The Daily Northwestern — January 8, 2020

Page 1

The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, January 8, 2020

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Men’s Basketball

3 CAMPUS/Events

Wildcats prepare to host USC rematch

Cambridge professors talk the threat for academic research in Egypt

Find us online @thedailynu 4 OPINION/Sastoque

Are Americans too close-minded?

High 42 Low 32

NPEP hosts Q&A, film screening “Stateville Calling” looks at justice, rehabilitation By JACKSON MILLER

the daily northwestern @jacksonfire123

The Northwestern Prison Education Program hosted a documentary screening and Q&A panel on prison programming Tuesday in Harris Hall. “Stateville Calling” explores issues of justice, rehabilitation and safety while following prisoner’s rights advocate Bill Ryan as he promotes re-instituting parole for Illinois state inmates ages 50 and up. The Q&A panel that followed included NPEP director and NU Prof. Jennifer Lackey, youth and family counselor Andre Joachim Jr., and engagement producer of the documentary Naeema Torres. NPEP enrolls inmates at Stateville Correctional Center as official Northwestern students tuition-free. Inmates take Northwestern classes with in-person instruction from Northwestern professors and work toward degrees. One NPEP student was featured in the documentary. The documentary highlighted the stories of inmates

at Stateville Correctional Center — many who have been incarcerated for over 20 years — who found their own rehabilitation during their time in prison. “I’m not the person I was,” inmate Janet Jackson said in the documentary “I’m not mentally ill anymore, and I haven’t been in a long time. I’m no threat to society and if given a chance, I could show society I have changed.” said. The documentary also features some who are opposed to re-instituting parole for inmates over 50, including a mother whose son was murdered. Many parole advocates shown in the film said elderly inmates may be twice as expensive to incarcerate as compared to younger inmates. Meanwhile, an increasing number of elderly people are incarcerated in Illinois. They also said that once released from prison, elderly people have a smaller recidivism rate, meaning they are re-arrested less often. Lackey agreed age can reduce recidivism, but suggested there are more practical ways of achieving that. “Some criminologists will say that the most effective way of reducing the recidivism rate is just age,” Lackey said. “But that’s not just » See STATEVILLE, page 7

Owen Stidman/Daily Senior Staffer

Students gather to compose and package letters to send to incarcerated individuals. The Northwestern University Student-Prisoner Correspondence Night meets every first Tuesday of the month.

Fahmy speaks on academic safety

Cambridge professors talk the threat for academic research in Egypt By YUNKYO KIM

the daily northwestern @yunkyomoonk

On the first Tuesday of every month, students have gathered at the Multicultural Center to package

handwritten letters, zines and messages of support. These are collected and shipped out around the United States to incarcerated individuals — most of them non-white and low-income. The Northwestern University Student-Prisoner

Correspondence Night hosted its first regular event of the year on Tuesday. It was sponsored by the Rogers Park Prisoner Letter Writing Coalition, a local letter-writing meetup for incarceration solidarity, and Living in Color, a Northwestern student group

promoting artistic expression for queer students of color. Both organizations support prison abolition. “(The event) is abolition first,” said Eliza Gonring, a SESP junior and Living in » See LETTERS, page 7

Work at EPL illuminates activism Transitional shelter Student photography tackles environmental justice, range of social issues By MAIA SPOTO

the daily northwestern @maia_spoto

Responding to last fall’s student-led climate protests, eighth graders from Chute Middle School created images that grapple with environmental injustice, among other social issues. Themes of mental health, gun violence and self image also weave through their pieces, which are on display at Evanston Public Library until Jan. 31. Media Arts teacher Sherri Kushner, KIDS Global Network, Inc. president Ann Covode and photographer Yancey Hughes collaborated to lead the photovoice project for its third year in the middle school’s Advanced Media Arts class. In the class, instructors encouraged students to engage with movements that inspired them. “What Greta Thunberg has done in the last sixth months has made kids more aware of their voice and their position, and changed the way they view

for women to open By ZOE MALIN

the daily northwestern @zoermalin

Maia Spoto/The Daily Northwestern

A photograph and artist statement by Chute Middle School eighth-grader Karis Martin hang in the photovoice art exhibit at Evanston Public Library. Martin’s piece focused on global education disparities for girls.

their own abilities,” Hughes said. “Now, they have a voice, they have a say in the way the business of life is conducted.” Photovoice is a photography teaching method in schools and libraries focused on community

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

representation. A nonprofit of the same name strives to share diverse perspectives and enact positive social change through photography. Covode, who is trained in the photovoice method and

introduced the idea to Chute Middle School in 2017, said hearing concerns from students has heightened her understanding of issues like climate change. » See PHOTOGRAPH, page 7

Connections for the Homeless and First United Methodist Church of Evanston have partnered to open Daisy’s Place, a year-round transitional shelter for women. The shelter will be the first on the North Shore dedicated to housing homeless female-identifying adults, and it is slated to open sometime in 2020. Jennifer Kouba, associate director of development for Connections for the Homeless, said such a shelter would fulfill a “critical need” in the community. The shelter will have a permanent location in the lower level of the First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St., and it has already been issued a certificate of zoning compliance, according to a news release. Kouba said both

organizations were inspired to found the shelter after Tanuel Major, known as Daisy, was murdered on the steps of First United Methodist Church’s courtyard in November 2018. She noted that while Connections for the Homeless operates Hilda’s Place, a men’s transitional shelter, there is no designated space in the community for homeless women beyond domestic abuse services at YWCA Evanston/ North Shore. “We need to ensure that everyone in our community has a safe place to call home,” Kouba said. “Daisy’s Place is a low-barrier option for women seeking shelter.” Daisy’s Place will initially accommodate five residents, but aspires to grow long-term. Kouba said she expects the shelter to be fully occupied the day it opens. Daisy’s Place residents will have access to the shelter between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. » See DAISY, page 7

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Daily Northwestern — January 8, 2020 by The Daily Northwestern - Issuu