The Daily Northwestern – January 30, 2018

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The Daily Northwestern Tuesday, January 30, 2018

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Men’s Basketball

3 CAMPUS/Administration

NU unable to grind out win at Michigan

New provisional position at History Writing Center focuses on ESL students

Find us online @thedailynu 4 OPINION/Boyd

Trump ignores logical case for immigration

High 33 Low 29

Landlord support program to change Aldermen ask city staff to revise assistance proposal By SAMANTHA HANDLER

the daily northwestern @sn_handler

Colin Boyle/Daily Senior Staffer

Jane Mayer of The New Yorker talks with Medill Prof. Peter Slevin in a Monday event. Mayer discussed the challenges journalists face in the current political climate.

New Yorker reporter talks media

Jane Mayer praises Trump era journalists, slams alternative facts By CHARLOTTE WALSH

the daily northwestern @charwalsh_

When Jane Mayer of The New Yorker interviewed President Donald Trump in the summer before the 2016 election, she said

he told her he “loved The New Yorker” and called it a “great publication.” Mayer then mentioned to him that Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter for Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” was not planning on voting for Trump in the upcoming election, a move Trump called “disloyal.”

Mayer said just a few minutes after the interview ended, Schwartz called her, saying he had just gotten off the phone with Trump, angry with Schwartz about his vote. Trump said he had received the news from a journalist at The New Yorker, which he then called “a loser publication

that nobody reads.” “Donald Trump is baffling and exhausting and fascinating for all of us who are covering him,” Mayer said. “It’s the Dickens problem — it’s the best of times and the worst of times for » See MAYER, page 6

Aldermen asked city staff at a special City Council meeting on Monday to draft a revised proposal on a landlord rehabilitation assistance program that would provide funding to property owners who manage rental units at affordable rates. The current proposal for the pilot program allows for participants to receive a maximum rebate of $50,000 — in the form of a forgivable loan — for the completion of their approved building improvement projects, according to city documents. To be eligible, landlords must have tenants who are initially at or below 60 percent of area median income. Council sent the program — which would be funded with $200,000 of the currently uncommitted $800,000 in the city’s affordable housing fund — back to staff to be modified. Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) told The Daily it is

already a barrier for landlords to obtain the money to make repairs and improve their units. She said if Council can fund the improvements upfront, it will be quicker for residents to get the renovations they need. “The landlords that we’re talking about are moderateincome themselves, so they don’t have the money for the improvements (and) they can’t qualify for home improvement loans,” Rue Simmons said. “If we manage the funds — not necessarily just give them a check to do the work — we can have them provide the bids, and we will pay the contractors directly.” The aldermen plan to vote on the revised version at the Feb. 26 council meeting, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said at the meeting. Housing and Grants division manager Sarah Flax said the department will look to change the parts of the program that aldermen disagreed on. This included the types of improvements the program would fund and whether landlords would receive the money before or after the completion of the projects. Landlords at the meeting » See LANDLORDS, page 6

Campus, hospital Speakers teach immigrant support report spikes in flu Evanston residents trained about legal resources for immigrants By ALLIE GOULDING

daily senior staffer @alliejennaaa

Northwestern Memorial Hospital has seen eight times more confirmed flu cases this season compared to last season, according to hospital’s media relations manager Kara Spak. The hospital has reported 472 positive cases between Sept. 1 and Jan. 17, out of 3,766 tested, Spak told The Daily in an email. Last season, only 56 cases were confirmed in the same time frame, out of 2,491 tested. Though Northwestern University Health Service is seeing slightly higher levels of the flu than usual on the Evanston campus, it has not reached the degree reported in Chicago and other cities, executive director Robert Palinkas told The Daily in an email. But the rates on campus are expected to rise, Palinkas said. Flu season is currently around its peak of circulation, according to Feinberg Prof. Michael Ison, who specializes in infectious diseases. The peak typically lasts about six weeks, starting sometime in late December to late January, Ison said. The flu virus is divided into two major types, Influenza A and

Influenza B. Influenza A viruses, including H1N1 and H3N2, tend to be more aggressive than Influenza B viruses, Ison said. The H3N2 strain of the flu is the main strain circulating this year, he said. “Historically, H3N2 has caused more frequent disease, more severe disease, more hospitalization, more death,” Ison said. “Although everyone is concerned because of the high frequency of infection, it really is somewhat predictable since it’s the more virulent and challenging strain that’s circulating this year.” According to a New York Times article, this is the worst flu season since the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, with rates of infection and hospitalization continuing to increase. Ison and Palinkas encouraged students to receive a flu vaccine if they have not already, adding that even though it is peak season, it is not too late for the vaccine to be effective. The flu vaccine has three purposes — to prevent the flu, to minimize the impact if someone does get the flu and to reduce the risk of death associated with the flu, Ison said. The flu vaccine this year has a 30 percent protective efficacy rate against the virus, he added. “Although this vaccine is not as » See FLU, page 6

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

By ADRIAN WAN

the daily northwestern @piuadrianw

Evanston residents and members of faith-based organizations received training on Monday about how to support immigrants who are vulnerable to deportation. The Beth Emet Social Action Committee, Evanston Solidarity Response Team, Evanston Public Library and the American Civil Liberties Union hosted the event at Beth Emet Synagogue. Speakers shared contact information for immigration rights groups and tips to avoid potential risks when dealing with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement with about 100 people who attended the event. ACLU attorney Rebecca Glenberg said community members need to learn about resources available for immigrants — such as the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Chicago Legal Responders Network — so that they can provide assistance to immigrants who are “particularly freaked out” under President Donald Trump’s administration. “You hear Trump and others talk about unshackling ICE, and that’s what they mean,” Glenberg said. “It gives ICE licences to go after the most vulnerable people,

Katie Pach/Daily Senior Staffer

A sign at the 2018 Chicago Women’s March. In response to Trump’s new immigration policies, Evanston residents gathered on Monday to discuss how to support immigrants.

so things that were safe are more dangerous now.” Glenberg said community members should equip immigrants with an understanding of their rights in case they are stopped by police or immigration agents. Based on the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, she said immigrants have the right to deny immigration agents without judicial warrants

permission to enter their homes. She added that immigrants should not lie about their citizenship status, but they always have the right to remain silent. Abby Backer, director of youth programs at the Beth Emet Synagogue, told The Daily that the program aimed to create a “network of congregation” where every individual shares information about immigrants’ rights

and strives to create a “sanctuary” within the Evanston community. “With everything that’s happening and how quickly things are changing, it’s really important to understand the history and also what we should be looking out for,” Backer said. Trump, during his campaign, promised supporters that he » See IMMIGRANT, page 6

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8


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