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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, January 8, 2015
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ASG may rename diversity, inclusion committee By JEANNE KUANG
daily senior staffer @jeannekuang
Associated Student Government is considering changing the name of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee to the “Accessibility and Inclusion Committee,” citing a more direct focus on resource accessibility for students of all backgrounds. Austin Romero, diversity and inclusion vice president, proposed during the quarter’s first Senate on Wednesday to change his committee’s name because accessibility is a more feasible and defined goal than diversity, he said. “I think it’s really difficult to act directly on diverI think it’s really sity, trying difficult to act to make the community directly on more diverse,” diversity, trying the SESP senior said. to make the “We need to community make sure the more diverse. Northwestern community is Austin Romero, inclusive and diversity and most imporinclusion VP tantly accessible to all students, and in that way we can make sure the campus has a better chance of becoming more diverse.” The name change would not affect any of Romero’s or the committee’s current responsibilities, which include working to improve “policies, practices, curriculum and engagement” at Northwestern related to diversity and inclusion, according to
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the ASG code. Rather, Romero said, it would ensure the group focuses on accessibility. “That’s not saying that I don’t value diversity or that I don’t want to continue fostering it, because that’s absolutely what I want to do,” Romero told The Daily. “I would say that’s even the ultimate goal.” He added the committee hopes to build diversity in a way that makes it “valuable” and helps students of different backgrounds feel included on campus. The bill for the name change will be discussed at next week’s Senate. Romero said the committee is kicking off this quarter by working on a project supporting lower-income students by subsidizing their tickets to campus theater performances, which he said stemmed from an idea a student came up with in an NU class. Another goal for the committee is a training program for student leaders in inclusion and different issues of identity, including socioeconomic status and LGBT issues, Romero said. Earlier in Senate, Chris Harlow, vice president for student life, reported nearly 2,000 in total attendance to various stress relief events held during exams last quarter as part of ASG’s new Take Time initiative. Take Time, a mental health campaign that launched in the fall, encourages students to take breaks from schoolwork and exams. Harlow, a SESP junior, said after the meeting that the student life committee this quarter plans to expand the initiative beyond Finals Week to include events throughout the quarter. “We really want to start integrating with other departments on campus like » See SENATE, page 6
Sean Su/Daily Senior Staffer
PLOWING THROUGH THE SNOW A plow clears snow during a period of extreme temperatures in Evanston. The city has responded to this weather by keeping facilities open for residents to warm up in and by encouraging weather-related calls to 311, among other practices.
City responds to extreme cold By JULIA JACOBS
the daily northwestern @juliarebeccaj
Evanston responded to Tuesday’s extreme weather and school closings by ensuring that public facilities stayed open for residents seeking
Nonprofits fight unemployment By STEPHANIE KELLY
daily senior staffer @StephanieKellyM
A partnership between two nonprofit organizations, one of which is based in Evanston, started this January to fight unemployment in Skokie. Childcare Network of Evanston and National Able Network, Inc. have partnered together to combat unemployment in Skokie. CNE provides access to childcare services to families in Evanston and the northern suburbs, while National Able Network provides career training and services to individuals and business. Because of a $5,000 grant from the Skokie Community Fund, the two organizations were able to “formalize” their partnership, said Andi Drileck, National Able Network’s vice president of workforce services. “That’s what it’s really doing,” Drileck said. “It’s providing the additional services to this population and to focus it on the skills that they need.” With the grant money, CNE and National Able Network will look to put 25 people through their different services, with probably 75 percent
completing full job readiness sessions that National Able Network offers, Drileck said. They are not expecting a large dropout rate, she said. CNE will refer either existing clients or new clients to National Able Network and provide case management services to the clients, she said. CNE and National Able Network staffers will finalize the specific services provided for the clients in the next couple of days, Drileck said, but the project will focus on job readiness skills. The two organizations met in December to start planning for the project, she said. So far this year, CNE has been reaching out to the families they help and seeing what their needs are and if this will be beneficial for them, said Jamie Ferguson, CNE’s director of marketing and communications. As CNE staff members talk to the clients, they will refer them to services that National Able Network provides. “(National Able Network is) going to have a direct tie for families in need, and we are going to be that bridge for them,” Ferguson said. Ferguson said the partnership is mutually beneficial because although
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CNE is located in Evanston and works with Evanston families, it also reaches out to families all over the northern suburbs. This partnership will give CNE a way to connect with Skokie families, she said. “It’s a way for us to expand our services and have a greater impact on the northern suburbs,” Ferguson said. The partnership is part of CNE’s plan to offer services to not only children, but their impoverished parents and siblings as well, according to a news release from CNE. “We are very pleased to be partnering with National Able Network to help our clients achieve a more stable future for themselves and their families,” said Andrea Densham, CNE’s executive director, in the news release. Ferguson called National Able Network a leader in its field. “For us to have them nearby and on board and excited about this partnership, we really wanted to jump into it and see what we can do together,” she said. “We were just impressed by what they do and enthusiastic about their mission and the feeling was mutual.” stephaniekelly2017@u.northwestern.edu
warmth and childcare, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said. The Robert Crown Center’s hours were extended to midnight to serve as a warming center. Additionally, the Evanston Public Library’s Chicago Avenue/Main Street Branch will open tomorrow to shelter south Evanston residents, although it is normally
closed on Thursdays, according to the city’s website. The city also added open gym sessions in three Evanston recreational centers Wednesday. Bobkiewicz said the city also encouraged residents to call 311 and 911 help centers in the event of
NU collaborates with UChicago on Obama library bid
library’s documents in their research. The news of the potential collaboration comes three months after President Barack Obama spoke on campus and almost a year after a video message from him was shown at Dance Marathon. Cubbage said although Obama is more tied to UChicago because he taught law there, the president’s connection to NU is undeniable. “Northwestern has a large number of alums who work in the Obama administration,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to continue our association with President Obama and the Obama administration.” Cubbage said NU never considered submitting a proposal for the presidential library and museum. However, Obama Presidential Library officials have concerns with the bid because neither UChicago nor the city fully control the proposed Chicago site. The proposed site might “invite controversy,” according to the Chicago Tribune. The article said the officials are hesitant because they want the library to be built on time. A site not controlled by the university could hinder that. The University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University and the University of Hawaii also submitted bids for the library.
The University of Chicago hopes to collaborate with 17 Chicago-area schools, including Northwestern, in its bid for the Obama Presidential Library. University spokesman Al Cubbage said UChicago contacted NU and asked for support in both the bid process and the potential library development process if selected as the library’s location. “Obviously when you’re putting together a proposal you want to make it as strong as you can,” he said. “One of the things the University of Chicago did was bring in support from other institutions, which we were very happy to do.” Cubbage also said UChicago was specifically interested in NU’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and its potential role in assisting the library development process. “One of the things Northwestern can bring to bear is the strength of its journalism programs,” Cubbage said. “It was the idea of having Northwestern use one of its key strengths to bolster the proposal.” He said the library could also serve NU faculty who could benefit from the
» See SNOW, page 6
— Shane McKeon and Emily Chin
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