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Monday, October 16, 2023
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Students upset after email from Schill International students frustrated about tokenization By JOYCE LI
daily senior staffer @joyycee_li
Northwestern University President Michael Schill sent an email to the NU community ahead of Homecoming Weekend, titled “Celebrating a sense of excitement and possibility.” He recounted a heartwarming anecdote about International Student Orientation in which he came upon “a young man with two BIG suitcases and an equally big smile.” “Unlike many of the alumni who will be visiting this weekend, he didn’t really know where he was going, so I did my best to help,” Schill wrote in the Oct. 3 message. “Immediately, a couple of students jumped in along with staff to get him settled.” Many international students took issue with the email, saying their impression of move-in day is less brighteyed and idyllic. Students told The Daily they recall a lack of institutional support from the University during the transition, and Schill’s message
exacerbated their frustrations about tokenization and a lack of resources for the international student community. Communication junior Juan Barrera Lopez, an international peer adviser executive board member, said reading the email made him feel “angry and unseen.” “Reading the stories like, ‘Oh, look at these immigrants, how hard they work and how much they challenge themselves,’” Barerra Lopez said. “It’s not because we have to — it’s because the University has forced us to.” Sami Berisha (Medill ’23), who was a member of the IPA executive board for two years, echoed that sentiment. He said IPAs take initiative to help international students move their bags because the University does not hire contracted workers to assist with move-in during ISO — a service offered a week later during Wildcat Welcome. “(During) Wildcat Welcome, you see your American peers moving in and getting all the help in the world,” Berisha said. “For the international students, you get a bunch of sophomores and juniors breaking their backs, hauling 80-pound
» See TOKENIZATION, page 6
Micah Sandy/Daily Senior Staffer
Activists and politicians from Evanston and Chicago gathered to support abortion rights on Sunday.
Evanston rallies for abortion rights Politicians, residents march for choice following 2022 Dobbs decision By LILY OGBURN
daily senior staffer @lilyogburn
Content Warning: This story contains mentions of sexual assault.
Poet and dancer Sunshine Lombré shared a spoken word piece about reproductive rights and sexual violence to a crowd of listeners dressed in pink at Evanston’s Pro-Choice Rally and March on Sunday. Lombré emphasized that
most cases of sexual assault go unreported, which contributes to minimized statistics about abortions as a result of sexual violence. “Statistics say that only 1% of people who get abortions report rape as the reason, but it seems
also intuitive that there’s millions more,” Lombré said. “They didn’t want unprotected sex then and don’t want the labels now. They didn’t want a baby then and still don’t want one now.”
» See PRO CHOICE, page 6
SASA hosts yearly Garba celebration Residents decide South Asian Students Alliance kicks off Navaratri Saturday evening By NEHA SRINIVAS
the daily northwestern
Colorful lehengas and salwarkameez filled the Louis Room in Norris University Center Saturday evening at the South Asian Students Alliance’s annual Garba celebration. Garba, a folk dance form, originated in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is traditionally performed during Navratri, a Hindu festival celebrated throughout the Indian subcontinent to honor the goddess Durga. The festival, which usually takes place at the start of October, blends spirituality, culture and tradition over nine nights. “I’m so, so happy that such a large number of people came out and celebrated their Indian heritage,” McCormick freshman Rohan Badani, a SASA representative, said. “I’ve been participating in Garba my whole life, and it was so great to celebrate this amazing event with so many people from across all grades.” The beats of the dhol, the melodies of the flute and the energy of the DJ drew approximately
Recycle Me
200 attendees to the dance floor. SASA coordinators and Raas — a co-ed dance group at NU practicing Raas and Garba — choreographed and led intricate routines with hand movements and dandiya sticks. The night featured three types of dance: Dandiya Raas, Garba and a lively Bollywood dance jam. The festival drew both students looking for something brand new and those looking for a taste of home. McCormick freshman Kate Manion said the event was her first time participating in Garba. “I had never experienced anything like it before, and it was so cool to be included in a different culture,” she said. “I loved all the food, music and dancing and am super grateful for this experience.” SASA served Indian delicacies including samosas, chutney and chaat. Some attendees — like Weinberg freshman Addvika Agarwal — said these foods helped ease homesickness. “As a first-year international student, I was terribly
on ARPA funding
Health First Seven projects get First place:AidMental Training participatory Of the winners, the Mental budgeting funds Health First Aid Training proposal By MEGIJA MEDNE
the daily northwestern @_megija
Divya Gupta/The Daily Northwestern
Participants dance in a circle while twirling and clapping around a picture of the Hindu goddess Durga.
missing Indian food and home, but Garba almost made me feel like I was transported back home,” said Agarwal, who is from Bengaluru, India. Garba is the first of many SASA events this quarter. The organization has already started
planning its annual Diwali celebration, Badani said. “If you happened to have missed Garba, don’t worry,” he said. “There’s more Indian events to come.” nehasrinivas2027@u.northwestern.edu
After a monthlong participatory budgeting voting process, Evanston announced winning projects Friday. Evanston residents chose seven proposals that will receive $3 million in funding. The participatory budgeting process was introduced last year following City Council’s decision to allocate American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project. Anyone with a “meaningful connection” to Evanston could develop a proposal and participate in voting, ensuring that the community would decide “how to spend a part of the City budget.” The voting process collected 6,565 votes, the city said – approximately 8.5% of Evanston’s population. Here are the seven projects that will receive funding:
secured first place with 3,400 votes. Asking for $50,000 in funding, the proposal seeks to provide mental health training to public service employees in schools, fire and police stations, community centers and libraries. According to the proposal’s poster, which is available on Evanston’s PB website along with other posters, “through this training, public service employees will be better equipped to respond to mental health challenges with greater care, knowledge and experience.” Second place: Education grants and incentives The proposal aims to provide grants and incentives for activities and education and will support marginalized students in grades three through 12, financed by $700,000 in participatory budgeting funds.
» See BUDGET, page 6
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