An international crisis is hitting our coral reefs more than ever, even in the most remote places.
Reefs across the world that were once known as colorful and full of life are now white and almost barren due to coral bleaching.
Coral bleaching, according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is when coral becomes stressed due to changes in its conditions. These changes include nutrients, water temperature, and sunlight exposure.
Mauritius, an island off the coast of Africa that was known for these incredible beaches has also suffered at the hands of coral bleaching, with the effects ramping up as climate change has affected our world.
In March of 2019, I had the opportunity to travel to Mauritius with my program. Since we set sail in San Diego and moved our way through Asia, my shipmates and I learned about the harsh effects climate change had on our environment through our classes and guest speakers who sailed with us between ports. We learned about coral bleaching and plastic polluting our oceans as well as seeing plastic floating between our travels, but it wasn’t until Mauritius when I saw true coral bleaching.
Coral bleaching in Port Louis, Mauritius
When we arrived on the island and into the city of Port Louis, there was plenty of greenery and free land, but when we got to the beach, the underwater environment was not the same. The water was beautiful, but all of the coral close to the water’s surface was dead. Not only was the coral dying, but there were plastic bottles within the coral, which meant no fish were around to create an ecosystem to keep these corals alive.
According to reefconservation.mu, the conservation site for Mauritius, there have been multiple reasons why the reefs have bleached, but tourism has been one of the main reasons.
“Tourism also has its direct and associated impacts, with snorkel and dive boats dropping anchors and breaking the coral. The collection of shells and corals for sale to visitors has depleted the number of shells and people holding, walking and sitting on coral all contribute to the demise of the lagoon habitats the visitors have come to see,” according to the website.
Although coral bleaching has been increasing among reefs around the world, there is hope to save them. According to the EPA’s website, a few of the ways to keep coral bleaching include safe diving and snorkeling, like not hitting coral with your feet or accidentally sitting on it, as well as wearing sustainable sunscreen which is free from harmful reef chemicals. To be more conscious every day, recycling and spreading the word about coral bleaching helps bring awareness to places who don’t live with the everyday effects of the bleaching.
For other articles about coral beaching around the world:
Lincoln park is thought to be a safer neighborhood of the city. According to some DePaul students this may not be the case.
Many DePaul students have had their own run ins with crime around the Lincoln Park campus and others believe that the rates of these incidents have been increasing. As fall turns to winter and the days get shorter, anxiety around crime on campus is rising.
Jonathan Nevarez is a senior at DePaul who has had multiple run ins with crime. Nevarez first experience with crime came when he was trying to sell a pair of shoes. Nevarez went to meet with his would-be buyers when they stole the shoes from him and ran without paying.
“I made the mistake of giving them the box instead of just one shoe to look at,” Nevarez said, “as soon as I gave it to him, he just started running”
One of the thieves stayed behind and Nevarez stopped him asking him to come to the police station with him. The thief was cooperative until they got close to the station. “the guy was being cooperative until I got to the doors of the police station then he just started booking it.” Nevarez said.
In that moment Nevarez decided to act “so I started running. It was like a scene out of the movies I was running in the middle of the street chasing this guy,” Nevarez said, “I ran half a mile and I caught him.”
After apprehending one of the thieves Nevarez took him to a restaurant to wait while he called the police. “The police came and I told them I want my shoes back or my money and the police officer said the only way we can do that is if you press charges on the kid that I had,” Nevarez said, “ I told him I guess I have to because I’m not leaving empty handed.
Nevarez thought at this point that things would be okay and that he would get his shoes back. This however was not the case.
“I got a call like a week later with the status on it was like oh yeah you don’t have enough information to press any charges you don’t have enough evidence,” Nevarez said, “I was upset you know obviously because the evidence was that he took it there’s nothing more that I can prove in that.”
Nevarez claims that his story isn’t unique and that the rates of crime around campus seem to be getting higher. “there is scary stuff happening around here and I think its growing too,” Nevarez said, “when I commuted the first year and lived in Lincoln park the second there wasn’t really much of anything and then this past year there’s been a lot more severe stuff happening.”
Nevarez’s story is just one students encounter with crime, but there are many more students with similar stories.
Katherine Bellew, a 21-year-old DePaul University student, was the victim of a phone theft not too far from the Student Center.
“It happened last June on Kenmore about a block away from the Student Center. I was walking and passed three teenagers, about sixteen years old. They came up behind me, shoved me, and took my phone and ran. I was very startled and cried until a neighbor walking their dog saw and brought me back to campus” she said.
At the day of the incident, DePaul was throwing their annual Fest concert on the quad, so there was police and campus public safety presence.
