Students with disabilities call for equity, tragic local Astroworld losses and CPS Vaccine Awareness Day
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and highlighting work of DePaul's student media orgs
14 East magazine
Welcome back! The quarter may be winding down here at DePaul, but the news sure isn't. This week, we have a feature story on a broken university elevator trapping students with disabilities in their dorm, local news about the rollout of vaccines for more CPS students and yet another fantastic column, this time, on DePaul student media.
Whatever the story, your newsletter team — Claire, Elly, Kate, Lily, Ally, Emily, Grace V., Cam and Grace DV. — has you covered. So how about we get right into it?
Students with Disabilities at DePaul Raising Awareness of Equity Issues
By Elly Boes
Yesterday, Accessible Futures DePaul (AFD) — the first organization for DePaul students with Disabilities — published a list of "student needs" calling for university awareness of accessibility issues on-campus.
The list posted to AFD's Instagram page requests a formal apology from the Department of Housing and President A. Gabriel Esteban, following the week-long October shutdown of Centennial Hall's elevator.
When reached for a comment, a university spokesperson responded to 14 East in an email, stating that "DePaul takes our students' concerns, including those from AFD, very seriously. Serving all students, including those with any type of disability, is always at the forefront of what we do."
On October 7, residents of Centennial Hall received an email noting their elevator unexpectedly shut down.
Students in the "wheelchair accessible" dorm then experienced mobility limitations, according to AFD's President Gwenyth True and the anonymous survey she conducted via AFD's Instagram page.
accessible.futures.depaul
A post shared by Accessible Futures DePaul (@accessible.futures.depaul)
"Based on the feedback that was sent to me via that survey, students do not feel like accessibility needs are being taken seriously," said True.
"The issue [with the elevator] was complex and required special parts," Director of Housing, Dining & Student Centers Rick Moreci wrote in an email to 14 East. "The parts took longer to get to us due to current supply chain issues being experienced throughout the country."
Residents were promised a timeline of repairs in the October 7 email but didn't receive any communication about the status of the elevator until it was operational again October 14.
"Simply put we did not have updates either," Moreci said. "We were at the mercy of getting the necessary parts delivered that were needed to fix the elevator. That said, more communication about the prolonged time it was taking to repair the issue could have been provided."
According to a DePaulia article, one student said they couldn't attend extracurricular events and only left their room for essential functions. To address such concerns, True met with both Student Government Association (SGA) and Moreci in late October.
"It doesn't seem that this was something that was really thought about before now," said True.
As of now, Moreci said Housing will be "modifying our notifications moving forward to make sure students know how they can request assistance." He said students with housing needs can email the department (housing@depaul.edu) or reach out to Associate Director of Housing Operations Victoria Van Kirk Pride.
However, the total number of students impacted is still unknown to both True and Moreci.
"I don't think it's any one person's fault," True said. "I don't want housing to feel like we're attacking them, because we're not … [but] as a culture, as a community, we need to evolve. We need to all ensure that this doesn't happen again."
To do so, AFD is also advocating that Disabled experts be consulted when creating or altering housing policies.
Moreci believes they already are at the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). "We consider this office to be knowledgeable about accessibility needs for our students and we work together to achieve these needs as best we can."
CSD did not respond to a request for comment on their relationship with Housing, claiming that the office was busy due to finals week.
"Because even just consulting with the CSD … they're experts in the special education framework, not in housing accessibility," True said.
By addressing the university, AFD aims to "create a culture of accessibility."
"Accessibility is not, 'oh, there's a crisis, we need to fix it,'" said True. "It's not the responsibility of Disabled students to disclose their access needs but rather, [the idea that] 'we thought about those things ahead of time.'"
DePaul News
By Kate Linderman and Cam Rodriguez
Family and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office have confirmed that the body they found last week near 31st Street Beach is that of Oribi Kontein, 26, the DePaul alum who went missing in late October.
_spinny
A post shared by Tena (@_spinny)
"He was a really nice guy," Tena Guwor, a friend of Kontein's, told The DePaulia. "You didn't need to know him for ages to see [his] kindness."
On social media, Guwor confirmed the death, stating that Chicago Police called it a "classic drowning case" and the family is waiting for toxicology report results, and that funeral arrangements are pending.
In administrative news, President Esteban rejected all five motions ratified by the Faculty Council's Council of the Whole, calling for "shared governance" in the wake of the rejection. The motions touched on topics including transparency, greater involvement and autonomy for faculty within their programs and financial equity.
Take a study break to attend DePaul's annual Ugly Sweater Party this Wednesday, November 10 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the quad. The first 1,000 attendees get a free DePaul ugly sweater! Students can RSVP on DeHub.
Here's your weekend sports recap (November 6 to 7):
The women's volleyball teams won 3-2 against Seton Hall on Saturday
Chicago Headlines
By Lily Lowndes
New Media Partnership — The Chicago Tribune announced a journalism partnership with the nonprofit news organization Injustice Watch. The partnership will focus on strengthening local news efforts, reporting diverse stories and emphasizing community engagement with readers. Read the full story from Mitch Pugh, Rochell Sleets, Adeshina Emmanuel and Amanda Miley of the Chicago Tribune and Injustice Watch here.
City-wide Effort to Get Children Vaccinated — Coming after the CDC and FDA's approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to11, the City of Chicago announced a campaign to encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated. Chicago will host Vaccination Awareness Day this Friday, November 12, cancelling Chicago Public School classes for that day and granting city workers two hours of paid time off to get their kids vaccinated. Kelly Bauer of Block Club Chicago has the full story.
See Chicago's Covid-19 vaccine guide for children for more information.
Blackhawks Head Coach Fired — The Chicago Blackhawks let go of three members of their coaching staff, firing head coach Jeremy Colliton and assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank last week due to the team's poor start to the season. Derek King of the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs will serve as the interim head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, CBS 2 Chicago staff reports.
