February 28, 2021
In the wake of last summerâs protests against police brutality and amid the ongoing calls for DePaul to divest from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the university community remains starkly divided on the schoolâs partnership with Chicagoâs Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).Â
DePaulâs relationship with the FOP, Chicago Lodge 7, originated in 2016 to encourage members of law enforcement to pursue higher education at a convenient pace and discounted rate. The cohort program offers multiple degree options specifically tailored to members of law enforcement. Through the city of Chicago, officers in the program can receive up to a 100 percent tuition reimbursement, contingent on their final grade and other factors.Â
The DePaulia
Theodora Koulouvaris, Staff Writer|February 21, 2021
Petitions
During her president’s report at Thursday’s meeting, Alyssa Isberto discussed three petitions currently circulating around campus: one calling on the university to reinstate the Pass/D/Fail option, another requesting that the university make graduation regalia free for the class of 2021 and the third calling on the Biden administration to cancel $50,000 of student loan debt for all students.
After presenting the petitions, SGA took a vote on each one, deciding to sign all three.
Vaccine Campaign Rollout
Robbie Merkel, SGA’s executive vice president of diversity and equity, recently attended a meeting with Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) and DePaul’s communications team. They informed him that they sent out a survey to faculty, staff and student workers to “gauge interest in getting the [Covid-19] vaccine.”
The DePaulia
Theodora Koulouvaris, Staff Writer|February 14, 2021
DePaul’s Student Government Association provided a review of last quarter’s initiatives, events and activities in their Fall Quarter Transparency Report.
In the report obtained by The DePaulia, SGA discussed ways they worked to support the DePaul community over the past year.
“The past year has been very challenging due to the COVID-19 [pandemic], demands for racial justice, and a historic presidential election, but our commitment to the DePaul community remains the same,” the report reads. “As DePaul’s student government, we expressed student concerns on remote learning, advocated for mental health resources, created safe spaces for dialogue and continuously stood in solidarity with our students of color.”
The DePaulia
Theodora Koulouvaris, Staff Writer|February 14, 2021
Suffoletto discussed services offered through University Counseling Services (UCS).
Consisting of a team of psychologists, a psychiatrist and other staff, UCS provides counseling to students in different areas such as depression and test anxiety, according to the office’s website.
Suffoletto explained the steps that students take when seeking counseling services.
“When a student enters, they’re going to do a 15-minute initial consultation,” Suffoletto said.
Students go through an assessment process first so that the office can figure out why a student wants to enter counseling services according to Suffoletto. Then, a student is matched with a counselor and enters counseling.
The DePaulia
Theodora Koulouvaris, Staff Writer|January 10, 2021
DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) passed three resolutions regarding registration for commuter students, commencement planning for the Class of 2021 and the university’s reversal to its regular grading policies, respectively, during its first general body meeting of the quarter on Thursday.
The first resolution advocates for commuter students to have an earlier enrollment period when registering for classes.
Under the “Resolution Concerning Earlier Registration for Commuter Students,” earlier enrollment dates for commuter students would be divided into time-based brackets. These brackets would correspond with the student’s regular enrollment time and date. Students commuting more than two hours to campus would be given first priority while students with a 30-minute commute or less would fall into the fourth bracket.