The Spectator CUC

08/05/2024

Ryan Murray, an 'Overwatch' team member, saw gaming as just a hobby before he joined the team. “I never thought I would compete in sports or gaming, but I am here,” Murray said.

In the corner of Krentz Center sits a hidden gem for students. Dim blue lights illuminate the room. Computer towers packed with popular games and powerful gaming hardware are stacked and aligned against the wall. This is the Esports Lab, which opened in 2023. The lounge is arranged for students who....

01/05/2024

“I was vaguely aware that the team had struggled, but I didn't know exactly how much,” says freshman goalie Alan Saban. “I was quite surprised when I realized how long the winning drought had gone on.”

When the horn sounded at Reddan Park in Madison, Wisc. on Saturday, April 3, 2021, the 68 people in attendance witnessed CUC’s men’s lacrosse team win 16-7 over the Edgewood College Eagles. Senior Clayton Emery scored six goals for the Maroon and Gold, in what at the time seemed like a relativel...

23/04/2024

“During my time at CUC campus engagement was medium to low, and now it’s really, really low," said Corey Dooley, '20.

CUC alum Corey Dooley hosted an event called “The Art of Entrepreneurship” on Feb. 16, one of several special events themed to celebrate Black History Month. Since his graduation in 2020, Dooley ran for alderman in the 29th Ward of Chicago, and runs an organization called “Community Corey” t...

09/04/2024

“I initially was shocked,” said senior midfielder Jessica Parker. “I was trying to stay optimistic, but it seemed very unlikely that there would be a season with our team’s current situation.”

One year ago, the “Golden Generation” of the CUC’s women’s lacrosse team hoped to win the program’s first Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference tournament, after finishing as runners-up in both 2021 and 2022. They eventually finished the season 4-10 and did not qualify for the NACC tourn...

27/03/2024

“He would have students come in with fairly minimal experiences and turn them into wonderful ensembles,” said Jean Harrison Bojes, a 1984 graduate and former professor of music education. “What he brings to his students and what the students bring to him is such a magical mixture.“

Richard Fischer first discovered his love for music listening to a record of Antonín Dvořák’s “New World Symphony,” a gift from his father, on the little stereo system in his childhood bedroom. Fischer listened to all four movements, but was especially moved by the second, or largo, movemen...

20/03/2024

“Sometimes I’ll eat something with gluten, and just deal with a stomach ache because I don’t want to eat that food,” said senior Meagan Wilkinson-McQuaid.

At 11:00 a.m. on most weekdays, freshman Amirah Shakir heads to the “Sizzle” station in the Crossroads Dining Room. She asks for a grilled chicken sandwich without the bread and fries — the same meal she orders at every lunch and dinner on campus. Shakir watches warily as the cafeteria workers...

18/03/2024

Wait times were long, the FAFSA help line was often busy, and some students were not able to verify their parents’ identification. As a result, many students in Illinois missed the deadline to apply for state Monetary Award Program grants.

When freshman Ashland Thomas filled out her Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form online in December, she felt continually frustrated by the website. The newly redesigned form asks for detailed information, including Thomas and her parents’ social security numbers, her “Studen...

12/02/2024

"A blanket policy requiring in-person meetings isn’t ideal, and fails to meet the specific needs of individual courses,” said sophomore Tyler Trickey.

Some students may love the comfort and convenience of online final exams, or simply ending the course with a final project submitted online during the last week of regular classes. This may become thing of the past, however, after a recent update to Concordia University Chicago’s final exam policy...

30/01/2024

“I am saddened by the news,” said sophomore Gabriel Lopez. “Especially since we were supposed to be the host school after CUAA, and now we won’t be able to experience it at our own school.”

While this weekend marks the 71st annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT), two of the four participating universities are pulling out of the annual weekend of basketball games. Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor announced on Dec. 20 that the school will stop participating in the bas...

20/12/2023

19/12/2023

“I’ve always felt like libraries are a place of knowledge and learning,” says junior Clark Stutsman, who is also a library employee. “There are so many resources in the library, and I can find everything I need there.”

