DePaulia’s best stories of 2021

Eric Henri
Students walk around a nearly empty campus during the pandemic.
In the blink of an eye, 2021 is drawing to a close. This year, The DePaulia produced countless great stories spanning the DePaul community. We’ve covered all types of stories, from our Title IX department investigation to President A. Gabriel Esteban announcing he will step down in 2022 to the men’s basketball team making a head coach change.
Before we turn the page on 2022, here are some of The DePaulia’s best stories from last year.
Systems in place for survivors of sexual and emotional abuse at DePaul leave victims feeling abandoned
A two-year investigation by The DePaulia into the college’s treatment of Title IX affairs revealed a pattern of neglect and disregard for the safety and emotional well-being of the DePaul community regarding sexual and relationship misconduct .

Conclusion of an agreement in principle with Chartwells
After lengthy negotiations, DePaul Chartwells and Compass reached a new contractual deal after workers threatened to go on strike. Chartwells employees have been fighting for higher pay and consistent health coverage since January 2020. Many workers have worked at DePaul for decades and still receive minimum wage. Their demands included a minimum wage of $ 19.88
DePaul Consulting Services Outsourced To Third-Party App, Leaving Students In Limbo
The DePaulia reviewed DePaul’s counseling services when the school returned for in-person classes in the fall. Our investigation found that the university employed only one counselor, with the university using a third-party app – My Student Support Program – to provide students with mental health support.

President Esteban to resign next summer
Last June, DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban announced that he would be leaving college at the end of the academic year. DePaul is currently looking for candidates to replace Esteban.
“A veiled threat”: the changes made to the racist clause in the faculty manual blocked by the provost
In early 2019, Professors DePaul Valerie Johnson and Quinetta Shelby began to question the language and purpose of a clause in the university’s faculty handbook that states “a model of bullying and bullying. Extreme assault on other university committee members’ may be grounds for termination or other repercussions.
Two years later, despite the support of the Faculty Council and two Faculty committees, the language has remained unchanged, blocked by Provost Salma Ghanem in June 2020 and stuck in negotiations over the language.

DePaul fires Dave Leitao after losing six seasons
Last March, DePaul fired former men’s basketball head coach Dave Leitao after six years at the helm. Leitao finished his time at DePaul with an overall record of 69-112 and 21-84 in the Big East, including the last five consecutive places in the conference. His only playoff appearance came in the CBI in 2019.

‘We’re going to be the Chicago team again’: Tony Stubblefield shares his vision for men’s basketball DePaul
To replace Dave Leitao, DePaul hired Oregon assistant coach Tony Stubblefield a month later. Stubblefield spent 11 years in Oregon, helping the Ducks go to seven NCAA tournaments and make it to the Final Four in 2017. He and DePaul started the 2021-22 season with a 9-2 record.

Four years of preparation, men’s tennis DePaul crosses the finish line to win the first Big East championship
DePaul’s men’s tennis team won their first Big East Championship last May, beating St. John’s 4-3 in the final round. Luke Wassenaar won match point against St. John’s Evan Felcher. The Blue Demons secured their first spot in the NCAA tournament, but ended up losing to Illinois in the first round.

DePaul misses NCAA tournament for first time since 2002
DePaul’s women’s basketball team ended up missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years last season. The Blue Demons finished 14-10, which included a first-round loss to WNIT.