Naperville Mourns Astroworld Victims — Best friends Franco Patino and Jacob Jurinek attended Travis Scott's Astroworld together in Houston on Friday. The college students and Naperville natives were among the eight confirmed victims of a fatal crowd surge at the festival. Talia Soglin of the Chicago Tribune has the full story.
Cyclists Call for Safer Roads — After a bicyclist was fatally hit by a van near DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicagoans are calling for safer bikeways. Seven cyclists have been killed in Chicago in 2021. The Chicago Department of Transportation is pushing to upgrade and install 100 miles of bikeways in the coming year, Emmanuel Camarillo of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
By Ally Daskalopoulos
Crowd control issue at Astroworld Festival — Crowd control was a predicted concern prior to the Astroworld festival in Houston over the weekend. Before the Friday show, Houston police chief, Troy Finner, visited singer Travis Scott in his trailer to discuss concerns. This comes after eight were killed and dozens more injured during Scott's concert on Friday night as part of the festival. J. David Goodman and Edgar Sandoval of the New York Times have the story.
Misdemeanor trespassing charges lagging in local Texas Courts — In an effort to control migrants crossing the border in Texas, local courts are overwhelmed with the number of trespassing cases on the dockets. Only 3% of the 1,500 migrants arrested for trespassing since July have been convicted. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's plan, Operation Lone Star, began last spring in response to President Biden's catch and release program. Elizabeth Findell and Alicia A. Caldwell of the Wall Street Journal have updates.
Will Trump run again in 2024? — Former President Donald Trump was quoted saying he will "probably" wait until next year's midterm elections to announce whether or not he will run for president in 2024. Trump indicated that other GOP potential candidates will defer to his decision to run when the time comes. Claire Rafford of Politico has the story.
Man shot in arm by Rittenhouse testifies — Gaige Grosskreutz, a man injured by Kyle Rittenhouse during protests last summer in Kenosha, took the stand today in the ongoing homicide trial of then-17 year old Rittenhouse. Grosskreutz, a trained paramedic, was treating injured protesters during the Black Lives Matter demonstration and was armed during his confrontation with Rittenhouse. Becky Sullivan of NPR has the details.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Emily Soto
The Fall Quarter at DePaul is quickly coming to a close. Students are in their final week of class and fervently preparing for their final exams or projects. With that said, I want to take these last couple of weeks to recommend some of the student media produced at DePaul throughout this quarter.
This week, I want to talk about The DePaulia, DePaul's independent student newspaper. Here's a few articles that really caught my attention. If you haven't already seen them, I recommend checking them out.
First, opinions editor Erik Uebelacker, wrote an article chronicling the ongoing story of lawyer Steven Donziger, that caught the attention of both me and Donziger himself. Donzinger is the lawyer who won a landmark case in 2011 where he sued Chevron for damaging lands in Ecuador. Uebelacker has done an excellent job outlining the subsequent case that has now sent Donzinger to jail and explained the research into why many believe the case is unfair. Ubelacker also landed an interview with Donzinger. The result was a more intimate look into the case. Both really are a must read.
When it comes to sports, sports editor Darcy Waskiewicz can talk about any sport from tennis to hockey and everything in between. She is on top of all things DePaul sports. My favorite article from her was actually a look into what it was like for student athletes to play with fans again. Waskiewicz was able to express a more personal side of a few of the athletes that we love to watch. Hearing them talk about how they missed the crowd was a nice affirmation for sports fans.
Finally, news editor Nadia Hernandez has followed an ongoing issue at the university that is troubling many of its students and faculty. This issue being the absence of University Counseling Services. The first piece looks at students and their experiences with trying to access counseling services. She found it was not a good one, which ended with students trying to navigate a phone app for help. Next, Hernandez talks with the counseling services director to try and understand what is really happening, while the latest article meets with DePaul faculty to gain their perspective of the problem. This being such a big issue for many on campus, Hernandez's reporting has been crucial and eye opening for readers.
All this and more can be found at the DePaulia website and in their print newspapers which are distributed around campus every Monday!
That's all for this week. Check back next time for a look into Radio DePaul and some of the radio shows you need to listen to!
The Illinois Housing Development Authority periodically offers rental payment programs which send vouchers directly to landlords to subsidize rent costs. The program is currently closed to new applicants. However, housing stability service providers are offered year-round. Check out the resources here.
The city of Chicago's Rental Assistance Program provides funding for Chicagoans who are at risk of becoming homeless.
The Brave Space Alliance currently offers multiple housing resources. In order to distribute aid accordingly, they have a housing intake and assessment form that you can find here.
Rentervention is a legal-aid bot that can answer questions, draft letters and explain tenant rights. See how it can help you here.
Cook County also provides rental assistance for renters. See if you qualify and for how much here.
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Resources
All of these testing sites and vaccination sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 viral and antibody testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly. The organization also offers the Moderna vaccine for individuals 18 and older. You can check all of their current COVID-19 resources here.
The Illinois Department of Public Health and the city of Chicago offer free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here. IDPH also offers COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 12 years and older. Call 833-621-1284 to schedule an appointment.
The city of Chicago partnered with the Community Organized Relief Effort to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Know someone 12 years of age or older who has yet to receive their COVID-19 vaccine? Check out appointments via Zocdoc, the city of Chicago's Vaccine Finder or pharmacy websites such as Walgreens and CVS.
At Open Counseling, there's a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQ+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. The master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here's 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya's support groups.
The Trans Lifeline's peer support hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call 312-263-4368, ext. 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
Well, that's it for this week! Be sure to check back next Monday for more city news, campus updates and more.
The 14 East Newsletter Team
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