DePaul president addresses DEI, Memphis police investigation, and the Super Bowl
plus Chicago Police District Council elections
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team — Kate, Cary, Monique, Michelle, Faith, Citlali, Emily, Lauren, Bridget and Anna.
Last week, 14 East reporters attended the first Design DePaul event where President Robert Manuel presented his goals and future plans for the university. We’ve got more details on DePaul’s study abroad program, Police District Council elections and a new French café that opened near campus.
Join us Monday, February 6 from 5-7 p.m. at 14 E. Jackson BLVD Rm 1128 for our public newsroom on entertainment reporting in collaboration with NAHJ DePaul and Depaul NABJ. We will have a panel discussion with journalists covering Chicago’s arts and culture. Come with your questions!
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We hope to see you at our first public newsroom of the year! Until then, here’s the news.
Designing DePaul event tries to address equity, retention and revenue
By Cary Robbins and Monique Mulima with photos by Michelle Edwards
Approximately 800 people joined DePaul President Robert Manuel’s first Designing DePaul session Thursday which focused on his strategic plan and included a question and answer session.
Manuel presented his plans for making the campus more inclusive for all students, raising retention rates for students, faculty and staff and ensuring a better financial future for the university.
At the event, the president announced his diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) memo which was released today in an email from the president’s office. The memo addresses religious intolerance, racial bias and equity and announced Shajuan Young as the school’s first coordinator for equity programming.
Part of Manuel’s DEI plan includes working to make DePaul a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). If the Latine population at the school reaches 25% of the student population, DePaul will receive federal funds to invest in the education of Latine students. DePaul meets the requirements to receive federal funds for the Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander-serving institutions program. The first topic Manuel discussed was about diversity, equity and inclusion and how to create a space for all students at a predominantly white institution.
The strategic plan presentation showed how the school’s retention rates are declining in students and faculty. As part of the solution, Manuel wants to look at the university’s budget and see how he can reallocate money to make sure that he is not laying off faculty members.
Following the presentation, Manuel took questions from audience members in person at Holtschneider Performance Center and from participants online.
Leonard Jason, a professor of psychology at DePaul asked about alternative tuition payment options for students who have large amounts of student debt. However, Manuel explained that he did not see this as the way forward.
“There are lots of models out there that on initial look, look really interesting, like reducing your tuition based on the amount of discount or providing a way for donors to invest in the lives of the students so that after they graduate they pay back their loan a little bit by a little bit to the university. All of those turn out to be gimmicks,” responded Manuel.
Instead, the president proposed differential tuition – where programs that have higher income earning potential would cost more than those with lower earning potential. 14 East later asked Manuel about how this would affect students from lower income backgrounds who may not be able to afford those programs with higher earning potential. He acknowledged that this could create access issues but that the university would fundraise to provide financial support to students in those situations.
Another question came from Scott Ozaroski, a director of study abroad and a member of faculty council, who raised a number of concerns of staff and faculty.
“We have a lot of staff who for quite a while now have been overworked, missing positions in their department, positions not able to be filled … is it a point where we need to stop offering certain services because we just can't provide them or do we compensate to people that are doing the extra work that they have been put on?” asked Ozaroski.
Manuel acknowledged these issues caused by the decline in revenue and said that things need to change.
“Without any intervention, we're doing this year after year. Without any intervention, the campus climate surveys will just continue to show that erosion of quality of life here,” said Manuel.
One of the ways Manuel talked about addressing this issue is finding new sources of revenue for the university. He proposed getting government funding for interdisciplinary research, expanding continuing education and expanding DePaul’s reach in India by creating programs and connections there.
In addition to faculty, students also asked questions during the session. One student asked how the president plans to rectify the lack of resources for multicultural groups and centers and “how can we ensure these cultural departments have an equitable allocation of resources that centers their experiences?”
The president spoke of his Monday memo and how this process is ongoing. After the event, 14 East spoke with Manuel, and when asked how he plans to make the campus feel more inclusive for marginalized communities, he asked for students' input on this issue.
Manuel says he plans to continue these conversations through 43 more events, both in person and online. Read full coverage of the president’s DEI plan this Friday at fourteeneastmag.com.
DePaul News
By Faith Hennig
Study Abroad Program accepting applications
DePaul students have a limited amount of time to apply and turn in their applications to the Study Abroad Program. Students will be able to experience a wide array of cultures on their trips during sessions in Summer 2023 and Fall 2023, as well as the academic year. The last day to apply is February 1. The Study Abroad office hours are located on their website here.
Course Carts open
Students can officially put classes into their course cart using the Campus Connect login. Course Carts help students organize and determine what classes they might be able or want to take for the next grading term. Registration for classes also begins February 2. Students must make sure that there aren’t any holds or warnings prohibiting them from registering. More can be found on registration here.
