I'm planning on going to Europe and I would have to say I'm prob-
ably the most excited to visit Ireland. Q: What's the coolest place you've ever visited? A: I just went to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for spring break and it was amazing. That’s probably the coolest place I’ve ever been. Q: What hobbies do you have outside of lacrosse? A: I am involved in the Delta Zeta sorority at DePaul as well as the team. I also love doing yoga and running. Q: What's your favorite TV show? A: I love both “Dexter” and “Modern Family.” “Dexter” is so smart and “Modern Family” is just hilarious. Q: What's the last movie you saw? A: I think the last movie I saw in theaters was “True Grit” with my family.
Compiled by MEGHAN BOWER
26 The DePaulia. April 25, 2011
“Pitcher, catcher relationship” continued from back cover “If they understand what you’re throwing, they know how your pitches move, they know what happens when you mess up,” Brown said. “They can easily fix you in one second on the field if it’s needed.” That can put the catcher in the position of playing bad-but-helpful cop, dishing out tough love by pointing out mistakes and, when necessary, being brutally honest. “There will be times where Nancy [Evans] will ask, ‘How was she throwing?’” said Marla Matthews, who plays catcher and is a designated hitter. “And sometimes you have to say, ‘You know what, bad day.’ Pitchers don’t take offense to that because they know that they had a bad day and they know if something is working and if something’s not.” That reliance on communication and constructive criticism means everybody has to be familiar with each other’s playing styles. Matthews has to understand the tendencies of Kirsten Verdun’s rise ball, and the movement of Lindsey Dean’s fastball. During the practice week, Lenti has every pitcher throw to every catcher at least once, to ensure these details are nailed down in case someone’s name is called unexpectedly during a game. “If one catcher should go down or have injury or go into a slump, you want the next catcher ready, so you want her familiar with our pitchers,” Lenti said. “Everybody involved breaks a little bit dif-
Photo by Dana Lenckus
Lenti has a discussion with Shizas and Verdun . ferent, plus we have left-handed pitchers and right-handed pitchers, so you want all those pitchers to work with all those catchers, mostly for the catchers to be prepared for when they get called to duty.” That kind of practice routine is important to maintain the understanding a catcher has of each pitcher. Without that time, the catchers would be stuck playing catch-up in a game situation. “It’s hard when you’re thrown in to catch and you haven’t seen them in awhile, so being able to catch all of them at practice is really helpful,” said Sarah Shizas, who has started at catcher for much of this season, but is also listed as an outfielder. “You know
if their drop ball goes a certain way you can be ready for that, because at practice you’ve been there. It just prepares you better for the game, because he throws in all four pitchers at any time.” Last April, the team found itself in a situation where a hole suddenly appeared behind the plate. Simone Ashkar, who was the team’s starting catcher, decided to leave the team for what Lenti described as “personal reasons.” She left partway through the Villanova series on April 10 and 11. “She just really didn’t have the passion for the game that she had before,” Lenti said. “She had kind of had enough of softball.” Lenti gathered the seniors up that next weekend against St. John’s and let them decide how to
“Track hosts first invite” continued from back cover relieving gel, and running a “cool down” between races to prevent the body from shutting down. “We call it a cool down, which makes absolutely no sense because you’re trying to keep from getting cold,” Dopek said. “So it’s kind of a warm down. You’re kind of bringing your body back to a normal state and getting bundled up again. Your warm-up, depending on how long in between races, doesn’t usually have to be the same amount for your second race, but it does have to be fast.” And while a cold, wet track may also seem like an issue, long distance runner Matthew Graham, who toughs out the weather without the long spandex, said that spiked shoes prevent it from making much of a difference. “There’s no way around it [bad weather],” said Graham, who came in first in the 5000m with a time of 14:38.18. “Once you get started and start running you think of other stuff.” Though Graham is able to look past the uncharacteristically chilly spring weather, it has prevented the team from thoroughly defrosting, according to Dopek. “I think we’re having a hard time thawing out for real,” Dopek said. “Last year we were graced with a really nice spring. I mean, this was the worst sort of day last year. As a sprint coach, I can recall one time last year that we actually stayed inside and used our indoor track. And today is the first day this week that I’ve been outside. “I’ve been inside about nine days already and we still have tomorrow, the next week, the following week and two more weeks before our preliminary round of nationals and I’ve already been outside nine times as much. So I feel like we’re trying to thaw out a little bit, but I think when we get to Villanova we’ll be fine.” Despite a low of 35 degrees, DePaul still managed to come away with nine first place wins at their home invitational, which included teams from
