Classic arcade games bring back memories of quick-fire button mashing, happiness, defeat and a com-

petitive drive against the person standing right next to you. “Mortal Kombat II” (MK2) is one such gamer favorite, and any experienced MK2 fan will know that Subzero is the default choice and how to set up combos. Done properly, Sub Zero is invincible, with no better feeling than freezing your opponent mid-attack and continuing with your onslaught of high/low punches and kicks.

Personal gaming consoles such as X-Box 360, X-Box One, PS3 and Nintendo Wii have pretty much destroyed the old way of playing games on an arcade machine.

But Truman’s Gamerz Club has been working on bringing an arcade game on campus. The club has decided to donate a fully functional Truman-themed machine, and the

SPring 2014 | iSSUE i A Truman Student Publication Serving the Uptown Community

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The Uptown Exchange

Retro-gaming Back From The Dead At Truman

By Yesica P. Prado

Crime scene on campus, Friday Oct. 25. Photo credit: Yesica P. Prado

Broadway’s Protected Bike Lane Postponed

By Weather

...Continued on Page 2

Photo Contributed By: Yesica P. PradoReginald King (aka “4th Hokage”) and Corrina Bredesen (aka “kushina”) face off in arcade-game combat.

best part: It’s free to play! Truman student and club member Kenny

Vang, a computer engineer, started this process last semester and now offers the full-cabinet classic model. The arcade machine is currently located in the art room on the third floor of the main building, and its tentative launch date will be the middle of next semester (around Feb. 12), tentatively to be located in the cafeteria.

From the outside, this machine looks exactly like an old-school arcade game, with two joy sticks each with two buttons (to aid in mashing when you do not know the combination moves) and a crisply painted front. Custom art work from current Truman students decorates the cabinet sides, with references to many different video games.

Currently, MKII is installed, however this

is not a one trick pony — it can play almost any game! “We can make a game, our own, and install it in the arcade … like an actual setting in the game with our story, or (we can) ask the students, ‘What games do you want to have?’” said club member Jeffery Bradford. Other games that might make it into this gaming console include “Zelda,” “Mario Kart” and “Super Mario Brothers.”

Founded in Fall 2008, Gamerz Inc. is “a video game club where we play and review video games,” according to their description on Truman’s web site. The club serves as a forum for students to exchange ideas and inform other students about new video games. Gamerz Inc. members involved in making this dream a reality include Kenny Vang, Rachel Brown, Reggie-King, Corrina Belle, Alija Mauner, Jennifer Nguyen, Jeffery Brad-ford and Ashley Paterkiewicz.

By James Griffin

Photo Contributed By: Yesica P. PradoOncoming winter at Broadway and Wilson foils new bike-lane plans.

Riding at 18 mph down Halsted Avenue, I pedaled faster, trying to gain speed as I was rushing to class one Friday

morning, but little did I know it was a bad day to wear shorts and forget my helmet.

Coming up to the traffic light, a white truck turned in front of me without signaling and stopped in the middle of the road. I didn’t even get the chance to yell, “Get out of the way idiot!” Next thing I knew, I flew out of my bike seat, and my body hit the hard, rocky pavement.

Blood gushed out of my scraped forehead and left knee. The jerk didn’t even apologize. Painfully, as I tried getting back on my feet, I watched the truck with a City of Chicago logo on the side door drive away.

After getting elected, Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for the creation of 100 miles of protected bike lanes by May 2015 in the Cycling Plan 2020. It sounded good, but are we finally going to be safer biking from now on? Probably not. From 2005 to 2010, according to City of Chicago 2012 Bicycle Crash Analysis, our city experienced “nearly 9,000 injury crashes involving bicyclists, with 32 bicyclist fatalities. Bicycle crashes are on the rise.”

