Careers in nonprofits

If you’ve ever thought about a career in the nonprofit sector (or would like to consider the possibility and want to find out more about them), mark your calendar for this event. Next quarter, DePaul is teaming up with Idealist.org for a Nonprofit Job and Internship Fair.

Idealist.org is the online project in conjunction with Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization that functions in the United States and Argentina. On the site, Idealist.org identifies itself as a place “where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.”

This year, DePaul is one of only six schools in the nation where Idealist will be hosting career fairs. Nonprofit employers will be at the fair recruiting for full-time positions, internships, and volunteers. If you’re looking to get some service on your resume, take advantage of the opportunity and get involved with one of the organizations. The event will be held on Tuesday, May 19 between 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the Student Center on the Lincoln Park campus.

A day in the life of a Radio DePaulian: a photo essay

I spent this afternoon with Delmy Cabrera, a senior here at DePaul. As a Radio, TV and Film major, she has been very involved with Radio DePaul since she was a freshman. She worked her way up from disc jockey as a freshman, to assistant manager as a sophomore to manager as a junior. For her last year, she is working on odds and ends for the station (and currently applying for graduate schools).

"But what I really want to do [after I graduate]?" She confesses, "What I really want to do is take a break. I'd like to have a few months to myself."





Cabrera walks up the steps at U-Hall and down into the basement to enter the radio station. She works there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in between classes.



Part of Cabrera's job at the station is to make sure all the equipment is set up correctly. As soon as she got in, she started checking the mics, soundboards, and stereo settings.



Here, Delmy works in the News Room. She organized the clutter, adjusted the sound settings for recordings, and arranged files on the News Room computer's desktop. Audio news clips that are played throughout the day on Radio DePaul are recorded here.



As the "de facto web master" for http://radio.depaul.edu, Cabrera spends a couple hours a week updating the on-air schedule and making other necessary adjustments to the site. She has a basic understanding of manipulating HTML code (which she learned in class here at DePaul), but admits that she couldn't start from scratch.



In the production room, Cabrera starts cutting audio files for radio spots with Adobe Audition. The station will use these next quarter with voice overs.



Here, Cabrera works on e-mail correspondence and has a venting session with Natalie Marsh, a junior and News Director at Radio DePaul. Cabrera tells me how important communication is at Radio DePaul: "One thing I've learned is that if you want to reach an understanding with someone, you have to just sit down with them and show them exactly where you're coming from."

Come hear journalists talk about Obama

What are you doing tomorrow night? Nothing? Good.

Laura Washington, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and a DePaul professor, is hosting a lecture called "The Obama Factor: Covering Politics of Color, Then and Now."

It's from 6:00-8:00 p.m. tomorrow night in Room 314 AB of the Lincoln Park Student Center.

Washington, along with fellow colleagues in her field, such as Esther Cepeda, a columnist and blogger (may be interesting to check out in the context of our class,) Craig Dellimore, the political editor of WBBM radio, Tom McNamee, the editorial page editor for the Sun-Times, Mary Mitchell, a Sun-Times columnist, Charles Thomas, a political reporter for ABC7 and Dorothy Tucker, a reporter for CBS2.

Some of the journalists have covered Obama on his road to the White House, and will speak to that as well as to the media's coverage of politicians.

For more info, contact the DePaul Humanities Center at 773-325-4580. 

Community Forum at DePaul for the Redevelopment of Children's Memorial

Lincoln Park community members piled into the St. Vincent DePaul Center, 2145 N. Halsted Street on February 18, 2009 to discuss the future redevelopment of Children's Memorial Hospital.

The room was packed to the brim, with people sitting on window ledges in order to participate. 

The forum, organized by Ald. Vi Daley and the Chicago Department on Planning and Development (DPD) was the third public meeting on the subject. 

During the forum, representatives from the DPD presented potential ideas for what could take the place of the historic hospital come 2012, when Children's Memorial will make its move down to Northwestern Hospital in Streeterville.

Among the proposed ideas are plans for residential condominiums, a hotel, a parking garage, retail, and "mixed-use". 

After the presentation by DPD, the community members attending the forum broke into "Breakout Sessions" to further discuss their concerns about the redevelopment process. Included in their concerns were issues of noise pollution, traffic, and zoning. 

