The Daily Northwestern Thursday, October 29, 2020
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NU to face Iowa after last wek’s blowout win
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Admin announce Winter returns University plans to bring back underclassmen By ISABELLE SARRAF daily senior staffer @isabellesarraf In a Wednesday email, University President Morton Schapiro announced plans to allow all undergraduates on campus this winter after most underclassmen were barred this fall. Northwestern’s campuswide positivity rate and overall experience this fall bolstered the decision to bring back all undergraduate students to campus in the winter, he said. For most of the fall, the positivity rate has been below .6 percent, but this week the University has seen an uptick to .92 percent. Schapiro added that the positive cases have mainly been among small clusters of students resulting from offcampus gatherings. Across Illinois, case numbers are continuing to rise — including the city of Evanston, which recorded its highest single-day case increase on Saturday. But
Schapiro said as long as the positivity rate “stabilizes” and doesn’t continue to increase, the University will “continue to support the COVIDrelated needs” of the NU community. All students who choose to come back to campus will be required to adhere to daily symptom checks and ongoing testing. The University also plans to repeat its modified quarantine, Wildcat Wellness, at the start of Winter Quarter from Jan. 3 to 17. After the quarantine period, the University will open limited in-person activities, including a small number of classes and student activities such as club and intramural sports. Though most academic and student services will be conducted remotely, Schapiro wrote that study spaces and the Norris University Center will be open. The University is working to “modestly” increase the number of inperson classes, he wrote. The University plans to increase the number and frequency of testing during the winter, including weekly testing for undergraduates » See WINTER, page 6
Illustration by Emma Ruck
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has resumed expunging low-level cannabis records after the pandemic delayed court operations.
Cannabis records cleaning continues
Cook County State’s Attorney office expunges up to 300 cases a week By DELANEY NELSON
daily senior staffer @delaneygnelson
After the pandemic delayed court operations, the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s Office is now resuming the process of expunging low-level cannabis
convictions. Since the beginning of October, the office has expunged 300 cannabis convictions a week, according to a news release. The 2019 Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 years and over, created a social equity fund financed by cannabis
Hagerty decides to not run for re-election
Campus enters ‘yellow’ level as cases hit high
Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty will not be running for a second term in the city’s 2021 election, he announced in a Wednesday news release. Hagerty was elected in 2017 in an election filled with procedural concerns, mainly surrounding the city’s primary process. He succeeded former Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, who spent eight years in the role. Hagerty said his decision was made easier, in part, by the selection of a new city manager. Erika Storlie, who was formerly the interim city manager, was sworn into the role on Wednesday, and Hagerty said her appointment leaves the city in “good hands.”
» See HAGERTY, page 6
taxes and established a process of expungement for minor cannabis violations. Expungement is the physical destruction of a record, and means that one’s criminal record is purged from public record and all places to where a criminal record would be reported, including the Illinois State Police and the Federal
Daily file photo by Alison Albeda
Mayor Steve Hagerty. Hagerty announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election.
Northwestern’s COVID-19 dashboard has been updated with a new framework that monitors the level of campus activity based on factors like positivity rates, growth in cases and testing availability. The current campus activity level is “yellow,” which means the University is seeing an increase in positive cases, small clusters of positive cases or unfavorable local trends. In response to a “yellow,” the University will see no increases in in-person activity and increased testing or reduced activity for targeted populations. The University reported 49 new positive cases from Oct. 19 to 25 — the highest ever weekly case count — and a positivity rate of .92 percent. At the bottom of the dashboard, the University
Bureau of Investigation. Automatic expungement applies to individuals with a Class 4 felony or misdemeanor involving 30 grams or less of cannabis. While automatic relief is only eligible for non-violent offenses, individuals with violent offenses can file a » See EXPUNGEMENT, page 6 notes that confirmed case counts may include the same individuals under more than one category if they have multiple university roles. Starting Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has implemented stronger COVID-19 restrictions on Suburban Cook County in the wake of increased positive cases. Evanston saw its highest singleday case increase on Saturday. In a news release, Mayor Steve Hagerty said the rise in Evanston’s cases was not the result of a disproportionate spread among the NU community. In a Wednesday email, University President Morton Schapiro announced plans to allow all undergraduate students to campus this winter despite the current rise in cases. He said the positive cases have mainly been among small clusters of students, many resulting from off-campus social gatherings. There have been few documented cases of on-campus spread among » See DASHBOARD, page 6
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