The Daily Northwestern — May 5, 2022

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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, May 5, 2022

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8 SPORTS/Softball

3 CAMPUS/Stevenson

4 OPINION/SAAM

NU sweeps Iowa with Senior Day shutout

Bryan Stevenson discusses importance of racial equity in the criminal justice system

Supporting survivors on a campus that doesn’t

High 50 Low 46

City Manager finalists speak with residents Candidates discuss ideas for Evanston’s future in town hall By LILY CAREY

the daily northwestern @lilylcarey

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

Some historians, legal experts and graduate students at Northwestern said they are concerned about a leaked draft opinion by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

NU reacts to Roe decision leak

Community members express concerns about future abortion access By AVANI KALRA

daily senior staffer @avanidkalra

As the Supreme Court stands poised to potentially overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, some members of the Northwestern community are concerned about the lasting impact the decision could have. On Monday night, Politico published a leaked draft opinion by Supreme Court Justice Samuel

Alito that would strike down the freedom to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. Though the decision has not yet been finalized, a ruling consistent with the leak would reverse protections that have been in place for nearly 50 years. When history Prof. Kate Masur read the opinion, she said she felt physically sick. Though Masur said she expected this court to weigh in on precedent set by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court could

have limited the rulings’ protections rather than entirely overruling precedents set by both cases. “Seeing it there in a news story, in a draft opinion, was shocking,” she said. While Masur emphasized Roe is still the law, if the eventual ruling resembles the leaked draft, she said the consequences will be immediate and tangible. According to the New York Times, 13 states have passed “trigger laws” since 1973 that would immediately outlaw abortion if the

Supreme Court allowed it. Five additional states once had abortion bans that could be reinstated if Roe v. Wade is overturned, and 14 states could ban abortions that occur before a fetus can even survive outside the uterus. Abortion will likely be criminalized in about half of all states, Masur said. Second-year mental health counseling graduate student Dara McGee, who is also a

» See ROE, page 6

City manager candidates Snapper Poche and John Fournier spoke about their ideas for Evanston in a Tuesday virtual town hall moderated by Mayor Daniel Biss. Candidates answered questions submitted by residents, emphasizing their previous experiences and commitments to improving Evanston. Most questions concerned racial equity issues, action against climate change, small business pandemic recovery and budgeting efficiency. “What’s so intriguing about Evanston is your take on these big critical, structural issues that I think more communities ought to be grappling with: issues around racial equity, reparations, structural racism, climate change,” Poche said. Poche currently serves as the program director for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. He previously worked as program director at the Innovation Field Lab New York, another Harvard University program, and as the director of code enforcement for New Orleans.

Fournier, the assistant city administrator of Ann Arbor, Michigan, said he is excited to bring his passion for public service to Evanston. “I have known my whole life that I wanted a career in public service,” Fournier said. “Opportunity exists in Evanston for us to do something really special together. It really excites me, and I hope that I get the opportunity to do it.” Fournier has spent four years working for Ann Arbor’s government and has previously worked in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as deputy chief of staff to the mayor. Throughout the town hall, Fournier discussed issues of equity, staff management and climate action. Poche drew on his experience working for the City of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to repair housing and rehabilitate the city’s commercial district. He emphasized how this experience can apply to Evanston’s strategic focus on small businesses and affordable housing. Poche said he takes a “valuesbased approach” to many issues, highlighting the need for thoughtful strategies derived from resident input, especially when it comes to the city budget. “Oftentimes, cities spend a lot of time focusing on budget and

» See CITY MANAGER, page 6

Staff fights to get Community reflects on Ramadan retirement losses Residents discuss personal meanings of celebrations throughout the month After NU suspends contributions, staff seek to regain funds By JOANNA HOU

daily senior staffer @joannah_11

Early in the pandemic, art history Prof. Hannah Feldman said she and her coworkers struggled relationally, physically and psychologically. “Most of us, especially women, were doing a lot more emotional work with our students,” Feldman said. “In my department, we worked all summer, which we’re technically not paid to do. After all of that, when we all redesigned syllabi, learned how to teach on Zoom, people home-schooled … it was awful.” During this period, colleges and universities nationwide braced for fiscal deficits. At Northwestern, the projected loss — $90 million — led University President Morton Schapiro to announce a suspension of faculty retirement contributions on May 11, 2020.

