The Daily Northwestern Thursday, November 12, 2020
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Find us online @thedailynu
A&E
PAGE 8
NU to face Purdue, a matchup of undefeateds
High 54 Low 30
Council proposes new tax increase Residents could see a raise in property taxes by 4.9 percent By JASON BEEFERMAN daily senior staffer @jasonbeeferman Evanston residents expressed dismay with a proposed 4.9 percent property tax increase for the 2021 fiscal year during a Monday City Council meeting, citing the impact of the pandemic-based recession on residents. The proposed levy includes a 16 percent increase for the Human Services Fund, and a 4.2 percent and a 1.9 percent increase for the Fire and Police Pension Funds respectively. Aside from the pandemic’s harmful financial effects, residents also took issue with the increase in police financing, especially amid city-wide calls to decrease funding for Evanston Police Department. “People are being forced out of Evanston. You can’t choose the staff over the residents who live here,” resident Mike Vasilko said. “That’s a very regressive way to treat the citizens at this time.”
Robin Means Coleman named as new CDO Robin Means Coleman has been named Northwestern’s new vice president, associate provost for diversity and inclusion, and chief diversity officer. Coleman will begin at NU on Feb. 1, according to a Monday news release. Provost Kathleen Hagerty wrote Coleman’s experience in leading diversity and inclusion efforts at major research universities made her the “perfect choice” for NU. Coleman, a nationally prominent and award-winning scholar, specializes in media studies and the cultural politics of Blackness. “She will help us realize the University’s commitments to equity and inclusion, during a time when we, as a University and a country, grapple with pervasive anti-Blackness and the inequitable effects of a global pandemic,” Hagerty said in the release. Coleman will arrive on campus nearly a year after previous CDO Jabbar Bennett’s departure from the role. Women’s Center Director Sekile Nzinga has been serving as CDO in the interim. The
Residents said property taxes could be lowered if the city furthers efforts to decrease Evanston Police Department funding. This year, the city is estimating a 20 percent drop in calls for service and a 30 percent drop in total arrests, compared to 2019. Due to this decline, residents like residents like Sean Peck-Collier say the tax levy should be lowered to accommodate the decrease in need for policing. “So many people are financially struggling and forced to tighten their belts in order to survive,” he said. “Based on this budget we can do more of that too, instead of placing an increased tax burden on our neighbors to accrue funds that we know we aren’t going to spend.” Resident Lori Keenan said funding for the police department in Somerville, Mass., a city with a comparative population and median income to Evanston, is $25 million less than the city’s current police budget. She said the difference in municipal police budgets alone is reason to decrease funding. » See LEVY, page 6 year-long wait for a new CDO had drawn criticism from the community, especially as administrators made he commitments to racial and social justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Coleman currently serves as vice president and associate provost for diversity at Texas A&M, where she leads university efforts in accountability, climate and equity. At NU, Coleman will oversee the Office of Institutional Diversity, dedicated to coordinating efforts to counter racism and exclusion, promoting equity and access. The office works to provide programs and resources and engage in advocacy for students, staff and faculty of all backgrounds. “Change and progress are what make Northwestern University a world-class institution,” Coleman said. “Northwestern has always led when it comes to developing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. The university succeeds and thrives because it is home to the very best thought leaders.” The announcement comes nearly a month of daily actions from students, led by NU Community Not Cops, calling for the abolition of University Police and investment in institutions that benefit Black
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
Madison Smith/The Daily Northwestern
Over 65 officers flank the street by Fountain Square as students eat donuts, drink coffee and read abolitionist literature.
Heavy police presence at sit-in
CNC protestors were eating “breakfast,” reading abolitionist literature By BINAH SCHATSKY
daily senior staffer @binahschatsky
Student protesters demanding the abolition of University Police were met with a heavy police presence Monday
— armed police in riot gear from the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System’s Mobile Field Force, several K-9 vehicles and Evanston Police Department officers equipped with a police van. There were at least 70 officers for a crowd of no more than 60 protesters.
Monday’s action led by NU Community Not Cops was the first in-person action since the group’s Halloween protest, where students were peppersprayed and one was arrested. At last Saturday’s action, students broke windows to Whole Foods Market, spray-painted
sidewalks and released fireworks into the street. Monday’s event had a different energy. “Come hungry for breakfast and bring your favorite abolitionist and radical literature!” NUCNC’s Twitter » See PROTEST, page 6
D202 talks racial achievement gap ETHS sees stark racial disparities in college readiness By MAIA SPOTO
daily senior staffer @maia_spoto
Source: Northwestern Now
Robin Means Coleman, Northwestern’s new chief diversity officer. She will begin her role on Feb. 1.
students’ well-being. Following the University’s condemnation of student demonstrations, hundreds of faculty, graduate workers and staff issued statements criticizing the administration’s
response to student demands. Many urged the University to rethink the necessity of UP and listen to student concerns with respect. — Isabelle Sarraf
After reviewing Evanston Township High School/District 202’s annual achievement report Monday, board members recoiled at stark college readiness disparities that continue to expose the district’s racial achievement gap. The district measures college readiness by identifying whether students meet thresholds for four factors: proficiency in English/language arts, proficiency in math, grade point average and attendance. Thirty-two percent of Black male students and 26 percent of Latinx male students in ETHS’ graduating class of 2020 failed to meet any of those benchmarks, in contrast with 4 percent of White male students. The percentage of Black male students failing to meet any ETHS college readiness
benchmarks has increased 5 percent since the 2019 annual achievement report. Additionally, 86 percent of Latinx students and 92 percent of Black students graduated with their senior class in 2020, compared with 96 percent of White students. “We have to treat this like a crisis,” board member Stephanie Teterycz said. “It’s the same story every year… along racial lines, Black and Latinx students are faring much worse. It’s not acceptable.” Board member Jude Laude said the numbers are “predictable,” and low academic rates also correlate with low rates of attendance and engagement in the broader ETHS community. Laude said this relationship presents a “chicken-and-egg” problem. “Is it that there’s no sense of belonging for these young men in the school and that causes poor attendance, so they don’t participate?” Laude said. “Or is their lack of participation and attendance causing the low » See D202, page 6
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | A&E 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Gameday 8