DePaul hits 100 COVID cases, new student insurance task force, second episode of ‘The B-Side’
And a new show to binge between classes
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We hope you had a nice, restful weekend and are ready to take on the week. Today we have another great newsletter, with a feature story on DePaul’s student insurance task force, a column on the latest show you need to binge and the second episode of our new podcast, The B-Side. So, be sure to stick with us till the end of this one — you won’t want to miss everything we have in store!
The Second Episode of The B-Side
By Richie Requena with Claire Malon
Our second episode of The B-Side features a story from Pueblo Managing Editor Richie Requena. Published in May of 2019, "Paying Out of Pocket" details the experiences of three undocumented college students as they struggle to afford the cost of tuition amid discriminatory laws preventing them from receiving financial aid.
In this piece, Requena describes how local undocumented students are finding ways to pay their way through school and explains the efforts by leaders to change the law to make higher education more accessible to all.
Written and produced by Richie Requena
Recorded by Claire Malon
Cover art by Bridget Killian
Miss our first episode of ‘The B-Side’? No worries! Check it out here:
DePaul’s New Task Force: Ensuring Student Health Insurance
By Elly Boes
A new university initiative aims to research accessible healthcare options for DePaul students by the end of the academic year.
At the Faculty Council meeting on January 12, a new task force was announced that plans to study student health insurance plans, beginning this quarter.
Following the meeting, Faculty Council members sent an email to faculty stating the task force will be led by Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Eugene Zdziarski and will include faculty representation.
According to Zdziarski, the primary steps of the task force will be to “assess the need for student health insurance within the DePaul student body, explore student health insurance requirements at other universities and … review potential health insurance policies.”
The Faculty Council email also said that the task force will begin meeting in February to “submit recommendations to the Cabinet by the end of the 2021-22 Academic Year.”
“Ideally, the task force can complete these tasks and report back to university leadership prior to the end of the academic year,” Zdziarski said in an email to 14 East.
Under DePaul’s administration — which consists of the President, Provost, deans and administrative officers — the Vice President’s Cabinet functions to provide support to Zdziarski to develop policies, plan budgets and other communications between administrators.
According to Zdziarski, two student representatives — one undergraduate and one graduate — will also be appointed to represent student interests on the new task force.
College students make up one of the “single largest, cohesive groups of uninsured individuals.”
As of now, DePaul does not provide a university-coordinated student health insurance plan — something that is typically included under tuition costs at other colleges. According to their website, the Division of Student Affairs offers guidance on “Affordable Care Act compliant health insurance plans” as well as the university’s partnership with AMITA Sage Medical Group located at 1150 West Fullerton Avenue in Lincoln Park.
DePaul also doesn’t have its own health clinic, besides University Counseling Services for mental healthcare, so most health-related coverage and direction is provided by outside contracts like AMITA Sage Medical Group or through university departments like the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness.
This means that students are largely responsible for researching their own healthcare plan, filing insurance claims, and finding providers around DePaul campuses if they are not covered by their parents, employers or other organizations.
As of now, DePaul automatically enrolls international students in the International Student Insurance program under the ISO Medical and Accident Insurance Company, which covers “an accident and sickness health insurance plan” to assist in paying for “major illnesses and medical emergencies.”
However, the last time all students were guaranteed a healthcare plan from the university was 2015, when The DePaulia reported a discontinued contract with former university healthcare provider Aetna. At the time, Zdziarski said in an email to faculty and staff that the Affordable Care Act would replace university-sponsored plans due to increasing private premiums, or insurance rates.
According to a 2018 survey from Lookout Mountain Group — a research organization that tracks insurance and health services at U.S. universities and colleges — college students make up one of the “single largest, cohesive groups of uninsured individuals.” The study noted access to university or college insurance plans plays a major role in healthcare coverage besides government enrollment programs like Medicaid.
At DePaul, the new task force hopes to understand how healthcare insurance affects students more locally.
