DePaul MessFest, Chicago calls for ceasefire, and important graduation updates
Plus, Grammys recap and a new music recommendation
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It’s your newsletter team — Alexandra, Morgan, Cary, Nöel, Sam, Rebeca, Elizabeth and Kiki — back with another exciting edition to start off your Monday night!
First, to start off we have a feature piece by 14 E Staff Writer, Morgan Kirsch, detailing DePaul’s annual MessFest, which is a four-day student-led comedy festival where DePaul students can present their own improvisation, standups, sketches and more. Also, for any students graduating in June, you can start reserving commencement tickets and put your name into the lottery system to possibly win more! If you haven’t ordered your regalia yet, you can purchase this through Herff Jones.
In other recent news within the last week, Chicago became the largest city in the nation to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Mayor Brandon Johnson was the deciding vote, breaking the 23-23 tie and tipping the scale in favor of a ceasefire. To read more about the Chicago City Council decision, 14 E Editor-in-Chief, Hailey Bosek, covered the hearing here.
The 14 East newsroom wants to say a huge thank you to any donors who contributed any amount for the Blue Demon Challenge on Wednesday, January 31. Thank you for supporting student journalism!
If you want to show support for 14 East and ‘In the Loop,’ we invite you to donate directly to our newsroom. Whether it’s a one-time contribution or a monthly gift, every cent helps us build a newsroom that serves you, our readers, and we get 100% of your donation.
With that, let’s get into the news!
DePaul MessFest
By Morgan Kirsch
DePaul University’s annual MessFest took center stage at The Annoyance Theater and Bar January 17th through the 20th. MessFest is an annual four-day student-led comedy festival presenting DePaul students’ own improvisation, standup, sketches and more. The series of 40 plus performances showcases the talents of not only DePaul’s comedy cohort, but any DePaul student seeking opportunities for professional and collaborative performance experience.
This year, the student comedians dedicated all of the Fall Quarter to creating original comedic material reflecting their passions and unique interests before showing off the fruits of their labor early in the Winter Quarter. No two shows are the same, spanning anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and a half.
Freshman comedy arts major William LaMaster considers MessFest, “A huge festival of like-minded people that want to create lasting art, hone their craft, or get better at what they’re doing.”
Many student performers also praised the festival as a unique way to get professional experience. MessFest Public Relations and Social Media Director, Ava Cairl, said that the event even had several scouts attending this year from big-name companies in the comedy industry like NBC, Saturday Night Live, Dropout (formerly known as CollegeHumor) and Annoyance Theater’s own agents.
MessFest’s Artistic Director, Sarah Metz, said the festival’s performers were “thrown into the deep end” of professional comedy since they could exert more creative control and take on multiple responsibilities.
“I think that other programs kind of learn how to exist within the greater machine of things, whereas we have a lot of creative freedom and we get to decide how we want to lead things, like what morals are important to us, which I think is really helpful,” Metz said.
The students behind MessFest brainstorm and create all of the material while directing, acting, producing and running the tech in each other’s shows. They even design their own line of merchandise to help raise funds for the program. The line is called Messwear, available during the performances and on their website.
Every student has the opportunity to pitch a piece and take charge in seeing their creative vision through. Metz hopes this year the audience recognized how broadly the umbrella of comedy can extend, including pre-written plays, off-the-cuff improv, sketch shows and beyond. “Comedy can happen in any form. Whether it’s absurdism or very structured, anything can be comedy.”
MessFest Communications Director, Audrey Morgan Gold, believes student-driven performance spaces like MessFest are so important because young people are the voices of the future, and today’s society often undervalues those voices.
“There’s probably less access to younger voices, so student-led productions give us the chance to not only gain skills, but expose the world to brilliance that will only evolve with our age. This is a time-capsule of the artists that we are now, and it’s incredibly valuable that we get to show it,” Gold said.
MessFest also helps make comedy financially accessible. This year, tickets for each show were $5, day passes were $12, and festival passes were $35.
Metz loved the fest’s focus on performative collaboration. She mentioned how creating comedy solely within DePaul’s comedy cohort was enjoyable, but also somewhat limiting. Getting to work with students, like those in film or other theater concentrations, “brings a lot of perspective into comedy that we otherwise wouldn’t have,” she said.
Gold sees MessFest as a safe haven for creatives in the otherwise cut-throat field of arts academia.
“It’s not just us building our network of our own jokes, it’s us building our own network of fellow comedians to bounce off of and hire in the future. I want people to leave this festival knowing that they have more friends than they realized inside of this program,” Gold said.
If you missed the show this year, don’t worry. MessFest will return next year with a whole new set of shows highlighting the performers’ versatile skills and proving to audiences why laughter truly is the best medicine.
