“Examining Bachelor Nation,” FEST, and Chicago’s migrant crisis

Plus, don’t miss the DePaul Drag Show this week

May 23, 2023

Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team — Kate, Emily, Citlali, Eiman, Isabella, Lauren, Kiernan, Monique and Bridget — back with the news you need to start your week.

Are there any Bachelor fans reading? DePaul’s “Examining Bachelor Nation” course brings an academic approach to the reality series. Outside of class, DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus is gearing up for FEST, the University of Chicago will work to build the world’s most powerful computer and the NAACP issued a travel warning for the state of Florida.

On Wednesday May 24, join 14 East for a documentary screening of #NoCopAcademy which looks at the entire NoCopAcademy campaign. RSVP to claim a spot before they’re gone.

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Let’s get to the news!

“Examining Bachelor Nation”: The Academic Value in “The Bachelor”

By Emily Figueroa

The off season of “The Bachelor” has left fans waiting for Charity Lawson to take her role as bachelorette this June, but DePaul students haven't missed a moment of the drama in the course “CMNS 311: Examining Bachelor Nation.”

As a student in this course, I learned there is more to the series than extravagant limo entrances and contestants storming off, “The Bachelor” holds influence over its audience through parasocial relationships and trends in media.

Taught by Adriane Stoner, the course analyzes one of the most successful reality TV shows, and how the franchise handles themes of gender, race, heteronormativity, monogamy and romantic relationship dynamics.

“I often have several students that take the class that have never seen an episode of the show. It is a great course for anyone who is interested in analyzing popular culture from a critical cultural approach,” Stoner said.

Professor Stoner isn’t the only one who's acknowledged the value of the franchise. Authors Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Pace wrote “How to Win the Bachelor: The Secret to Finding Love and Fame on America’s Favorite Reality Show” after two months of binge-watching every season since 2002.

The authors framed the reality show as a professional competitive sport full of statistics, point systems, and its own lingo. Each episode is a round closer to the grand finale where the top competitors battle for love, and of course an engagement ring.

Kultgen and Pace’s book is used as a reference in Stoner’s course. Their podcast “Game of Roses”, which provides detailed coverage on everything about “The Bachelor” and its spinoffs, is also part of the course materials.

This course goes the extra mile by not only studying the franchise, but also engaging with past cast members. This quarter alone, 16 guests ranging from past contestants, producers and podcast hosts have met with the class to speak about the franchise and reality TV.

Previous contestants, including Clayton Echard, Andrew Spencer and Kenny Braasch, have visited the class in person or Zoom, and are featured on the course’s TikTok page. Each guest had their own perspective to share and exclusive behind the scene moments.

“Getting to Zoom and meet cast members, leads and producers adds another fascinating layer by allowing us to learn more about industry practices,” Stoner said.

These meet and greets were an open environment for each student to ask and learn about the reality TV show’s effect on media, but also for previous contestants to speak their truth about their portrayal on the show.

A common issue brought up during the interviews was the lack of rights that reality TV stars dealt with while under contract. Jeremy Hartwell and Nick Thompson from “Love is Blind” spoke to the class about their troubles on the series and why they created the Unscripted Cast Advocacy Network (UCAN).

UCAN works to provide legal and mental health support to past, current and future reality TV cast members. Hartwell and Thompson speak for those who were exploited and silenced during their time on any reality TV show.

With efforts from UCAN and the diversity being pushed in reality TV, the future of the franchise will look much different in the years to come. A big change is “The Golden Bachelor” that was announced last week by ABC. The spinoff will pair senior citizens that are looking for a second chance at love.

Stoner looks forward to the new wave of reality TV being ethical and entertaining, so keep an eye out for her course next year and take advantage of the chance to critique “The Bachelor” for yourself.

DePaul News

By Citlali Perez

DePaul to CPS pipeline for school counselors

Through Project STRIDE (School-Based Trainee Recruitment and Retention through Innovation and Diversity Enrichment) 96 Depaul graduate students who commit to work in high-need Chicago public elementary schools will receive training and tuition support. The program is funded by a $4.2 million interdisciplinary grant awarded to DePaul by the U.S. Department of Education. The grant was awarded to help expand the capacity of school counselors in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to provide mental health support for students. Read more about the program here.

Undergraduate and graduate game design programs receive top rankings

DePaul is among the top 50 undergraduate schools and top 25 graduate schools for game design according to the Princeton Review. Animation Career Review named DePaul the top design school in the Midwest. The program’s success is attributed to student and faculty efforts to bring attention to their work. Read more about the game design program here.

