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The Daily Northwestern Monday, November 11, 2013
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Dems tout gay marriage bill Schakowsky, Durbin fete state legislators for roles in passage By BAILEY WILLIAMS
the daily northwestern @news_BaileyW
The Democratic Party of Evanston on Sunday night honored three state lawmakers at the forefront of the push for gay marriage in Illinois. The party’s annual dinner came five days after the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation that would make same-sex marriage legal in the state. Gov. Pat Quinn is scheduled to sign the bill into law later this month. “It’s one of those historic moments when we are breaking down a wall of discrimination,” Majority Whip Dick
Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, told The Daily during the dinner. “Every generation gets a few chances to do that. This was our chance.” The dinner brought more than 100 people to the new Skylight Event Space, 1818 Dempster St. State Reps. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), as well as Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), were recognized for their roles in helping pass the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced the state legislators, calling their efforts historic. “It really is not often that you do get to be a part of something like that,” Steans said. “It’s not really often that you get to be a part of changing history.” As an openly gay member of the state legislature, Cassidy told the audience she is grateful to represent
Sarah Nelson/Daily Senior Staffer
ADVOCATES AWARDED State Rep. Kelly Cassidy received an award Sunday night from the Democratic Party of Evanston. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky presented awards to Cassidy, Rep. Greg Harris, and State Sen. Heather Steans for their work to promote the same-sex marriage bill that passed in Illinois last week.
a district where she can stand for the bill “without fear.” “Much of what we do doesn’t have direct impact,” Cassidy told
The Daily. “It is very personal. It is very exciting. I’m looking forward to marrying my partner and making our family whole.”
Harris credited two other state » See EVANSTON DEMS, page 7
Law schools cut class sizes Restaurant closed for lack of license By ELIZABETH KIM
the daily northwestern @ehak95
Law schools around the country are reducing their incoming class sizes in an effort to combat a lagging economy and better prepare students to enter the workforce. A recent Kaplan Test Prep survey of law school admissions officers revealed that the number of law school applicants is declining while law schools are reducing their class sizes. Northwestern School of Law reduced its incoming class of 2013 by about two dozen students,
a reduction of 10 percent from the previous year. The survey was conducted earlier this year and gathered data from 127 American Bar Association-approved law schools, some of which ranked in the top 25 schools. Jeff Thomas, Kaplan Test Prep’s director of pre-law programs, said though law has traditionally been thought of as a reliable path to whitecollar success, students graduating law schools since the 2008 economic recession have found that may not be the case. “Historically speaking, we saw a lot of students apply to law school in times of economic turmoil,” Thomas
Law schools cutting back
78
54
percent of law school admissions officers say they admitted fewer students for 2013-14
25
percent of law school admissions officers think “the U.S. legal education system needs to undergo significant changes to better prepare future attorneys for the changing employment landscape and legal profession."
67
percent of law school admissions officers don’t think the steep, three-year decline of law school percent say they plan to applications will reverse itself in the next do so again next year admissions cycle. Infographic by Kelsey Ott/Daily Senior Staffer
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
said. “When you graduate college, you decide to enter either the workforce or school. We see a lot of students go right to the workforce and start their career path.” Fifty-four percent of law school admissions officers reported the reduction of entering classes for 2013-14, continuing a declining trend that began two years ago, and 25 percent plan to continue the cuts in the next year. The reduction of class sizes allows law schools to focus on each individual student in preparing them for the workplace and offering more scholarships. Thomas said law firms are not as willing to hire recent college graduates due to their lack of experience. In order to respond to these changing statistics and combat unemployment after graduation for future law students, law schools are adding more real-world training into their curriculum. Seventyone percent of law schools reported introducing these additions, which include clinical courses, internships and externships. NU’s law school offers hands-on, experiential learning in the public and private sectors for a semester or more through its Bluhm Legal Clinic. The school was also the first in the
» See LAW SCHOOL, page 7
By KIMMY RAILEY
daily senior staffer @kimberlyrailey
Although pop-up restaurant Under the Table was shut down by Evanston last month for not having a license, its owners say the issue will be resolved in the next few weeks. When the fine-dining spot came to the city in August, it did not secure a food establishment license from the Evanston Health Department, a requirement for restaurants to open. As a pop-up business, Under the Table has no permanent location but operated in Evanston out of a kitchen at 940 Pitner Ave. As a “private party masquerading as a restaurant,” Under the Table owners were not aware they needed to comply with city codes, co-owner Max Mora said. Evanston sent Under the Table a cease-and-desist letter Oct. 24. Carl Caneva, assistant director of the Evanston Health Department, said he learned about the licensing issue through Yelp and a “couple other places” on the Internet. “We want to make sure this is consistent” with the rules applied to other restaurants, Caneva said. The restaurant is working with the
city and is on track to settle the problem by the end of the month, Mora said. “It was a concern for a moment, but it looks like it won’t really hurt us,” Mora said. “We contend that we’re not really a regular restaurant … but we’ve learned our lessons in terms of secrecy when it comes to underground pop-up dinners. We will certainly comply.” Before using the Pitner Avenue space, Under the Table held dinners at Company Evanston, a restaurant that hosts a rotating lineup of chefs. The location, 1307 Chicago Ave., previously drew “Top Chef ” finalist Beverly Kim. Now, Under the Table is serving meals in other Chicago-area venues. “We’re going wherever we need to go to take care of this,” co-owner Chikoo Patel said. “We’re going to take care of it quickly.” The restaurant is also preparing for a Nov. 23 event to benefit Youth Organizations Umbrella, an Evanston-based organization that provides support for young people. Within the next three months, Under the Table hopes to open a physical storefront in Chicago’s Lakeview or Logan Square neighborhoods, Mora said. Patrick Svitek contributed reporting. kimberlyrailey2014@u.northwestern.edu
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