THE PROTEST FALL 2013
Undocumented immigrants fight for organ transplants >> PAGE 20
Plus: THE DEBATE OVER DECRIMINALIZATION OF PROSTITUTION PHOTOS: HUMANS OF NORTHWESTERN HEALTH INSURANCE CHANGES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ILLUSTRATION BY CYMONE GRIMES
Editor’s Note BY CAMERON ALBERT-DEITCH As Editor-in-Chief of a social justice magazine, I have to watch the line between journalism and activism almost constantly. It’s more difficult than one might think. Many journalists want to change the world. Some want to write the article that exposes government corruption. Some want to spawn worldwide humanitarian movements. Some want to become the famous columnist who speaks for the people. These are legitimate dreams – I share them myself. But it worries me when journalists start to force change. Sometimes, we can get egotistical. We believe that people will listen to anything we say. Our goal shifts from raising awareness to telling people what to think. In that moment, we lose our objectivity. We stop being journalists and start being activists. There’s nothing wrong with activism, of course, but it’s not journalism. Objectivity is our key selling point: Journalists exist so that people can have sources they trust. Without that trust, we’re nothing. Some people choose to go the activist route. A small group of passionate people can agitate for change more effectively than a public unwilling to hear the hard truths in life, they tell themselves. I’m not one of those people. To me, trust is a two-way street: If the public trusts me, I have to trust them back. And I do. I trust that people can think just fine on their own. I trust that we can give them a story and let them come to their own conclusions. I trust that people, ultimately, do the right thing. Maybe it’s my unceasing optimism, but I firmly believe that I can do the most good as a journalist. Raising awareness is important. Storytelling is important. We should explore issues with our readers, not for them. Nobody should set out to change the world alone. That’s what social justice journalism is to me. What is it to you? PHOTO: ALISSA ZHU
Contents CA JOB CHANGES ...... 02 WITNESS OF HISTORY ...... 04 NO EXCEPTIONS ...... 06 BETWEEN THE LINES ...... 08 HUMANS OF NORTHWESTERN ...... 13 FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS ...... 20 A POLITICAL CAMPUS ...... 26
Staff MAGAZINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cameron Albert-Deitch ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Yoona Ha SENIOR EDITORS James Bien Charles Rollet COPY EDITORS Christian Keeve Jon Palmer DESIGN EDITOR Christine Nguyen PHOTO EDITOR Alissa Zhu DESIGNERS Liv Marcus Tanner Maxwell Chelsea Sherlock Jen White PHOTOGRAPHERS Samantha Maeng Connie Wang
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PHOTO: ALISSA ZHU
Sophomore Tanisha Patni, a CA in Shepard,does rounds with sophomore Mira Johnson, an Allison CA. *DISCLAIMER: None of the students pictured in this spread were interviewed for or featured in this story.
PHOTO: ALISSA ZHU
Community Assistants Agitated Over New Job Responsibilities BY AVANTIKA KHATRI
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orthwestern’s Community Assistants have many responsibilities to their fellow students: helping freshmen move in, displaying a positive attitude and acting as role models to the community. But what are Northwestern’s responsibilities to the CAs it employs? A recent influx of changes to their duties has some CAs asking themselves this question as they criticize the little input they had in the process. Now, CAs are required to remain in the dorms over winter and spring breaks, attend mandatory monthly training sessions and spend up to four hours on desk duty per week. To top it off, their housing placements will also be delayed. Senior Billy Choo, a CA for two years, underwent his third year of training in the spring before opting out of the job in the summer. According to Choo, administrators discussed the changes with CAs, but “it wasn’t really much of a conversation rather than a ‘this is happening, this is why.’” “We had meetings throughout from winter to spring with [executive director of Residential Services] Paul Riel to discuss the changes, and why the change was being made. But the reason for those meetings were for the administration to explain themselves rather than have a conversation,” Choo said. According to Choo, the contract doubled in size from two to four pages to accommodate all the changes; CAs knew about the changes prior to signing contracts. Another CA agreed that although the changes were clearly delineated, the department could have implemented them with more input. (CAs are not allowed by Northwestern to speak to the media using their title, so the three currently-employed CAs spoke to The Protest under the condition of anonymity.) “I feel like the expectations Residential Services has of us are very clear. Like, we know what we’re supposed to do. That being said, I feel like changes in expectations can happen with CA input,” the first anonymous CA said. “For example, the expectation of us working a front desk or the expectation that we stay over breaks, stuff
Tanisha Patni changes the duty board in Shepard Residential College. The duty board denotes which CAs are on duty each given night, so residents know who to contact in the case of an emergency. like that. Because while those changes are meant to benefit the residents, at the end of the day, it comes at the cost of CA time and commitment.” But CAs have had influence on their terms of employment before. Towards the beginning of the year, Residential Life instated a new policy to prevent CAs from having the block meal plan. The decision was reversed in response to negative feedback. “After that change was announced, many CAs responded very negatively to that change, as you can imagine. And as a result of that, the old policy was, for this year, reverted, and CAs are able to change to the block plan,” a second anonymous CA told The Protest. “I think if better communication had been present at the beginning of the year, then that issue might have been avoided.” For Choo, poor communication and a noninclusive corporate culture contributed to his decision against returning for a third year on the job. “They just spent a lot of effort to educate us how to do things, but they also seem to be caught up with the idea that we are replaceable because every four years a new wave of people come in because we’re going to graduate at one point,” Choo said. “They work with that mindset, which makes sense in a business sense, but ... to think that people who I’m supposed to be reporting to think about me in that way - as an exploitable workload - is very demeaning.” Still, Residential Life appears to be trying to work with students more. Director Mary Goldenberg said the addition last year of a studentstaff advisory board comprising of one CA from each of the seven residential areas on
