Campus rally for Rafah, Chicago early voting guide, and longtime DePaul supporter leaves $10 million for School of Music
Plus, some new YouTube channels to check out!
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It’s your newsletter team — Alexandra, Isabella, Morgan, Varun, Gia, Cary, Sam, Emily, Elizabeth and Hailey — back with another Monday night newsletter to start off your week!
Jumping off, 14 E Staff Writer’s Isabella Salinas and Morgan Kirsch detail the DePaul student-led rally that took place last Tuesday, demanding for the university divest from Israeli apartheid and genocide. Students marched along Sheffield, Fullerton, Clifton and Belden Ave. before ending at the DePaul quad. In other DePaul news, longtime supporter of DePaul University Maria Patricia Gannon recently passed, leaving more than $10 million for the School of Music. Also, Chicago early voting had begun for the Illinois primary election on March 19. The Chicago Sun Times and WBEZ have put together a voting guide where you can find out who is on the ballot, how to vote, where to watch the primary races and learn more information about the candidates.
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With that, let’s get into tonight’s news!
DePaul Divest and the Rally for Rafah
By Isabella Salinas and Morgan Kirsch
Hundreds of DePaul students shut down part of W. Fullerton Ave. next to campus last Tuesday, demanding the university divest from Israeli apartheid and genocide. Students met at the bronze statue in front of the Lincoln Park Student Center in a rally for Rafah, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Rafah is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip that has been a target for Israeli ground attack.
“Today we’re here because it has been 136 days and 75 years of the Israeli genocidal campaign and aggression toward the people of Palestine,” said an SJP representative at the rally who wanted to remain anonymous.
DePaul student Jawaad Farooqui marched to support Palestinians who have been made “second-class citizens in their own country.”
“Liberation is the right of every human being, including the Palestianins. They do not deserve to live in squalor under the thumb of foreign occupation and oppression,” Farooqui said.
There was police activity before the students were on the move, blocking off areas and directing cars around the march. Students marched along Sheffield, Fullerton, Clifton and Belden Ave. before ending at the DePaul Quad. Once you got off the Fullerton train platform, a line of police officers on bikes could be seen on Sheffield.
“We’re here to show our administration that we are DePaul, and DePaul stands with Palestine,” said the leader of SJP.
DePaul’s official stance on the Israel-Hamas war is neutral. In DePaul’s office statement “Our Guiding Principles in Response to the Israel-Hamas War” released October 19 2023, DePaul condemns the Islamophobic and antisemitic acts around the world and in Chicago committed in response to the war.
The statement shares a list of principles regarding the war in an effort to, “Embrace the complexity of this moment with care and engagement.”
In addition to providing principles and university resources, the statement concludes by acknowledging how the crises caused by the war will weigh on members of DePaul’s community differently.
“We call on our university leaders to focus efforts and resources on the care of ALL people at DePaul, to focus towards DOING – creating programming and engagements to offer healing and support to those in our community who are in need and hurt,” the official statement said.
Students were seen holding up flags in support of Palestine and the students were calling for DePaul to divest from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. SJP organized Depaul Divest as a part of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement back in 2014.
A current member of SJP who remained anonymous, read a speech on behalf of a former president of SJP, Husam Marajd, who was present during the initial 2014 divestment campaign.
“As alums, we call on DePaul administration to actually follow the Vincentian values that they love to throw around a lot and divest from the genocidal state of Israel,” said Marajd’s letter.
In 2014, DePaul was invested in companies that supply and resource Israel, like Hewlett-Packard, Caterpillar, Veolia and Boeing. However, the current investment portfolio from DePaul is being kept private, and SJP and students alike are calling for full financial transparency from DePaul University.
In 2011, a majority of DePaul students voted in favor of ending the sale of Sabra hummus in campus dining halls. The Student Government Association (SGA) passed a referendum presented by SJP to replace the brand with other alternatives because of Sabra’s co-owner, the Strauss Group’s, donations to two Israeli military units implicated in human rights abuses: the Golani and Givati brigades.
