The Daily Northwestern Thursday, February 8, 2018
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Committee talks housing solutions Members evaluate housing ordinance, discuss future goals By CATHERINE HENDERSON
the daily northwestern @caity_henderson
Daily file photo by Meghan White
Medill Prof. Alec Klein at an event in 2012. Klein was accused of “harassing” and “predatory” behavior by several former students and employees.
Prof accused of ‘predatory’ behavior
Former students, employees write open letter to NU administrators By MARIANA ALFARO
daily senior staffer @marianaa_alfaro
Medill Prof. Alec Klein, director of the Medill Justice Project, was accused of “harassing” and “predatory” behavior by former students and employees in an open letter sent to Northwestern administrators on Wednesday. In the letter, former students and employees of Klein and the Medill Justice Project allege that the tenured professor displayed “controlling, discriminatory, emotionally and verbally abusive
behavior” while working at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The letter accuses Klein of attempting to kiss a prospective female employee and asking a female employee to come to his hotel room for drinks during a business trip, among other accusations. The letter states Klein “talked about his sex life and pressed for explicit details about others,” and gave “unwanted neck massages while a female employee was trying to work.” The letter alleges that there was one settlement paid out because
of Klein’s behavior. According to a document reviewed by The Daily, the University paid $8,000 to a former employee to settle a complaint made against Klein in 2015. In a statement to The Daily, Klein “categorically” denied the allegations made in the letter and said he intends to take legal action. Klein did not specify who he is planning on taking legal action against. Klein alleged in the statement that many of the claims made involved a “disgruntled former employee who had been on a corrective-action plan for poor-
work performance several years ago.” Klein also said the “bulk” of the other allegations made were reported to Northwestern’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, but the office did not find any violations in his conduct. “Investigating potentially wrongful convictions is rigorous work, and it requires the highest-levels of accuracy, fairness and thoroughness because we are publishing for the world,” he wrote. “Our work sometimes challenges powerful institutions and is always closely scrutinized.” » See KLEIN, page 6
The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Subcommittee proposed changes to affordable housing in Evanston, including the possibility of an additional real estate transfer tax, at their second meeting on Wednesday. Committee members, including aldermen, nonprofit workers and developers, evaluated goals for the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance at the meeting. Implemented in January 2016, the ordinance requires developers to make 10 percent of units affordable, pay a fee-in-lieu, suggest an alternative equivalent proposal or petition for a reduction of requirements. Ald. Donald Wilson (4th) said since passing the ordinance, officials have realized the fee-in-lieu might be too low to be effective. “We’re not going to rewrite (the IHO) tonight,” Wilson said in the meeting. “We have to look at this with the lens of … the math of developing.” Wilson said demand for affordable units is high while, supply is low. The choice the city faces, he said, is between building more units and collecting money for an affordable housing fund. Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) suggested a referendum for an additional transfer tax separate from
the existing real estate transfer tax. However, Wilson said he doubted it would pass. “People deserve decent housing,” Rainey told The Daily. “People here are very much in support of housing, and it would be very important, thoughtful and hopefully highly supported if everybody could share the burden. If this community is for housing for everyone, maybe it will get support.” Rainey told The Daily it is “too bad” members of the community have turned against development in Evanston. She said she felt most of the “progressive community” supported projects such as the 33-story residential development on 601 Davis St., which City Council denied at a meeting last month. Rainey said the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance was a small but important part of a larger discussion about affordable housing. “When we started this, there were so many projects coming down the pike,” Rainey said in the meeting. “Now the community has risen up and said no. It’s a very small portion of the community, but they’ve had a major effect on the council.” Housing and grants division manager Sarah Flax told The Daily it was “important step” that the committee looked for sources to fund affordable housing needs other than the ordinance. She added that alternatives such as a real estate transfer tax could help meet Evanston’s housing needs. » See HOUSING, page 6
Community dialogue addresses Black House renovations
Students, faculty discuss updates to textbook initiative, Black Student Experience task force report By ALLIE GOULDING
daily senior staffer @alliejennaaa
Administrators are asking for feedback from students regarding projected plans for Black House renovations. The announcement was made at a community dialogue event Wednesday, which brought together more than 50 students, faculty and administrators to discuss updates on University initiatives including the renovations, Books for Cats and the Black Student Experience Task Force. Steering Committee co-chairs Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson and Julie Payne-Kirchmeier announced that the committee, which will oversee the Black House renovation, has moved from the “feasibility” part of the renovation plans — where students discussed what the ideal Black House would look like to them — into the “schematic design” phase. In this phase, the committee is putting “bricks and walls” to students’ ideas for the house to see
what it would actually look like, Brown-Henderson said. Brown-Henderson and PayneKirchmeier said the committee will launch a website tomorrow for the “engagement” phase, which will allow students to submit feedback on projected plans for the renovations and the spaces they would prioritize in the Black House. Students can also attend two live presentations, on Feb. 12 and Feb. 15, to learn more about the plans and share their feedback, they said. “What we really want from (students) now is to get engaged in this process these next two weeks,” Payne-Kirchmeier said during the dialogue. After the schematic design is complete, the committee will meet Feb. 26 to work with the architects to put together a design based on student suggestions and committee discussions. Payne-Kirchmeier said they are expecting this step to be complete April 2018. Also at the dialogue, associate provost and chief diversity officer Jabbar Bennett discussed progress that has been made in three main areas for the Black Student
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
Allie Goulding/Daily Senior Staffer
Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson, Campus Inclusion and Community director, discusses Black House renovation plans at the Community Dialogue. Brown-Henderson said the committee has moved from the “feasibility” part of the plan to the “schematic design” phase.
Experience Task Force report recommendations, including increasing the number of black students, faculty and staff on campus, listening to black students regularly and
creating a “physical academic hub” for black students on campus. These areas were identified by 75 administrators and faculty as initiatives that need to happen
campus-wide level, Bennett said. So far, progress in these areas has included creating the Academic Support and Learning Advancement center in the library.
The task force has also formed five groups —which include 39 students, faculty and staff — to work on listening to black students regularly, not just in times of crisis. “In a way (that initiative) is going to better the experience of black students overall,” Communication sophomore Kimani Isaac, who is in one of the groups, told The Daily. “Not just when it boils over to a tipping point, so that way they can create a good enough working relationship that they don’t need to organize a protest.” The goal, Bennett said, is to have a concrete implementation plan for each of these three recommendations submitted to leadership by the end of Spring Quarter. Brown-Henderson, executive director of Campus Inclusion and Community, also mentioned she has heard concerns over the current vacancy of four positions at the Multicultural Student Affairs office. MSA director, one of the vacant positions, will be filled by Daviree Velázquez Phillip on Feb. 12. » See DIALOGUE, page 6
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