campus is an effort to strengthen CA input. But change is slow to come. “I feel like in the past there has been little ability for CAs to put their input into the leadership team. I think that’s slowly getting better,” the first anonymous CA said. “Sometimes there is a lack of recognition that we would like our voices to be heard as well, and we need a lot of the same type of support that they want us to give to other students ... whereas I feel that our desires as CAs are not being heard.” The line between being both an employee and a student of the university receiving the same services from Residential Life is often a blurred one. A third anonymous CA cited the example of in-service days: mandatory training sessions which take place from 4:30 to 6pm on Wednesdays every month. The in-service time “is actually inconvenient for a lot of CAs because that’s class time,” the third anonymous CA said. “And we were given kind of conflicting messages of like, ‘Yes, your class is first, but don’t do it at that time.’” In response to concerns about the in-service sessions, Goldenberg said, “[staff] were told they needed to make their class schedules around those in-services, which the vast majority of the staff did and were able to do.” Ultimately, Goldenberg said it boils down to striking a balance between school life and work. For Choo, the issue is a broader one: Residential Life needs to realize CAs are part of the community they are trying to develop. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen. T H E - P R O T E S T.C O M
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIANA RAMIREZ
WITNESS OF HISTORY One Northwestern student’s account of studying abroad in Egypt during the Arab Spring by Francesco Guerrieri
TIMELINE OF MORSI’S FALL
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nly two boys showed up to Colette Ghunim’s English class on July 3rd. Everyone else stayed home because they knew the streets would be dangerous. Ghunim, a School of Communication senior, was studying in Cairo on an undergraduate grant from Northwestern. She taught English at a local school, a safe sanctuary isolated from the protests and gunfire that were engulfing the capital. President Mohammed Morsi, the man whom the 2011 Egyptian Revolution brought in, was being challenged by the Egyptian military. Its charge was that Morsi did not satisfy the will of the people. “It was necessary for the Egyptian armed forces to act on its historic and political responsibility to consult with certain social and political figures,” General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi’s voice blared on Egyptian national television. “The meeting parties agreed on a future roadmap plan which includes initial measures whereby a coherent Egyptian society is achieved.” Al-Sissi gave Morsi 48 hours to meet the demands of the Egyptian people or face the wrath of the Egyptian military. Two days later, when the Egyptian military deposed Morsi, Ghunim didn’t know what to do. “We were just sitting there,” she said. “No one knew what was happening.” What was happening was a popularly backed military coup followed by an unprecedented crackdown on journalists, students and pro-Morsi protestors. Much of Cairo was elated at Morsi’s removal. “Morsi’s out! Morsi’s out! Morsi’s out!” pulsed through the crowd. At the heart of Tahrir Square however, the military was throwing out the entire political structure created by the 2011 revolution. The Egyptian military suspended the constitution that was created following Hosni Mubarak’s ousting in 2011. They deposed and imprisoned former President Morsi, and arrested the former speaker of the parliament and various deputies of the Muslim Brotherhood. In order to protect the democracy, the army argued, it had to take the country into its own hands. The army imposed a 6 p.m. curfew, blocked roads and patrolled the area with helicopters.
In spite of the discord, Ghunim felt safe. Egypt had become her adopted home and her friends were her adopted family. “It’s dangerous, but the friendships I’ve developed here make it worthwhile,” she said. Her friends, like many of Egypt’s youth, supported the military. While young people supported Morsi’s ascendency in 2011, many disillusioned youths turned out in record numbers now against the president.
“We were just sitting there. No one knew what was happening.” COLETTE GHUNIM, NORTHWESTERN SENIOR They brought a petition to people from both urban and rural districts. The Tamarod movement, Arabic for rebellion, would get over 20 million signatures demanding the removal of Morsi. “They were able to accomplish something new because of the horrifying mismanagement of the Muslim Brotherhood and its sheer greed for power,” Hani Shukrallah, an Egyptian journalist, told the Socialist Worker, “The Brotherhood lost its base.” As inflation, blackouts and fuel shortages hit Egypt in early 2013, the situation became increasingly untenable. Despite the military’s promises to get rid of these problems after taking over, the economy has worsened and terrorist activity has flared in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Ghunim attests to this confusing state of affairs in Egypt. “Things definitely got worse after the revolution, but it’s so confusing I can’t say who the victims are.” But against this backdrop of famine and poverty, Ghunim found what she came for. “I’ve always enjoyed the culture of Egypt,” she said. “I feel comfortable here. It’s safe.” Ghunim plans on returning to Egypt on a Fulbright grant to do research. Her connection to Egypt cannot be stopped by road blockages and is not put to rest at the curfew. It is as hopeful as an English classroom that might, one day, be full with students.
June 24 Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi is elected President.
2012
Nov. 23 Protests erupt following Morsi’s move to broaden presidential power.
2012
Dec. 22 A new constitution is approved, but opposition accuses Morsi of fraud.