Marquette, Loyola-Chicago, UIC and Northwestern. In three of their first place wins, the top two or three competitors were fellow Blue Demons, something Dopek said helps the team develop. “Monday through Friday you all are teammates. And on Saturday you’re still teammates, but when you line up for the race, you obviously want to win,” Dopek said. “You don’t want to let your guard down for anybody. So I think that on a healthy squad, there’s a healthy bit of competition. You have people that, and it happens in practice, you have people that want to win each rep. Particularly if they’re not beating you on Saturday, they want to get a couple reps in there to let you know that they can stay with you. “The healthy amount of competition in practice and in meets I think is awesome. That’s the only way we’re going to get better. If you’re worried about beating your teammates, then what are you thinking about the people who have run faster than you so far? So you kind of use your teammates to help you build.” The women’s javelin throw best exemplified the inner squad competition. Alanna Kovacs threw 54.88m, the second longest throw in the nation for the event, and broke the existing school record of 51.47m, previously held by current teammate Melissa Fraser, better known as “Missy.” “Missy, when we go to conference, Missy always wins,” Dopek said. “But Alanna just shattered Missy’s school record…You can be sure that Missy’s somewhere plotting revenge and she will get another good throw. I will be very, very shocked if that throw stands as the school record when the two of them are graduated. I actually, Coach Murer says three. I’m guessing it’s going to change hands five more times. They want it. They’re very comfortable with competing against each other. They are friends, but there is that little bit of ‘I wanna be best.’”
handle it. “I still remember we were at St. John’s in our hotel room, and we kind of got together and met with them and said, ‘How can we make this work?’” Lenti said. “It really wasn’t anything I addressed with them. They addressed it themselves. They knew what was going on, they knew it was her personal choice, so be it. You never want somebody on your team who doesn’t want to be there committed 100 percent.” The players also understood why she did it. But at the same time, they saw it as an opportunity. “There were no bad feelings. There was no real anger about it,” Matthews said. “But all of us catchers and hitters went, alright, I’m taking her spot…we’re not gonna call our season a wash because we lost our catcher. It caused us all to work harder.” Matthews, Shizas and thensenior Marie Thompson stepped in the rest of the year to fill the catching role. It was a bit of an adjustment. “Last year when Simone [Ashkar] was catching I wouldn’t catch very much at all,” Matthews said. “And when I got into the game and I was catching Becca [Heteniak] and Lindsey and Bree, and they all throw so differently. It was like, oh no, Becca’s pitch does this when Bree’s does that. So I was a little late to some things, but knowing them really helps because you can know their tendencies.
“If Bree’s gonna miss a pitch, it’s gonna be in this direction. If Kristen’s gonna miss a pitch, it’s in this direction.” The practice time helped, however. Matthews said she got back into the swing of things after only a few pitches that helped refresh her memory. “It’s more like an inning thing. It’s really quick,” she said. “Once they throw the pitch you’re like, ‘Oh that’s right, that pitch does that. Ok, I’m back.’” Catchers also have to do their part to help the pitcher whenever possible. That means clearly setting up behind the plate, giving the hurler a good target to hit, and framing the pitch well—that is, catching the ball with their glove in a spot that is over the plate if at all possible. “In the end they all know that we’re all out to help,” Matthews said. “We’re all out to help each other. They’ll get on my case if I’m not framing well or I’m not blocking well, so it’s mutual.” In the end, it’s all about knowing that the player standing (or squatting) 43 feet away is there to help you. Even if that means talking about what is going wrong, in order to help make things go right. “I think it just goes back to the trust thing,” Brown said. “Because if I know that my catcher is gonna do whatever it takes to not drop the ball, or not let the ball get past them, then I’m more comfortable as a pitcher, and it will all work out better.”
