The Daily Northwestern – February 8, 2019

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The Daily Northwestern Friday, February 8, 2019

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Alderman criticizes Wally Bobkiewicz Suffredin slams city manager for departure rumors By KRISTINA KARISCH

daily senior staffer @kristinakarisch

Ald. Tom Suffredin (6th) on Thursday sent out an email to his constituents, calling for a public discussion about the city manager’s job performance and allegiance to Evanston. Suffredin said in a ward newsletter that city manager Wally Bobkiewicz should “be good to Evanston and place the city above his own personal and professional interest.” He is asking for an “open and transparent public discussion” about Bobkiewicz’s job performance and his “open and (unapologetic)” desire to leave Evanston. In interviews with The Daily and the Chicago Tribune, the mayor and aldermen have expressed their disagreement with Suffredin’s claims and position. Bobkiewicz declined to comment on the matter. Bobkiewicz, who has been city manager in Evanston since 2009, has applied to a

number of jobs outside Evanston — mostly in the Pacific Northwest, which is closer to where his wife’s family lives. He was named a finalist for a county administrator position in Oregon earlier this year, which ended up being filled by another candidate. In 2017, he withdrew his application for the position of city manager of Tacoma, Washington after being named one of four finalists. He said at the time that he was “not yet ready to leave Evanston.” In his newsletter, Suffredin wrote that “there is no succession plan, no timetable and there has been no public discussion” to account for Bobciewicz’s potential exit. “This stagnant, purgatorial existence is not good for Evanston,” he wrote. “We have a responsibility to put Evanston’s future above all else.” In an interview with The Daily, Suffredin said the situation is “the elephant in the room.” He said he worries for the city’s lack of long-term planning and that the current city manager is being allowed to stay “as long as he wants until he finds a job that he wants somewhere else.” » See WALLY, page 8

Evan Robinson-Johnson/The Daily Northwestern

Abdul El-Sayed speaks to students at Harris Hall. El-Sayed said his faith taught him to seek justice.

Abdul El-Sayed talks faith, politics Former gubernatorial candidate discusses Islam in keynote speech By CATHERINE KIM

daily senior staffer @ck_525

No matter how unpopular they may be, former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed said he doesn’t back

down from his beliefs –– and challenged students to be kind even when they face opposition. Speaking to about 50 students at Harris Hall on Thursday, ElSayed recalled his own experiences running for governor and discussed the importance of maintaining strong values. As the

keynote speaker for the Muslim Cultural Students Association’s Discover Islam Week, which this year focused on the intersection of Islam and civil engagement, he said his faith taught him be good and seek justice. “As an American, I believed in a country founded on a set of

ideals and ‘We hold these truths to be self evident, that all people are created equal,’” he said. “As a Muslim I was raised to believe that all people are equal in the sight of God and … that our responsibility to them was to » See KEYNOTE, page 8

Alumnus opens photo exhibition Students move to Josh Aronson explores the ‘twilight zone’ of gender, sexuality By CATHERINE KIM

daily senior staffer @ck_525

On a beach in Miami, a red and white Chinese finger trap in hand, Josh Aronson (Weinberg ‘16) asked Russell Kahn (Communication ‘16) to use the toy to visualize the tension between masculine and feminine energies. “(The Chinese finger trap) really captures this tone of sexual tension in an image that is not otherwise very sexual,” Kahn said. Together, Aronson and Kahn created intimate art that focuses on sexuality and identity –– ideas Aronson has often tried to incorporate into his work. These shots will be some of the many images displayed in Aronson’s upcoming Chicago exhibition from Feb. 13 to 17 at Congruent Space, a conceptual platform that displays fashion and art. Aronson, now based in New York, said a lot of his work came from a need to produce images that captured his and his friends’ current state of mind. Many felt they were caught in a “twilight zone” of identities, especially in regard

to gender and sexuality, he said, adding that he wanted to see these feelings reflected in the world. “I’m interested in recording ... not only of our physical presence –– where we are and who are –– with but also our metaphysical or emotional presence and how we see ourselves really in a moment,” he said. The exhibition is organized by Weinberg senior Barr Balamuth, who reached out to Aronson after seeing his work on Instagram. Balamuth said he was attracted to the themes of gender and youth identity in Aronson’s work and wanted the opportunity to further explore these ideas with the photographer. “The idea of the show is to question how we construct our own identities using social media,” Balamuth said. “It’s a healthy thing to question.” Despite Aronson’s blossoming career, he said he wasn’t a serious photographer at Northwestern. In fact, he was a philosophy major who liked to take pictures of his friends for fun –– such as taking monochrome-themed photographs » See ARONSON, page 8

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

off-campus parking Closings, high costs push students from on-campus lots By JASON HARWARD

the daily northwestern @jasonharward00

Courtesy of Josh Aronson

An picture of Russell Kahn (Communication ‘16), taken by Josh Aronson (Weinberg ‘16), which will be displayed at Aronson’s exhibition. Aronson said his most of his work focuses on sexuality and identity.

Parking lot closings and snow-clearing days are frequent occurrences on campus during the winter months, but these closings exacerbate the already limited nature of on-campus parking options. For many students, the best option is to avoid the uncertainties of on-campus parking altogether by using Evanston residential parking. Weinberg junior Stephanie Lopez, who lives on campus and is therefore eligible for a University parking pass, decided to use residential street parking instead –– the cost of which is much lower than University rates. A set of twenty single-day passes for Evanston residential areas costs only $4, while student parking passes cost $477 for the full academic year, or about $1.80 per day. Lopez lives in Foster-Walker Complex and said she chose to park on Orrington Street

because it’s close and “really easy.” “The Evanston residential pass is surprisingly cheap,” she said. With a University pass, parking is available on campus lots from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays when school is in session. Outside of these hours, the lots are open for anyone to use. Yet according to the University’s parking regulations, “purchasing a permit does not guarantee a space” as “lots in the center of campus are in particularly high demand during the week.” Parking isn’t added for special events, said Parking Services Manager John Coleman, putting even further strain on the already crowded lots, which are often closed for routine maintenance like paving and stripping or as the result of a construction project. “For example, the lot next to Kemper Hall is now closed to accommodate the replacement of the city water reservoir that is underneath the lot,” Coleman said. SESP junior Bailey Halkett, who parks her car off campus, said her experience with parking » See PARKING, page 8

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | Opinion 4 | Across Campuses 5 | Classifieds & Puzzles 8 | Sports 12


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