The Daily Northwestern — February 3, 2017

Page 1

The Daily Northwestern Friday, February 3, 2017

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Women’s Tennis

3 CAMPUS/Politics

Wildcats set to face Vanderbilt, Duke

Mayoral candidates talk town-gown relations at Northwestern-hosted forum

Find us online @thedailynu 4 OPINION/Kempis

NU must do more in wake of Trump order

High 27 Low 16

Task force formed to aid city refugees By DAVID FISHMAN

daily senior staffer @davidpkfishman

A new Evanston task force, created after the recent presidential election, met last week for the second time to explore options for assisting refugees in their resettlement. The group, which met for the first time in December, includes representatives from the city, both school districts, Evanston police and resettlement agencies. Lauren Leitao, the bilingual program director at Evanston/ Skokie School District 65, said the group seeks to bridge service gaps and help the city understand how to best assist its refugee population. “Evanston recognizes that we have a growing refugee population,” she said. “There are so many different service providers and connection points for our (refugee) families. So it was an opportunity to bring all these different service providers together so that we can connect and better coordinate.” There are at least 100 refugee households in Evanston, said Mark Muenzer, director of community development. Leitao said 50 to 75 refugee students attend District 65, a number that has grown in recent years. Officials at Evanston Township High School declined to disclose its refugee enrollment. City Council unanimously passed a “welcoming city” ordinance in December, which prohibits city officials — including police officers — from inquiring about someone’s immigration status. And in January, both of Evanston’s school districts declared themselves a “safe haven” for families affected by any changes in immigration policy. Muenzer said the task force was created in response to that ordinance. In the future, he said, the city hopes to get a more precise picture of the refugee population in Evanston. “We are investigating, potentially, city services to assist families

with their settlement here in Evanston,” Muenzer said. “We want to be very strategic and make sure that there’s no overlap.” ETHS associate principal Taya Kinzie, who sits on the task force, said it provides a direct line of communication to two resettlement agencies, World Relief and RefugeeOne. “We are very fortunate to work with a variety of refugee agencies that are really committed to helping children and families,” Kinzie said. “They’re fantastic.” ETHS principal Marcus Campbell told The Daily in an email that “many students are nervous” following Trump’s executive order that limits immigration and temporarily bans refugees from the country. Signed into law last week, the executive order indefinitely banned Syrian refugees, suspended all refugee admission for 120 days and barred immigration for 90 days from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. On Sunday, President Donald Trump defended his action against waves of criticism. “America is a proud nation of immigrants and we will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression, but we will do so while protecting our own citizens and border,” he wrote in a statement. “This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe.” Within District 65, Leitao said, students were aware of the executive order, but there hasn’t been a major reaction. “There’s definitely many troubling things happening in the world,” she said. “At the end of the day, what’s most important is that we welcome our students and their families and create a safe and supportive environment.” The task force will present to City Council on Feb. 13 and meet again later this month, Muenzer said. davidpkfishman@u.northwestern.edu

Colin Boyle/Daily Senior Staffer

Chicago-based singer Jamila Woods performs at Thursday’s A&O Chicago Benefit. The funds from the concert will be donated to AMASE.

Chicago artists perform Benefit Revamped A&O concert highlights local musicians, comedian By COLIN BOYLE

daily senior staffer @colinbphoto

Chicago got comfortable in Evanston Thursday night. Rapper Noname, who was born and raised in Chicago, performed before a sold-out crowd at Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., in the

first-ever A&O Chicago Benefit. Noname took advantage of the intimate venue to converse casually with fans during her set, even removing her shoes after she performed her first song of the night. Designed to highlight Chicago-based artists, Chicago Benefit also featured R&B artist Jamila Woods and comedian Rebecca O’Neal.

A&O co-chair Will Corvin said the event aimed to show Northwestern’s campus what is going on in the city to the south. “When you apply to this school you hear a lot about getting a ‘Chicago experience,’ and we just really wanted to bring that to people,” the Weinberg senior said.

O’Neal kicked off the night with jokes about a range of topics, from her love life to President Donald Trump. Woods followed O’Neal, opening her set with her song “VRY BLK,” off her first fulllength album “HEAVN,” which was released last year. » See BENEFIT, page 6

ASG Senate changes election code

By JONAH DYLAN

the daily northwestern @thejonahdylan

Associated Student Government Senate approved changes to the election commission’s guidelines Wednesday, including an amendment that will allow the president and executive vice president

to endorse candidates for their positions in the upcoming election. The guidelines were changed just a year after Senate approved a clause that prohibited the president and executive vice president from endorsing candidates. Chief of staff Isaac Rappoport, who proposed the amendment, said the president and executive

vice president should have the option to endorse. “This is a very problematic part of the code,” the Weinberg senior said. “The reason why the election commission can’t endorse is obvious: it’s because it’s their job to make sure the election is fair. The president and vice president have no role in that.” ASG President Christina

Cilento spoke on the amendment’s behalf, saying insight from people who have done the job is always valuable in any election. “The entire intention of a campus-wide election is to sway people to vote for other people, so talking about the ability of the president and » See ENDORSE, page 6

Black House committee in midst of renovations planning By YVONNE KIM

daily senior staffer @yvonneekimm

The Black House feasibility study steering committee is currently working with architects to prepare a report about renovations to the Black House, with renovations likely to begin around the start of Spring Quarter, vice president for student affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin told The Daily. Since the Office of the Vice President hired an architectural firm to begin planning work on the Black House

last quarter, architects have been developing a report on how to renovate the Black House, Telles-Irvin said. The process began with listening sessions last year, following the University’s cancellation of its plan to move administrative offices into the Black House and Multicultural Center. When the University announced the changes in August 2015, students and alumni responded with criticism, seeking to preserve the Black House as a haven for black students. Lesley-Ann BrownHenderson, co-chair of the

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

steering committee and executive director of Campus Inclusion and Community, said the University is currently exploring the role of the Black House on campus. She added that engagement sessions were held with faculty, alumni, students and staff in November to discuss the issue. “The Black House is not going away, but now it’s more a question of what has the Black House been?” BrownHenderson said. “ What is it currently, and what could it be for our contemporary students? … Those are the questions that this process is

aiming to answer as we move forward.” Brown-Henderson said there will be a two-day period on Feb. 7 and 8 during which architects will come to Northwestern to physically experiment with potential models for the house. The study will wrap up in late February or early March, she said. Students will be able to attend during the two days well, Telles-Irvin said. Brown-Henderson said after the architects put together the report, it will be » See RENOVATIONS, page 6

Marcel Bollag/The Daily Northwestern

The Black House feasibility study steering committee is preparing a report about the Black House. Vice president for student affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin said Black House renovations will start around the start of Spring Quarter.

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.