The Daily Northwestern Monday, November 4, 2019
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NU-Q students, alumni lead protest After controversy with dean, tensions boiled over Sunday By AMY LI and JAMES POLLARD
daily senior staffers @pamesjollard, @amyhitsthebooks
Zoe Malin/Daily Senior Staffer
“No F—ks Given” was an art show held by Ben Blount, Melissa Blount and Joanna Kramer on Nov. 2. It was a part of Evanston Made’s First Saturday event.
Local artists host gallery event 'No F--ks Given" art show features pieces inspired by 2016 election By ZOE MALIN
daily senior staffer @zoermalin
After President Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Joanna Kramer, a local ceramics artist, said only one word came to her mind: “F—k.” Frustrated and angry, she turned to pottery to express her emotions and made a collection of mugs featuring the expletive. The art that arose from Kramer’s “devastation”
about the election was more than just political. She said the mugs sold out each time she made a batch because they resonated with “anyone having a hard time.” “No F—ks Given,” an art show on Nov. 2 featuring pieces by Kramer, Ben Blount and Melissa Blount, expanded Kramer’s political reaction to a universal feeling. The show was held at MAKE, Ben Blount’s studio on Florence Avenue. Ben Blount said after seeing
Black student satisfaction down 2018 Senior Survey shows disparities, continued decline By TROY CLOSSON
daily senior staffer @troy_closson
Black student satisfaction with their undergraduate education was the lowest it’s been in more than a decade, Northwestern’s most recent senior survey data shows. In 2016, the Black Student Experience Task Force Report found that among undergraduates, black student satisfaction with their overall NU experience was lagging behind that of every other racial or ethnic group surveyed — and was on the decline. Data from the University’s 2018 Senior Survey was released earlier this quarter, showing the same trend has only been
exacerbated. Only 67 percent of respondents who identified as black or African-American reported feeling “very” or “generally” satisfied with their undergraduate education — down from 72 percent in 2016 and 91 percent in 2010. Specifically, black students were overwhelmingly — and disproportionately — dissatisfied with the degree of ethnic and racial diversity on campus, along with the climate for students of color. Sixty percent of black respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that students are respected at Northwestern regardless of their race or ethnicity — double the next-highest percentage by racial or ethnic group. Sixteen percent of black and African-American respondents also said they “definitely would NOT” encourage a high school » See SURVEY, page 6
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customers’ desire for Kramer’s mugs since 2016, and talking about the topic as friends, he and his fellow artists needed to further “dive into the topic.” “It was time to give the people what they want: a ‘F—k it’ show,” said Ben Blount. “It seems to encapsulate how people feel right now, both politically and personally.” During the show, the Blounts and Kramer showcased pieces representing the show’s theme. Ben Blount created prints with different
messages, Melissa Blount created fabric and embroidery works and Kramer had her mugs and a line of ornaments on display. Those who attended the show laughed about the phrases on the artists’ works, and many purchased multiple pieces. “There is a sense of community around this collective feeling,” said Kramer. “We’re in it together, so let’s laugh about it.” » See ART, page 6
As frustrations with the school’s dean boiled over, more than 100 students and alumni staged a silent protest at Northwestern University in Qatar Sunday afternoon, demanding public apologies and policy changes. The demonstration follows NU-Q Prof. Justin D. Martin’s Nov. 2 tweet alleging that during a Januaryfaculty meeting, in response to Muslim students who were concerned that NUQ’s graduation had been set on the first day of Ramadan during fasting hours, the school’s Dean Everette E. Dennis told a group of about 40 faculty members, “To Hell with them.” The protest coincided with a community meeting titled “Conversation with Provost Holloway,” according to The Daily Q, the campus’ student newspaper. NU-Q senior Farah Al Sharif, designated as a spokesperson for the students, delivered the opening statement. “For several years, we’ve been mistreated, misspoken to, disrespected and ritually discriminated against by not only multiple faculty members but by our very own dean,” Al Sharif said at the protest. “The members of the Northwestern community who are supposed to teach us, shape us as human beings.” An assistant professor in residence at NU-Q, filed an
EthicsPoint complaint following the January faculty meeting. The complaint stated that Dennis interrupted a female faculty member voicing student concerns about the scheduled graduation, yelling: “To Hell with our students! Every year they whine about something!” The complaint also alleged that “Dennis has repeatedly belittled and insulted students both to their faces and in public forums.” The dean called students “ungrateful bastards” to two undergraduate representatives in March 2017, according to the complaint, and dismissed them as “grumpy” in an April 2018 email to NU-Q community members when students questioned his choice for a commencement speaker. At the community dialogue, Dennis said his January comments were “plainly misconstrued and conflated,” adding that they were directed at the student complaints and not the students themselves. Dennis said Sunday that Martin’s tweets the day before Holloway’s scheduled visit were “obviously very much timed” and described the professor’s comments as a part of his “vendetta against the dean,” according to The Daily Q. Martin, however, told The Daily Northwestern he tweeted because he no longer wanted to be complicit in NU-Q’s silencing of student complaint. In the past, Dennis’ “authoritarian figure” intimidated students on the NU-Q campus, he said. Non-tenured faculty at NU-Q also hesitated to speak out in fear of retaliation, Martin added. “What’s really broken my heart also as a journalism professor is » See NU-Q, page 6
Student from Iran barred from U.S. After visa was revoked, the student couldn't come for fall quarter By ALAN PEREZ
daily senior staffer @_perezalan_
A Northwestern student from Iran is missing school this fall after being turned away when he tried to board a flight on his way to Illinois. The student, whose name has not been made public, was informed that his F-1 student visa was revoked, despite being approved this past summer. Northwestern said it “engaged” an immigration attorney, who initiated a new visa application but is waiting to hear back with a result. It’s unclear why his visa was revoked. A State Department spokesperson, who did not did not respond to a question about whether a policy change had taken effect, said “student visa application numbers are subject to a wide variety of factors and are seasonal in nature.”
“As we have always noted, we subject each visitor to the United States, including student visa applicants, to wide ranging screening and vetting to ensure the safety of the American people,” the spokesperson said. The student seems to be yet another victim of souring tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Earlier this year, the two countries were on the brink of war after Iran, in retaliation for the detention of an Iranian supertanker, seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian student seems to be one of about 20 whose visas were cancelled in early September. They reportedly all attended Sharif and Tehran universities and were headed to prestigious schools across the U.S., including Stanford University and the University of California. One of the students, Nima Abdollahpour, an incoming graduate student to UC Davis, said he
Coiin Boyle/The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern’s International Office provides support and advising services to international students at the University. According to the office, 36 students enrolled at the University last academic year.
and others were never told why their visas were cancelled. “No one tells us what is wrong,” he told the Davis Enterprise. The National Iranian American Council said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” with the reports of sudden visa cancellations, which are rare for visas that have already been issued
and usually don’t occur at the last minute. “NIAC calls on the Trump Administration to provide a full and transparent accounting of what is behind these recent actions and whether a new policy has been put in place,” the » See IRAN, page 6
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