DPD announced at the end of the forum that there will be future forums, with the next one sometime in March. If viewers are interested in more information, they can visit the blog set up by DPD www.cmhplanning.blogspot.com

Tips & Deals for Surviving on Campus in this Economy

I never thought that what was happening with our economy was going to affect me directly. You always hear stories about people losing jobs, not being able to afford rent or food, cutting back on almost everything but what is a necessity, and lots of other financial problems. I was hit hard this year, with feeling the effects of our countries economic crisis. I work at two different bars in Lincoln Park around the DePaul University campus. I was used to supporting myself, and getting by with enough money to buy things that I wanted. I never had to think twice about what I was buying, until this year. I wasn’t making the same money in tips that I was used to. I was working more hours and shifts but still making less money than years before.

I blame the economy, people have stopped going out to dinner and bars to drink. They stay home and save their money. When it finally sunk in that my salary had been cut drastically, and it wasn’t just a bad couple of weeks at the bars, I had to come up with a new way to manage my money. I had to cut back on going out to dinner, out to bars, going shopping, and so much more. I was only making enough money to pay my bills and then had just a little money left for the week. I have picked up on a few tips that really helped me save money during this tough time.

1. Buy groceries, so that you can cut back on how many times you go out to eat. Preparing meals at home will save you money.

2. Get a meal plan from DePaul. It’s simple you don’t even need to pay on the spot; they just add it to your tuition bill. Go to the 3rd floor of the Student Center, and sign up for small meal plan. It helps save money on campus when you want a bite to eat or a coffee.

3. Save coupons or deals that you get, to stores or restaurants you frequently go to.

4. Cut back on using credit cards, try to set yourself a manageable allowance for the week, and don’t go over your budget.

5. Look for bargains and sales at stores that are in your price range.

6. Make a list of all the bills you have to pay for that month and set-up a budget that you can work with.

7. Use gift cards that you have lying around from Christmas, birthdays, etc.

8. If you are of age (21) and you like to go out on the weekends to bars, try pre-gaming at home before you go out (responsibly) to save money on drinks at the bar.

9. Take public transportation as much as possible. Utilize that U-pass of yours. To avoid cabs try to plan ahead so that you are not in a rush and have time to take public transportation.

10. Put away 10% of your paycheck into a savings account. Then hide another 5-10% of your paycheck some place safe (in your room). Put the rest of your paycheck into your checking account or bank.

11. Go to the movies on nights that have student discounts. Take advantage of any student discount you can find.

Those are just a few tips from one college student to another, on how I have been surviving during this economic crisis. It sucks, I know, but I am finally living within my means. We can only hope things will soon look up. Lastly, I would like to leave you with a list of bars/restaurants in the DePaul University neighborhood that have great deals everyday of the week.

1. Kelly’s Pub on Webster- Mondays: $1 tacos, $1 Coors Light drafts Tuesdays: $1 burgers, $1.50 Bud & Bud Light bottles Wednesdays: 10-cent wings, $2 Miller and Coors drafts, $3 other drafts Thursdays: $3 22oz Miller Light, Bud Light, and Coors Light Saturdays: $5 23oz Blue Moons Sundays: $2 Miller Light bottles and Becks

2. McGee’s Tavern & Grille- Mondays: $1 Tacos, $2.50 Bud Light bottles, $2.50 Coronas Tuesdays: 10-cent wings, $3 Blue Moon and Stella, $5 Margaritas Wednesdays: $4 Bomb shots, $3 Import drafts, $2 Domestic drafts, $1 Burgers Thursdays: $1 Bud Light bottles, $3 Margaritas, $3 Imports, Free buffet from 6-8pm Fridays: $5 Bomb shots, $15 meal package includes a buffet, all drafts and well drinks from 6:30-9:30pm Sunday: $3 all Miller bottles and Coors Light bottles, $4 Bloody Mary’s

3. State Restaurant on Webster- Mondays: $2 bottles of Bub Light, $5.95 sandwhiches Tuesdays: Trivia Night (cash prizes) $5.95 Burgers, $3.50 bottles of Landshark, $3 bottles of Bud Light Lime, $10 domestic pitchers, $15 import pitchers Wednesdays: half-price food with purchase of a beverage, half-price wine bottles Thursdays: $6 gourmet salads with purchase of a beverage, $6 premium martinis, $2 bottles of Miller Light and Coors Light Fridays: half-price bottles of wine, $2.95 appetizers till 6:30 p.m. Saturdays: $4 mimosas, $6 Bloody Mary’s Sundays: $4 mimosas