DePaul News
By Cary Robbins
Important updates about graduation
Ready for graduation? Students who are graduating this June are able to reserve their commencement tickets as well as put their names into a lottery system to possibly win more tickets before graduation. Students are also able to buy their regalia for the event and apply to be a student speaker. Read more about how to prepare for graduation through the DePaul Newsline.
DePaul professor finds new research for megalodon shark
Kenshu Shimada, a DePaul professor of the Department of Environmental Science and Studies and Department of Biological Sciences, has been studying the Megalodon shark. Last week, his research showed that the shark was much more slender than what previous studies suggested. While no full skeleton of the shark exists, it is often depicted as a large version of the great white shark. To learn more about Shimada’s work and how the study has influenced research about the shark, read the DePaul Newsline.
70 years of Godzilla and the political history that inspired the movie
Want to celebrate Godzilla’s 70th birthday? This Friday, February 9, people are welcome to come to the Gene Siskel Film Center, where they will show the 1954 film Godzilla at 6 p.m. After the film concludes, guests will get a chance to hear from Yuki Miyamoto, who is a professor of religious studies and director of DePaul Humanities Center. She has also studied the movie's geo-political history. She will discuss how the political context of World War II and the U.S. terrorizing the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima influenced the production of the movie. Godzilla is supposed to be “a monster that’s been awakened by the effects of radiation,” Miyamoto told the DePaul Newsline. Read here to learn more about the event.
Lastly, here is your weekend sports update (February 2-4)
DePaul women’s tennis team won 2-0 against Georgia State on Friday.
DePaul men’s tennis team won 4-1 against Furman on Friday.
DePaul’s track and field team broke three school records and achieved seven top-three finishes in the Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational this weekend.
DePaul men’s tennis team lost 4-0 against Boston College on Saturday.
DePaul men’s basketball team lost 93-68 against Xavier on Saturday.
DePaul men’s tennis team won 4-1 against Army on Saturday.
DePaul women’s basketball team lost 42-44 against Georgetown on Sunday.
DePaul women’s tennis team lost 4-1 against Florida Atlantic on Sunday.
Chicago Headlines
By Noël Bentley
Chicago calls for a ceasefire in Gaza - Last Wednesday, Chicago became the largest city in the nation to demand a ceasefire in the war between Palestine and Israel. During this meeting, Mayor Brandon Johnson was the deciding vote, breaking the 23-23 tie and tipping the scales in favor of a ceasefire. Chicago citizens have been peacefully protesting for weeks on end, unfortunately, the voting process was not as peaceful. The meeting started off discordant, and Johnson was prepared to clear the chambers if it got out of hand, having already done so once before last fall after the October 7 attack. For more information, read Fran Speilman and Sophie Sherry’s piece in the Chicago Sun-Times here.
Chicago Children's Hospital targeted by cyber attack limiting access to medical records for up to a week - Last Wednesday, Lurie Children's Hospital was hit with a network outage. Thursday morning, officials released a public statement saying that the hospital had taken its network offline in response to a cybersecurity matter. In their statement, they expressed that even with this unfortunate obstacle in their day-to-day operation, they will continue to provide safe, quality care for their patients and the communities they serve. For more on this matter, Kathleen Foody of the Associated Press has the story here.
Chicago Metra train riders continue to struggle with the Ventra app - On Friday, February 2, it was a rough day for Chicago Metra riders as the app crashed in the middle of the morning commute. Metra has once again apologized to the citizens who use the app, saying they are working with their vendor to fix the problem. This was no relief to the Chicago people, and Jessica D’Onofrio with ABC7 interviewed Metra riders who were unable to show their ticket during ticket check. The Metra app is working again as of Monday, February 5. For more, check out ABC7 Chicago D’Onofrio’s full story here.
Mayor Brandon Johnson says he supports the removal of police officers in schools - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has come out in support of the removal of police officers from schools last Wednesday. This came after the Chicago Board of Education asked for the green light from the mayor to end its $10.3 million contract with the Chicago Police Department. This decision comes after research shows that having a police officer in schools does not prevent school shootings. The campaign to remove police officers from schools started in 2020 with student-led efforts. Before Mayor Johnson was in office, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot received a significant amount of backlash for putting this rule into place. For more information, read Nader Issa and Sarah Karp's piece in the Chicago Sun-Times here.
National Headlines
By Sam Freeman
California braces for severe storms and flooding – The second of two atmospheric rivers hit Southern California Monday morning, causing mudslides, flooding railways and power outages. Around nine inches of rain had fallen in the Los Angeles area, and the area remains under flash-flood warning. The National Weather Service called the flash flooding “a particularly dangerous situation.” In Northern California, winds of over 60 mph brought down trees and electrical lines in the San Francisco area. Power outages affect over 850,000 customers, according to poweroutage.us. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Heavy to moderate rains are expected to continue in Southern California until Tuesday. Christopher Weber from the Associated Press has more information.
