Illustration by Samuel Schwindt.

SAIC Mourns Loss of Student Lisa Kuivinen

Lisa Kuivinen, 20, was riding their bike on Milwaukee Avenue last Tuesday when they were hit by a truck and killed. Kuivinen was an undergraduate in the BFA in Studio program, focusing in the drawing and animation departments. Kuivinen’s family held a visitation service on Sunday, and members of the School of the Art Institute (SAIC) community were invited to attend in an email from Felice J. Dublon, the vice president and dean of Student Affairs.

“[She] was one of those students as a teacher you don’t forget,” said Martha Nava, a former art teacher to Kuivinen at Rolling Meadows High School, to the Chicago Tribune,

Kuivinen made ripples at every turn, not only as a multi-media artist, but also a ballroom dancer. Earlier this month they danced in the Fred Astaire Dance Studios’ regional show in Skokie, and have continued to hone their dancing skills since a young age.

Students, faculty, and staff of SAIC can contact Counseling Services for any assistance during this time. A longer memorial article on Kuivinen will appear later this week. 

So tweeted Kylie Jenner last Tuesday, after “Sorry” heartthrob Justin Bieber deleted his Instagram account. Bieber left 77.8 million followers after receiving an onslaught of hateful comments about a photo he posted of his new girlfriend, Sofia Richie, and himself. “I’m gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don’t stop the hate. This is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn’t be so mean to people that I like,” wrote Bieber on August 13.

But have no fear, Beliebers — Ellen Degeneres promised on Instagram to be the “exclusive place for new Justin photos.” Tuesday she posted a photo of Bieber running across a beach with the hashtag “Bieberinparadise.”

Paleontologists discovered a tyrannosaurus rex skull in Montana last week, and proceeded to name it the “Tufts-Love Rex.”

Named after the paleontologists Jason Love and Luke Tufts, the dinosaur was found in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana — an area known to be rich in dinosaurs. The skull was the most recent discovery at the site, and only its right side is visible (the left is still trapped in rock).

The US State Department admitted on Thursday to using $400 million in cash as “leverage” for the release of American hostages held by Iran. The US used the payment to delay negotiations for several hours in January, and to ensure that the hostages would be released immediately – terms which were finalized in the Iran nuclear deal. The large pallets of cash were airlifted to Iran in January.

“Today, the State Department admitted what we’ve long suspected — that the president and his administration have been misleading us since January about whether he ransomed the freedom of the Americans unjustly imprisoned in Iran,” said Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker of the House, on Thursday.

The payments to Iran and the release of the American hostages have never been a secret. It was announced January 17 when the Iran nuclear deal negotiations concluded, and the payments were written off as installments to the United States $1.7 billion debt to Iran (for some convoluted military-legal-debt settlement). President Obama and his administration, however, made no comments about the timing of the release and airlifting-of-cash (which took place on the same day), and have argued that they remained true to America’s refusal to pay ransoms along the “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” mantra.

“We took advantage of leverage that we thought we could have to make sure that they got out safely and efficiently,” said White House spokesperson John Kirby, at a press briefing Thursday.