In-person graduation activities, DePaul After Dark and no vaxes required for fall
And a Pueblo public newsroom on cannabis equity
Welcome, welcome, everyone! It’s your newsletter team – Francesca, Justin, Aneesah, Cam, Robin and Emmanuel – back for another week of news and updates.
But first! We’ve got something for your calendar!
Next week, Pueblo at 14 East will be hosting a Public Newsroom with Manny Mendoza of Herbal Notes, a culinary cannabis pop-up supper club, to talk about the evolving process of cannabis legalization and how it relates to racial and economic equity. Register + learn more on the Eventbrite page.
DAB’s First IRL Event in a Year!
Last Thursday, the DePaul Activities Board held its first in-person event since the pandemic began last spring and all events went online. And it had bumper cars!
Sarah Rudy, the advisor for the DePaul After Dark Committee, said in an email that the event had 55 students total. “After working closely with the Student Center and Event Approval staff members, we were able to set up a safe event,” Rudy said in the email. “This included social distanced waiting lines, a QR code check-in process, and signage throughout the event to share important reminders. It was great to see students in person for an event again!”
Additionally, Rudy said that DePaul After Dark would continue to “work with the proper DePaul channels and guidelines to host safe events, but we are excited to begin offering a variety of in person experiences this quarter.”
While many events currently listed on DeHub are slated to take place online, Rudy said that students can continue to check DeHub for updates on events that will be in person.
There are other in-person events planned throughout the city in the coming months, including the Lincoln Park Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show, an “Immersive Van Gogh” experience at Lighthouse ArtSpace in Old Town and the weekly El Jolgorio de Salsa y Más – a festival hosted by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and businesses on Paseo Boricua.
The prospect of attending more in-person events on and off-campus this summer is exciting – but Chicagoans should continue to be vigilant about COVID-19 guidelines and continue to get vaccinated, as COVID-19 cases are still on the rise. Block Club Chicago reports that there were another 2,433 cases detected in Illinois over the past day. The state has continued to roll out vaccines – with over 7 million doses administered so far – and those still not eligible in the city can get vaccinated at state-run sites in the suburbs, per an announcement from Governor J.B Pritzker today. Check out the resources section for more on how to get vaccinated.
Chicago headlines
Chicago Public Schools high school teachers will work from home on Wednesday unless a new deal regarding vaccinations is reached with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office.
Suburban Cook County has opened vaccines to people aged 16 and up and the City of Chicago plans to follow through with this on April 19th.
This morning, a person was struck by a Brown Line train at the Armitage CTA stop.
More than one hundred residents of Little Village marched on Sunday to mark the anniversary of a failed coal plant demolition that sent a cloud of dust over the Southwest Side neighborhood, creating serious concerns over the impact of air pollution.
DePaul News
Come one and all to the Graduation Experience Canopy, one of DePaul’s answers to a COVID-19 reimagining of in-person commencement events. The canopy promises “Insta-worthy” photos with a decorated stage and with a professional photographer to capture the moment. This offering is one of many in-person outdoor activities, including a reflection wall for graduates to write on, to be held May 19 through 28 as part of the university’s Graduation Celebration event. Several to-be-announced interactive activities and sculptures are promised in addition to the canopy and wall. At night, the Quad will be lit up fancifully for families to enjoy.
Reservations must be made for graduates to partake in Graduation Celebration. Times are first-come, first-serve and limited to DePaul graduations and up to two guests. Only the graduate has to reserve a ticket — not the guests. However, the names of the guests are required for the reservation. All attendees must download and complete self-screening via the CampusClear app, wear face masks and maintain social distancing. This is an outdoor-only event. DePaul buildings will be closed to everyone, except current students, faculty and staff with valid DePaul IDs.
In addition to plans for in-person commencement celebrations, DePaul released information about a return to on-campus learning and life in the fall. During a virtual town hall event on April 8, university administration said that on-campus housing will jump back to “pre-pandemic levels,” transition 75 percent of its classes to being in-person, offer the option for all in-person classes to be attended over Zoom per students’ preferences and expand Welcome Week to encompass two weeks of activities, rather than just one. For those coming back to campus, Eugene Zdziarski, vice president for Student Affairs, said that vaccines will not be a requirement, though they are strongly encouraged.
The DePaul’s Interfraternity Council announced plans that are underway to form a COVID-19 task force. This announcement is in response to backlash over a packed, largely mask-free St. Patrick’s Day party attended by members of DePaul sororities and fraternities. The task force is planned to be a collaboration between sorority and fraternity members and risk managers to ensure that COVID-19 guidelines and best practices are upheld and respected during all sorority and fraternity events moving forward.
