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Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
SA Senate to host funding rally
Julia Martinez Staff writer
DeKALB | The Student Association Senate will be hosting a budget and Monetary Award Program rally 4:30 p.m. today in the MLK Commons.
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I’m glad [SA] Senate is supporting this issue, and I’m excited to write letters to legislators most of all.” Estefani Rosas-Almanza Freshman pre-physical therapy major
The rally is being held to give those affected by the decreased state budget an outlet to express their discontent about the issue, according to a SA Senate press release. “The refusal to work on a bipartisan basis in order to come to an acceptable compromise and the political shenanigans causing the gridlock is disgraceful,” said SA Senate officials in the press release. This is the second year NIU has not received fully funded state
such as President Doug Baker, representatives from Hope Haven and MAP grant recipients, will be attending the event. Mayor John Rey, Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) and representatives from institutions including Elgin Community College and University of Illinois will also be making appearances. There will be a table where students can vote early and write letters to state legislators about their concerns regarding the state budget and MAP grants. “I will be attending the rally in support of my fellow students,” said Northern Star file photo Estefani Rosas-Almanza, freshman Students protest against the failing state budget for higher education and pre-physical therapy major. “I think MAP grants Nov. 2, 2015, in the MLK Commons. this is important. I’m glad [SA] Senallocations, the last of which was that’s how big of an impact this is,” ate is supporting this issue, and I’m $91.1 million in Fiscal Year 2015. Wang said during an Oct. 16 SA excited to write letters to the state More than 5,000 undergradu- Senate meeting. “I want all of you legislators most of all.” ate students at NIU receive MAP to come out to this rally. I want grants, which for some is the only you to support those students to Live coverage way they can attend NIU, accord- say ‘I am with you on this issue, Follow @NIUNorthernStar on ing to the press release. and I do support your future’. ” “Think of it as having 37 percent During the rally, NIU and Snapchat and Twitter for upof our student population gone; DeKalb community members, dates on the rally.
Election: Presidential nominee platforms Four presidential candidates are on the Illinois ballot. Here’s a look at information each candidate published on his or her campaign website about his or her platforms.
Photos Associated Press
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, 69 Running mate Tim Kaine, 58 Higher education “Hillary will make debt-free college available to everyone and take on student loan debt.”
Republican nominee Donald Trump, 70 Running mate Mike Pence, 57
Higher education “[Trump will] work with Congress on reforms to ensure universities are making a good faith effort to reduce the cost of college and student Environment debt in exchange for the federal tax “We can tackle [climate change] breaks and tax dollars.” by making America the world’s clean energy superpower and Environment creating millions of good-paying “[Trump will] make America energy jobs, taking bold steps to slash independent, create millions of new carbon pollution at home and jobs and protect clean air and clean around the world and ensuring water. We will conserve our natural no Americans are left out or left habitats, reserves and resources.” behind as we rapidly build a clean energy economy.” Gun control “[Trump will] defend the Second Gun control Amendment of our Constitution. “[Clinton will] expand background The right of the people to keep and checks to more gun sales, take on bear arms shall not be infringed the gun lobby and keep guns out of upon. Period.” the hands of domestic abusers, other violent criminals and the severely Immigration mentally ill.” “[Trump will] establish new immigration controls to boost wagImmigration es and to ensure that open jobs “[Clinton will] work to fix our are offered to American workbroken immigration system and ers first [and] protect the ecostay true to our fundamental nomic well-being of the lawful American values: that we are a na- immigrants already living here tion of immigrants, and we treat by curbing uncontrolled foreign those who come to our country worker admissions.” with dignity and respect.” National security National security “[Trump will] work with Congress “It is not enough to contain ISIS to fully repeal the defense sequesand the threat of radical jihad- ter and submit a new budget to reism—we have to defeat it.” build our depleted military.”
Green Party nominee Jill Stein, 66
Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, 63
Running mate Ajamu Baraka, 63
Running mate William Weld, 71
Higher education “[Stein will] guarantee tuitionfree, world-class public education from pre-school through university [and] abolish student debt to free a generation of Americans from debt servitude.”
Higher education “Johnson and Weld believe that the key to restoring education excellence in the U.S. lies in innovation, freedom and flexibility that Washington D.C. cannot provide.”
Environment “[Stein will] enact an emergency Green New Deal to turn the tide on climate change, revive the economy and make wars for oil obsolete. Initiate a WWII-scale national mobilization to halt climate change, the greatest threat to humanity in our history.”
Environment “We need to stand firm to protect our environment for our future generations, especially those designated areas of protection like our National Parks.” Gun control Not available.
Immigration Gun control “We should appreciate and reNot available. spect the diversity of immigrants that come to the United States to Immigration be productive members of society. “[Stein will] support immi- But we also need to recognize that grants’ rights, create a welcom- everyone who comes here is not so ing path to citizenship for im- well-intentioned.” migrants, halt deportations and detentions of law-abiding National security undocumented immigrants, in- “We need to build a strong milicluding the shameful practice of tary, but we should not use our night raids being used to terror- military strength to try to solve ize refugee families.” the world’s problems.” National security “[Stein will] terminate unconstitutional surveillance and unwarranted spying, close Guantanamo [Bay] and repeal indefinite detention without charge or trial.”
Voting schedule Early voting is available on campus until Nov. 7 in the Holmes Student Center, Blackhawk Annex. Platforms compiled by news editor Madison Kacer
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Faculty initiates diversity Sam Malone Assistant news editor
DeKALB | With racial tensions growing in the United States, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has attempted to dissolve this issue by providing diversity workshops to faculty. Janice Hamlet, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said her goal in organizJanice Hamlet ing this workshop Director of diveris to give the de- sity, equity and partment chairs a inclusion for the chance to further College of Liberal understand their Arts and Sciences roles in diversity inclusion. “[The workshop] was surrounded by the need for department chairs to understand that their leadership is critical to advancing diversity,” Hamlet said. Hamlet got permission from Christopher McCord, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and organized workshops for department chairs. Faculty members play a big role in the college’s diversity, and what they do can have a large impact on how students view NIU, Hamlet said. For the workshops, she brought in two diversity experts to speak to the department chairs about how they can be more inclusive. David Chagnon, Geography Department chair in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, attended the diversity workshops. Chagnon, who is responsible for hiring staff in his department, said Illinois is seeing a population increase in minorities, but the college does not have a diverse faculty that reflects this. “It made me reflect early in the workshop that we are teaching to a diverse population now, and that will only continue,” Chagnon said. “It’s interesting though; if you look at the faculty in our university, it doesn’t really reflect that level of diversity.” One-third of students are underrepresented minorities, and that number is growing, according to statistics given at the workshop.
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It made me reflect early in the workshop that we are teaching to a diverse population now, and that will only continue.” David Chagnon Geography Department chair in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hamlet said one important step in moving forward with inclusion is making sure the faculty grows in its diversity. Chagnon hopes to propel this change while he is hiring new staff members for his department as soon as next semester. Before he can hire more diverse staff members, Chagnon said he will be strategically promoting new positions in his department. “I see this as a journey. For all of us, we’re just sort of starting this journey,” Chagnon said.