The sale of the hummus continued at DePaul, DePaul’s Fair Business Practices Committee stating, “While we recognize the original complaint made by DePaul students arose from genuine concerns surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the judgment of the Fair Business Practices Committee there do not appear to be sufficient grounds for a boycott of Sabra Hummus, primarily because the committee did not find evidence that the Strauss Group provides direct military support for units within the Israeli Defense Forces.”
“Show us where our money’s going” chanted the leaders of the rally.
Other DePaul student organizations attended the rally, like the student life organization Jews 4 Justice, where member Owen Howard spoke with the intention to comment on Jewish life at DePaul.
“DePaul does not spend time, money or effort cultivating Jewish student life, programming, from the inside. All of that work is outsourced to external zionist organizations who prioritize zionist programming over Jewish activities for all Jews,” said Howard.
President of SGA, Parveen Mundi, attended and spoke at the rally on campus. She acknowledges that she can not speak on behalf of Palestinians, but can speak on the recent events where the Indian state deployed zionist drone warfare and chemical weapons on protestors, marching to New Delhi in demand of basic dignity.
“From Punjab to Palestine, nobody should have to be so resilient in protesting for their basic rights and livelihood,” said Mundi.
DePaul student Tesamy Abulaban marched in support of SJP’s message.
“We’re done. We’re ready for a ceasefire. We’re calling for a ceasefire now and we’re asking for DePaul to divest. Divest divest from Israel,” Abulaban said.
From the streets of W. Fullerton Ave. to the classrooms in Arts and Letters, one could hear the students calling for DePaul to take action, chanting, “DePaul, which side are you going to be on?”
DePaul News
By Gia Clarke
Grad student Vishaal Desai celebrates his new documentary
Vishaal Desai, a DePaul grad student, recently completed his documentary film “B.K.S. Iyengar: Uniting Through Yoga”. Prior to coming to DePaul, Desai graduated from the prestigious London Film School in 2009, and was primarily working in the film industry in India. The film is about the life of B.K.S. Iyengar, a yoga teacher who popularized yoga as an exercise in the West. Desai was selected to be the director through his friend and producer Mrinal Kapadia, who was a student of Iyengar and was inspired to make this documentary. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime. Zachary Klein, contributing writer of the DePaulia, has more.
DePaul receives more than $10 million from Mary Patricia Gannon’s estate
Mary Patricia Gannon, a longtime supporter of DePaul University, has recently passed, leaving more than $10 million for the School of Music. Gannon has been involved with the School of Music since 2004. Due to her generous donations and commitments in the past, DePaul named the concert hall in the Holtschneider Performance Center the “Mary Patricia Gannon Concert Hall”. She was also given the Pro Musica Award in 2022, recognizing her contributions to the School of Music and the Chicago philanthropic community. Russell Dorn from DePaul’s Press Release has more.
Emmy Award winning ABC News veteran John Quiñones set to receive Distinguished Journalist Award
John Quiñones will be honored with DePaul’s Distinguished Journalist Award. He has seven Emmys for his work on many different shows that utilize investigative reporting, like Burning Questions, Primetime Live and 20/20. He contributed to the passing of the “I am Vanessa Guillen” bill through his reporting on Vanessa Guillen, the murdered Fort Hood soldier. The bill strengthened investigations into sexual harassment and assault within the military. He also had a popular news program called What Would You Do? where he would have actors reenact scenarios in public to see if the people around them would intervene and help the victims within the scene. DePaul’s press release has more.
UConn beats DePaul’s women’s basketball team for the 25th straight time
Yesterday, DePaul’s women’s basketball team played against UConn’s women’s basketball team, and DePaul lost to them for the 25th consecutive time in a row. The final scoring was a 104-67 victory over DePaul. TSN has more information on the play-by-play.