DePaul Div. I Invitational photo gallery Left: Running the 1500m, Luke Rygh finished in eighth with a time of 4:09.54.
Below: Tonerdai Tomu puts his hand on Edin Pasalic's back during the meet.
Laura Wilson and Meredith Klein racing againt each other in the 400m.
Alanna Kovacs looks on after a shot put throw.
Tim Nedow warms up between discus throws. Photos by Dennis Georges
Sports. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 27
5k races spring up for the season
Warmer weather gives Chicagoans the opportunity to run for causes and swag
News and Notes
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f o r t h e endangered cheetah. “We want everyone to try and come to the race and encourage others to do so,” said Jayne Bazzos, a Chicago Trustee of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, previous to the race. Like the Run for the Cheetah, other 5Ks are raising money for causes. The Path to Progress 5K at Solider Field on May 14 is collecting donations for the American Brain Tumor Association. The 5K Dash for Detection at Grant Park on June 4 is raising awareness for pancreatic cancer research. “If getting exercise doesn’t motivate you, going out and getting a group of people together and maybe raising some money is definitely something that makes you feel good,” Green said.
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It’s about that time of year when the lakefront path becomes crowded with runners who want to take in the fresh air. It’s not easy to dust off the running shoes left in the back of the closet over the winter, or to find the motivation to set the alarm clock for one hour earlier to get a workout in. Instead of dreading outside activity, Chicago offers 5K races that make running or walking a lot more fun and a lot more rewarding than that dreaded first outdoor run of the season. Spring marks the kickoff of a list of 5K races happening around the city, and most of them not only offer a great way to get some exercise on a Saturday morning, but are also raising money for great causes, not to mention they usually throw in a T-shirt or goody bag for participants. “Coming out to a 5K allows people to challenge themselves to lead an active lifestyle,” said Carlos Chavez, CEO of Green Dot Environmental and Facilitator of the second annual 5K for Earth Day run and walk on April 23. “We expect to see a wide range of
rewarding, both in the sense that you’re going out and being active, but also because most of these races are giving to causes,” said DePaul junior Sarah Green, who ran in the Race to Wrigley on April 16. “Not to mention there are some races with great goody bags.” Another plus for getting out of bed at 7 a.m. to run is the 5K swag and races like the Cinco de Miler on May 7 that recognizes the hard work done by participants with one free beer (21 and over, obviously) at the “post-race fiesta,” as well as a Mexican brunch of churros and tamales. If a Mexican churro isn’t motivating enough, there are 5Ks based on raising money to support various nonprofits and organizations. Chicago’s Run for the Cheetah 5K at Montrose Harbor on April 23 raised money and awareness G
people, both competitive athletes and people who are coming out to acknowledge Earth Day...We are bringing together local organizations and giving people a chance to participate in an athletic event that recognizes earth day." If Humboldt Park is too far to commute for an 8 a.m. race kickoff, there are many other 5Ks happening around the city in April, including the Tree-k Run for the Trees on April 28 and Run-toRemember on April 30. “There are so many races starting to pop up, and I’ve always had a goal of trying it once,” said DePaul senior Elyse Spahn, who signed up to run the 5K Wrigley Start Early Run on April 23. “It’s a little nerve-wracking though because I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said. For races like the Wrigley Start Early Run, participants who want to know their race time can join the timed run, while others can sign up for the ‘fun run.’ The untimed race isn’t chipped, meaning that there isn’t a microchip attached to the race bib, and costs slightly less, $35 for chipped or $30 for the fun run. “Signing up for a race is really
By LAURA FITZGERALD
“Club baseball” continued from back cover games is very successful.” The team, which manages without a coach, relies on the executive board staff and a few others to take the lead. “I make the lineup, but as far as in the game I think a lot of the better guys just take charge,” said Crittenden, right field. “Like you’ll have Walker and Bobby on the bases giving the runners signs and telling them what to do.” And the lack of central leadership has yet to present a problem. “We’re all just getting along because we’re all here to play baseball and have some fun,” said Kyle Capone, captain. But, as a newly created team with just a few months of practice and no head coach, how serious are these games? “These are definitely competitive games,” said Sean Shelhamer, freshman. While practice locations vary from BASH Sports Academy to Chicagoland parks, all home games this season are held at Northeastern Illinois University, though Crittenden is looking into playing at a location closer to campus, which will likely cost the team four or five grand for the season. Playing at Cacciatore Stadium, where DePaul softball holds games and practices, may have seemed like the most appropriate location for the team, but according to Price and Crittenden, De-
