Monday November 23, 2015
NorthernStar
.info
Volume 116 Issue 27
Homelessness up for NIU students
DeKalb gets a taste of winter
Alexander Chettiath Assistant News Editor T @achett2
DeKalb | More NIU students have been identified as homeless this year than in any years prior, according to an NIU official. Six NIU students were recognized as homeless, by the office of the Ombudsperson. They were directed to Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, which informed the students of options such as the NIU Food Pantry, temporary housing and local agencies that provide resources and emergency financial assistance packages, said Michael Stang, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.
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Some students are homeless in the sense that they are sleeping in a tent outside of someplace. Some students are homeless because they have become disconnected from their families, ... and some students are in a difficult situation where they cannot pay their bills and they are evicted. ” Michael Stang Assistant vice president of Student Affairs
Hayley Montalvo | Northern Star
Frozen branches of a tree outside of the West Lagoon hang in view of the Davis Hall Observatory on Sunday. DeKalb saw 7.5 inches of snow over the weekend. See more winter photos on Page 5.
“We know that each of the semesters we start with, maybe what I call severely needy, in terms of needing resources to manage their day to day functions in addition
to managing their schoolwork and the cost of their schoolwork,” Stang said. “Their challenge is to just meet their daily needs.” These students are identified in a variety of different ways on campus, including through the Bursar’s office, outreach initiatives, academic advisers and other students, Stang said. More and more needy students have reached out to the office of the Ombudsperson in hopes of receiving help and counseling, especially during the period before the opening of the residence halls, which house more than 4,500 students, in the fall, said Ombudsperson Sarah Klaper. Transitional housing is available to students during winter and summer breaks, as well as all year around at Northern View Community, said Patricia Martinez, executive director of Housing and Dining. “Some students are homeless in the sense that they are sleeping in a tent outside of someplace,” Stang said. “Some students are homeless because they have become disconnected from their families, ... and some students are in a difficult situation where they cannot pay their bills and they are evicted.” The Free Application for Federal Student Aid estimates there are 58,000 homeless students on campuses nationwide. In 2014, Illinois had 3,334 homeless students, the third highest in the nation, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
NIU vet: ‘Treat your neighbors with kindness’ Keith Hernandez Editor in Chief T @dezjournalism
DeKalb | Nickolaus Hammack
stood among almost 50 students and community members last week as he spread a message he said was more radical than abhorring terrorism. That message was “We are not afraid.” A vigil was held on Thursday in the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons to honor victims of terrorist attacks that have occurred this year across the world. Four hundred candles were lit on the concrete just before the steps in front of Neptune Hall East. Of the candles, 148 represented those killed on April 2 at Garissa University in Kenya; 43 killed on Nov. 12 in Beirut; and 129 killed on Nov. 13 in Paris. “The numbers do not end there;
Keith Hernandez | Northern Star
Matthew Galloway, NIU Veterans Association president, speaks at a vigil held in the honor of terrorist attack victims Thursday in the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons. The message of peace was the goal of the vigil, Galloway said.
everyday, more die and more suffer,” Hammock said. “All over the world, people are murdered for their religion, for their race, for their gender, for their identity,
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and it never stops.” Biology professor Sherine Elsawa, faculty adviser of the Muslim Student Association and single mother, said while the terrorists in recent
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attacks had claimed to belong to the Muslim faith, they had no problem killing their own. Islam does not teach what they did, she said. “Now and again, we find ourselves, as Muslim-Americans, in the same predicament where we feel the need to defend ourselves from those violent acts. And we shouldn’t, but we do,” Elsawa said. “And we shouldn’t apologize for it, but we ... do apologize for some of the most violent acts. ... And when this kind of violence comes along, we must realize that the enemy is actually not Islam, the enemy is not the Muslim people, the enemy is not any religion or any country or any group, it’s not the Middle East, but the enemy is actually the hatred that these people harbor in their hearts.” The message of peace was the goal of the vigil, said Matthew Galloway,
Belgium update Belgian prosecutors announced early today that police had detained 16 people in 22 raids, but that Paris fugitive Salah Abdeslam was not among them, according to the Associated Press. Authorities maintained their highest terror alert in the capital for a third straight day despite the raids. NIU Veterans Association president. “More than just the message, there has to be action,” Galloway said. “You have to ask yourself, ‘What can you do to perpetuate peace?’ ... Treat your neighbors with kindness and respect [as] you’d treat your family, your friends and your lovedones.”
Editorial: SA should hold open votes
The Student Association Senate held a closed meeting Sunday where it planned to vote on whether or not to remove the SA vice president. The SA Senate needs to be transparent about final action. Read more on Page 8.