2012
June 30 Hundreds fill the streets to denounce Morsi on the anniversary of his inauguration.
2013
July 3 Egypt’s military announces that it has removed Morsi from office.
2013
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EXCEPTIONS. by katy kim
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resident Obama’s attempt to apply universal health care to American citizens took the nation 13 days of closed government and endless disputes over the website and detailing the law. But at Northwestern University, providing universal health care to international students was painless. In fact, the transition was made rather quickly and quietly. Starting from Fall 2012, William Banis, the former Vice President of Student Affairs has mandated that all international students must enroll in the NU/Aetna health insurance plan. No exception. No waiver. No appeal. The mandate was applied to 5,130 (2012-2013 count) international students and scholars at Northwestern. Before the policy change, international students were mandated to enroll in the NU/Aetna plan for their first academic year. After a year, they were allowed to waive the school plan and use an alternate that fulfills the school’s criteria. Now, the beginning of each school year brings an uncountable number
of questions, complaints and requests for appeals. Christopher Johnson, Director of Northwestern’s Office of Risk Management, is the point person for all complaints relating to health insurance policies. As the policy regarding international students grew more restrictive since 2009, Johnson became busier. “It became such an administrative nightmare that the decision was made by the [former] Vice President of Student Affairs, who actually oversees the health service and the health insurance plan,” Johnson said. “[He] decided that it is in the best interest of international students to make sure they all have Aetna, which we know to be a top-tier plan.” The inability to choose the right plan for one’s needs is frustrating, but the bigger problem lies in being restricted by a rule that does not apply to domestic students, and that other American schools often do not have. Neighboring private institutions like Notre Dame and University of Chicago are some accept waivers. All University of California schools and east coast liberal college schools like Williams College have the option of applying for waivers as well. “This is discrimination,” said a senior from South Korea who prefers to remain unnamed due to the fact that he is not currently enrolled in any health insurance plan, including the NU/ Aetna plan, despite the fact that all Northwestern students are required to have active health insurance. “I know a bunch of insurance providers I [would] be satisfied to choose. I don’t need this luxurious plan. If I get really, seriously sick, I will want to go back to Korea where I can be with my family and be covered by a Korean health insurance plan. Why would I want to stay in the States?” The student first came to Northwestern in 2009. As a freshman, he had to enroll in NU/ Aetna by rule. He left in late 2009 to complete his mandatory Korean military service and upon returning to Northwestern in 2011, found that the rule had changed. But in 2011, the mandate had not yet been implemented. Instead, there were restrictions and newly set criteria for substitute insurance plans, in case an international student wanted to waive the NU/Aetna plan. But when he attempted to waive the NU/Aetna plan, he found out he did not meet the university’s requirements for a substitute plan. A year later, in 2012, he attempted to waive NU/Aetna again. This time, the policy had been changed into a mandate. “I went to CAESAR and realized we didn’t have a menu for the [health insurance] waiver, so I contacted the school,” he said. “I tried to get in touch with the person who was in charge of these policies, but the only replies I got looked like copy-pasted texts that simply dictates ‘It’s a rule. There is no exception.’”
Astrid Goh, a freshman journalism major from Thailand, is unintentionally stuck between two insurance plans due to the mandate. Unaware of the school’s mandatory policy, she signed up for another insurance plan that provides international coverage just a few weeks before school started. Goh tried appealing to Northwestern, but to no avail. “I felt like they just copy and pasted an email detailing the law which required me to sign up for this mandatory plan,” Goh said. The details of her plan did not matter under the mandate. “There are whole numbers of international insurance carriers who are happy to sell willfully inadequate health insurance to international students who come here,” Johnson said. “And our experience has been, over the course of the years, a number of students have been raked over the course 40, 50, or 60 thousand dollars because
“This is discimination. I know a bunch of insurance providers I would be satisfied to choose. I don’t need this luxurious plan.” - Northwestern senior
the insurance they purchased did not cover or provide adequate coverage for the United States’ complicated medical system.” Medical expenses in the United States are unparalleled in other countries and therefore unimaginable for some international students, who are often unaware of the need for health insurance. Aditi Bhandari, a freshman journalism student from Mumbai, India, fell ill on her first week at Northwestern. She was moved to the emergency room during the International Student Orientation – before classes or Wildcat Welcome had even started. “Let’s just say I was very, very surprised at the amount,” Bhandari said. “It was significantly higher than what I’d have to pay back home, even though I did expect treatment here to be expensive.” At first, Bhandari received an unsubsidized bill. She had to call the hospital herself to explain her insurance details. The hospital informed her
that it had sent the bill to Aetna on October 9, but the company had yet to pay the bill. As of mid-November, it still hasn’t been paid. Bhandari doesn’t even know how much she will have to pay out-of-pocket. “The hospital staff and the Student Health Services were quite helpful, but I think that the entire process should be explained to the students beforehand so they have an idea of what to do in such situations,” Bhandari said. The NU/Aetna is a top-tier plan. It provides mental health coverage, covers most of prescriptions, has relatively low out-of-pocket limits and has a partnership with Northwestern’s health services. And it is certainly helping international students by putting them in safety nets. “The last thing I want to see is any student, regardless of origin, loaded up with medical bills,” Johnson said. But the policy should not be mandatory. The school should feel like it has a “strong fiduciary responsibility”—borrowing Johnson’s words— to its international students. But international students deserve to make a choice of their own. “The school’s basically enforcing a monopoly over international students,” the anonymous source asserted. “They [school] give us no choice. We, international students, basically have one option and the only provider is Aetna. We can’t consider alternatives, even among American providers.” Johnson says that a committee of graduate international students came up with the recommendation and criteria for the health insurance policy. The committee’s decisions were never publicly discussed or surveyed by the general international student population. The news was announced through their tuition bills; no public announcement was made regarding the change covering over 5,000 international students and the $3,024 (2013-2014 year) each of them had to pay. Only students who questioned why they no longer had the option to waive the plan received an answer that the policy had changed. Unless a student asked, the school didn’t tell. Johnson says that university health insurance policies will change again due to the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The Office of Risk Management is still determining the degree and details of changes, for domestic and international students alike. This time, international students should not wait until they see their tuition bills. They should find a way to get involved in the decision-making process and make inputs. “Undergrads representing all kinds of socioeconomic statuses would be better too, I guess,” said Goh, who worried whether future policy changes would widen or limit choices of international students. “A diverse group in general would be good.”
