The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, February 26, 2020
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Pritzker proposes 2 different budgets Gov. hoping for funding from Fair Tax referendum By DELANEY NELSON
the daily northwestern @delaneygnelson
Last Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered the annual budget address to the state legislature in Springfield. He proposed not one, but two budgets: one for if the Illinois Fair Tax referendum passes in November, and one for if it fails. If passed, the fair tax ballot measure would repeal the section of the state constitution that mandates a flatrate personal income tax, and introduce a graduated income tax. Pritzker said the goal of the plan is to make taxation fairer for all residents. Lower-income families will pay a lower tax rate, and higher-income residents will pay a higher rate. In waiting for the November results that will determine whether there will be a graduated income tax, Pritzker said $1.4 billion will be held in reserve, including funds for pensions and
education. The proposed budget includes $42 billion in spending, whether the graduated tax passes or not, while projected revenue is around $40.6 billion. This gap would be closed by revenues from the new tax plan. If the tax plan is passed, Pritzker hopes to dedicate $350 million to K-12 education, directed at initiatives such as covering AP Testing fees and increasing funding for the Illinois Golden Apple teacher preparation program. If the graduated tax fails, the government would only allocate $200 million in K-12 spending. Pritzker’s budget also relies on the passage of the tax plan to implement a 5 percent funding increase for public universities and community colleges, as well as funding for school districts, the senior-based community care program, state employee group health insurance and more initiatives. “But as important as these investments are, we cannot responsibly spend for these priorities until we know with certainty what the state’s revenue picture will be,” Pritzker said. Regardless of the potential » See BUDGET, page 7
Owen Stidman/Daily Senior Staffer
Seniors Lillian Guo, William Paik, sophomore Hyohee Kim and freshman Toy Suliman speak on the Community Arts and Activism Student Panel.
A ASP hosts community panel
Students discussed experiences working in social justice or the arts By SAMMI BOAS
the daily northwestern @boassamantha
The Asian American Studies Program hosted a Community Arts and Activism Student Panel on Tuesday at University Hall, featuring four undergraduate students who are involved in the program. Each of the students on the
panel shared their experiences within the community working in social justice or the arts. The event was organized by the director of undergraduate studies in Asian American Studies Patricia Nguyen and history prof. Ji-Yeon Yuh, who both were at the event. “It’s really important to center student voices, especially in the current political climate that we live in, to think about students
and their own agency, power and how they can utilize the resources at this university for social justice,” Nguyen said. SESP senior Lillian Guo, the first on the panel to speak, described her summer internship with KAN-WIN, an organization dedicated to eradicating genderbased violence. Guo was one of two recipients of the Asian American Summer Community Fellowship,
which gave her a $4,000 grant to work within the Asian-American community. Guo said KAN-WIN differs from other domestic violence agencies that don’t have the capacity to serve all communities. KAN-WIN has a largely multilingual staff and tries to serve the needs of immigrants, those who » See ACTIVISM, page 7
Aparicio talks book on intralatinidad Illinois divorce rate By SAMANTHA AGUILAR
the daily northwestern @samanthaguilar7
Frances Aparicio, author of “Negotiating Latinidad: Intralatina/o Lives in Chicago,” spoke about her recently published book and engaged in a panel discussion with three intralatina/o Northwestern students Tuesday. Aparicio said her book is intimately connected to her experience as a Puerto Rican woman who migrated to the United States at 19 and has three Mexican-Puerto Rican children. The book is based on 20 interviews, including many of Aparicio’s students from the University of Illinois at Chicago. It examines the complexities of claiming a space in Latino/a America that is further complicated by one’s family belonging to multiple national communities. Through writing her book, Aparicio said she found that specific “moments or instances in the lives of intralatinos reveal the complicated ways in which identities are reaffirmed, diluted or both.” Panelist and Weinberg senior Kevin Rodriguez shared his experience of how the role his parents played in his household determined how he balanced
Venezuelan and Mexican identities with his Spanish background. “My mom stayed at home with us and that influence of Mexican heritage and culture was really pronounced,” Rodriguez said. The book also proposes the concept of horizontal hierarchies that Aparicio said allows readers to analyze the power differentials among the heterogeneous Latinx communities. Growing up in Miami, where there is a large Latinx population, Rodriguez said he was often thought of as the “other” because of his Mexican identity in a Venezuelan, Colombian and Cuban dominated city. The panelists had similar experiences with feeling excluded from one of their identities in particular spaces because of a horizontal hierarchy. “There’s a lot of times where my family members or other people will put me in a box and focus on how I’m different rather than how I’m similar to them,” Rodriguez said. Throughout the interview process, Aparicio said she learned more about how the emotional histories of an intralatina/o’s family determines how they identify with a particular nationality. Medill senior Anabel Mendoza, a Mexican-Puerto Rican American, said that she felt isolated from her Puerto Rican
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
lower than average By EVA HERSCOWITZ
the daily northwestern @herscowitz
Owen Stidman/Daily Senior Staffer
Author Frances Aparicio reads excerpts from her book “Negotiating Latinidad: Intralatina/o Lives in Chicago” at a panel and discussion hosted by Latinx Studies.
heritage growing up because she spent the most time with her father’s Mexican family. “I have very vivid memories of my uncle making fun of me and my brother because we were Puerto Rican,” Mendoza said. “It hurt because it wasn’t just that it was coming from my uncle — it was also that my dad wasn’t defending us.” The three panelists also discussed passing as only one of their Latinx identities in certain spaces
because it was convenient. “I identify as all of them and I’m proud to be all of them,” Rodriguez said. “There are a lot of spaces created that make me feel like I’m not. The sense of belonging and not belonging at the same time which is very curious.” In Aparicio’s book, she mentions that her interview subjects were at first quick to say their intralatinidad had not caused » See LAINIDAD, page 7
Illinois may boast some of the lowest divorce rates in the nation, but think twice before you dub the state a lover’s paradise. In Illinois, 6.6 percent of marriages end in divorce, according to 2018 United States Census Bureau data. Other states with notably low divorce rates include Hawaii, New York and Vermont. Arkansas tops the list as the divorce capital of the nation, with the state home to 17.14 divorced people per 1,000 married individuals. Nationwide, it seems love isn’t everlasting: couples marrying for the first time in the United States have an approximately 50 percent chance of divorcing. Overall rates paint a slightly more promising picture, with the percent of divorced American couples hovering around 16 percent. Joshua Stern, a founder and managing partner of the Illinois-based divorce and family law firm Stern Perkoski, said a couple’s decision to stay together often comes down to cost. In
Illinois, divorce can come with a hefty price tag — according to the Berry K. Tucker & Associates, Ltd. website, Illinois ranks among the top ten states with the priciest divorce fees, which the Chicago-based family law firm estimates amount to around $13,800. Accounting for factors like child custody and support, alimony, and property division, divorce fees can total upwards of $35,000. Financial problems are the primary contributing factor in 36.1 percent of divorces, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. “People think a lot about the cash flow and when and where they’re going to see the kids,” Stern said. “Inevitably, if you get divorced, you’re now taking two incomes that are supporting one household and asking them to support two households. Usually, people see a drop in their available cash flow.” Victoria Baum, a marriage and relationship counselor who formerly practiced in Evanston, said “there’s no simple answer” to explain the state’s low divorce rate. The popularity » See DIVORCE, page 7
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