The Daily Northwestern Thursday, September 26, 2019
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D65 residents name hopes for leader By SNEHA DEY
daily senior staffer @snehadey_
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 residents want a “visionary” superintendent committed to racial equity and restorative practices, according to a community report. Through surveys, focus groups and one-on-one interviews, about 1,040 participants were asked about the district’s strengths and challenges as well as the next superintendent ’s desired characteristics. Anne Noland and Debra Hill, of the superintendent search firm BWP & Associates consultants, presented a summary of the 295-page report to the D65 board meeting Monday. “The attempt was to have us listen to one another,” said Hill. District strengths include excellent teachers, student diversity and a community wide commitment to equity, according to the report. Lack of cultural diversity, an inequitable distribution of funds and an unfocused curriculum were some of the district challenges residents hope to see addressed. Interpersonal skills, knowledge of climate issues and
communication skills are among the qualities district residents are looking for in the next superintendent. Individual responses were included in the report. Students quoted in the report consistently brought up a need for staff diversity. One Nichols Middle eighth-grader emphasized the need for students of color to see models of themselves in the classroom. Student names were not included in the report. The firm recommended staff diversity, academically rigorous programming directed at gifted students of color and more administrative support to improve general morale. Board President Sunith Kartha questioned whether additional programming was a priority at the moment. “I’m not sure I saw that as highly reflective as the need to...retain black teachers, the need to address the achievement gap,” said Kartha. The search comes after former superintendent Paul Goren formally announced his resignation in June. Goren, a long term resident, served as superintendent for five years. Dr. Stacy Beardsley, assistant superintendent » See D65, page 6
Emma Edmund/Daily Senior Staffer
Evanston Plan Commission Chair Colby Lewis. The commission voted to set zoning requirements for marijuana dispensaries.
Zoning set for cannabis dispensaries Evanston Commission acts ahead of Jan. 1 statewide legalization By ANDREW MYERS
the daily northwestern @drewmyers1172
In anticipation for legalization of recreational marijuana on Jan 1, the Evanston
Plan Commission approved amendments that would allow dispensaries to open up in certain zones, including downtown Evanston. Since Illinois passed the “Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act,” which
decriminalizes recreational marijuana possession and consumption for citizens 21 years and older, municipalities have been quickly crafting rules to regulate new recreational cannabis dispensaries and existing medical cannabis dispensaries.
On Sept. 16, City Council took the first step in what will become a months-long process of navigating how to regulate recreational dispensaries by Jan. 1, holding a » See MARIJUANA, page 6
Offices unaffected by Trump rule Study: Shootings, ‘Public charge’ rule won’t impact Financial Aid, International Office By DAISY CONANT
By AMY LI
daily senior staffer @daisy_conant
While higher education groups are concerned that the Trump Administration’s new “public charge” rule will negatively affect immigrant and international students on American campuses, Northwestern’s Office of Financial Aid and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services both note it has had no impact on their practices and procedures. The rule, which was announced August 13 and is scheduled to go into effect on October 15, permits the Department of Homeland Security to deny applications for admission to the U.S. or for the adjustment of immigration status if the individual is likely to become a “public charge” to society. In this context, a “public charge” is defined as someone who has used public benefits like Section 8 housing vouchers, food stamps or Medicaid,
rifle access linked daily senior staffer
Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA/TNS
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the “Salute to America” ceremony in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2019.
potentially forcing students who are already in the U.S. to have to choose between forgoing services they need and facing deportation.
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
The rule also identifies factors officials will use to judge whether immigrants are likely to require public assistance in the future — including age,
health, household size, income, assets and debts, as well as education and skill levels. » See PUBLIC CHARGE, page 6
The most salient factor connecting modern mass shooters is access to lethal assault rifles, according to new research co-authored by Northwestern Prof. Lori Post. The Feinberg professor said accurate profiling of mass shooters is the first step to developing effective gun-control policies. The study, published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, found that mass shooters fit two general profiles — younger shooters who have failed in certain areas in their early lives, and shooters who have experienced major setbacks during their adult years. The two groups, however, share a long list of commonalities. A significant majority of mass shooters are also perpetrators of domestic violence, prone to hate speech and have experienced violence at a young age. But Post’s research demonstrated that 81 percent of the 98 mass shooters studied had access to assault rifles with a much higher killing power than other weapons. The study defined a mass
shooting as a single event involving a gun or a shooter with four or more fatalities — a more specific definition than one citing 251 mass shootings since January 2019. Post said an overly general interpretation of mass shootings obscures the lethality of guns in the hands of people who aren’t mass shooters but are, for example, prone to domestic violence or suicidal thoughts. Mass shootings make it on the public agenda over other types of gun violence despite contributing to less than 1 percent of gun related deaths because of their sensational quality and because they often involve white men, Post said. “If you look at all of the mass shooters, almost every one of them is a white male,” said Post, the director of the Institute of Public Health and Medicine. “13 percent of America is black. Way less than 13 percent of mass shooters are black. This is a white man thing.” Post said she resents it when others incorrectly frame mass shootings as a mental health issue when the majority of them are rooted in gender, race or » See GUNS, page 6
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