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BETWEEN THE LINES The debate over
DECRIMINALIZATION Be by
ed Tae
of prostitution th an T & y Ao , Naib Mian
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hen we met Glenda Sykes on a rainy Thursday morning for an interview at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless office in a downtown high-rise, she was dressed in a simple black sweater and jeans. She even had a cup of coffee in her hand and a hesitant smile for her interviewers. But that smile quickly faded as as she sat down and began telling the story of how she became a prostitute on the streets of Chicago, and her escape from that lifestyle. “Sex trafficking, I got involved in it at the age of 13 years old,” Sykes said. “And I was out there for 28 years, prostituting.” As a Chicago native, Sykes’ story is nothing new. Chicago, one of the largest cities in the U.S., has a very active sex industry to keep up with the demand.
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IN THE METROPOLITAN CHICAGO AREA, 16,000 to 25,000 WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE INVOLVED IN THE COMMERCIAL SEX TRADE ANNUALLY.
ONE THIRD OF THESE WOMEN ARE INVOLVED BY THE AGE OF 13
62% OF THEM ARE INVOLVED BY AGE 18
INFOGRAPHIC: LIV MARCUS
According to statistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, 16,000 to 25,000 women and girls in the metropolitan Chicago area are involved in the commercial sex trade annually. One third of them will enter the sex trade by the age of 15 and 62 percent by the age of 18. The New York Times labeled Chicago a national hub for human trafficking in 2003, and in 2005, the FBI named Chicago as one of thirteen locations of “High Intensity Child Prostitution.” Sykes became one of those statistics at 13, when she was pimped by her boyfriend to his friends and other men in the neighborhood for four years before working on the streets at the age of 17. Soon after, another pimp kidnapped her and held her hostage in his house, where Sykes says she was constantly guarded PHOTO: TED TAE by two Doberman Pinscher dogs. Sykes manGlenda Sykes became a prostitute on the streets of Chicago at the age of 13. She escaped 28 years later with aged to escape, but wound back in the streets: Prostitution was the only thing she knew how help from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. a felon severely limits the opportunities for a women to complete two years of probation to do. Having been in and out of the Cook Coun- woman trying to create a new life for herself through the WINGS program, which provides services for abused women and children. ty jail system multiple times, Sykes is familiar after escaping from prostitution. “Us women who are out there, we are Today she participates in the SAGE program, with the debate over the decriminalization of prostitution. Her testimony before the crimi- committing a criminal act, but we are victims,” which empowers survivors and ex-offenders nal justice committee in Springfield this past Sykes said. “A lot of them are forced by pimps, to address the issues of prostitution through March was critical to the passage of Senate a lot of them are being trafficked, some are direct outreach and policy advocacy. out there for drug abuse, some are trying “During the two years of intense probaBill 1872, which downgraded prostito support families. It’s a broad tion, I received all kinds of services, I couldn’t tution from a felony charge to a spectrum. We shouldn’t have believe it,” Sykes said. “I got mental health misdemeanor charge. that on our record as a fel- treatment and drug addiction treatment. I Although Sykes does on because it’s so many received therapy, counseling and parenting not support the de“Us women different cases.” classes. It was the first time services like that criminalization of Sykes escaped were available to us.” who are out there, prostitution, she has that lifestyle after she Sykes, who now has an apartment to call advocated for the we are committing found help through home and works as a prep cook in the dining “defelonization” of the Chicago Coalition facilities of a Chicago health care facility, goes a criminal act, but prostitution. She says for the Homeless. She to the county jail regularly to encourage womthat being labeled as we are victims.” was one of the first en who are currently in the WINGS program.
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IN COOK COUNTY, MASSAGE PARLORS AND STRIP CLUBS OFTEN SERVE AS FRONTS FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING
NEVADA IS THE ONLY STATE TO ALLOW ANY FORM OF LEGAL PROSTITUTION
DATA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO SILHOUETTES BY ANDREW MCKINLEY & TED GRAJEDA VIA THE NOUN PROJECT “I let them know that just because I was in it for 28 years, you might think there’s no hope, but there is some help out here now finally for us,” she said. “I just want them to hang on, and if somebody extends their hand to help them, grab onto it because there are some people out here who really care.” She also reminds people of the grim reality that is sex trafficking. “You could have a young girl in the house right next to you, you don’t even notice they’re being sodomized and held,” Sykes said, her voice full of emotion. “I just want people to wake up and try to help and be aware.”
