The Daily Northwestern Thursday, October 15, 2020
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A&E
Memorial for a Mother: Memoir details life, tragedy
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District 202 to remain online D202 plans differ from D65, which returns Nov. 16 By JACOB FULTON daily senior staffer @jacobnfulton After over a month of virtual learning, Evanston Township High School/District 202 will remain all virtual through at least the end of the semester, district officials said in a Monday meeting. The district has based its decision on returning to inperson instruction, in part, on statistics and guidelines from the state. It is located within Region 10, as designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Conversely, Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is currently slated to begin a phased return to in-person classes on Nov. 16. Superintendent Eric Witherspoon said the region’s seven-day average positivity rate is hovering above 5 percent. The statistic is significantly higher than the 3 percent marker the district has previously said would allow for the consideration of some in-person instruction. Witherspoon said despite relatively low levels of
COVID-19 positivity in Evanston, the district can’t exclusively consider the state of the city as a marker for the impact of reopening. “The problem is we don’t live in isolation,” Witherspoon said. “The minute we would try to bring back people, remember, we have 600 employees, and they live not only all over Region 10, they even live in Indiana and Wisconsin, and some other areas.” ETHS Assistant Superintendent/Principal Marcus Campbell said multiple schools across the state have reopened in the past few weeks, but have subsequently closed because of COVID-19 outbreaks. He said schools using the hybrid model may be able to limit the spread of the virus to an extent, but any return to in-person learning will put students at risk and create difficulties for teachers. “The hybrid model is more instructionally disruptive,” Campbell said. “There’s definitely significant challenges to remote learning, but it is the best option for the continuity of instruction.” Campbell said the district is continuing its outreach to students to attempt to make » See D202, page 6
Illustration by Emma Ruck
Kemone Hendricks, founder of Evanston Present and Future, is starting the Teen Parent Leaders Present and Future to provide teen parents with resources and support.
Organization assists teen parents
Evanston Present and Future aims to provide resources, break stigma By DELANEY NELSON
daily senior staffer @delaneygnelson
Kemone Hendricks became a parent when she was 16 years old. As a high school student facing
pregnancy and motherhood, she said her family helped her with issues she faced, but she wished she had more support from her community. At Evanston Township High School, she was judged by her peers and her teachers, and followed by whispers that her
Council nominates interim manager
One of three finalists, Storlie recommended after COVID leadership By JACOB FULTON
daily senior staffer @jacobnfulton
Evanston City Council has nominated interim City Manager Erika Storlie as the next city manager, the city announced in a Tuesday news release. Storlie was previously announced as one of three finalists for the position, after the city received 76 applications for the role. The other two finalist candidates were Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, who is the current city manager of Petersburg, Va., and Marie Peoples, who is serving as Coconino County, Ariz.’s deputy county manager. Storlie has been an employee of the city of Evanston since 2004, and has served as interim city manager since the departure of her predecessor, Wally Bobkiewicz, in September 2019. Prior to stepping into the interim role, she was Evanston’s assistant city manager beginning in January 2018. In the release, Mayor Steve Hagerty said the Council’s
future was over. People told her she should forget about school. Hendricks, now 34 and the founder of Evanston Present and Future, said teen parenting is a “big elephant in the room.” When a Black teenager has a child, she said they’re looked at differently than a
Decision comes during pandemic, racism discussions daily senior staffer @isabellesarraf
Daily file photo by Colin Boyle
decision was based Wally Bobkiewicz in part on Storlie’s tenure as interim city manager, where she has helped lead the city through COVID-19 and the resulting recession. “We believe Erika Storlie has the leadership skills, experiences, and professional demeanor we are seeking to lead our City into the future
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
and to work effectively with our elected body and community,” Hagerty said in the release. “She understands Evanston, is passionate about this City and its future, and is well respected by City staff and stakeholders for her thoughtful approach, problem solving skills, and willingness to listen. Throughout her tenure as Interim City
Manager we were impressed with her leadership and her team’s ability to navigate our City through such a turbulent time in our history.” Storlie’s contract will be discussed and voted on in a special City Council meeting on Oct. 19. fulton@u.northwestern.edu
» See MOMS, page 6
PHA recruitment canceled for 2020-21 By ISABELLE SARRAF
Erika Storlie. The interim city manager was nominated to be the next City Manager on Tuesday.
White teen. Her experiences in the community have led her to start Teen Parent Leaders Present and Future, a program to provide teen parents with support and services. Parents 25 and under who live
Delegates from Northwestern’s 11 Panhellenic Association chapters voted to cancel a formal PHA-sponsored recruitment this academic year. According to Weinberg senior Jessica Tartakovsky, PHA’s VP of Membership, the delegates’ decision was based on concerns for hosting a virtual recruitment and “uncertainty” among chapter status surrounding the Abolish Greek Life movement. Each individual chapter had an internal discussion on canceling formal recruitment — some holding votes to see where the majority of members stood on the issue. Two weeks after the chapters’ internal discussions, PHA delegates each voted on behalf of their chapters. Votes among the delegates pass with a two-thirds majority, which means only eight of the 11 chapters had to vote in
favor of cancellation for it to pass. PHA told The Daily it was unable to disclose which chapters, or how many, voted for or against the cancellation of formal recruitment. Last month, PHA released a statement acknowledging its harmful history and the current movement to abolish Greek life on campus. In the statement, PHA said it would stop charging chapters for dues that go toward recruitment, as those are the only dues PHA has direct discretion over. Throughout the summer, an Abolish NU IFC/PHA Greek Life Instagram account had facilitated community-wide discussion on the harm that the institution inflicts on members of the NU community. According to PHA President Afnan Elsheikh, delegates discussed a variety of reasons for and against cancelling recruitment. The Weinberg senior said a virtual format would be inaccessible for some potential new members because Zoom requires WiFi and a device with video capabilities. They added that class disparities would be “more prominent” » See RECRUITMENT, page 6
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