Chicago Headlines
By Cary Robbins
Guide for early voting in Chicago –Early voting has begun for the Illinois primary elections, and the election day is March 19. With so many people on the ballot, it can be difficult to know who to vote for and where to research. The Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago have put together a resource page where you can find who is on the ballot, how to vote, where to watch primary races and more information about the candidates. You can find the resources page here.
Chicagoans vote for Bring Chicago Home may not count in primary ballot –Cook County Judge Kathleen Burke ordered on Friday that Chicago voters should not be allowed to decide in the March 19 election primary “whether to give Chicago City Council the power to hike taxes on the sales of properties worth $1 million or more to fight homelessness,” as reported by Heather Cherone from WTTW Chicago. While the question will remain on the ballot, all results will not be tallied or reported unless the state appeals court decides to overturn Burke’s decision. City lawyers asked Burke “to put a hold on her ruling” on Friday, and they filed an appeal on Monday morning, according to WTTW Chicago. To learn more about this decision, read Heather Cherone’s article.
Guide for Cook County 2024 Judicial primary elections – Judges have a lot of power, deciding traffic tickets, divorces, lawsuits, evictions and criminal cases. They have the power to overturn state laws as well as perpetuate or correct injustices, according to Injustice Watch. With limited resources to find out more about the Cook County judges for the 2024 primary elections, Injustice Watch has created their own guide to all people running for primaries. Read their guide here before placing your vote. You will be able to find your judicial district, review candidates and save your report to take to your polling station.
André 3000 performance in Chicago – Artist André 3000 came to Chicago to perform two shows on February 15 at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Mark Braboy wrote in an article for The TRiiBE how “André 3000 captivated the audience … with melodic winds from his flute” in the “massively tall and lush greenery” of the conservatory. Braboy wrote that two of the three venues where André 3000 performed were located in historically Black and Latine neighborhoods, and he asked people attending the concert to place their phones into locked pouches and not to bring cameras to enjoy without distractions. To learn more about the concert and its importance for many Chicagoans, read the article here.
National Headlines
By Sam Freeman
Vigils held for Oklahoma nonbinary teenager who died the day after school bathroom fight – The Oklahoma nonbinary teenager died a day after a fight in the school bathroom, which they said was a target of bullying. Vigils were held across the nation for Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary teenager, who was attacked by three girls at Owasso High School after Benedict poured water on them. The day after the fight, Benedict’s mother said their breathing was shallow, their eyes rolled back into their head and their hands were curled, according to the audio released by Owasso police. A two-week old police warrant states that the attack was being investigated as a felony murder, however, the department is now saying Benedict’s death was unrelated to the attack, based on preliminary information from the autopsy. Vigils were held across the nation, including Boston, Minneapolis, New York and Southern California. Matt Blancett, who organized the vigil for the LGBTQ+ group in Oklahoma, said “It shows people that we have a community, we are here, we’re not going anywhere.” The Associated Press has more information.
The Supreme Court is to decide how the First Amendment applies to social media – Laws in Texas and Florida aim to protect Conservative speech by prohibiting social media platforms from removing posts based on their political viewpoints. The other outstanding question in court is whether tech platforms have free speech rights to make editorial statements. Supporters of the state laws claim that the public should have access to all viewpoints. Opponents say the law inhibits the platforms’ First Amendment rights by spreading lies and misinformation, such as Russia’s propaganda claiming that its invasion of Ukraine is justified or ISIS propaganda claiming that extremism is warranted. The Supreme Court decision is expected by June. Liptak of The New York Times has more information.
Surge in syphilis cases causes doctors to ration penicillin – Syphilis rates are at a 70-year high nationwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 207,255 cases were reported in 2022. Syphilis rates rose about 80% between 2018 and 2022. There’s a specific penicillin injection that is the go-to treatment for syphilis. A shortage began last spring causing public health agencies to advise providers to ration their stock. Specifically, providers should prioritize pregnant women with syphilis because penicillin is the only treatment that’s safe for them. When the mom spreads the disease to the fetus, it can cause birth defects, miscarriages and stillbirths. The transference of the disease is called congenital syphilis, and there were 3,755 cases reported to the DCD in 2022. The number of cases in babies rose by 183% from 2018 to 2022. The CDC attributes this rapid increase to lack of timely testing and adequate treatment. The rise in syphilis has created a demand for penicillin that Pfizer can’t keep up with, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Catherine Sweeney of NPR has more information.