DePaul Drag Show

On Thursday, May 25 the Division of Student Affairs and the LGBTQIA+ Resources Center are hosting the annual drag show at the Lincoln Park Student Center in room 120 AB. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the first 100 people to check in have been promised to receive a DePaul pride tote bag. The show includes performances from Bambi Banks-Coulee and Switch de Boi. Attendees are encouraged to come ready with cash to tip the performers. Here is the event post.

FEST is Friday

Friday, May 26 at 4 p.m. is the 38th annual FEST at the Lincoln Park Quad. Flo Milli will be headlining the concert with Emblem3 as the opening act along with three other performances from students. Tickets are $10 for DePaul students and $20 for guest. Attendees can also expect to see other activities on the quad. FEST will be followed by a party at the Lincoln Park Student Center room 120 AB from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Get all the details here and purchase your ticket here.

Chicago Headlines

By Eiman Navaid

UChicago to build the world's most powerful computer — The University of Chicago received $150 million in funding from IBM and Google to build the world’s most powerful computer, in partnership with the University of Tokyo. This was announced at the G7 summit in Japan on Sunday, and has the potential to override any and all current computers. Robert Channick of the Tribune has the details.

Thompson Center post office vandalized — The post office located on Randolph Street was vandalized early Monday morning, with as many as 18 people breaking through the front door. David Struett of the Sun-Times reports.

Rogers Park to get guides for Howard Street district — The Rogers Park neighborhood is getting guides to greet shoppers and commuters to boost the city’s struggling district. This initiative is part of the city’s Corridor Ambassador program. The guides will answer questions, greet people, offer recommendations and address city issues. Joe Ward of Block Club Chicago has the details.

Chicago’s migrant crisis — Chicago police officers have been forced to help with the ongoing migrant crisis with no aid from the city, as it has disrupted their stations and daily work. As many as 9,000 people have migrated to Chicago since August, and many of them are taking shelter on the floors of police stations. Ariel Parrella-Aureli of Block Club Chicago reports.

National Headlines

By Isabella Ali

Seven western states reach deal on Colorado River conservation. — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, California, Arizona and Nevada have agreed on conservation measures for the Colorado River, aiming to address water scarcity issues and protect the river's ecosystem. The deal includes provisions for reducing water consumption, enhancing water storage infrastructure, and investing in conservation projects. The states aim to use 13% less water within the next three years. Visit Al Jazeera for more.

Meta fined $1.3 billion for data privacy violations in Europe — Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been fined by the European Union for violating data privacy rules. The EU has ordered the company to stop transferring European user data to the United States. Meta, who has previously warned that it would cut off its services to Europe, vowed to appeal and asked the courts to put the decision on hold. Kelvin Chan from Associated Press has the news.

US economy on brink of ‘economic disaster’ — With the Republican-led House refusing to pay the nation's debts until President Joe Biden agrees on cuts to current and future spending and additional limitations on social programs, America is on the brink of an economic disaster. Failure to reach a compromise could see retirement and veterans’ benefits put on hold for millions of citizens. Biden, who has previously vowed not to negotiate on the debt limit, will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to discuss potential solutions. If the crisis cannot be resolved, it could create panic in financial markets. For more updates, check out The New York Times.

NAACP issues travel advisory for Florida — The NAACP has issued a formal travel advisory for Florida in response to Governor Ron DeSantis' alleged efforts to erase Black history and restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the state's schools. The League of United Latin American Citizens and LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida have also previously issued travel advisories. The advisory coincides with DeSantis' expected presidential campaign launch. The DeSantis administration previously blocked the introduction of an Advanced Placement high school course on African American Studies. In response to the travel advisory, DeSantis' press secretary dismissed it as a mere publicity stunt. Aliza Chasan from CBS has the news.

Hey, Check This Out!

With Featured Columnist Lauren Sheperd

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Like many of you, I am ready for the end of the quarter and for summer to start. With the final weeks of the quarter starting to pick up speed, I have hardly been able to just sit down and relax. However, whenever I am given the opportunity, I have chosen to fill this free time with some true crime.

Over the weekend, I began watching HBO’s most recent true-story based drama series, “Love & Death.” Starring Elizabeth Olsen, the seven-episode series shows a dramatized version of a 1980 murder in Texas. This case was particularly interesting because of who the offender was, along with her denial of ever being involved. Though the series has an intentionally slow start, the action picks up following the murder. I would recommend avoiding doing any research prior to watching the drama in order to keep the element of surprise. If you do intend to watch this show, know that some of the scenes are graphic.

If you’re looking for a short show to watch as we approach finals, I would recommend “Love & Death.” All but one episode has premiered on HBO, and the final episode premieres this Thursday.

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