The Senate’s $118 billion Ukraine and border deal – Senate Democrats released an $118 billion emergency national security bill that would address aid to Ukraine and implement restrictions of migration at the United States-Mexico border. Although the bill has the support of President Biden and the Senate leaders of both parties, Republicans may not back the bill, after former President Donald Trump and House leaders denounced it, claiming it doesn’t crack down enough on migration. The bill includes money for military assistance in Ukraine, security assistance in Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in global crises, including Palestinians and Ukrainians. The legislation would also implement a trigger that would close the border to migrants crossing into the United States without authorization. The trigger would be tipped if the average number of migrants exceeded 5,000 over the course of the week or 8,500 in a day. The bill must get 60 votes to proceed to a test vote on Wednesday. Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times has the story.
Taylor Swift steals the Grammys, while other women also hold the spotlight – Taylor Swift’s Midnights album won her her fourth career Grammy for album of the year on Sunday night. Swift was one of many women who earned the biggest awards and had the most memorable performances. Miley Cyrus sang “Flowers,” which won record of the year, and Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie won song of the year. Best new artist went to singer-songwriter Victoria Monét. When accepting her award, Taylor Swift announced that her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, would come out in April, and she also shared the news on social media. “For me, the award is the work,” Swift said. “All I want to do is keep doing it.” David Bauder from the Associated Press has more information.
Allie Phillips is running for office after the state of Tennessee denied her an abortion – Allie Phillips, 28, was 19 weeks pregnant when she found out that her unborn daughter only had two of the four chambers of her heart fully formed. Her doctor told her she could wait and expect a miscarriage or terminate the pregnancy – Tennessee had a near-total ban on abortions at this time. Phillips had to fly to New York to have the procedure and, by the time she got there, the heartbeat had already stopped. Phillips was in danger of becoming septic. When she returned home, she joined a number of women suing Tennessee in hopes of changing the state abortion laws. She also joined a political race, running for a Tennessee House seat in District 75. Tennessee is one of almost 20 states that have a Republican supermajority. Phillips says running for office is her way of fighting for the safety of her daughter and everyone else’s daughters. Katia Riddle from NPR has the story.
14 East Pueblo: Afro-Latine Artists to Celebrate Black History Month
By Rebeca Acosta
This year’s theme for Black History Month is Black Arts. Here are some Afro-Latine artists to know about:
Carlos Martiel was born in 1989 in Havana, Cuba with Haitian and Jamaican ancestry. As a queer Afro-Latine, Martiel is a visual artist who confronts the politics of his identity under the Western gaze. Using his own body, Martiel’s performance art makes visible the cultural, political, and economic exploitation Black people face and its trauma on the body.
Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo was born in 1984 in Cuba. Through photography and performance art, Matienzo presents her reality of being a woman. Such images create powerful, yet harsh imagery that exposes the systems of violence against women.
Alexandre Arrechea who is Cuban and Trinidadian, was born in 1970. Arrechea’s art includes large-scale installations, sculptures and watercolor drawings to comment on history, memory, politics and the power relations of the urban space. With his explorations of space, Arrechea engages with space whether that is through its design or social value.
Bembona, an auditory artist, is also a Puerto Rican-Panamanian DJ. Bembona's sound is rooted in practices of healing and self-love, to educate her listeners about the politics of Black Latinidad. With her community-oriented and Afro-diasporic approach, Bembona is empowering those who look like her through sound.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Elizabeth Gregerson
Last night’s Grammy awards ceremony was full of memorable moments like Joni Mitchell’s performance, Fantasia’s Tina Turner tribute and the return of Billy Joel. With performances so stellar, some viewers may have forgotten the show actually centers around handing out trophies.
One of the most anticipated awards each year is Best New Artist, which can set the winner on a path of success and stardom. Past winners of the award include The Beatles, Natalie Cole, Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Adele and Chicago’s very own Chance the Rapper.
Victoria Monét won this year’s Best New Artist award, beating out Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, The War and Treaty and this week’s recommendation, singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.
Kahan rose to popularity in late 2020 when TikTok videos using clips from his music began to go viral. Over the next two years, Kahan began gaining more recognition online and released his album Stick Season in 2022 which debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200.
Kahan’s album Stick Season encompasses the frustrating transition from life as a teenager to life as an adult, when some friends move on and move away but the ghosts of past heartbreaks stay.
His musical style is distinctly folk with elements of pop weaved in through catchy choruses you won’t be able to get out of your head.
Kahan released a deluxe version of Stick Season in 2023 called Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever). On February 9 he will be releasing Stick Season (Forever) which will consist of duets and collaborations of the album’s original songs with familiar artists like Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier and Kahan’s fellow Best New Artist nominee, Gracie Abrams.
Though his songs are no longer available to be used on TikTok since Universal Music Group pulled all their artist’s songs off the platform, you can listen to Kahan’s albums on Spotify, Amazon Music and other music streaming services.
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.
The 14 East Newsletter Team