• Gia McKnight was named Big East Player of the Week for women’s tennis after DePaul beat Marquette and Cincinnati on the road last week, leaving them undefeated in league play. McKnight improved to 19-17 in singles play and won both of her doubles matches this past week with part-time partner Kelsey Lawson. • Men’s basketball signed Montray Clemons from Mack Academy in Charlotte, N.C to a National Letter of Intent. Clemons, a 6-8 forward, is Head Coach Oliver Purnell’s sixth signee. Clemons played alongside Cleveland Melvin in Baltimore's Cecil Kirk AAU program. • Women’s basketball Head Coach Doug Bruno has been selected to assist at the 2011 USA Basketball Women’s National team training camp, joining head coaches Corey Gaines (Phoenix Mercury), Jennifer Gillom (Los Angeles Sparks), Marynell Meadors (Atlanta Dream) and the 2009-12 USA National Team Head Coach Geno Auriemma.
Paul denied their request. “They shot that down fast,” Price said. Though their home field is roughly twenty minutes away, the team is already developing a fan base, something they hope to continuously grow. “We had some family members,” Capone said. “We had a few cheerleaders show up.” According to Crittenden, the team has also done advertising on campus and is now working with Screen Gems, who contacted the team asking that they give away advanced screening passes to their new movie “Priest.” “I think just being able to network with [Screen Gems] and give away free stuff will be a good way to get a crowd,” Crittenden said. “So we’re going to start handing out free passes and t-shirts at the games.” Meanwhile, Price is relying on word of mouth. “I tell everybody,” Price said. “I tell all the girls in my classes. They’re like, ‘We have a baseball team?’ Absolutely.” The team also hopes to improve their relationships with other local teams and is planning on holding an annual Chicagoland tournament each fall. “We’re trying to get a fall tournament going before we have tryouts,” Crittenden said. “It’s going to be with Columbia College, Loyola and Whitewater from
• Softball’s Kirsten Verdun and Bree Brown were named to the Big East Honor Roll after DePaul won its sixth game in a row. Verdun batted .625 last week and the award became her fifth Big East weekly award. Brown had an ERA of 1.68 and 16 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.
Tuesday 4/26
Wednesday 4/27
Thursday 4/28
vs Loyola 4 p.m.
vs Seton Hall Noon, 2 p.m.
@ Valparaiso 4 p.m.
Softball (28-11, 11-1) 4/22 – The No. 32 Blue Demons beat Rutgers, winning the first game 9-4 and the second 15-10 in extra innings. DePaul took the lead in the first matchup with five runs in the second inning. Marla Matthews and Kirsten Verdun hit homeruns in the second game. Samantha Dodd also hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning to give DePaul the lead. --Golf 4/19 – DePaul tied for seventh at the Big East Championship. Maximilian Mayer and Ben Westley led the Blue Demons with scores of 220 and 222, respectively. For the first time ever, DePaul had two players finish in the top 10, with Mayer in eighth and Westley in 10th. The team’s overall score of 904 (+52) tied them with Marquette. --Track and field 4/16 – The Blue Demons hosted the DePaul DI Invite and came away with nine first place wins. Alanna Kovacs came in first in both javelin and discus with throws of 54.88m and 42.11m, respectively. With times of 57.80 in the 400m dash and 25.39 in the 200m dash, Lindsey Holden also grabbed a pair of first place wins. Tonderai Tomu, who won the 200m dash with a time of 22.25, came up just short against teammate Edin Pasalic who won the 400m dash with a time of 49.35. Matthew Graham won the 5,000m race with a time of 14:38.18. --Women’s tennis (13-9, 4-0)
Photo courtesy of DePaul Club Baseball
Kevin Crittenden
Wisconsin. “So it’s going to be a [four]team, all weekend tournament sometime in the fall…they kind of were all interested in starting a tradition and having a tournament every fall with us. We just want to be associated with all the teams in the area.” And though much is still to be determined, for Crittenden the future of the club is clear. “I kind of want to be the most well-known club sport,” Crittenden said. “Obviously we’re not collegiate level, but I want us to be the talk of the campus where if people are gonna go watch club sports, it’s gonna be the baseball team. You know, we can almost get that type of popularity around campus.”