At Northwestern University, there are students who care. Founded in 2011, Fight for Freedom, or F3, is a student organization on campus that focuses on spreading awareness about and combating modern day slavery and human trafficking Medill junior Yu Sun Chin has worked with Fight for Freedom for three years. As F3’s events chair, she has worked on planning volunteering and awareness events for F3. Chin supported the senate bill that ended the felony sentence for prostitution in Illinois. It was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn on August 23, 2013. “It’s hard enough that you were trafficked and exploited to such a deep extent, but the process of even reentering society and finding out that you have no economically viable means of supporting yourself, you’re psychologically broken,” Chin said. “And then when you have these charges on your record, it turns into a vicious cycle in which women are easily
lured back into their line of work, so I think and get arrested again, and that’s more money. laws like this are really important for them to But there aren’t even resources available for really reintegrate back into society and make police to test rape kits.” them feel like they can be accepted again.” Almodovar argues that there are already On the opposite end of the spectrum, laws covering the truly harmful side of prosthere are people who not only want to discon- titution, including exploitation of minors and tinue prostitution as a misdemeanor but are human trafficking. She says the U.S. governworking towards full decriminalization. While ment should not be involved in the industry. some activists believe sex trafficking is a se“Why should certain opinions be turned rious problem in the sex industry, into law?” Almodovar asked. “People there are also sex workers who who want to abolish commerenjoy their jobs and desire cial sex are on an irrational the same rights that other crusade.” professions have for When asked why the “It turns into a their profession. general public should vicious cycle in Norma Jean Alcare about the debate modovar was one of over prostitution which women are... those sex workers. laws, Almodovar had lured back into their She quit her job as an unconventional a Los Angeles Police point to make. line of work.” Department traffic “In California, pocontrol officer in 1982 lice can arrest you for inYU SUN CHIN after suffering injuries tent of prostitution,” she from her third car accident said. “So imagine if you’re while on duty. Almodovar was a young girl, driving at night to also disgusted with the corruption meet your boyfriend for some great that her colleagues participated in, including protected sex with a box of condoms on your drug trafficking, contract killing and sexual passenger’s seat. You get pulled over by the exploitation of minors. After contacting a sex police and taken to jail for showing ‘intent of worker she had met on duty, Almodovar be- prostitution.’” gan working as a call girl in Beverly Hills. She continued: “In court, the cop who arAlmodovar believes that arresting prosti- rested you testifies against you with his cretutes in an effort to protect them from exploi- ative report, which is an embellished report of tation limits the opportunities of the women your ‘crime.’ But you have hard evidence that for the rest of their lives and wastes valuable you were not, in fact, showing intent of proslaw enforcement funds. titution and the court rules in your favor. Now “Resources are being wasted on arresting the cop’s word is no longer good and all preprostitutes,” she said. “The women go to jail vious cases he testified in have to be thrown and that costs money, and then they come out out. All the people he sent to prison with his
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testimonies, real criminals like rapists, get out on fighting prostitution could be directed to er than in illegal work,” she said, explaining of prison. Has justice been served then?” other crimes.” that in Nevada, sex workers have been able to Almodovar paused for a moment. Weitzer says that although there is a long get away from coercive pimps through broth“My point is, if the cops are caught lying, way to go before decriminalization could els, which also have mechanisms to control then that affects everyone,” she finished. happen in the United States, it’s important unruly customers. Ronald Weitzer, a sociology professor for people to be more aware about the many But Nevada’s brothel system is not a perwho specializes in criminology at George legal prostitution systems throughout the fect system, nor is it the only possible impleWashington University, also endorses de- world. mentation of legal prostitution. As Brents criminalization of prostitution, although he “The debate about our prostitution policy explained, a key difference between brothels believes it should be regulated by the is important,” he said. “Policy makers and the majority of businesses is that they government. should research other systems, often require sex workers to live on prem“I support a two track because criminalization is ises. While the practice is partially meant to system at this point in time not working.” protect workers, it is representative of brothin the U.S.,” Weitzer One such system, els continuing to operate under the archaic said. “It should be an legal brothel prostitu- premise that if people leave, they will engage “Legalization attempt at middle tion, is present in 10 in unprotected sex. in the United States ground between full of Nevada’s 17 counFurthermore, brothels will never be able legalization and full ties. Barbara Brents, to eliminate all other forms of illegal prosis not practical criminalization, with a sociology profes- titution because many sex workers prefer to one policy for the sor at the University work independently. right now.” streets and one for inof Nevada, Las Vegas Despite difficulties with legalizing