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By Joseph Diebold
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Living near Metra stops increases property values for residents.
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Michael Kurtz NCAA athletes deserve salaries.
Ali Elkin Rethinking the Occupy cause.
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Chain crew member who suffered heart attack in NU’s thoughts.
NU takes on NIU and hopes to reverse history Wednesday night.
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65 Et cetera Classifieds Crossword Sudoku
By Patrick Svitek
daily senior staffer
Even as they weighed removing from the city’s website a list of 52 properties under investigation for code violations, several aldermen at Monday night’s council meeting said the controversial index was a new concept for them. Some said they first heard of the list only after an article about it was printed in the Oct. 4 edition of The Daily and later by other Evanston publications. The property listings were officially handed over to Northwestern officials at a Sept. 29
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See EXPENSE, page 6
meeting involving a joint University-city committee, which includes Ald. Judy Fiske (1st), Ald. Delores Holmes (5th) and Ald. Jane Grover (7th). Holmes on Tuesday night confirmed all three aldermen were present at that gathering and fully knowledgeable of the list’s disclosure to the University. As for the council’s six other aldermen — she declined to comment on their knowledge of the more than 50 properties described as “open building and/ or overcrowding cases under investigation by the City of Evanston as of Sept. 28, 2011.” “I have no idea how they
found out or didn’t find out about it,” Holmes said of her council peers. During Monday night’s planning and development committee meeting, that knowledge level took center stage as some aldermen questioned why they had not received the news release attached to the property listings. In that news release, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and director of community and economic development Steve Griffin clarified the city’s over-occupancy enforcement strategy in response to an Oct. 3 article in The Daily. Planning and development committee chair Ald. Don
Wilson (4th) told council members he felt blind-sided after spotting the property directory in The Daily last week. On Tuesday night, Wilson said he was relieved his committee eventually voted to take the contentious listings off the Evanston website. But he added he was more concerned about the attached news release posing greater transparency issues. “I was disappointed the press release was not shared with the rest of us,” Wilson said, referring to the aldermen outside the NU-city committee and local reporters. At Monday’s council meeting
I was disappointed the press release was not shared with the rest of us. Don Wilson, Alderman (4th)
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) called the council’s lack of awareness “embarrassing,” adding elected officials “should know about these things.” One building owner, Rebecca See violation, page 6
Research funds More targeted graffiti found decreased in 2011 the daily northwestern
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Forbes magazine published a report Monday ranking Northwestern as the ninth most expensive college in the country. The report, which relied on data from the National Center for Education Statistics, included the cost of tuition, room and board, as well as other costs such as textbooks and transportation. Forbes reported a total yearly cost for NU students of $56,406. Michael Mills, associate provost for university enrollment, cautioned against reading too much into the report because it only gave the gross cost for attending each institution, rather than the net cost accounting for scholarships and financial aid. “We are a high-tuition, high financial aid school, and that’s
sort of the model,” Mills said. “The net price to attend Northwestern after receiving financial aid makes it very affordable.” In fact, according to data from the Department of Education, the net price to attend NU dropped from $28,403 in 2008-09 to $27,919 in 2009-10. Mills said he expects that number to be even lower once data for the 2010-11 academic year is released. The Center for College Affordability and Productivity aided Forbes with the report. The Center, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., aims to facilitate a broader dialogue on the rising costs of higher education in the United States. Matthew Denhart, administrative director of the Center, stressed the importance of
Released violation list spurs council unease
By Safiya Merchant
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Kaitlin Svabek/Daily senior staffer
Light for all: Co-president of NU’s Rainbow Alliance Zach Wichter lights a candle at a vigil at the rock Tuesday intended to recognize National Coming Out Day.
By Kimberly Railey and Patrick Svitek
Weather
NU ranked a costly school the daily northwestern
A new iPhone app helps NU students save a buck at Evanston stores.
City
Wednesday, September 12, 2011
In a year that saw several Northwestern research breakthroughs, the University announced Monday it used only $511.7 million in project funding, an 8 percent decrease from the previous year’s funding pool. While funds for Weinberg and the School of Education and Social Policy increased, the allotments for the Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick decreased by 8 and 12 percent, respectively. For fiscal year 2010, the funding for NU faculty research projects was $556.4 million. Some of this funding originated from the finances behind the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which contributed money to institutions that offered financial support for research projects, such as the National Institute of Health. Although the funding for fiscal year 2011 is less than that of the previous year, Vice President for Research Jay Walsh said the decrease is not indicative of a lack of faculty
talent. Rather, Walsh said the decrease is a natural part of the ARRA grant. Because it was a one-time federal grant and to be distributed over the course of several years, he said, the yearly allotment will decrease annually until the funds are entirely used. The funding cycle during fiscal year 2010 endured a high increase because of the “bump” from the first installment of the ARRA grant. Walsh added schools like Weinberg and SESP have increased funding due in part to their growing ability to write research grant applications. “Our faculty are really exceptional and creative and competitive in garnering funds from the major agencies,” said Kelly Mayo, Weinberg’s research dean. For Feinberg, whose funding decreased by 8 percent to $317 million, the funding decrease for fiscal year 2011 came as no shock, said Dr. Rex Chisholm, the vice dean of scientific affairs and graduate studies in Feinberg. See research, page 6
the daily northwestern
A recent rash of anti-immigration graffiti on Evanston’s north side may be more than just a few isolated incidents. Evanston Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther on Monday evening said a crime analyst will be compiling the six reports of similar vandalism and examining them collectively. No arrests have been made in connection with the anti-immigration graffiti, he added. The newest defacements appeared this weekend on the El underpass at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and Lincoln Street and the Metra underpass by the intersection of Green Bay Road and Lincoln Street. One underpass was painted with, “Euro-Americans, do you want to become minorities? If so, support mass immigration! Circa 2042. Face difficult truths or be [disposed].” The language references a 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate that white Americans will comprise less than 50 percent of the U.S. population by 2042, though they will still be the largest minority group. Police were alerted to the messages Sunday morning. Both markings have since been mostly removed. Previous anti-immigration
writings were also mostly removed after their discoveries on Metra viaducts along Green Bay Road from Lincoln to Livingston streets. One viaduct featured the claim “whites will be minorities by 2042” and the question of whether “we all (will) just be poorer” consequently. Another statement said, “Let America decline, support mass immigration. Demography is destiny.” Throughout his 45 years of living on Lincoln Street, Robert McCray said he has never seen graffiti of this nature. City residents generally exhibit tolerant attitudes, he said. “Evanston is pretty progressive in my opinion,” said McCray, citing the NUcommunity and the large proportion of Democrats in the city. “We’ve never had this sort of thing around here.”
In a Sept. 28 article in The Daily, Guenther said the graffiti is relatively “unusual” for its articulateness and pointed subject, referring to the first three reported incidents. Though McCray said the messages’ exact motives are unclear, they are indicative of the country’s current political climate. “The political scene is pretty crazy now,” he said. Last month, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz told The Daily the graffiti ultimately reflects free speech. “It’s a balance of time and place for that free speech,” Bobkiewicz said after three incidents were reported. kimberlyrailey2014@ u.northwestern.edu patricksvitek2014@ u.northwestern.edu
Daily file photo
Graffiti: Anti-immigration messages are being investigated.