4. Kincade’s on Armitage- Mondays: $1 ½ lb. Char Burgers (with $2 fries), $3.50 312 Drafts, $5 Vodka Redbull, $5 glasses of wine, team trivia starts at 8:30 (win prizes) Tuesdays: $2.50 mixed drinks & drafts, 30-cent jumbo wings Wednesdays: $1 longneck bottle special, $5 3 Olives Grape & Cherry bombs Thursdays: $5 Kilo Kia Mixers, $9 domestic pitchers, 30-cent jumbo wings Fridays: Free buffet 5-7 p.m., $3.50 Shiner Bock Drafts, $4 Milagro Tequila shots, $5 Jim Bean cocktails Saturday s: $3.50 Bud & Bud Light bottles, $5 Stoli cocktails Sundays: $3 Bud and Bud Light bottles, $5 mimosas, $5 select bombs, 30-cent jumbo wings

5. Goodbar on Halsted- Thursdays: $2 Miller Light and Bud Light bottles, $4 bombs, $3 well drinks

I found all these specials on the restaurants/bars official websites, and some of them are subject to change. There are a lot more food places around campus that offer student discounts, so look out for those. Taking advantage of these specials is a great way to save money, while mingling with friends! All the places listed above are within walking distance from campus, so get your friends together and take advantages of these local deals in your neighborhood!

Lunchtime Congregation

Today is a holy day for Catholics, who congregated in the concourse level of the DePaul Center for a 12:00 p.m. Ash 

Wednesday musical mass.

Ryan Daliege, a junior Finance major with a minor in Spanish, has been serving in mass for his 3 years at DePaul. He was greeting congregants and posing for my photos during the preparations for the service today.

For an area that seats maximum capactity 125, the crowd approximated more than that, representing  DePaul's community and the general public.

Monsignor and one alter server were preparing the host as an usher distributed programs for 15 minutes before the event. Worshippers filed into their seats, reminding DePaulians that faith escapes St. Vincent's chapel walls.  

I shot this video as the pianist struck the keys, the congregation stood, and last minute attendees rushed in to answer a call to worship, the hymn, "The Cross of Jesus."    

If you're interested in praying with the Catholic Campus Ministry, services are scheduled on the Loop campus every 12:00 p.m. on weekdays in the Lewis Center Chapel while just a few L stops north another service is held in the St. Louise de Marillac Chapel in the Student Center's first floor.   Sunday mass is held every Sunday in St. Vincent de Paul Church on the southeast side of campus at Webster and Sheffield.

Today you get get ashed at 5:00 p.m. at both Chicago campuses.   

This means lent is here.  Though the economy might have forced some sacrifices onto you already, catholic or not, it's never a bad time to re-instate your defaulted New Year resolutions! 

Fr. Memo: A Photo Essay

When I first read about the photo essay assignment, Columbian-born Fr. Gullermo Campuzano, C.M., was the first person I thought of. Called "Fr. Memo" or "Memo" by friends and students, he is a Vincentian priest and professor who works in University Ministry. Here, he's working on his schedule for the week. "I'm always busy," says Memo. "No free time for me." Fr. Memo has worked in Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Philadelphia, and now, Chicago.

Fr. Memo talks to Suzanne Gillen, a sophomore flute performance student.
Memo is actively involved in student culture on campus - he runs Vincentians in Action (VIA,) an organization dedicated to helping DePaul students discover how to practice Vincentian values in their lives after college.

In addition to being a priest and professor, Campuzano is also a pancreatic cancer survivor. He battled the disease for 18 years, and only travelled to the U.S. to seek treatment, never intending to stay. Here, he flips through a book of photos and notes about his cancer journey.

"This is me, presiding over a Mass," said Fr. Memo, the first figure on the left in the photo. "The day before, the doctor told me I had only six months to live, and here I am, saying Mass. Faith in God and faith in yourself can help you accomplish anything. I survived," he said.

Fr. Memo says that his biggest inspiration is his mother, Rubiella, pictured with him here in a photo that he keeps on his desk. "My family...growing up in Colombia...we didn't have much. By the end of the week, all we had to eat was usually rice, beans, and one tomato. My mother would make the rice and beans, and chop up the tomato very tiny, and give it to me and my brothers and sisters. I never knew we were poor. I thoguht it was the best meal in the world." Presently, Memo often makes his mother's rice, bean, and tomato dish for dinner.

Gillen contemplates Fr. Memo's cancer struggle. "This doesn't even look like you. It's like you're some whole other, better person," Gillen says. " I'm having such a hard time believing it's you."

Fr. Memo holds the photo of himself presiding over Mass while working in his office. "Can you believe it? Six months to live. Six months! And that was almost two years ago, and here I am."

I know this is a posed shot, but I must tell you that Fr. Memo INSISTED that I take a posed picture of him. "Here, like this. Make me look like a model. I'll be model Memo," he said, making both me and Suzanne, the student in the room, crack up.

** Full disclosure: I am a student in Fr. Memo's CTH 395 Special Topics in Vincentian Studies class.