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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Friday, January 31, 2014
Sheil starts LGBTQ group By Alice Yin
the daily northwestern @alice__yin
Sheil Catholic Center will launch a new prayer group next week in an effort to create a safe space for Northwestern students who identify as LGBTQ. McCormick junior Bryan Matias spearheaded the establishment of the weekly support group, which intends to support students in the LGBTQ community through teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church does not condemn members of the LGBTQ outright. According to the Church, it is only acting upon sexual desire that violates a person’s relationship with God. The group, which will meet for the first time Feb. 6 at 8 p.m., will be structured similarly to Sheil’s “Prayer Buddies” program, which pairs people to pray with one another. Sheil is also considering developing a mentorship system, depending on demand. “It’ll vary depending on what the people that come want to talk about,” Matias said. “At the beginning of the meeting, we’ll write down questions, anonymously, and have a free discussion within the limits of being respectful.”
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NU discovers mock eviction notices By Rebecca Savransky
the daily northwestern @beccasavransky
Sean Hong/Daily Senior Staffer
LGBTQ Sheil will hold a special prayer group on Feb. 6 for members of the LGBTQ community. The group will stay true to the Catholic Church’s stance on homosexuality.
The idea has been discussed for a few years, waiting for a student like Matias to take initiative, said Mary Deeley, Sheil Pastoral Associate who worked with Matias on the development. A few members of Rainbow Alliance, including board member Peter Cleary, have helped with
the group’s establishment and will be present at the kickoff next week. To help maintain a student-friendly environment, no adult Sheil staff member will be present during the meetings, » See LGBTQ, page 6
University officials spoke to multiple Northwestern students who distributed mock eviction notices with Palestinian political messages to several campus dorms earlier this month. The fliers, which imitated real eviction notices, were put underneath students’ doors as recently as last week. NU cannot release names of individuals responsible, University spokesman Al Cubbage said. “It is a violation of University policy to be posting political things on somebody else’s door,” he said. “So Student Affairs talked with the individuals involved and explained the university policies to them.” The papers were distributed at NU after similar notices had been given to students at other universities across the country including at both the University of Michigan and Harvard University, according to The Michigan Daily and The Harvard Crimson. The notices distributed at Michigan and Harvard were attributed to specific student groups, though the students who distributed the fliers at NU
remain anonymous. Jonathan Kamel, co-president of Wildcats for Israel and a former Daily staffer, said the initiative appeared to be a more coordinated effort at other universities. The stunt was not as large-scale at NU because it was likely organized by individual students as opposed to a collective group, Kamel said. He said he was surprised the fliers had been posted at NU, as he said it is not a “politically driven campus.” “I really was not expecting it to happen at Northwestern mainly because it’s a move that really inflames the campus and really causes a lot of controversy that is unnecessary,” Kamel said. Kamel reached out to the University following the event to ensure they were handling the matter appropriately. Since then, administrators have prevented any additional fliers from being distributed in dorms and have been in contact with various groups to confirm this was not a targeted attack, Kamel said. Students confirmed fliers were circulated in both Foster-Walker Complex and Slivka Residential College with only select students receiving them in each. » See EVICTION, page 6
EPD, fire surprise 10-yearold before hospital stay By paige leskin
the daily northwestern @paigeleskin
When more than 20 police cars and fire trucks showed up on the street where 10-year-old Julian Sims lives Thursday, the commotion confused him. But when the officers and firefighters showed up on his doorstep with balloons and bags of gifts, he knew they were there for him. “We want to show him we’re 110 percent behind him,” Evanston Police officer Heidi Bernhardt said. EPD officers and Evanston fire department officials participated in a motorcade Thursday, blocking off the 1500 block of Church Street to have a surprise visit to Julian at his home. Julian, a fifth-grade student at Dewey Elementary
School, was diagnosed with leukemia in October 2013. The Sims family has been looking for a match for a bone marrow transplant since November, holding bone marrow drives and raising money to get people tested. Two months ago, the incessant searching paid off, and the family found a match. Julian starts the transplant process Friday when he reports to the hospital, where he will be confined to a room for more than a month without any visitors besides his parents. Bernhardt said the police and fire departments raised more than $3,000 in gifts for Julian and his family that would improve the time spent in the hospital. “I was blown away,” Julian’s father Rich Sims said. “I had no idea it was going to be that big and with so many people.” Officers lined up outside the Sims’ house to take » See SIMS, page 6
Brian Lee/Daily Senior Staffer
SALUTING SIMS Staff from Evanston Police Department and Evanston fire department gather Thursday afternoon to send off 10-year-old Julian Sims before his scheduled bone marrow transplant. Sims was diagnosed with leukemia last year.
Bienen lecturer pleas for 300-year-old violin’s return By ally mutnick
daily senior staffer @allymutnick
Source: Facebook
‘HEARTBROKEN’ A 300-yearold Stradivarius violin on loan to Bienen lecturer Frank Almond was stolen Monday night after he performed at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee. The violin could be worth seven figures, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn.
Bienen lecturer Frank Almond is recovering well but remains “heartbroken” following an armed robbery of a nearly 300-year-old Stradivarius violin in Milwaukee on Monday night, University spokesman Al Cubbage said. Almond, the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, was leaving a concert at Wisconsin Lutheran College when he was attacked with a stun gun, fell to the ground and robbed of the violin, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said at a news conference Tuesday. Cubbage received an email from Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music Dean Toni-Marie Montgomery, who reached out to Almond this week.
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“She had been in touch with him and he was obviously shaken up but physically OK,” he said. “She said he was heartbroken, which makes sense.” On his Facebook page Thursday, Almond posted a picture of the stolen violin with a plea for its return. The violin, known as the Lipinski Stradivarius, was built in 1715 in Italy. At the news conference, Flynn said the violin could be worth seven figures. Milwaukee Police had no new information to share in the case Thursday, Lt. Mark Stanmeyer said, calling the case the most high profile robbery “in recent memories.” Almond left a public message on his Facebook page Wednesday thanking friends for their support. “It’s been a challenging week so far,” he wrote. “Your comments and postings have meant a great deal to me. Thank you
all again, and I hope at some point I can post better news.” Almond is part of a Grammy-nominated chamber group called An die Musik and directs the Frankly Music Chamber Series in Milwaukee. He had just finished playing a concert for the series Monday when he was attacked walking back from his car. The Stradivarius was on loan to Almond from anonymous donors. According to his website, he will leave NU in 2014 and join the faculty of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Almond came to NU in 2010 and is currently teaching this quarter. Bienen professors said the community was shocked after learning about the robbery and felt badly about the loss of a rare and valuable instrument. “Stradivarius, they are beautifully made,” said Gerardo Ribeiro, a Bienen violin professor and a colleague of Almond.
“They are absolutely masterpieces. What makes it beautiful is the sound, the quality of sound.” Professors noted the unique markings on the violin and its rarity mean it will be hard to sell on the black market. Any violin expert could easily identify it as the missing Stradivarius. In the news conference, Flynn said the violins can be targets for theft because they are so rare. Another Stradivarius violin was stolen from Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1936. It was not found until more than 50 years later. Though Ribeiro said he felt badly about the theft, he is mainly hoping Almond is doing better. “I’m more concerned about him,” he said. “A human being is much more important than the instrument.” » See VIOLIN, page 6
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