Michigan is an early test of how Biden’s Israel-Gaza stand will affect his campaign – Dearborn, Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the country, and every death in Gaza has been felt deeply. One group, the Listen to Michigan movement, is encouraging Democrats and Independents to show up at the polls and check the “uncommitted” box, as a way of protesting the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Michigan is an important swing state. Biden won it by more than 150,000 votes in 2020, and Trump took in 2016 with just over 10,000. Abbas Alawieh, the spokesperson for Listen to Michigan, says: "We're also saying, President Biden, you are losing people and have lost many people here in Michigan, key voters, where you need every vote you can get. And unless you take a different approach, you will be handing the presidency back to Donald Trump and his white supremacist buddies." Even though a lot can change before the November election, the primary on Tuesday is an initial test for how Biden’s stance on Gaza could hurt his reelection bid. Rachel Treisman, Leila Fadel, Reena Advani, Ziad Buchh of NPR have the story.
14 East Pueblo: Nancy L. Maldonado Could Become the First Hispanic Judge on a Chicago-Based Court of Appeals
By Emily Figueroa
The first Hispanic judge to possibly join the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is Judge Nancy L. Maldonado. Nominated by President Joe Biden, Maldonado would fill a vacancy in a court that hears appeals from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
She is one of the five judicial nominees Biden named, and he has vouched for Maldonado before. In April 2022, she received her current position as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Illinois after Biden’s nomination.
Maldonado made history when she joined the U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Illinois as the first Hispanic woman to serve as an Article III federal judge in Illinois.
Prior to her work with the district, Maldonado spent 12 years at Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C. where she began as an associate in 2003 but moved up to partner by 2010.
Her educational background began at Harvard College in 1997, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. Maldonado further her studies at Columbia Law School in 2001 where she obtained her juris doctor degree.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Elizabeth Gregerson
TikTok influencers hold more clout than YouTubers these days. Gone are the days of beauty influencer supremacy and non-stop Buzzfeed videos, but remnants of the era remain. This week’s column shares three YouTube channels that entertain, explain and help you escape.
Claire Saffitz is a chef and food writer who you may recognize from the popular Bon Appétit YouTube channel show Gourmet Makes. Saffitz left Bon Appétit in 2020 and later that same year created her own channel, Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person. Saffitz uses her YouTube channel to highlight dishes from her cookbooks, Dessert Person and What's for Dessert, and to recreate familiar favorites with her own personal twist. She shares her step by step baking process while giving helpful advice for all levels of at-home bakers.
The next YouTube channel recommendation is the home of three BuzzFeed alums. Shane Madej, Steven Lim and Ryan Bergara own the channel, Watcher. Each of their distinctive personalities are highlighted in the variety of shows they create for their audience. Bergara heads up one of the channel’s most popular shows, Ghost Files, where he and Madej visit haunted locations and hunt for ghosts despite Madej’s rejection of all things supernatural. Madej is the man behind the puppet in another one of the channel’s popular shows, Puppet History, where Bergara and a guest compete for jelly beans in a history based quiz. Lim produces food related shows on the channel like Dish Granted and Homemade.
Finally, a channel that can either help you focus or let you leave reality for a bit, The Vault of Ambience. The videos found on The Vault of Ambience channel are all instrumental music pieces mixed with pleasant sound effects behind beautiful scene setting backgrounds. Some of the videos take inspiration from popular movies like The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Other videos provide extremely specific worlds for you to escape into like, “VICTORIAN ROMANCE: It's the 19th Century and You Are a Hopeless Romantic.”
All of the channels can be found on YouTube - enjoy!
Resources
Need resources regarding warming centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.