During finals week, campus is busy as students prepare for exams or wrap up final projects. The library is more crowded than usual with students taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere. The Victory Lounge is constantly buzzing as students take a break from homework to converse with friends. CULearn...

14/12/2023

"I’ve never had a mail mix-up like this happen until this year," says junior Emma Milam.

Emma Milam, a junior, ordered some batteries and a few other items from Amazon to be delivered to her during the first week of school. Amazon notified Milam when the package was delivered, but she never received the usual email that she had a package to pickup at the campus bookstore, run by Slingsh...

11/12/2023

"I think students now realize that we want both parties to say their truths and to find a solution," said SGA President Michelle Medina. "We don’t want students to feel like they are not being heard."

This fall, The Spectator will be interviewing all the student leaders of the “Big Six” organizations at CUC: the Student Government Association, Spiritual Life, the Campus Activities Board, the Latino Student Union, the Black Student Union, and the Student Athlete-Advisory Committee. Senior Mich...

08/12/2023

"I did not ever expect to return to Concordia as a staff member, let alone as the University Chaplain," said the Rev. Simeon Raddatz, '13.

When the Rev. Simeon Raddatz arrived to Concordia University Chicago on Oct. 2, he entered a campus he had walked the grounds of plenty of times while receiving his education in the pre-seminary program. Now, 10 years after he graduated, Raddatz returns to CUC not as a guest, but as the new universi...

07/12/2023

Disciplinary referrals for drug abuse violations have jumped from six in 2021 to 19 in 2022, and from 17 liquor law violations in 2021 to 19 in 2022. The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report also notes 12 cases of aggravated assault on campus in 2022, compared to two in 2021 and eight in 2020.

Reported crime on CUC’s campus has increased over the past few years, according to CUC’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) 2023 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report, which is prepared in accordance with federal law, was released on October 9. It lists all crimes that were reported ...

06/12/2023

"Being a first generation or any Hispanic or Latino kid coming into a university can be hard," said Latino Student Union President Alexis Holliday. "I want them to be able to have that community and have examples as like, she was able to do it, so can I."

This fall, The Spectator will be interviewing all the student leaders of the “Big Six” organizations at CUC: the Student Government Association, Spiritual Life, the Campus Activities Board, the Latino Student Union, the Black Student Union, and the Student Athlete-Advisory Committee. Junior Alex...

28/11/2023

Next weekend, join us in the Chapel of Our Lord for Lessons & Carols, Concordia-Chicago's annual Christmas services. 🌟🎄

They are a beloved tradition featuring scripture readings, choral music, and congregational singing. We hope to see you there!

27/11/2023

“It's nice and quiet and there is not a lot of room for a lot of people," said senior Eduardo Hinds. "There are all of these books about liberty, economy, and philosophy.”

CUC’s Free Enterprise Center hosted an open house on August 31 launching the Liberty Fund Library, a new resource center for honors and Free Enterprise students. The small room in Krauss 218 has books on economics and political science, a round meeting table, and a free Keurig beverage station. A ...

17/11/2023

“Overall, I don’t like Slingshot and will be buying or renting my books from somewhere else from now on,” said freshman Natalie Carpenter. “This will save me a lot of money and trouble.”

In order to save money this fall, freshman Natalie Carpenter decided to rent Financial and Managerial Accounting, the required textbook for Introduction to Accounting taught by Professor Michael Carroll. When Carpenter tried to start a homework assignment, however, she realized that the digital acce...

15/11/2023

The opening performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream" will be in the Bergmann Theatre on Tuesday, Nov. 14, with additional performances on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Curtain for all performances is at 7:30 p.m.

An entirely original student-composed musical score will accompany this week’s Artists of Concordia production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Senior Ben Verswijver, a music education student, wrote his original score to accompany the four-century-old play over the pa...

01/11/2023

“I have mixed feelings about online classes,” says junior Ashley Shroll. “On one hand, they are good for busy schedules, but they also mean students have to teach themselves more, which can be difficult.”

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic largely behind us, and meeting in person for school is a once again a viable option, Concordia University Chicago still offers a vast selection of online courses. CUC offered 655 online courses, or 56% of the 1,165 total courses, in the fall semester of 2023, accordin...

