DePaul’s SGA elections, Chicago’s plan to reopen
and some cute cows
Well hello, friends!
It’s your favorite Monday newsletter team — Patsy, Grace and Cam — back at it with more news, resources and random pieces of information you didn’t know you needed.
As we enter week ??? of quarantine, we bring you news of DePaul’s Student Government Association, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to reopen Chicago and the cutest quarantine companions we could ask for. But don’t let us waste more of your time, get reading!
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What’s the latest at DePaul?
Today marks the start of DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) elections. Students have through Thursday, May 14, to vote for candidates. You can read about candidates and their platforms on the SGA website.
In other recent news from DePaul SGA, presiding senator for Mission and Ministry Kelly Garcia and policy advisor Wesley Janicki wrote a resolution that demanded the protection of Chartwells dining workers at DePaul.
The resolution was officially passed in SGA on May 1 with 19 voting members voting “yes,” six members choosing to abstain, one member voting “present” and one member voting “no.”
The voting record has been made public by SGA.
Now that the resolution has been passed by SGA, it will go to DePaul’s Joint Council which is made up of executives, deans, vice presidents, the presidents of the Faculty and Staff councils and members of the Student Government Association.
The resolution will be presented to the Joint Council by standing SGA President Gisselle Cervantes at its next meeting on May 19.
One thing to note about the resolution: It cited that 14 East reported that DePaul’s contract with Chartwells ends in 2022. We did not report that. We reached out to Garcia and SGA has since updated the resolution. SGA actually learned that DePaul updates its contracts every 7 to 10 years during a meeting with DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban in April, Garcia said. Here is the updated resolution.
In other news, students are now able to apply for funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The CARES Act includes a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) which provides $7.1 million to aid DePaul students “for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.”
Students who have completed the FAFSA, are Title IV aid eligible and were enrolled in classes that were intended to be face-to-face before DePaul announced the closure of its campus on March 13 are eligible to receive a $500 grant.
Due to limited funds, students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Applications for the CARES grant will be accepted until June 15.
What’s happening in Chicago?
In a remote press conference today, as one of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s senior staff tested positive for COVID-19, Pritzker said new models project Illinois to hit its peak in mid-June. This is disheartening, he said, but it means the state is saving lives by flattening the curve.
In a press conference today, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the opening of six new testing sites across the city – one specifically for first responders and health care workers and the other five in areas with disproportionately high cases. Right now, Chicago is testing at a rate of 24.6 percent positive, said Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, and that the city needs to be under 20 percent by the end of the month.
Lightfoot revealed her plan to reopen Chicago on Friday. It’s similar to Pritzker’s five-phase plan to reopen Illinois that we talked about on Thursday, but Lightfoot’s plan lets the city move through phases every 14 days instead of 28 – releasing a set of epidemiological factors like case rate, citywide hospital capacity and testing capacity, to reevaluate every 14 days. It also focuses more on public gatherings rather than when specific businesses can open. Chicagoans can complete a survey to weigh in on the reopening plan here.
Currently, Chicago is in phase two – the flattening phase. Both Lightfoot and Arwady stressed that Chicagoans need to stay home through the month of May to keep the curve flat and reopen more quickly.
Lightfoot told the Chicago Sun-Times that she's determined to reopen Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on time this fall, but “in a way that is smart and safe.” She mentioned ideas like alternate days that limit the number of people in schools at one time. She noted that the reopening plan will vary by neighborhood (depending on whether individual schools are overcrowded, at capacity or underutilized).
According to the five-phase plan, the city will need to be in phase four to reopen CPS. The Chicago Teachers Union told the Chicago Tribune, however, that they intend to bargain over how schools will reopen, prioritizing safety.
Lightfoot also said on Friday that the 606 and the lakefront weren’t likely to open anytime soon – popular trails like these were closed on March 26 after they saw crowds of people during warm weather. She said the closed trails and lakefronts might open this summer with restrictions, but she’s not making any promises until she sees how Chicago’s faring.
As of today, 54 more people have died from COVID-19 in Illinois in the past day, bringing the statewide total to 3,459. A total of 79,007 positive cases have been confirmed in Illinois, including 1,266 new cases in the past day, Pritzker announced.
Other Chicago News:
A look into Illinois’s first 100 COVID-19 deaths, 70 of which were Black, by ProPublica Illinois’s Duaa Eldeib, Adriana Gallardo, Akilah Johnson, Annie Waldman, Nina Martin, Talia Buford and Tony Briscoe
Nursing homes account for 48 percent of Illinois COVID-19 deaths, by Chicago Sun-Times’s Nader Issa
Chicago intercepts tax refunds to collect unpaid debt, hitting the city’s Black and Latinx populations the hardest, by Block Club Chicago’s Simon Davis-Cohen
Fancy hotel on the Magnificent Mile acts as a makeshift isolation facility for people experiencing homelessness, by the Chicago Tribune’s Alice Lin and Cecilia Reyes
Legal aid organizations are strained by pandemic-related cases like domestic violence and unemployment benefits, by the Chicago Tribune’s Antonia Ayres-Brown
South Side gardeners adjust to the pandemic, by Block Club Chicago’s Maxwell Evans
If you don’t want to watch the news, here are the national headlines to know:
Two men were charged with murder and aggravated assault in the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man who was jogging in his neighborhood, last Thursday. (Read more about the timeline of the case by the New York Times.) Today, the Justice Department is currently reviewing whether or not they want to file a hate crime charge, by The Hill's Justin Wise.
