School Dedicated to Late Student Red & Blue Turns Pink for Oct. DU Law School Helps Convicts

October 13, 2016 Volume 96 Number 9 THE DUQUESNE DUKE www.duqsm.com PROUDLY SERVING OUR CAMPUS SINCE 1925 School Red & Blue turns pink for Oct. DU law dedicated school to late helps student convicts RAYMOND ARKE CAROLYN CONTE asst. news editor staff writer This past summer, non-profit or- Innocent until proven guilty is the ganization Food for the Poor built standard for the American criminal a school in Nicaragua in memory justice system. However, that process of a Duquesne student who passed can sometimes fail, resulting in inno- away in 2014. cent people going to jail. A 2014 study The newly-founded St. Kateri published in The Proceedings of the Tekakwitha School will serve chil- National Academy of Sciences sug- dren in the village of Jicaro, Nica- gests 4 percent of prisoners on death ragua. The school is dedicated to row, a relatively small population in Sara Sawick, who was a sophomore prisons, may be innocent. Duquesne liberal arts student when she died students can now be part of a nation- unexpectedly two years ago. wide effort to exonerate innocent in- In 2013, Sara Sawick traveled to mates. Nicaragua with Food for the Poor, The Pennsylvania affiliate of the In- a non-profit organization which nocence Project, a nationwide organi- builds homes for impoverished zation which works to help free those communities, like the families wrongly convicted, has just recently of Jicaro. Although Food for the opened an office in Duquesne’s Tri- Poor has given Nicaraguans many bone Center, which gives Duquesne homes, the families of Jicaro still and Pitt law students the ability to RACHAEL STRICKLAND/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER did not have a school. help exonerate innocent convicts. After Sara Sawick’s death, the Participants cut a ribbon on Academic Walk for Duquesne’s seventh annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Oct. 7. see INNOCENCE — page 3 family felt a need to do something in her memory. Her sister, Leah Sawick, came up with the idea that they could start a project in Nica- New UCOR director details planned changes ragua. “I think her trip to Nicaragua es that meet core requirements and really changed her,” Leah Sawick HALLIE LAUER staff writer the list of attributes that the registrar said of Sara’s passion for the Cen- office has,” Weaver said. “We want to tral American country. “She came Duquesne’s core curriculum is get- iron out any discrepancies.” back truly changed … she was ting a makeover. Weaver said she wants to create more grateful, more conscious The university’s core (UCOR) a liaison board to facilitate commu- and more calm.” classes will be getting some new nication between her and Duquesne The Sawicks created a website, changes, thanks to new Core Cur- students. SarasShelters.org, with the goal riculum Director Darlene Weaver. “I’d like to create a student liaison of raising funds to build a house “[There are] no major overhauls board, so that there can be opportu- in the Nicaraguan village. Accord- or things like that, but ways to tweak nities at least once a semester for me ing to the website, a single home in the core [curriculum] in order to to hear from students about all sorts Jicaro costs about $3,800 to build. help students complete their re- of things,” Weaver said. “That kind The fundraiser has netted $20,000 quirements,” said Weaver, who was of student outreach, I think, is really to date, and the family decided to hired at the beginning of July. important,” Weaver said. use the influx of funds to take on The main goal of Weaver and a re- Weaver is working alongside a larger building project for Jicaro view committee newly implemented Cheryl Knoch, Duquesne’s assistant COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS — a school. this semester is to create a more open vice president for student involve- Darlene Weaver, a professor of theology, is the new core curriculum director. Food for the Poor began plan- communication system between stu- ment, to create the board. The goal ning the building in 2014. The dents and their advisors, making it is to hear suggestions and concerns classes meet which requirements, progress in meeting core require- school is designed to accommodate easier for students to schedule for from the board and then use those to Weaver wants to help students and ments. all ages, which helped older chil- the next semester. help improve students’ experiences advisors have “efficient as well as Weaver also emphasized that dren in the village who previously “We’re currently making sure with UCOR. constructive” conversations. students can search for their core had no opportunity for education, that there’s consistency between the In addition to making sure ev- To do that, she wants students