The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, January 15, 2020
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3 CAMPUS/Facilities
Cats run out of gas, fall to Iowa at home
Two false fire alarms in Bobb-McCulloch Hall leave students out in the cold
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Expanding ‘whole brain engineering’
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High water levels create concerns Lake Michigan’s rise is among highest in years By EMMA EDMUND
daily senior staffer @emmaeedmund
Lake Michigan water levels, some of the highest seen in years, pose a discernible public safety concern, according to several scientists and experts. The lake levels, measured by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with Lake Huron, have been on the rise since reaching a record low in 2013. In December, the lake reached an average daily mean of 581.52 feet, just short of 1986’s December maximum of 581.56 feet. The six-month forecast predicts that the water levels could surpass the historic 1986 highs. Lauren Fry, the technical lead for Great Lakes hydrology at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit district office, said the past few years, with their abnormally wet seasons, have contributed to the high levels and created a period of lake level rise. “Just by being at a higher water level at this point in
time, which is a seasonal low period, now we’re looking at our forecast, and in that sixmonth forecast horizon Lake Michigan-Huron is projected to exceed its previously set record high water level each of the six months, so through June,” Fry said. She added that the high levels are a basin-wide issue, not just a concern for Lake Michigan. The high water levels have had a substantial impact on Chicago’s shoreline, from contributing to erosion to more dangerous wave action coming from the lake. Over the weekend, a winter storm caused serious flooding along Evanston’s lakefront, according to a tweet from the Evanston Police Department. Steven Brown, the chief scientist of the Illinois State Geological Survey, said that lake levels have been relatively low for a few years, which has allowed Chicagoland residents to grow accustomed to living with a tamer lake. Now, though, residents will have to re-adapt to changing water conditions. “There is some reason to be concerned,” Brown said. “With high lake levels, that means the » See WATER, page 6
Owen Stidman/ Daily Senior Staffer
David Oks and Henry Williams speak to students in Seabury Hall. Topics ranged from Gravel’s bid for president to their new progressive nonprofit, The Gravel Institute.
‘Gravel teens’ talk progressivism
College students managed presidential candidate’s Twitter account By SPENCER ALLAN
the daily northwestern @spencerlallan
In the back of a Kresge Centennial Hall classroom, teenage political organizers David Oks and Henry Williams watched the seventh Democratic presidential debate alongside Northwestern
students, cheering on U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) as they scrolled through leftist Twitter on their laptops. Oks and Williams, now college students at the University of Oxford and Columbia University, respectively, are some of the youngest faces to emerge from a new wave of American progressive strategists. They first gained
national attention last March when they registered former Alaskan progressive U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel as a 2020 presidential candidate. Now, they travel to college campuses to advocate progressive politics. The Tuesday event was jointly organized by Northwestern Political Union, College Democrats and Young Democratic Socialists of America. Daniel Immerwahr,
associate professor of history, moderated the discussion. “Can you believe this?”Williams said, gesturing to his laptop screen. It’s a sweater from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.) campaign that says, ‘This isn’t flyover country, this is home.’ After a round of laughter from the room, » See GRAVEL TEENS, page 6
Devon Horton prioritizes students Interfaith groups Future D65 superintendent has dedicated life to educating children By MOLLY LUBBERS
the daily northwestern
LMNOP: It’s a string of letters that many schoolchildren learn from the alphabet song. But when Devon Horton was in high school tutoring an eighth grader, he learned his student couldn’t identify “M” in the dictionary. Horton said he asked the educator overseeing the program how he should help him. The teacher’s response: That’s not our problem. Horton, set to become superintendent of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 in July, said this moment inspired him to work in education. “To hear a teacher – working in a summer intervention program – say that, did something to me,” Horton said. “I knew then, right then and there, and I majored in elementary education when I went to college.” Even before that, he said his mother raised him to prioritize education. Horton grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes, a public housing project in Chicago, before moving to the Jeffery Manor neighborhood. He added his mother was an “active parent” who allowed
operate cold shelters 18 cold-related deaths in Cook County this winter By EVA HERSCOWITZ
the daily northwestern @herscowitz
Courtesy of Devon Horton
Devon Horton (right) visits one of Jefferson County Public Schools’ alternative schools after it instituted Career and Technical Education. Horton will become District 65’s superintendent in July.
him to attend Culver Military Academy, a boarding school in Indiana, after he graduated eighth grade. “I really say that my leadership skills happened at Culver,” Horton said. “And being the
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
third highest ranked cadet and African American, that was really powerful.” Horton attended Jackson State University for his undergraduate degree. After he graduated and entered the workforce,
he lived with his sister Latrice Madkins, who said she could see his passion. “That first year of teaching, he would come home with these » See DEVON, page 6
For Evanstonians experiencing homelessness, the winter months are especially dangerous. At least 18 people in Cook County have suffered cold-related deaths since November, and homeless people risk frostbite and injury from the months of November to March, Interfaith Action director Sue Murphy said. While the number of homeless people in Evanston is difficult to quantify, local nonprofit social service providers estimate that about 10 percent of Evanston’s population — roughly 7,500 people — are either homeless or at risk of becoming so. Despite the fact that the city lacks a year-round shelter, some advocacy groups have filled the void. Often staffed by small teams of volunteers, these groups provide critical services to people experiencing homelessness during the winter months. Interfaith Action of Evanston,
a faith-based advocacy group, operates emergency cold shelters in six partnering faith communities: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Evanston, Unitarian Church of Evanston, First United Methodist Church, First Congregational Church of Evanston, First Presbyterian Church of Evanston and Beth Emet — The Free Synagogue. Originally housed at St. Paul’s Lutheran and only open when temperatures fell below zero degrees, Interfaith Action’s cold shelter has progressively increased its temperature threshold over the last 15 years. This winter marks a major achievement for the group, Murphy said — it’s the first season the shelter has stayed open every night regardless of temperature, thanks to donations and increased volunteer participation. Open from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., the shelter stays running through volunteers, who provide each guest with hot beverages, a blanket and a sheet. Murphy was quick to add that services provided aren’t fancy. “It kind of makes me laugh: people say this is such a wonderful shelter,” she said. “Honestly, it’s a skimpy blanket and a sheet, but it’s better than what they had without » See COLD, page 6
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