Two White House staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus; both work closely with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, by the New York Times's Michael D. Shear and Maggie Haberman.
Workers at Tesla are being asked to return to work despite shelter-in-place orders. This comes after CEO Elon Musk called shelter-in-place orders “fascist,” according to Business Insider’s Linette Lopez and Mark Matousek.
Shanghai Disneyland is open, marking the first Disney property to reopen amid COVID-19, by The Verge's James Vincent.
The case against ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn, accused in 2017 of lying to the FBI, was dropped over the weekend, by BBC News.
Dogs… Lizards… and Cows (?)... OH MY!
Ruby, 3 and Homer, 3
Hey everyone, Grace here. I’d like to take this time to introduce Ruby and Homer, the beautiful faces that inspired this story. As the stay-at-home order progresses, I find myself continually asking, “How do people quarantine without pets?” Well, it turns out others have been asking the same question.
Without further ado, I present the furry (and scaly) friends that have been keeping some of our readers company during this quarantine season.
Blue, 3
From the notorious city of Philadelphia comes 3-year-old pitbull terrier Blue. Blue is high energy and has been very annoyed at the lack of access to his favorite dog parks (felt that).
“You can very clearly see his behavior change from having to be limited to indoors and the small backyards,” said Vinny Santos. “Although he loves the increase in attention and treats.”
Hang in there, Blue!
Harold, 1
Next up, we have the great lizard king Harold, currently residing in Avon, Ohio. If you couldn’t tell from these poses, Harold is a star and likes to show off on his very own Instagram.
“He has been a great distraction from all of the negativity,” said Katie Donovan. “He keeps me busy, I could sit and watch him for hours.”
Keep strutting your stuff, Harold!
Mando, one month and Kuiil, one month
Hailing from the great town of South Bend, Indiana, we bring these two lovely Holsteins. Both are a month old and sassy as ever.
“We usually get our calves when I’m busy so I can’t feed them,” said Mary Rose Weber. “But since I’ve been home because of COVID I’ve been feeding them every morning with my mom.”
They’re both named after characters from the Mandalorian, and to quote Weber’s mom, they are both “real bastards.” But hey, at least they keep quarantine entertaining.
Here’s what documentaries are on peoples’ lists:
📺 Connor is watching “Ugly Delicious”
🎬 Maddie is watching “Now We Live on Clifton” (which discusses gentrification in Lincoln Park due to DePaul!)
🎬 Kerry is watching “Grey Gardens”
📺 Cate is watching “Salt Fat Acid Heat”
🎬 Kristi is watching “The Punk Singer”
🎬 Olivia is watching “Iris”
Bored?
We have some fantastic news for you. Avatar the Last Airbender is returning to Netflix on May 15. Watch it in full. Cry a little. Take this quiz and figure out which bender you are.
More fantastic news, Charli XCX is releasing her album, How I’m Feeling Now, onMay 15. LISTEN. Hope that Pitchfork doesn’t wrong her like they did with her Vroom Vroom EP
Play this game and sing along.
Join a series of netizens as they recreate every episode of The Office on Slack, weekdays from 9 to 5
Team Edward or Team Jacob? Email patsynewitt@gmail.com detailing the merit of your decision. She will respond.
Overwhelmed?
Watch this soft-spoken guy teach wilderness survival
Contact Illinois’ Call4Calm mental health resources. Residents can text TALK for English or HABLAR for Spanish to 552-020 and the state will put them in touch with a counselor
Call 833-626-4244 for the NAMI Chicago Helpline or 833-TURN-123 for the Bright Star Community Outreach to speak to a mental health counselor
If it’s late at night: text HELLO to 741741. Crisis Text Line is a 24-hour hotline that serves anyone, in any type of crisis
Want to help?
Here’s Chicago organizer Kelly Hayes’ mutual aid form to sign up to help
Sign up to do senior wellness checks for My Block My Hood My City
Lost your main source of income?
Here’s where to apply for unemployment and here’s how to apply
Need financial assistance?
Need food or supplies?
Text 312-775-2391 or email LakeviewMutualAid@gmail.com for food, prescription pick-ups, caregiving, medical supplies and more – “prioritizing folks who are sick, disabled, low-income, elderly, undocumented and Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color”
Until next week, go on a masked walk with your quarantine companions (human and animal alike), consider altering your appearance one more time, pick out a new TV show to binge and of course, hang in there.
Yours ~Truly,
Patsy, Grace and Cam