see UCOR — page 2 guides that advisors get about cours- eryone is on the same page on what to be able to more easily track their see SARA — page 2 opinions features sports a & e Follow us on... Maternal death Culinary Shutout PGH symphony increases creations central on strike U.S. rate on par with Tips for adding a Kozlowski sets new The city orchestra’s countries like Iran spin to your dining school record shutout musicians protest pay and Egypt ... hall meals ... streak ... cut ... @theduquesneduke PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 9 2 THEDUQUESNEDUKE bluff briefs HR employee appointed to non-profit board Duquesne police charity BBQ slated for next week LIZA ZULICK girls’ needs so they can move to staff writer be more self-sufficient,” accord- Duquesne Public Safety will ing to Executive Director Kathi host its annual “Cops ’n Chefs A Duquesne employee will be Elliott. BBQ” on Wednesday, Oct. 19. at helping young Pittsburgh girls Elliott’s mother, Gwendolyn J. 11:30 a.m. on A-Walk near the who are at-risk of violence, teen Elliott, who passed away in 2007, Student Union. The event helps pregnancy and entering the juve- founded the organization. Gwen- raise money for the campus’ nile justice system. dolyn Elliott wanted to empower United Way Fund. On Sept. 21, Erroline Williams young girls because of her back- of the Human Resources Office ground in the male-dominated DU releases annual was given a position on the Board United States military, where she university Impact Report of Directors for Gwen’s Girls, a served in the National Guard and non-profit charity organization Air Force Reserve. Duquesne has released its founded in 2002 “to empower She then became one of the most recent edition of the girls and young women to have first female police officers in Duquesne Impact Report, productive lives through holistic, Pittsburgh, moved up the ranks which looks at how students, gender-specific programs, edu- to sergeant and ultimately be- staff and faculty have impacted cation and experiences.” came Pittsburgh’s first African- Pittsburgh and the entire re- This organization helps over American female commander. gion over the last year. 100 young girls in the Pittsburgh Gwendolyn Elliott wanted to pro- The report said Duquesne area become “self-sufficient vide young women who struggled has contributed over $490 mil- adults, equipped with the capac- in parts of their lives, especially lion dollars to the southwestern ity to continuously evolve emo- since she experienced similar Pennsylvania region. tionally, physically and spiritu- struggles. COURTESY OF ERROLINE WILLIAMS The report found that the ally … ” according to the Gwen’s Currently, Gwen’s Girls hosts Williams is a training and project specialist in Duquesne’s Human Resources de- slightly over 9,000 person stu- Girls mission statement. three after school programs placed partment. She was appointed to the board of directors of non-profit Gwen’s Girls. dent body made an economic “This is a huge reward because around the Pittsburgh area. These impact around $147 million. I feel I can reach young women programs are set up for young girls live in the United States are part of So far, the outcome of Gwen’s Girls at the age that impacts them the in foster care programs. low-income families, which is why has only been positive, according to most,” Williams said. “This way, According to the Gwen’s Girls Elliott chose to base her program the organization’s website. The group POLICE briefs they can reach their goals of website, the groups offer girls in- around girls. This creates a bigger is- showed that when given the oppor- higher education.” teraction with peers and get help sue: These girls become three times tunities, many girls can achieve its Whoo-wee, there were some With the recent addition of with homework, life skills, dis- more likely to be at-risk for violence goals. According to its website, 100 weird crimes on campus this three directors, the Board of cover unique talents and more. and domestic abuse, according to the percent of the girls in the program week, and Cousin PB is here to Directors is now made up of 17 Summer programs are also held Center for Problem-Oriented Polic- moved onto the next grade level, and tell ya’ll about ’em! individuals. The job of the direc- after the school year ends. ing statistics. Gwen’s Girls strives to every girl involved avoided re-enter- Last Wednesday, a student tors is to “try to address of the Forty-two percent of girls who give them the perfect role models. ing the juvenile justice system. in St. Ann’s received a two-fer marijuana and underage drink- ing violation. They’ll be in for a fun chat at the Office of Stu- dent Conduct. Sawick remembered in Nicaragua UCOR Here’s where the weird- ness starts.

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