prosdoor prostitution.” has done extensive re- titution, Brents says criminalization just RON WEITZER Weitzer said there search on the market cul- doesn’t work. are a number of problems ture of sexuality through “Sex workers have reported police harasswith street prostitution, inthe lens of the political econ- ment and are living under fear of arrest,” she cluding drug addiction, violence omy and co-authored “The State said. “There’s an assumption that children and disorderly conduct. While these of Sex: Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New under the age of 18 are being trafficked and problems are not unique to street prostitu- American Heartland.” She says that prostitu- anyone over the age of 18 with them is the tion, according to Weitzer, the problems are tion should be treated as any other business trafficker, when in fact, what may be the case more concentrated in street prostitution than with the same rights and regulations. is that young people from bad or abusive in indoor prostitution. “The workers need to be involved in pol- families leave home, live together, and earn a “There’s risk involved in both,” he said. icy making and have the same basic rights,” living doing sex work.” “But there’s much higher risk in streetwalk- she said. “A lot of kids are afraid to seek help,” she ing.” While policies regarding the legalization concluded. In 2012, Weitzer published “Legalizing of prostitution are tricky, Brents, who helped Prostitution: From Illicit Vice to Lawful found Globalization, Sexuality and the City, a Business,” a book based on his own research project that aims to promote research about Stories such as the one Glenda Sykes and his review of other studies on legal pros- sexuality, culture and economics believes pol- shared with us are underreported and often titution in various nations and Nevada, the icy makers need to listen to researchers. misunderstood. Illinois State Senator Dale only state that allows prostitution in certain Nevada county governments Righter (R-Mattoon) called Sykes’ counties, as well as his own research. that have legalized brothel testimony in support of the bill “Legalization in the United States is not prostitution set regulaending the felony sentence practical right now,” he said. “But there are tions, license the brothfor prostitution in March other systems out there that work. For exam- els and oversee them. one of the most compel“The women ple, in New Zealand, there is good evidence The sex workers ling witnesses he has that prostitutes now feel more comfortable at these brothels ever heard, according say they feel safe, reporting abuse to the police. Technically go through backto an article published much safer than in they can do that now in the U.S., but there are ground checks, are on the website of the legal barriers – they are not taken seriously health tested, and Chicago Coalition for illegal work.” enough by the police and treated as offenders get work cards. the Homeless. instead of victims.” “There aren’t a “When Glenda BARBARA BRENTS Weitzer says he supports giving the same lot of problems from started to testify, I just labor rights other jobs have to prostitutes, in- a public safety perspecsat up to listen. In 16 years, cluding the right to unionize and to be free tive,” said Brents. “LoI’ve never had a single witfrom exploitation. Not only can legalization cal police departments are ness turn my opinion on a bill benefit the women working in the sex indus- happy.” like that,” Righter said. try, he says, but it can also be taxed in the Brents found that regulated sex workers “He described my testimony like a prism, same way legal marijuana can. are better protected than in the current sys- like when you turn the prism and then all the “Legalization will create a tax base that tem of criminalization and illegal prostitu- lights and all the colors change,” Sykes said. states can benefit from,” he said. “Also mon- tion. “And then he saw a different side of things ey currently being spent by local government “The women say they feel safe, much saf- and he saw through me.”
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Humans of Northwestern BY ALISSA ZHU, CONNIE WANG AND SAMANTHA MAENG HUMANS OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY GIVES A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES AND ASPIRATIONS OF STRANGERS AND FRIENDS ON CAMPUS. BASED OFF THE POPULAR PHOTO BLOG, HUMANS OF NEW YORK, PHOTOGRAPHERS STOPPED SEVERAL RANDOM STUDENTS ON THE STREET TO FEATURE THE VIBRANCY AND DIVERSITY OF OUR SCHOOL.
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PHOTO: CHRISTOFFER LYBEKK, CREATIVE COMMONS
“My most satisfying accomplishment this past quarter was a pumpkin pie that I made last weekend... It was perfectly caramelized and everything.” SHYAM SUNDARESH: CLASS OF 2013 MAJORED IN MUSIC COGNITION & MATHEMATICS, STICKING AROUND TO DO POST BAC WHILE APPLYING TO MED SCHOOL
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JASON LANKFORD, 29, WAITS IN KRESGE FOR HIS NEXT MODELING GIG. HE’S A NUDE ART MODEL FOR AN INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING CLASS.
I started when I was an undergraduate. I had some friends in the art department who jokingly told me they needed an male model ... I just put myself out there and did it. I wanted an experience to write about.
FREEDOM IS..”
“the opportunity to make your biggest dreams a reality.” DANE STIER: CLASS OF 2014 MAJORING IN MATH AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, HANDS OUT FLAGS FOR FREEDOM WEEK.
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ZAVIER HENRY, A COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR FROM ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, SAID HIS FAVORITE MEMORY IS DANNY BROWN’S PERFORMANCE AT DILLO DAY 2013.
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“I’m not smiling for the camera, I’m usually naturally this happy.”