DePaul stands against violence
On Monday, January 27, the university put out an official statement standing against violence amid several mass shootings in the country and the very brutal and recent death of Tyre Nichols. Tyre Nichols’ death by Memphis officers has caused national protests and conversations on the treatment of people of color in America, DePaul adds its sentiments, stating “The Nichols family has joined calls urging for non-violence. DePaul University prays our community will remain safe.” Counselors and other support services are linked in the statement as well.
Lastly, here is your weekend sports update (Jan. 28-29)
DePaul men’s basketball lost to Marquette on Saturday 69-89.
The women’s basketball team postponed their Saturday game against Seton Hall to February 15.
Chicago Headlines
By Citlali Perez
Chicago Police District Council elections — Chicago Police District council elections are coming up on February 28. The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a forum on January 22 with candidates. Many of the candidates are survivors of police brutality. Jim Daley with the Chicago Reader and the Triibe has more on the story along with a voter guide.
Cook County will drop all charges against R. Kelly — Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced today that Cook County prosecutors intend to drop all charges against R. Kelly at his next hearing on Tuesday. The cases include four sexual assault indictments, one involving Kelly’s goddaughter. In a statement, Foxx said they are deciding not to invest any more resources on the indictments given the extensive federal convictions Kelly faces. Megan Crepeau and Jason Meisner with the Chicago Tribune have the details.
Chicago Police Lieutenant found not guilty — Lt. Wilfredo Roman was found not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct. Roman allegedly beat a 17-year-old with a flashlight for carjacking. Prosecutors argued that the teenager did not resist arrest. Cook County Judge Joseph Claps heard the case on Friday. Madeline Buckley with the Chicago Tribune has more on the story.
National Headlines
By Emily Figueroa
Eagles vs Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII — The State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 12. On Sunday, the NFC Championship ended with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the San Francisco 49ers 31-7. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs seek redemption after a Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. The Eagles haven’t won the Super Bowl since 2017 when they defeated the New England Patriots. Head to Sports Illustrated where Eric Tyche has more on the teams’ history.
A sixth officer suspended in the Memphis police investigation — Tyre Nichols was a 29-year-old Black man who suffered an estimated three minutes of beating from Memphis police officers. The five officers who attacked Nichols have been fired, arrested and indicted on seven felony charges, including second-degree murder. The Memphis police department reported that a sixth officer has now been suspended in connection to the investigation of Nichols' death. His suspension roots from his use of a taser that struck Nichols in his torso, according to a police report. Jessica Jaglois and Rick Rojas have the updates.
59 people killed in a Pakistan mosque — The city of Peshawar suffered a suspected suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday. Police said the attacker passed through multiple barricades guarded by security forces. The bomber entered a high-security zone that houses police headquarters, and it has been the deadliest attack on security forces recently. More than 150 people were injured, and 59 people died in the bombing. The Washington Post stated that more than 300 worshippers were in the mosque as the explosives went off and were covered in debris as the roof came down on them. Riaz Khan has the full story.
Military factory attacked in Iran — A large explosion occurred on Sunday at a military factory in Isfahan. Authorities said the factory, targeted by drones with bombs, faced minimal damage. There were no casualties from this attack, but NBC states that this is the latest flashpoint for tensions over the country’s nuclear program. Israel is suspected to be responsible for this attack, as they have committed incidents similar to this. Israel has been in a shadow war with the Islamic Republic and Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu views Iran as a threat. Aina J. Khan reports on the issue at NBC.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Lauren Sheperd
Hello everyone and welcome back! This week, I have a recommendation for a restaurant that just opened up on the southwest corner of Armitage and Fremont. Just a couple of blocks from campus, Maison Parisienne is an authentic French cafe. The third location of Maison Parisienne opened for pick up orders a few weeks ago, and the full, sit down cafe opens on Friday, according to a sign in the restaurant. The other two locations are along Clark street in Lincoln Park and Lakeview near Wrightwood and between Belmont and Roscoe Street.
When I was looking for a place to get a small Sunday brunch a few weeks ago, I immediately thought of a French cafe I had seen over and over again on walks that had finally opened. So I went, and I was not let down. The cafe has a variety of sweet and savory pastry options. I was able to try the ham and swiss croissant and a slice of one of their quiches, both of which were delicious and savory. According to their website, Maison Parisienne has other French options including sandwiches, macaroons and baguettes. All of their recipes originated in Paris and include ingredients such as European butter, artisan unbleached flour and French chocolate to keep the authentic European taste and freshness.
Aside from the food menu, Maison Parisienne also has a small shop with fresh baguettes, jams and other spreads. All of these items are displayed beautifully at the front window of the store, which is what drew me to the cafe in the first place.
The next time you need a place to study and want some good food to go with it, head over to Maison Parisienne!
Resources
Need resources regarding cooling 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