Can these fatalities be reduced with protected bike lanes? I sure hope so, but bad drivers will still continue to roam the streets, and so is the potential for accidents. We never know just who is behind the wheel these days, as not even the drivers who are supposed to set

OPINION SECTION

UPTOWN EXCHANGE

STAFFEditor-in-Chief Marina Villarreal

STAFF WRITERSMarylin Diaz James Griffin Christian Lopez Damian G. Mendez Yesica Prado Juana Villagomez

COPY Copy Editor Dulce Pauta

PHOTOChief Photographer Yesica Prado

GRAPHICSProduction & Design Manager Peter Boateng

PRODUCTIONDesign Assistant Junwoo LeeDesign Assistant Audrey C. Moungolo

The Uptown Exchange Uptown_Exchange

FACULTY ADVISORAssistant Professor Benjamin Ortiz

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONSCollege Media Advisers

Illinois Community CollegeJournalism Association

Student Press Law Center

an “example,” like the city employees, can be trusted to keep the streets safe.

But the same can be said about bicyclists and pedestrians, right? We are all guilty of not following the rules, especially when it comes to crossing the street carelessly in the middle of the road or not wait-ing for the walking signal. I know, I pledge guilty.

As a promise for safer streets, two segments of 1.05-mile pro-tected bike lanes are coming to Uptown, on Broadway between Montrose and Ainslie parallel to the CTA Red Line. Asphalt patching and repair was started in the first week of November, and striping crews started the week after, but now due to Chicago’s cold winter approaching, the project will be put on hold until this Spring.

“They needed four to five consecutive days of weather that was 55 degrees or higher…we are putting it on hold until April 15,” said 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman. “We wanted it sooner, and I’m disappointed. But…a special type of paint that they put on the street…has a plastic component to it, and if you paint the road using this paint and the temperature gets below 55, it won’t last as

long. So to assure that it will have a much longer life span, they are going to wait.”

I knew it. A city project getting done so quickly was just too good to be true. But who

...Continued from Page 1 City Brink Release Party

By Juana Villagomez

Truman’s literary magazine, City Brink, was scheduled to have a release party at the Cosgrove Library on Dec. 4 to

commemorate their second issue.However, the release party has been deferred until sometime in the spring semester according to student editor Atiya Wawdiwala. The magazine can still be viewed online through the City Colleges of Chicago website.

The release party was to feature speeches by faculty editor Joshua Thusat and student editor Atiya Wawdiwala as well as selected readings from the magazine. Among the readings to be included was, “A Letter to My Ancestors” by student editor Rachael Carter.

“The piece is a nod to the artists who came be-fore me and whose work inspires me, Ms. [Gwendo-lyn] Brooks for her writing and Gordon Parks. . . for his photography,” said Carter of her poem. Carter hopes that the audience is “able to understand the connection be-tween myself, Gordon Parks and Gwendolyn Brooks.”

The second issue of City Brink has gone through some significant changes accord-ing to Thusat and Wawdiwala. This year, the magazine “began collaborating with more classes, like the Oil Painting and Techniques class,” said Thusat. Truman students enrolled in Oil Painting Techniques and Watercolor Painting classes submitted 16 works of art for inclusion in the magazine. Eight works were selected for publication in the maga-zine including the new image for the cover, “In the Rain” by Betlihem Teshome. When asked what prompted the change in cover

image Thusat replied, “The student editors, Rachael Carter and Atiya Wawdiwala both decided that offer-ing the space for new artists to be showcased was the best option.”

Truman’s literary magazine will continue to change and develop in future issues. “As we be-gin to feel more confident existing as a creative outlet and presence for the community, we hope to see the magazine submitted to com-petitions with the College Media Association. . . .We are also beginning discussions regard-ing space for a larger student media operations, which would have an area for both City Brink and Uptown Exchange,” said Thusat.

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Photo By: Yesica P. PradoHaving the right of way, a woman bikes across Broadway and Wilson intersection.

can blame them? Yes, the Chicago Department of Transportation should not have waited until November to begin the project, as any person with common sense knows winter is approaching, but we wouldn’t want the budget go to waste. “An estimated cost of $200,000 of which the 46th Ward spent $150,000 and the remaining $50,000 came from the Alderman

up north,” said Bradley Topol, CDOT Bicycle Program Consultant.