This is a developing story which 14 East plans to cover over the next several months. Stay tuned later this week for a full article on additional updates.
DePaul News
By Kate Linderman
COVID-19 booster and masking requirements
On January 13, the university announced via email that it would require booster shots for everyone in the DePaul community before March 1. Students must comply with this requirement in order to register for in-person Spring Quarter classes. Law students will be dropped from Spring in-person instruction if they do not comply.
Students can submit proof through Campus Connect (Student Resources>Immunization Status). Faculty and staff can submit proof through this link.
More information about DePaul’s booster mandate, as well as the breakdown of the mandate’s decision can be found at 14 East.
The university also announced that everyone on campus should wear an N95, KN95 or a cloth mask doubled with a surgical mask. KN95 masks are available on-campus. Check out 14 East for mask distribution locations.
100 confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus
Today, DePaul’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 100 confirmed on-campus cases for the quarter. 14 East’s managing editor Cam Rodriguez breaks down DePaul’s COVID-19 dashboard on Twitter.
Proof of vaccination required for on-campus dining
Per the Chicago Vaccine Requirement, proof of vaccination will be required for all on-campus dining. Students, faculty and staff just need to show their DePaul ID since the university vaccine requirement is sufficient to the mandate. Non-DePaul guests are required to show a vaccine card along with valid ID, a valid medical or religious exemption or a negative test within 72 hours.
In other dining news, faculty and staff can receive a 10 percent discount at select on-campus dining locations. Find the full list on Newsline.
In-person commencement schedule
The university announced the in-person commencement schedule for the Class of 2022. DePaul will monitor the safety of in-person commencement amid the ongoing pandemic. The commencement schedule and important deadlines can be found on Newsline.
Blue Demon Week
Blue Demon Week begins today! Check out the Blue Demon Week website for a list of events.
Lastly, here is your weekend sports update (January 22-23)
The men’s tennis team beat North Dakota 7-0 on Saturday
The men’s tennis team lost to Wisconsin 4-3 on Saturday
The men’s basketball team lost to Creighton 60-47 on Saturday
The women’s basketball team beat Xavier 94-74 on Sunday
The women’s tennis team lost to Army West 4-3 on Sunday
Chicago Headlines
By Grace Vaughn
Two Top CPS Officials Leave District — Chicago Public School's top leadership positions continue to face changes as Maurice Swinney, the interim chief education officer, and Dr. Kenneth Fox, chief health officer, both announced that they would be stepping down in February. Concerns around these recent departures emerged after the district's three highest-ranking Black men left within several months. Pedro Martinez, chief executive officer, addressed the matter in an interview Monday, insisting that he was committed to diversity as he rebuilt his team, Nader Issa of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
City’s Vaccine Mandate Expected to End by the Spring — During a question-and-answer session on Thursday, Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady shared plans to lift the vaccination and indoor mask requirements once the city returned to a moderate, low risk infection level. Chicago is currently faced with a high level of daily cases, as the test positivity rate sits at 11.6%. In order to be considered moderate, the CDC requires an 8% test positivity rate. Arwady remained hopeful that these changes could happen as early as the spring, but cautioned residents not to let their guard down too soon. Alice Yin and Dan Petrella of the Chicago Tribune have the story.
Little Village Community Mourns Melissa Ortega — Devastated residents and community members gathered in Little Village on Sunday afternoon to attend Melissa Ortega's vigil. The 8-year-old was fatally shot this weekend as she walked down 26th Street with her mother. The two of them recently moved to the neighborhood after immigrating from Mexico with hopes to “build their American dream”, according to an online fundraiser built to raise money for funeral expenses. A suspect has yet to be identified as police continue to investigate the case. Read more from Madison Savedra of Block Club Chicago.
