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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Thursday, October 23, 2014
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Scholars discuss state of ACA By Michelle Kim
the daily northwestern @yeareeka
A panel of political scholars weighed in on the future of the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the upcoming 2014 midterm elections. The panel discussion, hosted by the Evanston Scholars Strategy Network, invited three scholars to share their insight to the NU community at NU’s Transportation Center, 600 Foster St. The panelists included Prof. Colleen Grogan, from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance in the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute, and Illinois State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). The speakers highlighted the developments that have taken place throughout the nation since the implementation of the ACA in March 2010, including the enrollment of 7.3 million people and the expansion of Medicaid in 27 states and Washington, D.C. Yet, among the uninsured there is a plurality of 47 percent who view health reform unfavorably because of a lack of awareness about the specifics of health care and how it will affect them, Jacobs said. When people start to become more aware and experience the benefits of the ACA, they lean toward support and
reform, rather than elimination of the plan altogether, he said. “There is this idea out there…that the Affordable Care Act is about a Washington takeover: The government is forcing you to do this,” Jacobs said. “But the more you actually look into what’s going on with health reform, the action is in the states.” Grogan addressed the confusion surrounding health plans that obstruct Medicaid expansion among people who are in need of coverage. “The lack of knowledge hinders mobilization around the program,” she said. “Even if you access private plans, even though we’re using an awful amount of public money, people don’t know they have claims on the state. They think their claim is on the private plan.” Gabel said she and other Democrats are working on establishing a state-provided health insurance plan specific to Illinois, following the models implemented by 14 other states. Republicans are currently standing in the way of progress, because of the approaching deadline for requesting federal money for the development of these state-based exchanges, she said. The panelists went on to point out the partisanship and party control variables that interfere with the expansion of Medicaid. Democratic voters who are » See ACA, page 7
Nathan Richards/Daily Senior Staffer
taking a stand Student performer Prez Harris (McCormick sophomore Randall Harris) raps Wednesday night at The Rock as part of a demonstration to express anger over the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri in August. About 50 students attended the event, wearing red armbands and listening to student musical and spoken-word acts.
NU gathers in solidarity with Ferguson October By Jeanne Kuang
daily senior staffer @jeannekuang
Sean Su/Daily Senior Staffer
transit updates A Purple Line train pulls up to the Dempster CTA station. Evanston received the results of a transit poll for city residents and Northwestern students, which showed that many had problems with the hours of the Purple Line Express and the public bus routes.
Poll results show focus on Purple Line, bus routes City staff released Wednesday the results of its transit poll, which showed many of those polled wanted additional bus routes and extended hours for the Purple Line Express train. The poll, which Evanston posed in order to improve public transportation in the city, targeted both Evanston residents and Northwestern students. The survey included an open-ended response question about satisfaction with the city’s public transportation system. Some residents complained about the conditions of the subway stations, citing leaky roofs and general disrepair, while others focused on the Purple Line and bus routes, according to the survey
results. The Chicago Transit Authority has addressed problems with the Purple Line trains through the Red and Purple Line Modernization program, which launched in November 2013. The $1.7 billion initiative aims to upgrade the tracks and rebuild CTA stations to improve ridership across the two lines. Although walking, biking and driving are also major methods of transportation for Evanston residents, bus routes and Purple Line trains were discussed most in the free response answers on the survey, said Cindy Plante, a local government management fellow with the International City/County Management Association, in an email to The Daily. According to the results, 7 percent of residents named the CTA bus system as their primary mode of transportation, while 14 percent said the CTA train. The majority of residents, 77 percent, said » See transit, page 7
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“You can’t stop the revolution,” Northwestern students chanted on Wednesday night as they gathered around The Rock in a demonstration against police brutality and racial profiling. About 50 attendees wearing red armbands listened to student musical and spoken-word acts that denounced racism in America and the fatal August shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. “(This event is) only for people that are mad as f—ing hell that black people keep dying,” organizer Sarah Oberholtzer said to the crowd. Throughout the night, students expressed anger over the events in Ferguson, which have sparked weeks of protests and a federal investigation. They
ETHS shows increased student achievement Data from the 2013-14 school year at Evanston Township High School showed record student achievement in many areas, including the highest amount of high scores on Advanced Placement exams and the lowest dropout rate in the school’s history. ETHS staff reported an overview of student achievement Monday to the District 202 Board of Education. Through three different reports, the board heard
named other incidents of alleged racial profiling that led to the shooting deaths of unarmed black teenagers, such as Trayvon Martin and Renisha McBride. “Why should I be scared?” McCormick sophomore Randall Harris rapped at the event. “Why should I feel like I shouldn’t be here?” Later in the evening, students shared their own experiences with racism and painted The Rock, covering it in red handprints. They also circulated a petition asking the Chicago Police Department to decrease spending and answer civilian questions in the interest of transparency, among other demands. Sam Dreessen, an activist who traveled to Missouri earlier this month with the Arab American Action Network to support local protesters, drew cheers and applause from the crowd as he criticized police tactics in the United States. “Resistance is justified when people are occupied,” Dreessen said, leading the crowd in a chant.
Oberholtzer organized the gathering with For Members Only, NU’s black student alliance, and held it in conjunction with a National Day of Action Against Police Brutality organized by Ferguson October, a nationwide activist movement. The Communication sophomore told The Daily that although the event, dubbed NU’s “Day of Resistance,” began on a grim note, she was glad to see participants stepping up to the microphone to speak about their own experiences. “The idea was to empower the community and empower the people that are really angry right now,” Oberholtzer said. “People that are angry have their voices stifled and need to be as limited as possible, so it’s really awesome that people got a chance to scream and shout.” Harris, who rapped under his stage name Prez Harris, said he was invited
presentations on key statistical indicators of school performance and Illinois state data, all of which show comprehensively positive results, D202 superintendent Eric Witherspoon said at the meeting. “I really do want to give great kudos to our teachers, to our support staff, to the people who work in this building every day, who have just been literally pouring their hearts and souls into the achievement of the students in this school,” he said. “This takes a lot of people working really, really hard.” ETHS had an increased four-year graduation rate, up to 88 percent, and had 71 percent of students enroll in postsecondary education, according to the state school report card. The dropout rate
in the 2012-13 school year was 1.1 percent, the lowest in the school’s recorded history. Since 2004, the amount of juniors and senior taking AP tests has increased from 36 percent to 64 percent, with a record number of students earning a score of 3 or above. The average ACT composite score of 23.6 is the second highest ever at ETHS, as well as higher than the averages in Illinois and the nation, according to the report on student achievement. “When we look at these reports, if there are positives and good trends, I think it’s very important that we lift those up and take note of them,”
» See Resistance, page 7
» See achievement, page 7
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