The project focuses on decreasing crashes, calming traffic and increasing cycling and

walking, claimed CDOT, whose statistics reveal 62.5% of residents in and around the 46th Ward do not drive to work. Thus, the new bike lanes will have a huge impact on transpor-tation choices.

But placing the lanes on Broadway might not be the smartest idea. “Broadway has a lot of traffic, but taking space away and narrowing lanes will not make it safer,” said Peter Porr, Uptown resident. ”I’ve seen a lot of accidents when driving north bound

in the last 32 years I’ve lived here.”Of course this comes as no surprise, as the

CDOT Bicycle Program conducted a crash analysis of North Broadway from Montrose Ave. to Foster Ave. for the years 2006 to 2010, revealing 62% of fatal, incapacitating and non-incapacitating (but still serious) injuries that bicyclists and pedestrians were involved. There are also many cases where pedestrians and bicyclists were not injured, but incidents with cars still cause quite a fright.

“I was lucky with one,” said Cara Taylor, an Uptown resident recalling an incident she had with a taxi driver. ”I didn’t get hurt, but he broke my wheelchair. … It was an inconve-nience because I had to wait to go through all the changes to get a new set of wheels.”

But are the drivers the only ones at fault? Come on, we are not all saints. Bicyclists also tend to break the rules and the most obvi-ous one at times: wearing a helmet. Walking to class, I see almost every student biking to campus not wearing a helmet! Why? Because it’s uncool. Well, being uncool might just save your life, right? A helmet would have probably saved me from banging my head against the road and a bleeding forehead. Did I learn my lesson? Yes, sir.

“Uptown residents have so far supported the project and been having positive reac-tions,” said Topol, referring to opinions voiced at the Bike Lane Open House held at the 46th Ward office on Oct 30. “We hope this proj-ect will encourage people to accept more bike lanes in the area.”

Uptown will certainly go through a change. “This is a community that is very car-centric. We make it easy for the car,” said Cappleman. “Instead of being a community for the cars it should be a community for cars, bicyclists, people in wheelchairs, walkers and just people who walk and strollers.”Now will protected bike lanes make a difference? I hope so, but I still wonder if a flex pole will stop drivers from causing accidents. Yes, they are supposed to re-spect lanes just like you are supposed to brush your teeth three times a day.

According to Topol, once the project is completed CDOT will also be looking into adding more bike lanes on Montrose Ave., Lawrence Ave. and Sheridan Rd. But before expanding, I hope it’s CDOT’s New Year’s resolution to have the Broadway project finally completed. Mighty protected bike lanes, we hope to see you this year.

Salvation Army Feeds Uptown

Tires screech before reaching the bridge on the Wilson exit from Lake Shore Drive as cars try to avoid the body

lying on the road. With messy hair, a black torn hoodie and quivering hands, John held up his “I’m homeless” sign while kneeling down in the middle of the road. He begged for money to the passing cars only to be ignored.

“You are going to get yourself killed,” said his homeless neighbor Nicolas Fernandez, as he pulled John to the sidewalk. “This is no way to live, so what’s the point!” he said angrily as he pushed Fernandez to the ground.

This is the last memory Fernandez recalls of John, his homeless neighbor camping next to him for the last month, before being taken away by Chicago Police for reckless behavior.

“Homeless” signs are a common sight in Uptown all throughout the year. Even during the holiday season, people continue to sleep under viaducts and the streets in this 6 degree weather. According to the Uptown Chicago Commission, “Uptown has, by far, the largest number of social service organizations in the state of Illinois.” Then why are these people still sleeping on the streets? Social services work in Uptown to put homeless in housing, but these services have failed because they do not collaborate together, stated 46th Ward Al-derman James Cappleman.

