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Chicago professional sports on the rise eventually PAGE 31 PAGE 20 The humans behind your Volume 53, Issue 9 October 30, 2017 ColumbiaChronicle.com favorite anonymous Twitters Día de los Muertos: Students celebrate Latino culture SEE PAGE 10 » MACKENZIE CROSSON/CHRONICLE editor’s note College’s commitment to MANAGEMENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Zoë Eitel MANAGING EDITORS Eric Bradach diversity doesn’t hold water Ariana Portalatin DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Brooke Pawling Stennett ART DIRECTOR Zoë Haworth Main line: (312) 369-8999 Advertising: (312) 369-8984 INTERIM AD & BUSINESS MANAGER Noah Kelly Campus: (312) 369-8965 » ZOË EITEL Metro: (312) 369-8982 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CAMPUS Arts & Culture: (312) 369-8967 Opinions: (312) 369-8968 CAMPUS EDITOR Connor Carynski Copy: (312) 369-8976 CAMPUS REPORTERS Tessa Brubaker Photo: (312) 369-8972 n the Office of Student Diversity and Permission/Reproductions: (312) 369-8955 Olivia Deloian General Manager: (312) 369-8955 Inclusion, two people are covering Molly Walsh Iall the work that used to be handled Faculty Adviser: (312) 369-8910 by up to five employees. Of these two ARTS & CULTURE The Chronicle is a student-pro- people in what was previously the Office ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Jonathon Sadowski of Multicultural Affairs, only one can be ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS Kendrah Villiesse duced publication of Columbia Miranda Manier College Chicago and does not considered multicultural. necessarily represent, in whole or At a college that touts its commitment METRO in part, the views of college admin- to diversity, equity and inclusion—the istrators, faculty or students. METRO EDITOR Jackie Murray part of Columbia’s Strategic Plan that a director who cannot dedicate all of her All text, photos and graphics are METRO REPORTERS Savannah Eadens the property of The Chronicle and seems to be talked about the most—this time to the role? Blaise Mesa is disappointing and unacceptable. This This is not a knock on Sommers and may not be reproduced or pub- lished without written permission. staff shortage resulted from the departure Becerra-Ramirez, who bear heavy OPINIONS of former Director Kimberly Weatherly, responsibilities and doing all they can. Editorials are the opinions of the OPINIONS EDITOR Tyra Bosnic who also served as the African-American This is a criticism of the college that just Editorial Board of The Chronicle. Columns are the opinions of Cultural Affairs coordinator; former posted a job listing for the SDI director COPY the author(s). LGTBQ Culture and Community position Sept. 29—almost two full months COPY CHIEF Lauren Carlton Coordinator Lex Lawson; and former after the previous director left. COPY EDITORS Jay Berghuis Views expressed in this publi- Asian-American Cultural Affairs As reported on Page 3, the SDI Office Alex Swan cation are those of the writer Coordinator Ramona Gupta. will undergo a restructuring, and the and are not the opinions of The GRAPHICS Chronicle, Columbia’s Journal- Weatherly’s August departure left the three vacant coordinators will not be ism Department or Columbia position of Multicultural Affairs director filled but will be restructured to include GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Patrick Casey College Chicago. vacant, and Associate Dean of Student a total of three employees—two intersec- Samantha Conrad Amelia Detwiler Letters to the editor must include Life Kari Sommers—a white woman— tional coordinators and the director. But Jocelyn Moreno full name, year, major and phone has filled the role in the interim. While it is not known when that will happen or number. All letters are edited for Sommers is presumably doing her best to who will fill those positions. A long time- PHOTOGRAPHY grammar and may be cut due to help the office overcome losing the major- line wouldn’t be surprising as Columbia a limit of space. SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR Kevin Tiongson The Chronicle holds the right to ity of its staff, she is not someone who tends to make changes and progress at a PHOTO EDITORS Erin Brown students of color or those in the LGBTQ snail’s pace. Mackenzie Crosson limit any one person’s submissions to three per semester. community can relate to. Besides the Undoing Racism work- Monica Westlake The other person who is still in the shops the college has held for faculty and MULTIMEDIA office is Rogelio Becerra-Ramirez, who is staff the past two years and the appoint- the coordinator