DePaulia (DePaul University, Chicago, IL), 1995-03-03

              By YaKenda McGahee Staff Writer The only signs of the DePaulia around the Lincoln Park Campus on Feb. 24 were the remnants that covered the Stuart Center Pit after the issues were destroyed by a group of concerned and unhappy African-American students. One of the demands from the concerned African-American students was that the DePaulia publish an apology for the Feb. 17 article in the Feb. 24 on the incidents that occurred at the Housecall party, Feb. 10, which the concerned African-American students contend was racist. What did appear was a clarification of the events in the weekly staff editorial titled "Call for Community." "A number of black students were very discontent when they read the DePaulia and found that there was no apology, just an editorial that Zack Martin [editor in chief of the DePaulia] had written," said Eric Wright, a sophomore, who participated in destroying the issues. Dion Williams, the Housecall president, said, "I don't feel it was By Rev. John E Minogue, C.M. In my cover letter for the Diversity Implementation Task rce report* I said that we had gaa oar climb to excellence through diversity, but we had a long way to go, 1 do not claim to know the path to achieving diversity. I do know that the only sure footing for that path is mutual respect. 1 also know that only way of achieving heights of excellence In the past few weeks at DePaul, the footing of mutual respect has been eroded. The causes for this erosion of respect could be blindness, could be old habits, could even be inconsiderateness. This loss of respect has caused anger, hurt, and for some* just indifference. The temptation will be to let the ties that must bind us all to be severed, If this happens, I am afraid individual groups will try to achieve harmony and excellence, but find paths that lead nowhere. When the ties get broken on this very tough clinib, it is important to reestablish the sure footing of respect, commitment to one another, and forgiveness for harms done. Administrators, faculty and I have been working with the many a direct apology to the black community."On Feb. 10, the Housecall, a student organization who publish a quarterly African-American newsletter, held a party in the Stuart Center that ended early after a conflict arose. The DePaulia's subsequent report of the incident sparked accusations of bias and racial insensitivity. Wright said the article had insensitive language, false information and demeaning, descriptive phrases. 'The overall tone of the article was degrading to black people and black males specifically" said Wright. Williams said the Feb. 17 article was biased and unfair because it didn't use sources from the Housecall or any student who was at the party. The sources used for the Feb. 17 article included the reports from DePaul Security and Chicago Police. The Housecall refused to comment at that time. The DePaulia Business Manager, Charlie Johnson, said, "the first article presented the information as accurate as the DePaulia knew it." Martin said that in light of the groups of students over the last several weeks. There have been tremendous efforts peaching out B8S&.|| a!L tie who have been each other how to climb this mountain that mil lead to excellence through diversity. We will, at times, face sheer cliffs that seem to go nowhere. We will have no obvious solutions to our differences. in respect. It is on these simple, but courageous, gestures that ties can again be built thai lead to new roads of excellence through diversity. We all very much need the students who have new eyes, great strength and willingness to look at new ways to help find these paths for all of us. See Minogue Cfte BeiPauIta Vol. 73, No.17 DePaul University March 3,1995 Students protest the DePaulia at Lincoln Park Housecall's decline to make a statement, his staff "reported the article as unbiased and balanced as they could with the facts they had at the time." Darryl Arrington, the Stuart Center Night Manager at the party, said the students who destroyed the DePaulia were upset with how African-Americans were being portrayed. He said the DePaulia reporters should have obtained statements from students who were present at the party if the Housecall refused to make a statement. "There was definitely a lack of sensitivity and thoroughness on the DePaulia's part." DePaul University's Official Student Newspaper After the Feb. 17 article, Martin and the DePaulia staff felt they took the necessary steps to improve the sensitive situation. Martin said the follow-up article titled, "Housecall and administration work toward resolutions," in the Feb. 24 issue, represented the Housecall's account of the incident well, and the staff editorial, "Call for Community," would help to remedy the situation. Johnson, who said the Feb. 24 article did a good job of revealing the facts the DePaulia was not able to attain for the Feb. 17 article, Respecting differences in culture and perception The DePaulia looks into the issues concerning prejudice and respect as they relate to recent events on campus inevitable differences in perception lie at the heart of the matter. In Opinion/Editorial, Page 8 said, "in destroying the second article, this group of AfricanAmerican students destroyed their side of the story." However, Williams and other African-American students feel the DePaulia failed to take responsibility for what these students call poor journalistic reporting. This group of students said the DePaulia also failed to meet their request that an apology be printed on the front page. "If you disgrace and discredit me on your front page, I want an apology on your front page," said Williams. Martin said it's not the DePaulia's policy to put editorial articles on the front page. "I just felt it was a staff editorial and staff editorials belong in the editorial section." Martin said, however, he wants the students who participated in the protest to realize that the DePaulia is trying to remedy the situation. "I sincerely hope the African-American students realize we're concerned with what they're concerned with." Martin hopes the DePaulia will not be destroyed again. Williams does not know if further protests will follow, but he insists that he and the other stu­ Transportation skids to a halt A bike stands alone as an ice storm hits the Chicago area this past weekend making many forms of transportation difficult. Say goodbye to VHS, hello to videodiscs Two multinational corporations, Sony/Phillips and Time-Warner/ Toshiba, are competing over the creation of a CD-sized laser disc that will eventually make videotapes obsolete. In Magazine, Page 12 dents are not satisfied. He said they still demand an apology on the front page. "If the DePaulia can ever shape the opinion we (African-Americans) have of them, this is their chance to do it." The Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., president of DePaul University, said he hopes that the DePaulia and the group of African-Americans will meet half way and begin to rectify the situation.Fr. Minogue has met with administrators, Housecall representatives, the DePaulia staff and some of the students who participated in the demonstration. On Tuesday night, Fr. Minogue had a meeting with three representatives from the DePaulia and three concerned African-American students in an effort to find what he calls a "common ground." Fr. Minogue said he has realized there is a great deal of respect for the individuals involved. He said DePaul still has along way to go until it can build the type of excellence that diversity brings. "It's my deepest hope that our hurts, our blindness, and our angers can be worked through to achieve the kind of community we all long for." Photo by Erin Anderson, Photo Editor Intramural teams start playoffs this week Open basketball, 6'2" and under basketball and floor hockey all begin playoffs this week. Check out the playoff brackets in the Intramural Corner. In Sports, Page 17