This Week in Sports: April 25-May 1 Monday 4/25
Week in Review
Friday 4/29
4/15 – DePaul beat Marquette 4-3 on the road, with doubles wins by Gia McKnight/Kelsey Lawson and Cali Gustafson/ Christiana Raymond. Katarina Milinkovic, McKnight and Lawson also had singles wins to give DePaul the victory. 4/17 – The Blue Demons remained undefeated in Big East play after beating Cincinnati 4-3. All three DePaul doubles pairs won their road matches, in addition to singles wins by Milinkovic, McKnight and Lawson. The win was the team’s third straight. --Men’s tennis (15-8, 1-1) 4/16 – No. 61 DePaul won their 15th match of the season with a 5-2 road victory over Marquette. Filip Dzanko/Mathias Hambach and Bartosz Jozwiak/Sven Kasper won their doubles matches. Matija Palinic, Ben Hartman, Jozwiak and Dzanko all came out on top in singles play. --Baseball (2-1)
Saturday 4/30
Sunday 5/1
vs UConn Noon, 2 p.m.
vs UConn 11 a.m.
Big East Championship
Big East Championship
Big East Championship
Big East Championship
South Bend, Ind. Big East Championship
South Bend, Ind. Big East Championship
South Bend, Ind. Big East Championship
South Bend, Ind. Big East Championship
South Bend, Ind. Drake Relays
South Bend, Ind. Drake Relays
South Bend, Ind. Drake Relays
South Bend, Ind.
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa vs Columbia 1 p.m., 4 p.m.
vs Columbia TBD
4/16 – DePaul Club Baseball lost 12-2 to Northern Illinois University in their season opener. The team’s two runs were scored by Mike Walker and Steve Friedberg. 4/17 – DePaul swept Columbia College in their double-header, winning 12-3 and 5-3. Matt Shilney had a homerun and two RBI in the 12-3 win. The team tallied 10 hits in the same win and eight in their 5-3 victory.
Sports
Golf ends season of growth
Sports. April 25, 2011. The DePaulia 28
By SHAYMUS MCLAUGHLIN Sports Editor The DePaul golf team had two types of goals heading into this season: Outcome goals, such as placing second in a tournament, or finishing all of their tournaments in the top 10; and process goals, like committing 100 percent to every shot. According to junior Ben Westley, one of those definitely went well, while the other lagged. “I think we did really well in our process goals,” Westley said. “I think we worked really hard this season. I think we didn’t slack Photo courtesy of off on the effort DePaul Athletics side of things, Betty Kaufmann but outcomewise our goals at the beginning of the year, I think, were to get top 10 in every tournament, and then ultimately, win the Big East was our ultimate goal. And we didn’t do that. But I think we were successful in a lot of our process goals and the way that we got there, so you can’t be disappointed.” The team finished seventh overall in the Big East tournament, ending their season short of that preseason goal. But the team was young. The five-man traveling team consisted of the junior Westley, one senior, two freshmen and a sophomore. So all season, Head Coach Betty Kaufmann preached patience and improvement. “I think the biggest thing that I tried to instill in the guys was, we wanted to be a better team in November than we were in Sep-
Photo courtesy of DePaul Club Baseball
DePaul Club Baseball gathers for its first-ever team photo during opening weekend April 16-17, when they went 2-1.
Club baseball rounds 3rd
Persistence pays off as team begins its first season By MEGHAN BOWER
Assistant Sports Editor
For some, it’s about having fun. For others, it’s about satisfying their competitive genes. For Bobby Price, DePaul Club Baseball is another chance at playing the game he loves. “I just like playing,” said Price, who suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder during a game in 2009. “I never thought I’d play again after surgery so it’s just nice, even at the club level, it’s nice to go out and play… for not ever thinking I’d play again, going out there this weekend and just stepping up to the plate and being able to see some live pitching was great.” Though many have tried through the years to establish a club baseball team at DePaul, it was Kevin Crittenden’s initiatives over this past winter break that finally made it possible for a team to come together.
