lisa schulz – The Columbia Chronicle

Liberal arts degrees contribute billions to US economy

March 31, 2014

Just when you were beginning to think your liberal arts degree was useless in the current economy, new statistics suggest otherwise. Data from the National Endowment of the Arts and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show that the arts and cultural production industry added a...

Video Poll: Should the city ban plastic bags?

March 31, 2014

Plastic bags could be banned from Chicago's retail stores if city council passes legislation meant to quell the environmental effects of plastic shopping bags. Students got a chance to voice their opin...

Someone you should know: Lara Marie Schoenhals

March 31, 2014

Lara Marie Schoenhals, a 2008 film & video alumna, never thought she would graduate and go onto become a New York Times best-selling author. But one night in 2010 spurred a series of events that would lead her to do just that. Schoenhals’ good friend Tanner Cohen came up...

New major offers students hands-on approach to ASL

March 10, 2014

Columbia’s American Sign Language-English Interpretation Department added a Deaf Studies major this semester, the only program of its kind in the Midwest.Unlike the department’s current ASL-English I...

Women on wheels

February 24, 2014

As the city’s cycling population grows, more women are seeking female-friendly bike services.A study by the League of American Bicyclists found women’s cycling gear and products accounted for a thir...

Featured Artist: Ricardo Bouyett

February 24, 2014

When junior photographymajor and fine art photographer Ricardo Bouyett hikes up a mountain, explores a forest preserve or dances in a field, he brings his Canon 60D camera along. After delving into photography two years ago, Bouyett received the 2013 Applied Arts student award, w...

West Side rapper Bella Bahhs (left) sits in on the “The Benchwarmers,” hosted by Chronicle Media Relations Editor Nader Ihmoud (front) and Eduardo Saldana (rear). The Monday night radio show is broadcast on Columbia’s WCRX 88.1. Host Ihmoud praised Bahh’s song “Good Loud” and pleaded with her to release a clean version that he could play on air.

Rapper handles injustice like a Bahhs

February 17, 2014

You may not know it by looking at her, but petite, soft-spoken Ambrelle Gambrelle, a West Side rapper who performs under the moniker Bella Bahhs, is tough. Bahhs, a spoken word artist, made her rap debut...

Free community college could boost education access

February 17, 2014

Tuition and education-related fees have steadily increased in recent years, and state governments have begun debating measures to reduce the cost of higher education. In Tennessee, Oregon and Mississippi, legislators have presented plans to make community college free for two years, which could increase access to higher education but requires high standards to prevent dropout rates from increasing.The Tennessee Promise pr...

Police clock in, budget clocks out

February 17, 2014

The Chicago Police Department’s current strategy of transferring officers from their desk jobs to the streets successfully reduced crime in 2013, but it carried an unreasonably high price tag. The overtime bill ran up to $103.5 million, nearly $10 million more than the department projected in the 2013 budget. The overinflated cost raises questions about how effectively the police department is utilizing its resources and whet...

Recession takes toll on Metra

February 17, 2014

More commuters than ever are turning to public transit, although Metra was left out in the cold during the Great Recession as commuters heavily relied on the Chicago Transit Authority, according to a Fe...

City puts breaks on ride-share companies

By Metro Editor

February 17, 2014

Ride-share companies, such as Uber and Lyft, are facing roadblocks because of regulations pro- posed by the mayor and a lawsuit filed by major cab companies. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Alderman Emma Mitts (37th Ward) introduced a draft ordinance to City Council Feb. 5 to standardize the currently unregulated ride-share companies. If the ordinance passes, ride-share companies would be required to pay an annual fee of $25,0...

Enrollment goes down, retention picks up

By Campus Editor & Assistant Campus Editor

February 17, 2014

Columbia enrolled 471 fewer students this semester than it did in the spring of 2013, a loss the administration anticipated because of similar losses in the fall. The college’s total enrollment dropped 4.9 percent from spring 2013 to spring 2014, but freshman retention rates went up, meaning more students are choosing to continue at the college, according to a Feb. 10 report from the Office of Institutional Effective...