Last March, Cappleman requested the removal of the Salvation Army mobile out-reach unit and gave them one month to cease their services in Uptown. Cappleman believed Salvation Army’s services were not working in Uptown as they failed to provide significant changes on the number of homeless people put in housing. Captain Nancy Powers, direc-tor of Salvation Army’s homeless program in Chicago, persisted in staying in Uptown to feed the homeless. After meeting with Capple-man, they came to a mutual agreement for the Salvation Army to work together with other social services to put an end to homelessness in Uptown. Although this agreement has not been fulfilled, according to Cappleman, Salva-tion Army continues to distribute soup, bread, juice and hot tea to homeless and low income residents of Uptown from Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to noon in front of the Weiss Hospital parking lot.

The mobile outreach unit distributes food five days a week on the outskirts of Uptown, providing a meal to anyone in need. Two social workers come on board with the unit hoping to get the homeless off the streets.

“The goal is that they might need detox or drug treatment or mental health or they may just need housing or employment issues,” said Powers.“Any of these things our caseworkers can work with the people to try and get them settled in.”

In 2009, Salvation Army began distributing food in the Uptown neighborhood after Alder-man Helen Shiller requested the services of the mobile outreach unit. The truck was placed on the outskirts of Uptown and they have stayed

Winter brings season to feed, clothe, shelter Uptown’s homelessBy Yesica P. Prado

FEATURE SECTION

A little volunteer helps serve Truman’s 2013 Thanksgiving meal — the holidays may be over, but opportunities remain to help Uptown neighbors in need.

Photo Contributed By: Yesica P. Prado

hidden there ever since. “You go where the alderman wants you,”

said Powers. “The visibility of the food truck is not necessarily positive for the tourist street…so I think the purpose was to keep us not vis-ible.”

According to Powers, the mobile outreach unit feeds approximately 75 people per day thanks to the 85% on private and 15% city funding Salvation Army receives for this pro-gram. Although soup is the main dish served, Powers claims the food has a good nutritional value.

“You can put everything in a soup, veg-etables, protein, carbs and you have a one dish casserole,” said Powers. “But is not always just soup, they might get macaroni and cheese with a vegetable and a meat in it, they might get chilly, they might get a pasta and spaghetti sauce and meatballs.”

Although this food is distributed to help the homeless, others claim this food has only made them sick at times and rely on getting their daily meals from passing pedestrians.

“I don’t like to eat it because it makes me sick at times,” said Fernandez. “I used to be a cook for 10 years and I can tell you that soup is not fresh, so I only eat it when there is nothing else to eat.”

“I hardly ever eat from that truck,” said Mathew Creasy, Fernandez’s homeless friend, who has been recently homeless for a month and is currently living under the Wilson

viaduct. “They only give you soup. I usually get food from stamps or we have people drop off food. Couple of people stop by and give us hot chocolate from McDonald’s, two double cheeseburgers and fries. We do have people that care for us.”

Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness conducted a survey in 2007 finding “5,170 people either staying in shelters or living on the street in the City of Chicago.” The city’s count is based on “the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of home-lessness: ‘when an individual lacks a fixed, regu-lar and adequate place to sleep or who regularly spends the night in a shelter, similar institution, or a place not meant for human habitation.’”

Having more than 18% of the Chicago population in a state of homelessness, social services concentrate in north side neighbor-hoods to attend to the majority of this popula-tion. Most of these services reside in Uptown, which is a concern to residents as these organi-zations attract the homeless population.

“There are 77 Chicago neighborhoods, and Uptown is one of them,” said Cappleman.“If you take 39 of those community areas and you add up all the government subside housing in all 39 community areas, the sum total is still less than what you find in Uptown. What does that say to you?”

With big numbers of people at stake, one cannot expect one neighborhood to end homelessness, however, does a solution to end

homelessness really exist?

“Homelessness was huge in the 80s,” said Powers. “There was a substantial amount of money to address homeless, but social causes change. Homelessness is something that we live with and have to work on it, but it is not the number one focus of govern-ment foundations.”