Meyer that I’d signed up for the past three years,” Walker said. “So it’s cool to finally get it going…Kevin did all the legwork, all the paperwork, pretty much everything. We just kinda showed up.” Roughly 30 players tried out for the team, though only 14 made it. Because the deadline to join a league passed in December, the team could only schedule eight exhibition games this spring season, according to Crittenden, who added that they would be joining the National Club Baseball Association Division II next year. However, the lack of a league and relatively short season has had little effect on the feeling of success. “I think it’s been very successful considering for years people would start it and it would just kind of flutter,” said Crittenden, sophomore. “So I think after four months to be able to get a team together and play some
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Track hosts first full invite
Trust key for pitcher & catcher
By MEGHAN BOWER
Assistant Sports Editor
By SHAYMUS MCLAUGHLIN Sports Editor There are only two players on a softball diamond that routinely touch the ball on every single play: The player on the mound and the one behind the plate. That means their relationship has to be a good one. “It’s probably the most important relationship on the softball field, really,” DePaul softball Head Coach Eugene Lenti said. “Typically the catcher is the defensive general on the field and the pitcher initiates every defensive play by delivering the pitch.” For the pitchers, that means listening to feedback and adjusting accordingly. Catchers have to be able to diagnose what is going on and communicate it precisely. “I think a pitcher and catcher need to base their relationship off a lot of trust,” said DePaul pitcher Bree
“It was Christmas break and I had just transferred here and I was told that we had a club baseball team, but when I went to the fall involvement fair there wasn’t one,” Crittenden, the team president, said. “So I spoke with the club sports director and she said that it kinda stalled. So she was like, ‘I have a couple names if you wanna just email them, see if you can get started and do all the paperwork.’ So it was over the six-week break I just emailed everyone on that list, talked to everyone… And then I ran into Kyle [Capone] and Nick [Blumenberg] who tried starting one as well. So we kind of joined together and just did some advertising and that’s kind of how it got off the ground.” Senior Michael Walker, the self-proclaimed “old man” on the team, had attempted to join the then non-existent team since freshman year. “There was like a sign up sheet at the Ray
Photo by Brianna Kelly
P Lindsey Dean and C Sarah Shizas talk on the mound.
Brown. “If you trust your catcher, you’ll feel more comfortable and it’s easier to throw and make sure you’re hitting your spots.” During the game, calls come from Nancy Evans, the pitching coach, Lenti explained. That call then goes to the catcher, who relays it out to the mound. Then, between innings, Evans will want information: What pitch worked or didn’t work? How was the location? Was it effective?
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DePaul track and field hosted their first-ever full meet, DePaul Division I Invitational, at Lane Tech Stadium on April 16, an event plagued with blistering winds and freezing rain. But the unseasonably cool weather did not stop Head Coach Dave Dopek from remaining positive. “[The meet] was a success from the standpoint that it was the first full meet that we’ve run on our facility,” Dopek said. “The two previous meets were relay meets…but this time you had four DI universities going through the full meet schedule. I thought it ran pretty smooth. “I thought there were some, there were some good performances, but certainly, if the weather would’ve been, and this isn’t fantastic, but this is, you would’ve seen a lot better performances. You would’ve seen a lot more smiling. You
Photo by Dennis Georges
Toni Salvatore places second in the 800m run.
would’ve seen a lot more people who would’ve stayed a lot longer.” Because many athletes participate in more than one event per meet, staying warm and keeping muscles lose throughout the day is key. “I think it’s a little bit more difficult for sprinters to stay warm,” Dopek said. “Because I think that I see the distance [runners], they get a little,
they’re not as worried if it’s 50 [degrees] because that actually cools them down as they’re later on in the race and their body temperatures start to go up. But for sprinters, we’re really worried about hamstrings in the first few minutes.” According to Dopek, sprinters will wear long spandex and other Under Armouresque clothing, in addition to using Flexall, a topical pain
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