30/10/2023

“A big population of black students are athletes, which is a huge commitment of time and effort, on top of an academic career,” says Black Student Union president Dae McAdory.

The multicultural clubs at CUC are facing a membership crisis. The Latino Student Union (LSU) took until mid-October to fully staff their leadership board, while the Black Student Union (BSU) just on Oct. 18 elected a board for the 2023-2024 school year. The club leaders say that fewer students are....

06/10/2023

“In a land where loneliness, separation, and disconnect is on the rise, it becomes necessary to celebrate the real spaces where human connection can be found, like Truvy’s beauty salon in this show,” said director Emil Clausing, CUC '22.

A 1980s Louisiana beauty parlor is the setting for Steel Magnolias, the first play of the 2023-2024 season from the Artists of Concordia Theatre. Six Southern women with bold personalities celebrate with one another through the triumphs in life, and mourn over the inevitable tragedies that life brin...

25/09/2023

"We want to reach out to people of different religions, or to reach out to athletes, or just people who aren’t as interested in the faith, to minister to them and invite them into our events and into our programs and into our faith," said Isaac Conrad, president of Spiritual Life.

This fall, The Spectator will be interviewing all the student leaders of the “Big Six” organizations at CUC: the Student Government Association, Spiritual Life, the Campus Activities Board, the Latino Student Union, the Black Student Union, and the Student Athlete-Advisory Committee. Senior Isaa...

17/09/2023

The communities that surround areas affected by urban blight struggle to gain traction in reversing the process. The proposals made for certain industrial locations in Chicago are ambitious, but some neighborhoods’ residents need more actionable proposals than fully developing their residential and industrial vacancies into new districts. The danger of not developing them at all, however, is a cascade of disrepair.

At the end of one unusually warm 55-degree day in March, Bill Eisenhower, 51, loads his backpack into his car to head home from the dusty industrial districts of Chicago. The Morton Grove resident had been exploring a secret new location an anonymous source had shared with him. Getting around the ol...

14/09/2023

“Outdoor sports have more limitations due to weather so I view that as the biggest challenge," says CUC men's volleyball coach Greg Manos. "Some schools with ‘field house’ space can utilize the square footage for recreation, outdoor sports, etcetera.”

As an athlete on both the men’s lacrosse team and football team, sophomore Seba Miller spends a lot of time practicing on CUC’s turf football field, working out in the fitness center, and changing in the locker rooms. Built in 2000, Concordia Stadium includes a turf field for field sports as wel...

05/05/2023

“Unfortunately, with the shortage of athletic trainers wanting to work in educational versus clinical or industrial settings, the number of applicants has been lower than what we would want,” said Janet Wolbert, the assistant director of athletics.

In mid-January of this year, Concordia University Chicago’s four permanent athletic trainers suddenly quit their jobs, worrying hundreds of student athletes who feared that no one would be available to treat their injuries. Since then, CUC administrators and staff have been working not only to fin...

05/05/2023

After nearly 21 years, we’re saying farewell to our beloved campus pastor Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger. His ministry at Concordia-Chicago has touched many lives as he faithfully preached and taught God’s Word to our campus. Pastor Jeff’s compassion, liveliness, and commitment has made a lasting impression on the CUC community, and we rejoice that God called him to walk alongside us through these wonderful years!

02/05/2023

“I try to give the members a good musical outlet, because most of them don’t do music during the day,” said Dr. Richard Fischer, the conductor of the University Band since it was formed. “I want to give them a heartfelt experience at night after the workday is over.”

University Band rehearsal doesn’t start until 7:45, but some musicians get there as early as 6:45 to warm up or talk with their fellow musicians and friends. Freshman CUC student Jacob Kimble usually sits next to fellow bass clarinet player Alan Reed, who works in nonprofit management. Though they...

20/04/2023

The final round will take place on Thursday, April 20, from 7-9 p.m. in Christopher Center 200.

After over two months of organizing and planning, six teams will compete in the final round of CougarTank tonight for first place bragging rights — and a cash prize. The first-place winner earns $500, second place receives $200, and third place receives $100. The CougarTank winners will receive an...