of Student Engagement ment of a dean of Academic Diversity, MULTIMEDIA REPORTER Brock Stillmunks and Diversity and formerly held the title Equity and Inclusion, the college doesn’t ADVERTISING of Latino Cultural Affairs coordinator. have much progress to point to in regards As reported on Page 3, Becerra-Ramirez to its DEI goal. There are four job postings SENIOR MARKETING CONSULTANT Micha Thurston MARKETING CONSULTANTS Lainey Schiek has taken on some responsibilities in the for assistant professors in four depart- Mariana Rodriguez office that he is not necessarily comfort- ments as part of the Academic DEI office’s able with or qualified to speak on—such as targeted cluster hire, which will attempt WEB the culture and struggles of black, Asian to bring in tenure-track professors with WEBMASTER Eric Eldridge and LGBTQ students. expertise in diversity issues. However, Not only have those two been left to these professors would not start until fall OPERATIONS shoulder the important task of keeping 2018, according to the job postings. OFFICE ASSISTANTS McKayla Braid student diversity and inclusion a focus It’s clear to me that the college wants Gabriel de la Mora of the college and helping student orga- to be inclusive, increase its diversity Nicole Restrepo nizations to do the same, but Sommers and has good intentions at heart, but is also still serving as associate dean of doesn’t quite know how to accomplish SENIOR STAFF Student Life and as an adjunct professor that in a manner and timeframe that GENERAL MANAGER Chris Richert in the Business and Entrepreneurship will help currently enrolled students, FACULTY ADVISER Len Strazewski ASSISTANT FACULTY ADVISER Stephanie Goldberg Letters can be emailed to Department. This begs the question: How rather than unknown students in the [email protected] or mailed to: important is student diversity and inclu- distant future. The Columbia Chronicle sion to the college if the office dedicated Also, did the college think no one 600 S. Michigan Ave. to those values is being left to sink under would notice the absence of “equity” Chicago, IL. 60605 the weight of so many responsibilities and in the new office’s title? [email protected] 2 THE CHRONICLE OCTOBER 30, 2017 campus Comedy sketch group made up of bosom buddies on campus » ColumbiaChronicle.com/Campus basis, but also has so many other duties, I merge everything on one person’s shoulder. New Student Diversity can only imagine in terms of their work- That is more like a burden that is too much.” load—how they are managing and their Becerra-Ramierez said it is import- ability to serve the needs of all the students ant to have a diverse staff because, as a who come to SDI Office for student orga- Latino man, he is not entirely familiar and Inclusion Office in nizations or not,” Gupta said. “I’m sure it with other cultures and their struggles, is really challenging right now.” such as Asian-American or African- Senior business and entrepreneur- American individuals. Sommers has search of new staff ship major and Chinese Students and voiced concern about stepping into the Scholars Association President Ran Yan interim position as a Caucasian woman, » CONNOR CARYNSKI diversity and Inclusion, a Student Diversity said although she and her organization Becerra-Ramierez noted. CAMPUS EDITOR and Inclusion coordinator of Programs still receive the same services from the “I appreciate [Sommers] taking the time and Services, and a Student Diversity office, the atmosphere is different since the to express her own concerns that as a THE SEARCH FOR a director and coordinator and Inclusion coordinator of Events former coordinators left. Yan added that white woman leading this office, she is underway in the new Student Inclusion and Engagement. many responsibilities fell onto Becerra- told her higher ups that it simply wasn’t and Diversity Office as a short-handed “Positions at SDI are not being eliminated,” Ramirez after the coordinators’ departure right,” Becerra-Ramirez. “She was staff continues to provide programming. Wilson-Taylor said in the statement. “They and that she preferred when there was one even hesitant of taking up the office Formerly known as the Multicultural are being reorganized by function rather coordinator for each office. here because she didn’t want students Affairs Office, the SDI Office changed its than by constituency, with an emphasis “He has such a big heart and chooses to get the idea that she was here to stay name and unveiled its new location on 618 S. on intersectionality. This is so that all stu- to help everyone, but now it just seems and that she was comfortable in her Michigan Ave.