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The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, October 7, 2015
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
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Students renew push for major
Faculty moves forward with Asian American studies major
By SHANE MCKEON
daily senior staffer @Shane_McKeon
Jeffrey Wang/The Daily Northwestern
CAMPAIGN 2016 Former Rep. Brad Schneider addresses a room of Northwestern students Tuesday night. The ex-Congressman discussed his tenure as a representative and his intentions to run again in 2016.
Students renewed calls for an Asian American studies major with an online petition launched Tuesday, just as faculty in the program prepare to submit a proposal to Weinberg administrators that would enact the major. The University currently offers a minor in Asian American studies, but students must apply to complete an ad hoc major if they want to study the subject further. Weinberg senior Kevin Luong, who minors in the program, said he launched
the petition. “If students show they support or need a new aspect of curriculum,” he said, “administrators should react to that.” Luong, Associated Student Government Senate’s representative for Asian Pacific American Coalition, Taiwanese American Students Club, Chinese Students Association and Korean American Student Association, said the current system, in which students who want to major in Asian American studies can only do so through an ad hoc major, discourages students from studying in the program. » See PETITION, page 6
Schneider returns to NU
Ex-congressman talks about his 2016 run By EMILY CHIN
daily senior staffer @emchin24
Former Rep. Brad Schneider spoke at a College Democrats meeting Tuesday night about his time in Congress and his motivations for running again. Schneider (McCormick ’83, Kellogg ’88) served in Congress from 2013 to 2015. The reason he ran for the House of Representatives in 2012 was to address the fiscal, economic and environmental challenges that the U.S. has in competing in the global economy, he said. “It was the idea of trying to start tackling the challenges we face as a country so that we may not finish
it, maybe we’re not going to solve all the problems, but (we will) work on them generations after that, and the next,” he said to a room of more than 40 people. Schneider is running for Congress again to finish what he started three years ago, he said. He argued that for the U.S. to continue leading the global economy, it needs to build up the middle class. He pointed out that the growth of the U.S.’s middle class is significantly lower than that of other countries. ”It’s the idea of growing from the middle out,” he said. “We need a middle class that is confident, investing in the future.” Other points Schneider hopes to work on if he is elected are eliminating gun violence, funding public
education and creating a path to citizenship, he said. “Four years ago I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into,” he said. “Now I know exactly what I want to do. We need to help the dreamers — the young people who came here seeking to make a better life. We need to address all the issues, but we have to do it in a way that doesn’t put us in a whole cycle.” Schneider also emphasized the importance of engaging college students in political campaigns. He noted that when students work on campaigns, regardless of the candidate, they have the opportunity to make a difference and quickly » See SCHNEIDER, page 6
Beacon Academy looks to expand By MARISSA PAGE
daily senior staffer @marissahpage
A private high school that launched in Evanston last year received support from the Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday to expand as a result of unexpectedly fast growth of the student body. Beacon Academy, currently located at 622 Davis St. just above Cheesie’s Pub and Grub, opened last fall with an initial class of about 40 students. Jeff Bell, the school’s founding head, said Beacon’s total enrollment is currently 83, a number higher than he initially anticipated. As a result, Beacon has filed a request to move into an open space at 1560 Sherman Ave, which also houses the Rotary International headquarters. Steve Friedland, the school’s attorney, said the school’s goal was to have a student population of
about 200 students but the growth is steeper than they expected. “Beacon is (at this meeting) because they’ve been very successful,” Friedland said. “They always knew (the space) would not be sufficient for a long-term 200-student body … They’re getting there quicker than they thought.”
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The concept of the school ... is that we really think about Evanston as a campus. Jeff Bell, Beacon’s founding head
Space is the primary reason for Beacon’s desire to move, Friedland said. The school’s current location is approximately 9,500 square feet, while the space at 1560 Sherman Ave. is approximately 21,000 square feet, which would better
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accommodate the school’s plans for expansion. The new space would become the school’s primary facility, while 622 Davis St. would be used as additional classroom space. Beacon ascribes to the Montessori method of teaching, which focuses on creative and experiential forms of learning. For Beacon, this means engaging children with Evanston community organizations such as the McGaw YMCA and Evanston Art Center as extensions of their classroom space. “The concept of the school and the operation of the school is that we really think about Evanston as a campus,” Bell said. “Obviously the majority of our classes are taking place within the building in which we’re currently housed, but we have strong partnerships with a number of stalwart Evanston institutions.” One of the Zoning Board’s primary concerns was ensuring » See MONTESSORI, page 6
Daily file photo by Zack Laurence
MAJOR MOVEMENT Sumun Pendakur (Weinberg ‘98) speaks at Hardin Hall 20 years after her participation in a hunger strike for the creation of an Asian American studies program. This quarter, students are demanding an Asian American studies major through an online petition released Tuesday.
ETHS holds first Black Female Summit By ELENA SUCHARETZA
the daily northwestern @elenasucharetza
Evanston Township High School hosted its first Black Female Summit last week to discuss the diverse experiences of its black female students following the debut of the Black Male Summit last year. Nearly 1,000 students attended the Black Female Summit on Sept. 29 and the second Black Male Summit two days later as a part of ETHS’ Social Consciousness Series, a set of programming events aimed at deepening students’ understanding of issues that affect their school and community. Following the Black Male Summit last year, ETHS junior Lauryn Poyser said many black female students approached school officials and requested they create a summit centered around the experiences of black women as well. “We asked, ‘Where’s our summit?’” Poyser said. “We are both oppressed, we both need this for empowerment and we were told we would have one the next
year.” Both day-long events included informational sessions about issues of importance within the black community, poetry written by students on issues such as cultural appropriation and presentations from keynote speakers, Poyser said. Speakers included Chicago-born actor Harry Lennix, the Rev. Toby Sanders and author Phyllis Clark ETHS senior Camille Allen, who is also the student representative for the District 202 school board, said the highlight of the female summit for her was being afforded the opportunity to introduce Clark at the beginning of the event. “[Clark] talked about recognizing that we are beautiful — that black is beautiful,” Allen said. “… and that if we want things, we should go forward and seize opportunities because we are powerful and smart and strong and capable, despite what messaging we hear that tells us otherwise.” Programming for the female summit centered around similar topics of women empowerment and intersections » See SUMMIT, page 6
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