Allegations of Title IX violations filed against Eugene Lenti, former DePaul head softball coach, have been dropped by a federal court in Illinois because, the court said, the person filing the lawsuit was not an employee or student at the university, and so lacked the standing to pursue the claims. The allegations make up Count I in a lawsuit against Lenti filed last April by Jenny Conviser, a sports psychologist, over allegations that Lenti was guilty of verbal and physical abuse against players and the assistant coach. Conviser alleges that DePaul terminated her contract for reporting the behavior. Counts II and III, centered around state law, have not been dismissed, pending additional review.
Last April, Lenti was asked by the Associated Press over the phone to comment on the lawsuit. He said, "Yeah, I don't know what you're talking about.” Then, he hung up the phone. Per official DePaul policy, the university “does not comment on pending litigation,” said Carol Hughes, former DePaul spokesperson in an email to ESPN.
Trivia time, over the course of the 2018-2019 fiscal year, who was the highest-paid employee on DePaul’s staff roster? If you guessed President Gabriel A. Esteban, you’d be wrong. The answer is former DePaul men’s basketball coach Dave Leitao, with a salary of over $1,340,000 — about $386,000 more than Esteban. Leitao was fired last month after a five-season streak of leading the men’s team to last place in the Big East tournament. He leaves behind a 62-112 overall record for his six-season stint at DePaul.
How much did the women’s basketball coach — who entered the 2019 NCAA tournament with an 11-game winning streak — make that year? How did those salaries compare to the university’s highest-paid professor? Ella Lee has published those answers and more in a piece written for The DePaulia listing the university’s biggest paychecks during the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
National headlines
20-year-old Daunte Wright’s death in Minnesota has sparked civil unrest. He was shot by police during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb and died Sunday. Protests followed shortly after and lasted until early Monday, when officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators, and are expected to continue.
More Black people in the United States are open to receiving the coronavirus vaccine, according to Al Jazeera. A March poll from the Associated Press — NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said that 24 percent of Black respondents would “probably or definitely not get vaccinated.” That’s down from 41 percent in January and is around the same response rate as other groups. The turnaround is attributed to better outreach campaigns combating misinformation.
A large margin of Amazon workers rejected the union organizing effort in Alabama, according to The Washington Post. Labor advocates argue that Amazon acted illegally to stop the vote and hope the Biden administration will have their backs as they move forward.
New Jersey is the latest state to require schools to offer diversity and unconscious bias courses, according to CNN. All public schools are now required to teach diversity, inclusion, and equality courses from kindergarten through 12th grade. The new law signed on March 1 will take effect during the 2021-2022 school year. New Jersey joins Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska and Indiana as some of the few states to pass legislation addressing inequity following Black Lives Matter protests.
Recommendations
Television has been one of my favorite pastimes during the pandemic. This week, I’m definitely recommending the Disney Plus original The Falcon and The Winter Soldier starring Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie. The show is action-packed, but with a heartfelt storyline perfect for any comic book fan. Music-wise, in light of the death of rapper DMX, I have been spinning his first album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood, which is a gritty album with a New York rawness to it. For true crime readers, Elon Green’s novel Last Call, which tracks a serial killer across New York City’s gay community, is a definite must-have! | Aneesah Shealey
This past Tuesday, I was the admin judge for the general consolidated election, and we had 15 minutes for lunch. I decided that those 15 minutes would be seeking out fried shrimp that I’ve craved since December 2019. I went into the Austin community, and after I DoorDashed the fried shrimp 10-piece with fries, I finally arrived at the Red Snapper. I’ll admit the parking lot would’ve been a big turnoff if I didn’t DoorDash or order ahead, but I had my order ready and was checking in voters back in Oak Park. Once I returned to my polling place, I told everyone this story, and they couldn’t believe this order of 10-piece fried shrimp with fries was worth craving over a year. All in all, you’ll have to stop at the Red Snapper located at 5255 W Madison Ave, in a egregious parking lot, to have their same realization. | Emmanuel Flores
Looking for a campus job? The University Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) is hiring! The UCWbL is seeking a diverse staff of students across all disciplines to help those at DePaul with their writing-based needs. If you want to work with amazing people, learn new skills and help other students, apply today! Applications are due Monday, April 19, at noon.
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Resources
All of these testing sites and vaccination sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly, which you can access here.
The Illinois Department of Health and the City of Chicago have opened more free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here.
In the spring, the City of Chicago partnered with CORE response to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Eligible for a COVID-19 Vaccine in Chicago? Check out appointments via Zocdoc, the City of Chicago’s Vaccine Finder or pharmacy websites such as Walgreens and CVS to see what is available in or around your zip code.
Chicagoans not yet eligible for the vaccine can get vaccinated at state-run facilities. Check locations here: https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/statewide-vaccination-locations
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist/counselor directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
That’s all from us, folks! Have a lovely week and we’ll see you back here next Monday.
— Francesca, Justin, Aneesah, Cam, Robin and Emmanuel