The Daily Northwestern Monday, February 19, 2018
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Men’s Basketball
3 CAMPUS/Research
Wildcats lose to MSU after blowing lead
EPD charges two men in homicide of Yakez Semark
Evanston Police Department has charged two people in connection with the homicide of Yakez Semark on Feb. 8, the city announced in a news release Sunday. Police found after an investigation that Evanston resident Julius Francellno and Chicago resident Malik Caswell, both 18-year-olds, arranged to meet with Semark to buy a quantity of marijuana, according to the release. The transaction escalated into a physical altercation between Francellno and Semark, during which police say Francellno shot Semark once in the chest. h On Feb. 8, at 11:38 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1800 block of Hovland Court to respond to a call of shots fired. Upon arrival, police located Semark and transported him to Evanston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. After the altercation, both offenders fled on foot, according to the release. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Semark’s death a homicide, according to the release. Francellno was taken into custody on Thursday, February 15 and Caswell was taken into custody on Saturday, February 17. A GoFundMe page to support Semark’s family has raised over $30,000 as of Sunday. The money will go toward funeral costs and closing Semark’s personal affairs, and any remaining money will create a fund in Semark’s name to support Evanston youth, according to the page. — Ryan Wangman
9th Ward discusses EFD, job services By ALANE LIM
the daily northwestern @thisisalane
City officials and residents discussed emergency preparedness, job opportunities and a food scrap collection service at a 9th Ward meeting Saturday morning. About 10 people attended the event, during which Ald. Cicely Fleming (9th), Evanston Fire Department division chief Dwight Hohl, community services manager Kevin Brown and residents spoke about EFD workshops and recruitment, youth employment and an option for food waste reduction.
Northwestern researchers discover hidden landscape under Picasso painting
Find us online @thedailynu 6 OPINION/Letter to the Editor
EPD responds to body camera editorial
HOUSING OVERHAUL
High 54 Low 52
McSA plans week of events By ADRIAN WAN
the daily northwestern @piuadrianw
Under proposed housing plan, NU’s residential life faces uncertain future
By ALLYSON CHIU and MADDIE BURAKOFF daily senior staffers @_allysonchiu, @madsburk
When picking a college, Scarlett Machson wasn’t sure Northwestern was the right fit for her. Though her mother was pushing her to apply to NU, Machson said she wasn’t excited about the prospect of becoming a Wildcat. But then she discovered the Communications Residential College. After scrolling through CRC’s website, Machson realized she shared interests with the residents and could find a community there. She then pulled up the Common Application and selected NU as her Early Decision school. “I applied to Northwestern for CRC, there’s no question about it,” the Communication sophomore said. CRC is one of 10 residential colleges currently operating within the University’s housing system. Other housing options on campus include residential halls, residential communities and Greek houses. Today’s system, however, is on track for an overhaul: A University report released in January details plans to implement a single residential model and “universalize” the undergraduate housing experience. The Undergraduate Residential Experience Committee’s report recommends eliminating residential colleges, incorporating Greek housing into the larger residential system and changing the way students choose housing. The proposed framework consists of five “neighborhoods,” a model that aims to create stronger communities by fostering engagement and inclusion, vice president for student affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin told The Daily in October. The report touts the proposed residential experience as “the only universal undergraduate experience outside of the brief window of Wildcat Welcome.” Administrators said students may begin to see major changes in fall 2019 at the earliest. Aside from small adjustments, the current housing selection process will remain the same for incoming students in fall 2018, said executive director of Residential Services Jennifer Luttig-Komrosky. The recommendations, along with the implementation of a two-year live-in requirement this past fall, could significantly change students’ residential experiences. Although administrators say the plan would promote inclusion within
» See NINTH, page 7
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
on-campus housing, some students are worried the changes will replace elements of the current system that effectively create communities. For Bienen and Communication freshman Valérie Filloux, being accepted to live in Chapin Hall, the humanities residential college, was “a dream come true.” Following the report’s release, Filloux and other students have voiced concerns with the recommendations’ potential to limit their housing options by removing residential colleges and changing the housing selection process. “When I found out, me and a couple of friends, we were just heartbroken,” Filloux said. “We had just entered into this amazing community and we found our home and we were feeling welcomed and accepted … and just to be told that the entirety of its future is in complete flux is really heartbreaking.”
Time for change
By reassessing the housing model, administrators hope to improve students’ overall experience, said Paul Riel, assistant vice president for Residential and Dining Services and co-chair of the Undergraduate Residential Experience Committee. “(NU) almost feels like a gauntlet experience rather than an enjoyable experience,” Riel said. “So this is all about trying to figure out … how do we erase that deficit and create a place in which students feel like this is where they belong.” According to the report, the proposed framework would have houses of about 75 to 150 students within the wider neighborhoods of 700 to 1,100 students. Smaller existing buildings would stand alone, while some larger buildings may be divided into two or more houses. Within neighborhoods, students would have access to collaborative and educational spaces, gyms and other community amenities, Riel said. Another main goal of the model is to strengthen nonacademic relationships between faculty, staff and students, Riel said. Four faculty currently live on campus and preside over residential communities, but he said the goal is to have two live-in faculty per neighborhood, or 10 total. “We have to just kind of reset and reimagine what the residential experience should look like and work toward that,” Riel said. » See IN FOCUS, page 4
Through a weeklong series of events showcasing Muslim culture, Northwestern’s Muslim-cultural Student Association hopes to flip the script on the stereotypes that portray the religion as “radical,” said McSA president Sarah Khan. McSA will invite a group of “extraordinary Muslims” — including rapper Khaled Siddiq, poet Tariq Touré and scholar Shaykh Omar Suleiman — to give presentations and panels for the annual Discover Islam Week beginning Monday, according to the group’s Facebook page. Khan said the lineup of speakers was selected because their goals align with the principles of Islam. “(The guests) are pursuing achievements or accomplishing things around the country,” the Weinberg senior said. “And their faith gives them the perseverance, support and need to pursue their passions.” Among the guest speakers is Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a female Muslim basketball player and advocate who started the online campaign “Muslim Girls Hoop Too.” Abdul-Qaadir, one of 15 representatives invited to meet with former President Barack Obama in 2015 for the Muslim Leaders Meeting, will deliver a keynote address Wednesday about her efforts in breaking stereotypes, according to a Facebook post shared by McSA. Ayesha Rahman, McSA’s director of public relations, said inspirational stories of individuals like Abdul-Qaadir, whose success is “driven by Islamic faith,” will help eliminate biases people may hold against the Muslim community. In addition to traditional speaker events, the McCormick junior said members of McSA will also be present at a table at Norris University Center between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, where students can participate in dialogues centered on Muslim culture. “(McSA) really wants to engage the students on campus to make sure that they get to know more about Islam in a way they never had before,” Rahman said. Khan said she envisioned the programming to benefit members of McSA as well as NU students in general by clarifying perceptions of Islam and bridging the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. » See ISLAM, page 7
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 6 | Classifieds & Puzzles 7 | Sports 8