“I did file a report with public safety because I was kind of forced to because they saw me talking to the cops on campus and then started to ask me questions,” she said.
This phone theft left an impact on Katherine, not only because she lost an expensive and important item, but also a harsh reminder that anyone is a target on urban campuses.
“Always be aware of your surroundings and don’t go on your phone if possible, also try not to walk alone. This was in the daytime and I still got targeted,” she said.
Despite contacting campus public safety and the Chicago police, her phone was never found.
Mike Marterie, a sheriff with the Chicago Police Department, shared some helpful safety tips for students when walking on or around campus.
“Don’t ever wear two ear buds when walking day or night. Always have your keys in your hand with the key sticking out, it makes a great weapon if you have to defend yourself. Stay off the train (cta) especially after dark. When walking, keep your face out of your phone and always look at people walking towards you and look behind you often. Also, look at what people are wearing,” he said.
For campus safety, Public Safety is the go-to security service that is accessible for 22,000 plus students to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week and houses all the crime statistics reported on and off-campus.
In their 2019 Safety and Security Information Report, they’ve reported the types of crimes committed in the Lincoln Park campus and residential facilities between 2017 and 2018:
Crimes that have decreased:
Rape (9 reports to 6 reports)
Aggravated Assault (10 reports to 6 reports)
Burglary (25 reports to 17 reports)
What has increased:
Robbery (15 reports to 16 reports)
Liquor Law Violations (523 reports to 751 reports)
Dating Violence (0 reports to 3 reports)
Stalking (5 reports to 9 reports)
Looking at these numbers, it is good to note that all of these crimes, except for liquor violations, have not changed by a drastic amount, less than 20 reports.
The DePaulia has also reported on these crimes statistics, agreeing that they appear stagnant with little change, but have also added that there are some crimes that went unreported, either by students not reporting them or these reports are compiled in a different report other than Public Safety’s.
They’ve also stated that Public Safety knows about these reports and are in their best interest to provide support and any way to prevent any further crime from happening. Despite these efforts, some students still don’t feel as safe.
“It makes me feel really unsafe because I work and live in Lincoln Park,” Aggie Kallinicou, a DePaul senior, said. “I’m always walking around at night and I don’t feel like I can walk by myself. I’m on high alert, looking around to make sure no one’s around me.”
Crime is looking stagnant for the Lincoln Park campus, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. These reports show that students have to face the challenge of safely maneuvering around campus while being on alert for any potential threat.
Students shouldn’t take these little changes in crime rates lightly and need to be prepared at all times when living both on and off-campus. This is where students should use the available resources at their disposal to provide the best possible chance of avoiding any unwanted interactions.
When it comes to violent cities in America, people often think of Chicago and its reputation for crime. This is something that’s affected the city for years, but for some, crimes or violence are becoming more noticeable. There have more concerns regarding crime in Lincoln Park as certain incidents affected people, students and not, near campus. The most frightening of these attacks happened on July 18 when a woman was stabbed and had her throat slashed on DePaul’s campus, according to ABC 7. There have also been sporadic attacks around the campus, according to students. DePaul University issues public safety alerts when an incident is reported; the last report was on October 14 which was a “strong armed robbery” that occurred on the 800 block of W. Webster. Jonathan Nevarez, a DePaul student who was involved in a robbery near campus, recounts his story above. Click the video above to learn more.
Sumatra, Bali, and Fiji always pop op on people's bucket lists, but for Drew Beasley, these trips were more than just vacation. Listen to Katie's Travel Podcast on ⚓ https://t.co/kaPSPtBV2n
Travel is something that gives people the opportunity to travel beyond their home states and cities to know what life is like in a different place. Young people especially have this opportunity through gap year and study abroad programs. For some, going abroad means giving back and learning more about cultures than the average person. Drew Beasley, a student at DePaul University, had this opportunity to travel to the other side of the world. Though he was in some of the most beautiful places in the world, he chose to be an active part of each community he was in rather than an onlooker. Through home stays with locals, learning the native language, and working on social and environmental issues, this was more than just a trip, it was an experience. Click here to listen.
World Mental Health Day on October 10 reminds people why their mental health is important, but for college students, mental health can be an everyday struggle.
Mental health advocacy and awareness is becoming less of a taboo topic among college students and younger people with the hope that people will be more comfortable talking about their internal struggles.
According to The Huffington Post, the three main health problems among college students are anxiety, depression, and prescription drug abuse. Especially around tests and finals, students will often purchase prescription medications to help them focus in order to achieve higher grades.
“Adderall, a drug physicians use to treat ADHD, had gained popularity as a study drug because it’s a stimulant, which allows students to stay awake longer to finish their coursework. It also causes the brain to release dopamine, which makes people feel happy and enjoy their coursework,” according to the article.