KEVIN GUO: CLASS OF 2015 MAJORING IN CHEMISTRY AND T H E - P R O T E S T.C O M | 17 LOVES GIVING HIGH-FIVES
SAM HOUSKEEPER: CLASS OF 2015 RECEIVED AN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH GRANT LAST SUMMER TO SPEND EIGHT WEEKS IN IRELAND. HE DID HISTORICAL RESEARCH ON THE INTERSECTION OF THE 18 | LEFT FA L L IN 2 013THE IRISH REVOLUTION. RADICAL
COUNTERCLOCKWISE, FROM THE LEFT
“Looking back, not a single moment seems to stick out - not because there haven’t been great moments but because each moment has meant so much.” MOLLY BENEDICT; CLASS OF 2017, WANTS TO MAJOR IN HISTORY AND GENDER STUDIES
“I’d say some of my proudest moments were during fencing. I’m on the club team here and it’s been a great experience so far.” ZAK SHAPIRO; CLASS OF 2016, MAJORING IN ECON
“My dad is from Mexico and he only went up to sixth grade. My mom is from Texas and she graduated from high school but she never went to college because she got married early. They always stressed education with me and it was never a question of whether or not I was going to college.” ARIANA VIDAÑA; CLASS OF 2016, MAJORING IN MANUFACTURING AND DESIGN ENGINEERING, FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT
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FIGHTING FAIRNESS FOR
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How Undocumented Immigrants Are Struggling to Get Organ Transplants Here in Chicago BY YOONA HA In August 2013, Blanca Gomez and thirteen others took part in an 11-day hunger strike at the University of Illinois Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Refusing food, they demanded that hospitals provide spots for undocumented immigrants on waiting lists for organ transplants. Three months later, they say their efforts have inspired little change. Gomez was diagnosed in 2010 with polyuria, a condition that can result in kidney failure, during her pregnancy. She was transferred to receive treatment at Cook County Hospital, and was informed that she needed a kidney transplant with high urgency. Gomez, who is undocumented, has since given birth to a healthy daughter. But she still has not gotten her kidney transplant. A doctor at University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System recommended that Gomez obtain health insurance before she went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to proceed with her kidney transplant. But after she obtained her State Farm medical insurance, Gomez realized that being uninsured was not the roadblock to her pathway to obtaining a kidney transplant. She says Northwestern Memorial told her that the roadblock was her undocumented status. “I called Northwestern Memorial Hospital several times because I couldn’t believe it when they told me it didn’t matter whether I had insurance or not. The issue was that I didn’t have a social security number,” she said. “I cried for four months because I was convinced I was going to die.” On July 31, Gomez and the rest of her group started their hunger strike by marching with Father Jose Landaverde from Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Mission in Chicago to University of Illinois Medical Center. On August 4, the group travelled to Northwestern Memorial hospital and continued their protest for another week. Landaverde, the organizer of the march, says that for the past four years, he has been push-
BY THE NUMBERS
11 Number of days Blanca Gomez and the thirteen others went on a hunger strike to demand hospitals provide spots for undocumented immigrants on organ transplant waiting lists.
5 Number of undocumented immigrants have received organ transplants from Chicago-area hospitals in the past three years, according to Father Jose Landaverde
7 Years it took undocumented Jorge Mariscal to get a liver transplant after being diagnosed with liver disease
ing hospitals to adopt more inclusive and nondiscriminatory practices for undocumented and uninsured patients in need of organ transplants. But, he says, his efforts to help undocumented patients like Gomez get on the organ transplant wait list have been less than successful. Landaverde says that he had met with an official from Northwestern Memorial Hospital to negotiate a better policy for the undocumented, but has yet to see any form of policy change. This, in part, spurred the decision to rally.
CHALLENGES FOR THE UNINSURED AND UNDOCUMENTED Northwestern Memorial Hospital responded to the allegations by Gomez, Landaverde and others by issuing a response to protesters stating that citizenship status isn’t a factor in their decision to put people on their transplant wait list. But those demanding change from the hospital argue otherwise. Sonia Lopez, the mother of undocumented Jorge Mariscal, who received a liver transplant from Loyola University Health Center in Maywood seven years after being diagnosed with liver disease, says that undocumented immigrants find themselves in a “double whammy.” According to Lopez, Loyola University Health Center in Maywood initially denied their request to receive a liver transplant unless they paid $150,000 for medication. For seven years, she tried to raise $150,000 for her son – but to no avail. After meeting Landaverde and participating in another hunger strike with him, this one in 2012, her son’s case was reconsidered. The hospital finally offered Mariscal a transplant on December 6, seven years after his initial diagnosis. “It took me seven years to get the transplant my son deserves,” Lopez said. “I understand that there are U.S. citizens who need transplants but a lot of undocumented immigrants don’t even get a chance to live. We are humans too.” As far as Landaverde knows, only five undocumented immigrants have received organ transplants from Chicago-area hospitals in the past three years. He says that as of recently, he has seen a surge in undocumented immigrants coming to the mission seeking help with getting a transplant. “There are already fourteen people working directly with me to get a transplant and the number of people in need only keeps increasing,” he said.
