April 18, 2011 Print Edition - The DePaulia

Inside

“Duck, duck Goose Island” Focus, page 14

Vol. # 94, Issue # 18

April 18, 2011

French ban unveils questions By BARTOSZ BRZEZINSKI

Photo by Dana Lenkus

McGowan currently houses the science departments of LA&S.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences discusses split By JOE RUPPEL Charles Suchar, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, says the university is discussing creating a College of Science that would absorb departments currently housed in LA&S. The idea for a College of Science was proposed to LA&S department chairs last September, Suchar said. Psychology Department Chair Jerry Cleland was appointed as the interim chair of the College of Science and is the proposal

coordinator for its development. Cleland said that DePaul officials met last week to discuss the proposal. “We are continuing the discussions regarding the development of a new college,” said Cleland. Suchar said that if the proposal succeeds, the College of Science will incorporate eight departments currently in LA&S, including psychology, nursing, mathematics, biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics, and the science education program.

The university office of public relations states, “DePaul has been considering a faculty proposal to restructure its colleges to better serve the needs of students in the health sciences and the traditional natural sciences. Faculty Council recently voted to support this proposal. It now goes to the Board of Trustees for their consideration later this spring.” Lauren Fischer, adjunct faculty and Associate Director at the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, said the proposal is an example of the

university “taking a critical eye to itself.” Fischer said it is smart for the university to continue to grow and address the concerns of students. Fischer said the university has not communicated the proposal campus wide because they are still in a study phase and have not finalized decisions. LA&S is DePaul’s oldest and largest college and includes 431 full-time faculty and approximately 6,000 undergraduate students.

Students weigh in on the best and worst of cafeteria chow The quality of college food ranges from the average depths of community college cuisine to the pinnacle of Virginia Tech’s daily rib eye and whole lobster. To say DePaul’s standard meal fare sits somewhere in-between is an obvious statement, but to which side of the spectrum does DePaul best identify? Freshman Marty Murphy said, “At first, the food isn’t that bad, but you get tired of eating the same thing after a while.” The DePaul student body is definitely not deprived of a thriving food environment. Not only do both the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses have diverse dining

halls, but both campuses are also surrounded by various external food options. Sophomore and vegetarian Richard Rodriguez said, “The Loop campus has limited options–it gets redundant.” Junior Mike Chamernik looks down on Lincoln Park campus food as “all a stream of mediocrity.” So which foods keep students coming back to the Student Center for their meals, and which items send students running for the nearest Chipotle? Turn to page 3 for a list of the best and worst meals at DePaul.

“

Are they really supporting secularism, or rights of women, or just using the French republican values to target these women for their beliefs? Mallory Warner Academic Advisor

”

away from them is even more oppressive.” “Women’s rights is to have our own decisions,” she said. “Now, there are these rules by the French government telling women how they should dress and how their identity should be formed.” “This is totally going against the women’s movement,” Abed said. While the law makes it illegal to conceal a person’s face in public, it does not specifically cite gender or religious identities. Violators risk fines up to $215 (euro150) or attendance at special citizenship classes. DePaul Academic Adivsor, Mallory Warner, said the idea of citizenship classes “raises a red flag in my head,” said Warner, who recently completed her master’s thesis on headscarf affairs. “What are they really trying to do with it? Are they really supporting secularism, or rights of women, or just using the French republican values to target these women for their beliefs?” Although the law does not ex-

Edible?

By ALLISON BARINHOLTZ

After the world’s first ban on Islamic face veils took effect in France on April 11, DePaul University saw many of its members call to question the law’s symbolic meaning. The president of DePaul’s United Muslims Moving Ahead, Marwa Abed, said France’s veil ban is “a move in the wrong direction for women’s rights.” It’s not the government’s place to decide the way people dress, said Abed, a senior majoring in Islamic world studies. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the veils imprison women and contradict this secular nation's values of dignity and equality, according to the Associated Press. The ban was greeted with wide public support when it was approved by parliament last year. “Even though some people think that the hijab and burqa oppresses women, it’s still a choice,” said Abed. “To take that

Continued on Page 3

Continued on Page 10