Recycle Me

Spanish and Portuguese Prof. Jorge Coronado, president of NU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said a small group of faculty has consistently spoken out against the suspension. “(The retirement cuts) were simply unilaterally announced with no consultation on the faculty (who disapproved) of that cut,” Coronado said. Coronado said faculty grew more critical when the University announced an $83.4 million surplus for the 2020 fiscal year. NU resumed retirement contributions on Jan. 1, 2021, which Feldman said she thought meant it would return money lost during the pandemic. But more than a year later, Feldman said the University has failed to recuperate these lost funds and communicate transparently about the retirement losses. “We were incredulous and pretty angry,” Feldman said. “To realize that at the end of (all of this) money was earned and that we were not going to benefit

» See RETIREMENT, page 6

By SKYE GARCIA

the daily northwestern @skyeagarcia

After the prayers for Eid al-Fitr concluded Monday morning, people poured through the doors of Dar-us-Sunnah Masjid and Community Center in Evanston. Families and friends slipped on their shoes and received golden boxes of Habshi Halwa and Soan Halwa, traditional South Asian desserts. They laughed and embraced on the small lawn in front of the mosque. “Coming off of a three year long pandemic, this has definitely been a very special (Ramadan),” said Muhammad Saiduzzaman, one of the founding presidents of Dar-usSunnah. He handles the public relations of the Evanston Masjid. This year, the holy month of Ramadan began the evening of April 2 and ended Sunday. During the observance, Muslim communities fast from sunrise to sunset and pray the Taraweeh. Celebrations took place all over the Evanston area: at mosques and community centers, at home with friends and family and on Northwestern’s campus.

Dar-us-Sunnah organized daily Taraweeh prayers and Iftars, evening meals prepared and eaten after sunset during Ramadan. Some locals also organized their own events and celebrated with friends and family. Skokie resident Lara Alhaleg is originally from Jordan. She doesn’t have much family in the United States, so she said she spent a lot of time with her friends, her husband and her twoyear-old child this Ramadan. The family celebrated the holiday at home and visited friends in the area for small Iftars. Two weeks ago, a good friend of Alhaleg rented a local venue and invited Alhaleg and her family for a community Iftar. The host rented a large movie screen and played movies for the children while the adults gathered to talk and celebrate, Alhaleg said. “It was so nice, so great, to be all together,” she said. Alhaleg said she felt close to God and her family during Ramadan. She described the 30-day holiday as a month of forgiveness and mercy and expressed her love for the holy month. “It’s to feel your souls come together,” she said. “You are

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

happy with the family gatherings, and with the merciful.” Saiduzzaman said Ramadan is a time of hope, especially in hard times. He reflected on the adverse effects of the pandemic on his community and remembered the lives lost to the virus. Still, he believes in the possibility of a silver lining. “There is a message to humanity,” he said. “There is more to it.” Saiduzzaman said Ramadan was a time for empathy and compassion. It was a time to think of others, no matter their religious identity. He said Dar-us-Sunnah holds numerous events throughout the year — including cookouts,

volunteer opportunities and outdoor gatherings — that are open to everyone. “The door remains open for anyone who wants to come in,” he said. The same sentiment was true at Northwestern. The university held several events open to all Evanston residents. During the general body meetings, Northwestern’s Muslim-cultural Students Association hosted a series called “The Etiquette of…,” according to the McSA Instagram. The series consisted of several in-person courses

» See RAMADAN, page 6

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8


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