CTA Reaches Labor Deal with Transit Union — The Chicago Transit Authority and union locals agreed upon a tentative labor deal today that called for a 9.25% pay hike and changes in worker scheduling. Covering about 8,500 bus and rail workers, the new agreement comes after months of discussion and will last through 2023. David Roeder of the Chicago Sun-Times has the details.
National Headlines
By Monique Mulima
Voting Rights Bill Fails – The federal voting rights bill failed to pass in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. This bill stalled out at 51-49, not reaching the 60-vote threshold it needed. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) voted against it to bring it back for debate at a later date. Senate Democrats were hoping to create a carve out in the filibuster to pass the voting rights bill with a simple majority, but Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin III (D-WV) opposed this change. This defeat comes on the heels of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King’s family asked people not to celebrate without passing the voting rights bill, which they say would protect voting rights for people of color, an integral part of Dr. King’s activism.
Free At-Home COVID-19 Test Site Goes Live – On Tuesday, the site to order free at-home COVID tests went live. Every household in the U.S. is eligible to receive 4 rapid antigen tests, which will be mailed free by USPS. The site launched a day early and tests will be shipped out within 12 days. There were some cases of people in multi-unit dwellings receiving error messages saying that tests had already been ordered for their address, but some have found workarounds by including their unit number. If people have any issues ordering tests the USPS suggested filing a service request.
Anniversary of Roe v. Wade – Saturday marked the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established the right to abortion across the U.S. On Thursday, Catholics for Choice gathered in Washington D.C. to call on the government to protect this right. Friday in D.C. was the March for Life, where anti-choice activists protested against abortion. This year was especially important for both groups, as the Supreme Court is hearing a Mississippi case that would directly challenge Roe v. Wade by trying to limit abortions to only 15 weeks. On Saturday the White House released a statement supporting Roe v. Wade saying, “It is a right we believe should be codified into law, and we pledge to defend it with every tool we possess.”
FBI Closes Gabby Petito Investigation – Friday the Denver FBI announced that they ended their investigation and will soon be closing the Gabby Petito case. Gabby Petito had been traveling with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie throughout the summer of 2021. When he returned without her in September, her parents reported her missing, with her remains later found. Laundrie had then been missing for weeks, and in October police found his remains, and ruled his death a suicide in November. The FBI said that along with the remains, they found a notebook from Brian Laundrie, in which he claimed responsibility for Petito’s murder.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Emily Soto
This week on Netflix, Archive 81 rose to the number one spot shortly after its January 14 release. The story, which is based on a podcast of the same name, follows a woman named Melody Pendras as she video tapes her interactions with fellow residents of the Visser Apartments in New York in 1994. Meanwhile in the present day, a man named Dan Turner has been specifically chosen to restore a set of tapes that were damaged in a fire at the Visser. As he works in total isolation, he begins to learn of the same secrets that Melody was uncovering about the Visser and the people living inside.
But as you may know with any good mystery, the secrets always run deeper than you think.
So what is the real reason everyone cares about fire at the Visser Apartments so much? What is Dan’s connection with the tapes? What other secrets are the residents hiding?
To add to the mystery and uneasiness of this story, Archive 81 blends the past and present in classic horror film fashion. With the low quality footage, a never ending eerie hum, and the blurring line between reality and fantasy, you really are immersed in the worlds and emotions of Melody and Dan.
But that was the easy part. For me, keeping up with the lives of every resident at the Visser was like trying to untangle an impossible knot. Each time you started to figure out one person, you would realize that there were still a million more secrets lying beneath. So much so, that even the end of the season was just another giant mystery.
So if you’re ready to commit to what seems like a never ending story, I think the show is worth a watch. But I might suggest taking this one slow. Instead of the usual easy binge, give yourself time to digest what is really happening and get to know the people of the Visser. Otherwise, you might experience the same frustration that I did when realizing that some answers just have to wait — but I guess that’s what season two is for.
Resources
Need resources regarding warming centers, rental assistance, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! Stay warm out there, folks, and we’ll catch you back here on Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team