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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Schapiro discusses inequality By ROSALIE CHAN
the daily northwestern @rosaliech1
University President Morton Schapiro spoke Monday about the socioeconomic experience at Northwestern, listening to questions and concerns from low-income students as part of a weeklong initiative by Northwestern Quest Scholars to spark a dialogue on the role of class and identity at NU. The fireside, held at the McCormick Tribune Center, is the first event of Money Matters week, the first campus-wide campaign to create discussion on socioeconomic issues. More than half of NU students receive some sort of aid. “I think we really could do a better job making sure every undergrad here has the same opportunity to prosper, to fully avail himself or herself to everything it has to offer,” Schapiro said. NU has improved in its enrollment of underrepresented minorities, Schapiro said. The University has moved from 15th I think we in the country really could to seventh do a better in having the highjob making est persure every centage of undergrad here underrepresented has the same minoriopportunity to ties. Howprosper. ever, Morton Schapiro, Schapiro University admitted President more work needs to be done and there needs to be a change in how low-income students are treated, especially in receiving equal opportunities in jobs and internships. “The truth is, that’s just really unfair,” Schapiro said. “It shouldn’t be harder for someone who is first generation or from a low-income background to prosper here, as opposed to someone who is legacy.” Students’ questions covered a wide variety of topics, including addressing socioeconomic issues, financial aid and NU’s culture of affluence. Students voiced concerns about unpaid internships, high textbooks costs, negative treatment from the financial aid office, feelings of disconnect and lack of awareness by faculty about low-income student concerns. “I thought he was very apologetic for a lot of things,” Medill sophomore Antonio Vielma said. “He presented a lot of comparisons to our peer institutions. While they may provide a qualitative view, it doesn’t talk about the experiences of students while here. The focus
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
From locker room to courtroom How NU became the center of the fight for college athletes’ rights
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» See schapiro, page 5
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
In Focus
By Rohan NADKARNI and Alex PUTTERMAN daily senior staffers @Rohan_NU, @AlexPutt02
On Jan. 28, four men stood at a podium in Chicago with a momentous announcement: A group of Northwestern football players had signed union cards and were filing to unionize as University employees. Former Wildcats’ quarterback Kain Colter, National College Players Association President Ramogi Huma, United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard and USW Political Director Tim Waters explained their purpose. College athletes, they said, deserve a collective voice in the ongoing dialogue about their rights. If certified, the players’ union — the College Athletes Players Association — would be the first of its kind and would invite similar action from athletes at private universities around the country. » See union, page 6
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NU alters financial aid site By lan nguyen
the daily northwestern @LanNguyen_NU
Northwestern’s undergraduate financial aid office made changes to its website after U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) accused many elite colleges, including NU, of violating federal law by misleading students to believe they have to pay to apply for federal aid. In a letter dated Feb. 3 to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Cummings singled out 111 U.S. colleges and universities, providing screenshots of their financial aid websites. Many websites said students needed to fill out the College Board’s CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, in addition to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Only the FAFSA is required to receive federal aid such as Pell grants and workstudy. “I don’t think that the institutions that he listed would do that at all,” Director of Financial Aid Carolyn Lindley said. “If you look at those colleges, they have some of the most generous financial aid programs in the country.” Shortly after the letter was released, NU made additions to its undergraduate financial aid website stating more clearly that if students wish to apply for federal aid, they only need to submit the FAFSA. “We had the information elsewhere on our website,” Lindley said. “We moved the information up to make it more prominent.” Lindley declined to comment on whether the website change was in response to Cummings’ allegations. The Higher Education Act says institutions may not charge students to complete the FAFSA. However, colleges are allowed to issue the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, which costs $25 for one college and $16 for each additional school. Students may receive up to six fee waivers for the CSS Profile. The profile provides more information and helps determine institutional aid packages. Schools cannot require this form for students who only want to apply for federal aid. Cummings’ letter included a screenshot of NU’s financial aid website, which asked students to fill out both financial aid forms without including a distinction for students only seeking federal aid. The website now includes a clarifying statement. “Congress banned this practice in 1992 because it creates undue hurdles for students seeking federal student aid,” Cummings wrote in his letter. A College Board spokeswoman Kate Levin sent a statement via email, saying she is “confident that colleges are using the CSS Profile properly.” Provost Dan Linzer also refuted the accusations, stressing NU’s need-blind admission process for » See Financial aid, page 5
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