Although homelessness is not the number one priority, Salvation Army will continue their services in Uptown and served a special dinner during Christmas.

“We have Santa Claus going out with the unit a couple of days,” said Powers. “We have shoebox Christmas gifts and inside there’s just a whole variety of things that folks need from hats, gloves, scarfs, bread mitts, paper, stamps, socks. We have boxes for women, men, and dif-ferent ages of kids that we will be given off the unit. We are presently giving coat vouchers and blankets. Christmas day we’ll be out and have a full Christmas meal at all of our stops and Christmas gifts for each person.”

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Students Share Experiences Of Typhoon Haiyan’s Far-

reaching Effects

OPINION/PERSPECTIVE SECTION

Chicagoans are fortunate enough that they have never had to experience the atrocities brought on by extreme natu-

ral disasters, like earthquakes and hurricanes. In early November, the people of the Philip-pines were struck by one of the most power-ful typhoons on record. Thousands have been confirmed dead, with many more missing and over $1.5 billion of damage estimated, accord-ing to various news and government sources.

Though we all hope never to undergo such a tragic experience, some of our very own stu-dents have survived typhoons.

Truman Student Marisa Seidman recalls the roar-ing winds, the flying debris and the massive amounts of flooding brought upon by ty-phoons. Growing up in the Philippines, Marisa says she experienced many typhoons.

Some of the memories that stand out the most include the constant flash flooding and people’s tin roofs being blown off by the pow-erful winds. Though she was fortunate enough to live in a house strong enough to withstand the storms, it still experienced heavy damage every typhoon season.

Fortunately for Marisa, the rest of her fam-ily still living back in the Philippines went rela-tively unscathed during typhoon Haiyan, due to living in Manila, located in the northern part of the island chain. This meant that the typhoon had greatly weakened by the time it reached them, sparing them from the worst of the destruction.

Such circumstances also spared Cyul Sang-il’s family (another one of our very own Tru-man students). Cyul experienced many of the same things as Marisa while living in the Philip-pines. She specifically recalls several typhoons per year, and though the worst she ever experi-enced was a Category 2 (Typhoon Haiyan was Category 5 for reference), they nonetheless re-main a vivid memory. She remembers how her mother, an employee for the Department of Social Welfare, worked every day, even during times of disaster. Cyul believes this reflects a general Filipino attitude, which is to confront calamity with courage. Such an attitude is ex-tremely important when confronting disaster, and Marisa also agrees with this.

They both believe the Filipino people’s good humor, persever-ance in times of adversity and an ability to see the silver lining even in the darkest of times have been crucial factors in the Philippines’

recovery.External assistance is still an extremely im-

portant necessity, and luckily there has been an outpouring of help from all over the world. Many countries have pledged millions of dol-lars in assistance and reconstruction efforts for the Philippines, in which the US is playing a big part. Both Marisa and Cyul agree that the US has been a great boon for the Philippines throughout the decades whenever disaster strikes.

Since the Philippines is composed of a large collection of islands, aid becomes sig-nificantly harder to distribute since many areas are not yet fully developed. Help always finds a way, though. Cyul recalls many supplies being air-dropped via parachute whenever disaster struck, proving the US’s willingness to always lend a hand when times are tough. Overall, both Cyul and Marisa agree that Filipinos are very grateful to the US and the world in gen-eral for all the help they have received over the years.

Even here at Truman, efforts have gone underway to gather supplies to be sent to the Philippines, organized by Spanish professor Dianne Torres. Interested people can drop off supplies either at Prof. Torres’s office in room 2217 or in room 2100. Additionally, the Red Cross and multiple other international orga-nizations are accepting donations in order to help relief efforts. Even if you can’t afford to donate or help, you can always help spread the word to others who can.

After all, when disaster strikes all we really have is each other as fellow human beings, so please lend a hand.

By Christian Lopez

The Uptown Exchange