Dr. Jim Clark, the Dean and a professor at the College of Social Work at Florida State University, gives his take on study drug addictions on college campuses.
“These mental health centers or Counseling Centers are crucial components of student health programs. Usually run though the Office of Student Affairs. They provide crisis management for students in psychiatric distress, but usually must refer for longer term therapy outside of campus,” he said about on-campus facilities.
When asked about people taking prescription drugs, like Adderall, when it is not prescribed to them. He did not know the exact statistics about students using it, but he did know that it’s prevalent across most schools.
“I think students who are abusing it are referred to treatment if they cannot taper off. Adderall is not physiologically addictive, but people have become habituated to using it as a study or energy tool. Most counseling centers will work with students to stop using it and replace with healthier alternatives like nutrition, sleep, exercise, and better planning,” he said.
According to the American Addiction Centers website, side effects of Adderall abuse include anxiety, doctor shopping, snorting it instead of taking it orally, having fears of not having Adderall, and spending time looking for Adderall, having benders, and recovering from it.
This infographic contains more information about mental health nationwide and how students are affected.
In addition to this, students who suffer from anxiety and depression sometimes find the weeks of midterms and finals harder than most days. Sacha Appel, a 21-year-old student, reached out to the DePaul Counseling Office her freshman year, but she didn’t feel she was greeted with open arms as well as underwhelming experience with the University’s student involvement office.
“I tried to go to DePaul Counseling Office freshman year when I was having a panic attack and needed something immediately, but they don’t take walk-ins. After doing some more research on the office, I learned they generally only let you have a limited number of appointments. I feel that there could be more events to do with wellness on campus for sure and OSI (Office of Student Involvement) is definitely lacking in that department,” she said about her experience.
She also stated that since the DePaul therapy offices didn’t help her as much as she thought, she since then has become a mental health advocate in her sorority as well as running for other health-related positions in DePaul Greek life.
Experiences with mental health are different for everyone, and there is always a way to get help, whether it’s within universities or not. For more information about mental health, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
This map, courtesy of Google Maps and the Chicago Data Portal, shows all of the schools in the Lincoln Park area and surrounding restaurants that are high risk for failed health inspections due to complaints. Many of these restaurants are on the same streets and near elementary schools, high schools, and DePaul University.
Many of these restaurants on this list includes Thai
restaurants, chains like Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway, and Chipotle, but the most
surprising revelation of all is that the catering company DePaul University
uses, Chartwells Dining Services, is on this list. Their food is served in the
Lincoln Park and Loop Student Centers.
This service was placed on the list for multiple reasons, since
health inspections are thorough, but the most surprising of them all is that there
were flies found near the dish washing area as well as a cooling drawer broken
in the deli section.
These health inspections are important because not only do they inform people in the area about issues regarding the restaurant but also give insight to restaurants about what they need to work on in order to maintain a clean kitchen.
A country of one billion people will soon be using less plastics to help fight climate change.
A country of one billion people will soon be using less plastics to help fight climate change.
India’s Prime Minister vows to ban single-use plastics
On August 15, India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi promised to ban six types of single-use plastics across the
country, according to CNN.
According to the article, 70 percent of the country’s plastic is single-use, and there is no processing of the waste in many Indian cities.
Woman on a “trash mountain” in India/ pxhere.com
This plastic ban comes as a result of “trash mountains” that
are reaching peak heights as well as the Taj Mahal needing a deep clean as a
result of air pollution and trash burning nearby in Agra, India, according to
intrepidtravel.com.
Sara Autio, who works in sustainability issues and focuses
on single use plastic reduction, explains how important this change will be for
India and how it may influence other countries,
“Mass scale change such as an entire state or country
mandating new policies on plastic reduction is exactly what we need to move the
needle. For a country of 1 billion people to cut their single use plastics I believe
would be astounding in the results, including visibly decluttering oceans and
landfills,” she said.
In addition to talking about plastic consumption, she also
explains how burning plastics affects air quality.
“Facilities that burn plastic generally are regulated and
have processes to capture emissions and prevent them from entering the air, but
these unsanctioned burns emit carcinogenic gases and reduce air quality,” she said.
Though this is a large step for India, but there are also other
countries that are trying to combat climate change.
According to USA today, Amsterdam is planning to ban gasoline
and diesel-use cars and motorcycles. This ban would come into effect in 2030
and would affect motor vehicles that were made before 2005. Though the Netherlands
are a well-developed country, the environment and climate change is still a
concern for them as well.
These concerns in the environment have skyrocketed in the
past few years since science has determined that humans will cause the next mass
extinction, as well as Greta Thunberg’s latest speech at the UN Climate summit.
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