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TRANSPLANT WAITING LIST BY STATE AND CITIZENSHIP 1,954 99 WASHINGTON MONTANA
OREGON
804
NORTH DAKOTA
MINNESOTA
2
2,952
IDAHO
69
SOUTH DAKOTA
WYOMING
NEVADA 56 CALIFORNIA
75
19,906 ARIZONA
NEW MEXICO
IOWA
20
552 30
OKLAHOMA
FAIRNESS 2,358
847
486
127
44
25
1,952
ALASKA
HAWAII
431 21
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5,176
1,446
185
27
1,845
KENTUCKY
40
2,548 TENN
ARKANSAS 284
86
MISS- ALABAMA ISSIPPI 3,698 341 83 3
14
TEXAS
12,257
102
ILLINOIS INDIANA
MISSOURI KANSAS
3,148
539
27
22,330
MICHIGA
2,263 89
364
COLORADO
32
WISCONSIN
11
UTAH 708
163
311
NEBRASKA
12
2,233
133
LOUISIANA 1,780 14
*Based on OPTN data as of October 25, 2013 *Totals may be less than sums due to candidates included in multiple categories. *No data available for Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming
NATIONAL TOTALS: 113,838 US CITIZEN, RESIDENT (96%) NOT REPORTED, NON-RESIDENT, NON-US CITIZEN (6%)
7,252
MAINE 9,641 813
AN
VERMONT
6
124 0
NEW YORK
8
NEW HAMPSHIRE
8,435
2
PENNSYLVANIA 3,078 3,545
OHIO
Y
90
108 7
73
MASSACHUSETTS
874
MARYLAND
92
NORTH CAROLINA
NESSEE
A GEORGIA
SOUTH CAROLINA
3,959 161
2,683 3,455 80
180 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
920
1,217
53
80 WEST VIRGINIA 149
2,864 310 RHODE ISLAND 238 13 CONNECTICUT 1,355 33 NEW JERSEY
0
3,111
4,963
VIRGINIA
108
330
3,175
FLORIDA
94
DELAWARE 450 4
THE UNCERTAIN WAIT After meeting Landaverde, Gomez found that she was not the only one unable to get on a transplant waitlist. Mario Giron is a 34-year-old former factory worker who specialized in metal welding whose name has been changed to protect his identity. He says he is worried that his kidneys will fail before he gets an opportunity to be on the waitlist. After being told by doctors that his kidneys were functioning at 15 percent efficiency, Giron knew time was running out. Initially, he applied for financial assistance for his kidney transplant. He qualified for Medicaid, but soon discovered that undocumented immigrants cannot receive any federal benefits for organ transplants – whether they qualify for Medicaid or not. He realized that his inability to receive federal aid hindered his prospects of getting a transplant more than it would for an uninsured U.S. citizen. “It was like receiving a death sentence knowing that I could not pay for my life,” says Giron. He says that after the hunger strike, he received a letter from Northwestern Memorial Hospital specifying that he would be unable to get a transplant evaluation unless he demonstrated that he had the resources to pay for a successful transplant. He would also need to provide proof of means of pay for three years’ worth of medication, which amounted to more than $70,000. “Where can I get that kind of money?” he asks.
CHALLENGES AHEAD Landaverde has been urging hospitals to develop new policies that will ease the financial burden on both insured undocumented immigrants and uninsured undocumented immigrants. “Three months ago, we had a roundtable with all the major Chicago hospitals to discuss how hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to cooperate with those who are undocumented to reach a solution,” he said. Landaverde says he’ll continue to try, but change isn’t imminent, and those who are waiting to be on the waitlist feel like they are running out of time. “It’s immoral and unfair to put money over people’s lives,” said Landaverde. “There needs to be a way.” Jireh Kang contributed to research for this article T H E - P R O T E S T.C O M
DATA FROM UNITED NETWORK FOR ORGAN SHARING INFOGRAPHIC: CHRISTINE NGUYEN
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PHOTO: SAMANTHA MAENG
Members of Kaibigan and various other student organizations gathered to discuss their response to the victims of Tornado Haiyan.
A political campus BY MATTHEW GATES At Northwestern, students are a part of a very politically active community and Northwestern offers a wide variety of organizations that cater to different viewpoints. The College Democrats and College Republicans each advocate for their respective political parties through various on-campus events. The College Democrats Marriage Equality Committee has been involved in the vote on marriage equality in Illinois. “The reason we picked marriage equality is because the Northwestern community is very supportive of the LGBT community and gay marriage in particular,” says Kevin Chang, the chair of the Marriage Equality Committee. The College Democrats hosted weekly phone banks where volunteers called Illinois residents and ask them to contact their representative and to vote in favor of the marriage equality bill.
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A campaign at the Rock where students were photographed holding signs advocating for marriage equality, were part of their efforts says Cheng. Additionally, the College Democrats annual fall speaker was former Congressman Barney Frank, who is known as the most prominent gay politician in America and a leader of the LGBT rights movement. Organizations such as Students for Ecological and Environmental Development (SEED) advocate for specific causes. “To engage and educate the Northwestern community on environmental issues by making them relevant and relatable,” SEED CoPresident Mark Silberg says. “In doing so, we espouse not only the challenges we face, but make clear the opportunities to improve the welfare of people and the planet together in an effort to produce a healthier, just, and sustainable world. SEED accomplishes these goals through advocacy, service, and education.” Silberg says that SEED “does take political interest in environmental solutions, but as a campus group our interests are much more toward building an ethic of sustainability amongst Northwestern student.” SEED works with organizations such as Associated Student Government, ASG, and its Sustainability Committee, GREEN House, Northwestern Sustainability Fund and Wild Roots. SEED lobbied the university to hire a
director of sustainability, established GREEN House and Wild Roots and catalyzed the ASG Sustainability Committee. Organizations such as the For Members Only, Allianza and the Rainbow Alliance advocate for specific demographic groups on campus. According to Rainbow Alliance Programming Committee Member Rose Semmel, the goal of the group is to “make a more cohesive LGBT community on campus and hold events on campus” as well as to “advocate for a more friendly campus to LGBT students.” The Rainbow Alliance has advocated with some success for gender-neutral bathrooms and housing. For instance, 1835 Hinman and Foster Walker both offer gender-neutral housing, according to the University website. Semmel says that she believes it is important that Northwestern is welcoming to LGBT students because, although some come from places were they were accepted, not all do. Northwestern offers students opportunities to get involved in groups that advocate for specific political parties, specific causes and specific demographic groups. Northwestern students have the chance not only to become informed about the issues in class, but also to become involved on and off campus.
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