Issuu

DePaulia

The Volume #110 Issue #19

DePaul's student-run newspaper since 1923 June 1, 2026

Longtime journalism professor Chris Bury to retire from teaching KIERSTEN HUNG / THE DEPAULIA

DePaul journalism professor Chris Bury accepts gifts from colleagues during his last journalism department meeting at DePaul’s Loop Campus on Friday, May 29, 2026. Bury has taught at DePaul for 14 years.

Longtime journalism professor Chris Bury to retire from teaching By Khadija Mujahid Asst. News Editor

After 14 years of teaching at DePaul, senior journalist in residence Chris Bury is retiring at the end of this academic year. “I’ve been doing this job for 14 years and really have enjoyed it, especially my interactions with students,” Bury said. “But my wife has been retired for a couple of years now, and we want to do some more traveling, especially international traveling, and this is really the time in our lives when we have to do it.” Bury started out as a political science student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. During student protests against the Vietnam War, Bury recorded the demonstrations and sent them to Chicago’s WLS radio station, who paid him for the recordings. “That was the moment where I thought, ‘Wow, I could get paid for this,’” Bury said. Throughout his degree, Bury continued working at student radio stations in Carbondale. After graduating, he worked at a radio station in Wis-

RECYCLE ME

consin and eventually got his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also in political science. Bury proceeded to work at various news outlets, including Al Jazeera and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. He is best known for his work as a correspondent and anchor with ABC News Nightline, a late-night TV news program. Throughout his career, Bury covered Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign, the war in Afghanistan, cartels in Mexico, the Gulf Wars, uprisings in Haiti and more. Bury’s colleague at ABC News Andy Fies said Bury’s writing was a rare combination of insightful and fast. “He remains one of the best writers ABC ever employed,” Fies said. “He was a terrific reporter to begin with. His questions were always insightful and incisive, and his writing was the same, insightful, incisive, even poetic at times.” Shortly before Bury’s contract at ABC News ended, former dean of DePaul’s College of Communication Jacqueline Taylor reached out to him and asked if he was interested in teaching, and Bury accepted the job.

“I wasn’t sure, but I talked to some people at DePaul, and they convinced me that it was a good move, and so I took the job,” Bury said. “I didn’t really think that I would stay for 14 years, but I really liked teaching. So I just decided I would stay since I was enjoying it.” Bury’s students knew him as a strict journalist dedicated to his students. “A deadline’s a deadline, but he’s just so kind, and the way he speaks to you, it’s never condescending. He just knows what he’s talking about,” said Francesca Corona, a senior journalism student. Caitlin Walsh, a first-year graduate journalism student, took Bury’s investigative journalism class in her first quarter at DePaul. She said even after the quarter ended, he worked with her team to make sure their story was published. “He was still my teacher even after the class ended,” Walsh said. Former students and colleagues of Bury’s also said he called out injustice without being biased.

See BURY page 3

depauliaonline.com

The price of a pictureperfect graduation By KAhlia Williams Contributing Writer

As caps soar through the air, graduation season has become much more than earning a degree. It has evolved into a full-scale social media production. From professional photo shoots to expensive custom outfits, the modern commencement experience is fueled by TikTok and Instagram trends. Some graduates feel pressure to take an aesthetic and commercialized approach to graduation by documenting and sharing their milestone moments. Charlize Younglove, a DePaul senior studying communications and media, has experienced this trend. “There is a combination of emotional and financial stress around my impending graduation and the need to make it ‘Instagram worthy,’” she said. Kristen Hazelton, a Chicago graduation photographer, said her inquiries have tripled since last year’s graduation season. “It has exploded,” Hazelton said. “I have had more graduation clients than ever before.” Hazelton said many graduates are opting for more candid photos that still focus on style. “There’s a trend this year for the ‘untraditional’ graduation shoot,’” she said. “You’re looking at more film-based, underexposed and indoor photos.” Despite trends often feeling fastpaced or short-lived, an underlying motivation behind modern graduation culture is the desire to cherish or commemorate the experience. While photographers are seeing these shifts firsthand, graduating seniors are also feeling the effects of social media-driven graduation culture. According to a 2024 Empower survey, nearly 70% of Gen Z said social media motivates their spending due to FOMO. During spring quarter, Younglove has opted to stay off social media to focus on finishing her education. But in the end, she still expects to spend a good chunk of money on the milestone.

See GRAD PHOTOS, page 12